Category — Sports

Yes. I’m talking about the Olympics flame which witnessed its tenth stop relay in Sports Complex of Islamabad on Wednesday (today).The Olympic flame, carried in a specially-designed lantern, was flied to Islamabad on a chartered plane from Muscat, the capital and largest city of Oman. From Islamabad the Beijing 2008 Olympics Torch Relay is ‘peacefully’ set to go to New Delhi of India.

The Logo of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay represents peace, tranquility and nobility.

In Islamabad, Pakisatan President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani attended the opening and celebration ceremonies. Pervez Musharraf welcomed the Olympics Torch in a speech at the opening ceremony.

“I welcome the Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay on its ‘Journey of Harmony’. Let me convey my strong sentiments to Beijing and wish them the best of luck at the Beijing Olympic Games.”

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani said, “The journey of the Olympic torch carrying the message of harmony symbolizes the Olympic ideals of peace, friendship and international understanding. Here today we the people of Pakistan confirm our commitment to lighting the passion and sharing the dream of global harmony.”

The flame delegation was headed by Jiang Xiaoyu, vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), who carried the flame lantern. Upon arrival, the Olympic flame and the whole delegation were welcomed by a cheering crowd, among whom are President of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) Arif Hassan, Pakistan’s Sports Minister Muhammad Asif and Chairman of Capital Development Authority Kamran Lashari as well as the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Luo Zhaohui.

The first torchbearer was Samiullah Khan, a former field hockey player from Pakistan, who was nicknamed “The Flying Horse” because of his great speed. And the last torchbearer was Jahanger Khan, the first male squash torchbearer to carry the Olympic torch and former world No. 1 professional squash player, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game.

The Pakistani Government changed its torch relay route from its originallydesigned one due to security concerns. Thousands of soldiers, paramilitary force and police were deployed to the sports complex, which is also a project constructed in mid-1980s with Chinese assistance.

Thank God everything went well and now the Torch has ’safely’ flown out of Pakistan and is on its way to India.

Watch ceremony pictures at >>>>>

A report in The Daily Times(24 March, 2008) with regards to comments attributed to Senator Enver Baig that the new government will formally bring the Pakistan Cricket Board under the sports ministry. Any concerned citizen in any civilized country would wonder why it is that this has not been the case in the past.

I disagree with the view that cricketing legends are the best qualified to run cricket. Cricket is a business. And it has to be run as a successful business.

I fully support the Senator’s suggestion and feel, as he has clearly indicated, “the pathetic condition…” of Pakistan cricket is all too clear to see. It lacks any type of long term direction and seems to be run as a disorganized rickshaw service. Pathetic is an apt word.

Lets take a look at the situation, without getting into specifics, of the cricket situation in the country. And since all and sundry love to compare themselves with India whensoever it chooses, compare the PCB to the organization of the BCCI. As in any major sporting discipline, there has to be a structure that is based on sound management principles. I think it would be safe to say that the PCB does not have a successful track record and that the whole organization needs to be overhauled from top to bottom. I disagree with the view that cricketing legends are the best qualified to run cricket. Cricket is a business. And it has to be run as a successful business. We have many top drawer business executives who are capable of getting the job done. Cricket administration is not about knowing the laws of the game, its about management.Although I should add that I am skeptical about those who suggest they know the game so well and then inform us of ‘the wicket having too much grass and therefore we should do such and such” later to find the opposite to be true. Cricket is dying in Pakistan. As in football, a successful club needs to be managed professionally and naturally what helps the enterprise to profitability are the results on the field. Pakistan is not marketed properly. It is not being promoted and we are always going to win occasionally. That reminds me of Geoff Lawsons bold comments before the Zimbabwe series, that we would rout them 5-0 in the ODIs. Excellent. I wonder who he needed to inform? I wish he would give such bold statements on the eve of series against a stronger opposition.For so long, I have never quite understood how Pakistan Cricket has had a disciplinary problem that it could not control. The cricketers playing for Pakistan have no other form of exposure other than the national team. If they are excluded on disciplinary grounds they will not be heard of in any other format of the game in the country. So it should be pretty easy to deal with those that do not conform. Players such as Shoaib Akhtar are a national disgrace and the fact he has not been dealt with in the strongest possible manner suggests that the hierarchy at the PCB is clueless and incapable. The whole structure should have been disbanded after the last World Cup.

What an absolutely shambolic tournament we had. We now have 4 years to organize for the next World Cup and that’s where our focus should be. So all efforts should not be to win the next rubber against the minnows but to build a squad for the next World Cup and to ensure that they are ambassadors of the country. The results prior to that are really not so important. An interesting observation on the India-Pakistan matches shows that India have always triumphed in the serious competitions. Food for thought.

Just escaping the turmoil that appears to be the order of the day in Pakistani news these days, for a bit of excitement in the world of UK Premier League soccer. As we approach the end of March, the title (Champions of England!) starts to heat up as may be evidenced with Grand Slam Sunday where Manchester United host bitter rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford and in London, Chelsea and Arsenal will lock horns.

All four clubs need the points.

United to maintain a three point lead at the top of the table, Arsenal to get equal on points at the top of the table, Chelsea to try and get onto the same points position as Arsenal and Liverpool, to make the lucrative fourth spot.

Liverpool have taken one point from seven league games against United so will be ultra-cautious.

Liverpool have done really well to close the gap at the top but they are not going to overhaul all three clubs still ahead of them.

Their target is to secure fourth place. And with Everton still breathing down their necks, they cannot afford to ease up.

Here is a breakdown of tomorrow’s crunch clash:

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The Australian government is advising Australians to reconsider visiting Pakistan and has closed its consulates in Karachi and Lahore. Thank you very much.
On a much more saddening note for most of the Pakistanis down here, the Australian cricket team has ‘reconsidered’ their tour to Pakistan.

I quote (from The Australian):

…ACA (Australian Cricket Association) is waiting on an independent security report to be completed before making their final decision, although sources told The Australian that it would make little difference as senior players and the ACA are determined not to tour.

It is this determination that makes them win them world cups, no?

Arsenal vs. Birmingham City on February 23rd  2008, Premier League match.  

The tackle was unjust, the reaction after the tackle may even border towards being callous; look and decide for yourself.