Cristiano Ronaldo: best footballer on the planet?
By Fatima Niazi
Known as one of the best footballers, Cristiano Ronaldo is by far the most recognised player after David Beckham. Apart from the glamour side of his life, the Portuguese wizard has the skils on the pitch that make him one of the best; if not 'the best' footballer around.

SCG Horror show sparks memories of 1972-73
By Ijaz Chaudhry
The recent Sydney Test between Pakistan and Australia brought back memories of a Test match at the SCG between the same two countries 37 years ago, also in January. Back then, Australia's ninth wicket partnership in the second innings played the pivotal role before Pakistan's disastrous batting in the second innings led to their final demise. Admittedly, unlike 2009-10, the 1972-73 Test was a dead rubber with Pakistan having lost the first two Tests of the three match series.

If sincere efforts are put in, victory never eludes one's grasp. After the Lankan cricket team came under attack in Lahore early last year, foreign teams were reluctant to visit Pakistan due to security concerns. Several influential persons in the sports circles tried to conduct international events in the terror-hit country after that big mishap in the capital of Punjab, their efforts proved futile.

Finally, the young aspiring president of the Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) Doda Khan Bhutto and secretary Muhammad Akram Khan stepped in to make a minor miracle. And they managed to do so by organising the recently concluded Shaheed Benazir Bhutto International Boxing tournament in which the pugilists from 20 countries from Asia, Europe and Africa showed their worth.

More interestingly, the PBF president made strenuous efforts to convince the more stubborn India to send its boxers and the neighbouring country responded positively by sending three boxers, a praiseworthy decision which added to the charm of the competitions which ran from January 2-8 at the KPT Benazir Sports Complex in Karachi.

Before the arrival of the teams, people, even the Sindh government dignitaries, were of the view that a maximum two or three teams would come for the event. An attack on the Ashura procession in the provincial metropolis made things doubtful. However, no country pulled out of the extravaganza and made the show successful. Though the Prime Minister and the President of Pakistan did not grace the opening and closing ceremonies, most probably due to security reasons, the federal sports minister and the federal minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination were present at both the occasions.

But the main achievement which made the organisers proud was when, on their invitation, light welterweight World champion Amir Khan arrived with his parents and uncle Tahir Mehmood to witness the final day's proceedings. The 22-year old British-Pakistani inspired everyone with his character. He met all the people irrespective of his stature, had pictures taken with them and gave autographs in such a polite manner which our proud cricketers should also learn.

He also showed his resolve to help Pakistani boxers in future and even promised to train the pugilists in his gym in England.

The presence of 1988 Seoul Olympic bronze medallist Syed Hussain Shah, who was also invited by the PBF, lifted the morale of the organisers. Hussain Shah is settled in Japan with his family where he also trains boxing professionals.

China, who had sent seven boxers, lifted the title by securing four golds, one silver and two bronze medals. They were followed by Syria with two gold and two silver medals. Thailand also got two golds while one gold medal each went to Mongolia, Cameroon and Pakistan. Along with the single gold which the hosts clinched through Mohib Bacha when he defeated his fellow boxer Nadir Baloch in the 48kg final, Pakistan, who had fielded 22 boxers, also claimed three silver and eight bronze medals and around Rs6.5m were given away as cash prizes.

The performance of Pakistan boxers, however, was not satisfactory. Though, 12 of the 22 managed to reach the semifinals, it shocked many when eight of them lost their semifinals bouts in the competitions in which the foreign countries had not even fielded their top boxers.

Pakistan are ahead a tough assignment in the shape of the South Asian Games slated to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 29 to February 9 and Cuban coach Francisco Roldan will have to work hard to improve the techniques of his boxers as Pakistan will face tough opposition from India; which has shown marked improvement in the field these days at international level.

The most talented boxer, Muhammad Waseem (51kg) will lead the team with Niamatullah (54kg), Abid Ali (57kg), Aamir Khan (64kg), Nisar Khan (75kg), Yasir Javed (91kg) and Mir Waiz (91kg plus) as its other members.

Let's also put a cursory glance on the event in general. From an Islamic point of view, the tournament will also be remembered for long as nine foreign boxers, six from Central Africa and three from Cameroon, embraced Islam during a special ceremony here at a local hotel. Mohtamim of Jamia Binoria International Mufti Muhammad Naeem recited Kalima to the young boxers who entered into the fold of Muslim Ummah after being impressed by the behaviour of the Muslim community in general. As far as security arrangements for the event were concerned, so I would say that these did not meet the needs of the tournament. It was a high-profile event in risky environment and it should have been conducted in the style of security which is normally provided to the cricket teams.

The teams' escorting process was fairly good but this correspondent saw that the Sports Complex where the bouts were conducted was not properly sealed. Though there were security personnel deployed around the main building and the traffic was also diverted from that road passing by the main venue but no heavy blockades were erected there and the main complex could have been hit easily by miscreants. In the end, the news might have irked the officials of the PBF that one kilogramme bomb was found under the ring before the start of the final day's proceedings. But there was no reality in the news item and it might have been a conspiracy to sabotage the bold effort of the organisers as why the nut-bolts and other things which the bomb disposal squad claimed to have found under the ring were not shown to the Sports Manager of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and the SHO responsible for security of the complex.

The event ended safely and I hope better arrangements would be done in future. For the local fans, the final day was frustrating as even those people were not allowed to enter the venue, who were issued special invitations cards.

Moreover, the functions during the competitions were marred by an unprofessional announcer, one of the PBF officials, who had no knack to hold the attention of the people.

In spite of the few drawbacks, the tournament was a big success and the effort should be appreciated. The event opened the doors for other international competitions. The teams, which stayed here during all these days, were all praise for the hospitality they were given and the way they were treated. All of them, including the Indians, wished to visit again and again. The PBF also showed its determination to make the spectacle a regular annual feature. This was for the first time that such a huge boxing extravaganza was hosted by Pakistan and that, too, in vulnerable environment, which is a huge success.

Five frogs were sitting on a log. Four decided to jump in the swamp; how many were left? Five. Why? because there was a difference between deciding and doing; so true for Pakistan Cricket and its Chairman, Mr Ijaz Butt as he annexed Chairman PCB's seat of power, he contemplated a handful of decisions, mostly fanciful, others impracticable, only if he really wanted to change the dynamics of an ill-faced Pakistani game.

Slowly and steadily, he regressed into slough of self-preservation, and one slip-up after another, first disenchanted and then intimidated the cynics and sceptics to join hands trying to bring him down, some one man army, the others legitimately indignant and some settling their scores, for not having been given their vested space and benefits.

I, very much in the fray, though not really against Mr. Butt's age-filled policy-making, if any, even I, in the face of disillusionment didn't really find a remedy, only the faults. I could decipher that it was essential for Butt to have power and ability to begin from a new corner, energetically with a plan or task of not only repairing, taking corrective measures but leading country's game with flamboyance, enterprise and strength of mind.

His reign so far has been a race between ineffectiveness and cataclysm. With him in a position of power, we are racing inexorably toward the next. Ijaz Butt, as his large army of sycophants tries defending the indefensible, was required to move the PCB to an entrepreneurial model and away from its current bureaucratic face so that cricket could be planned, resorted to and envisioned as a product to move with information, aged-speed and effectiveness.

In times when there seems to be a clear-cut divide between the PCB and people hurling criticism, and their responses preferably exaggerated after the madness they saw at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Pakistan should have won, even half-blind and one-legged, but they were shooting, not the enemy, only their own feet down!

In case if, Mr Nadeem Sarwar, General Manger Media of the PCB could take credit for Butt's efforts stimulating the Pakistan team to win the Twenty20 World Cup, he shouldn't have been chickening from the scene, when at Sydney, even the prodigiously talented Umar Akmal was in a state of world-weariness and his team in total disarray.

The mandate of all critics, even the correspondents covering the series in Australia was clear: gather facts about the preparation for and response to the PCB, at all levels. We all need to investigate aggressively, follow the facts wherever they may lead, and find out what went wrong. Ask why coordination between the PCB, the Selection Committee, the tour management and the players was so dismal. Why situational awareness was so foggy, for so long?

Why unsubstantiated and uncritically repeated ëdefensive statements', at times fuelled by sultry arrogance of the PCB Chairman and his Chief Operating Officer were able to delay, disrupt and diminish the response? And why the PCB government at all levels failed to react more effectively to a storm that was predicted with time lines and accuracy?

Since October 2008, why the adequacy of preparation and response seemed to vary significantly from series to series? And globally, not only acquainting to PCB's main product, the Pakistan team, but referring to other developmental and cost-cutting plans, why so much money aimed at better preparing, preserving and protecting cricket development was left on the table?

It is only qualification to fame being the centre of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party's point of origin; wasn't that Mr Butt, on one end boasting about cost cutting was hypocritically following his predecessor Dr Nasim Ashraf, who wanted a cricketing facility at Gwadar while Butt's region for development is Gari Khuda Baksh? Taking cricket to far flung cities isn't really a bad idea; it should be done but at what cost; had the PCB been perfect in modelling and re-modelling their main product and its development? Is this the method to take the game to the grassroots?

We agreed early on that the task before us important for carping and this wasn't really about retribution or reprisal, Butt simply didn't distinguish between realms of reality and a negative space of self-denial? If he was there as the greying man leading the PCB, he should have gotten to the list and causes of the problems erupting incessantly, instead of showing disdain and intolerance to criticism and apathy to the core issues. He was required to chart a new better course of emergency preparation and response. I, as part of the large battery of PCB's critics, and people in general needed the fact, they have been watching. Not even the perfect bureaucratic storm of flaws and failures could wash away the fundamental responsibility of the PCB to protect cricket.

Ijaz Butt shouldn't allow any more incompetence of his top-tier or nepotism or egocentricity surge from Lahore should be allowed to breach the sanctity of cricket, almost close to religiosity of 170 million people languishing in the war-torn, terror-stricken and economically at a level of 0 on the scale of ten. What is needed is a meticulously driven National Action Plan by the PCB, as part of contingency and not really marked on the long-term or short term work charts. Federalism just has to go!

Truthfully, Mr. Butt's run has been a litany of mistakes, misjudgements, lapses, and meaninglessness all cascading together, blinding us to what was coming and hobbling any collective effort to respond. Unfortunately, there wasn't any hero, or any aspects of the preparation needing to be appreciated, not even a single decision, by any standard successful. And I just do not want to focus on assigning individual blames. Obtaining a full counting and identifying lessons learned does not require finger pointing, instinctively tempting as that may be and the PCB's champions of cricket management should have gotten the 'boot'.

We needn't be fooled day in and day out we don't care about acronyms or future plans or charts. We want to know who was supposed to do what, when, and whether the job got done.

There is only one option left to bring the derailed cricket back to its feet; Mr Butt accepts the responsibility, and instead of denying the real hardcore critical surveys and analysis, he picks a pen and a paper and tenders his resignation or if he doesn't, at least he should hire someone from the crowd to diligently and aesthetically write on the tombstone the date of the demise of the Pakistani game; an obituary would soon follow in the newspapers. Pandemonium isn't reigning, it is pouring.

Cristiano Ronaldo: best footballer on the planet?