Saturday, 4 August 2012
Friday, 3 August 2012
Friday, 15 January 2010
What Pakistan cricket team needs
And here we are on the verge of losing another test match against Australia and we are yet to go into the third day of the test match. I hope the result is different than what we are all expecting. Having lost the series already, even a draw now would be consoling.
What has happened to our team? The team that won the 1992 world cup, the team that had bowlers like Imran/Wasim/Waqar and lots others which terrorised batsmen all over the world, the team that was so confident that it could hit a six on the last ball and win and on and on. What has really happened to them!
I agree with Javed Miandad that our team basically lacks discipline professionalism. We are the laughing stock of the town given the way we drop catches. Mohammed Yusuf, whilst he may be an excellent batsman, lacks captaincy skills. He is currently publicly criticising Salman Butt for being selfish and getting two other players to run out. Reminds me of the days when I used to play cricket in the local ground and would accuse the other batsman for getting me run out. Sounds similar! The other day Intikhab Alam, our coach, says dropping catches is a cultural issue. Now how is the culture connected to dropping catches?
We need a good captain and a good coach. Discipline is by far the most important factor and as defined on the Wikipedia it is 'the instant willingness and obedience to all orders, respect for authority, self reliance and teamwork...'
At the same time accountability of players and coaches is also important. If the players are constantly dropping catches, then there is something wrong in the way they are selected and coached. They need to be asked about and properly publicised so that people can also judge what is wrong with their national team.
We dont need three coaches. Occassional referrals to specialists is always preferred but the methodology and style of one coach should be enough. A captain who can control the team without any hassles of hierarchy and should have the decision making ability. He should be able to drop players on the basis of their performance and should be able to recommend good players. Currently, it doesn't look like they have any such plans. However, I sincerely hope that there is someone out there in PCB and senior ranks who is thinking about the country, the game of cricket and will take all reasonable steps to ensure we have a truly world class team!
What has happened to our team? The team that won the 1992 world cup, the team that had bowlers like Imran/Wasim/Waqar and lots others which terrorised batsmen all over the world, the team that was so confident that it could hit a six on the last ball and win and on and on. What has really happened to them!
I agree with Javed Miandad that our team basically lacks discipline professionalism. We are the laughing stock of the town given the way we drop catches. Mohammed Yusuf, whilst he may be an excellent batsman, lacks captaincy skills. He is currently publicly criticising Salman Butt for being selfish and getting two other players to run out. Reminds me of the days when I used to play cricket in the local ground and would accuse the other batsman for getting me run out. Sounds similar! The other day Intikhab Alam, our coach, says dropping catches is a cultural issue. Now how is the culture connected to dropping catches?
We need a good captain and a good coach. Discipline is by far the most important factor and as defined on the Wikipedia it is 'the instant willingness and obedience to all orders, respect for authority, self reliance and teamwork...'
At the same time accountability of players and coaches is also important. If the players are constantly dropping catches, then there is something wrong in the way they are selected and coached. They need to be asked about and properly publicised so that people can also judge what is wrong with their national team.
We dont need three coaches. Occassional referrals to specialists is always preferred but the methodology and style of one coach should be enough. A captain who can control the team without any hassles of hierarchy and should have the decision making ability. He should be able to drop players on the basis of their performance and should be able to recommend good players. Currently, it doesn't look like they have any such plans. However, I sincerely hope that there is someone out there in PCB and senior ranks who is thinking about the country, the game of cricket and will take all reasonable steps to ensure we have a truly world class team!
Thursday, 14 January 2010
My top agenda items if I become the Prime Minister of Pakistan!
Politicians keep saying things but we all see not a lot turns into actions! There is no point repeating all the promises made by politicians in the past.
To be clear, I am not a politician but an ordinary Pakistani and have been thinking about what really the Prime Minister should do as a priority. For all those who think it might be easy, it isn't. At least it doesn't look like it.
The top 5 items on my list are as follows:
1. Review all the perquisites and benefits received by national and provincial assembly ministers and government officials. This review has to be critical enough to cut down all the 'extras' and the 'add-ons' these people get. This has always been talked about but never really actioned.
2. On a monthly basis review the total legal cases filed with the courts, the number of cases discharged, review an ageing analysis of the cases and discuss with the CJ the performance of the courts. Ensuring elimination of corruption within the judiciary system. And yes, I am too jealous of the lawyers/judges getting a 2 month summer holiday!!
3. Spend some time with the general public and resolve their issues. And by this I dont mean meeting with the elite class but really the general public and ordering for their issues to be resolved on a priority basis. This is really important if one wants to lead from the front
4. Windfall taxes on industries who are earning profits blindly and at the expense of general public. Just recently we have all seen what happened with availability of sugar to general public and top of that we hear news of sugar industries increasing profits by more than 400%. What a shame! I would like a windfall tax on such industries and ensure the money goes towards the benefit of the public.
5. Surprise visits to government institutions (at least two or three a week!) to see how government employees are behaving, their attitude and timeliness. A mandatory requirement for all ministers to pay such surprise visits and report back on a monthly basis. Employees not coming on time and without a genuine reason to be fired and replaced immediately. There is no shortage of skilled unemployed people in the country.
I would like to say much more and the list can go on and on. Eliminating corruption from grass roots to the top bureacracy, recovering back (even forcefully) loans from individuals and companies that have been written off, and it just goes on and on. Most of these relate to the 2nd point because people are not afraid of committing crimes and corruption as they know they will never get hanged! But where to stop. Some day I hope to take this more forward than this blog!
To be clear, I am not a politician but an ordinary Pakistani and have been thinking about what really the Prime Minister should do as a priority. For all those who think it might be easy, it isn't. At least it doesn't look like it.
The top 5 items on my list are as follows:
1. Review all the perquisites and benefits received by national and provincial assembly ministers and government officials. This review has to be critical enough to cut down all the 'extras' and the 'add-ons' these people get. This has always been talked about but never really actioned.
2. On a monthly basis review the total legal cases filed with the courts, the number of cases discharged, review an ageing analysis of the cases and discuss with the CJ the performance of the courts. Ensuring elimination of corruption within the judiciary system. And yes, I am too jealous of the lawyers/judges getting a 2 month summer holiday!!
3. Spend some time with the general public and resolve their issues. And by this I dont mean meeting with the elite class but really the general public and ordering for their issues to be resolved on a priority basis. This is really important if one wants to lead from the front
4. Windfall taxes on industries who are earning profits blindly and at the expense of general public. Just recently we have all seen what happened with availability of sugar to general public and top of that we hear news of sugar industries increasing profits by more than 400%. What a shame! I would like a windfall tax on such industries and ensure the money goes towards the benefit of the public.
5. Surprise visits to government institutions (at least two or three a week!) to see how government employees are behaving, their attitude and timeliness. A mandatory requirement for all ministers to pay such surprise visits and report back on a monthly basis. Employees not coming on time and without a genuine reason to be fired and replaced immediately. There is no shortage of skilled unemployed people in the country.
I would like to say much more and the list can go on and on. Eliminating corruption from grass roots to the top bureacracy, recovering back (even forcefully) loans from individuals and companies that have been written off, and it just goes on and on. Most of these relate to the 2nd point because people are not afraid of committing crimes and corruption as they know they will never get hanged! But where to stop. Some day I hope to take this more forward than this blog!
Saturday, 9 January 2010
The next prime minister of Pakistan!
So this is my first blog on this site! And the subject is what I really want and the guy I admire or rather I have started admiring very recently. Mustafa Kamal the current mayor of Karachi is probably the best option Pakistan has for its next Prime Minister.
Irrespective of whatever party he belongs to, he is the best option we have. His love for Karachi and the people of Karachi shows how true patriots are. His role in the development of Karachi city is commendable. I visited Karachi after about two years and noted a visible change. Infrastructure has improved than it previously was. I can't say it is best as it really isn't but it was definitely better than what it was before. New roads and bridges connecting the various parts of the city were really appreciative and showed the efforts that were being put in.
The one thing I couldn't see however were the volunteers from 'I own Karachi' which I had heard about a few months back. I was told that traffic rules are being followed by people and volunteers from all walks of life were actually acting as 'traffic volunteers' controlling the traffic within the city. Anyway this wasn't something I really missed. I think people need to change too. And I also think a majority of people want an improved and developed Karachi (and Pakistan) but its because of some corrupt people (including government officials and not to mention policemen!) we end up having to deal with all sorts of irregularities and law and order issues within the city.
I have been watching Mustafa Kamal's interviews on various TV channels including this morning on ARY's 'subah bakhair' and there were really worth watching. The compere had tears in her eyes by the end of the program. He is one guy who does not indulge in so called 'drawing room politics', unlike his party's leader, rather he is out on the streets dealing with common people and thinking about its people. What a shame for those people who actually blamed him for the 27th December carnage in Karachi (on the tenth of Muharram). I hope all people think about the city and the country in the same way as he does. I am personally not a big follower of MQM (to which he belongs) but there are individuals who make up the nation and not these organisations. I wish and I sincerely wish if he could become the next prime minister of Pakistan. I am 31 years old and have seen a few general elections but have never voted. Why I haven't voted has been for various reasons. But this time around if there are chances of him becoming the Prime Minister of Pakistan I will certainly make an effort and go out to vote for him. Hope all the best for him and I hope we continue to get leaders like him in future.
Irrespective of whatever party he belongs to, he is the best option we have. His love for Karachi and the people of Karachi shows how true patriots are. His role in the development of Karachi city is commendable. I visited Karachi after about two years and noted a visible change. Infrastructure has improved than it previously was. I can't say it is best as it really isn't but it was definitely better than what it was before. New roads and bridges connecting the various parts of the city were really appreciative and showed the efforts that were being put in.
The one thing I couldn't see however were the volunteers from 'I own Karachi' which I had heard about a few months back. I was told that traffic rules are being followed by people and volunteers from all walks of life were actually acting as 'traffic volunteers' controlling the traffic within the city. Anyway this wasn't something I really missed. I think people need to change too. And I also think a majority of people want an improved and developed Karachi (and Pakistan) but its because of some corrupt people (including government officials and not to mention policemen!) we end up having to deal with all sorts of irregularities and law and order issues within the city.
I have been watching Mustafa Kamal's interviews on various TV channels including this morning on ARY's 'subah bakhair' and there were really worth watching. The compere had tears in her eyes by the end of the program. He is one guy who does not indulge in so called 'drawing room politics', unlike his party's leader, rather he is out on the streets dealing with common people and thinking about its people. What a shame for those people who actually blamed him for the 27th December carnage in Karachi (on the tenth of Muharram). I hope all people think about the city and the country in the same way as he does. I am personally not a big follower of MQM (to which he belongs) but there are individuals who make up the nation and not these organisations. I wish and I sincerely wish if he could become the next prime minister of Pakistan. I am 31 years old and have seen a few general elections but have never voted. Why I haven't voted has been for various reasons. But this time around if there are chances of him becoming the Prime Minister of Pakistan I will certainly make an effort and go out to vote for him. Hope all the best for him and I hope we continue to get leaders like him in future.
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