TERRORISTS KILL PLAYERS AND SPECTATORS AT LOCAL CRICKET CLUB IN PAKISTAN

Unknown terrorists assaulted and killed 8 people including players and spectators and left 15 more injured during a match at the Quetta cricket club in Pakistan today (May 6, 2011).


The attack, which lasted for at least 25 minutes, included 12 to 15 armed men, who entered the ground, opened fire and threw rockets indiscriminately. The culprits had fled the scene by the time the Police arrived.


A local police officer, Hamid Shakeel, told the media, “Eight people have died while 15 more injured in the attack so far.”As per the initial reports, some club players were playing an informal match at a cricket ground situated in the suburbs of Quetta city, the capital of Baluchistan.


There were no security arrangements at the venue. The terrorists came and operated conveniently. During the 25-minute long episode, the Police force failed to arrive.


There is contrasting public opinion regarding the heinous incident. Some consider it an activity of the ethnic groups while others link it to the ongoing terrorist wave in the country after the death of the Al-Qaeda chief, Osama bin Laden.Unfortunately for Pakistan Cricket, this attack has sent another bitter message to the International community. International teams have been averse to the idea of playing in Pakistan and this incident may hamper the expected Pakistan-India and Pakistan-Sri Lanka series.


In a country which has been witnessing unabated terrorism since the dawn of 21st century, it is the second onslaught on the game of cricket. The first incident was in March of 2009, when the convoy of Team Sri Lanka was targeted in Lahore.


Since then, cricket in the country has suffered immensely. Widespread terrorist activities deprived Pakistan of the opportunity to host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.Police has registered the case and started their investigation. The ground has been sealed.

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CHIGUMBURA STEPS DOWN FROM CAPTAINCY TO FOCUS ON HIS OWN GAME

The Zimbabwean cricket team’s skipper, Elton Chigumbura, has resigned from team leadership in order to focus on his personal performance as a player.

He has taken this decision in the wake of his side’s lackluster World Cup campaign. He thinks that he can play better as a player than as a captain.

Talking to media about his decision, Chigumbura said, “I have thought long and hard about the job since my return from World Cup and I have consulted my family and friends about it.” He further elaborated, “While some still think I should have stayed on, others agreed with me that I needed to concentrate on my own game and let somebody else lead the team.”

Chigumbura took over the reins of his team in May last year. He captaincy experience remained sour as he could not extract any remarkable performance as a leader despite the fact that he had been playing well as a player.

During the just concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Team Zimbabwe failed badly. Not to speak of any upset, it could not even demonstrate any mentionable performance. Having lost some key games, they were kicked out in the first round of the tournament.

Following their World Cup demise, the Rhodesians received extensive criticism from the national media and the local cricket lovers. Not only the players but also the team management came under fire. The people demanded change in the team’s composition in order to improve its standard.

In the flood of censure, Chigumbura had been a major subject. He has decided to step down as skipper and work towards polishing his performance as a player in the best interests of the team and the nation.

The 25-year-old is an excellent all-rounder. He has inherent qualities to deliver well under all circumstances. Making his international debut in 2004, Chigumbura soon proved himself a brilliant all-rounder.

Chigumbura has played 6 Tests, 128 ODIs and 14 T20s. His averages in all formats are very impressive.

Now, the all-rounder is eager to relive his past glory. Shunning the responsibilities of leadership, he will have the time and opportunities to flourish as a reliable and consistent player.

Right now, there are two options with the Zimbabwean cricket board to choose a new leader from.

One is batsman Hamilton Masakadza and the other is Brendan Taylor, the former seems to be the more potential candidate in terms of replacing Chigumbura.

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CORPORATE BOXES, A LUCRATIVE BUSINESS FOR INDIAN STADIUMS AND INDUSTRIALISTS

The Corporate industry has always had a lot of say in every walk of life. Utilizing the power of money, the corporate owners extend their patronage and sponsorship to sports that are considered to be potential sources for through- the- line advertisement.

With India being a rapidly emerging world economy, the corporate culture in the country is gaining roots quickly. With over a billion people, India has great potential for business development. Some leading Industrial tycoons of the world hail from India as well.

Since half a decade, a new trend, ‘cricket under corporate’, has been on the rise in India. All the ace industrial groups have owned cricket, thanks to the Indian Premier League (IPL).

At the start of every League season, different players and teams are auctioned and purchased often by wealthy industrialists.

The IPL has now given birth to a new trend that is ‘corporate boxes in cricket stadiums during matches’.

Some top Indian cricket stadiums like Eden Gardens and Wankhede Stadium have developed boxes comprising 10 to 12 seats. These boxes are erected at the forefront of stadiums.

Before the start of any game, some ace industrialists bid for boxes and purchase them. During the game, these boxes are used to entertain clients and business partners with wine and dine.

During the ongoing IPL season, the cost of a box is roughly estimated at $ 1.25 million.

The just concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 also witnessed many such activities especially in the Semi-Final and Final games.

Some Bollywood stars like Aamir Khan and some big industrialists like Mukesh Ambani were included among the top box buyers. Some banks and multi-national companies also invested in the luxury.

Eying more lucrative opportunities, the stadiums are redesigning and increasing the number of boxes to provide comfort and facilities to the buyers. Eden Gardens has increased the number of corporate boxes from 12 to 32 and Wankhede stadium contains 57 boxes currently.

The boxes are equipped with all modern facilities of dining, seating, entertainment, fun and much more. They are prepared with great care and furnished with great symmetry.

The stadiums sell their boxes for heavy amounts and for long periods of contract. Recently, the Mohali stadium has sold each of its boxes for seven million rupees for a period of 10 years. The Wankhede sold its 57 boxes for 55 million rupees on a 10-year contract.

The format of the IPL has been designed in a way to perk up the box business. Every league franchise is entitled to play most of its tournament games at its home ground. Thus the franchise owners purchase more and more boxes to attract support and display their power.

During the matches of Kolkata Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan’s team, the cost of a box raises up to 200, 000 rupees.

A spokesperson of the KKR, Joy Bhattacharya, says, “We are getting a great response for these corporate boxes.” An official of the Rajasthan Royals claims that the boxes are an important source of revenue and benefit their business as well.

The Delhi Daredevils’ marketing manager, P. Phaneendra, tells, “While there is no way to definitely know what is discussed inside the corporate boxes, we know people do talk beyond cricket, sometimes it is business.”

Thus the corporate boxes provide fruitful business opportunities to both the stadium owners and the box buying industrialists.

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SANIA UP FOR INDO-PAK CRICKET TIES TO BRING THE COUNTRIES TOGETHER

The Indian Tennis star, Sania Mirza, has strongly advocated the resumption of cricket relations between the two neighboring arch-rivals, India and Pakistan.

Sania, who recently married renowned Pakistani cricketer, Shoaib Malik, thinks that cricket can play a key role in bridging the years old gaps between the two Asian giants.

Talking to the media, Sania said, “The very fact is obviously people love it. I think it can make the relations between the two countries better.”

Sania’s statement is a follow-up of the cricket diplomacy that was restarted on the occasion of the Semi-final clash between India and Pakistan during the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

 The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, invited his Pakistani counterpart and both the political leaders watched the match together. Referring to that game, Sania said, “It is obvious, you have the two Prime Ministers watching together, so it is good stuff.”

Sania and Shoaib married in April last year. Both the sport stars were in love with each other. The marriage drew great criticism and opposition from Pakistan and the extremist circles of India. The couple is now leading a happy and successful life.

Pakistan and India formed the Subcontinent and had been part of the British Colonial rule in the past. The partition came into effect in 1947 and since then, the two nations have been at loggers head on different issues and have even turned to war four times.

Historically speaking, the game of cricket had been playing an instrumental role in diffusing tensions and bringing the two countries close.

In order to streamline the advantages of cricket, an ex-president of Pakistan, Gen Zia-ul-Haq, initiated cricket diplomacy in 1980s. This policy had been in operation till 2008 when the terrorist attacks in India led to the cutting off of all bilateral relations.

The ICC Cricket World Cup Semi-final gave the two sides an opportunity to hold negotiations on core issues and look towards normalizing bilateral relations.

Following the World Cup, both the countries have been engaged in diplomatic campaigns that are likely to produce some positive results.

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DHONI LEADS FIVE INDIANS IN THE TIME'S 100 INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE LIST

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, The ICC World Cup 2011 winning skipper for the Indian cricket team, leads five Indians who are included in the Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential personalities of the world. The list, released on Thursday, shows Dhoni holding the 52th position with Wael Ghonim, a Google executive, at the top of the hundred.

Besides Dhoni, the other four Indians are industrial tycoon and social activists including Mukesh Ambani, V.S Ramachandran, Azim Premji and Aruna Roy. The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg is ranked six while the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, holds the 9th position.

Dhoni even tops the American president, Barack Obama. Dhoni is the second Indian captain to bring home the ICC Cricket World Cup title after a gap of 28 years. India won the first World Cup in 1983. India is credited to be the first hosting nation to claim the coveted Trophy in their home ground.

Dhoni led his side marvellously through the tournament as The Men in Blue played with great harmony and passion under his inspirational leadership. His performance in three roles as wicketkeeper, batsman and captain were commendable.

Having beaten their arch-rival Pakistan in the quarter-final, India won the World Cup 2011 by defeating Sri Lanka in the final game on April 2.

The publishers of the lost describes Dhoni as, “Universally acknowledged as India’s best captain ever. He has also its most likable, exuding both cool confidence and down-to-earth humility.” The magazine further writes, “Dhoni does not just lead a cricket team, he is also Inida’s captain of hope. And he did not just win India the World Cup; he also taught India how to win.”

The 29-year-old Dhoni has had many high points in his seven-year career. He was elevated to captaincy at a very early stage and led India on many occasions with success. With his excellent hold over midwicket, Dhoni possessed sterling batting skills. He is also leading the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season.

With a tag of World Champions, Dhoni has become a marketing goldmine. Many top brands of the world have signed him as their brand ambassador with large amounts of money. He is also a brand ambassador of the Indian Election Commission. Possessing a charming personality, he is as influential on TV screen as on the field of cricket.

The title of the Time magazine is a matter of great honour for Dhoni and of great pride for India that poses to be a rapidly growing economy. After Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Kapil Dev, the Indians have also included MS Dhoni in the list legends whom they love. Indian mothers have even started naming their children after Dhoni. 

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