Published on March 19, 2007
in Sports.
‘If ever a youngster could have been said to eat, drink and sleep cricket, then surely it was Bob Woolmer.’ Wisden 1976 - Bob Woolmer, Cricketer of the Year.
This was then. What we have today is a man whose passion for cricket may have taken his life. Robert Andrew Woolmer died of a massive heart attack on March 18 2007 at the University Hospital in Kingston. He was born on May 14, 1948 in Kanpur India, played 19 tests and 6 ODI’s for England and was coach of the Pakistan cricket during the 2007 World Cup.
It is undoubtedly a very sad time for Pakistan cricket. We were all depressed and disgusted when we witnessed them crash out of the World Cup yesterday, but today I am shocked beyond belief that one of the best coaches in the world is no more with us. Also, he might not have been a great cricketer, but good enough to be Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1976. However, for Woolmer, it seemed what matter most was to be associated with cricket in one way or another and he tackled all kinds of problems with the Pakistan team to turn them into a unit.
Woolmer’s relationship with cricket was very old. I quote again from the 1976 Wisden article:
Robert Andrew Woolmer can truthfully be said to have been associated with cricket from the cradle. For when his proud parents returned home with their new baby, his father placed a cricket ball and a bat in one corner of the cot, saying: “Son, I hope this will be your life.”
And it was.
Continue reading ‘Bob Woolmer: 1948-2007′
Published on March 18, 2007
in Sports.
Speechless…absolutely speechless. I’ve got nothing to say. If you do then go ahead. My world cup dream has definitely not come true. In fact, it has turned into a nightmare. Maybe Salahuddin will have better luck. That’s probably all I’ll be able to say about Pakistan’s performance today for some time to come as decency and respect for this space does not allow me to go any further.
Published on March 16, 2007
in Sports.
Pakistan’s opening match against the West Indies was a huge disappointment for the entire nation. The anticipation and the excitement created by all the World Cup hype quickly died with the withering performances of our top order batsman. Though West Indies were definitely allowed to get about 40 runs too many, our bowlers performed better than I expected them too.
It was the batsmen who lost the game for us. A score of 240-odd should not have been a difficult chase on the kind of track we were playing on. Alas…our team never fails to do the impossible and now everyone is extremely unsure about our chances against the Irish. Let’s hope we make it through to the next round!
Continue reading ‘Cornered Tigers?’
Published on March 2, 2007
in Sports.
Salahuddin did a post on his World Cup dream a little while back. I would like to mention mine. He spoke about his desire to see Australia not win this World Cup. I would like to see Pakistan make it to and beyond the Super 8’s. Just today I read that the captain, coach and team management were aiming for the semis. A few months ago they might have been aiming for the finals or even the cup.
I guess its true, you’ve got to redefine your idea of success according to your goals. And you’ve got to redefine your goals according to your resources. Today, the Pakistan cricket team’s goals are not anything beyond the semis. Even the semis seem like a far cry looking at their current form and condition. Hence, the sceptic in me says they’ll bow out in the Super 8’s, while my optimistic side says that they’ll make it to the semis. Either way, my goal for my team is to reach the semis. If they do, it’ll be a success.
Continue reading ‘My World Cup dream: II’
Published on March 2, 2007
in Sports.
Salahuddin did a post on his World Cup dream a little while back. I would like to mention mine. He spoke about his desire to see Australia not win this World Cup. I would like to see Pakistan make it to and beyond the Super 8’s. Just today I read that the captain, coach and team management were aiming for the semis. A few months ago they might have been aiming for the finals or even the cup.
I guess its true, you’ve got to redefine your idea of success according to your goals. And you’ve got to redefine your goals according to your resources. Today, the Pakistan cricket team’s goals are not anything beyond the semis. Even the semis seem like a far cry looking at their current form and condition. Hence, the sceptic in me says they’ll bow out in the Super 8’s, while my optimistic side says that they’ll make it to the semis. Either way, my goal for my team is to reach the semis. If they do, it’ll be a success.
Continue reading ‘My World Cup dream: II’
Published on February 11, 2007
in Sports.
The 1992 Cricket World Cup (CWC) really was the stuff dreams are made of. For every Pakistani it was a source of great pride and joy to see Imran Khan’s tigers fight their way back during the course of the tournament and carve a place for themselves in cricketing history by winning the coveted title. What was of particular delight was our teams’ never-say-die attitude.
Continue reading ‘My World-Cup Dream’
Published on January 19, 2007
in Sports.
Seemingly, these words appear to be those of an uncouth, imbalanced and racist individual but no, they were spoken by none other than the cricketing pride and joy of South africa, a self admitted match fixer. I am talking about Hansi Cronje’s partner in crime Mr. Herschelle Herman Gibbs. Is it not ironical that a man at the lowest ebb of human conduct and morality is accusing over zealous spectators of animal-like behaviour? Keeping in mind that this exuberant behaviour is perhaps what provides one facet of cricketing entertainment, it hardly warranted such a reaction. A professional sportsman , an icon of sorts, resorting to frequent punctuations of profanity with racist undertones to convey his sentiments; It’s Shameful. I would’ve thought that as a nation, we would’ve responded with a vehement call to bar Herschelle Gibbs from playing test cricket in pakistan at the least. The fault is mine, it slipped my mind that we are a passive collective. He would’ve had to say the above personally to our mothers or perhaps our wives, maybe then we would wake up .
Gibbs caught on video
Continue reading ‘“….f***in’ animals, bunch of hyenas, go back to the zoo, it’s not pakistan this”’
Published on January 13, 2007
in Sports.
Shoaib is a uniquely Dickensian character. He is the best of entertainers, he is the worst of entertainers. He is the best of entertainers because in recent cricket history nobody can match the energy and the excitement that Shoaib brings on to the field. He is the worst because unlike most entertainers he disappoints when you expect the most off him. He disappoints by not showing up. It would be fair to say that you either hate him or love him and after so many years of disappointments most people would be inclined to see this man out of the team due to his ‘apparent’ lack of discipline and ‘attitude’ problems. This is where I stop agreeing with these people. I am not contesting the allegations, but the desire to see him out of the team.
I have gone from loving Shoaib when he first came on the world stage to hating him and now I am back to loving him. And if his career was to end today I would stick to this view of mine. However, let’s have a look at his career stats first as that gives a good indication of a player’s calibre. 165 wickets in 42 tests at an average of 25.69 and 208 wickets in 133 ODI’s at an average of 23.33. These stats aren’t the most amazing you’ll ever see, but they aren’t that bad either for a man who has rarely been completely fit. The real story of his career is the one I am going to tell you now. Continue reading ‘Shoaib Akhtar: The best and the worst’
