News and Views

The suspense about the Indian cricket Team's tour of Pakistan scheduled for Jan-Feb 2001 has finally come to an end. The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket board (PCB) formally announced the cancellation after receiving no response from India. The issue remained in the melting pot for a few months. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) seemed quite willing to meet its international obligation, the Indian Government having made the tour a political issue, was adamant not to allow the team to visit Pakistan.

Apart from causing an unpleasant disruption in the friendly cricket ties between the two countries, the cancellation of the tour is likely to cause a financial loss of around $ 15 million to the PCB. More serious is the creation of an 8 weeks gap in Pakistan's season of full bloom cricket. The other teams of the world already busy in their international commitments, the gap is not easy to fill.

The Indian Government appears to have no regard for the hard fact that `while politics divides people sports unite them'. Aiming at a complete break of relations with Pakistan in the field of sports, they did not allow the Indian pair of Surav Ganguly and Robin Singh to participate in the International Double Wicket Championship in progress at Karachi. They also refused to issue visas to the members of Pakistan Rowing Team that was supposed to participate in the Junior Asian Rowing Championship being held at Chandigarh.

The funniest part of the whole episode is that the President of Asian Rowing Federation who happens to be a Pakistani, has not been allowed to visit India to preside over the annual general meeting of the federation. What will be the fate of Pakistan's cycling team required to participate in the SAARC Cycling Championship starting from February 2001 in New Delhi, the time will only tell !

The cancellation of the cricket team's tour is likely to have serious repercussions on the development of cricket in Asia. It is natural that the weak teams improve by facing the strong teams. If the two big brothers withdraw from the scene, how would the minnows progress? A food for thought for the sane and sports loving Indian politicians !

The quest for making a decent living in this era of development and other full time engagements distracted millions of cricket fans from the boredom of test matches that spanned over five days. While the test matches were left to be witnessed only by the diehard lovers of the game, the ordinary spectators started looking for other avenues. The innovations started appearing on the scene, the most spectacular among them being the limited over matches which drew unprecedented crowds. The double wicket cricket seems to be the second best innovation after one day matches.

The Shell-Pepsi International Floodlit Double wicket Championship was held at the National Stadium Karachi from 15-18 December. The teams from England, New Zealand. Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Kenya along with 2 teams from Pakistan participated in the 7 Nation tournament. According to rules of the game, each team that comprised of two players was supposed to play for 8 overs. The semi finals and finals were played for 10 and 12 overs respectively. The runs were counted like other versions of the game with the exception that the teams lost 10 runs every time a player was out. The hosts provided the fielders.

Played in excellent weather conditions, both the Pakistani pairs reached the finals. The Pakistan Blues comprising of Wasim Akram and Shahid Afridi clinched the trophy by defeating the pair of Aamer Sohail and Abdur Razzaq representing the Pakistan Greens. A big crowd enjoyed the flurries of sixes and fours in an atmosphere dazzling with floodlights. Since the teams were required to score maximum runs in the stipulated overs, also catering for a margin for dismissals, the score mainly came through fours and sixes.

The thrill caused by the style of play that entailed hurricane hitting made the game pretty exciting for the spectators. Pakistan having organized such a tournament regularly for the last few years, the game has become quite popular in the country. If officially recognized, this version of the game will receive a good boost up.

Since the day Wasim Akram crossed the 400 wickets barrier in test cricket achieving the distinction of being the only cricketer in history to claim more than 400 wickets in tests as well as one day internationals, his career became the subject of speculations. Despite denials by him that he was not planning to say good bye to the game yet, the whispering continued. His exclusion from the 3rd Test squad against England raised many eyebrows, providing some blistering wind to the campaign.

Being the king of fast bowling with no exceptionally talented youngster available to replace him, his exclusion from the side was shrouded in mystery. Two different stories circulated in the press. According to the official version, he was ruled out of the final test after he suffered a back spasm. " It is tragic that I felt unfit, otherwise I was determined to prove my ability on the field and silence my critics," admitted Wasim Akram.

Akram fared poorly in the first two tests taking only 2 wickets. According to the second version, in view of his poor performance, the Chairman PCB had warned Akram ahead of the final test `to either shape up or ship out'.The observers felt that giving such an ultimatum to a great player, if true, was not a wise thing to do.The fact,however, remained that the teams had played two drawn tests on flat and dead tracks. Considering the wickets for the series made for the spinners and not for fast bowlers, it is said that Akram preferred to bow out of the test.

Former Pakistan captain and Wasim Akram's mentor Imran Khan very rightly lashed out at Akram's detractors in the following words, " The campaign for Akram's ouster is ridiculous and frustrating for a player who has enough cricket left in him and who has been a match winner for Pakistan on many occasions". On his part Akram also assured every one that he still has the oomph and the will to serve his country.

As an independent observer of the game I feel that the time is not yet ripe to show the door to a great bowler like Wasim Akram. He may not be able to climb up to the apex reached by Courtney Walsh but is certainly capable of crossing Kapil Dev's 436 Test wickets mark and be Courtney's 2nd man, till someone else takes over. Every help must be extended to him to achieve this goal.

Secondly, Pakistan has tried at least half a dozen young speed merchants in the recent past namely, Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Zahid, Shahid Nazir, Fazl-e-Akbar, Shabir Ahmed and the volcanic Shoaib Akhtar. Failing either in quality or physical fitness, none of them was able to create a permanent place for himself in the Pakistan team. Till a highly competent speedster having the tenacity to serve the team for at least a decade is found, no effort should be made to remove Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis from the scene. They are the treasure chest of the nation and must be protected from the plans and prejudices working against them.