Janaab | (جناب)

Photo: Reverse Sweep Test cricket has been has always been played during the daytime but the decreasing  viewer-ship  of the game wake ICC to take some steps in this regard. ICC is now planning to introduce day-night multi day test matches. The game, like ODIs, will start in daylight but will reach to end at night under floodlights. Test cricket is a real test of mental and physical skills of players . Fans of test match cricket will be very cautious of any attempt to change the current format.  If this strategic experiment works  then the problem of play finishing early due to bad light would not be an issue. This will resolve a very frustrating issue of test matches as play is sometimes called off for bad light when it appears to be fine. The use of floodlights would ensure no playing time would be lost due to issues with poor visibility. Photo Compose: Saddam Siddiqui Color of ball is the next matter of concern in this regard. The only other alte...

It is being said 2 Cs are always out and loud in Pakistan Cricket and Crime. But we have seen a disastrous fusion of these 2Cs in the spot-fixing scandal.  Every cricketing country will have thrown up crimes of greater financial magnitude than this in the last 12 months, and Pakistan is particularly culpable. If a politician had done this, it wouldn't even have made it to the news but Sports make people win and lose, they laugh and they cry, but they strive at all times.  That is why what Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have done evokes sadness and disillusionment in far greater measure than the financial implications of their act. But sportsmen come from the same society as everyone else. Among sportsmen are the noble, the diligent and the caring, as there are the callous, the cheats and the criminals. As an actor is good at delivering lines, a painter at creating art out of an empty canvas, so too are sportsmen at playing sport. We must ex...

In recent times, from newspapers and message boards, in informal conversations, I had begun to get the feeling that 20-overs cricket was the root of all evil in the game And when I said I liked 20-overs cricket, I got curious responses. "No, you don't!" "That's Mickey Mouse cricket". "You have no editorial Judgement" I have always wondered why it has to be one or the other. Misbah or Afridi? Aqib or Waseem? Rap or classical? Burger or Bun Kabab?  I'm sorry but I like both Test cricket and 20-overs cricket. And the ODIs. I realise they demand different skills but I am unwilling to create a hierarchy of skills. Because we have been brought up believing one form is superior, or that the skills it demands are superior, it doesn't necessarily imply that other skills are trivial. We weren't allowed to respect different skills equally.  I fear we look at Test cricket and 20-overs with similarly prejudiced eyes. We grade them,...

I am falling in love with Jungle of this T20 , where food chain have been destroyed, I have seen Rams hunting Wolves, Panther swam to chase Dolphins making their way to Semis. I like this Jungle because it gives the next to star, hardworking cricketer a platform to showcase himself. Starving for international cricket, this jungle gives a chance to those that just play below the stars, and are actually good themselves; will not play in anonymity, before a small crowds; they won't become a statistics in First Class records that only their relatives will see. These are sportsmen who must make the most of the opportunity they get, you will see fantastic range of experience in this tournament. You felt for the young  talent from Hyderabad Hawks, Quetta Bears, you carried away with the energy and courage that  Afghan Cheetas bring to their cricket, you rejoice the cuteness of experienced first class cricketer who shies like a teenager givin...

"Autobiography is about my life" says Shoaib Akhter.  If we agree, his life was controversial for us, then dah! his book will also be controversially ours. We should not judge the book by its cover, we have to understand its a autobiography and it contains 36 years of information in it. We have to analyze the era, the context, the flow of  the book. It will be so early to comment on the book & to give review about it. We need to have an editorial judgement before making any review. Let the iron be hot then we should stroke else on controversially your our comment will become controversial.

Afridi, who announced his retirement after differences with team management, interestingly did not get  separate time to speak with President Zardari in recent meeting for flood relief to discuss his retirement decision review. Sources said in meeting when an official tried to break ice on Afridi's matter President Zardari just smile, while PCB Chairman was also present. However, after head coach Waqar Younis's tenure came to an end after the farewell he received yesterday, Afridi express his desire to make a come back. Afridi should stop playing this hide n seek game and should make his mind once and for all. He has to understand that Cricket is a team game not individual. PCB and Pakistan Cricket is already facing a lot of issues ranging from no international cricket to  lack of domestic infrastructure, spot fixing to losing the weights of words in ICC, resignation to contractual tenure endings, corruption to bad management...