Focus on the pharmacist

The ninth annual Avicenna Conference in April reminded pharmacists to provide increased, and relevant, services to the patients. In addition to our coverage in the last issue, Pharmacy Business revisits two key presentations from Las Vegas focussing on PIS, Generics and the need for delegation...

Pharmacists are control freaks, Trevor Gore, sales development controller at Reckitt Benckiser, claimed during his presentation in Las Vegas. According to Gore, the urge to undertake every task themselves, and not trusting colleagues and staff, is something that pharmacists need to consider and work on immediately in order to be more productive, both individually and financially for the business.

Presenting the changing face of pharmacy – comparing the trends in 1999 to how things stand in 2009 – Gore stated that ten years ago, majority of pharmacies were independent, had a single GB contract and had central funding. While the contracts were based on supply, location was the key for pharmacies back then.

However, according to Gore, since the turn of the century, not only are majority of pharmacies multiple-owned, but the focus has shifted drastically towards services of relevance to the community. He also added that there now exists local funding, devolved contracts and the contract is based on service provision.

'Judging by the changing face of pharmacy, it is important that pharmacists provide the services that are relevant to the locality and are financially beneficial for the business,' Gore said. 'However, what we see now is pharmacists providing services that have no value in the eyes of customers. They provide those services because they think it's good for the customers but in reality, you're not catering to the audience.

'Don't sell what you've got. Instead, sell what they want,' was the services-related message sent out by Gore to not only the 100-plus attendees at the Conference but also the pharmacy world in general. He also urged pharmacists to 'drop the admin tasks', something that the professionals are keen on performing in their pharmacies, as that was not why they took up the profession in the first place.

'Pharmacists did not become pharmacists to be a book-keeper, or even a dispenser. Robots can do all that and there is no need to qualified pharmacists, entrepreneurs, to be delving so much time into book-keeping and dispensing as there are far better things they need to be involved in.'

With regards to efficient time-management, Gore emphasised on the great role staff training and delegation plays in improving the overall standard of the pharmacy, in terms of customer service as well as improving the financial side of the business.

'You need good staff. They are your biggest asset. You also need to spot business patterns and act accordingly. In order to achieve that, you need to define the task, select the individual or the team, depending on the task, and asses the ability and training needs before assigning the task.

'When dealing with staff, you need to define success and measurements and what resources are required and will be utilised for the tasks to be carried out. It is important that adequate planning is done beforehand otherwise the time and resources spent on delivering on time will be wasted in the end.'

There is also a great need to ensure pharmacists provide the support and have a thorough communication process while staff is busy undertaking the tasks, according to Gore.

Gore also cited the Pareto Principle to encourage pharmacists to invest time wisely and where it is needed the most.

'As, according to the Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, eight per cent of your time spent working on something produces twenty per cent of your results. Looking at that closely, it would simply mean that twenty per cent of your time therefore delivers eight per cent of your work. It is imperative to look closely at that twenty per cent of time that you spend working on tasks.

'You need to put the right things in the right order in the right amount of time, basically. And moving forward, it would also hold true for the services you offer. There is no need to offer an array of services that you might think are relevant to the community.'

Earlier, Bharat Shah, managing director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals, delivered a timely reminder into the need and benefits of parallel distribution.

'Parallel distribution allows original, innovative medicines to be available at a lower cost to the patient,' he said. 'Parallel distribution also enhances competition, ensures internal supply chain assurances and external regulatory checks for patient safety and gives pharmacists and patients a choice.

'Adding to that, parallel distribution supports existing medicines distribution systems and the distribution creates new businesses and new jobs and improves margins for pharmacies.'

Bharat Shah also touched upon Parallel Imports (PIs) and assured one and all that PIs are a completely legal economic activity, re-affirmed many times both by the European Commission and by the European Courts.

'The PIs are exclusively limited to the borders of the EEA (27 member states of European Union plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) as regards both source and destination and it is where the parallel distributors hold wholesaling and manufacturing authorisations and deal in authorised medicines only with other parties holding wholesaling and/or manufacturing authorisations.'

Detailing the basic principles behind parallel imports, he said that each and every parallel-distributed medicine is tightly controlled by national and European regulatory authorities (either under a national marketing authorisation, or under European parallel distribution notice).

'In the UK, BAEPD represents a trade association representing 12 of the largest and longest-established parallel distributors of EU imported medicines in UK. There exist seven major legal basis of Parallel distribution – major and foremost Treaty of Rome: ‘free movement’ principle/exhaustion of IP rights.'

Shah also took time out to introduce and explain the basics of SigXchange, where the seller lists item and/or responds to a requested item. Once the enquiry is made, Sigma contacts seller and buyer before collecting goods from seller and delivering to the buyer. The lead time, according to Shah, was usually 24 to 48 hours and the fee the seller is charged depends upon the seller's monthly spend on SigXchange. For example, a seller with a monthly spend of less than £2,500 will be charged a handling fee of 12.5 per cent whereas a handling fee of ten per cent will be charged is the seller's monthly spend exceeds £2,500

'It is astonishing that an average pharmacy has approximately ten per cent dead stock lying within the premises. Therefore, SigXchange provides an opportunity for pharmacies to get rid of that dead stock and make money on it rather than leaving it there.'

Shah also summarised the world of generics and the issues surrounding the industry.

'Approximately £1.4bn taken out in last four years and almost a billion pounds directed to services which means the balance is lost forever. It started with 478 products and now stands at 515 with the minimum price of generic being 80p (subject to revision). Approximately 110 Category M product above brands. Cat M, in fact, is three to six months behind market prices and there is no way we can have a generic product less than 80p after Cat M.'

The concluding message given out by both presenters was to encourage pharmacists to take time out of their routine tasks and see what is really happening in the world of pharmacy. With pharmacists stuck dispensing and undertaking admin tasks, it will not be possible for them to undertake all that.

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in Pharmacy Business June 2009

The love affair

Prakash Patel fell in love with pharmacy as a young customer. Moving from Zambia to England to pursue his love further, Patel now owns four east London pharmacies. From a youngster to the Pharmacy Business Entrepreneur of the Year 2008, he shares all with Faras Ghani...

Owning his own pharmacy at the age of 21, that was the top entry on Prakash Patel's to-do list as a pre-reg. Not many aim for such heights in early days and the ones that do are not taken seriously by sellers. Fortunately for Patel – aided in part by his determination and conscientiousness – one seller did, albeit for an east-London pharmacy, and Patel has not looked back since.

'I was still young at that time and based in north London so when I spoke to people about this opportunity in east London, I had cold water poured over it and I was advised to stay away from it,' Patel said. 'However, pharmacy is a patient-oriented profession and east London was poorly supplied. The prices were much lower compared to the north and since I did not have a huge capital base, I wanted to buy something that I could effectively build up.'

Building up his dreams from a young age, Patel was particularly influenced by the clean and professional image a pharmacy had. Visiting several pharmacies in his native Zambia, Patel was impressed the pharmacist wearing a white coat and decided on a 'career that was well-respected and something that the public looked up to'.

It was not easy fulfilling his dreams though, as Patel explained. Following his move to the UK in 1974, the school he attended did not offer GCSEs and despite continued insistence, Patel, together with five other adamant individuals, would need at least 75 per cent in their mock exams to be put forward for GCSEs by the head-teacher.

'I knew that I had a very slim chance of achieving what I wanted without GCSEs but luckily that all went through fine until my pre-reg year when I was quite short on funds. The fact that I also wanted to buy my own pharmacy within six months of qualifying, I worked at another pharmacy till midnight, saving as I earned.

'You had to put down 30 to 40 per cent of equity down to buy a pharmacy and even at that age, I was quite committed. I would go through listings to pick out interesting ventures in the areas I was looking at but at times had to clarify my genuine interest to the sellers due to my age.'

With a keen eye for business from a young age as well, Patel knew early on that in order to reach the goals, he would need a lot of capital and would have to put aside majority of his earnings. 'Luckily, I was a single person at that time and did not have many expenses so was quite easily able to put away a chunk of what I was earning at that time. '

The helpful interest rates at that time also helped Patel and when he turned up for his appointment with the bank manager with his business projections ready, his 75 per cent loan application was approved. 'I told him I had done my projection and by that the business will definitely be able to support the loan . And all the hard work paid off then.'

Although his first acquisition, and the following three later on, was based in East London, Patel was convinced that he had what it would take for the business to flourish – an interest in caring for the patients. Which is probably the reason why Patel now owns four pharmacies, all based in east London. While he runs around taking care of all four, he has ensured effective delegation while keeping his clinical knowledge in constant use.

'I have managers at all four of my pharmacies but since they do five days a week, I'm on the shopfloor during their time off. I get to stay in touch with what I learn at pharmacy school while also planning ahead for the businesses. I actively actively participate on the PCT and am also the vice chair for the Propharm group. So all in all, I keep myself busy and am quite excited in the direction this profession is taking.'

Excited and confident, which is why Patel has got his family involved in the pharmacy profession. His eldest daughter and her fiancé are both pharmacists. The second daughter is currently studying at pharmacy school and his nephew, niece, and nephew's wife are all in the same profession. 'It probably has become a family business,' Patel joked.

But he is also quite excited at how pharmacy is progressing through the current climate, from the talks of a new body to all the other changes taking place.

'The profession is moving forward as a service-based profession. The ones able to lock into services will be successful. Pharmacists one of the most trusted professionals according to a recent survey and If we believe in that, that is our biggest asset. To achieve success, it is important that pharmacists go out and be the face of pharmacy, not be stuck dispensing but be in the front where patients can see them.'

It is perhaps the inclination towards being seen that led Patel towards applying for, and winning, the Pharmacy Business Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2008.

'Our pharmacy won an award for our stop-smoking service as we were putting up consistent figures in the area. One of the PCT members nominated us for the Awards and I didn't know I was going to win as the competition was really healthy. However, upon receiving the Award I was really chuffed as it was a pleasant surprise, something I really treasure quite a lot and it did put a big cherry on top of what I've achieved so far.'

Patel offers free MURs and prescription collection and drop-services at all his pharmacies, and have been providing the latter since the 1970s. 'From a person on a bicycle, we now have three delivery drivers and provide free drop-offs. The patient can either phone us or tell us what surgery the prescription is at, we pick it up..get it delivered in a radius of five miles. It's mostly for eldery patients who can't venture out to pharmacies regularly or for the working ones, who are at work till late in the evening.'

Offering free MURs not only helps us achieve the target of 400, but also allows us to interact with customers and offer the best advice and guidance. The PCT has given some sort of criteria: Those on medical conditions, long-term conditions, where pharmacists intervention would be good. Those are the ones we concentrate on and last year we achieved target of 400 at all our pharmacies.

'We have also included an incentive for our pharmacists as well which obviously helps the whole process. It orks well with counter staff as well and the patient benefits in the end too.'

'While our pharmacists are really busy, we've allocated different tasks to different staff so that frees up the pharmacists' time and that allows them to undertake the MURs.'

Despite having the business, its development, training and staff to look after, Patel still gets time to look into how the profession is shaping up, and support Arsenal in their home games as well.

Speaking of the new professional body, Patel agreed that it had caused 'a lot of uncertainty in the profession and has brought a lot of worry.'

'I think whatever happens, it's important that leaders in the pharmacy field get behind the people who are in the know. There is some apathy in the profession as well and voting was quite poor in the last elections. It's imp that each pharmacist takes responsibility in the profession if they want to take the profession forward. We need right leaders with the right vision, to steer the profession forward.'

Confident and in love with his profession? Most definitely. 'It's a profession I'm absolutely keen for. In another life I'd probably come back as a pharmacist as well.'

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in Pharmacy Business June 2009

Change of guards

Tony Mottram joined Numark last November as its commercial director, a new role created by the interim managing director John D'arcy as he thought the business needed a 'second role for it to be effectively operational'. Not a pharmacist by profession, Mottram joined the pharmaceutical industry as a sales representative for Pfizer at the age of 22 and has spent the last 18 years working his way up at Ivax, Ashbourne Pharmaceuticals and Napp Pharmaceuticals, where he spent ten years.

Trained as a medic after joining the forces, it seemed a natural fit to follow a pharmaceutical path, according to Mottram. Wanting to go into a sales role, he also spent a few months at a bank, coming up to grasp with the requirements of the finance world before joining Pfizer.

Appointed commercial director at Numark – to ensure that the business operated the right way commercially, as he put it – Mottram answers questions related to the Nucare takeover, Numark's business model, how life will change following his promotion and the benefits pharmacists can obtain by joining hands with him.

The Adolf Merckle suicide made headlines soon after you joined Numark. Was that a difficult period for you and the business and was Numark as a business affected greatly?
The loss of anybody will have an impact on certain parts of the business at a senior level. However, we are a credible business in the UK as well as being sustainable. Phoenix might change ownership in the future, nobody can say yes or no at this point in time but I can confirm that it's a solid business as things stand.

Following your appointment as the managing director, how will your job change on a day-to-day basis?
It's a bit difficult to say what changes will be made right now. John D'arcy and myself, we worked closely and he gave me a brief of what he wanted. My job is in the title: managing director. I need to manage the business and ensure it heads in the right director and making sure people are directed in order to deliver what is required. As we move forward, I'll be working with the Numark board to ensure we head in the right direction.

When I joined, the team at Numark underwent a review of where we're at. We have clear aims, what is it that we're about and what we want to do. Each department has tactics that seem to be working well. I don't think I need to change anything if we're going in the right direction. There are a few things to develop and that is all work-in-progress. Our aim to create a profitable and sustainable independent pharmacy. But, as before, I won't be making any changes in the way this business is run as I believe we're heading in the right direction, aptly depicted by our membership numbers which are at its peak right now.

Phoenix took over Nucare in 2007. How easy was the transition for Nucare members and what percentage of members did you manage to bring into Numark?
We managed to retain 33 per cent of Nucare membership into Numark. For me it's irrelevant whether you're a Nucare member or a Numark member. You need to belong to an organisation which is going to lead and support you in the delivery of your business model. If you can't have a commercial deal with the wholesaler and if you're not prepared to move the wholesaler, then it is what it is.

A lot of pharmacists cited high membership fee as a reason for not joining Numark. How would you justify the £100 per month fee?
The £100 membership fee has been in existence for a long time. Nucare member wishing to join Numark were given discount but that was through a rebate. This fee is paid by 2,067 members and the members who access a range of services will get about £1,400 in rebate. You need to access what we offer in order to justify the fee. If you merely pay the fee and not engage and utilise what we can do for your business then you're not going to benefit.

How would you then convince pharmacists to join Numark?
The answer's quite straightforward. Independent pharmacy is in a massive place of change. It is very difficult at times to see the opportunity in front of you and develop your business locally to make it happen for you.

Numark offers a range of services and solutions which you need to engage in to maximise benefits. The more you access Numark, the fitter you and your team will become. It's a difficult time for pharmacy and we provide strategies that you can implement locally in order to be successful.

Our USP is the pedigree of delivery. We have sustainability in the business and have delivered to our members Some members leave because they don't see value in being a member. That is because they do not access what we do and provide. On the other hand, we get new members because they see a potential of what we can do for them.

Is there assistance provided to members when it comes to tendering for services?
We have provided assistance with a number of members on an individual basis, and with success. Our professional services team does a lot to support members who are in a position to commission for positions. It's something that as a model we're developing to offer to a broader base of the membership. Tender assistance includes key therapy areas such as vascular checks, diabetes care and weight management.

We will support individual members with individual service submission or tenders. The key thing is that we have members who understand how to develop a service and we have members who have a will to develop services but don't know how to do it. So we can help both types.

Merchandising has been cited as a key issue for pharmacists, something they don't pay much attention it. Does Numark offer support in that area as well?
Merchandising is indeed a key area. Pharmacists need to make themselves appealing on the high street and that is what will attract customers inside the shop. Once inside, whether it's consumer or around prescription side, the merchandising has to be spot on as providing relevant products in the right areas will increase basket spend. That is part of our role, to help improve the OTC element.

You mentioned appealing to customers on the high street. Has re-branding from a chemist to a Numark store helped increase sales?
Yes, it has. We collect data for re-branding and it not only increases the OTC sales but also affects prescription side of things as well. The model would suggest that the change has attracted new customers that have turned into patients. We have a team of pharmacy development managers whose job is to do a full business review for any member who wants to pay for that service. Out of that review, they'll get an action plan which will be marketing commercial and services. We analyse the complete pharmacy environment to competitors, surgeries and how the existing customers perceive the business to be. This business review is like a ten-step plan to improve their overall profitability and sustainability.

Do you get regular feedback from members and do you get time to visit them personally?
I have undertaken 64 member visits in the last three months. One thing I said when I joined Numark was that I'd be accessible as I work for the members. I don't sit in office and become unapproachable. I will see them and sit down with them and help them and my team make their business work for them. I need to be visible to members and I am. However, I also have a responsibility to direct the business in the right way so there might be a change in the number of visits undertaken as I am only one man. Having said that, I have a very strong and professional team with a very strong skill-set. Pharmacists aren't scared to approach me, and they shouldn't be. They pay a membership fee and if they knock on our doors and ask for help, we will do our best to provide that.

Does staff training come as part of Numark membership?
Training has been part of Numark's pedigree for years and years. We have always been a strong organisation in leading, training and developing people. We hold 32 training events per year which are free to members and their teams. The focus of these events lies on relevant skill-set and business needs. We give the owners some skills and knowledge to effect changes. They know how to dispense. Where they need help is being a manager, a coach and a leader. Sometimes they need help stepping back, refuse the urge to fix all the problems themselves.

Do members have a choice to buy from other places or are they restricted by a membership contract?
Membership is about choice. Our job commercially is to negotiate preferred deals with suppliers and source those deals. The member always has a choice where to buy their products from. But if we've done the right thing by negotiating a good commercial deal that gives profitability to members and business growth to manufacturers and suppliers, then it's a no-brainer they should be buying form our deal. If they choose not to then it goes back to what do I get from my £100.

We have compliant members who make in excess of £8, 500 per month in terms of rebate. They understand the model and deals we have and they lock into it. We negotiate on behalf of the members and we work for them.

What advice then would you give to pharmacists having problems in the current economic conditions?
Have a plan. If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up somewhere else. You need to find time to make a plan. Make sure you have the right staff, you train them well and develop them in the right way.

You don't need to constantly change plans. Have one eye on the climate and acclimatise to it. Only engage with new services if they are relevant to you, for example there is no point jumping on a bandwagon for diabetic service if you don't have diabetic patients. You need to asses whether it's relevant or not to your locality.

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in Pharmacy Business June 2009

Younis Khan’s men — poor starters, great finalists

Second chances are rare in sports. Unimaginable, especially in the shortest form of international cricket. Seldom is a poor performance overturned by sparks of brilliance to win matches. Rarely is an array of poor fielding displays — that continuously let opposition off the hook — followed by shattered stumps that pulls them right back. It simply belies all cricket ethos and sits against the norm.

But the Pakistan team was never the one to bow to ethos and adhere to norm. It seemed an eternity to wake them from the Bhurban conditioning camp and the many Selfridges’ trips. The load-shedding, it seemed, had tampered with the veins and an early exit loomed as the team took to the field in their first warm-up.

As the team progressed unconvincingly, temperament went astray with the bat in hand. Until Younis Khan, followed by Kamran Akmal, came of age. Accuracy seemed a lost art with the ball and overstepping was adopted as norm. Until Umar Gul treated opposition with swinging spaghetti. The fielding display went from poor to wretched. Until Shahid Afridi galloped towards long-on boundary, clutching onto his prize from the heavens.

And out of nowhere, against expectations and predictions, it all seemed to fall in place. Just like that. Younis had issued repeated reminders that Pakistan have always been slow starters and will pick up pace with each victory. Never had that statement been more aptly illustrated on the field as the men in green saved their best for the best, South Africa at Trent Bridge, in an attempt to appear in their second successive final. Pakistan’s route to the semi-final is as much courtesy a favourable draw as spurts of brilliance. Skipper Younis and Intikhab Alam, the team’s coach, shared plans that contradicted, and fouled any hopes the fans had of a decent performance by their idols. While Younis wanted stability at the top, Intikhab preferred aggression. Neither seemed to work and the experiments that the team management vociferously pointed out would lead to an improved performance landed flat, failing to make an impression.

Not so much the cornered tigers, but cornered nevertheless.

And out of nowhere, as Salman Butt was put out of his misery by the team management, Akmal repaid Younis’ trust and gamble in him. Shahzaib Hassan deposited a few in the stands but it looked as if the injury to all-rounder Yasir Arafat, and the subsequent arrival of Abdul Razzaq, brought with it a change of fortunes and a bag of miracles.

Gul seemed to realise he still had it in him to bowl fast and swing the ball. Young Aamir was the surprise packet while Saeed Ajmal left doubts about the legality of his action behind and continued to flux batsmen.

Afridi, first-ball slogs and rash stroke-play aside, remembered he has improved as a bowler of late. Then came his batting which was, indeed, a revelation with a renewed vigour to occupy the crease and accumulate runs for his team. And Akmal, as a wicket-keeper with no Danish Kaneria in the side, held onto catches and created world records.

Younis, who had up until the semis shouldered batting responsibilities, sat back concentrating and scripting the perfect plot. Tweaking Shakespeare, with mirth and laughter let the greatest prize come, hoped the captain.

The route to success, surprisingly, was smooth off the field as well. With Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif in a different time-zone, the team rather became a damp squib as far as the sniffing paparazzi were concerned. No curfew-breaking clubbing nights, no training scuffles, no bat-fencing at team-mates, no blazing-up to speak of.

Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain who was sidelined for much of the tournament due to injury, did try and help matters by blurting out desperate excuses to justify the humiliation received at the hands of Umar Gul. To no avail, unfortunately as his ‘informal inquiry’ for the match referee to look into the state of the magic white ball was shooed away and buried forever.

There were also reports of a rift in the camp, as Abdul Qadir, post-resignation, decided to reveal all. But rifts have been omnipresent in the dressing room since time began and that, on most occasions, failed to affect the combined performance on the field. Beffiting, perhaps, was the presence of Shoaib Malik, who Qadir would have omitted from the squad had he been able to ‘do things his own way’, in the middle as the winning run was scored.

Younis on the eve of the tournament made it clear that he wanted to face India in the final and beat them this time. That changed as short balls grew tall on the Indian batsmen. He then wanted it to be South Africa but in the end, it did not really matter to him.

As the light training sessions failed to replicate the growing tension among fans, the players, especially the youngsters, had realised destiny was a tiger tamed.

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper, June 26, 2009

Players repaid the trust and confidence I reposed in them: Younis

It was a script that bellowed splendour as the victorious captain sat down to answer questions for one last time. Perhaps God had given Younis Khan a sneak preview on how the World Cup would curtail on the sun-drenched afternoon when the script was crafted, for he gave a look of a man who knew the ending even before the directors had started casting.

There was no fits of laughter, no continued references to his favourite word ‘fun’, the eyes were not popping out, he termed the sport cricket and not WWF and as he sat draped in the green flag, he wore a calm expression that merely said ‘I told you so’. And as the world stood dumbfounded by the revival that led to the final victory, Younis alluded to the confidence he had in his team from the start and how the win was not a complete surprise.

“Before the start of the tournament, I had labelled ourselves and West Indies as semi-finalists and people laughed at me when I said it,” Younis said. “Even when we failed to perform in the warm-up match, I had complete faith in my players and I knew that we have special something that would take us through.

“Everybody knows we are slow starters but my players knew we needed to win this tournament to lift our nation. It is indeed a huge achievement for us and I’m glad to have given this gift to our troubled nation.”

The win, as Younis pointed out, carried extra meaning as Pakistan had lost the last two finals played on this ground: World Cup 1999 and Natwest Series 2001, both against Australia. Pakistan also lost the inaugural World Twenty20 final against India and with survivors from each of those matches present in the squad, the captain’s plea not to succumb to pressure and apply the finishing touch was heard.

“I chatted to Razzaq and Afridi prior to the final and asked them to hold their nerves and apply the final touch. And I think it worked as Afridi batted sensibly — he even took singles and twos! — and the senior guys performed.’

As he talked of the senior players — adding his own name to the list repeatedly — Younis also took time out to remember Bob Woolmer, the former Pakistan coach who died following Pakistan’s early exist in World Cup 2007, and dedicated the win to the ‘father figure of the team who I owe this trophy and captaincy to’.

“He did well for the team whole incharge, especially me as an individual. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have been the captain of Pakistan so credit must go to him for our achievement. I can just see how happy he would’ve been had he been sitting here right next to me.”

Not forgetting the performing youngsters in the team, Younis sent out a plea to nations to resume playing in Pakistan. It will, according to Younis, not only provide a distraction for the terror-struck nation but will also promote the sport among the Pakistani youth.

“Everybody is following Twenty20 cricket and since we are the champions now, I request all the countries to come to Pakistan. The law and order situation is not good but that’s not our fault and we need international cricket in Pakistan to motivate youngsters, especially at school and college level and I believe this will help build new cricket structure in Pakistan.” While that plea is not the one to be answered in the foreseeable future, by lifting the trophy Younis not only ensured a temporary grin on the Pakistan faces, but also fulfilled his personal dream of following in the steps of Imran Khan as a world-cup winning captain but issued a warning that there exists a world outside Twenty20.

“Imran Khan was my hero and I had dreamt of lifting the World Cup and being remembered as a world-cup-winning captain after I leave the sport. Although it brings me a lot of pleasure to have accomplished that, we must perform well in the coming series and ensure all the hard work does not go to waste.

“I still believe Twenty20 is a fun game and a great entertainment factor and we came out emphatic winners [by eight wickets]. However, if we promote it too much then there will be no Test matches and therefore we must do something about this [Twenty20].”

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 23, 2009

Pakistan fans

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published on Cricinfo June 21, 2009

Writing cricket

Mihir Bose’s areas of expertise reach far and wide into accountancy, engineering, football, Bollywood and, surprisingly, Memons. Born in Kolkata in the year of the Partition but raised in Mumbai — the city he calls his hometown — Mihir, author of over 20 books and winner of many awards, shares his thoughts with Books & Authors on cricket, the history of the subcontinent, his desire to be a ‘great writer’ and becoming the first sports editor at the BBC.

How did an interest in journalism and writing develop?
MB: Despite belonging to a business-minded family, I’d always wanted to be a writer even though my father thought there was no money in it. I was growing up in an independent India which was heavily influenced by Nehru, so it had to produce engineers and scientists. I came to England to become one too, but switched to accountancy since it would give me time to write a novel that would make me famous. It didn’t quite work out that way but I broke into journalism via commercial radio after qualifying as an accountant.

I went back to India a couple of times, worked as a stringer for the Sunday Times and even got commissioned to write a book on Keith Miller. However, there came a time when I decided that if I wanted to become a writer — and I couldn’t become one in India — I had to resign from my job as an accountant. By then, I had also gotten a contract on a biography on Subhas Chandra Bose, an Indian nationalist who was termed a traitor. That was that. I’ve never looked back and I’ve been a full-time writer since October 1978.

What problems did you face in England while pursuing your dream?
MB: Though I was very aware of my colour and race, it took me a long time to get used to standing out. I came from quite a well-off background, but suddenly found myself not only doing my own dishes but made aware that I was different. Despite that — and the fact that I felt India was imprisoning me — England was a liberating place for me.

It was the place where I thought of becoming a great writer and where I would go to Soho and proclaim my genius. However, I realised that nobody wants to know me and to them I had come from a poor country and had a terrible name. I got assaulted while reporting on football and was chased down a train by a gang of hooligans. Even with all that, England gave me opportunities and the world we live in is a western world, which I’m very happy to be a part of. I prefer living here and am quite comfortable as the country has been very good to me.

Why the interest in sports, especially cricket?
MB: I read a lot about cricket. I’ve loved it as a kid and my father would let me practice as a radio commentator in front of guests so I grew up living cricket. Though I went to the same school as Sunil Gavaskar, I never played the game that well and wasn’t encouraged either. Because of my interest, I have written three books on cricket, including the only history of Indian cricket, as well as Maidan View, which examines the influence of cricket on Indian society. I’ve never seen a distinction between sports and writing.

If you write about sports, you’re not writing about kindergarten, you’re writing about life.

What books and authors have managed to influence you?
MB: I wanted to be a writer like V.S. Naipaul or Graham Greene, people like that were my heroes. I also wanted to be like Neville Cardus, a cricket writer. I was also influenced by books like C.L.R. James’ Beyond the Boundary in which cricket is used to describe West Indian society. I’m also fascinated by biographies and history books. I believe they take a certain thing about society and use it to explain the society itself.

You mentioned your love for history. What is your take on the history of subcontinent and why there exist major gaps and discrepancies in the scripts?
MB: The history of the subcontinent motivates me as it is the history of my people. You pick up a book on the great events of the world and you’ll find that they are all western events. It’s a fact that conquerors write history and hence there is no mention of any battles of Panipat.

There’s a dearth of great biographies, especially ones written by locals. For instance, most of the biographies of Gandhi are by non-Indians, and the only well-known biography of Jinnah is written by an American professor. The subcontinent retreats into fiction because it doesn’t want to confront reality. We either love people or hate them. An assessment of Jinnah can’t take into account that he was the most unlikely Muslim who drank whiskey and ate pork. However, he was a great leader, in fact one of the greatest leaders of the subcontinent, the man who created a country.

There is a fear of recognising, it’s an irrelevant way of thinking. It shows a lack of maturity, an almost-adolescent behaviour that your heroes have got to be gods. This is saying that all you write about the great man is the speeches he delivered and great letters he wrote, but not the man who lived his life.

India and Pakistan are like two Siamese twins trying to separate themselves but not quite managing to. Pakistan needs to stop comparing itself to India and thinking that India can’t go ahead of them. Pakistan has a greatness that the Indians don’t have and that is not accepting defeat. In cricket, Pakistan won a Test in England in 1954. It took India 17 more years to match that.

What projects would like to do in the future?
I would like to write a couple of novels and a major book about the subcontinent, particularly about India. I’d also like to write a book tracing my father’s journey which started as a young man in a village in Ramchandrapur (West Bengal) who gave up his job to join the freedom struggle and moved to Mumbai.

I also want to write a biography of Gandhi and Jinnah, especially as I was brought up to hate Jinnah but have come to admire him as a politician. We need more books on the communities living in the subcontinent and how they are progressing.

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in Books & Authors (DAWN newspaper) June 21, 2009

We want to win World T20 for the nation: Younis

Skipper Younis Khan has made it crystal clear how badly Pakistan wants to win the World Twenty20 on Sunday with reasons ranging from the dearth of silveware in the last decade to his team getting labelled serious contenders in major tournaments once again. But most of all, he wants to win it for the terror-struck nation facing a bleak future.

Speaking after defeating tournament favourites South Africa in a pulsating semi-final at Trent Bridge, Younis lauded Shahid Afridi’s match-winning all-round performance but made sure the audience were reminded of the sufferings in Pakistan.

“The World Cup is everything for us,” Younis said. “I want to win it for the team, the nation and the millions suffering back at home, especially in the northern areas where I’m from. There are fights going on on a daily basis and I believe that winning the trophy will bring some smiles on their faces for a change.”

While the captain and team are unable to affect changes on the war-field, they ensured that they left the playing field at Trent Bridge with their best performance in the tournament so far, something Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, agreed with.

“Although we played great cricket throughout the tournament and today as well, credit must go to Pakistan as they played their best game of the tournament today,” Smith said. “Afridi had a great game with the bat and then the ball and he basically was the difference between the two sides.” We lost to a better team and that is something we’ll have to deal with.’

Afridi, consistent performer with the ball, repaid Younis’ trust and decision to promote him to number three. While he had shown glimpses of sensible batting, albeit in patches, as the tournament progressed, a significant contribution was surely missing.

He had told Dawn in an earlier interview how he was available, and prepared, to be promoted up the order to prove his worth with the bat. And although his aptly-timed first half-century in international cricket since January 2008 resembled one of a changed, and matured, cricketer, Afridi was adamant he was still as aggressive as ever.

“I was given a huge responsibility and told to play my natural game,’ Afridi said. “The captain really supported me and that’s always a benefit for any player. Playing aggressive cricket is my nature and I always enter the ground with the aim to win as I firmly believe it is my right to win and I have to fight for it.”

Credit must also go to the team effort, according to Afridi, as it was the self-belief in the playing eleven that got Pakistan through their toughest opponents thus-far. While marked improvements are constantly witnessed by the bowlers, Pakistan’s fielding — two dropped catches — and batting in the death overs — no boundaries in the last five overs — has become a cause for concern. Younis, with his customary light-hearted jokes and laughs, shrugged aside the concerns and said the plan for the final was simple: “Just go out there, do your best in all departments of the game and the cup is ours.”

Pakistan’s earlier experiments of juggling the batting line-up and playing elevens seemed to backfire at will, resulting in an inconsistent show on the tour. Keeping with his trend of parting with humorous and straight-forward remarks, Younis reckoned it was impossible for his side to be consistent. “We’re from Pakistan, nothing is stable there so how can we be stable,’ he said before adding that the slow-starters tag is something his team seems to carry into every series but it was the ‘momentum that we carry with every win that enables a strong performance in the following match’ was what mattered most.”

“It is important that we deliver the right thing at the right time and going into the final, I expect a strong performance from our match-winners namely Misbah-ul-Haq, Afridi, Umar Gul and Kamran Akmal. South Africa is the toughest team in world cricket right now and now that we have beaten them, I believe we can go and win the cup.”

While Pakistan await the winner’s of the second semi-final that took place at The Oval last night, Jacque Kallis, the South African allrounder, must be ruing the barrage of short balls that faced Afridi’s wrath and, in turn, delivered a damning verdict on the outcome of the match, sealed with a kiss.

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 20, 2009

Razzaq, Shahzaib delighted with contributions in T20 wins

Abdul Razzaq, the Pakistan all-rounder, has branded ICL as ‘low standard cricket’ and breathed a sigh of relief after quitting the ‘rebel’ league last month and being fast-tracked into the international side for the ICC World Twenty20.

Making his comeback for Pakistan against New Zealand at The Oval, Razzaq was handed the new ball, under pressure to perform straight away following a poor opening over. What followed seemed an effortless transition, after a two-year absence from international cricket, but even an impressive return of two for 17 failed to come up to the standards he had set himself.

“It wasn’t easy to get back into international cricket after a long absence,” Razzaq told Dawn. “This is the highest standards of cricket being played in the world and playing in ICL and its low standard cricket, it needs a great deal of mental adjustment. Even after the performance against New Zealand, I believe I still need another two to three weeks to get up to grips with international cricket.”

Fresh from topping the wicket-takers’ chart in Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20, Razzaq barely had 24 hours to adjust to conditions. While his team-mates took much longer to get acclimatised, the all-rounder started as if it was Lahore. His first ball almost capped off a memorable comeback if not for an inside edge off Aaron Redmond’s bat. However, he did not have to wait too long though for a lofted drive off Brendon Mccullum’s bat landed safely in the fielder’s hands and Pakistan were off to a great start.

Not surprised at being rewarded so early in his comeback match, Razzaq owed much to his spell with Surrey who have The Oval as their home ground. He also spent a season as Middlesex’s overseas player and thus the pitch and conditions were not alien to him. “I have played at this ground before and that helped me immensely. I was also able to provide input in the team meeting on the type of pitch, the outfield and the conditions and I think it helped me a great deal to have that background information.”

He also welcomed the inclusion of youngsters in the team, while commending a great effort by Mohammad Aamer and Shahzaib Hassan, but stressed the need for individual improvement in order to succeed at the highest level. “It’s basically a survival of the fittest. They [the youngsters] need to work hard on their fitness, get the experience and gradually, in about two to three months, they’ll constantly deliver the goods.”

Shahzaib, making his international debut in a must-win match for Pakistan, also showed no signs of nervousness with the bat or when questioned about his 27-ball 35.

Shahzaib was confident he had shone glimpses of the talent he possesses and will get more chances despite the opener failing to match his debut performance in the second match. “Although I scored against New Zealand, I wasn’t totally satisfied with my performance,’ Shahzaib told Dawn. ‘It was a chance for me to do well for myself and for my team and I was really thankful for the opportunity given. However, I’m sure I’ll get another chance to prove my worth and improve on what you saw on Saturday.”

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 17, 2009

We can’t afford to relax despite good show: Younis

Demons were buried convincingly. Worried faces breathed a sigh of relief. A repeat of the 2007 Jamaican debacle was too much to ask for from the Irish as a convincing 39-run win at The Oval confirmed Pakistan's place in the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20 2009.

Younis Khan, Pakistan's captain, had earlier asked his team to 'crush Ireland and march on'. Although the darker shade of green did not quite crush their opponents, Younis was adamant his side, who were hammered in the first two games at this ground, had what it takes to go all the way.

“We've always been slow starters,” Younis said at the post-match press conference. “It's not necessarily a good thing but what matters most is that we peak at the right time and carry forward the momentum that we have gained from the wins.”

Admitting his side fell short by twenty runs, Younis had complete trust in his bowlers – comprising three of the top six bowlers in this tournament – to carry Pakistan through.

“Opting to bat, I wanted to post at least 180 as it was a good batting pitch and the conditions were suitable for batting. However, despite the team falling short, I had complete faith in our bowlers and in the end, they kept my faith and, as you can see, we are through to the semis.”

Of the bowlers, Gul, once again, proved deadly with the ball. Younis, while complimenting his fast-bowler, was not pleased with New Zealand making an informal inquiry about the condition of the ball following their dismissal for 99.

“Reverse swing is an art, not cheating. Gul has a perfect action for reverse swing and he has pace so he doesn't need to get involved with cheating. Although we weren't really upset at the comments and inquiry, It's really disappointing to hear what happens. But then they got out really cheaply so maybe they inquired because of that.” Laughing off the Daniel Vettori's comments, Younis reminded all that Pakistan was surrounded by enough controversies and did not really need another one. “We need to forget these things and concentrate on cricket. That's what we do best.”

With Pakistan carrying the momentum, Younis shrugged aside signs of complacency as “bigger things and teams were to follow.” While Pakistan's passage through to the semi-finals has been confirmed, their position in the group will depend on the result of the New Zealand and Sri Lanka match taking place at Trent Bridge today and could see them up against South Africa in the last-four.

“We're through to the semi-final but we can't relax. The beauty of the Twenty20 format is such that it can change very quickly and you need to do the right things at the right time in order to come out on top. It's all about how you turn up on the day.”

Now that the team has acclimatised to the conditions, and have a chance to lift the trophy, Younis assured fans of his team's, and his, commitment on the field, promising a hundred per cent in all three departments of the game. “Although this game is good entertainment for the fans, with lots of boundaries being hit and bowlers like Gul hitting the stumps, I can assure everyone that we still take it very seriously. When we take the field for a match, we play with dedication and commitment that is expected, and asked of, by our fans.”

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 16, 2009

We feel let down by Qadir’s comments: Intikhab

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam has brushed aside comments of ‘too much interference’ made by the former chief selector Abdul Qadir.

Sharing his disappointment at the timing of the comments – in the middle of Pakistan’s ICC World Twenty20 campaign – Intikhab told Dawn that the squad was selected in agreement with all parties concerned and it was shocking to hear Qadir’s comments given that he, himself, had agreed to the name beforehand.

“Comments regarding our interference is Qadir’s own opinion,” Intikhab said. “Whenever the team is selected, everybody, including the selectors, coach, and captain, and it is only then the piece of paper with everyone’s signatures if forwarded to the PCB chairman.”

“If he [Qadir] had issues with our interference or had problems with the selection, why did he sign those papers? He should’ve come out there and then and shared his thought instead of waiting until after tendering his resignation before making such statements,” quipped Intikhab.

Following his resignation last week, Qadir blamed Intikhab and Yawar Saeed, the team manager, for interference in selection matters, tendering his team of selectors as a ‘dummy committee’.

According to Qadir, he would have also stripped Younis Khan of the team’s captaincy in the Twenty20 format of the game while omitting Shoaib Malik, Younis’ predecessor as captain, from the side altogether for conspiring against the current captain.

Denying a rift in the current squad, Intikhab termed the allegations baseless and felt let down by the former chief selector making such statements when the team could do without them.

Meanwhile, Intikhab praised the stunning performance of Umar Gul and comeback guy Abdul Razzaq with the ball against New Zealand here on Saturday that won a key match for them in the Super Eights.

“He’s [Umar Gul] a fantastic bowler,” he said. “He’s disciplined, trains hard and is always thinking about his bowling. No wondered he achieved that feat [world record].”

Intikhab admitted Razzaq’s inclusion has strengthened the squad.

Highest wicket-taker in the recently-concluded domestic Twenty20 tournament, Razzaq shone with the bat too and scored the only century of the tournament. Judging by his performance on Saturday, he did not look short on confidence.

The coach said that Pakistan has hit form at the right moment.

“’It’s important to peak at the right time and this is what the team is doing right now,” he said. “Our batting clicked, our bowlers performed and our fielders took their catches. Special emphasis on Afridi’s brilliant catch and it’s moments like these that life the team’s moral on the field and turns players into match-winners.

“His [Afridi’s] batting was a bit of a concern prior to Saturday but it was due to circumstances [not many overs left in the innings] rather than anything else. He’s a match-winner and despite his lack of form with the bat, his bowling been brilliant as he’s shown how a leg-spinner can be so effective in Twenty20 cricket.”

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 15, 2009

Poor start spoiled our act: Younus

Pakistan captain Younus Khan blamed poor starts with both bat and ball as the main reason for his team’s loss to Sri Lanka in the Super Eights match here at Lord’s on Friday.

Good starts, by the looks of things is what Pakistan is dearly missing, an absence of which throughout the tournament seems to worry the Pakistan camp as well.

‘We have the potential but our players seem to miss out on good starts, both while bowling and batting,’ Younus Khan, Pakistan’s captain, said after the 19-run loss.

‘In this match, for example, we had a poor first over by Sohail Tanvir who gave away 18 runs including a few extras. Then again with the bat we lost Salman Butt in the very first over. So obviously that is something we need to work on.’

The horrendous first over by Tanvir — labelled a match-winner by Younus — provided an ideal platform for Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillekaratne Dilshan to latch onto. They did so for the first nine overs and prior to Shahid Afridi’s timely intrusion, Sri Lanka looked oncourse for a healthy total.

‘I was quite happy to have restricted them for 150. At one point it looked as if they would easily reach 200. Our spinners once again put in a good performance and we looked comfortable chasing that target if not for the regular wickets we kept losing.’

Afridi, shining once again with the ball, took two for 23 while briefly overtaking Umer Gul as international Twenty20’s leading wicket-taker. As a bowler, he has been Pakistan’s saviour and go-to guy of late.

With the bat, however, he poses a huge worry. A first-ball slog today failed to help Pakistan’s cause but Younus refused to show much concern.

‘We have all seen Afridi in the past. All he needs is one innings to get back into form but unfortunately for us it didn’t come today.

However, he still is a very important member of the side and his contribution with the ball and in the field has been tremendous.’

‘Though our fielding wasn’t that bad today, we gave away too many runs where we should not have [extras]. In a match like this, where the total is in front of you, we needed to form partnerships, perhaps someone who could’ve batted for 20 overs. We failed to do that and hence lost,’ said Younus.

In the end, it was Sri Lanka’s commitment to the task at hand, and pin-point accuracy with the ball by Lasith Malinga, that has left Pakistan with lot of thinking before Saturday’s late match against New Zealand at The Oval.

Some eyes may be on Salman Butt’s performance at the top of the order and some, perhaps, will be on a late arrival into the team, Abdul Razzaq.

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 13, 2009

Women’s World Twenty20: Sana and Co open campaign against SL today

The Pakistani and Sri Lankan governments should just declare Friday a public holiday. Not only are the two nations squaring up against each other in the men’s ICC World Twenty20, their women counterparts will also set off their World Cup campaign 170 miles away in Taunton, hoping to match proceedings at Lord’s.

Both women outfits go into the match having suffered back-to-back losses in the warm-ups against South Africa and West Indies. Sana Mir, Pakistan’s captain, however, is hoping the experience gained by throwing away a winning position in the losses will help the girls register a convincing win on Friday.

“Obviously victories in the warm-up matches would’ve boosted our confidence but the important thing is to realise what we did wrong and work hard on overcoming that when it matters the most,” Sana told Dawn on Thursday. “Our morale is still very high and the team’s looking forward to winning tomorrow’s match convincingly.”

While a win remains a possibility, a convincing margin looks far-fetched given Pakistan’s performance with the bat recently. Chasing 115 against West Indies in a rain-shortened match, Pakistan lost regular wickets and could only muster up 88 with only two players reaching double figures. Similarly, against South Africa, they crumbled from 43 for no loss to 90 allout, chasing a meagre 127 for victory. While restricting the opposition to low total seems no problem, batting, by the looks of things, remains a cause for concern.

“We have been poor with the bat but we have worked hard on it and know how to handle it well now. Our collapse against South Africa was very disappointing but we are getting used to conditions and our opponents well and working hard to overcome our lapses in concentration.”

While Pakistan women have yet to play their Sri Lankan counterparts in the shortest format of the game, the girls in green will take heart from the last time these two sides met: A group match in the Women’s World Cup that Pakistan won by 57 runs.

“We have been playing a lot over the last three years and although we’ve only won once, we have come close to beating them on numerous occasions. We will take our win against them in Australia into the match but we fully realise they will come back at us strongly as well with revenge in mind so we can’t solely rely on that win alone.”

The team, much like their male counterparts in the warm-up matches, have shuffled the batting order around, looking for the best eleven. While Sana himself came at number three against Sri Lanka, her demotion to number ten against West Indies was all part of the plan to try out as many players as possible.

“We have taken our time getting used to conditions and we’re finally there. We performed well in Ireland and we wanted to gauge our best eleven hence the shuffling batting order. It was only a temporary move and I’ll be seen in the middle order come tomorrow.”

As the team heads off to watch India play England, the two other sides in Pakistan’s group, Sana emphasised on the importance of learning from other teams and ensuring they know their opponents. It will all help when we are pitted against them in the days to come, according to Sana.

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 12, 2009

I need to play up the order for more impact: Afridi

After three mediocre performances with both bat and ball, Shahid Afridi finally came good — albeit against the minnows, the Netherlands — and carried Pakistan through to the Super Eights of the ICC World Twenty20.

His career-best four for 11, the fourth best bowling figures in international Twenty20, was labelled as the difference between the two sides by the Dutch captain, and spared Pakistan’s blushes of exiting yet another tournament in the group stages.

Showing no signs of complacency after a thumping victory, Afridi vowed to deliver an improved performance in the next three matches against Sri Lank, New Zealand and Ireland.

“Judging by the performance on Tuesday, I think a lot will depend on my performance in the next round,” Afridi told Dawn after a training session on Wednesday at The Oval. “The team needs me and I’m fully aware of that and that is why I will be focussing a lot on improving my individual performance in the next round.”

It was difficult, according to Afridi, for the team to adjust to the English conditions and the pitches, with a lot of squad members totally alien to these conditions. On the other hand, players from other team benefiting from the recent IPL trip, had a huge advantage as the pitches in South Africa were remarkably similar to what the ICC World Twenty20 is witnessing.

“I think the Pakistani players were unfortunate to miss out on the IPL as it would’ve benefited us greatly. It’s not easy to arrive in England and start playing our natural game

straight away. It took time for us to get acclimatised to the conditions and as we move into the business end of the tournament, we will be able to deliver what is expected of us.”

While his performance with the ball came as a huge relief for Pakistan, Afridi as a batsman has yet to shine for his team in the tournament so far. No wonder then, that he appears desperately keen to put things right. “I’ve not been able to bat to my ability as I’ve often arrived at the crease with only a few overs to go. I wanted to carry my UAE form and strategy into these matches where I would have a few overs to settle down before attacking. However, that has not been possible on the tour so far and that is why I’ve made it quite clear to my captain that I can be, and am well-prepared as always, to be utilised at the top of the order if the need arises.”

Of the three Super Eight matches Pakistan will be playing, two of them will be at The Oval, the ground where Pakistan was handed a nine-wicket loss against India in the second warm-up followed by a 45 run defeat at the hands of the hosts England. Despite the two results at the venue, keeping in mind the Oval debacle of 2006, Afridi shrugged aside notions of apprehension.

“No matter what the location is, we need to come good in all departments of the game. Super Eights is where the real challenge begins. We will now see how good our team really is,” Afridi concluded.

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 12, 2009

Take mind off Pakistan unrest to excel: Younus

An early exit loomed briefly before Pakistan laboured into the Super Eights. But the Super Eights may not be as forgiving as the orange threats as Pakistan take on the ferociousness and twirls of Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Friday.

Pakistan captain Younus Khan has focussed on getting the basics right in order to go past the first hurdle while hoping his wish of playing India in the final comes true.

Speaking to the media on the eve of the match, Younus urged his team to focus on the job in hand, despite the law and order conditions back home, and do well in tournament for the nation’s sake.

‘They (Sri Lanka) are a very good side and we all are aware of this,’ Younus said. ‘We have played a lot against them recently and we know their team very well. However, we must ensure that we get things right at the right time and, providing that happens, we are capable of beating anyone.’

While backing his batsmen to counter the spin threat that Sri Lanka poses, Younus welcomed the inclusion of Abdul Razzaq – who is due to arrive in England late Friday afternoon – despite his past links with the ICL and termed it a relief after losing Yasir Arafat due to injury.

‘Although Razzaq will arrive here tomorrow [Friday] it will not be possible for him to play the match after spending seven to eight hours on the plane. However, being the fantastic allrounder that he is, especially in Twenty20 cricket, he can be in our playing eleven for the remainder of the tournament. His return will be good for Pakistan cricket,’ said Younus.

With the potential the Pakistani team possesses, it sometimes appears as though they lack focus thus resulting in being caught off-guard and being handed heavy losses.

‘It is hard for my team to focus at times, especially with the situation back home. That bomb blast in Peshawar, for example, which happens to be my hometown, did take our minds off cricket and it becomes difficult to concentrate on cricket. But this is what cricket’s about and we need to ensure we start this round well.’

In Sri Lanka they have an opposition which has endured tough times off the field. They have also dumped Australia out of the tournament before stopping West Indies well short of a healthy target of 192.

With the team scoring runs, taking wickets and holding onto their catches, complacency can easily be a bigger threat than Pakistan’s unpredictability but the Sri Lankan captain chose to label it confidence.

‘Yes, we have a lot of confidence going into tomorrow’s match, especially after beating two good teams, but this is Twenty20 cricket and a bad five-minute spell on the field can bring about your downfall,’ Kumar Sangakkara said at Lord’s on Thursday.

‘We played against Pakistan recently and we know the team inside out but these are different conditions and a different game altogether. It all depends on tomorrow’s performance, whichever team wants it more will come out on top basically.’

The biggest threat to Pakistan will arguably be that almost-40 maestro at the top of the order, Sanath Jayasuriya, especially following a blistering 47-ball 81 against Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards and Co on Wednesday. But Sangakkara is refusing to put much pressure on Jayasuriya.

‘As a side we’ve never had any doubts over what he [Jayasuriya] can do. It added to his and the team’s confidence that he got those runs [against West Indies] and the manner he got them in. However, we have a strong batting line-up that follows so despite the opening partnership being crucial, it won’t be the end of the world if he fails to click.’

Not wanting his bowlers to take a back seat, despite Pakistan’s potentially-explosive batting line-up, Sangakkara also laid much emphasis in his spinners, namely Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan.

Five wickets in the tournament for Mendis so far while Murali only has a solitary scalp against West Indies to bring into the match, Sangakkara is keen for the duo to form yet another great partnership.

‘Spin has been our strength for years and it won’t change tomorrow. If you’re a good bowler, batsmen will find it difficult to play you no matter what format of the game it is in. Hopefully, our spinners will keep performing and adding to their strengths and win us games like they have done in the past.’

With forecast of overcast and windy conditions, it is perhaps time for Pakistan’s fast bowlers, especially Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Aamir, to show why they are considered among the best in the country. And while Sangakkara plans one match at a time, Younus is already hoping for a Pakistan-India final at Lord’s.

‘I have good memories of Lord’s having managed good scores everytime I have turned up,’ Younus said. ‘Therefore, although we have hurdles to cross before that, I hope I lift the trophy at Lord’s at the end of the tournament.’

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 12, 2009

ICC yet to receive PCB request about replacement

While the Pakistan team management in London confirmed that a replacement for the injured Yasir Arafat has been sought in the form of Abdul Razzaq, the ICC technical committee has yet to receive any formal requests from the PCB.

“There have been reports of the PCB seeking a replacement for the injured Arafat but we’ve had no official word from them as yet,” Steve Elworthy, the ICC World Twenty20 tournament director and member of the ICC technical committee, confirmed to Dawn.

“The process can be started as soon as a request is received and, if done electronically, can take up to 12 hours.”

Considering Pakistan play their first Super Eights match on Friday, the delay comes as a surprise, puzzling especially given that Pakistan’s coach Intikhab Alam confirmed that a request has already been sent to the PCB.

“Arafat is definitely out of the tournament and we have asked the PCB to send Razzaq as replacement,” Intikhab had told Dawn.

“Losing Arafat is obviously a big blow to us as his attitude towards training and performing for Pakistan was terrific but it’s an unfortunate thing that can happen to anyone, and at any time.”

Arafat will be leaving the squad today and will rejoin his county Sussex that he is representing in the on-going county season as their overseas player.

Razzaq, an ex-ICL player, was originally named by the PCB in the 30-man squad for the tournament in May but his name was quickly scratched off due to ICC’s objections to ICL-linked players at that time.

Given the fact that he terminated his contract with the ICL recently, and was part of the recently-concluded domestic Twenty20 tournament in Pakistan, Razzaq seemed an obvious like-for-like replacement given Arafat’s withdrawal despite having not played international cricket for just over two years.

“Razzaq is a talented and professional cricketer who shone in ICL as well as Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20,” Intikhab said.

“I’m sure his performance will not be hampered by the fact that he hasn’t played international cricket for a long time and we look forward to having him in the squad.”

Razzaq, given the PCB sends in the replacement request in time, can feature for Pakistan against Sri Lanka as early as Friday, and can become the first ex-ICL player to return to international cricket.”

© Faras Ghani 2009.
Published in DAWN newspaper June 11, 2009

Younus keen to see his men go all the way

Missing the hysterical laughter from the previous press conference, Pakistan skipper Younus Khan did not shy away from labelling Twenty20 as entertainment yet again as he faced the media in a post match conference, even comparing the event to WWE.

However, with a comprehensive win under his belt, a win made possible by his senior players delivering what was asked by him, Younus has now set his sights on taking the cup home. ‘We’ve always been slow starters, the whole world knows that,’ Younis said. ‘Now that we are through to the Super Eights, showing fighting spirit at just the right time, we must now ensure we win the tournament.’

While Pakistan’s batting and bowling showed signs of considerable improvement, albeit against a weaker team that their previous opponents, the fielding still left much to be desired.

Salman Butt, who faced his captain’s wrath after a dreadful time in the field against England, was guilty of dropping another catch today before managing to hang onto a top-edged sweep. Apart from Butt’s drop, a few half chances went begging but luckily for Pakistan, they did not prove fatal.

‘We formed good partnerships, both with the bat and with the ball. However, for those achievements to matter in the end, we need to improve our ground fielding and hold onto the catches,’ emphasized Younus.

‘The simple plan is go out, bat well, bowl well and play the role that you’re been assigned in the team. We have a good momentum going into the Super Eights and we will need to ensure that we carry it forward and put it to good use.’

Pakistan went into the must-win match with two changes: Fawad Alam coming in place of Ahmed Shehzad and Sohail Tanvir replacing the injured Yasir Arafat. While Fawad’s contribution to the team was three runs and a few stops in the field, Sohail’s miserly figures of 13 runs in his three overs impressed Younus.

‘He (Sohail) has been out of form and it was essential for him to come forward and have a good match, especially considering it had become such an important match for Pakistan,’ said the captain.

‘The pitch and the conditions were suitable for him and he gave it his all and a repeat of such performance is simply what we need in order to make it through the next round.’

The destroyer-in-chief, however, was Shahid Afridi, who briefly entertained with the bat (a towering six over long-on in his 7-ball 13) but returned to haunt the Dutch batsmen.

He took three wickets in ten deliveries at one stage and his return of 4 for 11 — the fourth best figures in International Twenty20 history — was labelled by the opposing captain as the difference between a win against England and a thrashing against Pakistan.

‘We were simply unable to play him [Afridi],’ Smits said after the match. ‘Although we played Adil Rashid, the legspinner, in the previous match, it proved really difficult to bat against Afridi today and his bowling was what made the difference.’

A side looking much relaxed that the one that left The Oval on Sunday, Pakistan now have two days off before taking on Sri Lanka at the same venue on Friday afternoon in the first of three Super Eights matches.

© Faras Ghani 2009.
Published in DAWN newspaper June 10, 2009

Sana Mir aims to lead by example

If success was achieved by words, Sana Mir would right now be the best captain in the world and Pakistan would be holding many trophies. To be showing the level of confidence in her team that she has, with an implausible self-placed favourites tag on her team, does not come as a complete surprise given the team’s recent ascent.

Pakistan play their opening match of the tournament on Monday against the West Indies, fresh from six back-to-back matches in Ireland and against English Academy.

Speaking exclusively to Dawn at the captains’ photocall at Lord’s on Friday, Sana confirmed that preparations for the tournament could not have been better despite the alien conditions the team has found itself in.

“Prior to our arrival in Ireland, we had a training camp in Muridke’s sizzling conditions,” Sana said. “Upon arrival, we were greeted by freezing conditions for the first match against Ireland. However, the girls adjusted well to the weather, the conditions and the pitch and came back strongly in the following matches.”

Sana, who replaced Urooj Mumtaz as Pakistan’s captain for the tournament, was quite satisfied with her own performance as well, having taken a career-best 4 for 13 against Ireland last month followed by a 2 for 5. “Although I’m in good form with the ball, I would like to contribute more with the bat as well. As captain, I would like to lead from the front and ensure players, who have the potential, bring out their best when turning up for Pakistan.”

Her elevation as captain came as a surprise given Pakistan’s performance at the World Cup under Urooj Mumtaz where they defied all odds to make it past the group stages. Not much has changed due to a change at the helm, according to Sana, who assured that the decision has not affected Mumtaz’s performance either.

“I don’t think there is an issue [with Urooj being replaced as captain]. I’ve carried about in the same manner in the team as before, taking suggestions from everyone including Urooj who is, as always, more than willing to help the team. It’s a team effort once we step onto the field and we’ve improved as professionals, we don’t seek positions in the team any more. Captaincy, however, has come naturally to me. I’ve always thought it was my team.”

Hoping to replicate Pakistan’s performance in Australia, Sana remained adamant that her side has progressed well from their achievements down-under and is capable to causing more upsets. The morale, despite the blistery conditions at times, was high and their job was to exceed everyone’s expectations yet again. “Not many people expected us to go past the group stages in Australia. In fact we were handed our return tickets to Pakistan for the day straight after our last group match. But playing as we did, and going past the group stages, giving those tickets back to the organisers was one of the happiest moments.”

“However, now that we have achieved much and changed people’s mentality, a lot of the same is expected from us. We have a massive following back home and I’m backing my players, who have realised the importance of each and every game, to gather momentum at the right time.”

Although having beaten Ireland, Nottinghamshire and the English Academy, stronger teams like West Indies, Sri Lanka, India and England — who won the ICC Women’s World Cup in Australia — lie in wait. The job on hand, as Sana and her team have realised, is difficult and making it to the semi-final is an uphill task.

Much emphasis will be put on good starts following Pakistan’s mediocre performance with the bat in the matches preceding the tournament. But, due to conditions, Sana predicted low-scoring encounters, placing her faith in Pakistan’s bowlers to defend any total and is confident that another good show on the road will further aid the improving image of women’s cricket in Pakistan.

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 7, 2009

Flintoff’s absence huge advantage for us: S Malik

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan all-rounder, has termed the absence of Andrew Flintoff as a ‘psychological advantage’ for his side and urged his team-mates to utilise the opportunity and start the tournament with a win.

Malik, speaking after Pakistan’s training session at Southgate on Friday, was confident of Pakistan’s victory when they take on England at The Oval on Sunday despite back-to-back losses against South Africa and India during the warm-up matches.

‘We arrived in England quite late and need some time to adjust ourselves,’ Malik said. ‘We played poor cricket in the two matches that we lost but we’re growing in confidence gradually while getting accustomed to the conditions and I’m sure we can start with a win on Sunday.’

‘Although England have a slight advantage over us due to home conditions, the absence of Flintoff has surely tilted the balance in our favour. He’s a great all-rounder and his absence is a huge psychological advantage for Pakistan, something we’ll utilise and ensure we win the match and carry the points into the next round.’

Refusing to pick his favourites for the tournament, Malik termed India, Australia and South Africa as strong teams but stressed that Pakistan must not be counted out on the basis of their poor show in the warm-ups.

‘It’s near impossible to pick out favourites in this type of cricket. You only need a couple of batsmen to score fifties or a couple of bowlers to take two or three wickets and the balance suddenly shifts in your favour.’

‘Obviously you don’t get as many chances as in ODIs or Test matches, but strong teams cling on to whatever chances they get and that is exactly what makes them strong in Twenty20.’

Mohammad Aamir, meanwhile, was cherishing his wicket of Rohit Sharma at The Oval on Wednesday and was confident he would be able to carry the his good performance upon the team’s return to the same venue on Sunday.

He, too, pointed at Pakistan’s late arrival into England as his side’s sluggish performance but promised a much-improved performance.

‘We were basically short on match practice but have had several training sessions since that loss and we’ll enter the ground [on Sunday] with a positive frame of mind,’ Aamir told Dawn.

‘Although winning or losing doesn’t matter when you give your 100 per cent, we are quite weary of expectations back home and will hope to win the tournament this time round.’

Coming into the tournaments shouldering huge individual expectations after being spoken highly of by Wasim Akram, Aamir shrugged off any notions of nervousness that he might have had prior to taking on the field against India.

‘It has been a great honour being spoken to highly of by Akram but despite it being a Pakistan-India match, I was confident of my abilities, gave it my 100 per cent and was very happy with the fact that I took a wicket in the match. Despite the loss, we remain confident of a good show against England as a lot of our players are used to the conditions and we posses an array of Twenty20 specialists and no wonder we sit on top of the Twenty20 rankings.’

While having high hopes for his side, Aamir has set high standards for himself as well, wanting to be a ‘top-ranking bowler’ in the next five years. ‘Everyone knows the things Wasim has said about me and it is purely because of that I don’t want to disappoint him.

He’s a great bowler, has appreciated me and I feel really lucky not only to have such comments from him, but also being able to spend time working with and learning from him.

He is my sole idol in world cricket and I want to come up to his expectations and, in five year, hope to become a top-ranking bowler.’

Following the match against England, Pakistan will take on Netherlands on Tuesday and are scheduled to play back-to-back Super Eights matches on Thursday and Friday if they qualify for the second round.

© Faras Ghani 2009.
Published in DAWN newspaper June 6, 2009

Experiments backfire on Pakistan as India win

It was a day of experiments. Experiments the team management vowed to stay clear of during the build-up to the warm-up match against India at The Oval on Wednesday.

While skipper Younis Khan and coach Intikhab Alam reposed much confidence in Salman Butt’s ability at the top of the order, it was the 19-year-old Shazaib Ahmed who was drafted in the team in place of the former vice-captain.

Shahid Afridi was promoted up the order — a move cleverly off-set by MS Dhoni as he brought on Irfan Pathan — and Umar Gul was assigned new-ball duties as India set off chasing a defendable 158. Mohammad Aamer, too, was provided a much-awaited outing. From the performance on the field, the experiments clearly failed to produce the required results.

While the danger signs were obvious from Pakistan’s inability to pose any serious threat against a formidable Indian line-up, Intikhab refused to be concerned. “We were off to a good start and I thought 158 wasn’t a bad score,”’ Intikhab said while representing his side at a press conference for the third time running.

“However, we failed to perform with the ball, especially our spinners. Despite the loss, I see no reason to be concerned. It’s still early days and with the talented individuals we have in the side, I’m sure they will come good when it really matters.”

Contradicting his comments after the side’s loss to South Africa on Monday at Trent Bridge where Intikhab made it clear that “we are not keen on experimenting”, the match against India was an experiment without excuses with the hope that the team performs when it matters the most.

Pakistan take on England on Sunday in their first match of the tournament proper and Intikhab wants his team to put the two defeats behind them and learn from their mistakes. “Our batsmen got out to wrong shot-selection and our bowlers failed to deliver, for which they will be given a pep-talk to. We have enough talent in our bowling line-up to ensure a repeat of today doesn’t happen and although things can go wrong, it is my job to ensure mistakes are rectified.”

Intikhab was full of praise for young pacer Aamer — though he kept referring to the left-handed bowler as “the new youngster” — and predicted a bright future for him. However, he also gave credit to the India team for the way Aamer, as well as the rest of the Pakistani bowlers, were handled.

“India has become a very good side, a side that has gelled well under Dhoni’s captaincy who himself is doing a very good job. You need to give them credit for the way they played, especially Rohit Sharma [who was opening in place of the injured Virendar Sehwag].”

Despite the coach’s reassurances, it remains to be seen how Pakistan will regroup following back-to-back losses after arriving in England with high expectations. Heads looked to have dropped early during India’s reply and the bowlers, including Afridi who is a key to a rather inexperienced bowling line-up, seemed to have resigned to the inevitable after failing to achieve early breakthroughs.

Intikhab, however, seemed to have the playing eleven finalised and has vowed to work towards ensuring an improved performance at the same venue on Sunday.

Meanwhile, M S Dhoni, India’s captain, was truly delighted with India’s nine-wicket win over Pakistan at The Oval, labelling it “one of the best performances despite the match being a warm-up.”

“Although this was a warm-up match, a victory is a victory,” Dhoni said after the win. ‘Since we lost the last game it was important for us to win this one because we wanted to go into the tournament high on confidence.

“It really was one of the best wins we’ve had so far and although it will a difficult performance to replicate, it was a brilliant performance by the team on the whole.”

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 5, 2009