Give them more cricket, not camps: Rana

Pakistan women’s cricket coach Mansoor Rana has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to ensure the players remain involved in the sport all year round in order to improve their performance on the international level.

The squad is currently assembled in Muridke for a training camp before it flies out to South Africa for a six-nation One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 tournament from October 6. This will be Pakistan’s first involvement on the international circuit since a poor 2010 World Twenty20 in the West Indies earlier this year and Rana is not expecting miracles from them.

“We’re underdogs in world cricket and I’ve told the players to use that to their advantage,” Rana told The Express Tribune at the training camp. “We have the potential to do well but we need to play more matches, get more exposure and spend enough time playing in the middle to do that.”

The absence of a full domestic season and the reluctance of foreign teams to visit Pakistan, according to the coach, has not only hampered the team’s chances of improving on their number-six ranking but also the individuals unable to make a name for themselves.

“They need to spend time in the middle as 30 runs in the middle is equal to spending ten days in the nets. We assemble for short camps and then jet off for foreign tournaments. You can’t expect miracles from the team then.

“We also need to be playing quality opposition regularly. Just holding camps is a complete waste of money if there’s no structure to follow.”

Pakistan, missing several key players due to personal commitments, will be departing on October 4 and will take on Ireland in the first match.

© Faras Ghani 2010
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27, 2010

Finally, fame and recognition for a star unknown

Aisamul Haq Qureshi and Shah Rukh Khan are contrasting personalities, have contrasting careers, fan-base and celebrity value remain strikingly different. One has been a global icon for decades while the other, from Lahore, has barely adjusted to the spotlight which, according to him, has taken a long time coming.

They have one thing in common though: wanting world peace. With both emphasising that on their trips to New York – at the airport and on a tennis court – Qureshi, through a speech that seemed like an after-thought as the microphone pulled away from him, left the king of Bollywood in his wake. Not because Qureshi is from Pakistan, but because the act was genuine. It was not a stunt, but an uncut, unrehearsed uttering of a tennis star unknown not only to the world, but to most of his countrymen as well.

Khan spoke for himself but Qureshi expressed the voice of millions, with a stutter, and without thinking of the consequences.

“I had no idea it was going to create such an impact,” said Qureshi. “The perception in the US is unbelievable, it’s mind-bothering. You bring out a green passport, you get raised eyebrows. Life is short, I had to take the chance and God gave me the courage and belief to say those words.”

With the win – Qureshi terms his twin losses a victory – the 30-year-old has achieved what he wanted since he started playing: recognition, fame, appreciation and being considered a role-model. The flattering scoreline, especially in the second final, was the result of 15 years of hard work that went unacknowledged. Rightly so, breeding the omnipresent desire of being famous and successful that a common man has.

“We all want to be famous. I’ve always wanted to be a role-model, a door opener for talent. I knew it’d take a long time and a huge effort. It motivates me, being a celebrity. I’m enjoying the attention. People who know nothing about tennis come and laud my efforts. For the first time in 15 years, I felt that my country was proud of me.”

But Qureshi has had doubters and critics, who have not questioned his ability and talent but his patriotism and self-interest. Hammered for pulling out of a Davis Cup tie for a doubles tournament, he managed to beat Roger Federer. Accused of not spending much time training for this year’s relocated Davis Cup tie as he travelled with doubles partner Rohan Bopanna, winning and losing, Qureshi’s US Open feat may allow Pakistan an easy passage at the Commonwealth Games.

In a year that has seen an ATP title come his way as he reached the quarters at Wimbledon and the US Open success, Qureshi is aware of the waves he has created.

“Last year I joined hands with a soft drinks manufacturer with the motto of badal do zamana (change the times). I believe, with the efforts I’ve made, times are indeed changing.”

© Faras Ghani 2010
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26, 2010