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The likely stars in Sri Lanka Mark Boucher, an eye of the 'Tiger'
Representing Pakistan: whose right is it?
The likely stars in Sri Lanka By Mushfiq Ahmad Cricket buffs
must be straining their minds these days about who is going to be the
most successful players in the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka starting next
month. Thinking I might help them I have drawn a list of players who I
think will steal the limelight in the scorching summer heat of the
island. Here it is: the likely stars of the T20 World Cup. Shahid Afridi: He has
been one of the most successful T20 player for Pakistan over the years.
He has served Pakistan very well both as bowler and batsman. Although he
failed to produce his best in the recent tour to Sri Lanka, it wouldnít
be wrong to expect him to shine once again in his favourite format of
the game. Abdul Razzaq: This
hugely talented and enormously experienced all rounders has not been in
the best of his form for sometime. But the reason for that, in my view,
has been the way he has been used by team management. If given proper
opportunities — that mean sending him up the order to bat and
utilizing his full quota of overs while bowling — he is certainly
going to be a match winner for the country. Imran Nazir: This
highly explosive batsman has disappointed his fans on quite a few
occasions, which is the reason he has been in and out of the team since
his debut in 1999. But he has been in prime form lately — he was among
the highest run getters in the Bangladesh Premier League. We can expect
some wonderful hard hitting from him. Suresh Raina: This
young man is the most brutal hitter of the ball India has produced in
the last few years. He has the ability to hit the ball high and far away
and take the match away from any opposition. If he can do that a few
times for India this time, there is every likelihood of the one-day
champions lifting the trophy in the shortest format as well. Virat Kohli: Nobody
has ever produced such consistent performances in one-day cricket as
Kohli has been doing for over a year. He has been in supreme touch,
scoring tons of runs. He will be the most feared batsman in the
tournament. Cameron White: This
man is Australia’s Chris Gayle. If his bat starts producing runs,
there are few that can stop or even slow the flow. He will be the
linchpin for Australia in their campaign to lift their first ever trophy
in this format. David Warner: This
stylish left-handed batsman has overawed many a fine bowler since his
arrival in international cricket. At the top of the order, he can take
away match from even the strongest bowling side of the world. Opponents
will have to work very hard to get rid of him. Tim Bresnan: This
bulky all-rounder has not done as well in T20 cricket as he has done in
Test cricket. But he can score runs very quickly ó has a strike rate of
92 in one-dayers ó and is little less than a complete bowler. He will
play a vital role in England's attempt to defend their title. Eoin Morgan: English
batsmen have usually lagged behind in inventing strokes. But Morgan has
mastered some most unique shots, which can baffle even the very best
among the bowlers. This left-handed batsman once hit a six over the slip
fielders in something like a reverse sweep. He can frustrate any
captain’s fielding strategy. mushfiqahmad1000@gmail.com
Mark
Boucher, an eye of the 'Tiger' 999 might have
been the last number that South-African wicketkeeper-batsman Mark
Boucher might have seen with both of his eyes. The world missed the
fascinating site of someone making his 1000th dismissal as a
wicket-keeper in international cricket, but lady luck was sadly not on
Boucher's side, as his eye injury ended all the hopes of his return to
international cricket. He was a fighting
cricketer, solid behind the stumps and almost equally good with the bat.
A look over Mark Boucher's career in numbers would certainly not place
him at the greatest of levels, for he only averages 28.5 and 30 in ODIs
and Tests, respectively. But there was always
something that kept him in the run. That something was a wise cricketing
brain and the spirit to fight till the very end. Boucher had been a part
of many memorable innings and had been an integral part of South
Africa's successes over the past few years. It was the team work
that was important for him, constantly thinking behind the stumps and
working his way around like a spy, towards victory with the bat. He has the honour of
hitting the winning runs in the '438 match' or as it is called 'The
greatest ODI of all time' against Australia where he made a crucial 50
to sail the South African ship home. His partnerships with
Lance Klusener were crucial in South Africa's successful run in the 1999
Cricket world cup. I can also remember the 52 not out against Australia
at Johannesburg which saved the match for the Proteas from a position of
115 for 6. When the team was
under Shaun Pollock's leadership, Boucher was also the regular
vice-captain of the team and led the team in Tests four times. These
matches include a victory over Australia, an achievement which Pollock
could not manage under his captaincy. His work behind the
stumps is also worth remembering, if not one of the best. Against
Pakistan in Port Elizabeth 1998, he took 9 catches in a single match and
made a brilliant 52, which earned him the man of the match award. I clearly remember
watching Boucher take blinders behind the wicket and thinking to myself,
"Is he flying or what?" It was a display no less spectacular
than Rhodes' at the point. Graeme Smith had some
amazing words to say for Boucher after his career-ending injury:
"For the 14 years of your international career, you have been a
true Proteas warrior, a patriotic South African, a fighter who asks
nothing and gives everything. You have been a 100 percenter for this
team. You have been more than a performer, you have been a motivator, an
inspirer, an energizer." Micky Arthur, the
Australian Coach, also has some fond memories of Boucher's illustrious
career. He says, "I have so many memories of Mark. He is a real guy
that you wanted on your side. He never ever gave up and that is how you
will remember him." We bid farewell to
Boucher who has been an incredible cricketer to watch and has elevated
the game of cricket through his phenomenal wicket keeping to new levels.
Best of luck Mark Boucher in your life outside international cricket! moheet@gmail.com
Representing
Pakistan: whose right is it? A shift in the
approach of some of the national sports federations to own foreign-based
Pakistani players is leaving a negative impact on the careers of the
athletes living in the country. Having failed to
prepare their indigenous stuff properly these federations are
desperately seeking short-cuts to lift medals at international level by
owning Pakistani-origin athletes living abroad. A few days ago
Pakistan Swimming Federation’s (PSF) Secretary Major Majid Waseem
burst into celebration when 15-year-old London-born swimmer Anum Bandey
bettered her own national record while competing in the 400m Individual
Medley heat in the London Olympics. He spread messages,
claiming proudly that his swimmer has done a great job by breaking two
national records in a year. Majid brought Anum in
the circuit after he developed differences with Olympian Kiran Khan and
her father Khalid Zaman. Majid last year even
did not let media know anything about it and secretly fielded Anum
through a backdoor in the World Championship in Shanghai, which was also
a qualifying round for London 2012. The decision of bringing Anum had
raised many eyebrows. Majid should keep in
mind that by taking the support of foreign products, he would not be
able to achieve any big thing in the field but it will deprive poor
home-based talented swimmers of their right to represent the country in
international events. Local swimmers have
also reacted angrily to Anum’s entry into Pakistan’s fold. “We
don’t know what our bosses do. By importing such foreign-based
swimmers, they are destroying our future,” a promising female
international swimmer told ‘The News on Sunday’. Undoubtedly,
foreign-based players always have an edge over our local stuff because
they have the best opportunities of training under expensive coaches and
are always well-nourished. On the other hand, our
local swimmers don’t get proper training facilities even for the
events like Olympics. Swimmer Israr Hussain
had to train for London Olympics by using the facility of his department
Army. The Pakistan Sports
Board (PSB) should have taken Israr under its wings but it did not do
that for the reasons best known to the Board. If Anum is offered to
represent England she will certainly do that. Where then Pakistan will
stand? Dubai-based swimmer
Liana Swan is also a threat to the home-grown female swimmers. She is
receiving top-class training facilities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
and will certainly improve as she recently proved by lifting around nine
golds at the National Women’s Junior Swimming Championship in Karachi.
It seems likely that
both Anum and Liana will represent Pakistan in international
competitions in years to come. If it happens, what
will our home-grown female swimmers do? Two years back,
Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) also owned England-based Haroon Khan
who lifted bronze medal in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. Haroon,
the younger brother of England’s star boxer Amir Khan, opted to play
for Pakistan only after he was ignored by England. But it is clear that
if he gets an offer from England, he will not play for Pakistan any
more. He has already
represented England at junior level. Haroon had criticised England
selectors for ignoring him soon after he clinched bronze medal for
Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games. He wants to use the
name of Pakistan for sometime, after which his option would be to turn
professional. If Khan’s family is so loyal to Pakistan, why didnít
Amir Khan play for Pakistan? In football, too, the
practice of fielding foreign-based players in international events has
been a constant threat for the careers of the local players. The PFF has tested
over a dozen such players from Denmark, England and the United States
but without any major output from them. Despite the use of
foreign stuff, Pakistan’s ranking could not be improved. As foreign
players are too loyal to their clubs they are always unable to give
their hundred percent for Pakistan. Besides, these players
are also not always available for the national duty, something that
affects the planning of the coach ahead of any international event. If leg-spinner Imran
Tahir can play for South Africa, why don’t these foreign-based
footballers, swimmers and boxers play for their countries of birth? Japan-based judokas
Shah Hussain and his brother Shah Zeb have quality training
opportunities and they certainly will give better performance than the
Pakistan-based judokas. In squash we have the
example of London-born Carla Khan. She opted to play for Pakistan after
representing England at junior level in the late 1990s. Currently there are
scores of such foreign-based squash players who represent Pakistan. Among the top 500
squash players Rawalpindi-born Sharjeel Raja is playing in Australia,
Abid Ali Khan in England, Muhammad Hussain in Kuwait, Karachi-born
Karamatullah Khan in Germany and Quetta-born Shah Jehan Khan in the
United States. Similarly, Dubai-born Khawaja Adil Maqsood is
representing Pakistan in international squash tournaments. If there are so many
foreign-based players with better facilities aspiring to play for
Pakistan then our home-grown players will not be able to get ample
foreign exposure which is absolutely necessary for making improvement. It would be better if
the foreign stuff opted to play for the countries where they are
permanently settled. But there are also a
few examples of Pakistan-born players playing for other countries. Abbottabad-born Kashif
Shuja is representing New Zealand in international squash circuit, while
tennis player Mohammad Khalique has represented Kuwait. After playing
from Pakistan a few years in the 1990s, he represented Kuwait in
international circuit and was also part of their Davis Cup team till
2008. He still resides there and is now coaching. It is a healthy thing
for the country to export talent but the step of importing it will not
only deprive the indigenous products of playing at international level
but the trend will also make Pakistan feel like a country with no
sporting talent. Players of Pakistan
origin, if they are unable to earn chance of playing in the prestigious
events like Olympics, should try their luck in Olympics in ‘Individual
Category’. In London 2012, there
were four athletes taking part under the category of ‘Independent
Olympic Athletes’: marathoner Guor Marial, who was born in Panrieng,
South Sudan, judoka Reginald de Windt, an athlete Lee-Marvin Bonevacia,
and a sailor Philipine van Aanholt. The trio belongs to
Curacao, which until 2010 was part of the Netherlands Antilles. There have been
independent athletes in the past from East Timor in 2000, from Macedonia
in 1992, and three athletes from the former Yugoslavia in 1992. It would be better if
instead of relying on foreign-based players the federations worked hard
for grooming their local players. 73.alam@gmail.com vaqarhumzah@gmail.com caption Anam Bandey |
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