Filching the floodlights

Night cricket is an institution in Pakistan but comes into its own during the month of Ramadan, when daytime activities are severely curtailed. What's fun and games for the participants, however, can be a problem for others - as reflected in recent troubles at Karachi's bustling Empress Market.

The market's parking lot is being used for night-cricket matches, and the organisers have reportedly barricaded one end of the busy approach road. That's caused a traffic snarl but even that doesn't seem to be the biggest problem. The city's municipal officials say the youth are powering their floodlights with electricity taken off nearby transformers. Surely that's not cricket!