Loud Thinking

Archive for 2013

“Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and
important, although difficult, is the highroad to pride,
self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.”

— Margaret Thatcher

Game changer
Memories of Imran Khan’s bowling show in Sydney that revolutionised Pakistan cricket

By Ijaz Chaudhry

PTI chairman Imran Khan’s address at the Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on October 30 is perceived by many as the harbinger of a revolution in the country. About 35 years ago, Imran’s show of an entirely different nature on an entirely different turf brought a great revolution in Pakistan cricket.

Pakistan won their first-ever Test in Australia in Sydney in 1976-77. With this victory, Pakistan managed to draw the three Test series 1-1. The main architect of Pakistan’s victory was their fast bowler, Imran Khan who took 12 wickets in the match.

But there is something more to Imran’s heroic bowling performance in that game.

Until then, the general impression was that Pakistan could not produce a genuine fast bowler. Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers were fast-medium or medium fast. Fazal Mahmood did produce match-winning performances in 1950s but apart from his 12 wickets against England in 1954 the rest were achieved on matting wickets. Then he was never a genuine fast bowler, medium-fast and occasionally fast-medium. His 12 wickets against England were taken in a very low scoring game in which the highest team total in the four innings was 164. All the main bowlers of England also had their moments at least in one innings so did the other Pakistani paceman — Mahmood Hussain.

On the other hand, Imran in 1976 overshadowed all the other bowlers including Australia’s legendary Dennis Lillee, who had taken ten wickets in the previous Test where Aussies pulverised Pakistan.

This Test victory helped Pakistan draw the series thus becoming the first country other than England and South Africa to draw a Test series in Australia.

Australia was the supreme Test nation at that time. They had demolished a formidable West Indian side 5-1 during the previous season. And the West Indian side included Andy Roberts and Michael Holding two of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of the game.

Apart from Fazal Mahmood, some other fast mediums like Khan Mohammad and Sarfraz Nawaz, a contemporary of Imran Khan, had served Pakistan well but neither of them was a genuine fast bowler nor had won a Test match single-handedly the way Imran did.

Imranís performance in Sydney in 1976-77 dispelled the impression that players from the sub-continent cannot be genuine fast bowlers. until then Pakistan had mostly flopped on foreign tours. Their only Test series victory away from home was a 1-0 victory in New Zealand in 1972-3. At home, they prepared slow wickets resulting in an astonishing number of drawn matches.

Imran’s Sydney show had a multi-dimensional effect on Pakistan cricket which has lasted till today. More and more youngsters started taking fast bowling seriously. The cautious approach of the administration also changed. They started preparing livelier pitches at home.

Two seasons later, Imran was the third fastest in a competition in Australia testing a number of well-known fast bowlers of the time for speed.

Within a few years, came Wasim Akram, arguably the most talented fast bowler in the history of the game. Then Pakistan started producing genuine and world-class fast bowlers most regularly including the phenomenal Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, who served Pakistan cricket for a considerable time.

A few others such as Mohammad Zahid, Mohammad Akram, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir dazzled for brief periods for different reasons. Imran’s performance was the spark that lit the generations of Pakistani quicks. Pakistan started winning abroad and victories at home also started coming via pacemen.

It all changed after that Sydney Test of January 1977 which made millions of people all over Pakistan wake up early in small hours of cold mornings to listen to radio commentary.

ijaz62@hotmail.com

Can anybody inform, where is PPP and who is leading and running its campaign?
It looks no opposition or the lashes of any dictator has succeeded in obliterating this great political party of yester years, than the leadership of Asif Ali Zardari.
Never ever in the history of the world any political party has been buried very deep by its own leadership.
RIP PPP

China has really made a Maamoo of India. Never ever an armed to teeth nuclear nation has been so hapless and miserable.

It is just unbelievable how India is tamed and now behaving like a wet cat.

Indians are now remembering a Chinese saying “”Respect the strong, blackmail the weak”

A Times of India news

Chinese are not going to vacate Ladakh anytime soon, strategic experts feel

Link:- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Chinese-are-not-going-to-vacate-Ladakh-anytime-soon-strategic-experts-feel/articleshow/19804826.cms

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singhhad tried to soothe a frazzled nation by saying that the Chinese incursion into Depsang Bulge in eastern Ladakh on April 15 was a “localized” affair, and the government had a plan to resolve it.

But strategic experts believe this latest round of border problems between India and China is the most serious till date, and unlike the government, they don’t think the Chinese are going to vacate any time soon and that this may lead to other similar face-offs in other sectors along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Bhaskar Roy, Chinese security expert, says, this time India has not depended on its own strength to stand up to China. There is a Chinese saying, “Respect the strong, blackmail the weak”.

Former foreign secretary, Kanwal Sibal, observes, while the PM has suggested that the matter should not be escalated, the fact that the Chinese ambassador was summoned by the foreign secretary has already done so. Any Chinese intrusion across any point at the LAC will always be a local affair and hence, says Sibal, the implication is that the Chinese can keep doing it and we will keep reacting to it like this in the face of “uncompromising attitude of the Chinese and their determination to question our sovereignty.

Strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney says, it will be nationally demeaning if either foreign minister Salman Khurshid’s visit to Beijing on May 9 or Chinese Premier Li’s Keqiang trip to India on May 20 takes place while the intruders stay put and fortify their positions. Singh has given only comfort to the aggressor by his remark that the intrusion was a local affair, he says, with Beijing welcoming his comment. “To make amends, Singh should at least signal that good-neighbourly ties demand respect for the territorial status quo and that he hopes Beijing will withdraw its intruding troops so that Khurshid’s Beijing visit and Premier Li’s New Delhi stopover can go ahead,” he says.

Jayadeva Ranade, another China expert, says, this intrusion was unprovoked, but this is not an “isolated” incident, as the government is trying to show. There have been similar incursions in many areas along the LAC particularly since 2008, he says. “Beijing remains transparently unmoved by the adverse media publicity and damage it has caused to India-China relations. It has neither moved to resolve the situation despite three flag meetings at the level of local army commanders and communications from New Delhi requesting resolution. Beijing has thus made it abundantly clear that it will defuse the situation only at a time of its choosing. Beijing’s stance confirms too that the stand-off is not a local incident provoked by the action of a local commander, but one initiated with the full knowledge of China’s senior leadership,” Ranade explains. He says that the timing may be coinciding with Singh’s Japan visit and probably be a signal from China warning India against New Delhi’s Tokyo outreach. “Beijing is adept at using a blend of threats and promise of military retaliation to deter an adversary from taking actions contrary to Beijing’s interests,” he adds.

While the PM’s statement would appear to substantiate the Indian official position that the conflicting perceptions of the LAC in the Western sector has resulted into this situation at the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), says Alka Acharya of the Institute of Chinese Studies, an early resolutiondoes not seem imminent. “To that extent it is localized in northern Ladakh, south of the Karakoram Pass. But to the extent that it has brought about a situation which earlier “intrusions” did not, it has to be treated with more than the usual response,” she says.

“In many ways, the responses have been initiated but the manner in which the talks are continuing, an early resolution does not seem imminent. We appear to be reaching the point where both sides are upholding the position that they are operating in their own territory- question is will both agree to restoring status quo ante,” she adds.

Albert Einstein defined insanity as “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.

PCB has again selected all those batsmen for the champions trophy, who are known failures against quality bowling viz., Misbah ul Haq, Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal. Mr. Kamran Akmal is also known for his below average wicket keeping, as well. Moreover, Misbah ul Haq has also proved to be the biggest ordinary mind, when it comes to the selection of final eleven and bowling changes.

This insane selection of dud players, makes the team highly unbalanced and even more prone to getting out on low scores.

As such, with the inclusion of the above named three players, now only a miracle can save Pakistani cricket team, from a humiliating early exit from the Champions trophy.

This is a wrong perception that ONLY youth of Pakistan, wants change and is with Imran Khan.

The fact and ground reality is, that Pakistanis in all age group are fed up with the status quo and wants a change; and for that matter, they are whole heartedly supporting PTI candidates, to win the elections, in a landslide victory.

We may not be against PPP, PMLN, MQM, ANP, JUI and JI etc., but we are in favour of PTI and PTI only.

The entire nation also thanks the PPP for accepting this reality; and for announcing PPP’s support for Imran Khan as future PM Pakistan.

Thank you the wise leadership of PPP, for reading and feeling the pulse of the nation, at the right time. In politics, timing is every thing.

Today on 28th April, 2013 again the World Bank and the UNO have asked the question that how to end the poverty from the world?

My Reply

Since, a recent study tells that countries which took loans from WB & IMF have experienced increasing suicide rates, there is hardly any answer required to the question, that; what it will take to end the poverty?

Moreover, who else know better than WB, IMF & UNO that 90% of the loans given to poor countries by the WB & IMF etc., is taken back in the shape of consultant fees and other such charges. In the end, the poor loan recipient countries hardly get about 10% of the benefits from your loans and they pay back 100% of the loan with very heavy interest charges as well.

The biggest proof of the failure of your policies are that you give fresh loans to repay the old loans.

During Musharraf era, there was a shocking news that in one particular loan case, it was conditional to hire the wife of the WB country chief, as consultant; and Pakistan was forced to pay her fees at an exorbitant rate equal to 65% of the total loan amount. No action was done by your anti-corruption department against that country Chief of Pakistan.

Your extremely hard/harsh loan terms are killing the poorest of the poor people in many ways, what to talk of poverty.

Don’t forget that very soon WB & IMF, may be tried for crimes against humanity; because your loans not only breeds and enhances corruption, they increase poverty, which also breeds terrorism.

Kindly immediately revisit all the inhuman terms and conditions of your loans, particularly given to the poor and developing countries; and also consider writing off these loans which are in fact, sucking blood from the poorest of the poor, to serve the lavish life styles of your employees, consultants, advisers and contractors etc.

So, this is the real face of the world loan giving agencies to the poor countries and then you have the audacity to ask questions and suggestions that how to end the poverty and hunger from the world, where EVERY NIGHT ONE BILLION PEOPLE SLEEP HUNGRY ON THIS PLANET.

HOPE YOU WILL NOT BE SO CALLOUS AND NOT REPEAT THIS JOKE WITH OVER ONE BILLION HUNGRY PEOPLE AGAIN.

An excerpt (page 173-4) from the book “Sir Vivian The Definitive Autobiography” by VIV RICHARDS with Bob Harris.

“The gentleman (Imran Khan) who was to become a renowned name in the world of cricket and a serious politician did not like what he saw that day. Fortunately, like many of these incidents, it was soon forgotten and since then I have come to know him. I respect his views and I went to a party at his house while on tour in Pakistan. Whenever we are around we try to get together, as we did during the recent World Cup in England. We definitely didn’t like one another at first, but gradually as we matured and got to know each other better we realised the world is a lot bigger than anything we have to offer and we started to respect each other. He was one of the fiercest competitor and, no matter how well you were batting, he would always have a delivery which could come and destroy you. I respect him and his cricketing views; and if the Pakistan side had a leader they looked up to and respected like they did him, they would be a much better and more consistent team than they are now. He always managed to squeeze the best out of his team. He (Imran Khan) and Miandad are two of the most patriotic individuals I have met, and I can identify with that. I am quite certain you wouldn’t be hearing stories about match fixing and other bad things if they were at the helm. BOTH WOULD DIE FOR THEIR COUNTRY.”

“Self-pity gets you nowhere. One must have the adventurous
daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and
undertake the most interesting game in the world — making the
most of one’s best.”

— Harry Emerson Fosdick

A politician campaigns for vote. A statesman campaigns to inform the voters the solutions to needs and problems.