Loud Thinking

Archive for the ‘Cricket’ Category

Come on BCB Tell the Truth

It’s very strange that BCB has declined to send its cricket team to Pakistan, despite its written commitment, noted in the minutes of the ICC and ICC is watching this TAMASHA from side lines.

BCB management must know that security concerns are everywhere in this world. Recently, West Indian cricket team’s bus was pelted with stones in BD, after the BD team lost the match against WI team, with a huge margin.

BCB management, should also know that many international events of different sports have been held peacefully in Pakistan, in the recent past.

Moreover, the BCB should also be in the notice that in the last few days, Pakistani and Indian Hockey Federations have signed an agreement of reciprocal hockey series, to be played for five years; wherein, the series will commence with the Indian Hockey team’s visit to Pakistan, in March 2013.

So, it will be better for the BCB to show its true colours; and tell the world the real reasons for not going to Pakistan; and not hide behind the pseudo mantra of security concern, which was personally checked by the BD security officials and openly declared, that Pakistani security plan for the BD cricketers, was absolutely perfect and satisfactory.

Here ICC must tell BCB that it has no right to play politics and unnecessarily malign Pakistan, on a non existent security issue.

India and BCCI must apologise over chemical attack on the captain of visiting Pakistani blind cricket team in India.

India has a history of terrorism with visiting Pakistani cricketers. Earlier, in the 60’s the finger of Pakistani legendary batsmen Hanif Muhammad, was cut during the teams tour of India and no one got punished.

Now India has resorted to chemical terrorism against the captain of blind Pakistani cricket team Zeeshan Abbasi, with a conspiracy to murder, by killing him with acid, in disguise of drinking water in a bottle, served at break fast, in a five star hotel.

Today it was acid, tomorrow it can be poison in the food. And then Indian media will say poison accidentally got mixed with food. Is this the way Indians treat their guests?

Indian responsibility of the security of the Pakistani players can’t be put under the carpet with the excuse of accident. Did they cut the finger of Hanif Muhammad by an accident. All such acts are 100% deliberate, else by now the Indian government and the BCCI would have unconditionally apologised.

However, more shameful is the reaction of Indian media, which is calling it as an accident. And more abhorrent is the silence of Indian government, BCCI (board of control of cash in India) and the ICC (Indian Cricket Conference). Under the circumstances, the England cricket team members, touring India, are advised to excercise extra caution during their stay in India, as they are touring a country heavenly infested with terrorists, who can go to any length to punish the visiting players, if they are giving a resounding drubbing in the matches to the Indians. It is a well known fact that Indians are the worst losers.

Government of Pakistan and PCB must demand an immediate apology from the Indian government and the BCCI, failing which, the impending tour of our cricket team must be cancelled (else our team must take along all its food and drink requirements from Pakistan) on the grounds of un-precedented life threatning and most probably, delibrate security breach.

The FICA (Federation of International Cricketers Association) must also take cognizance of this chemical attack on a Pakistani cricketer, before other foreign players are targeted with food poisoning etc.

Nation Calling PCB to Answer 7 Questions 

1.Chief Selector Iqbal Qasim, says that Abdul Razzaq, Imran Nazir & Kamran Akmal  were selected on the basis of experience, then why Raza Hassan selected  over EXPERIENCED Abdul Rehman?

2. The worthy genius chief selector further said, that Asad Shafiq was selected on the basis of his performances in Sri Lankan Test matches series. However, he should know that it is going to be a T20 world cup. And if there is no difference between the two games, why separate teams and  captains for the two formats? Moreover, if performances in the Test matches were the criteria, then who performed better than Junaid in Test matches? and who performed worse than Sami? So, why Junaid excluded from the team and Sami included?

3. And taking the overseas performances as  a basis of selection for Abdul Razzaq, who else performed better than Azhar Mahmood as an all rounder in BPL and IPL? Similarly, Shahzad was the best Pakistani fielder in ODI world cup held in 2011, in India, BD & SL. Plus, he was the most outstanding and destructive batsman in BPL, why he has been given a bad name for axing from the selection? 

4. Just give one reason for the selection of  spent cartridge Shoaib Malik, rated as the most pathetic performer in T20  INTERNATIONAL games, and also give one reason for non-selection of Wahab Riaz.

5. Similarly, every expert says that technically and in all other aspects, Adnan Akmal is a better wicket keeper than Kamran Akmal, who is too much over weight also; then why drop Adnan Akmal, who also batted exceptionally well, in SL Test series?

6. Why there is an emphasis on old spent cartridges rather than fresh legs and promising players.

7. Why the team has been selected in a great haste when there was time till 18, August 2012?

This chief selector previously resigned when Pakistani teams selected by  him consecutively lost 14 matches. The Team Pakistan is not the chief selectors personal or his fathers team. 

Since its a national matter, Pakistani public demands from the chairman PCB to personally answer the above questions, for the satisfaction of the Pakistani cricket lovers all over the world.

Everybody knows that PCB had been burning midnight oil, for the last few months, to successfully materialize the planned tour of BD cricket team to Pakistan. In this regard, the BCB chairman’s statement speaks for itself, that he was fully satisfied with the proposed security plan for BD team, after personally viewing all the security arrangements, for matches in Karachi and Lahore. Now to put blame of all this fiasco on PCB is not only unfair, but harsh, as well. 

let me take the cat out of the bag, to tell the whole world, the real story of this botched attempt, to revive the international cricket in Pakistan, as below.

Actually, Pakistan is not hurt by the cancellation of the visit of the BD cricket team. The matter of extreme grief and shock was that BD government and the cricket board, first created a hype and then reneged on their promise, as if, they wanted to punish Pakistan, for its crime of helping BD, get the Test status. Also, it was Pakistan not India, whose contribution made the BPL  such a successful event.

Nevertheless, Pakistan will emerge even a stronger team in the coming days, but very soon, BD will rue it’s decision, of cheating Pakistan in such an unbecoming manner. BD should have had the guts, in the first place to say no, rather than backing out at the eleventh hour. Compared to the BD government, even Indians are better, that they have the guts, to say no.

One thing is confirmed now, that BD is surely a paper tiger. There was no need for such an intrigue, in saying no for the tour. BD had been toeing the line of Indian lobby, without realizing that India always treated BD like minions. BD was never invited by India, for a cricket series, since they got Test status, that too, courtesy Pakistan. 

We know very well, majority of the BD people love Pakistan and wanted the tour to go ahead, but the people at the helm of the government in BD, are known stooges of another country and never leave any doubt with their uttering and acts against Pakistan, to prove to their masters, that they are worthy puppets. Another recent example is, when BD told EU, that they have objections to Pakistan getting tax free access to EU countries, for two years. We also knew at that time, from where BD was speaking on this issue.

Any way, we still wish good luck to BD and it’s great people, as they have been made a stooge of India, not by the choice of it’s people, but by the intrigues of it’s traitor rulers.

Come on the rulers of BD, enough is enough, stand up and behave like a sovereign nation and at least pretend, that BD is not another province of India.

For Pakistan, world will see very soon, teams stronger than BD will be visiting here, sooner than later.

Pakistan will emerge even a stronger team in the coming days, but very soon, BD will rue it’s decision, of cheating Pakistan in such an unbecoming manner. BD should have had the guts, in the first place to say no, rather than backing out at the eleventh hour. 

One thing is confirmed now, that  BD is surely a paper tiger. There was no need for such an intrigue, in saying no for the tour. BD had been toeing the line of Indian lobby, without realizing that India always treated BD like minions. BD has never been invited by India for a cricket series, since they got Test status, that too, courtesy Pakistan. 

Any way, we still wish good luck to BD, as they have become a stooge of India, by choice.

For Pakistan, world will see very soon, teams stronger than BD will be visiting here, sooner than later. 

We Pakistanis are at a loss to understand, why ICC is treating Pakistan like a pariah and subjecting it to worst type of apartheid?

Firstly, ICC is ensuring that no foreign team tours Pakistan. Secondly, if at all any nation wants to tour Pakistan, ICC ensures that the tour is sabotaged at any cost.

Moreover, ICC also takes no action against the Indian organizers of T20 world champions league, who refuses to invite Sialkot Stallions, the world record holder team (no state team in the world has won in their own country, 7 times, like the Sialkot Stallions), as if India and Pakistan are at war and don’t have any diplomatic, trade, cultural and sporting links.

We want an answer from ICC, is it not apartheid against Pakistan cricket, with the full connivance of ICC?

Since, the ICC understands only one language, I will advise the PCB to talk with ICC in the language they understand best and to serve a legal notice to ICC, with maximum damages claim for apartheid against Pakistan, for allowing an ICC approved international cricket tournament, with illegal exclusion of a member country champion and world record holder Sialkot Stallions T20 cricket team.

In order to neutralize Indian double game, Pakistan must emphasize that ICP (integrated check post) working at Wagah border can’t be allowed (for which India & USA are dying to start its working to allow flow of 2000 trucks per day movement from present rate of 200 trucks per day movement) till such time India restores full fledged cricketing ties with Pakistan (as per the commitment of MMS) and must first send Indian cricket team to Pakistan, for a full fledged tour of 3 Tests, 5 ODI’s & 3 T20 matches series.

We must understand that why even after the commitment of MM Singh with our PM last year in Mohali, for the restoration of cricketing ties between the two countries, what are the Indian motives to back out on their commitment? If they can back out, we can also do the same and this must be very clearly told by our PM to Barack Obama (who has a big stake in restoration of India -Afghanistan trade link through Pakistan, in facilitating India as per the US end game plan of Afghan war), when he meets him in the next few days.

First, they sent terrorists to attack Srilankan team players and then blame us on security issues. Enough is enough. If security for players is an issue, then let it be an issue also for the Indian goods and transports going to and fro to Afghanistan.

Now it’s high time this joke with Pakistan, is stopped forthwith.

Today is the day when millions of Pakistani and Bangladeshi cricket lovers are very excited and tense about the match result of the Asia cup ODI cricket final, being played between the two brotherly nations.

My advice to the cricket fans of both the brotherly nation is, that rather than being focussed on the result of the match, the game itself should be enjoyed, for the entire 100 overs of this historic moment.

When two brothers or sisters play the final, it’s always a moment of pride for the parents and the family, because, in any case, the victory of either player, the cup remains within the family.

Here it’s the same case, no matter Pakistan wins the final or Bangladesh, we should celebrate the joy of trophy being retained in the family.

Let us cheer the players of both the teams, so that the team playing better, comes out winner on the day.

In all sports, the spirit of the game lies in the Victory of achieving the highest standards of the game.

Good luck to Bangladesh, Good luck to Pakistan.

The news published at ESPNcricinfo.com quoted as below, that ICC is not willing to send its officials for supervising the planned cricket matches to be played between Pakistan and Bangladesh, scheduled in April 2012, is really disappointing to say the least. Rather than ICC helping revive international cricket in Pakistan, by sending a world XI, it is relegating the BD cricket teams tour to Pakistan, almost to a nonevent, as if it was hockey or rugby and does not pertains under the ambit of ICC. This is NOT Cricket.

Quote. “ICC news

ICC frames plan for ‘unsafe’ series
Nagraj Gollapudi
March 7, 2012

The ICC has introduced a “special dispensation” to be made only in “exceptional circumstances” in order to ensure that bilateral series take place even if the ruling body has determined it “unsafe” to appoint its officials for such series. This would allow such series to be manned by “non-neutral match officials”, a departure from the ICC’s Standard Playing Conditions, pending permission from the ICC’s Executive Board.

The dispensation, announced at the end of the ICC’s Chief Executive Committee (CEC)’s two-day meeting in Dubai, will have special significance for the proposed tour of Pakistan by Bangladesh, the planning for which is at an advanced stage.

The CEC stated that it had limited powers to take a decision over safety issues as to whether tours should take place or not. It reiterated that the ICC’s role in bilateral series was “limited to considering the safety and security of the match officials after a tour had been confirmed and a security plan produced.” The decision as to whether a particular tour should take place or not was, the CEC stated, “one for the participating countries.”

The CEC statement has ensured that the ICC’s own officials need not be appointed for Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan. That could be seen by Pakistan as a stumbling block towards hosting top-level international cricket; other nations would be wary of touring if the ICC deemed the situation was not safe for their officials.

For Bangladesh, the seal of ICC’s approval would have ensured greater vigilance around security issues. Last week, a nine-member Bangladesh delegation, led by their cricket board president Mustafa Kamal, gave a nod to the security arrangements at various venues after a two-day visit. Both Kamal, and Zaka Ashraf, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, had said that they would approach the ICC to approve the tour.

It is understood that the ICC dispatched individual letters to both the PCB and BCB on Monday, saying that it could not give the tour a go-ahead. The CEC’s introduction of this special dispensation around “non-neutral match officials” did not make a specific reference to the ICC’s disapproval of the series or that the tour had been deemed “unsafe” for its match officials to stand in. The dispensation however, creates the opportunity for the series to go ahead with Pakistani or Bangladeshi umpires and match-referees.

There had been two itineraries proposed for the tour, one of which includes a three-match ODI series, and the other a series of two ODIs and one Twenty20 international, to be completed in one week in April. Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and Karachi’s National Stadium are the venues expected to host the matches.

ESPNcricinfo understands that Bangladesh’s security team had expressed its reservations in playing in Karachi, and instead hope to play all the proposed matches in Lahore. Earlier, Rawalpindi was dropped as a venue from the plan.

“It is important the tour goes ahead for Pakistan cricket to show the country can host games again,” Subhan Ahmad, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told Reuters. “We will have the highest level of security possible.”

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, pointed out that special dispensations however should not become a norm. “Bearing in mind that safety and security is the sole responsibility of individual member boards for bilateral matches, the CEC regarded this as an exceptional circumstance in which the appointment of non-neutral match officials could be justified but stated clearly that it should not to be regarded as a preferred option or precedent if the dispensation were to be granted,” Lorgat said.

There has been no international cricket in Pakistan for exactly three years now after masked terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team bus and the van carrying ICC match officials, who were on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 3, 2009, on what was the third day of the second Test.” Un-quote.

The above mentioned decision of ICC means that they want to inflict upon Pakistan, a perpetual punishment of banning genuine and authentic International cricket from this cricket loving country forever. And too, by ignoring all the huge human and material sacrifices Pakistan gave as a front line state, in the war against terror, while standing with the world community to make this planet a secure and safe place of freedom, peace and liberty.

This is called playing into the hands of terrorists. In fact, this gives a clear cut signal that terrorism pays.

But remember, what happened at Munich Olympics where so much blood was shed? IOC did not succumb to the unbearable pressures of security concerns and the majestic Olympics flame and its movement goes on, despite severe security threats all over the world.

ICC must know that the way it is approaching security issues in Pakistan, it is not only retrogressive but discriminatory, as well. However, leaving aside the negative effects on Pakistan cricket, the biggest sufferer will be the game of cricket, for which ICC will rue for a long time to come, when posterity will give its verdict that not terrorism, but ICC, with its myopic policies, destroyed growth & development of the glorious game of cricket.

If nations and organizations start succumbing to the threats of black mail or security concerns, then nothing will stop their decay into wilderness. Look how serious security threats were posed by the Mumbai 26/11 attack, but English cricketers continued their tour of India, sending a clear message of solidarity and steadfastness with freedom, peace and liberty.

Timidity, only gives longevity to the nefarious designs of the evil. And this was the reason England never surrendered in the Second World War to the mighty German onslaught, despite unbearable sufferings sustained for many years. Similarly, Pakistan as a front line state in war on terror is standing for more than a decade, like a rock of Gibraltar, to protect world from the spread of terrorism. As such, Pakistan deserves more than any other country in the world to be supported, even out of the way, for its sacrifices for the peace of the entire world.

So come on ICC, show some true spirit of cricket, as it is not the game for timid perons, stand up and be counted for freedom, peace and liberty.

The planned tour of Bangladesh cricket team to Pakistan in April 2012, will be a great opportunity to promote peace through sports/cricket.

However, as reported on TV last night that Bangladesh cricket team’s coach Stuart Law, who is of Australian origin, has declined to tour Pakistan with the Bangladesh cricket team, for it’s impending tour being scheduled next month in April. This news if correct, raises many questions with serious ramifications for the cricketing world.

Nevertheless, before dwelling with the consequences of the above mentioned news, the following facts should also be kept in mind, to have a better prospect of the whole issue.

1. Newly appointed coach of Pakistan cricket team Dev Whatmore, is also a former Australian Test and international cricket player, who had no qualms ever for staying in Pakistan. In fact, he was one of the coaching candidates for the Pakistani cricket team, when another very famous former Australian international cricketer Lawson, was selected as coach for Pakistan. We understand that when he was removed to appoint Waqar Younis, Lawson never himself wanted to quit the job. And Lawson stayed in Pakistan (and also wanted to stay further) during much worse war conditions in Afghanistan and it’s spill over impact of very serious law and order conditions, then prevailing in Pakistan.

2. To say that Stuart Law is taking refuge under travel advisory of Australian government, is also a very weak argument, which does not hold water, as many Australian professionals are continuing to visit Pakistan and they even stay here for longer durations, without any fear of violence. As compared to this situation, we hear very regular news of violence against Asian migrants in Australia, but then again no body stays away from traveling there.

3. One isolated incidence against the SriLankan cricket team, can’t be made an excuse to stop international cricket in Pakistan forever. No foreign team ever stopped visiting SriLanka during it’s 25 years civil war, where matches continued even during bombings and explosions. Also no one stopped visiting New York or USA after 9/11. Pakistani players were once mugged in South Africa. One off incidents or accidents happen everywhere, so why to single out only Pakistan. People don’t stop air travels, just because airplanes do meet accidents every now and then.

4. Now, if today Bangladesh cricket board succumbs to the blackmail tactics of their coach or support staff, this matter will not stop here. Indiscipline and black mail if not nibbed in the bud, spreads like cancer. Tomorrow, other boards should be ready to face much worse pressures for even more ridiculous demands. This situation may even force the boards to consider putting new clauses of conditions in the agreements, to safe guard their national interests with iron clad wordings.

5. Above all, the planned tour of the Bangladesh cricket team shall be arranged after clearance of double security checks by the BD government and the the ICC, with security cover equal to the head of the state. Believe me, this security may not even be available to Stuart Law, neither in BD nor any where else in the world. And the planned tour is going to be over in just few days with only three matches, it will not last even few weeks.

5. Last but not the least, this tour will tremendously help the cause of cricket in this part of the world. It will also prove the resolve of the world that terrorism threat can’t hold for ransom, the game of international cricket in Pakistan. In fact, this epoch making tour will highly contribute to the cause of peace in the world. These people must not forget that Pakistan stood like a rock before the terrorists, for more than a decade, so that this menace does
not spread to any other parts of the world. And many
Australian troops also gave their lives in Afghanistan, for the same cause. So, today if with the decision of an ill informed Australian, the terrorists gains strength, it will be a great betrayal with the cause, for which the Australian troops shed their blood.

6. So come on Bangladesh, let us give peace a chance through cricket and let the posterity record that Bangladesh was the first great nation which revived international cricket in Pakistan.