Dr. Khalid Naseem,
ex General Secretary of the Pakistan Philatelic Society, intends
to bring the past alive in pictures. He therefore presents his
rare collection of stamps, currencies for his esteemed readers.
A
poor performance against the Kiwis They
should not be complacent – this is what the experts had warned. The
team’s performance now calls for a “do or die” effort against the strong
Australians led by Tait and the veteran Mike Hussey back in the team
after fitness problems. The sloppy fielding led by Kamran Akmal has to
improve through mental toughness and not through further training. The
selection committee is not making full use of the veteran, Abdul Razzak
at number three. Furthermore, we immediately need to drop Ahmed Shehzad
who has flopped badly. With the available players, we have to form a
team to achieve the best possible results - Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul,
Afridi, Saeed Ajmal & Abdul Rehman could be the main strike bowlers with
Abdul Razzak and Muhammad Hafeez as the supporting bowlers. The batting
order should remain unchanged with the exception of Abdul Razzak coming
in at one down position with Kamran Akmal opening with Mohammad Hafeez.
Bravo
Pakistan The
men in green have shown great resilience in the face of severe criticism
emanating from spot-fixing allegations against some key players. The
Seniors have come back with a bang - the batsmen have performed well and
so too, the depleted attack led by Shoaib Akhtar and Company —Shoaib is
still, as he has shown, despite not being fully fit – a potent force, he
can still unsettle opposing batsmen in short “furious spells”. Umar Gul
is striving hard to achieve peak form and Abdul Razzak is performing
“the containing role” well but is unable to strike from with the bat by
coming in at number eight. Imran Khan has rightly said “we are a bowler
short”. So either a seamer, Wahab Riaz or a spinner, Saeed Ajmal should
be included in the playing eleven. Kamran Akmal, the unimpressive
gloveman, should be asked to open the innings with Mohammad Hafeez to
create a slot for either a seamer or a spinner. The Pakistan team
captain will then be able to make judicious use of the main strike
bowlers including himself.
The
legendary Hanif Mohammad had the ability to stay at the wicket for hours
with out losing concentration. His monumental innings of 337 compiled in
16 hours and 10 minutes earned Pakistan a creditable draw in the 1st
test at Bridgetown, Barbados in 1958. He courageously stood up against
some of the best bowlers of his time namely; Alec Bedser, Roy Gilchrist,
Wesley Hall, Alan Davidson, Freddie Trueman and Brian Statham. Despite
being small in stature, his wide repertoire of strokes was unmatched and
he played every ball on merit.
Shujuddin
This writer, as a school
student was lucky to watch Hanif Mohammad in action at the Dacca (Dhaka)
Stadium in the 2nd test of 1961-62 series. He scored a patient knock of
111 runs in the 1st innings followed by 104 in the 2nd innings there by
becoming the first Pakistan batsman to score a hundred in each innings
of a test match.
Another Pakistani batsman who had this quality was Shujauddin Butt.
Shuja, as he was popularly known, spent 318 minutes for his 45 runs - a
brave effort to unsuccessfully ward off defeat against Australia in the
2nd test of 1959-60 rubber.
Today’s batsmen though adequately protected do not have the will or the
courage to stay and negotiate swinging, rising and turning deliveries
and hence they bring early demise to their innings. Test matches call
for immense concentration which unfortunately is lacking in the present
set of Pakistani cricketers.
Twenty20
is a completely different form of game. The key to victory is slogging.
The loser, especially in Pakistan, ends up with wild accusations of
throwing away matches through match fixing.
In Pakistan, however, the allegations of match- fixing is not only
confined to Twenty20 but also to one day and test matches.
Why the sorry state of affairs? People are eager to know the answers -
some prominent players have been punished. Their crimes have not been
officially divulged. Match fixing, though visible to the naked eye
through players on-field performance, cannot really be proved as it
passes through many hands. The Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan
is faced with a dilemma “ to publish or not to publish”. It is now time
for the people of Pakistan to know the facts about cricketers abnormal
activities on tours abroad and their lackadaisical attitude towards
their profession despite being handsomely paid per month and through
placement in
different
categories A-B-C, depending upon seniority /performance.
Match fixing, if not dealt with swiftly and severely will continue to
haunt the minds of Pakistanis at and abroad. Therefore the need of the
hour is the establishment of a committee headed by a retired Justice of
the Supreme /High court and comprising former test cricketers with no
allegations of any kind against them. The findings of this committee
along with proposed punishment should be acceptable to all.
The role of under-performers, intrigue-makers, plotters in the team
should also be referred to this special committee. Only through adoption
of this method will the game of cricket improve in Pakistan. At one time
there can only be one leader and the other 10 players have to accept
this leader. Greame Smith is a classic example - he was nominated as
South Africa’s Captain at a very young age and senior players like Shaun
Pollock, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener all gave him wonderful support.
MansoorAli Khan , the former Nawab of Pataudi, was in his early 20’s,
when he took over as India’s Captain. Polly Umrigar and Vijay Manjrekar
lent him admirable support.
Why can’t some of our players accept the decisions of the Board? They
have to realize that their sole aim is not to earn money through dubious
means but to perform and represent their country as worthy ambassadors
of Pakistan which has given them so much in return.
Naseer Ahmad Bunda is acknowledged as one of the greatest hockey players
of the sub-continent. He brought many laurels for the country, the
greatest being the first ever gold for Pakistan at the Rome Olympics of
1960. He scored the all important goal in the 12th minute of the first
half by latching on to an accurate pass from right out Noor Alam and
then dodging 2 Indian defenders to finally deflect the ball into the
net.
Memorable pictures
He had the extra-ordinary ability to control the ball at lightening like
speed. He seldom wore boots and his exploits on the field during
Pakistan’s tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1958 earned him the
nick-name of “twinkle toes” and “Mickey Mouse”.
His International career started in 1954 and ended in 1964. He was
amongst the 4 recipients of the Helm Award in 1960. On March 23rd, 1962
he was conferred with the Pride of Performance Award by the government.
He was thrice nominated by the Hockey Federation of Pakistan as selector
-1967, 1978-80 and 1990.
We do not see players of his class and caliber in the Pakistan team
these days and hence the overall decline in this game of hockey.
Acknowledgement
The writer is indebted to Mr. Jamshaid Ahmed for providing memorable
photographs and other details of Naseer Ahmed Bunda.
Dr. Khalid Naseem, ex General
Secretary of the Pakistan Philatelic Society, intends to bring
the past alive in pictures. He therefore presents his rare
collection of stamps, currencies for his esteemed readers.
Pearl Route Inaugural – PIA Dacca (Dhaka) - Tokyo flight.
Pakistan Post Office issued this FIRST DAY COVER on 1st
November, 1969.
Pakistan Post Office issued this FIRST DAY COVER on 14th August,
1962 on PAKISTAN SPORTS SERIES.
Decimal High Value Definitives
Great Britain’s
first decimal stamps of 10, 20 & 50 pence were issued on
17th June, 1970. Here is a copy of the First Day Cover:-
Pakistan Post Office on 13th February, 1966
commemorated the ARMED
FORCES DAY by issuing 1,500,000 stamps of 15 paisa denomination. The
first day cover seen hereunder was cancelled at Chittagang in the
erstwhile East Pakistan, a reminder of United Pakistan.
Pakistan Posts & Telegraph Department – celebrated the Police Centenary
on 30th November, 1961
by bringing out two stamps of 13 and 40 paisa
denomination. These stamps were issued in quantities – 600,000 (13
paisa) and 300,000 (40 paisa).
The slogan appearing on the reverse of the first day cover is
noteworthy:-
“ Instead of being the strong arm of an alien power, the Police
Force in Pakistan
is a faithful watchdog of the people, its friends and servant”.
A
set of 4 stamps 2 ½ d, 3d, 6d and 1s issued on 29th July, 1948
by the British Post Office to commemorate the London Olympic
games.
When Nasreen and Jawed Ahsan went to a newly established English Medium
School to get their 3 year old son admitted they found that the
Admission and two months ( June/July) Tuition fees totalling Rs.
40,000/- were too much not only for them but for even parents with
substantial income. Nasreen and Jawed came home wondering what the
future would be of the new generation in a country where there is
noticeable scarcity of properly run state-owned educational
institutions.
Taking advantage of this scarcity, the private sector during the last
few years, has entered this business in waves especially in the urban
areas. Schools and Colleges can be seen operating from even small houses
with little or no facilities charging exorbitant amounts.
“Tuition fees are enhanced substantially yearly and the Education &
Literacy Department does nothing to stop this practice” said Mrs. Qarni,
mother of 3 school going children. Another mother added “if we object,
our children are harassed by the school management”. There are
exceptions, no doubt, and some schools especially run by giant
conglomerates and philanthropists do follow Government directives.
In a country like Pakistan where the official literacy rate is around
23% it is imperative that more and more schools and colleges are opened
both by the Government as well as by the Private Sector. But to achieve
success a proper base must be established. The question of teaching
through the medium of English or through the national language must be
resolved. If English is to be declared as the medium of instruction then
it must be both for the Government and Private Sector Institutions. The
private sector should not exclusively be asked to take care of this
area. Urdu as national language must be encouraged, thereby not meaning
that English should be eliminated altogether. The importance of English
in today’s world has to be realized and the subject kept as one of the
core courses both at Secondary and Higher Secondary levels.
The Government if due to paucity of funds, despite recent encouraging
pronouncements, is unable to expand its present disorganized network of
schools and colleges then it should spell out clear-cut policies for the
private sector; such as proper tuition fees; proper classrooms and play
areas; uniform curriculum of studies and above all good salaries to
teachers who should also be dedicated and hardworking. The practice of
giving home-work or assignments to students be discouraged and the
students made to work or study only during school-hours which of course
can be enhanced until evenings.
What actually is needed to arrest the deteriorating situation is close
public-private sector co-operation and the establishment of an
“Education Cell” manned by 100% educationists willing to frame education
policies and at the same time ensure its proper compliance.
Pakistan’s
1st official test was against India at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground,
Delhi. It was played on the 16th, 17th and 18th October, 1952.
Pakistan’s wicketkeeper was the legendary Hanif Mohammed. In the first
three tests Hanif Mohammed kept wickets. He however gave way to that
gentleman cricketer, Imtiaz Ahmed for the 4th and 5th tests. From then
on Imtiaz was Pakistan’s first choice wicketkeeper. During Pakistan’s
first official test series of 1954 against England his work behind the
stumps was excellent. In England’s mammoth total of 558 runs in the 2nd
test he conceded only 2 byes against two of the best bowlers operating
at that time for Pakistan – Khan Mohammed and Fazal Mahmood. During
Pakistan’s tour of England in 1962 he did not concede a single bye in
England’s healthy score of 428 in the 4th test. If South Africa’s John
Waite, England’s Godfrey Evans and Australia’s Wally Grout were
considered great wicketkeepers; Imtiaz with his equally good performance
was not far behind.
Imtiaz was a very good stylish middle order batsman who also opened the
innings to accommodate an extra batsman or a bowler. He scored a
magnificent 209 against New Zealand (1955-56 series) to become the first
wicketkeeper to score a double hundred and the highest by a number eight
batsman
Imtiaz played his last test match for Pakistan at the Oval, London, 5th
test of the 1962 series, and became at that time the 2nd batsman after
Hanif Mohammed to score 2000 runs for Pakistan. Ijaz Butt, the current
PCB Chairman, was Imtiaz’s opening partner but did not keep wickets. In
all he scored 2079 runs at an average 29.28 and had 93 victims behind
the stumps.
Nasim-ul-Ghani
at the age of 16 years 248 days became the youngest player in 1957-58
series against the West Indies to make his test debut for Pakistan. In
this drawn 1st test two other Pakistani players – Saeed Ahmed (batsman)
and Haseeb Ahsan (off-spinner) also made their test debuts. This match
is famous for Hanif Mohammad’s marathon innings of 337 made in 16 hours
and 10 minutes. In the 4th test of this series at Georgetown he became
the youngest bowler to take 5 wickets in a test innings - among his
victims were the famous Gary Sobers, Everton Weekes and Rohan Kanhai.
Nasim was slow left-arm bowler who baffled the opposing batsman with his
turn even on docile wickets. He was also a good solid lower order
batsman coming in to bat at number 7 or 8 and doing his job wonderfully
well with the willow. He first showed his prowess as a batsman with a
solid knock of 70 not out in the drawn 2nd test at Kanpur in the
India–Pakistan series of 1960-61. In 1962 in the 2nd test at Lords,
London he became the first Pakistani batsman to score a test hundred in
England. Although, Pakistan lost this match by nine wickets, Nasim is
remembered for his fighting knock of 101 and his 5th wicket partnership
of 197 with skipper Javed Burki. England’s bowling attack in those days
consisted of the fabled pair of Freddie Trueman and Brian Statham backed
by Len Coldwell, Ted Dexter, David Allen and Tony Lock. He played test
cricket for Pakistan until 1967 when he bowed out after the 2nd test
against England at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. He scored 11 and 6 in the
two innings he batted and took 1 for 20 from 8 overs. He was not
selected to play for Pakistan thereafter as by then several spinners
came into the side – Pervez Sajjad, Intekhab Alam, Salahuddin and
Mushtaq Mohammed.
Nasim-ul-Ghani is now leading a retired life and can be traced at his
home city of Karachi.
Saeed
Ahmed made his test debut against West Indies at Bridgetown,
Barbados. It was the first test of the 1957-58 series, primarily
remembered for Hanif Mohammed’s marathon innings of 337 runs. Saeed made
13 and 65 in the two innings and altogether in this series made 508 runs
including 150 in the 4th test. His average was a very healthy 56.44 runs
per innings.
Saeed Ahmed was tall and athletically built and was a delight to watch
in action. His back-foot and front-foot drives were exquisitely made. He
had the ability to force the pace of the game and at the same time the
ability to defend in times of crises. Rarely do we come across a batsman
of his class and calibre. He was a useful off-break bowler and his best
bowling figures were 4 for 64 in England’s 1st innings score of 306 in
the first test at Lahore (1968-69 series).
In the drawn 5 test 1960-61 series against India his total aggregate of
runs was 460. Even during Pakistan’s disastrous tour of 1962 to England
he managed to score a total of 302 runs.
He was integral part of the test team until 1968-1969. He captained
Pakistan in this 3- test rubber. The first test at Lahore and third at
Karachi were abandoned due to frequent crowd invasions and rioting. The
2nd at Dacca (Dhaka) was controlled by the students and hence played on
all 5 days. The political climate in the two wings of Pakistan at that
time did not permit the fans to enjoy these 3 tests.
Saeed is now a preacher totally engaged in religious activities and is
mostly based outside the country.
Very
few people know that the South Africans battered the Australians 4 –
0 in 1969-70. It was the first time that they had won four matches
in a rubber against Australia and by convincing margins:-
1st test at Cape Town – by 170 runs
2nd test at Durban – by an innings and 129 runs
3rd test at Johannesburg – by 307 runs
4th test at Port Elizabeth – by 323 runs
The South Africans in this rubber put up a spirited performance
knowing fully well that these four matches were their last before
being disbanded because of South African government’s anti-apartheid
policies.
In the 1960’s South Africa produced some very exciting players and
two brothers namely, Graeme and Peter Pollock could be described as
the mainstay of their team. Peter Pollock alongwith Mike Proctor,
Neil Adcock and Joe Partridge did not give any respite to the
batsmen of opposing teams in 1960’s.
Australia had some very good batsmen in Bill Lawry, Ian Chappel,
Keith Stackpole and Dong Walters in this rubber (1969-70) but
Pollock, Proctor and Goddard were too good for them.
Peter’s brother, Graeme was the pick of the South African batsmen
and in cricketing terms could be described as “the scourge of the
Australians”. Graeme was admirably supported by two other
world-class players namely Barry Richards and Eddie Barlow.
Had South Africa not been excommunicated after the 4th test ending
10th of March, 1970 they would have surely continued their march
forward and not allowed either the West Indians or the Australians
to gain an upper hand in 1970’s and 80’s.
They
should not be complacent – this is what the experts had warned. The
team’s performance now calls for a “do or die” effort against the strong
Australians led by Tait and the veteran Mike Hussey back in the team
after fitness problems. The sloppy fielding led by Kamran Akmal has to
improve through mental toughness and not through further training. The
selection committee is not making full use of the veteran, Abdul Razzak
at number three. Furthermore, we immediately need to drop Ahmed Shehzad
who has flopped badly. With the available players, we have to form a
team to achieve the best possible results - Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul,
Afridi, Saeed Ajmal & Abdul Rehman could be the main strike bowlers with
Abdul Razzak and Muhammad Hafeez as the supporting bowlers. The batting
order should remain unchanged with the exception of Abdul Razzak coming
in at one down position with Kamran Akmal opening with Mohammad Hafeez.
The
men in green have shown great resilience in the face of severe criticism
emanating from spot-fixing allegations against some key players. The
Seniors have come back with a bang - the batsmen have performed well and
so too, the depleted attack led by Shoaib Akhtar and Company —Shoaib is
still, as he has shown, despite not being fully fit – a potent force, he
can still unsettle opposing batsmen in short “furious spells”. Umar Gul
is striving hard to achieve peak form and Abdul Razzak is performing
“the containing role” well but is unable to strike from with the bat by
coming in at number eight. Imran Khan has rightly said “we are a bowler
short”. So either a seamer, Wahab Riaz or a spinner, Saeed Ajmal should
be included in the playing eleven. Kamran Akmal, the unimpressive
gloveman, should be asked to open the innings with Mohammad Hafeez to
create a slot for either a seamer or a spinner. The Pakistan team
captain will then be able to make judicious use of the main strike
bowlers including himself. 
The
legendary Hanif Mohammad had the ability to stay at the wicket for hours
with out losing concentration. His monumental innings of 337 compiled in
16 hours and 10 minutes earned Pakistan a creditable draw in the 1st
test at Bridgetown, Barbados in 1958. He courageously stood up against
some of the best bowlers of his time namely; Alec Bedser, Roy Gilchrist,
Wesley Hall, Alan Davidson, Freddie Trueman and Brian Statham. Despite
being small in stature, his wide repertoire of strokes was unmatched and
he played every ball on merit.
Twenty20
is a completely different form of game. The key to victory is slogging.
The loser, especially in Pakistan, ends up with wild accusations of
throwing away matches through match fixing.
different
categories A-B-C, depending upon seniority /performance.
Pakistan’s
1st official test was against India at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground,
Delhi. It was played on the 16th, 17th and 18th October, 1952.
Pakistan’s wicketkeeper was the legendary Hanif Mohammed. In the first
three tests Hanif Mohammed kept wickets. He however gave way to that
gentleman cricketer, Imtiaz Ahmed for the 4th and 5th tests. From then
on Imtiaz was Pakistan’s first choice wicketkeeper. During Pakistan’s
first official test series of 1954 against England his work behind the
stumps was excellent. In England’s mammoth total of 558 runs in the 2nd
test he conceded only 2 byes against two of the best bowlers operating
at that time for Pakistan – Khan Mohammed and Fazal Mahmood. During
Pakistan’s tour of England in 1962 he did not concede a single bye in
England’s healthy score of 428 in the 4th test. If South Africa’s John
Waite, England’s Godfrey Evans and Australia’s Wally Grout were
considered great wicketkeepers; Imtiaz with his equally good performance
was not far behind.
Nasim-ul-Ghani
at the age of 16 years 248 days became the youngest player in 1957-58
series against the West Indies to make his test debut for Pakistan. In
this drawn 1st test two other Pakistani players – Saeed Ahmed (batsman)
and Haseeb Ahsan (off-spinner) also made their test debuts. This match
is famous for Hanif Mohammad’s marathon innings of 337 made in 16 hours
and 10 minutes. In the 4th test of this series at Georgetown he became
the youngest bowler to take 5 wickets in a test innings - among his
victims were the famous Gary Sobers, Everton Weekes and Rohan Kanhai.
Saeed
Ahmed made his test debut against West Indies at Bridgetown,
Barbados. It was the first test of the 1957-58 series, primarily
remembered for Hanif Mohammed’s marathon innings of 337 runs. Saeed made
13 and 65 in the two innings and altogether in this series made 508 runs
including 150 in the 4th test. His average was a very healthy 56.44 runs
per innings.
Very
few people know that the South Africans battered the Australians 4 –
0 in 1969-70. It was the first time that they had won four matches
in a rubber against Australia and by convincing margins:-