Late into a balmy April night
By Usman Ahmed Late into a balmy April night, a brilliant six by Captain Mohindra Singh Dhoni powered India to a dramatic victory over Sri Lanka in the cricket World Cup final. It was a fitting climax to what has been a wonderful tournament. Many commentators have suggested that this has been the best World Cup since 1992 and with so many recent flops it would be hard to disagree. An out of sorts England team, visibly tired after their ashes exploits, provided the drama in the group stages with a series of tense and absorbing matches including defeats to minnows Ireland and Bangladesh, a pulsating draw with the hosts and nervy victories over South Africa and West Indies that eventually saw them reach the knock-out stages. But, once there, their resistance … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cricket
Well played India and Thank You Pakistan Cricket Team
Raza Habib Raja I was 18 when Imran Khan, one of the most famous cricketers our country has produced, lifted the World Cup. In the room of my house where all of us were watching the match, some of the family members burst into tears. I felt euphoric and went outside to the nearby liberty market to witness what was unimaginable level of fervor and joy. People were dancing and performing Bhangra. The streets which had been almost deserted during the match, as everyone was in front of the TV sets, had suddenly become overwhelmingly alive. For those brief moments, from Karachi to mountainous area of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan had become one. Everyone was cheering and there was an overarching feeling of unity. Those scenes have become imprinted in memory and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cricket
Cricket Diplomacy: Expect The Usual Hand Shakes And Nothing More
By D. Asghar Of course no one knows, what will happen in Mohali on March 30. The World Cup semi final between Pakistan and India will indeed be a nail biting and nerve pounding match, as many are predicting. Indian Prime Minister Singh’s invitation to his Pakistani counterpart, our PM Gilani to watch the match live from the stadium is a welcome gesture. Many are trying to call it “Cricket Diplomacy” and expecting, way too much from this. Our media has dug into the previous such “Cricket Diplomacy”, of General Zia and Musharraf. To say the least, it turned out to be a good photo opportunity and some temporary news blip. Everyone knows that it was nothing more than that. The idea of this write up is to remind us of ground … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cricket, Pakistan-India Peace Process
Cricket—Game or War
By Riaz Ali Toori Steve Winwood once wrote, Think about it, there must be higher love Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above Without it, life is a wasted time Look inside your heart, I’ll look inside mine On the other hand Jimmy Carter provokingly described war as an evil. “War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children”. Love is the most powerful passion that overcomes every other sentiment. It motivates mankind to move for peace, to bear pain for others, to join hands with strangers. Everyone has this emotion, because our souls when created, were centered around this very passion. But it is very unfortunate that today, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cricket, Pakistan-India Peace Process
Thank you Bangladesh
By Raza Habib Raja Today is the Pakistan day, celebration of the historic Lahore resolution which was passed 71 years ago. Despite the chequered history and the current wave of extremism which is threatening the very existence of the state, 23rd March, also known as the Pakistan day, is still celebrated with zeal. It is like renewal of the pledge which our founding fathers took 71 years ago. Throughout the history of Pakistan, the game of cricket has always been followed and loved. The passion for cricket transcends the domains of normality and in fact even motivated a book by an English woman titled as “Cricket: A Pilgrimage” which is a beautiful compilation of pictures of people playing cricket throughout the subcontinent. Keeping in view the zeal and passion for cricket, it is understandable … Read entire article »
Filed under: Bangladesh, Cricket
Match fixing: shameful and unacceptable
Raza Rumi The match-fixing allegations are not new for Pakistani cricketers. In the past, such allegations have been proved within the country. The recent scandal with circumstantial evidence broke out by a British tabloid is simply mind-boggling and shameful. We hope that a fair inquiry will remove the mist from the narrative presented by the media. But a thorough inquiry must take place and all the recommendations should be implemented. Even if there is a grain of … Read entire article »
Cricket – a message from Australia
Michael Whitting has sent this message to PTH readers It might seem odd to some people that I’m again contacting you about cricket, given the other problems that Pakistan is facing. But I want your readers to know how thrilled I and many other fans of cricket are that Pakistan has won another Test game. The result of a game of cricket is in no way comparable to the health and dislocation problems arising from the floods, or the more general issues of management to be addressed by the national government, but in its own way it provides a glimmer of hope for better things for the country. In the game the seam bowlers again bowled superbly and the team’s newest spin bowler demonstrated that there are many, many batsmen around the world … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cricket
Living On A Prayer
By Yasser Latif Hamdani (courtesy Daily Times) The truth is that we are living on a prayer in sport, in politics and even in our economy. And prayer usually means a handout, which itself is a reprehensible thing for any self-respecting people and, may I remind the self-styled Islam-pasand types, a clear violation of the dignity with which a Muslim ought to live his life under Islamic injunctions As I write these lines, editorials and blogposts all … Read entire article »
First of all, thanks to Allah
another skewed perspective by kinkminos __________ So Pakistan finally defeated Australia in a test match. “Hallelujah,” if you’re an ethnophobic Anglophiliac like myself. “Shukr alhamdolillah,” if your thot processes have more of an Urdu-medium bent. The attendant frailties exposed during the match are immaterial to the majority of cricket-mad Pakistanis. The lack of commitment and self-belief; the absence of any sort of plan or an attacking approach; the insha’allah masha’allah subhanallah state of mind… kiss the ground as we bow to the heavens in gratitude to the only force we accept as relevant in any clash, confrontation, encounter or conflict. So what? We’re Packies. We play (and follow) cricket the way we live our lives; with an unshakeable belief in the almighty and his … Read entire article »
Shahrukh You Rock !
IPL fiasco threatened to further worsen Pakistan-India ties. Now the great King of Bollywood has stepped up to the plate and spoken on the issue. -YLH The team owners of the India Premier League (IPL) have so far stood together on the issue of not bidding for any Pakistani players in the third edition of the event. They had come out in the media denying any foul play. But now a prominent voice among them has … Read entire article »
Bigotry In The Indian Premier League And The Bigger Picture
By Yasser Latif Hamdani What I am about to write may hurt my Indian friends and I am sorry. There are crooks, cranks and madmen in every country including India and there is no exaggeration in what I write. I am merely writing from the heart as I always do. Much has been said about the Indian Premier League’s decision to leave out Pakistani cricketers in the year that Pakistan is the defending World Twenty20 Cricket Champion. Indians have come up with the stupidest excuses – excuses that cannot and should not make sense to any reasonable person. But then we are not dealing with reasonable people. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cricket, India, Pakistan, south asia
Joy to the World of Cricket
India’s proudest possession Tendulkar has gone two decades being a blend of the sublime and the precise, incapable of ugliness or of being dull; and those are among the least of his achievements By Peter Roebuck, November 14, 2009 cricinfo Sachin Tendulkar has been playing top-class cricket for 20 years and he’s still producing blistering innings, still looking hungry, still demolishing attacks, still a prized wicket, still a proud competitor. He has not merely been around for two … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cricket
Pakistaniat : The Crisis of Identity
Bradistan Calling What can I give to Pakistan as a present on its 62nd Birthday, What else than an article on its chequered history and identity. Bertrand Russell famously said,” There are three great civilisations in East i.e. India, China and Islam”. Pakistan is blessed to be located at the crossroads of all these great civilisations. In my humble opinion this is the biggest strength of Pakistani identity. … Read entire article »
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AFRIDI!!!
Shahid Afridi’s mercurial all-round talents carried Pakistan through to their second successive ICC World Twenty20 final, as South Africa yet again fell at the penultimate hurdle. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cricket
PTH biweekly Cartoon
Picture of the Week
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Sunrise at the Arabian Sea, Charna Island
24 Dec 2011
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