An annual with a difference

If you thought that this might be yet another of those worthy but dull annuals that would lie unread on the shelves gathering dust, you'd better think again. The 644-page PCB Pepsi Cricket Annual 2002-03 is produced well enough to make you turn the pages. A departure from previous similar efforts in Pakistan, the latest annual attempts to blend cold numbers and statistics with articles that are an appreciation of various aspects of Pakistan cricket.

For the Pakistan team itself, the year just gone was not one they would want to remember too fondly. Poor performances in several series set the ball rolling on a year that would see many changes to the team. Several cricketers came to the fore, impressing in a game or two before slipping back down through the cracks. But, more than the comings, it was the goings that hurt. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Saeed Anwar, three veterans who served Pakistan with distinction over the years, left the game.

The annual pays rich tribute to Akram, with articles by Taha Noor and Gideon Haigh. There is also a detailed statistical review that spans the length and breadth of Akram's career.

The annual addresses the fact that Pakistan are going through a troubled time right at the outset. In his foreword, Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan and the patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board, says: "I am glad that many of the problems so clearly brought out are already being addressed and will now gather momentum. I have no doubt that it will help the PCB revamp cricket in Pakistan." Never one to miss a chance to make a statement, President Musharraf adds: "Pakistan cricket has suffered in the last couple of years as its neighbour chose to use the game as a negative means of diplomacy by cancelling all fixtures. Moreover, the refusal of foreign teams to visit Pakistan due to security concerns has been no less traumatic for the keen cricket followers in Pakistan."

But, while Musharraf's foreword might draw much attention and lead to discussion in Pakistan, it is other sections of the annual that widen its relevance internationally. Suhael Ahmed takes readers down memory lane with his piece "The Pioneers", in which he takes an in-depth look at Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed, Waqar Hasan and Khan Mohammad. Rashid Latif takes a long, hard look at the year that was, and honestly speaks of what this Pakistan team needs to do in the years to come. Andrew Miller lends the annual an international touch with his assessment "Not all Gloom and Doom." Certainly, if the annual is anything to go by, things are on the upswing for Pakistan cricket.

To go with all the words, and there are quite a few of them, the annual packs in over 40 pages of photographs. There are poignant black and white photographs dug out from the archives, and as many bright, colour pictures from tournaments as recent as the World Cup, to liven things up.