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Interview Pakistan
cricket: PCB:
true or false? Van
Marjwik's shining duo for South Africa Pakistan's
Caribbean assignment Can
we do it again? The
fallacy of a sports university
We are producing insecure players -- Aamir Sohail 'What we now need is to rethink our strategy and come out with innovative plans otherwise there is little hope for us of becoming a top team' Ten years after hanging his boots as an international cricketer, Aamir Sohail hasn't changed much. He is as combative and straight forward as he was in his playing days and cricket remains his biggest passion. It was his love for the game that forced the former Pakistan captain to put brakes to a lucrative career as a television commentator and join the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as the head of its Game Development department. A few months later, he fell out with the top PCB bosses and decided to resign. In an interview with 'The News on Sunday', Aamir discussed the reasons why he joined the PCB and also the causes behind his decision to resign. He also spoke on various other issues ranging from the problems facing Pakistan cricket and the national team's title chances in the ICC World Twenty20 championship to be held in the Caribbean from April 30-May 16. Here are some excerpts. TNS: Why did you
decide to join the PCB, leaving what was a lucrative career as
television commentator? Aamir Sohail: The simple reason was whatever I've gained in my life is through cricket and by playing for Pakistan. It's my humble duty to give back to Pakistan cricket. As we all know Pakistan cricket has been going through a bad time. I thought that a former Test cricketer (Ijaz Butt, PCB chief) has taken over as the Board chairman and would understand the problems facing our cricket. I thought it was the right time to contribute towards the promotion of the game. I wanted to see Pakistan cricket at the top which is why I left my career as a TV expert. TNS: I understand that you prepared a comprehensive blueprint to improve our domestic cricket structure. Why wasn't it implemented? AS: I don't know. I had thought that after submitting my plan we will have comprehensive meetings and we will implement it. But unfortunately due to unknown reasons nothing happened. I got the biomechanics department up and running. But unfortunately the guy, who was hired to run it, was asked to leave. I think there is no will to do anything concrete. They just want to run Pakistan on a day to day basis. They've just opened up unnecessary issues. This regime has brought in so much politics. TNS: What was the plan all about? AS: I was given a very important portfolio in Pakistan cricket. It is required to liaison horizontally and vertically with all other directorates in the Board. There were aspects involving infrastructure, marketing, domestic, international cricket. Realizing the sensitivity of the job, I interacted with players, umpires, regional officials, coaches and groundsmen. I sat down with them and discussed everything thoroughly. I made an entire plan for the Pakistan cricket. It was a comprehensive document. My emphasis was on club cricket. TNS: Pakistan has been underachieving at the international stage for quite some time. What do you think are the reasons behind it? AS: The thing is that we are yet to resolve the issue of our domestic cricket. We don't even know how to run it. Everything boils down to our weaknesses at the grassroots level. What we need to do is to work on both the areas -- domestic and international. Our main problem is that our domestic cricket is not competitive and lacks professionalism. We need a lot of changes. We will need to inject proper funds in it. Then you are yet to settle the criteria for affiliation of districts. We don't even ask whether there are any clubs and grounds in that district. Same is true with the departmental affiliates. We will have to tell them to give jobs to players. They will have to regularize a certain percentage of players hired by them. They have to pay decent salaries, not just five or six thousand rupees monthly. In India cricket is going up mainly because a local player there earns around 50,000 rupees a month. Then he has the IPL to look forward to. Because of it, he makes more than 10 million rupees annually. In contrast, in Pakistan a player won't even earn Rs100,000 per annum. The biggest misfortune of our cricket is that there is no planning by the PCB. They will just talk about making budgets without having any idea of the Board's incomes. The management isn't even clear as to what kind of projects it wanted to run and that whether it had the financial muscle to run them. TNS: Do you think Pakistan can become capable of beating the best in the world? AS: Our national team's immediate performance is certainly very important. I must say that there won't be any instant results. But you can do it. You will need short-term, mid-term and long-term plans. What we need is to ensure is that a local cricketer at least earns Rs one million annually. Then you have to consider the fact that there are no sports facilities in schools. How can you get educated cricketers to play for Pakistan? The most important element is that cricket should become acceptable to both parents and the kids. Everything will into place once you revamp our game at the grassroots level. Then you have to consider that your cricket still revolves around old methods. Back in the 1960s, they mixed science to sports. Australia brought it in cricket years ago. But we are yet to do it. In the past, we won a lot of matches through reverse swing. But now the top teams can play against reverse swing pretty well so you've lost that edge. What we now need is to rethink our strategy and come out with innovative plans otherwise there is little hope for us of becoming a top team. TNS: What do you think were the reasons why Pakistan performed so miserably in Australia? AS: You have to ask why is that do you get all sorts of problems in our team. I believe it is about insecure players. The way you've treated Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik will make any player insecure. And insecurity will and is leading to a lot of problems. TNS: Pakistan are regarded among the best teams in the world when it comes to Twenty20 cricket. Why? AS: We've always had plenty of Twenty20 cricket in Pakistan. Then there is this tennis ball cricket. In rural areas they have a lot of such games. That is why we excelled at it from the very start once Twenty20 Internationals were introduced a few years back. Other countries initially didn't take it seriously. But now they are doing it. It has become very popular even in countries like Australia and South Africa. The format is evolving and slowly only technically sound players will be successful in it. TNS: What plans do you have in mind to bring about an improvement in the longer versions of the game? AS: That will be a short-term plan. During my tenure with the PCB, I had introduced a coaches' course for players. That way a bad coach won't spoil them. Then as a captain and as a player you should know how to read a pitch. That's an important part and unfortunately our current lot is not very good at it. In 1997 we went to South Africa. We won a Test without many resources. But we did the right planning. We beat them in their den in Durban. You have to plan ahead. You have to give roles to players according to his capability. You will have to change your team's composition. Take for example Danish Kaneria. He has been around for a while but he is still not your match-winner. There is a flaw in his action and nobody has addressed it. You haven't even invested in getting a replacement for him. You are just waiting for things to happen. TNS: Batting has been Pakistan's chronic problems. How can our batsmen do better at the international level? AS: There are many bowlers who are playing in your team as batsmen. You've never allowed technically-sound players like Asim Kamal, Yasir Hameed and Taufeeq Umar. Inzamam has unfortunately played a big role in this as he never really allowed technically sound batsmen to flourish when he was in control. In contrast, Imran Khan gave you a lot of match-winning bowlers when he left. When Mianded retired, we had established batsmen like Inzamam, myself and so many others. But after Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, you have no world class batsmen. TNS: What are the ways and means you would want the PCB to adopt to promote more harmony in Pakistan cricket? AS: You can't have harmony in the dressing unless there is mutual respect. When a player starts thinking that he is bigger than the game then you know that things are not right. A weak Board also contributes. At that infamous Oval test against England in 2006, the Board chairman was at the venue when the captain refused to take his team back to the field and then got away with it. Such incidents send the wrong signals to the dressing room. TNS: PCB has appointed Shahid Afridi as the captain. Do you back his selection? AS: It's a huge responsibility on his shoulders. We will have to wait and see how takes the pressure. He has seen a lot of captains come and go which should help him in his dealing with the players. TNS: Do you think Pakistan's chances in ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies are bright? AS: It will depend a lot on how our fast bowlers perform in the West Indies. If they do well then our spinners will dominate. They will have to bowl intelligently. TNS: Pakistan have a long Test season coming up later this year. Do you think our team will be ready for it? AS: It's up to the people at the helm of affairs. The Board has banned a lot of leading players. May be they have something up their sleeves. Personally, I don't see any method in this madness but may be there is a plan. Lets wait and see.
Question of moral worth? Nasir Jamshed,
Pakistan's 20-year-old international cricketer hauled up for cheating in
an examination; Shoaib Malik, their ex-captain first denies having
married Ayesha Siddiqi and then in the thick of it signs a divorce
document; Mohammad Asif team's spearhead alleged issuing forged cheques
to an ex-sweetheart? Shahid Afridi 'chucked' and 'bit' the ball in front
of a gauntlet of cameras in Australia and ironically while he was
captaining Pakistan. Anabolic abuse and opium in the valets, debarred to
enter Dubai as it happened with Asif between 2006 and 2008, Shoaib
Akhtar's story of People have become disillusioned to see this defamation of the Pakistani game. Fans who find in the jargon, ritual, pace and unobtrusive complexity of cricket a whiff of 1954 or 1992's glories are not deluded. This is the past they're sniffing. And why shouldn't people get high on this scent? There is more than enough that is ugly in the present to justify taking momentary refuge in an earlier time. The past shades and highlights, nuances and enriches cricket. Alas, it also sits like a dead weight on the poor game, cutting it off from sources of renewal. The hypocrisy that has become trademark of various chairmen in recent history primarily Dr Nasim Ashraf and now Ijaz Butt should be regarded as one of the chief characteristics of the problems taking root in Pakistan cricket, and is indeed one thing that has destroyed the moral fibre of the game and its players -- the way they lie about themselves to themselves. Character building and
playing/administering cricket in its truest spirit, in the cult of the
honest yeoman and the traditional clubs like Lahore Gymkhana in the
denial of cricket's real importance and its origins in commerce politics
patronage and an urban society; the tyranny of mere moral wealth, on
which the Pakistani 1950s or the more prolific 1970s, 1980s and 1990s
achievements rested, had to be wrapped in something finer and, at least
in appearance but it was lost in neo-commercialism and unprofessional
patronage plus unwarranted appointments in its organisation. Players cheating blatantly are the myth at Pakistan Cricket's heart, the myth of an enduring and natural social decline, the myth of slander. It only requires a cursory survey of these players today to see that the myth bears little relation to contemporary reality. Cricket was about ethics, cultural development, its impact on politics and character building. This veneration of the game's philosophy, inevitably accompanied by deprecation of its present, may be attributed in part to an association between the people running it in Pakistan and to players' individual childhood. A personal loss of innocence finds a ready focus in the sense that the gods whom they worshipped have been replaced by mere mortals, and not very admirable ones at that. The mythic power of money and famousness overrides the discipline they are supposed to adapt. Charity begins at home and discipline starts from the top, presently Pakistan Cricket Board is being run absolutely in self-denial. Butt's regime is just hogwash. From players' side,
discipline is the instant willingness and obedience to all orders,
respect for authority, self-reliance and teamwork. The ability to do the
right thing even when no one is watching or suffer the consequences of
guilt which produces pain in our bodies, through pain come discipline.
And this pain is only inculcated in the disciples through a vibrant
culture, religious flavour, faith and early scruples and moral
teachings; it correlates to the cultural strength. It is indeed imperative to understand that to be disciplined is then, subject to context, either a virtue, the ability to follow instructions or a euphemism for punishment which may also be referred to as disciplinary procedure. Shoaib Malik tried cheating by avoiding revealing his first marriage with Ayesha, and Nasir Jamshed -- a cheat is a cheat; How is his cricket's future now taking a turn? And Shahid Afridi, if by first scuffing up a pitch in an international match and then his evident tampering with the ball is made captain, then we have created all the wrong precedence. Is he a role model my and your children should follow? Elevation of Afridi as country's captain is Butt's greatest disservice to the Pakistani game. What about Asif? Why
was he allowed to appear on television whilst being a signatory to PCB's
code of conduct and how could the Pakistani board disassociate from his
latest moral discrepancy as it directly indicates how low the man has
really fallen. Is he suited to wear the Pakistan emblem? In a sports culture, I need to reiterate that bad habits move upward. Values in the home when children are young move right up the food chain into junior, secondary and high school; they are part of a system and where their athletic or sporting talents are kept in proper perspective. Mr Butt, we do not expect you to give us World Cup 2010 or 2011 victories, we just need a bit of empathy from you to start investing in conscientious youth development programmes and that's for sure wouldn't come through your outdated friends like Intikhab Alam. Think of professional cricket as a giant catcher's glove, reincarnate club cricket and take steps to reinvent school, college and university game with emphasis being on character development. What we wants are heroes. PCB: true or false? The sports pages of Pakistan newspapers daily report some information about our cricket board which raises the question that titles this article. Sadly this extends from frivolous matters to very serious subjects that impact on the reputation and image of our country. Additionally many actions of the PCB have made me start to wonder whether the PCB is subject to the same laws that govern Pakistan or is it entitled to create them as it suits the fancy of that all knowing all seeing and all powerful Chairman of this body that is leading our country's cricket in a downward spiral at an alarming rate. Whilst I appreciate that much has been written by individuals more knowledgeable and influential than me, I feel duty bound to bring it to the notice of the readers of this newspaper. When our cricket team returned from the tour Down Under, the chairman PCB categorically implied that the ICC had conveyed information about Pakistan Players that could get the team banned from playing internationally. The clear implication was that this involved match-fixing. Sufficient to say that this murky rumour that defames Pakistan and its players was presented as credible or else why would members of our Senate make statements that could be termed defamatory. On a recent visit to Pakistan, The Chief Executive of the ICC Haroon Lorgat emphatically denied that anybody from the ICC ever passed any such information to the PCB. Who then speaks with a forked tongue? In the lead up to the World Cup scheduled in April 2010, the PCB selection committee short-listed 30 players. In due course a final fifteen were selected. Just before the departure, two players became physically unfit and the chairman of the selection committee and the coach announced two replacements. One of these was not in the original 30 short-listed. The PCB put it about that it was against the ICC Tournament Rules to choose anybody who was not listed in the original list. The ICC has once again clarified that no such rule exists. Why is it that the PCB gives the perception that it is truthfully challenged? My understanding of the laws of our country is that if any individual breaks the laws of the land and sufficient proof exist they are to be prosecuted in a court of law. Match-fixing is a crime and recognised as such by law. Yet on each occasion that the PCB has sought to vilify our players and by association Pakistan they have got them tried by a tribunal of their own making. In the case of yesteryear they chose a very dicey Judge to conduct the 'trial'. I am not sure of the aim of that pseudo-legal exercise. It did not create an atmosphere of respect which usually follows any high-minded corrective actions by authority. I can certainly state with certainty that it did not stopped match-fixing around the world. On one side, I am surprised as to why any judge would want to be involved. However if there is a fee involved and an institution requires it why should they not earn some extra cash? The PCB feeds of the weaknesses of our players. They players are neither educated enough nor well advised to be able to fight a monopoly; the only employer of their talents in Pakistan. If any of the players were to take their case to a court of law I have no doubt that they would win. In all major cricketing countries the chief selector and his committee are fully authorised to finalise their team selections. It is the job of the chief executive to ensure that all the members of the committee are in consonance with the selections and no controversy lurks behind the selections. The team that heads off to defend the next World T20 is bereft of ownership. The captain has had no say in its selection and has already said as much in the open press. The coach and the chief selector have also been marginalised. Whilst I join the millions of my countrymen who hope and pray for the team and wish it well, I cannot but state that it will be a very uphill battle. Van Marjwik's shining duo for South Africa While Real Madrid would rue the fact
that they let go of a certain Dutch duo in the summer, Netherlands coach
Bert van Marjwik would be licking his lips at the prospect of unleashing
Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder at the Cup spectacle By Umaid Wasim The World Cup is just 46 days away and according to
both the South African President Jacob Zuma and World Cup organising
committee CEO Danny Jordaan, the host country is ready to hold the
quadrennial spectacle which would be held for the first time in the
African continent. Big boys Brazil, current holders Italy, Euro 2008
champions Spain, perennial under achievers Argentina and England, and
the consistent Germans have dominated the headlines over recent weeks
over selection issues and injury woes ahead of the gala. However, there
has been very little coming out of the Netherlands camp -- probably
because there are little worries for coach Bert van Marjwik and because
two of his most important players -- Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder --
are in the form of their lives. And on account of what ensued this week in the UEFA Champions League semifinals, not many people would doubt that. While Robben scored an absolute blinder for Bayern Munich against Lyon, Sneijder scored one and inadvertently set up another as Inter Milan stunned holders Barcelona. With both Inter and Bayern in command ahead of the second legs, there is a certain possibility that both could be involved in the final on May 22 at the Santiago Bernabeau Stadium -- a place that was their home ground just eight months ago. Deemed surplus to requirements by Real Madrid their extravagant summer spending spree brought upon by the return of Fiorentino Perez as the club president, Sneijder and Robben were sold to Inter Milan and Bayern Munich respectively and how Real would rue the fact that they let them go. Their aspirations of making it to the final at their own stadium with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema fell flat at the hands of Lyon at the Round of 16 stage while Bayern and Inter -- so off-colour in Europe in previous years -- made their first appearance in the semifinals since 2001 and 2003 respectively with Robben and Sneijder central to their run-in. Ronaldo's transfer to Real meant that there was little space for Robben to weave his magic on the Real wings with the incoming Portuguese superstar set to be an automatic starter for the Merengues. Bayern Munich came to Robben's rescue and how he has repaid the Bavarians. Winning goals in each of the stages in through to the semis have shown exactly what Real have been missing this year. A stunning goal against Fiorentina to send Bayern through on away goals in the Round of 16 of the competition was followed by another sensational volley against Manchester United before his heroics on Wednesday night at the Allianz Arena. For Sneijder, though it was Kaka who was set to take
his place in the starting line-up and Inter Milan, looking to rebuild a
side that was consistently failing in the Champions League, scalped the
dynamic Dutchman from the revamped Real side. Sneijder's performances
for Inter have reverberated across the continent -- fulcrum of Inter's
midfield, he has been in top form; both creating and scoring vital goals
for the Nerazzuri who have been unstoppable in Europe's premier
competition. For Real though, it has been another season without European glory that they have been desperately in search of; another example that money cannot win you trophies and you need a team rather than individuals to win honours. And if Robben and Sniejder would be on the Bernabeau pitch on May 22, it would be a stark reminder for Real of what they lost and what could have been. It is a feeling Real might have become accustomed to. They let Fernando Morientes go and the man ousted them on the way to the Champions League final in 2004; they let Claude Makalele go and saw a barren spell for three seasons. Robben and Sneijder would remind Real of the fallacy of their transfer ideology. However, all that spells well for Netherlands gaffer Bert van Marjwik. Both Sneijder and Robben would come to the World Cup; injury preventing, in top form and swagger. Netherlands have no injury problems especially with the return to fitness of Arsenal striker Robin van Persie and have had a few players enjoying a rich vain of form of late. Ruud van Nistelrooy has been in good form after leaving Real for Hamburg in January while Rafael van der Vaart, who stuck to Real Madrid in the summer, has had good times on the pitch as Real look to challenge Barcelona for the La Liga title. Add to that the brilliance of Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt and the steel and grit of Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong, and the Dutch stand a good chance of winning the coveted title, especially with everything else that has been happening with the other nations in the buildup to the World Cup.
Pakistan's Caribbean assignment Almost ten months ago, when Lord's became a flag waving sea of green and Shahid Afridi stood at the end of the pitch with his head held high and with arms and legs spread wide open, the entire Pakistani nation erupted in joy as their team overcame all hurdles to kiss glory. As Team Pakistan get set to defend their crown after less than a year, expectations might not again be that high from the team which have just been hit by a series of controversies and are touring Caribbean following a complete whitewash in Australia. As the management injects new blood in to the team to give it more firepower and make it capable enough to defend the coveted title the news of problems between the top management and team captain and coach is the last thing fans want to know about. They want to bask in the same joy that they had on June 21 last year. It was said to be a gift from the team to a down trodden nation torn by internal violence and political unrest. The situation of the country is almost the same the only change is that people are expecting great things from their men in Green. We don't want to be like the Indian team who took the title away from us in 2007 but didn't even manage to make it to the knockout stages while defending the crown. We want our team to put up a fight and show that they were worth retaining the title. Recent incidents, in terms of cricket, have made fans rethink their loyalties to the team. The recent past suggests that we can sometime be sore losers and turn against our heroes more quickly than you can say 'Pakistan lost'. That is not good; we must be able to accept defeat when we know how to celebrate our conquests. A blame game is what further cripples a struggling side and there are not just negatives in a loss. Good things should also be appreciated and talked about. When Pakistan was losing to Australia, protests against the cricketers and the game itself sprung across the country with people burning up effigies of the sports stars along with cricket bats and what not. No matter how bad the team performs the protests were a bit much. You have to know that there is a fine dividing line between success and failure. All this further de-motivates our stars. Sometimes forcing them to rethink their future in the game and we have lost some great sporting stars due to our protestant behaviour. After a loss a country should provide solace to its sporting greats rather than making it tough on them. The credibility of the game is already under pressure with the match-fixing scandal lurking around the tour Down Under. Once it becomes apparent that extraneous factors are influencing the game, it is hard for fans to get excited about what went on in the field, and every run-out or dropped catch is viewed with suspicion. It's the same now, Greenshirts are embarking on their biggest quest, in almost a decade, the bans and fines on our cricket stars have raised questions in the practices and dedication of the players. But why should the fans' perspective matter? For one a team's following is the driving force behind it and is one of the biggest motivators for an on-field performance -- why do you think the home ground advantage is counted for so much. Therefore, there is a huge responsibility on the shoulders of team supporters as well; the responsibility to back their team in good and bad, to celebrate the joys, and share the sorrows. Not just be part of the winning festivities and abandon when faced with the first hurdle. If we talk about Twenty20, we still have heroes and they for now need our support and prayers rather than criticism and arguments. The question, however, remains the same; can we bear the heartbreak?
The third edition of the ICC World Twenty20
championship is starting from next week. Pakistan are the defending
champion and remain the most dominant team in the shortest version of
the game as they played both finals of previous World Cups. Pakistan lost the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 championship from India by just five runs at the Wanderers in Johannesburg in 2007 when Misbah-ul-Haq failed to control his emotions at the end of a dramatic match-turning comeback, and chose to flick over fine-leg. Former Pakistan great and captain of the 1992 World Cup winning team Imran Khan believes that Misbah should have played a more orthodox shot at that stage as a lot depended on him. Instead of trying to scoop the ball he should have attempted an orthodox shot and reduce the risk. Pakistan continued their excellent performance in the next T20 World Cup and held their nerve in the final against Sri Lanka and were crowned World champions. Bowling played a vital role for Pakistan and the likes of Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi created lots of problems for the batsmen; never allowing them to score freely in the middle overs of the innings. The winning captain Younis Khan announced his
retirement from Twenty20 cricket, much as Imran Khan had done it on a
high in 1992. The Pakistan team is as good as any other team if they play as a unit but their inconsistency makes them the most unpredictable side in the world. Shahid Afridi is confident that his boys can repeat the 2009 world cup performance. Under the leadership of the energetic Afridi, the Pakistan team has the ability to defend its title. Umar Gul's absence might be a bother but Pakistan still have plenty of talented bowlers in their fold. Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Aamir, Muhammad Sami, Abdul Razzaq and Saeed Ajmal have the capability to destroy any batting side on their day. The only concern for Shahid Afridi is the inconsistent batting line-up; none more than at the top order. It the top order clicks and provides good starts and the middle order plays according to their skill, Pakistan has a fair chance of successfully defending their crown.
The fallacy of a sports university The Federal Minister for Sports, Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani in a recently televised interview on a private TV channel has expressed his desire to establish a state of art Sports University in the country. The purpose of such establishment is to produce necessary and qualified human resource, which should have the capacity and capability to manage the complex sports affairs of the country with utmost efficiency on modern and scientific lines. This is indeed a very noble intention and
establishment of such institution of higher learning would help in
producing the qualified human resource and also act as a conduit of
research and development of sports in the country. The idea is fantastic
and was floated in past as well. But transforming this idea into reality
needs vision, expertise, huge finances and the political will to execute
the mega project. Before looking into the details of establishing the Sports University, let's do an introspection of the existing physical education curriculum and system in the country. Most of the public universities under the auspices of Higher Education Commission offer diplomas and master degrees in physical education. The Punjab University is an exception that offers an MSC degree in physical education through a combination of subjects like exercise physiology, basic rules of different competitive sports, details of track and field, human anatomy, nutrition, clinical psychology and bio-mechanics etc. Besides public universities, college of physical education Karachi, college of physical education (men) Lahore, which also offers other regular subjects beside physical education and college of physical education (women) Lahore, offers diploma and master degree programs in physical education. Those students who only require a piece of paper and later want to be employed as physical education instructor in some education institution, without undergoing the labour of full time studies in regular university or college of physical education, prefer to join an institute of Physical Education in Pakistan Sports Board which is affiliated with Sarhad (Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa) University Peshawar. The students can join in by paying Rs20,000 fee for two semesters to get a "Junior Diploma in Physical Education." The same quality of master degree can also be acquired by paying an additional sum of Rs24,500 for the next two semesters. The weightage given to the subjects of physical education in the national agenda can be easily assessed through the directive of Ministry of Education (Curriculum wing) issued on 26th August 1980 to the Director of Education, The Chairman Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education and the Principal College of Physical Education for the preparation of curriculum for training courses of physical education instructors, before which no curriculum for physical education existed at national level. The high sounding directive with its lofty objectives has no relevance with its scheme of studies offering redundant theoretical courses and out dated practical approach. The physical education curriculum offered in the universities and colleges of physical education requires standardisation and revision. It is a fact that physical education teachers and instructors don't enjoy the equal social and professional status as compared to the regular teachers. This dichotomy causes de-motivation amongst the physical education teachers and affects their output. Establishment of Sports University in a society which lacks sports culture at grass roots is like building a citadel without forces. The public universities around the world offer masters and doctoral programs in physical education, kinesiology, sport psychology and physiology of sports. Pakistan with its present state of economy can't afford the luxury of an exclusive sports university, which may turn into another white elephant and a hiding place for few incompetent. Before embarking upon the ambitious plan of Sports University, it would be wise to review the existing physical education system in the country. It is suggested that the status of Physical Education College Lahore, should be upgraded to "National Institute of Sports Management & Sciences" and a high powered board of governors may be appointed to run and supervise its affairs. The proposed institute may be affiliated with some foreign university in USA, Canada or Australia, having a strong sport education and sport management & sciences program. HEC must play a vital role in the development of faculty and student exchange programs for establishment of such institution in the country. The project should be included in next five year plan and once launched should remain under study for next ten years. The funds allocated for such project should not lapse at the end of financial year and remain rotating in nature. In case the project meets its desired objectives, than the status of same institute may be elevated to a degree awarding university in sport management & sciences. I am optimistic that sanity will prevail and prudence will over ride impulsiveness. Let's first carry out the necessary reforms and build the capacity of existing system before obliging any construction company for achieving the impractical "hidden agendas".
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being intoxicated and slapping the late Bob Woolmer, Danish Kaneria now
amidst suspicion of match fixing and Chairman PCB's often deliberate
defacement or slanting and misrepresentation of facts are simply a
question of Pakistan Cricket's deteriorating moral worth? If there had
any been left?
