A bad hair day eh?

 

Mom: What is that thing?

aMmAr: That thing is Lasith Malinga. He plays for the Srilankan cricket team.

Mom: Ok-ay…but what is that thing on his head?

aMmAr: Well there is a very long story behind that hair duo, but people say that once upon a time he was making pop corns in his kitchen and the next thing you know he is this thing.

Mom: That’s why you should never allow kids near Michele Jackson and pop corn machines.

But jokes apart I am very contented on the Pakistani team win against the ‘Lankans. The Lady luck was on our side this time for a change. Damn we needed something to cheer about. Murders, accidents, terrorist attacks the whole country is mystified and down in the dumps. Maybe cricket will bring some contentment on the faces of the poor inhabitants of the country.

Cricket has always been the connecting factor for us. Pakistanis from unlike sect, political view point, classes join in and cheer for their national team. We are very critical of our team. We are forever ready to crucify our national heroes on their awful performances. But similarly we do identify the talent and position of a particular cricketer and give them their due place as well. We don’t over do it like the Indians, for example they still want Ganguly to lead the team. I mean come on its not 1997, give YUVA (younger) generation some chance. But then It’s not my team so I better keep my jaws shut 😛

Coming back to the T20 World Cup it’s a very long way to go. Pakistan has to play against the Aussies and to defeat them is quite impracticable but hey you never know. Maybe the Ramadan charm might work this time as well.

But technically speaking we definitely need to change our batting order. Misbah should be brought up the order. Kamran should open and Afridi should be given the one down position. I know nobody in South Africa is reading this post but does that ever stopped any one in this region from giving his/her expert opinion? The answer is NO 😛

Shoaib the Infamous

It’s quite interesting that there are certain issues and people that when are brought up in public get immediate reactions. For instance if someone comes up with the name of ;

Bush; the immediate reaction of the general public would be what an ass-hole!

Himesh Reshamya; my ears are hurting 😛

Paris Hilton; what a slut!

Shoaib Akhter: Now what ?! or What has he done this time?

Yes the infamous and in my point of view a bit unlucky Shoaib Akhter is making headlines again and if anyone would have predicted, this incident has hardly anything to do with cricket as well. Shoaib was found guilty of beating up his fellow pacer Muhammed Asif with a bat and left a bruise on his thigh.

“I’m human and made a mistake in the heat of the moment,” Shoaib told Indian news TV channel NDTV. “Asif said something to me that made me lose my temper. I apologized to him, but I was very upset. “I’m feeling bad that two minutes of temper have ruined my comeback. Sometime you do things in a fit of temper. I will explain the situation to everyone and apologies. I will try and make it back for the series against South Africa next month.”

My question is why man? Why? How can you do something like this to your fans and above all to yourself?

My personal opinion is that the guy is cursed. His life is surrounded by controversies. I am sure that if he was present in the last world cup. He would have conveniently blamed for Bob Woolmer’s death and would have been spending his last days in some West Indian prison. But than Bob Woolmer was never killed, some stupid doctor sensationalized the autopsy result.

I am afraid this looks like an end to Shoaibs career and we will always remember him as a bowler with plenty of talent and speed but paucity of professionalism. How unfortunate 😦

ICL (Indian Cricket League)

Once upon a time there was a sport that we Pakistani use to be very proud of; we had the league of extra ordinary sportsmen that had the ability to beat any team on any ground. We use to call it cricket I guess… I remember I was such a big fan of Imran Khan when I was a kid that whoever use to ask my name I used to reply that my name is Imran Khan and that what was my nick name back than.

But things have drastically changed since than. Yes we still have the fastest bowler and fastest century maker still in our league but the spirit has gone like it was never there. My father once told me about an Australian business man and cricket lover Kerry Pecker; who arranged a cricket series in the 70’s. He hand picked some veteran and dynamic cricketers like Imran Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Graham Gooch(England), Sunil Gavasker etc from every test cricketing nation, paid them handsomely and made them play in his series.

The same kind of a series is making big headings these days; they are calling it the Indian Cricket League (ICL). The cricketing gurus predict it as a big blow for the ICC as the cricketers are twice thinking before signing their central contract. Reason; money talking and damn they are paying millions. National hero Inzimam and Muhammed Yousuf signed a 10 curore deal with ICL. Razzak and Imran Farhat are the latest to join the bandwagon. Ex skipper and wicket keeper Moin Khan is the middle man in Pakistan and making the deals possible.

Now this is a big blow for the national cricket. Who’s responsible? PCB I say. One may ask why? Well in a non democratic country every organization is headed by the friends and family members of the dictator. The story of Pakistan is no different. The president of PCB has always been the guy in uniform or the family member of any minister. The board members have always been some talent less bastards who have hardly played any cricket but are related to the ministry some how. As a result we see the cricketing decline in these years.

Some predict ICL would be better for the cricket. I can’t see how but it’s definitely very beneficiary for the cricketers. Especially those cricketers who are quite near to retirement.

Talking Cricket

 

 

Maulay noo maula na maraay te maula na-ii mardaa

Translation: No one can kill maula but maula himself.

There aren’t many dialogues from the Pakistani film industry that are as popular as the dialogues from Bollywood or Hollywood motion pictures. But the old Punjabi feature film ‘ Maula Jutt’ had all the elements that makes a Pakistani commercial film a big success. It had dances in the rain, ugly looking villains and a much uglier male protagonist, a fat cow for a heroin/ female lead actress and more rain dances. But the thing which made Muala Jutt a big big success was its dialogues. Even a non Punjabi speaking guy like me enjoyed every bit of it.

I remember the time when I was watching the movie, it made me both weep and laugh but on scenes where I was not suppose to laugh or cry respectively. The fat guy sitting besides me asked in Punjabi ‘ tussi film wheknay aaaye ho, kee kernay aye ho ?’ translation ; ‘Are you here to watch the movie or what?’ my humble reply was ‘ mai kee kernay aya hoo !! ‘im here todo the kee’

Anyway the reason that I’m sharing all of this is not because I ve dropped the idea of becoming a telecom engineer but to become a film critic. Although the other job suits me well but I am telling you all of this because the above mentioned dialogue can so be related to the current sports scenario. The other day a friend of mine asked me the most popular question of the season.

Who killed uncle Bob?…………………. No 😛

Is Ali Zafar really Gay? …………………yes, he is but that’s not the question.

When Ash and Abhishek are getting married?……………….who gives a shit !! And again wrong question.

Amir or Sharukh the better actor? ……………..am I on Coffee with Karan with no jauhar.

Okay the question is WHO WILLWIN THE WC-2007?? I repeat WHO WILLWIN THE WC-2007??

My answer:

Maulay noo maula na maraay te maula na-ii mardaa

Yes, No one can beat Australia but Australia itself. Yeah yeh cricket is by chance and shit. The team that will better perform on the respective day will take the trophy home. But the fact will remain that there is no better team than Australia in the cricketing world today and you need to get another Australian team that can challenge the first team.