An Olympian hammering

A battle of the hacks under floodlights at the Asghar Ali Shah Stadium is no joking matter. Especially when you reslise that one of the opposition openers, a former hockey star with Olympic and World Cup medals, can smash sixes out of the ground.

Wasim Feroze's international reputation was built around a stick. Part of a brilliant forward line also comprising Shahbaz Ahmed and Tahir Zaman, Feroze was a brilliant outside left who would often turn around and drive a ball straight into the striking circle.

Yesterday he drove with a cricket bat - hard, high and ruthless. One over midwicket cleared the walls of the stadium, one sped to long-on, another was pelted to extra cover. Most of the lofted strokes were lost in the lights, some swirled in the breeze, some fell in vacant spaces.

By the time he was done, the run-rate was more than ten an over and the contest turned pretty one-sided. A smattering of spectators watching the proceedings felt the bowling was too easy but blamed the pitch for being too flat. Here we go again ...