Foreword: Mohali Mystery

By Rashid Latif 

Despite the advent of the shorter format of the game of cricket, the ICC World Cup, held after every four years, remains the most sought-after cricket event and the enthusiasts of the game wait for it anxiously. It’s a dream of every cricket playing nation to win the World Cup.

But at the end of the contest, after all the thrills and excitement, only one team has to be crowned and the others have to wait for another four years. Pakistan annexed the trophy in 1992 but the dream to retain it was shattered in 1996. 

Our boys came closer to retaining the title in 1999, only to fall at the last hurdle, but in 2003 and 2007 events proved to be total debacle. Elements of suspicion and doubt shrouded the way Pakistan had lost the final of the 1999 World Cup. There was severe criticism when the star-studded team crashed out in 2003 while the whole nation was jolted when Inzamam-ul-Haq and his men flopped even more miserably in 2007.

I was a member of the team during the 2003 World Cup held in South Africa. It was really disappointing and disturbing for all of us not to have gone beyond the first round, despite having an experienced and potent outfit.

Shahid Afridi, a part of the World Cup in 1999, 2003 and 2007, was entrusted with the responsibility of leading Pakistan in 2011. He didn’t have a formidable outfit on paper but he had quite a few seasoned campaigners at his disposal.

Pakistan remained a mixed bag in the league matches as they lost to New Zealand but registered victories over defending champions Australia and hosts Sri Lanka to be counted as serious contenders for the title. By having bulldozed the trio of Australia, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, Pakistan had enhanced their reputation and these three victories in particular raised hopes of bringing back the title after 19 years.

Pakistan lost to India in the semifinals after being in dominating position for most part of the match which made the defeat look a bit mysterious. The veteran Misbah-ul-Haq was under fire for slow batting and Afridi was criticized for not taking power play at the right time which ruined their chances of making it to the final. 

The Indians, as expected, reached the final and eventually regained the title after a lapse of 28 years by hammering Sri Lanka in the final. It looked as if the CWC 2011 was tailor-made for them to lift the crown. Like anyone, I was also surprised at Pakistan’s loss in the semifinals despite putting India under pressure for so long. Rumours travelling through grapevine pointed at something fishy behind the defeat.

There was also an element of shock and mystery when the Pakistan team, upon their return, was honoured by federal and provincial governments as if they had brought home the title. Shahid Afridi’s team was accorded red carpet welcome despite losing the semifinal whereas the whole set up of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was changed when the team, under Wasim Akram, lost to Australia in the final in 1999. What a contrast indeed!

Pakistan’s bad luck had started a year earlier when the ICC had stopped them from playing host to their quota of the World Cup matches on security grounds and the tournament was co-hosted by the trio of Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

I had raised the issue during the World Cup 2011 which concerned the reduction in the number of participating teams. I have had the feeling that the matches involving the ‘minnows’ provide the opening to foul play and there are greater opportunities of ‘fixing’ them.

*****For obtaining a copy of Mohali Mystery, please write to jumbopublishing@yahoo.com or call Asad Raza at 0333-2304024. It is priced Rs 1,000 in Pakistan.

Foreword: Asian Glory

By Jamsheed Marker 

“Asian Glory” is the latest contribution to the prolific writing on cricket by Syed Khalid Mahmood, one of the foremost correspondents and experts on the game in Pakistan.

In recent times the focus of cricket has perceptibly gravitated towards Asia, where the sport has produced some of its finest players and certainly its largest crowds.

Khalid’s book is a timely response to this new and evolving phenomenon, and provides a succinct account of the matches played in the World Cup 2011.  

The multiplicity of teams participating in World Cup 2011, the varied venues with changes in weather and pitches, the extensive coverage in both the electronic and print media, and above all, the large and enthusiastic crowds, all contributed towards making World Cup 2011 a landmark in the history of cricket.

All followers of cricket are indebted to Syed Khalid Mahmood for his timely and lively compilation of the events that were part of the memorable World Cup 2011, and for his latest contribution to the literature of cricket, a game that we all love so much. 

**For obtaining a copy of Asian Glory, please write to jumbopublishing@yahoo.com or call Asad Raza at 0333-2304024. It is priced Rs 600 in Pakistan.

Foreword: Crash of the Titans

By Shahid Afridi

It was a great honour for me to have been provided the opportunity to lead the Pakistan team in ICC World Twenty20 Cricket Championship 2010 in the West Indies. It was a big challenge since Pakistan was also the defending champion.

Keeping in view Pakistan’s great track record in the fastest version of cricket there were great expectations from to successfully defend the crown. This brand of cricket is very difficult and unpredictable because of the quick changing nature of the game.

Since I had contributed my bit in having guided Pakistan to title winning performance ten months ago in England there was greater responsibility as well as additional pressure on me to deliver once more.

To be frank Pakistan, India and South Africa were among the firm favorites to win the title. But the Australians who had dominated the Test and One-day Internationals and England showed great adaptability in this fiery brand to reach the final.

We were not at our best in the initial stages of the competition but mainly because of the prayers of the nation and a resounding win over South Africa we managed to storm into the semifinals that had looked quite unlikely only a few days ago.

I must say that we considered ourselves unfortunate to lose in semifinals after having posted a healthy total of 191 against Australia. However I think that Mike Hussey played the innings of life that knocked us out of the race.

I still don’t think that I had committed any mistake by bringing on Saeed Ajmal for the final over. He had bowled the final over against South Africa so admirably and that’s why we made the unanimous decision on entrusting him with the final over against Australia too.

Saeed Ajmal, having bowled so well throughout the tournament, could not rise to the occasion against the rampaging Mike Hussey who unleashed powerful strokes all round the wicket to take the game away from Pakistan. Definitely it was a big disappointment for us to have given it away after our batsmen had posted such an imposing total.

I must compliment England for winning the title. They thoroughly deserved the trophy after having produced sterling performance most consistently. They displayed great innovation under their Director Operations, Andy Flower, to topple the formidable Aussies in the final. Paul Collingwood marshaled his troops so well in the field leaving little space to maneuver for their opponents.

***For further details about Crash of the Titans, please write to jumbopublishing@yahoo.com or call Asad Raza at 0333-2304024

Foreword: Reflections

By Lt Gen ® Syed Arif Hasan

Syed Khalid Mahmood’s views have the quality of honest opinions. He has a style of his own as far as writing is concerned. He is an engineer by education. This is not meant to cast aspersions on his credentials as a journalist but simply to suggest that he has had an option to make a living through other means but choose journalism. That may be one reason why he has been able to express his opinions far more freely.

‘Reflections’ is a collection of his articles published on his blog and I am certain that they would be read with even greater interest in book form. His blog in particular has done a great service to the cause of Pakistan sports because there had been negligible presence of our athletes on the web and this is one area that needs to be worked on more seriously.

I feel privileged to have been asked to write the foreword to his book. There were many marketable people around he could have turned to but he has acted out of friendship to let me have this honour.

Coming to the state of the affairs in the Pakistan sports arena, I must admit that the last few years have been very turbulent to say the least. The people as well as the powers that be had been expecting miracles from our athletes and administrators without necessary input.

We have had the dual responsibility of arresting the decline in the various disciplines besides meeting the challenges of professionalism. A lot has been expected from us without being extended the desired support.

The pressure has been on our national Olympic body and its affiliated federations to deliver against the heaviest of odds. We have done our level best to produce the results, having brought glories for the nation. We would like to do it more often because we are aware that ours is a sporting country and the conquests and triumphs of our teams are celebrated with the greatest of enthusiasm.

I hope that all the stake-holders would join hands in accomplishing the mutual objective of giving our people something to cheer about on a regular basis. An integrated approach is the need of the hour in the national interest.

The people of Pakistan deserve the best. The plans have to be worked out and be implemented in letter and spirit. We have to shoulder the responsibility collectively to develop an infrastructure that could keep on throwing talent.

I am sure that this book will serve as a valuable resource for the athletes, coaches, administrators, organizers, and people associated with sports in any form. I would encourage all of you to get a copy of your own in order to contribute your bit for the promotion of book culture in our country.

I look forward to reading Khalid Mahmood’s articles once more in ‘Reflections’ although I have gone through most of them online. I wish him all the best.

***For further details about Reflections, please write to jumbopublishing@yahoo.com or call Asad Raza at 0333-2304024

Foreword: Cricket Milestones

By Wasim Akram

The frequency with which international cricket matches are being played these days it seems a matter of time for the records to be broken. We are not sure for how long Sachin Tendulkar’s records of highest Test centuries or aggregate will stand. But it’s a fantastic idea to put together the records of the first-timers because that’s never going to change.

Obviously Sachin Tendulkar will always be mentioned as the first batsman to score 12,000 runs in Test cricket, Shane Warne will remain the first bowler to claim 700 Test wickets and I will be holding the honour of being the first bowler to capture 500 wickets in One-day Internationals.

Quality books on cricket have been coming thick and fast in some other countries and it’s a pleasure to note that the same is now happening in Pakistan also. I hope that our authors, writers, journalists, historians and statisticians will put in even stronger effort in future to bring to light the accomplishments of our great cricketers.

Cricket is the most popular game of the country and I know there are a lot of people, particularly youngsters, who are passionate about reading about the game. Then there are a section of cricket followers who are crazy about the statistical aspects of the game. So the local publishers have an area to work on with greater zeal.

Meanwhile I would like to commend Shahzad Ali Khan, a seasoned statistician, for having compiled this handy and unique 100-page book by the title of ‘Cricket Milestones’ under the supervision of senior journalists Ehsan Qureshi and Syed Khalid Mahmood.

***For further details about Cricket Milestones, please write to jumbopublishing@yahoo.com or call Asad Raza at 0333-2304024

Foreword: Fiasco

By Aamir Sohail

The World Cup 2007 was a forgettable event for Pakistan by all means. It was one of those tournaments where nothing went right for our team. The defeat at the hands of the West Indies in the opening game came as a surprise because Pakistan were tipped as one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

But worse was to follow. Pakistan crashed in the game against Ireland. It was one of the greatest upsets in the history of the game. Debutants Ireland were not expected to come to terms with Pakistan but that was not to be.

Pakistan suffered a shocking defeat in that must-win game and found themselves knocked out of the competition. It was unbelievable. Because the tournament had barely started five days ago and Pakistan were out of it. The entire nation was jolted back home. Nobody had even thought of Pakistan getting out of the race so quickly.

Inzamam-ul-Haq and his boys were devastated. Coach Bob Woolmer could not bear the shock and was found dead in his hotel room after that shameful and disgraceful defeat at the hands of minnows Ireland.

The nightmare for the Pakistanis didn’t end there. The team members were suspected of involvement in the alleged murder of their coach. It was a very disturbing situation for the shell-shocked boys who were further tormented by the police investigations.

Our cricketers, for some time, were treated like criminals. Veteran journalist Ehsan Qureshi was there in the Caribbean watching all the action and drama on and off the field. In fact he was on his toes all the time whether it was at the Sabina Park or the notorious Pegasus Hotel.

I am sure he didn’t expect to be implicated in the Bob Woolmer case. We were all surprised when his name also emerged as one of the suspects. But that was the Jamaica Police who left no stone unturned in implicating the Pakistanis in the case by hook or by crook.

I think the Jamaica Police should apologize to the nation for their over-enthusiastic efforts in trying to prove the Pakistanis as murderers.

Although it was pure academic from Pakistan’s point of view but the tournament was won by Australia once more. What Pakistan and India failed to do, Sri Lanka managed to do it. They made it to the final and gave the Aussies a run for their money. With a little bit of luck they could have also won the trophy.

Ehsan Qureshi’s Fiasco tells you a lot about the World Cup 2007. It’s a comprehensive book in which he has expressed the various events in the typically aggressive manner of his. So it’s very much a must-read book for all cricket fraternity.

***For further details about Fiasco, please write to jumbopublishing@yahoo.com or call Asad Raza at 0333-2304024

Foreword: Cricket Fever

By Mushtaq Mohammad

Playing cricket itself offers enormous pleasure but there is something special about Indo-Pak matches. Unfortunately there have been deadlocks denying regular cricket between the two countries.

Not surprisingly the administrators of the game have pushed for too many contests whenever the relations between the two neighbhours have improved leading to the loss of interest among the masses.

Ideally the Indo-Pak tours should be planned on the pattern of ‘The Ashes’ series between Australia and England. There should be a series only after two years. Now when Pakistan has toured India in 2007-08, the Indians should be invited to visit Pakistan in 2009-10 and Pakistan should go there again in 2011-12.

This is probably the best way to retain the charm that’s associated with the series between the two traditional rivals. I do understand that factors other than cricket are also involved and it may not always be possible to have the tours possible as planned but it’s worth making an effort in this direction.

I consider myself fortunate to have been a part of the Indo-Pak Test series more than once. In fact I was the only surviving member of the 1960-61 series to have played the 1978-79 series when the ties were finally restored after 18 long years.

A lot had changed in the interim period. I was just a ‘kid’ while touring India in 1960-61 trying to find a permanent place in the team. By the time the next series against India took off, I had matured into one of the elder statesmen in the side.

I had been leading the Pakistan team since 1976-77 and I was recognized as a successful captain, having won Test matches against the strong outfits of Australia and the West Indies in their own backyard.

But I had not played a Test match for more than a year and a half when the Indians, captained by my Northamptonshire colleague, Bishan Singh Bedi, reached Pakistan for the landmark series in the winter of 1978.

I was reinstalled as the Pakistan captain only after government intervention. The Kerry Packer issue and its political connotations had made me to sit out of the home and away series against England.

It was only because of the team having fared poorly in the absence of the Packer-contracted players that we were recalled. The issue was debated by the public and the media. Ultimately the government advised the Cricket Board to include all the Packer players for the series against India.

In fact I was preparing to play again in the Packer series when I received the call to play for Pakistan and lead the team in the series against India and what a fascinating series it turned out to be.

We accomplished the mission of taming the Indians, who were quite strong on paper. They had a formidable batting line-up to back up their famed spin quartet. They also had in their folds a promising young fast bowler by the name of Kapil Dev.

We also possessed a very powerful team but we knew we had to stay positive all along in order to extract results. We were a lot more aggressive than the Indians in our tactics in that particular series.

We bullied India in the same way that the Aussies had bullied us. The Indians were very mild. When they appealed against us they also appeared apologetic while asking the umpire the question but our appealing was hostile and aggressive.

Both the Test matches that we won, after drawing the first one, had an exciting finish. On both occasions we had to beat the clock. Our aggressive all-round cricket helped us overcome the Indian challenge. They went down fighting. It was Test cricket at its best.

Syed Khalid Mahmood has done the game of cricket a favour by producing this beautifully written book on Indo-Pak cricket tours. I know that the cricket followers all over the world look forward to such literature. Cricket Fever should be a welcome addition to their collection.

***For further details about Cricket Fever please write to jumbopublishing@yahoo.com or call Asad Raza at 0333-2304024

Foreword: Mission Caribbean

By Iqbal Qasim

The ICC World Cup, held after four years, is the most sought after event in cricket. Although we have tournaments like the ICC Champions Trophy in the interim period, the World Cup remains the ultimate title.

Pakistan’s team was certainly at the receiving end in the recently concluded five-match one-day series in South Africa but we believe that our team has the potential to recover in time for the World Cup.

This time the World Cup is going to be quite wide open and I have a feeling that our team has a fair chance of doing well. The South African tour wasn’t the ideal preparation for us but we would need to get that out of the way soon in order to turn it around.

Almost every team has been handicapped by injuries to key players and we are no exception. Like every other affected team we are also confident that we would be able to field the strongest possible team in the Caribbean.

Despite the recent slump in the form of some our key players, we remain positive that they would fire on all cylinders to come up to the expectations of the nation in the event as prestigious as the World Cup.

Pakistan, not being rated as one of the pre-tournament favourites, can play with greater freedom than teams like Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, who would be under pressure to deliver.

Australia stand a very good chance of making it three titles in a row despite being humiliated by England and New Zealand recently. Australia will be boosted by the return of their star players.

South Africa have been in terrific form during the past few months having whipped both Pakistan as well as India in the ODI series. In fact now they have become the top team in the ICC rankings, having displaced Australia.

England and New Zealand can also benefit from the fact that their star performers have run back into form on the eve of the World Cup. The West Indies, being the hosts, have to raise their game in order to go the distance.

India and Sri Lanka, despite being plagued by injuries, have a good chance in the tournament. If the pitches in the Caribbean do assist their slow bowlers both these outfits can prove formidable.

Even Bangladesh, with quite a few spinners in their line-up, may look competitive on the dry surfaces of the Caribbean.

Our selection committee has picked up the best possible squad for the World Cup. Let us hope that they come off.

***For further details about Mission Caribbean, please write to jumbopublishing@yahoo.com or call Asad Raza at 0333-2304024

Foreword: Top of the Charts

By Mansoor Akhtar

Pakistan’s cricket team until a few years ago had quite clearly lacked in the critical areas of game plan and strategy, mental strength, fitness and making optimum use of their individual brilliance to the team’s cause.

The decline had begun as early as the World Cup 1999 final and peaked during the World Cup 2003 and it became more obvious in the aftermath of the twin series defeats against India at home in early 2004.

The services of Bob Woolmer as coach were acquired by the Pakistan Cricket Board in an effort to ensure that the team came up with improved performance and did justice with the loads of talent it possessed. The move has paid rich dividends right away.

Woolmer, acclaimed the world over as the best cricket coach of the recent times, has taken command of the situation and the performance of the team has been quite encouraging with his arrival.

A team having endured lean patch for quite sometime could not have been expected to become the world-beaters overnight but they have been working in the right direction and the results are there.

There has been marked improvement in certain areas. Most importantly the fitness level of the boys has improved. They have become mentally tough now. The fielding has become much more athletic and purposeful. These factors have helped the team in winning matches on a more regular basis than in the past.

Now let me touch the subject of the book. The World Cup 2003 was a forgettable outing for Pakistan. A lot was expected from the team but it choked in the games that mattered.

Pakistan could only register victories over the minnows like the Netherlands and Namibia, who didn’t even enjoy the status of full membership of the ICC.

Pakistan, undoubtedly, had been placed in the tougher of two groups but nobody expected them to falter against all the Test playing nations. The way things stood even Zimbabwe could have taught them a lesson if the weather didn’t intervene at Harare.

After being overpowered by Australia, India and England, Pakistan faced an improbable task of crushing Zimbabwe by the heaviest of margins in their last game. Under the circumstances it looked very unlikely that Pakistan would have achieved the objective if the game was not ruined by rains.

The Pakistan team has already faced a lot of media criticism for having failed to deliver in the tournament. On the positive side the team did learn its lessons quickly and with the change in guard there are signs of a turnaround. They need to continue winning to regain their confidence that was shattered in the last World Cup.

We need to acknowledge the role of writers, authors and statisticians who devote their energies in producing publications of historical value. Knowing his caliber and having gone through his previous books there’s no doubt whatsoever in my mind that Syed Khalid Mahmood’s Top of the Charts will be another success story.

***For further details about Top of the Charts, please write to jumbopublishing@yahoo.com or call Asad Raza at 0333-2304024

Foreword: Spotlight on World Cup 2003

By Jalaluddin

The ICC World Cup Cricket Tournament 2003 was a massive event. It was for the first that the World Cup was being held in Africa. South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya hosted the tournament jointly and together they did a nice job.

It was not the fault of the hosts if England refused to play their match in Harare or New Zealand decided not to appear in their game at Nairobi. England and New Zealand had to pay heavy price of forfeiting their respective games. While England could not even reach the Super Sixes, New Zealand fell short of points in qualifying for the semifinals.

Zimbabwe and Kenya were the beneficiaries as they gained valuable points without being required to take the field. Zimbabwe advanced to the Super Sixes from Group A, ahead of England and Pakistan, while Kenya proceeded to the second round, leaving behind South Africa and the West Indies.

Kenya made most of the opportunity that came their way and they stormed into the semifinals against all odds. The Kenyans had played well no doubt but they were also helped by the untidy performances of their opponents and the generosity of the New Zealanders.

Australia were the deserved winners of the World Cup. They had encountered some turbulence while capturing the trophy in 1999 but they remained invincible in 2003. They were the best team to have entered he competition and they came good even in the absence of some of their star performers.

The World Cup 2003 was certainly won by the best team, who overcame all the pressures on and off the field. The Australians were the most confident side, who had fierce determination to succeed. Even their newcomers came up with terrific performance whenever needed.

The all-conquering Australians were truly magnificent throughout the competition. They had a balanced outfit and all their guys knew their job. Ricky Ponting led the team by example and his devastating century in the final helped them retain the crown in style.

There were odd moments when the Australians were brought under pressure by their opponents but they managed to fight their way and emerged triumphant in all their outings. In two matches at least, against England and New Zealand, they snatched victory from jaws of defeat.

Australia proved the point that they stood head and shoulders above all the teams in terms of consistency. Their approach to the game has been totally professional and their standard has been raised with the passage of time. Their cricket administrators deserve to be complimented for having evolved a system which enables them to rule the world.

The unpredictable Indians, who ended runners-up, had started their campaign tamely but they peaked at the right time. Their pace trio of Jawagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, exploited the conditions in South Africa and the consistency of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar helped their cause enormously.

Pakistan and South Africa were the two biggest disappointments of the tournament. The failure of the South Africans in the league matches saw them crash out of the event before the Super Sixes, much to the disgust of the home fans.

Pakistan’s supporters also had to endure depressing time. There were reports of differences between some key players which didn’t allow the team to settle down and play to their potential which was indeed very sad.

Pakistan, after having defeated Australia in Australia in the one-day series earlier in the season, were expected to perform much better that they did in the World Cup. They showed flashes of brilliance but they were far too inconsistent to challenge their main rivals.

Spotlight on World Cup 2003 is another worthy compilation from Syed Khalid Mahmood who has carved a niche for himself in cricket journalism.

***For further details about Spotlight on World Cup 2003, please write to jumbopublishing@yahoo.com or call Asad Raza at 0333-2304024