Five of the best

Since making his entrance with a bang, hitting two centuries and two fifties in his first six innings, Inzamam ul Haq has been Pakistan's middle-order backbone, combining some of the most elegant cricket seen in recent times with the steel necessary to bail his side out. Here, in no particular order, are five of Inzi's best one-day innings.

60 vs New Zealand, World Cup semi-final 1992
Coming into bat with 123 runs required and the tail to follow (due apologies to Akram and Moin), Inzamam chose the occasion to announce his entry. New Zealand, who had been beaten only once in their previous eight matches in the tournament, were faced with a whirlwind. Inzamam's 60 came off only 37 deliveries and included seven fours and a massive straight six. Inzi finally departed - run out, of course - with 36 still needed but his reputation firmly established.

122 vs India, Karachi, 2003-04
The first match of the historic series saw India bludgeoning the Pakistani bowling attack (including Shoaib, Sami and Razzak) for 349. Pakistan's openers were dismissed within the first half hour; then, enter Inzamam who, pacing his innings superbly, formed valuable partnerships with Mohammed Yousuf (then Yousuf Youhanna) and Younis Khan. His running between the wickets was equally impressive as he allowed Yousuf and Younis to attack before cutting loose himself. In all, he smashed twelve fours and two sixes, scored his 122 of only 102 deliveries and was adamant he would take Pakistan home before succumbing to the left-arm spin of Kartik with a further 72 required off eight overs. In the end, Moin was unable to do a Miandad (6 required off the final ball) but the Karachi crowd went home stunned by a superb innings.

60* vs India, Ahmedabad, 2004-05
In a match reduced to 48 overs, India put up 315, inspired by a Tendulkar 123. For a change, Pakistan's reply saw contributions from the entire top order (Salman Butt, Afridi, Razzak and Shoaib Malik) but each fell victim to rash stroke-play when patience was required. It was left to Inzamam to keep one end up and the runs flowing and, with three needed off the last over, he shepherded his team to Pakistan's fourth-highest successful run-chase. That last over was tense - he blocked the first five deliveries before driving the last one for a four. His response when asked why he left it till the last delivery: "I wasn't thinking anything on the last ball. I was just praying to God to help me."

81* vs England, Rawalpindi, 2005-06
This was a must-win game to ensure Pakistan get something out of the miserable winter. Yet things looked gloomy when Pakistan, batting first, lost the first four wickets for only 58. Inzamam, though, was around, and held one end, nudging around for quick singles and twos, while Afridi and Rana Naved hit a few around towards the end. Inzamam's patient and responsible 81* off 113 deliveries included seven fours and a six (he was left stranded as the last three wickets went down for only two runs) and took Pakistan to a mildly respectable 210 that proved to be enough. Just.

116 v Sri Lanka, Kimberley, 1997-98
For a veteran of 378 one-day internationals, Inzamam-ul-Haq has hit precious few centuries. This, his fifth, was one of the best, coming overseas while chasing a huge total and remaining unbeaten. Pakistan were chasing 296 against the Sri Lankans, reigning world champions and still a strong outfit. Inzamam began his innings in the tenth over with Pakistan on 46 for 2. Though he lost partners steadily, he proved impossible to dislodge and moved Pakistan steadily towards their target. He finished unbeaten on 116 off 110 balls, an innings that included only four fours and as many sixes. So perfect was Inzamam's pacing of the chase that Pakistan cantered home with two overs and four wickets to spare.

© Faras Ghani 2007
Published on Cricinfo 22nd Mar 2007

Calling all children

Flushed Away is the story of a rat flushed down the toilet of a posh Kensington house, to the sewers of London by an uninvited visitor. In his attempt to find someone to take him back up top, the rat named Roddy stumbles upon Rita, who works in the sewers on her boat called the Jammy Dodger.

Starring the voice of Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman (X-Men) as Roddy and four time Oscar nominee Kate Winslet (Titanic) as Rita, Flushed Away has been directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell and is a co-production between Aardman Animations and DreamWorks Animation.

Even though the film is from the makers of Shrek and Madagascar, it fails to live up to its predecessors in terms of story and quality. However, it did send many-a stomachs rolling at Cineplex in Karachi, where it is now playing. The huge number of children present outside the cinema hall did set the tone for a loud evening and even when seated inside, the children failed to keep their laughter and tricks to themselves, making it a pleasantly bothersome affair.

While making a deal with Rita of providing her with precious jewels in return for a ride home, Roddy first steals the Jammy Dodger under a misunderstanding. As things clear up between the two rats, Toad, a renowned rodent-hater — played by two time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen — sends his ‘men’ (mice) after them to retrieve a cable that Rita has been using as a belt.

Things get aggressive and Toad’s mice fail to capture the two, while Le Frog (Jean Reno) is called from France to assist his cousin, Toad. What follows is a hilarious series of events including fights, sewer chases and a series of comical dialogues that are sure to crack up one and all.

The fact that over 70 per cent of the theatre’s population comprised children under 15 was a little disturbing as Flushed Away, despite its status as an animated film, caters to older audiences. The dialogue is witty, the action exciting and it’s funny to hear the stereotype comments not only about the French but about the English football team as well (the entire series of events occurs on the same day as the World Cup final between England and Germany).

The movie is only 90 minutes long, thus easing the pain of sitting amongst shrieking cartoon fanatics. Anything longer would have only increased the sense of “where is this movie going?” that crept up at times.

All in all, Flushed Away will neither be breaking any box office records nor sweeping the Oscars. However, it is a light offering that will provide a hearty dose of humour, a welcome change from the action and sci-fi that has been persistently doing the rounds at theatres here.

© Faras Ghani 2007

Published in Images (Dawn) 18th Feb 2007

When it comes to lending support for a noble cause, Karachiites come second to none, especially when the sentiment is accompanied with a night rocking to the likes of Ali Azmat, Mizmaar and Raeth. One such performance last week was organised by aCaus (A Collective Aspiration to Uplift Society) in order to raise funds to build a school in a needy area of Karachi.

While aCaus has held various charity events in the past, this was their first mega scale project, and they had high hopes to expect a crowd in excess of 2000. However, the attendance of die-hard music fanatics turned out to be on the lighter side of 1000; nevertheless, they were treated to over three hours of intense rock music, hard-core jamming and stunning live performances.

The event opened a full three-and-a-half hours late at midnight, with the arrival of Mizmaar on stage. While the band members were being blamed for the delay, truth be told, it was actually the notorious late comers in the audience who were the biggest culprits. And while security officials dealt unmercifully with the numerous gate-crashers, the agitated audience were mollified by recordings of Raeth and Jal music and the comfort of food stalls present at the premises.

A welcoming applause met Mizmaar as they ascended the wonderfully lit stage set with an aCaus backdrop; finally, it actually felt that the event is getting underway. A minute or two into Mizmaar’s jamming, someone realised that the band members have not been properly introduced as yet and the host for the night, Atif galloped on stage to do the honours and to say a few words about the fund raiser as well.

Initially, Mizmaar failed to get the crowd involved. Perhaps it was because they have been out of touch with live performances for so long (this was their first in over six months). Playing mostly from their upcoming album, vocalist Daniyal tried to involve the crowd with an added zest, aided aptly by Kashan on guitars and Mobi on keyboards and backing vocals. Their stint really kicked off when out of nowhere, they played the cover of Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life.

Mizmaar are due to release their second album Sitara in March, with a global launch that coincides with performances in US, UK, Middle East and India as well as locally. Judging by the samples aired from Sitara on the stage, Mizmaar might very well prove to be yet another rock hit produced on our very shores.

Following a much-needed break, the distant sounds of female screams and shouts marked the arrival of Raeth. The band had been invited to India to perform in Channel V’s 10th anniversary show and had landed in Karachi only a few hours prior to the performance.

Raeth, with a double platinum debut album in their pockets as well as the credit of being the youngest band ever to play on Channel V, comprises Hassan Farabi on guitars, Mustafa Asad on bass, Alfred D’mello on drums (who also plays drums for Mizmaar) alongside Wajhi Farouki on vocals. Starting with their most popular tune of 2006, Bhula Do, Raeth sent the crowd into an immediate frenzy. Showing no signs of weariness from their recent tours and mega performances, the boys went blazing.

It was rather unfortunate to see less than half an hour of Raeth (for reasons unknown), but Wajhi’s energetic acts of getting the crowd further involved, his jumps off a six feet high stage, near-trips and duets with the crowd really set the tone alight and showed how different Raeth on CD is to Raeth on stage.

“In India if you perform badly, the crowd will still cheer you on. In Karachi however, the crowd will murder you and that is why, with this being our very first commercial performance, we had to be good,” said Wajhi. And good they were. So good in fact that even while Ali Azmat was waiting to jump on stage, the crowd was still singing along to Bhula Do’s second dose.

But of course, the biggest cheer of the night (moving into the early hours of morning by now) was witnessed with the arrival of Ali Azmat. With Gumby suddenly appearing behind the drums, royalties were duly divided as shouts of “Ali!” were heard as loudly as “Gumby, solo!”

Much to the annoyance of the crowd though, it took the band more time to get the hardware sorted out and functioning. However, once Ali’s fingers rested on the guitar, all was forgiven and forgotten. It is seldom that vocals overshadow Gumby’s maniac drumming, but Ali Azmat carried out that task admirably. The playlist included Na Re Na, a rejuvenated version of Mahi (with an increased tempo, thunderous drumming and faint skirmishes of a saxophone) as well as an extended version of Garaj Baras that allowed for individual performances.

A fair bit into the act, Ali turned a deaf ear to the crowd’s encore requests and played a few tracks from his upcoming album, all in English. While this part of the performance did not go down well with the thinning crowd, it was still a pleasantly executed show. Ali Azmat concluded the event in the wee hours of Monday morning.

© Faras Ghani 2007
Published in Images (Dawn) 21st Jan 2007

A laugh to remember

Amidst all the dust and clatter created by various happenings including the inauguration of national train services, incomplete flyovers and unexpected temperature drops, there happened to be a Blackfish performance tucked away in one corner of the city as well. Sadly, it went past almost unnoticed.

Blackfish, our very own improvisational comedy troupe, welcomed a guest performance by Yasser Salehjee, a former member who ventured off to the warmth of Dubai after spending over three years with them. While one of their most recent recruits, Hadi Habib, performed well, absent from the stage was Olsen Almeida who was out of the country and was missed throughout the snotty scenes and goofy characters he seems to enact ever so well.

While the audience comprised a bunch of energetic youths who had endured a rather chilly evening to position themselves in the auditorium, the turnout was surprisingly low. According to Sami Shah, actor and coordinator of Blackfish, low turnout was expected and the wedding season was to be blamed for that: “Summer is always the best time for us as we can easily fill 300 to 350 people in the auditorium then.”

Sami added that they thought “the audience was great and as we always appreciate a higher turnout, getting the right kind of audience is also imperative towards the success of Blackfish’s performance.” Blackfish performs their games from a list of about a 100 they have chosen. They rotate their selections regularly, catering to the audience, the event backdrop and their current mood. Although they tend to repeat a few of the popular ones frequently, as happened in this very performance, the difference in topics and situations (due to audience involvement) makes them anything but boring.

The night opened with the Emotional Orchestra, where each member was assigned an emotion, as yelled out by the crowd, and they had to devise a sound that would aptly describe it. Sami, taking up the role of an orchestra coordinator, would randomly point at a member to illustrate that emotion with the sound. Things turned funnier when the audience was asked to join in, and as Sami acted out Karachi’s traffic police, waving his arms around with audible emotions flying all round, all were left in a thoroughly justified state of hysteria.

Blackfish’s history dates back to 2002 when Saad Haroon founded this group after realising that there exists a massive room for stand-up comedy in the country. Four years since and after witnessing numerous departures and fresh arrivals, Blackfish has still managed to perform regular Sunday shows for public as well as corporate events. They have also been chosen by the British Council to represent Pakistan in an international youth theater festival in ManchesterKarachi’s very first comedy festival to be held this week.

The troupe’s performance depends upon the nature of the audience which is probably why they make huge efforts to get the audience speaking and invite the crowd to hurl game topics at them. Sami Shah, who has recently cut down his involvement with the group due to other commitments, carries out the coordinator’s role competently. Moving about on-stage, he delivers regular shout-outs to the cast, explaining the games and constantly reminding the crowd of Blackfish’s PG nature and strictly no-adult-topic policy (in vain most of the times).

While the temporary void left by Olsen’s absence was unable to be filled, (Olsen was labelled as Blackfish’s best physical performer by Sami), Hadi’s second on-stage stint –– although received well by the crowd –– left him a bit wanting. His constant laughing at Faris’ and Cyrus’ quick-witted creativeness and on-the-spot jokes left his performance hanging as things became stagnant for a moment or two while everyone waited for Hadi’s act to follow. And as Yasser lent the experienced hand, Faris and Cyrus made improvisational comedy look simple.

Although inviting a young actor on-stage for a revamped version of Cluedo (guessing who was killed where and with what) was a mistake on Blackfish’s part, the efforts and improvisation while the game seemed a lost cause cast a wave of laughter amongst the on-lookers.

“In situations like these, we try spinning it as much as we can to make it as interesting as possible,” commented Sami in the aftermath. And “spin it” they did remarkably well, to round up another well-received and pleasing performance.

© Faras Ghani 2007

Published in Images (Dawn) 14th Jan 2007

Rock music lovers entertained

Hard-core rock music, renowned performers, a devoted and appreciating crowd of avid music lovers and scuffles amongst security personnel and gate-crashers marked off a captivating musical night at the Maritime Museum.

The concert attracted over six thousand people to the wonderfully-lit mounds and flats of the venue. Although security arrangements left much to be desired and unpleasant scenes were witnessed at the gates, once in, it was all blasting entertainment.

Among the various performances on-stage, the big names included Ali Azmat, Aaroh and Call. Much to the disappointment of the late-arrivers (keeping the post-10pm arrival trend alive), Ali Azmat came, performed and jetted off before much of the crowd had gathered. He did manage to get the early-arrivers involved in a sing-along, and hop-along, with the popular Na Re Na.

While the crowds gathered and waited for the next of the big-names to arrive, a few underground bands kept the stage alight and the audience warming up to the tunes on a chilly evening.

The stage was well set up, donned with the network provider’s backdrop and the slogan “U Rock” embedded and surrounded by spotlights.

The loudest cheers of the night were reserved for Aaroh. Coming on the back of their successful album-launch last week, Aaroh performed a few tracks from their new album and were applauded profusely by what seemed like a fervent-following of the band.

Realising this, Farooq Ahmed (vocalist) would constantly jump off the stage and sprint towards the crowd, initiating a series of shoving and pushing amongst the crowd while providing the chorus. If it wasn’t for the barb wire and the scarcely-placed uninterested looking security personnel, Farooq would have disappeared into the crowds, or vice versa.

Reluctant to go off, and encouraged by the crowd, Aaroh returned onto the stage to perform their cover track of the new album Raag Neela for the second time in the evening. A thunderous ovation (rightly deserved) synchronised with Aaroh’s eventual departure as the crowd waited in anticipation to see if the following performance could match that of Aaroh’s.

For the final performance of the night, Call was called (as put by the hosts) onto the stage amidst a flurry of blinding lights.

Included in the list of tracks performed were the ever-popular Jilawatan, Sab Bhula Kay, and Shayad. One of the biggest disappointments of the performance was a rather-weird version of Kaash, one of the best songs on the album.

Perhaps trying something new after the original and the unplugged version that have already been released, Junaid Khan failed to deliver anything close to what has been witnessed from him in the past.

© Faras Ghani 2006

Published in Dawn newspaper 25th Dec 2006

Aamir Zaki and Diego - Jazz concert

© Faras Ghani 2006
Published in Dawn newspaper 15th Dec 2006

Junior Grammarians perform Jungle Book

KARACHI, Dec 17: Students of the Karachi Grammar School’s junior section enacted Jungle Book as part of the annual feature of the school.

The cast included the entire junior section, amassing around 600 students, and was lent a helping hand with the rehearsals and guidance by the school’s teaching staff.

“Jungle Book was chosen because we wanted to stress the importance of conservation, both animals and wildlife, and its need onto the children,” said Mrs Rehman, vice-headmistress of the school.

The crowd, parents and siblings of the performers, were awarded a sheer treat by the eight to eleven years old students on stage with a remarkable acting and dancing performance. The set was skilfully set up to reflect different scenes in the jungle while the apt and extremely colourful costumes added to the atmosphere overall.

According to Mrs Rehman, the children and their teachers had been practising this play for only two months and within school hours only. Based on that timescale provided, it was a delightful performance, not only by the actors but also the school choir that was placed on either side of the stage to assist with the musical parts.

To add to the jungle life, there was also a touch of desi life with village girls carrying matkas, while the men sat around with hukkas while the women danced around.

“We hope we have succeeded in conveying the important message not only to the participating children but also to their parents and others who were watching the play,” Mrs Rehman said and remarked, “We can make this a better planet for the future.”

© Faras Ghani 2006
Published in Dawn newspaper 18th Dec 2006

Stonehenge — prestige up for grabs

The hunt and the voting are on for the new Seven Wonders of the World. A total of 77 landmark sites, including the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower, were initially chosen by the New7Wonder Panel of Experts, chaired by the former head of UNESCO, Prof. Dr Federico Mayor, to be short-listed following a panel inspection and public vote. Out of the 21 that made the cut, the seven winners will be announced on July 7, 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal.

The only British site to have made the last 21 is Stonehenge which dates back to somewhere between 3000 BC and 1600 BC. The monument seen today is about half the size of the original. Some of the stones have fallen down, others have been carried away to be used for building and over the centuries visitors have added their damage, too.

The name Stonehenge originates from the Anglo-Saxon period –– the old English word ‘henge’ meaning hanging thus giving us hanging stones. The area was owned by a local man, Sir Cecil Chubb, before giving it away to the nation in 1918 and is now managed by English Heritage on behalf of the government.

The structure of Stonehenge was built in three separate phases. It started off as a circle of timbers surrounded by a ditch and bank. Through excavations of the ditch, scientists have recovered antlers left behind and by testing their age through radio carbon-dating it was discovered that the first ‘henge’ was built around 3000 BC.

Then about 2500 BC Stonehenge was rebuilt. This time, however, stones were used. These stones travelled 245 miles from the Prescelli Mountains in Pembroke, South Wales and were dragged down to the sea, floated on huge rafts, brought up the River Avon, and finally to where they are today. Before the completion of the second phase, work was abandoned for about 200 years before the third phase finally delivered the Stonehenge that we see today.

This final phase saw the stones being dug up and rearranged while bigger stones were brought in from the Marlborough Downs which was 20 miles away. These giant sandstones were hammered to size and were heaved upright and linked on the top by the lintels. It required sheer muscle power and hundreds of lifters to move one of these stones, the heaviest of them weighing about 45 tons. This was all cleverly designed on the alignment of the rising of the midsummer sun.

A mysterious site such as Stonehenge gives birth to random theories. There have been odd occurrences, like the Hale-Bopp comet passing directly over this site at the turn of the millennium to support these theories. Some people claim to have seen UFOs in the area thus labelling Stonehenge as an extraterrestrial landing site. It is known that on the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, the sun shines directly through the centre of the structure, which given many of the cultural attitudes of sun worship that were rampant at the time, seems to indicate a religious purpose

By the beginning of the 20th century, a number of the stones had fallen or were leaning precariously, probably due to the increase in curious visitors clambering on them during the 19th century. Three phases of conservation work were undertaken which righted some unstable or fallen stones and carefully replaced them in their original positions using information from antiquarian drawings.

Stonehenge attracts a huge number of visitors on daily basis. There have been claims of mismanagement of the site which could seriously hamper its chances of being selected as one of the seven new wonders of the world. Stonehenge has been savaged by the National Geographic Traveller quoting the site as ‘a mess’, ‘over-loved’ and lacking in magic. The researchers said Stonehenge had massive numbers of tourists ‘making for a crowded, noisy environment’. Local people appeared not to benefit from the site, and its artistic qualities were compromised by the existing road layout and nearby development. It is now up to the panellists to decide whether the problems facing Stonehenge are strong enough to hinder its progress and become one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

© Faras Ghani 2006
Published in The Review (Dawn) 7th Dec 2006

Pak v WI (3rd Test, Day 5)

WEST INDIES lost the wicket of Brian Lara on 49 to Umer Gul in the morning session of the fifth and final day of the Karachi test match.

Lara, before the start of the match, needed 96 runs in the innings to become the only batsman to reach 12,000 test runs, looked in good form and had stroked boundaries all round the wicket as he looked all set to save the test match.

However, with the introduction of Umer Gul straight after the drinks break, Lara drove uppishly to extra cover where Shoaib Malik held onto a difficult catch. It is the second time in the match that Umer Gul has taken Lara’s wicket after dismissing him clean-bowled for naught in the first innings.

Resuming on the overnight score of 39 for the loss of both openers, West Indies had moved on to 97 with Lara the only casualty in the first 90 minutes of play. Lara and Sarwan, who were both out without scoring in the first innings, mixed defence and aggression aptly as they tried to save the match by batting out the day.

Sarwan, back into the team after being dropped for the second test, had moved onto 35 while slightly struggling against Kaneria as the ball spun sharply off the cracks.

Pakistan, having a 1-0 lead in the series, need another eight wickets to complete an emphatic win on the back of two record-breaking innings by Mohammad Yousuf.

© Faras Ghani 2006
Published in The Star 1st Dec 2006

Yousuf stays modest (press conference)

AS if breaking the record for the most number of centuries in a calendar year was not enough, Mohammad Yousuf has now scored the most number of runs scored in test match cricket during a calendar year.

His 102 in the innings prior to yesterday’s was his eight century of the year thus surpassing the previous record of seven centuries jointly held by Viv Richards and Arvinda de Silva. Yousuf, after his 124 on the fourth day, has scored nine 100-plus scores in 2006 alone.

He then broke Viv Richards’ 30-year old record of scoring the most number of runs in test matches during a calendar year yesterday morning and as he moved past yet another three-figure mark, he also overtook Javed Miandad as Pakistan’s second highest century-maker as well as becoming the only Pakistani to score 600-plus runs in a three test series.

Yousuf, as humbly as ever, put it all down as God’s blessings upon him.

“I thank God for bestowing this favour upon me. It has made my country look good and not only put my name in the records books but also Pakistan’s,” said Yousuf in a press conference after his remarkable feat.

When asked to describe his feelings after the pool of records he had shattered in this test match, Yousuf was lost for words.

“I simply cannot describe how I’m feeling. Obviously I’m elated, and I thank God for this, but this feeling of immense elation and satisfaction is indescribable.

“I would like to thank and dedicate these records to my parents who have supported and prayed for me as well as my wife and siblings for without them none of this would have been possible,” he added.

When reminded of Pakistan’s next tour, which is to South Africa, Yousuf promised he would try and score as many runs in South Africa as possible, even with the bouncy and fast tracks.

He, however, reminded reporters not to look that far ahead as this test match was still in progress.

“We have done such hard work over the past four days and have a good chance of winning the test match.

“We will try and get early wickets tomorrow morning with Lara’s wicket being the key one and hopefully round off the win, and the series, in style,” assured Yousuf.

In light of Mohammad Yousuf’s achievements and milestones, Pakistan Cricket Board will present the PCB Patron’s Gold Medal as well as a reward of one million rupees at the closing ceremony of the Karachi test match on Friday.

© Faras Ghani 2006
Published in The Star 1st Dec 2006