With all this talk of anti-polio vaccination drives, I feel it is important to educate people about this disease. What is polio? Polio is a viral disease which can affect the spinal cord, causing muscle weakness and paralysis. The polio virus enters the body through the mouth, usually from hands contaminated with the stool of an infected person. This virus is more common in infants and young children, and occurs under conditions of poor hygiene. Paralysis is prevalent and more severe when the infection occurs in older individuals. Polio spreads when the stool of an infected person is introduced into the mouth of another person through contaminated water or food (fecal-oral transmission). Oral transmission by way of an infected person's saliva may account for some cases. Maintaining high levels of polio immunisation in society is the most helpful precautionary measure. Pakistan and the rest of the world Globally, a lot of work is being done to eradicate polio from all parts of the world, and in most countries no new polio cases have been reported.  These countries are now declared polio free. India is a recent example where no new polio case were reported last year, and the World Health Organisation is considering declaring India a polio free country. This is good news for the region, and now it is Pakistan’s turn to get serious about the eradication of this menace. Polio is an epidemic and its virus travels fast. Thus, a patient suffering from polio is hazardous to the surroundings too. For the long-term safety of India from this endemic, it is advisable that the government of India also cooperate with Pakistan for polio’s eradication. Both countries should work jointly for a polio free Pakistan in the coming years. In addition to this, we should remove misgivings about polio drops prevailing in the country and ensure that teams administering polio drops reach all parts of the country. A recent statement by Sindh’s provincial health minister highlighted the fact that polio exists in Pakistan because children are undernourished. This height of illiteracy has led to the sad state of affairs of our country. A country which is the fifth largest milk producer in the world, one of the largest exporter of rice and also self sufficient in many other agriculture products can’t even feed its nation properly. Here's how

• The five countries where polio exists all have low per capita income so we need to put pressure on the government to increase the per capita income of our people
• Proper food should be provided to children so as to give every child a nutritious diet
• School food programs should be introduced in schools operating in rural areas. These programs should also be monitored strictly to enhance children’s nutritional level
• It should be made mandatory for members of legislative bodies to make serious efforts in their respective areas for polio eradication. If a polio case is detected in a constituency then membership of that legislator should be temporarily suspended
• The task of administering polio drops should be given to trained personnel
• Special incentives should be given to people of those districts where no polio case is reported for a considerable duration

When the PML- Q joined hands with the current PPP government, Marvi Memon took a stand (along with some other MNAs and MPAs of her party) and decided not to join the federation. She even went a step ahead and tendered her resignation from the National Assembly. This move improved her image in the public eye and people began to feel that she will take revolutionary steps in politics; that she will use her political standing for the people of her country. Political analysts and critics were of the view that Marvi Memon will join the PTI after she left her parent party. But due to her differences with the PTI leadership, she did not do so. A few months ago when she held a jalsa is Sindh along with the region’s renowned journalist Qazi Asad Abid, it was thought that she will launch a new political party. But that did not happen either. Earlier this month, Memon surprised her critics and supporters by announcing her decision to join the PML-N. I was really disappointed; I don’t think the PML-N is serious about solving the problems of the common man. Despite being in rule in Punjab for more than four years, they have been unable to fulfill their promises. While I am critical of Memon’s move like many others, I disagree with those who are out to malign her. Differences of opinion always exist, but sadly, we find it hard to accept this. In particular, PTI’s disgruntled approach from the day Memon joined PML-N  is proving to be extremely immature. The party is not letting any chance to criticize her slide. A recent example of PTI’s frustration is their reaction to Memon’s appearance on a private channel’s show. Even before the show went on air, I started receiving text messages from PTI supporters; I even received one from PTI’s official message center urging its supporters to watch the program, stating:

Must watch Marvi Memon exposed by Shahzeb Khanzada in ‘To the Point’  on Express News at 8:05 PM tonight

After all the negativity attached to our trembling politics, corporate tycoon Asad Umar’s addition to the scene is a welcome surprise. Who is Asad Umar? Asad has been with the Engro Corporation for the last 27 years in different capacities, before he finally assumed the position of company CEO and president in 2004. During this period, he played an active role in the complete transformation of his conglomerate, and converted it into a diversified industrial business, with interests ranging from fertilisers, foods, petrochemicals, chemical storage, energy and commodity trading. An amicable and intellectual personality, Umar has enjoyed a great reputation amongst his friends and colleagues. A few weeks ago, he surprised everyone by tendering a request for the grant of an early retirement, and later astounded us further by joining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf . [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2vXLJO0b-g]] Asad’s gesture of tendering his resignation is an indication that he has not joined politics with the agenda to strengthen or boost his organisation’s appeal but to give politics the due attention it deserves and to serve the country and its people. At one event, Asad claimed that when all the champions of democracy went underground during the army takeover of 1999, he was alone on the roads for the cause of democracy in the country. Considering that this effort in favour of democracy was made by a person whose father is a military man, it makes his struggle even more commendable. Expectations of change Asad's move needs to be viewed carefully. He serves as a pioneer to other corporate leaders and professionals who have been thinking of toeing the same line. This unprecedented move, where he left a professional career which paid over Rs6 million per month, in favour of an activity where he will surely encounter difficulties and also have to face the wrath of other politicians, should show that we do have some selfless people left in Pakistan. Pakistani politics revolve around a handful of families, whose affiliations (and not their intellect) are deemed worthy enough to help them inherit party leaderships and eventually take the role of leading the nation. In this situation, if a person like Asad attains success in politics, it will give others the confidence to venture into politics and mould their own destiny, rather than leaving it to those who have been running the country based on their bloodline. This move can also be fruitful with respect to increasing tax collection. At the moment, our tax to GDP ratio is 10.2 - a relatively low figure in comparison to other developing countries. For successful economies, reliance on direct taxes needs to be much higher in comparison to indirect taxes. Asad, being a corporate personality and well-versed in taxation laws, is aware of the loopholes in our tax system and may be able to identify and correct these deficiencies so as to improve our tax to GDP ratio. This may lead to a reduction in our reliance on international donor agencies, thus putting the country on the road to self reliance. In addition to all the above, to truly prosper Pakistan desperately needs land reforms that can free the people from the stranglehold of feudalism. India introduced land reforms immediately after independence and Bangladesh after separation. Now, it’s our turn to implement these reforms. Since Asad is not a landlord, my hope is that he will convince the party to introduce reforms that will act as a catalyst, freeing small farmers and area residents from the clutches of landlords. With regards to education, having studied in Pakistani schools, Asad undoubtedly has a comprehensive understanding of the problems in the education system of the country. Dealing with the problems faced by our education system should also be a priority; perhaps the introduction of a uniform education system won’t be a faraway dream any more. Asad Umar’s inclusion into politics should be seen as a positive step that could prove to be beneficial for the country as a whole and not just the party he has chosen.  I am optimistic that his admission into politics will be seen as a stepping stone for other professionals, and will encourage them participate and put the country on the progressive path it severely deserves. Read more by Khurram here or follow him on Twitter @KhurramZiaKhan

Since its inception, Pakistan has been an extremely passionate sporting nation. Our players overcame the lack of resources quite well to win laurels for their country. At the Olympics in Rome in 1960, Pakistan won the gold medal for the first time because of Naseer Bunda's game changing goal. This is when Pakistan was finally able to break through the stranglehold and constant winning spree that India had maintained on the gold medal in the Olympics. This was a sport that was enthusiastically followed by our nation and hockey players of the yesteryears were as popular as our national heroes. Pakistan’s second gold medal came at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. To reach Olympic glory for the third time, Pakistan had to wait for 16 years; it was at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics that Pakistan’s national anthem was heard again at the Olympic stadium. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), before the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, chalked out an elaborate program to prepare our hockey team for the Olympics. On the invitation of the PHF, 12 Olympians took part in training and preparing the team after which they left for the Olympic games carrying the nation’s hopes on their shoulders. The arena of field hockey is made up of 12 teams which were divided in two groups. Pakistan was placed in group B along with Holland, New Zealand, Great Britain, Kenya and Canada. Surprisingly, Pakistan’s ride to the semi-final of Olympics was not as smooth as expected. Pakistan played exceptionally well against Holland and earned a draw. However, they lost their lead to another draw against New Zealand. During the pool matches, Pakistan defeated the low-ranked Canada and Kenya, but managed only a draw against tougher opponents like Great Britain, Holland and New Zealand. In those days, two points were awarded for each victory. With seven points in five matches, Pakistan sneaked into the semi-finals at the expense of Holland. Pakistan and Great Britain both qualified for the semis from group B and were joined by Australia and West Germany from group A. Pakistan was pitted against the strong Australian line up in the semi-final. Australians were the firm favourites as they played much better hockey in the pool stages of the tournament and had also beaten Pakistan seven times in various meetings since 1982. This was the first tournament I followed enthusiastically from start till end. Reverting back to the match, the Pakistani team came out with the plan to start on the defensive; they were probably working on the formula that an attack is the best form of defence. Pakistan earned a short corner in the early stages of the first half and the ball was deposited at the back of the net by Qasim Zia’s rasping shot. However, the goal was disallowed as the ball struck high on the net. In a counter attack, Australia earned a penalty corner but Davies's shot was smartly blocked by our goal keeper, Moinuddin. Australia had an open chance in the 16^th minute off the match but once again Moinuddin was Pakistan’s saviour and tackled Terry Walsh inside the striking circle. Australia earned a short corner in the 20^th minute, full back Davies drove a shot at Pakistan’s goal which was again blocked by the goal keeper and half back Ayaz Mahmood pounced on the ball and drove it to Hassan Sardar, our enigmatic centre forward, who was waiting at the centre line. Because of the short corner’s drill, Australia showed gaps in the deep defence. Hassan using all his experience and skills to tackle the defence, was at the top of striking circle with only the goal keeper to beat and with a striking shot from the top of circle, he managed to outdo the Australian goal keeper and give his team a crucial lead in this knock out match. The lead Pakistan took in the 22^nd minute was a definite game changer and Australia, with all its efforts in open play and through penalty corners, was unable to cope, eventually losing the match. Commenting on the semi-final, the manager of the Pakistani team, Brigadier (Retired) M H Atif said,

It was a day on which youth prevailed over experience.

A father is role model for his children. He is their first hero and their first inspiration. My father was also my role model; I always wanted to emulate him in whatever manner I could. Whether this meant adopting his dressing style, the way he ate, socialised with other people or the way he treated his children and other family members - I wanted to be exactly like him. Ziauddin Khan left this world on February 26, 2012 at 10:05pm; he was my father. Heartbroken and disillusioned, I stood by his bedside when his doctor informed me about his demise. My world crumbled before me as the man I deemed invincible existed no more. Reluctant to cry and reveal my feelings in front of my mother and younger siblings, I suppressed them; I had to give them strength, I had to step into my father’s shoes - shoes that were yet too big for me to fill. But such is life; you have no option but to move on, to let go and allow life to carry you on to the next chapter. I couldn’t have done this without my mother. Her strength resonated amongst all five of us (brother and sisters) and still does today as we try and cope with an irreparable loss, and the turning wheels of everyday life. Coming back to my father, after migrating from India, the responsibilities to earn a livelihood for the family fell upon his shoulders at a very young age. His hard work, determination and dedication were able to carry him through these tough times. He not only assisted his younger siblings with their studies but also single-handedly took up the responsibility of getting two of his sisters successfully married off. My father got married in 1968, but that didn’t stop him from continuing to look after his parents and siblings with the same ardour. Many people find it very difficult to cope with the responsibilities of married life, a job and younger siblings to manage. My father did all of this without so much as a hint of annoyance. The time I spent with my father was the most memorable period of my lifetime. By profession, my father was a contractor and the company he set up approximately 60 years ago still exists in the accreditation list of several government agencies. As I worked with abu (father) on various projects, I was fortunate enough and luckier than my other siblings, to have spent more time with him. What I learnt from him about business and life are lessons I would want to pass down to my own children one day. It is wisdom that I believe deserves to be shared. My father spoilt us, but never let us forget our values and beliefs. I was endowed with a princely childhood, filled with travel and adventures. I believe, we, my siblings and I, were amongst the very lucky few who travelled half way across the world by the age of ten. We were also fortunate enough to watch a few matches of the Cricket World Cup 1979 played in the UK, becoming the target of envy from many others our age. Having said as much, my father made sure we lived a balanced life. There were times when we would be scolded for things done wrong, especially when it came to education. A childhood incident, which I now look back at and reprimand myself for, was when I was told to apologise to my Qari Sahib (Quranic study teacher) for my mischievous act. My father told my Qari Sahib that I was very sorry for what I had done and had come to apologise; at that moment, of childish insolence, I told the Qari Sahib that it was not I who was apologising but my father. I still regret the embarrassment I may have caused to my father, but being the man that he was, I know I was forgiven. One of my father’s greatest joys was writing. To him, writing was an form of art, not just a mode of communication; his English language skills were second to none. He was my first instructor and today, what little I do know, is all that has been borrowed from my father's great knowledge bank. For this, I cannot thank him enough. In August 1989, my matriculation result was announced, and on the same day my father was undergoing a life-threatening bypass operation in the US. This was the first time I felt the intensity of how much I missed my father; I told him so as well. By the grace of Allah, his operation was successful. And even after such a major operation, he decided not to quit work and continued to do so until his very last breath. Till the last day of his life, he lived up to his image of being a person of strength, integrity and honour. I held my father in high esteem; he was my mentor, my inspiration, my super-hero and will forever hold a special place in my heart. Even though he has left us, I still miss him immensely and wish I could tell him one last time how blessed I feel everyday for having had such a wonderful father. Happy Father's Day Abbu!

It is a dream and sometimes a paramount desire for a married couple to have their first child. Some couples have his desire fulfilled soon after marriage, others a little later. However, a few people remain childless throughout their married life. Some of these couples go for adoption to experience the pleasure of raising a child. However, adoption is a very serious matter and the couple in question needs to seriously consider whether or not they would be more comfortable adopting a child from within the family or outside or with the help of welfare institutions. I was blessed with my first child three and half years after my marriage. Unfortunately, my uncle who loves children a lot remains childless, even after 12 years of marriage. The couple started exploring the option of adoption very early in their marriage (within the first three years of their marriage). He ended up adopting the youngest daughter of his brother who lived in the same house as him. The child lived with my uncle and aunt from the first few months of her birth but the couple officially adopted her when she turned two-years-old. Along with all other formalities, the surname and other documents all now held the name of my uncle as the father. In the initial years, everything went smoothly, but later on issues started creeping up on their family. The real parents of the child wanted to be closer to their child, who had started recognising them as uncle and aunt. They started cursing their decision and on several occasions asked other family members to help them regain custody of the child. The adoptive parents love their child a lot, treat her as their own and fulfil all her demands, but the worry that remains instilled in them is the fear of how the child will react when she comes to know that she was adopted from under the same roof her biological parents live in. Whenever there is a brawl between the two brothers or between their wives, the adoption issue always seeps in. Some family members even raised issues like how it would be inappropriate for the child to go to their adoptive mothers parents’ house as she would be in the company of male members, who may be the adoptive mothers family, but were not the child’s blood relatives and hence, it was not right for her to mingle with them. I think it is best that the adoptive parents don’t have any child of their own; otherwise the adopted child may have been neglected and would never understand why. What I fear the most is that were they to have had a child of their own, the adopted child would curse her real parents for giving her to someone else and will surely curse her uncle and aunt for depriving her of the love of her real parents. The result of finding out the truth may also impact her personality in a negative manner and give rise to many questions to which any answer may not be satisfactory. My uncle loves the child a lot but he is not ready to disclose the reality to her. While having a discussion with him some time ago, I asked him if he would consider telling his daughter the truth, as one day he will have to marry her off and then it might be too late. In a resigned voice he said,

"When such a time comes, I will tell the truth to the bridegroom of the girl in secrecy. But I can never tell my little girl."

Although Pakistan’s cricket team has seen victories, cricket in Pakistan seems to be on a downward spiral. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken many steps including the hiring of a foreign coach, but all steps taken by the board have failed to boost the team’s performance. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Pakistan’s Bilawal Bhatti (2nd L) celebrates the win with teammates during the first ODI cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on November 24, 2013. Photo: AFP[/caption] In my view, this decline can be attributed to weak personalities regularly appointed to run the PCB, who for the sake of prolonging their job, have repeatedly hesitated to take bold steps and instead, succumb to the pressure applied by the players. For instance, the PCB selection committee did not include young blood in the team in order to appease the senior players. It was also due to fear of defeat. Even when young players were selected on a few occasions, they were dismissed soon after, without being given a proper chance to show their talent. Haris Sohail, Hammad Azam, Awais Zia, Shakeel Ansar, Mohammad Rizwan and many others were shown the door without being given a fair chance to prove their mettle. In recent years, cricket analysts have been insisting that the team needs fresh blood but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Immediately after the World Cup in 2011, all international cricket teams began to prepare for the future and inducted young players into their teams. On the contrary, Pakistan continued with its aging players and now, as can be seen, the performance of these players is on a consistent decline. The mantra of the selection committee is that talent in Pakistan is drying up. This, however, is simply not true. The reality is that Pakistan has abundant talent but we lack visionary selectors who can spot that much-needed talent and draft new players in the team at the right moment. Pakistan, which was once famous for drafting young players in its team, has the most aged team at the moment. Take the T20 format for instance; this is a format considered for young players, however, the average age of Pakistan’s T20 team is also on the higher side, nearing 30. Needless to say, an ageing team affects the team’s performance in this segment. The PCB has a history of making hasty decisions and then taking back their decisions due to team pressure. A case in point in is the fine and ban imposed by the PCB on a number of players on disciplinary grounds after the Australia tour in 2010. This imposition was accompanied with quite a bit of fan fare and the board claiming that it would not compromise on discipline. However, it all turned out to be a farce when within three months the fines were waived, the ban was lifted and most of the players were taken back into the team. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] The PCB lifted the one-year ban on all-rounder Rana Navedul Hasan and halved his Rs 2 million fine in less than a year. Photo: File[/caption] The PCB needs to develop long term plans which should be followed with sincerity and not be changed or disrupted by a change in the board’s chairmanship. After Ijaz Butt was appointed to the chair in 2008, the first step that he took was the removal of foreign coach Geoff Lawson. Why? This was done on the pretext that a foreign coach is not viable for Pakistan. On the contrary, his successor Zaka Ashraf did the exact opposite and once again a foreigner, Dav Whatmore, was appointed to coach the team in March 2012. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Whatmore (L) has been appointed Pakistan's head coach for two years and Englishman Julian Fountain (R) is fielding coach. Photo:File[/caption] In its early years, the PCB worked on an honorary basis but now it is a humungous organisation with people attached to it drawing high salaries and enjoying perks. However, little is being done for the development and improvement of the sport in Pakistan. In the past, when Pakistan had only one state-owned television channel, final matches of domestic tournaments were broadcasted in order to inspire youngsters. However, now when we have many sports and news channels, PCB is not using this platform to project the country’s domestic cricket. In recent years, especially, domestic T20 tournaments have been promoted way too much. In my opinion, this tournament actually affects Pakistan’s cricket adversely, rather than promoting the sport. Moreover, the PCB has failed to develop a consistent format for the country’s first-class cricket and every year changes are made to the format. Former cricketer Basit Ali highlighted one glaring flaw in the current set up during a TV program. According to him, if a four-day match of domestic first-class tournament finishes ahead of schedule, players do not get allowance for the remaining days. This means that in order to get their full allowance, players prefer to prolong the first-class. In addition, the PCB and its affiliated regional bodies do not instruct ground-men about the nature of pitches required for first-class matches. As a result, placid tracks are prepared at most centres. These docile pitches are another factor in our failure to produce high quality batsmen. Frankly, I think that the PCB should revert to the first-class system which was in place in Pakistan in the 80s and 90s since that system with all its flaws was at least, regularly coughing up quality players. If the government is serious about solving problems pertaining to cricket in Pakistan, the first step should be a complete overhaul of the PCB. It should remove all the ex-players who have been attached to the board for decades, but are unable to solve the current problems in the game in Pakistan. They should bring changes in the PCB constitution and convert it into a body where members are elected and not selected by the country’s higher authorities. An elected chairman can work freely without fear of being removed and can introduce a culture where merit is the criteria for taking all decisions. Although Pakistan has many problems in its system, cricket still thrives in the country simply due to the deep-rooted public passion for the game. All the cricket team needs is a cricket board with a visionary people like ex-captain Abdul Hafeez Kardar, at the helm of all its affairs. Only then can our team return to its days of consistent glory.

According to a sports analyst, whatever happens in Pakistani cricket does not happen anywhere else. The recent team selection for the upcoming Asia Cup and T20 World Cup is an appropriate example of this statement. Looking at the selected players, it is not clear whether the selectors want to go forward or backward. Perhaps, they do not have any direction at all. In the coming days, Pakistan’s cricket team is set to play two international tournaments – the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup – both to be held in Bangladesh. The team selected for both tournaments has been announced and as expected, the selectors have surprised the fans with their baffling selection yet again! Considering the way our team is selected, I sometimes feel that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) uses a magic hat to randomly pull out names of players to represent Pakistan in the tournament or series, without any deliberation or tactical decision-making. The first surprise was the selection of Fawad Alam in the Asia Cup squad. Alam played in a One Day International (ODI) for Pakistan more than three years ago. His strike rate of 73.8 did not make him an ideal player for the lower-middle order. He is a player who can be more useful in Test matches than in shorter versions of the game. Another surprising element was the selection of five fast bowlers for the Asia Cup. In Bangladesh, where the pitches are more suitable for spinners, I think Pakistan will be better off with an additional spinner or a batsman in their squad, instead of a pace bowler. Pakistan has some aged players in the squad and it will be better if a few youngsters are included in the team to beef up the fielding in case the need arises. Our team needs young blood and it is always better to be safe than sorry. Moving along, the team selected for the T20 World Cup doesn’t paint a positive picture either. The selection of Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik is a regressive step since both Akmal and Malik have not given any eye-catching performances in the recently concluded Faysal Bank T20 tournament. In fact, Malik’s performance in Australia’s Big Bash was utterly unsatisfactory. Similarly, Akmal’s selection shows confusion and indecisiveness on the part of our selectors. It seems that Pakistan’s selectors are obsessed with having Akmal in the squad for any ICC tournament. Akmal’s younger brother, Umar Akmal, has been Pakistan’s wicketkeeper for many ODI series. Umar will be playing in both tournaments but I fail to understand why they would want two wicketkeepers on the team. After all, Bangladesh is located close to Pakistan and in case of any emergency, a replacement can travel quickly and conveniently. Still, if selectors want two wicketkeepers on the squad for some reason, then why don’t they include Sarfaraz Ahmed, who is a much better choice. Ahmed, after playing a winning match against Sri Lanka, should be given the boost and confidence to be an even better player. But, it seems the selectors are adamant on shaking his confidence by not selecting him. The selection of Abdur Rehman for the Asia Cup and that of Zulfiqar Babar for the T20 World Cup is also a questionable decision. It would be better if only one of them is selected for both tournaments. Fielding in T20 tournaments is very crucial and has always been our team’s weakest area. To bring agility in fielding, young legs are required. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s team only has four to five young players in the upcoming tournaments while the rest are all in their early to mid-30s. This will adversely affect our fielding in both tournaments. Pakistan was once famous for throwing its youngsters in the deep end but now it seems that our selectors have abandoned this practice due to a fear of defeat. I wish the selection committee would revive this practice since many promising players lose confidence when they are not selected during their peak years; eventually they vanish from our country’s cricketing platform. I hope that our selectors choose players with a clear mind set and direction. They need to have valid reasons for selecting or dropping a player from the national team. They need to take into consideration their strengths and weaknesses and the reasons should be made public. It is our national team and as a Pakistani I demand to know why certain players were selected, whilst some very good ones were dropped. Only if we select a winning team can we hope to win.

Hockey is Pakistan’s national game and its players have won many laurels for the nation in the past. Previously, these players were household names and were considered darlings of the nation, until everything went down under. Comparing those golden days of hockey with its dismal state today often brings tears to the eyes of many hockey followers.   The 2014 Hockey World Cup is less than a month away and, sadly, Pakistan has failed to even qualify for this global event. The reason of this depressing situation could possibly be attributed to the poor planning and management of the previous team that ran the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). However, the downfall of Pakistan hockey had begun back in the day. The most prominent defeats were in 1986, when we conveniently surrendered our Asian Games title to South Korea and finished at a lousy second last place in the World Cup played in England. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x17guu2_pakistan-wins-hockey-world-cup-in-sydney-dec-1994_sport[/embed] After that, there were a few good years in between for Pakistan. We rose from the ashes and proved ourselves as hockey giants with glorious victories in two prestigious hockey events during 1994. First, Pakistan recaptured its Champions Trophy title, after a gap of 24 years; second, the team went on to win the hockey World Cup, that same year. The victory in that final, over the Netherlands, was bitter-sweet revenge for team green because they were the same opponents who had deprived Pakistan of the World Cup title four years earlier, on home ground. But the victories of 1994 couldn’t keep Pakistan from falling to its impending doom. As it turned out, those wins were the last ones for Pakistan in hockey’s international arena. For the last two decades, we have consistently failed to win any global title. Although Pakistan did get some heads-up at the Asian Games during this period but, that too, was short-lived. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] India's Singh Raj Pal (L) battles for the ball with Pakistan's Muhammad Rashid during their preliminary field hockey game at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, 2010. Photo: Reuters[/caption] Pakistan’s failure to qualify for the 2014 World Cup was perhaps the last nail in the coffin for Pakistan hockey and a return from this debacle seems to be an impossible task for the current team. Due to their non-participation in the World Cup, Pakistan’s international ranking slid down even further. The blame for this largely lies on the ineptness of the PHF. The flighty attitude of the PHF is evidenced with the sad fact it was unable to send our team to participate in the renowned Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which is regarded as an important international event in the hockey world. This was all because the federation was unable to acquire the necessary funding in time for the tournament. Recently, some changes have been made in the setup of the PHF, as stalwarts like Shahnaz Shaikh, Islahuddin Siddique and a few others have been introduced to take the hockey setup further; in my view these changes won’t make any difference. If we try to jot down everything that is wrong with hockey today, we can trickle down to a few major factors. These include a drastically shrinking pool of players, poor playing facilities, low earnings, frequent rule changes at international level and internal feuds of our officials. Changing the PHF management won’t make much of a difference until we solve the other issues that blemish this sport. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Former hockey players Shahnaz Shaikh (L) and Samiullah (R). Photo: AFP[/caption] Steps are being taken to help pull Pakistan hockey back on its feet. With the newly appointed hockey management carrying out country wide open trials to find fresh talent, one can hope that the sport might become popular amongst the masses once again. Searching for new talents seems like a good step to take but is still a very small one, especially since only 37 players have been selected from these countrywide trials. This is a clear indication of our youth’s shrinking interest in the national game. If the PHF really wants to revive hockey, they need to start introducing the game in schools and colleges, provide Astroturf fields and build more hockey stadiums around the country. The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia are currently the top teams in hockey and each country has hundreds of metres worth of Astroturf fields; whereas we, in Pakistan, have only eight Astroturf-fitted hockey grounds in the entire country. It is disheartening to see that this is how we treat our national game. Playing on Astroturf fields requires a lot of training and unless the youth is given the field to practise on, they will always lag behind. Schools were the product line of Pakistan hockey at one time but now they are unable to produce players because the thrill of recognition is lost in this game and students are unwilling to try their hand at hockey because they feel that making a career in the sport is not worthwhile. They believe that it will not pay enough to support them for the rest of their lives, and unfortunately, they are right. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Pakistan's players huddle before their men's Group A hockey match at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Photo: Reuters[/caption] Cricket, snooker and other sports have become more lucrative for youngsters. One reason that these games have gained consistent popularity is because they can be played without any equipment or gear, whereas for hockey, the equipment is necessary; this can become financially taxing. In my view, hockey will decline further if new and aspiring hockey players are not given financial incentives. This will encourage the younger lot to choose hockey as a career, and will help the existing players to continue with the game without looking elsewhere to fulfil their financial needs. Hockey was once an artistic game. I have been an ardent follower of hockey for three decades but the pathetic condition of our national game today is very difficult to bear. If things don’t improve, sooner or later, I doubt our national game will have any followers left in Pakistan.

According to a recent research, people in Pakistan spend 47.7% of their income on fast food and beverages. If we compare this to the spending patterns of other countries we will realise that this is, in fact, a very high ratio. Eating out is a popular pastime for the people of Pakistan – we are seen at restaurants, food courts and even food stands during festivals and celebrations. Ramazan, ironically, is like a month of food festivities for us. With people choosing different food for sehri and iftar, in Ramazan we are seen frequenting food outlets a lot more than in any other regular month. Honestly speaking, when it comes to planning the perfect iftar meal out, we are tireless. It may seem that we are more concerned about planning and preparing the meal we will guzzle down at iftar than observing our fasts – but we are just foodies. Anyway, what is important, however, is that eating habits and priorities are changing and it is time we understood that. For example, a few years back, sehri was considered a very important part of Ramazan and people used to meet up over delicacies like khajla, pheni and jalebis to mark the beginning of their fast. Today, however, sehri has lost its charm and people are more inclined to indulging in an extravagant iftar and a light sehri. A few years ago, the concept of going out for iftar was not nearly as popular as it has become now; as a matter of fact, the mindset earlier was that people should stay at home for iftar and go out after for something light – if required. Similarly, traditional foods that used to dominate our Ramazan evenings have now been substituted by non-traditional cuisine even if it costs a fortune. We have become more adventurous with our taste buds; in fact, we are prone to eating fusion cuisines now more than we ever were before. This change in trend is something all multinational fast food chains have sneakily picked up on their radars and have started exploiting for their own benefits. After extensive research on what constitutes the ‘perfect iftar meal’ for the average urban Pakistani, these companies introduce various ‘deals’ to entice their customers. The importance of Pakistan in the eyes of these multinational food chains can be gauged from the fact that these two global food chains, Johnny Rockets and Fatburger, have opened their largest dining outlets in Pakistan. Previously, competition was not very intense because there weren’t many competitors, but today, all that has changed. Today, there are multiple food chains providing, if not the same then, similar food for their clients. As a result, not only do these multinationals have to compete with each other, they need to maintain a standard above that of popular local food chains too. As a result, what we, the foodies, are left with are an array of options, lots of creative advertising and killer deals. The first fast food restaurant in Pakistan to have capitalised on this trend in Ramazan was Pizza Hut. They introduced all-you-can-eat deals and catchy names to attract pizza lovers in the late 90s. In recent years though, it seems this trend has caught on and become more popular amongst multinationals and consumers. Many multinationals have now started playing on words to associate their products to Ramazan; McDonalds calls its Ramazan deal ‘Dine Divine’. Burger King, the latest entrant in Pakistan’s fast food market, have called their Ramazan deal the ‘Royal Ramazan’ and Johnny Rockets sells it as the ‘Dates to Desserts’ Ramazan deal. Along with catchy names, these food chains have to work on their pricing as well. McDonalds, for example, launched its first Ramazan deal at Rs285 in 1998 and cannot raise its price to a much higher amount otherwise its customers will stop visiting the food outlet. Johnny Rockets and Fatburger, both of which launched expensive deals in the beginning, have had to re-think their pricing strategy to make up for the lost sales during this month. While all these food chains are busy finding the answer to the ‘perfect Ramazan meal deal’, we, the consumers, are playing right into their hands. Do we forget about our health or monthly expenses during this month? Or do we all earn an atrocious amount of money and have somehow justified such kind of reckless expense on fast food? In a recent research, it was revealed that children who eat two to three burgers a week are at a high risk of asthma and wheezing. Also, eating fast food is one of the major causes of obesity and other weight-related issues. Parents in Pakistan, though, have conveniently chosen to ignore these facts and are happily feeding their kids all sorts of junk. Yes, the influx of multinational food chains is a great sign for the country’s economy but we have to keep in mind that, at the end of the day, they are here to sell their products and will take advantage of all the different changes in our eating patterns to benefit their business. Considering the profits go to the company’s country of origin, where does Pakistan come in all this? In my view, their expansion should be controlled to give breathing space to local food outlets that are currently struggling to compete with them due to limited budget. This will lead to a greater boost to our economy. Besides that, the food at local chains is still considerably fresh and contains fewer preservatives than the foods provided at many of these multinational food chains. Besides that, but compared to foreign food chains, local food outlets are much lighter on the pocket too. One of the things I believe this month teaches us is moderation, and spending excessively on anything, even food, is negating the basic premise of this holy month to begin with. Parents today have the added responsibility of educating their children about this capitalist culture that is steadily engulfing the country. It is important for them to realise that, as time goes by, everything including healthcare, education and other important utilities will become harder to afford. Charity begins at home so do your parents a favour and eat at home!

Few weeks ago, Pakistan cricket received a severe blow when it’s most prominent bowler, Saeed Ajmal, was banned from bowling in international cricket due to suspected illegal bowling action. This news shocked many Ajmal fans and a lot become extremely angry at this decision. Some die hard cricket fans have also termed this ban a conspiracy of the Big Three against Pakistan. Although the ban imposed on Ajmal may put his career in jeopardy but this step may also serve as a blessing in disguise for Pakistan’s cricket and for international cricket on the whole. The ban on Ajmal triggered a clean-up operation against all bowlers with suspected action and, so far, six bowlers, including Mohammad Hafeez, Sunil Narine and Adnan Rasool, have been reported in the Champions League T20 tournament and 29 bowlers were reported in Pakistan’s domestic T20 tournament. The menace of chucking (illegal bowling action) raised its ugly head in international cricket when bowlers like Muttiah Muralitharan and Shoaib Akhtar were allowed to continue bowling in international cricket, even with suspected action, on medical grounds. As a result, youngsters got their inspiration from these stalwarts and in an attempt to copy them and a few others, they spoiled their action. Although many countries have suffered because of the ICC’s new policy, the worst affected is Pakistan where, after the ban on Ajmal, we are struggling to find an off-spinner for the upcoming series against Australia. All off-spinners called by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are turning out to be 'chuckers'. An example of this is Atif Maqbool. He has played domestic cricket for more than a decade now, picked up heaps of wickets in the last few domestic seasons and was the highest wicket taker in the 2013 domestic tournament. No umpire or coach could find any flaw in his bowling action. He was tipped as a replacement of Ajmal but when the time to induct him in the team came, his bowling action turned out to be a suspected one. Atif’s case, if nothing else, exposed the inefficiency of our umpires and match referees who supervise our matches at domestic levels. Junaid Zia is another curious case of chucking. He too has been on the domestic scene for more than a decade now and has represented Pakistan in few ODIs as well. In the past, no umpire had found any illegality in his bowling action but in the recently concluded national T20 championship, a few eagle-eye umpires found his bowling action suspicious and reported him. He is currently undergoing tests. PCB needs to seriously look into this matter and reach to a conclusion. They need to answer if these international umpires are just being overcautious or do we really have a large number of chuckers in our cricket system. If it is the latter, then they also need to find ways of curbing this issue. PCB is usually very slow in reacting to the problems faced by the team or any of its players. A warning for PCB was served when India’s bowler R Ashwin, during the Asia Cup matches that took place a few months back, gave a statement that some bowlers wear full-sleeved shirts to get extra advantage with their bowling. The PCB or Ajmal did not take his statement seriously but, clearly, somebody somewhere was paying attention to all this. And hence we find a banned Ajmal and a disgruntled PCB. Although the PCB has hired the pioneer of doosra, Saqlain Mushtaq, to rectify Ajmal’s action but many analyst are pessimist about Ajmal’s come back. Age is also catching up with him and even if he succeeds in rectifying his action, his shelf life on cricket grounds will be very limited. This whole fiasco with Ajmal is an opportunity for the PCB to apply zero tolerance for suspected bowling action in all domestic and club level tournaments and clean Pakistan cricket of this problem. Any bowler found to have suspected bowling action should be discarded immediately as efforts to rectify illegal bowling actions mostly prove futile. Biomechanic testing machines should be installed in all major cities to check if the bowling action is within or beyond the allowed limit. Sports at school and college level is dying but PCB should constitute special teams who visit schools and colleges around the country and brief them about the rules and regulations that cricket governing body’s like the ICC have on chucking and on other sports related matters. Visits to schools and colleges may prove to be extremely helpful as through this not only will youngsters get awareness about cricketing laws at an early age but this may also be an opportunity to find hidden talents from within the wilderness. I hope better sense prevails and the PCB, instead of continuing to beat the bush, makes a genuine effort to clean Pakistan cricket from chucking.

When making a decision, in nearly all aspects of life, timing is very important. If one fails to take a decision at the right time, his or her decision may back fire or people at the helm of affairs may take the person to task and shun him out of the system.

“I didn’t know that painters and writers retired. They’re like soldiers, they just fade away.” – Lawrence Ferlinghetti

The cricket World Cup 2015 is underway. Teams are strategising their wins, contemplating their losses and trying to find a way to be in the quarter-finals. Cricket followers around the globe are following this extravaganza match-by-match and it gets even more intense for them after every match ends. This is a flagship event of the International Cricket Council (ICC) but considering the importance of this tournament, I do not agree with its format. I think in its current state, the qualification of the top eight teams to the next round is a foregone conclusion, well before the tournament event starts. The format of the first four World Cups was identical to this one, but then in 1992, for the first time, the cricket World Cup format witnessed a change. This was then followed by format changes in 1996 and 1999. The format introduced in 1999 was followed in 2003 but the ICC changed it yet again in 2007 to accommodate two additional teams. The format of the current World Cup is a replica of the 2011 and 1996 formats. A major drawback of this is that it makes the qualifications of the top teams in the second round inevitable. The teams are more concerned about their probable opponents rather than their qualification to the next round; home teams try to get to the quarter final match in their home ground. I remember the 1996 World Cup, where after losing the group match against South Africa, Pakistan team management was contemplating to throw away their last pool match in order to get to the home quarter-final. Global tournaments have fixed formats for decades, which remain unchanged irrespective of an addition or deletion of participating teams. I have been following football World Cups for more than two decades now and have never observed any changes in the tournament’s format. Frequent alterations create confusion for followers. The ICC has to come up with a format that keeps spectators deeply engrossed in the tournament from start to finish. The ICC should devise a system which can be followed for all future tournaments. The cricket governing body should also think about reducing the duration of the tournament, as it is difficult to maintain the public’s interest for more than 40 days. I think the ICC World Cup is the longest global tournament as compared to other global events like the FIFA World Cup or the Olympics, which conclude within a month’s time. The current pool matches will continue for one month and many of these matches, especially those featuring associate teams, have minimal crowd interest. This lack of interest in associate teams’ matches can be gauged from the fact that few matches will be played at Saxton Oval, a cricket ground located in New Zealand’s city of Nelson, that has a seating capacity of only 5,000 spectators. From the first to the 12^th World Cup, the number of playing nations has increased, with a few of the new entrants still struggling to compete with the top teams. And in the presence of these weak teams, the participation of four associate members takes the thrust out of the large number of pool matches. The World Cup is a premier cricketing tournament, and I think that only highly qualified nations should take part in it. To encourage associate teams, only two nations should be allowed in the tournament. The participation of four associate members not only lengthens the duration but it also increases the number of one-sided matches. For future games, the ICC should reduce the number of associate teams and also come up with a format in which pool matches have more relevance regarding the teams’ qualification to next round of the tournament. Future World Cups should be restricted to 12 teams, and tournaments should be played on single league basis. After the completion of round matches, top four teams should qualify for the semi-finals. This format will make every match important for the participating teams and will also keep the viewers’ interest alive till the last pool match, along with its commercial interest. This format was followed in the 1992 World Cup where the last semi-final spot was decided after the conclusion of the last league match. In my view, the ICC is hesitant to come up with a format that threatens the first elimination of the Big Three, especially India.

Pakistan has finally managed to drag itself past the group stages and reach the quarter-finals of the ICC World Cup 2015... and what a ride it has been! The last time Pakistan played in a World Cup tournament outside Asia was in 2007, where we were expelled from the tournament during our first rounds. The same happened in 2003. Therefore, fans have been susceptible to Pakistan’s progress in this tournament. And losing the first two matches of the group stages did little to improve the team’s image. However, they did recover soon from the initial blows and developed a better team combination – which led them to winning four consecutive matches and moving further in the tournament. Pakistan has traditionally been a slow-starter in any global tournament; however, this time, the slow start has cost them as Pakistan – by virtue of finishing third in their group – is now slated to play pre-tournament favourite Australia in the quarter finals. An aura is prevailing in Australia among fans and critics that Australia’s victory in the quarter-finals is a foregone conclusion. Pakistan lacks the firepower needed to compete with the mighty Aussies in Friday’s quarter-final match; in fact, many believe that the match will be more of a formality for Australia. Withdrawal of ace fast bowler Muhammad Irfan from the World Cup squad due to his injury has given further credence to this thought. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Umar Akmal (2nd L) shakes hands with Australia's captain Ricky Ponting (2nd R) after Pakistan defeated Australia in their World Cup Group A match in Colombo. Photo: Reuters[/caption] However, I, for one, would disagree with these thoughts. No matter how strong or weak a team is on paper, it is the team’s performance and fortune on the day of the match that lead to victory or defeat. The arena is what decides who wins and who loses. In my decades-long romance with cricket, I have seen many matches take unexpected turns. One such upset was the Pakistan versus Australia match, in the semi-finals of the 1987 World Cup – and it haunts me even today. The match took place in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, and Australia defeated Pakistan on home-ground, even though no one expected it. Perhaps Pakistan’s match against Australia tomorrow can be a way of avenging ourselves. The year 1987 was the first time a World Cup tournament was held outside the United Kingdom. Also, this was the first 50-overs World Cup tournament, which was hosted jointly by India and Pakistan. During the tournament, both India and Pakistan played efficient cricket and were making their fans happy. The road to Kolkata – known as Calcutta in those days – (for the finals) looked smooth and straightforward. But both hosts were defeated by their respective opponents in the tournament’s semi-finals to once again deprive a host the opportunity to grab the world title. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] World champion Australian team in 1987. Photo: Cricket.com.au[/caption] Pakistan was placed in pool B along with West Indies, England and Sri Lanka. Before this tournament, Pakistan had never beaten England and West Indies in any World Cup match. However, as host, and in their own conditions, Pakistan finally broke the jinx against these opponents. Pakistan topped its group and qualified for the semi-final, which was to be played in their own home turf against Australia. Prior to the start of the match, everything seemed to be in Pakistan’s favour. The conditions are favourable and the opposition too was not very taxing. I think the team of 1987 was most inexperienced Australian team to represent country at a global stage. After the pool stage, there was a few days gap before the first semi-final of the tournament. The entire country was excited and confident to reach the finals. In family functions, markets as well as streets, everyone was talking about Pakistan’s possible opponent in the tournament’s final match – as no one thought Australia would defeat the national team. On the morning of the match, everyone was excited and wanted to follow the match from start to end, but those were very different days – no national holiday was declared for a cricket match, irrespective of its importance, and the country operated as per routine. I was in ninth grade at the time. Like many fanatic cricket fans, I too wanted to follow the match from the very first ball but I couldn’t avoid school and so had to miss some part of the match. In those days, internet and cellular phones did not exist and no student carried pocket radio with them due to fear of confiscation. During school hours, we all were very anxious to know about the match was proceedings. A few kind-hearted teachers kept updating us about the match by writing its score on the blackboard. When I came to know about Australia batting first in this crucial match, my heart skipped a beat as chasing a total was a chronic problem for Pakistan – even in those days. Australia, while batting first, scored a mammoth 267 runs in its innings. In those days, this was considered a great score. After that, Pakistan continued to its own downfall by conceding 34 extras. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Craig McDermott took the maiden 5-wicket haul of the tournament to kill a nation's dream. Photo: Cricbuzz[/caption] However, the extras were not the only reason why we were defeated. During Australia’s innings, a couple of unforeseen incidents took place. In the 19^th over, Pakistan’s wicketkeeper, Saleem Yousuf, got injured and Javed Miandad had to take up his position – which affected the match. Also, a few run out appeals went against Pakistan, which in the final reckoning proved to have a massive impact on the match’s result. Also, at the score of 236, in a mix up between Steve Waugh and Simon O’ Donnell, Waugh was run out but instead of him, O’ Donnell began walking back to the pavilion. Everyone was happy to see O’ Donnell out as he was considered an explosive player. Unfortunately, his decision to walk off proved fruitful for Australia as Waugh was able to muster 18 more runs in the final over bowled by Saleem Jaffer. Pakistan’s innings began on a disastrous note. Rameez Raja was run out early in the innings and he was quickly joined in the pavilion by Mansoor Akhter and Saleem Malik. Old stalwarts Miandad and Imran Khan started rebuilding Pakistan’s innings after initial jolts and put the fast-derailing World Cup dream back on track. Pakistan seemed to be moving smoothly towards the target once again, the crowd at Gaddafi Stadium once again started dancing and singing with a new vigour. But just when all seemed to be going according to the plan, Allan Border, the Australian skipper, dismissed Imran, courtesy a poor decision by Umpire Dickie Bird. Imran’s dismissal at a crucial junction proved a fatal blow for Pakistan. After this dismissal, wickets kept falling regularly and the entire team was dismissed in 49 over. We handed over an 18-runs victory to Australia. The moment Craig McDermott dismissed our last batsman, Tauseef Ahmed, the entire nation went in a state of mourning. There was hush in the ground. The dream of holding the World Cup trophy was once again shattered. Change in venue and opposition did not make any difference, as Pakistan lost a World Cup semi-final for the third time. The nation was saddened and hurt by this defeat and it took days for a large number of cricket followers to digest this defeat – including myself. The semi-final in Lahore was played more than 27 years ago but memories of the encounter are still fresh for me. After a long gap, Australia and Pakistan are coming face to face in a knockout World Cup match in Adelaide. This time again, the host country is overwhelmingly favourite while the visitors are the underdogs. I hope the Pakistan team comes up with plan to explore and exploit the chink in Australia’s armour to avenge our defeat of 1987. Victory in Friday’s quarter-final match will not only put Pakistan in the semi-finals of the World Cup but also considerably reduce the pain Aussies inflicted on us long ago. I wish all the best of luck to our team!

Bangladesh has waited for nearly 16 years to achieve its second victory against Pakistan in an ODI, but it took them a week to completely whitewash Pakistan. Pakistan’s defeat against Bangladesh is surprising, but for me, the biggest surprise is the ease with which Bangladesh beat Pakistan in all three ODI matches. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: AFP[/caption] Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the tour selection committee was supposed to select the 11 best players for our national team, but looking at the team that went for the tour, it seems as if PCB has no idea who our best 11 players are, or what makes up a good team. The bowling In this tournament, Pakistan faced the same dilemma as it did during the ICC World Cup 2015. Throughout the World Cup, analysts were advocating for the inclusion of our leg spinner, Yasir Shah, but our management showed a lot of reluctance, stating that conditions are not favourable for spinners – even though spinners from other teams were enjoying reasonable success during the tournament. Shah was given one chance to showcase his talents, but it was unfortunately against India – which is known to be pretty good at batting against spinners. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: AFP[/caption] Coming back to the Bangladesh series, our team selection remains questionable. Bangladesh pitches boast of spin-friendly conditions, but even then, the team management has remained adamant on not allowing two of our spinners to play. Maybe Waqar Younis and the rest are a bit uncomfortable with spinners and don’t know how to utilise them. However, this does not justify benching them, especially for such crucial matches. Out with the old, in with the new? Pakistan included two new players in the first two matches of the series – Mohammad Rizwan and Saad Nasim – but they left out Sami Aslam (who is often dubbed as the future of Pakistani cricket) for some odd reason. Had he been allowed to join in the first two matches, he could have played well and scored a century maybe and that would have helped Pakistan win at least one match, if not all of them. Even though he did get a chance to make his debut in the third ODI, where he played with confidence and showcased his tremendous capabilities, there was nothing much that he could do. Other players seemed to have lost their ability to play cricket; Azhar Ali kept playing a lot of dot balls at the other end of the pitch, hampering Aslam’s fluency, due to which he failed to get a big score. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="594"] Photo: AFP[/caption] Playing too many dot balls is a major problem for the Pakistan cricket team; they lack the art of manoeuvring the ball. Our players have two gears – they either hit the ball or they block it. Pakistan played a total of 1129 dot balls during the World Cup. The same seemed to be the case in the Bangladesh series. By scoring singles, players can move the scoreboard forward and also minimise the pressure exerted by opposition, but we rarely seem to follow that tactic. In the second ODI, Nasim and Harris Sohail built a good partnership to revive Pakistan, but they struggled to score regular singles. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: AFP[/caption] During this series, the debutants, Nasim, Rizwan and Aslam, exhibited their talent to prove a point – that no matter what, Pakistan is a talent-filled country and all we need are the right people at the helm to spot unique individuals and groom them into world class cricketers. Although Rizwan played well in the first ODI, I disagree with the team management to groom an additional wicket keeper-cum-batsman when Sarfraz Ahmed is already available to do the job. By dropping Sarfraz in the third ODI match, it seems that PCB has tried to shatter his confidence yet again. Such political manoeuvres often lead to professional suicide in cricket – something which PCB needs to keep in mind. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="594"] Photo: AFP[/caption] Our team has witnessed countless inconsistent performances by cricketers, yet they are allowed to play in each and every match, but when it comes to Sarfraz, he tops the list of unlucky players since he was immediately dropped from the team just after a couple of sub-par performances. I wish our team could put Sarfraz’s talents to good use. While the success of our newcomers is a positive sign, it is the constant failure of our seniors that poses to be a serious problem. Cricket teams around the world are led by experienced players, but in Pakistan, it is the complete opposite. Senior players, as well as newcomers lack consistency – a case in point is the dismal performances given by Mohammad Hafeez and Fawad Alam during this tournament. The cricket board needs to sit with our senior players and make it clear to them that either they perform consistently or they stop playing completely. They really need to get their act together. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: AFP[/caption] The batting Moving on to our batting issues, while Haris Sohail seems to be a good option to lead our batting attack, it seems that he is constantly struggling to get past an average score of 30s and 40s. He needs to overcome this problem immediately and start converting his mediocre innings into mammoth innings, which will not only benefit him but the team as well. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="597"] Photo: AFP[/caption] Pakistan’s problem against left-arm spinners is also getting worse. In Sri Lanka, we struggled against Rangana Herath and in Bangladesh, Shakib al Hasan and Arafat Sunny proved to be problematic for our team. Our players need to work hard and learn on how to bat against left-arm spinners, particularly the likes of Hasan. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="596"] Photo: AFP[/caption] Bangladesh is a completely different team in their home ground – they showed this during the 2012 Asia Cup when they beat India and Sri Lanka and nearly beat Pakistan in the finals. Previously, they managed to beat New Zealand and West Indies in their home ground as well. A disappointing captain I feel that our new captain has been a disappointing captain so far. Azhar's  inexperience was highlighted when he introduced our fifth bowler at the wrong time during the Bangladesh innings during the first ODI. He committed another blunder in the second ODI by setting a spread-out field rather than a defensive one, knowing very well we had a low score to defend. Pakistan’s domestic cricket is extremely weak; it has failed to produce a decent leader and a captain who is well-versed with the art of leading at international and national levels. The domestic structure of some teams is so strong that they automatically get well-bred leaders. Lee Kenneth Germon, from the New Zealand team, was selected from the domestic structure based on his leadership and management skills. He made his Test debut as a captain against Pakistan in 1996. George Bailey is a recent example; he was named the Australian T20 captain in 2011 and 2012 purely because of the leadership skills he showed at domestic level. But we cannot blame our cricket entirely. As the head coach, Younis is also responsible for our team’s defeat. He cannot absolve himself of his responsibilities by giving statements about players’ fitness levels and attitude issues. It is his responsibility to improve the players if they are facing these problems, and if he is unable to fulfil this responsibility, he should be replaced by someone who has better management and coping skills. Even though Pakistan lost the ODI series, I hope PCB sees this as a mistake to learn from. In the future, I hope our management shows signs of prudence in its team selection, continue its rebuilding process, and resist the demands of calling back the oldies who have failed us repeatedly. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="594"] Photo: AFP[/caption] If Pakistan wants to regain its lost glory, we need to restructure our domestic cricket system, reduce the number of international matches drastically and make domestic cricket more competitive. It is the quality of matches that matters, not the quantity. I hope those running PCB are able appropriate steps to put Pakistani cricket back on its path to success.

In the recently concluded Dhaka Test match, we managed to break another world record. During Pakistan’s second innings, Misbahul Haq scored a six on Taijul Islam’s ball, making Pakistan the first Asian team to hit 1,000 sixes in the Test format. Pakistan achieved this feat in its 389^th test match. Since this is an astounding achievement, I feel it would be great if we dwell upon a few facts regarding Test match sixes. 1. Except for Pakistan, several non-Asian counties have crossed the 1,000 sixes or more in Test matches record, which include Australia, West Indies, New Zealand, South Africa and England. 2. Alongside this feat, Pakistan also has the second best six-hitting ratio in Test matches amongst Asian teams, with 2.58 sixes per match. 3. Surprisingly, Bangladesh, which is supposedly one of the weaker Asian teams, has the best six-hitting ratio at 3.05 sixes per match. This is because they got their Test status at a time when the Test-match dynamics were changing and overall scoring rates in Test innings were higher. 4. India, so far, has scored 995 sixes in 487 Test matches and they have played at a ratio of 2.04 sixes per match. They have the lowest per Test six-hitting ratio amongst Asian teams. 5. The first six in Test match history was scored by J Darling of Australia against England at Adelaide during the 1897/98 Test series. This was the 55^th Test match, from its inception. 6. In nearly 140 years of Test-cricket history, we only have one incident when the first ball of the Test match was smacked for a six and the honour for achieving this feat goes to Chris Gayle, who hit the first ball of the match for a six during an innings against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2013. 7. Pakistan’s journey of sixes in Test-matches began during the inaugural Test-series that they played in 1952 – this was when the national team toured India. It was in Lucknow, during the second Test match of the series, that debutant Zulfiqar Ahmed batting at number nine for Pakistan hit India’s left-arm medium fast-bowler, Nyalchand Shah, for a six. This was the first ever six by Pakistan in their Test-cricket history. For poor Nylachand, this was the only Test match he played for India. 8. Pakistan’s match against New Zealand, which was played at the national stadium in Karachi during the 1976 series, is fifth in the list of most sixes hit in a Test match. This Test match is remembered for Majid Khan’s feat who became the first Pakistani to score a Test century before lunch on the first day of the match. Pakistan’s match against West Indies played at Kingston during the 1976 Test series is 37^th in this list. Although this seems to be a low ranking but this shows the flare Pakistan batsmen possess as West Indies was the most feared team of that era and to hit their bowlers for sixes was a daunting task. 9. Pakistan, in its Test cricket history, has come across many aggressive batsmen, but surprisingly, the record for most number of sixes  in a Test innings is accredited to Wasim Akram who, in his innings of 257 against Zimbabwe at Sheikhpura during the 1996/97 series, scored 12 sixes. This is also the world record for most number of sixes scored in a Test innings. Wasim broke the 63-year-old record of Wally Hammod, who had scored 10 sixes in an inning in 1933. 10. Three Pakistani bowlers, namely Danish Kaneria, Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar, jointly hold the record for being hit on for most sixes in an inning. Each of them hit seven sixes in an inning. Kaneria's was by West Indies during the Multan Test in 2006, while Shah and Babar faced their predicament against New Zealand at Sharjah in 2014. 11. In the list of most sixes scored in a Test career, two Pakistani players sit at the 22^nd and 27^th positions respectively – Younus Khan with 58 sixes and Misbahul Haq with 53 sixes. Javed Miandad is 34^th in this list. Pakistan, in the time to come, will surely score more sixes and our history will have more interesting facts and figures but Pakistan needs to build on its success in Test matches to improve its performance in one-day cricket as well – because without being able to perform magnificently in all formats, Pakistan’s achievements in Test matches would not make much of a difference for the national team’s image.

Sawab, Rounaq Ramazan, Ramazan Hamara Emaan, Pakistanion ka Ramazan, Marhaba Ramazan, Subhan Ramazan, Ramazan Sharif, Bismillah Ramazan, Shan-e-Ramazan, Ishq Ramazan, Jashan-e-Ramazan, Mohabbat-e-Ramazan – the list is exhausting... and utterly monotonous. These are some of the many special Ramazan shows that have been lined up to be aired on various TV channels during the holy month of Ramazan this year. Along with these shows, many channels have also come up with their signature game shows to lure in audiences. Just like last time, nearly all news channels are planning to run shows where the hosts invite so-called religious scholars to discuss topics of religion and Islamic jurisprudence, recite naats between the show, cook different delicacies for iftar and interact with viewers by live telephone calls or messages. And so, this year too, just like its predecessors, the shenanigans ensue. I, along with many of my sane-minded friends, don’t think these shows serve any purpose other than wasting people’s time and distracting them from the real essence of this month, which is prayers and getting closer to Allah (SWT). And come to think of it, what use is all of this, except for becoming a money-making machine for media conglomerates? So here we are, with a gazillion channels simultaneously airing similar shows with extremely similar content; I am sure this must be a new world record or something. The pattern is the same. Every show invites religious scholars and also tries to hire popular faces to conduct these Ramazan shows in order to increase their viewership ratings. The religious scholars appearing as guests on portray themselves as the real torch bearers of Islam, but in reality, many of them are charging these channels a heavy fee to come on television and share their knowledge – which is often bereft of substance. Hypocrisy is rampant. And faith is on sale. The interest shown by channels in preparing these shows in the month of Ramazan are indications that just like shopkeepers and owners of food outlets, channels are also trying to cash in on the holy month, in order to increase their viewership and revenue. If there is one thing we have realised over the past few years in Pakistan, it is that religion sells. And in Ramazan, it sells galore. Although long Ramazan transmissions prove beneficial for channels, I am of the view that they are a big distraction for viewers, who instead of praying or completing their chores, waste their time watching television and then run to complete their tasks with minimal time remaining for Iftar. In addition to the cons, these shows often create a sense of deprivation among viewers belonging to the middle or lower income strata of society, who cannot afford expensive food and clothing. I feel Ramazan shows create confusion in the minds of the public, since multiple and conflicting solutions are provided and suggested by a multitude of scholars. In Pakistan, we have a huge number of religious scholars emerging from different schools of thoughts, but unfortunately, every religious scholar interprets the teachings of Islam in their own way. For instance, I have earnestly been searching for a valid answer, but so far I have been unable to get a unanimous consensus for my query. My question is whether we are allowed to use an inhaler while fasting? Unfortunately, I get different answers from different religious scholars every time. Some say the use of an inhaler is allowed, whereas others say it is prohibited.  Almost every show has failed to provide me with a concrete response. All these differences in opinion begin surfacing because the concept of Ijma (consensus in a society) is ceasing to exist, mainly due to the reason that everyone is more interested in highlighting their personality, their brand of Islam, and their core values. During Ramazan shows, male and female hosts also undergo drastic changes in their appearances. Female anchors start wearing long sleeve shirts and begin covering their heads. I am not against women covering their heads, but why do it only for Ramazan and just for your show? If hijab is compulsory, then why do these hosts not cover their heads all year around? Male hosts also try to grow beards and wear shalwar kameez or sherwanis, although this type of dressing has no correlation with Islam. The core purpose of these shows now is to earn money for channels instead of inculcating the true spirit of religion amongst the viewers. Channels earn huge revenues by airing long advertisements in between shows. Various brands of cell phones, clothing and many other items gain popularity because of them. My request to all the news channels is that Ramazan is a month to follow the commands of Allah, to purify our souls, not only for one month, but to keep it that way for the entire year. Let’s not make it commercial and mar is with the dirt of capitalism.

After months of speculations, Pakistan has finally stepped into a new era by releasing its first animated movie called 3 Bahadur. Fortunately, I watched the premier of 3 Bahadur which was organised in Karachi, with the sole purpose to evaluate the movie for my children’s viewing. To my surprise, as I watched the movie, I started reminiscing over my own childhood. The time when my siblings and I used to read stories written by Ishtiaq Ahmed, an Urdu fiction writer famous for his spy and detective novels. Ahmed’s novel had three characters, who were students by the name of Mahmood, Farooq and Farzana. Hence I assume that Saadi, Kamil and Amna of 3 Bahadur are a depiction of those characters. While watching 3 Bahadur, I felt that perhaps Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy had also been a fan of Ahmed’s novels. During the 80s, Ahmed used to write two novels each month. Therefore, on a monthly basis, we used to rush to the bookstalls to buy the latest novels, which in our time were as cheap as five rupees. Ahmed also wrote annual publications which were issued in the month of June. Annual publications were commonly called Khaas number, which consisted of 500 to 600 pages and would cost us Rs60. Today, Rs60 seems to be an insignificant amount but in the 80s, Pakistani currency had more value; further emphasis can be made by highlighting the fact that seven litres of petrol could have been bought in that amount. Ahmed's novels featured several characters but my favourite one was Detective Jamshed; he solved crimes with the assistance of his three children – Mehmood, Farooq and Farzana. Jamshed despised all evil and in his battle against crime, along with his children, his wife also helped by making special arrangements to protect their house. Amongst the three children, Mehmood was the smart one with brilliant ideas. Farooq was street smart; he was the comical character in the novels. And Farzana always knew when danger was lurking around the corner. The ultimate villain in Ahmed's Novels was Jeral, thus he was their worst enemy. The villains were not merely after money or power, instead they were morally corrupt and they always had some external forces facilitating them with their evil plans. Unlike the characters of 3 Bahadur, Mahmood, Farooq and Farzana did not possess any super natural powers. Moreover, their enemies also lacked any such powers. While reading these novels, one used to start imitating these characters. I used to perceive my elder brother as Mahmood, myself as Farooq and my sister as Farzana. My brother and I owned a sack full of Ahmed’s novels. Unfortunately, they were confiscated and discarded by one of my uncles who believed that these novels distract us from studies, hence we referred to him as the Jeral in our lives. An astonishing fact is that Ahmed came up with unique ideas, when the world was free from terrorists activities and scientifically less advanced. Yet his novels highlighted the concerns of the contemporary world today. For instance, Ahmed wrote a story titled ‘Parcel Mein Bomb’ (Bomb in Parcel) in the 80s. In this novel, a senior official receives a bomb through a package. Such a matter is likely to occur in the contemporary society, as the government authorities are rightly feared for their lives at all times. Moreover, 3 Bahadur was a reminder that our childhood consisted of local heroes, whom we could connect with; they taught us about our culture and surroundings. These heroes used to inspire us to do well in education and sports. Ahmed’s novels helped its readers to a great extent in improving their Urdu reading skills. Furthermore, they also spread great sense of patriotism. In those days, when technology didn’t hold a pivotal role in one’s lifestyle, reading was a common habit amongst the masses in Pakistan, thus Ahmed’s novels were popularly read. Unfortunately, our current generation has numerous distractions in the form of television, computers, smart phones etc. One can only encourage the youth; however, the habit of reading cannot be imposed on them. It will be useful if the team of 3 Bahadur continues to expand their existence on Pakistani cinema, so the modern generation can associate themselves with the lead characters and derive motivation in order to become better citizens of Pakistan.

Asthma is a rapidly spreading disease around the world, including Pakistan. The number of Asthma patients in Pakistan has increased to seven million, out of which two million are children. There are 300 million Asthma patients around the world and this figure is predicted to rise to 400 million by 2020, if preventive measures are not taken. Asthma has no permanent cure and the victims have to live with the disease for the rest of their lives. There are many suppositions on asthma but as a patient of this disease myself, I can surely say that many of those assumptions are false. My battle with asthma started way back in 1978. I can still recall the cold Murree night when I felt breathless for the first time. When my condition started deteriorating, the people around me, namely my relatives, were unable to understand my ailment. Unfortunately, my parents were not present at that time. Nevertheless, I was rushed to the hospital and after a long wait, my condition improved. After a few days, we travelled back to Karachi as my parents were distressed by the news of me suffering an asthma attack. My family and friends were extremely sympathetic, even though neither of them had any knowledge of the disease. Moreover, panic was created which made me doubt my health and the idea of ever leading a normal life. Now, after 37 years of living with Asthma, I can say with certainty that if a patient understands their disease, then they can lead a perfectly regular life and participate in all sorts of activities without any hindrance. My experience has taught me that along with knowledge of the disease, one must observe what prompts their ailment, as it varies from person to person. For example, my mother’s asthma is triggered due to high climate temperature, whereas I am allergic to the cold weather. I cannot comment on the global perceptions, but in Pakistan, we have many misconceptions about the disease. People try to eradicate the disease without making the effort to learn about the causes which triggers the asthma attacks in the first place. I experienced various forms of treatment, including the allopathic, homeopathic, acupuncture, spiritual and herbal remedy. Neither of the consultants instructed me to conduct an allergy test, or advised me to avoid certain food items which may trigger the disease. On a daily basis, I have to face many difficulties due to the pollution in city, from the burning garbage to the smoke radiating vehicles, dust and few other reasons. Although the numbers of smoke emitting vehicles may have decreased, as most of the public vehicles are converted to CNG, but other causes still exist which includes the smoke from cigarettes’ which is common in public places and even public transport. In our society, due to lack of awareness on this disease, people get trapped by quacks and their condition worsens. I believe it is the responsibility of medical practitioners to spread knowledge about this disease by the use of mass media. For instance, brochures and pamphlets printed in local languages should be distributed in urban and rural areas of the country. The government should take proper steps for disposing garbage as burning garbage on the streets of the city can only make the condition worse. Moreover, in my view with the mutual consensus of doctors around the world, inhalers are the best therapy for asthma patients. Not only do they provide quick relief, but also prevent the condition from worsening. In our society, fallacies about the use of inhalers also exist. People believe that regular use of inhaler will result in dependency on the instrument, leading to their weight to increase as well. I carry my inhaler with me at all times and have been frequently using it since the last 24 years. As a result, I have not suffered any major asthma attack in this duration. My advice to all the asthma patients is to take an allergy test as soon as they encounter this disease. This will reveal the factors that trigger their asthma. Also, keep your prescribed inhaler with you at all times, use mask while moving on the roads, follow your doctor’s advice and regularly read about global research to keep yourself updated on the changing trends of the remedies and disease management.

The ban imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on the ‘tainted trio’ of Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, for their involvement in spot fixing was officially lifted on September 2, 2015. Although the ban on the players is lifted, I vehemently oppose the selection of these cricketers for the Pakistani team ever again. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should do what is right and impose a life ban on these players. They have caused immense embarrassment to the national team and the country. As of now, there is no consensus amongst former cricketers regarding the inclusion of these players in the national team. I stand with the group advocating against the re-selection of these players in the national team because if they have scammed us once, they may do it again. And we are too weak to take risks like that with our reputation for a second time. When a company decides to hire an employee, it performs background checks to avoid hiring a person with a criminal record. It does not want its image to be tainted or be put at risk internally or externally. The case of Amir, Butt and Asif is also similar to the abovementioned scenario. Re-selecting even one of these players will set a weak precedent for future players; one that says, so what if you committed a heinous crime like gambling or spot fixing, you were young and impressionable, so we forgive you. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: AFP[/caption] But is that the kind of precedent we are ready to set and commit to? If compared to a cricketing nation like the West Indies, where talent is drying up and they have no option but to reinstate Marlon Samuels, despite him having served a two-year ban due to betting, ours is a very different case; Pakistan has absolutely no dearth of cricketing talent. Although some players and critics want to give this tainted trio a second chance, I am steadfast in my belief that these players are compulsive criminals. If they are given a chance to represent Pakistan again, God forbid, they will once again indulge in criminal activities and tarnish the image of Pakistan. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="595"] Photo: AFP[/caption] Starting with Asif; in 2006, he was slapped with a one-year ban by the PCB for failing a dope test. Asif appealed to the PCB and unfortunately, the organisation lifted the ban, based on the assumption that Asif would not repeat the act again. Asif committed a second criminal offence in 2008, when he was caught with drugs at the Dubai airport on his way back from India, after playing in the first edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). After the Dubai airport incident, Asif put forward his innocence by claiming that he is unaware of how the contraband made its way into his wallet. The Pakistani embassy and the PCB offered Asif their full support and prevented him from a long detention. How did Asif repay the benevolence of the PCB and this country? By indulging in spot fixing in England, in 2010. After reviewing Asif’s unscrupulous past, I ask you, do you think this man can be trusted to play on our team again? While you ponder over that, let me now move on to Salman Butt. In 2010, Butt was given the opportunity to perform as captain of the Pakistani cricket team during the England tour. He made history when he led our team to a Test match victory over Australia, at Headingly, after a dry spell of 15 years. While praise was showered on him from all quarters, his over-confidence, and perhaps the weight of expectation from fans, was too much to bear, leading him to what we believe to be the biggest spot-fixing scandal in the history of this country. Although marked currency notes were recovered from Butt’s room, he continues to blatantly deny his involvement in the crime. Butt pleaded his case in front of his family with so much conviction that they were sure he was innocent. So much so, that his sisters were trying to convince pedestrians on the streets of Lahore to accept their brother’s innocence. His father vowed to unveil the actual hidden facts behind the spot fixing allegations, but soon enough, all he could do was accept the crime committed by his son. Butt continued this façade of innocence for nearly five years. He finally succumbed to confessing, a few months ago, after realising that his admission would be more favourable than a lie. In light of his confession, would you be comfortable with him representing our team again? Is he the role-model our future players should aspire to? [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Reuters[/caption] Amir, on the other hand, has been given an unfair advantage because of his ‘tender age’ at the time the crime was committed. Admittedly, he was just 18-years-old when he gave into the crime of spot fixing, but last I remember, an 18-year-old was considered a legal adult in most countries including Pakistan. Would an adult not be able to distinguish between right and wrong? Amir claims he was under duress from Butt and Asif and barely had a choice in the matter. According to Amir, when Butt said,

“Do me a favour. Bowl two no-balls for me.”

“I said, Bro, I’m scared I can’t do it. I was churning inside, thinking about it. I cursed myself. I knew I was cheating cricket...Then I did it.”

“It was a very lenient sentence, but it does send a message to other players that they cannot err. We’ve been too complacent in the past. This shows that we need to clean out our stables – and we need to do it very quickly.”