. Would you care to tell us a bit about yourself
My interests include cricket, music and technology. I am currently studying for my GCSEs. And Anjum is not my real name, I made it up.
. How did it all start, your interest in cricket as it is.
It just did. The 1999 WC was really big for me, and that really got me into the game. I’ve been hooked ever since.
. Do you think that cricket is interesting only for those who were either born into it one way or another and would something like the Test version could come across as extremely boring and pointless to an outsider, or is there some intrinsic element of interest in the game itself?
Many people I know have branded cricket as the most boring sport in existence. Once when going to watch a match, a friend of mine replied ‘paid to be bored – that’s a new one’. I think it has a lot to do with your background, and us lot just have ‘nasha’ for cricket. Its is most definitely one of the less fashoiable sports – many see it as a bunch of ‘bhoode’ in white shirts playing on a large field (no pun intended at Arshad Khan).
. Your favourites and heroes and more importantly, why?
Erm…a tough one. I guess I have to go with Shoaib Akhtar for one, for he is the guy that really got me hooked on cricket. Ever since seeing him in the 1999 WC, I wondered what I’d been wasting my life doing.
. Do you go for players with flair or the more bookish ones? Is that an approach you take in nearly everything in your life? And no, you cannot say that both have their merits
Bookish ones. Full stop. Flair is brilliant, but as is the case with Afridi, Imran Nazir, you may not always end up on the winning side.
. What would you say, generally determines your decision, the morality of it all or the practicality of things
Morality. Definitely.
. I remember that in the beginning(on old PP) you used to be the 'news' person and less of a poster. That has changed in recent times. What would you ascribe that to? Do you think the post competition with that fellow from Lahore, marooned, has something to do with it?
Those were the good old days. Every other role seemed to be taken on the old PP, so I tried my best to make an impression. As for Marooned, I have to say that he is the most improved poster on PP.
. How do you think PP has changed and be honest
It has changed for the better. All those silly restrictions on SN are gone forever, and now that we are independent, and with the acquisition of Nauman who has been really quite superb so far, I feel PP is the best Cricketing site ever.
. Quite a few of the younger lads on PP speak in a thuggish style, how do you feel about it, specially since your writing style has that old school, polished feel to it. What could be the reasons for such deviances? Should it be acceptable?
Well it is strange as I see myself as part of the ‘younger lads’, but I really don’t participate in this hip hop culture. As long as the writing is not offensive, I see nothing wrong with people choosing different styles to express themselves.
. I have very rarely seen you post in an OT thread and it is difficult to think that you have no other interests than Cricket. Your thoughts?
I am totally hooked on cricket – at times I miss days of school to watch games. I play in the rain all the time. But I do have other interests (no I am not that sad!), including technology, music, studying.
. Going by your nick, is it fair to say that you are an egotist or is it the happy exuberance of youth? (Awesome..)
Its all I could think of at the time. And to be honest, I am quite awesome!
. Finally, would you care to expound on any topic of your interest? Would be glad to know what inspires you.
I’m into History and hope to be a barrister when I am older. I work hard in my studies and am predicted A’s for my finals in 2006. What inspires me is watching people work hard to achieve certain things. I really admire those who have the courage of their convictions to be bold enough to change the world, especially in this capitalist, globalised world.
. What have you learnt about people in general and changes if any that you have thought of inculcating in yourself?
I have learnt a fair bit about people and have seen many of them develop. For instance I remember the virtuoso Amjid Javed joining the BBC boards.
PPer Questions
. Commenting on a young but highly talented batsman, Greg Chappell recently said: "forget about physical coaching, train the mind". How can the mind be trained? How do you think this applies with regards to Pakistani batsmen in general and in particular Youhana and Hameed? Also, how important is the coach ?
I feel coach is important but it is overly stressed nowadays, especially in club cricket. In my first season at my new club, I faced the coaches son, and hit him for two fours in a row, wrisitly flicking them of my legs. Straight afterwards I was taken to the nets and told to change my technique and grip…
. You seem to have watched quite a bit cricket. What do you look for when trying to judge a new batting talent? What players around the world do you see dominating the scene for the next decade and what distinguishes them from the others?
Michael Clarke – has the talent, strength, and more important mental capacity to succeed.
Salman Butt - excellent player with immense talent. His hundered against Australia shows his mental strength and technique.
. There is a current debate on whether Lara is good or bad for WI cricket. Forget his individual genius, do you think he has a negative impact on the team? There certainly seems to be some correlation between his presence and his team's failures. (They have done better without him sometimes at least) What, in your opinion, is the best solution for WI cricket?
It is best to drop Lara as the team does better without him. But I doubt as to whether the Windian selectors are bold enough to take that move.
. Opposing captains and many other experts have described Stephen Fleming as the best captain in test match cricket. The main reason is his tactical brilliance on the field(though NZ still usually lose more than they win). Inzi is usually a novice when it comes to such things yet he is seen to be doing pretty well and 'growing' as a captain. What ingredients do you look for in a good captain and how important is each?
Captains have to be groomed. Look at Ponting. I feel good captains know their players limitations and can successfully work within the framework
. What's your take on the Shoaib saga? Is Shoaib to blame fully? Partly? Or is it Inzi? Does he have a role in the future of Pakistan cricket?
In short, I can’t see us bowling out England later this year, or even WI now without Akhtar.
. You are given the option of transporting yourself into the body of any one of the Pakistan cricketers selected for the upcoming tour ot the West Indies. You will spend the tour utilizing that person's skills and experiencing all the emotions that come with representing your country. Which player would you choose to be and why?
Naved ul Hasan – the sheer passion and joy of this guy has to be with experiencing.
. Are you optimistic for the future of Pakistani Cricket, particularly in Test Matches?
Yes – but then I always have been.
. Is 20/20 good, bad, or just plain ugly?
Its great. An innovation that the game sorely required.
My interests include cricket, music and technology. I am currently studying for my GCSEs. And Anjum is not my real name, I made it up.
. How did it all start, your interest in cricket as it is.
It just did. The 1999 WC was really big for me, and that really got me into the game. I’ve been hooked ever since.
. Do you think that cricket is interesting only for those who were either born into it one way or another and would something like the Test version could come across as extremely boring and pointless to an outsider, or is there some intrinsic element of interest in the game itself?
Many people I know have branded cricket as the most boring sport in existence. Once when going to watch a match, a friend of mine replied ‘paid to be bored – that’s a new one’. I think it has a lot to do with your background, and us lot just have ‘nasha’ for cricket. Its is most definitely one of the less fashoiable sports – many see it as a bunch of ‘bhoode’ in white shirts playing on a large field (no pun intended at Arshad Khan).
. Your favourites and heroes and more importantly, why?
Erm…a tough one. I guess I have to go with Shoaib Akhtar for one, for he is the guy that really got me hooked on cricket. Ever since seeing him in the 1999 WC, I wondered what I’d been wasting my life doing.
. Do you go for players with flair or the more bookish ones? Is that an approach you take in nearly everything in your life? And no, you cannot say that both have their merits
Bookish ones. Full stop. Flair is brilliant, but as is the case with Afridi, Imran Nazir, you may not always end up on the winning side.
. What would you say, generally determines your decision, the morality of it all or the practicality of things
Morality. Definitely.
. I remember that in the beginning(on old PP) you used to be the 'news' person and less of a poster. That has changed in recent times. What would you ascribe that to? Do you think the post competition with that fellow from Lahore, marooned, has something to do with it?
Those were the good old days. Every other role seemed to be taken on the old PP, so I tried my best to make an impression. As for Marooned, I have to say that he is the most improved poster on PP.
. How do you think PP has changed and be honest
It has changed for the better. All those silly restrictions on SN are gone forever, and now that we are independent, and with the acquisition of Nauman who has been really quite superb so far, I feel PP is the best Cricketing site ever.
. Quite a few of the younger lads on PP speak in a thuggish style, how do you feel about it, specially since your writing style has that old school, polished feel to it. What could be the reasons for such deviances? Should it be acceptable?
Well it is strange as I see myself as part of the ‘younger lads’, but I really don’t participate in this hip hop culture. As long as the writing is not offensive, I see nothing wrong with people choosing different styles to express themselves.
. I have very rarely seen you post in an OT thread and it is difficult to think that you have no other interests than Cricket. Your thoughts?
I am totally hooked on cricket – at times I miss days of school to watch games. I play in the rain all the time. But I do have other interests (no I am not that sad!), including technology, music, studying.
. Going by your nick, is it fair to say that you are an egotist or is it the happy exuberance of youth? (Awesome..)
Its all I could think of at the time. And to be honest, I am quite awesome!
. Finally, would you care to expound on any topic of your interest? Would be glad to know what inspires you.
I’m into History and hope to be a barrister when I am older. I work hard in my studies and am predicted A’s for my finals in 2006. What inspires me is watching people work hard to achieve certain things. I really admire those who have the courage of their convictions to be bold enough to change the world, especially in this capitalist, globalised world.
. What have you learnt about people in general and changes if any that you have thought of inculcating in yourself?
I have learnt a fair bit about people and have seen many of them develop. For instance I remember the virtuoso Amjid Javed joining the BBC boards.
PPer Questions
. Commenting on a young but highly talented batsman, Greg Chappell recently said: "forget about physical coaching, train the mind". How can the mind be trained? How do you think this applies with regards to Pakistani batsmen in general and in particular Youhana and Hameed? Also, how important is the coach ?
I feel coach is important but it is overly stressed nowadays, especially in club cricket. In my first season at my new club, I faced the coaches son, and hit him for two fours in a row, wrisitly flicking them of my legs. Straight afterwards I was taken to the nets and told to change my technique and grip…
. You seem to have watched quite a bit cricket. What do you look for when trying to judge a new batting talent? What players around the world do you see dominating the scene for the next decade and what distinguishes them from the others?
Michael Clarke – has the talent, strength, and more important mental capacity to succeed.
Salman Butt - excellent player with immense talent. His hundered against Australia shows his mental strength and technique.
. There is a current debate on whether Lara is good or bad for WI cricket. Forget his individual genius, do you think he has a negative impact on the team? There certainly seems to be some correlation between his presence and his team's failures. (They have done better without him sometimes at least) What, in your opinion, is the best solution for WI cricket?
It is best to drop Lara as the team does better without him. But I doubt as to whether the Windian selectors are bold enough to take that move.
. Opposing captains and many other experts have described Stephen Fleming as the best captain in test match cricket. The main reason is his tactical brilliance on the field(though NZ still usually lose more than they win). Inzi is usually a novice when it comes to such things yet he is seen to be doing pretty well and 'growing' as a captain. What ingredients do you look for in a good captain and how important is each?
Captains have to be groomed. Look at Ponting. I feel good captains know their players limitations and can successfully work within the framework
. What's your take on the Shoaib saga? Is Shoaib to blame fully? Partly? Or is it Inzi? Does he have a role in the future of Pakistan cricket?
In short, I can’t see us bowling out England later this year, or even WI now without Akhtar.
. You are given the option of transporting yourself into the body of any one of the Pakistan cricketers selected for the upcoming tour ot the West Indies. You will spend the tour utilizing that person's skills and experiencing all the emotions that come with representing your country. Which player would you choose to be and why?
Naved ul Hasan – the sheer passion and joy of this guy has to be with experiencing.
. Are you optimistic for the future of Pakistani Cricket, particularly in Test Matches?
Yes – but then I always have been.
. Is 20/20 good, bad, or just plain ugly?
Its great. An innovation that the game sorely required.
