- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
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Many thanks to [MENTION=151861]Colorblind Genius[/MENTION] for his detailed answers
==
PakPassion.net: Why the nickname "Colorblind Genius"?
Colorblind Genius:Sort of found this teasing and an interesting term where one shortcoming seems to make up with another quality. I guess this is how things work in nature. Nothing is perfect but everything plays it's role to make things work on a grand scale.
And no, neither am I color blind nor a genius.
PakPassion.net: Who was your first cricketing hero or role model?
Colorblind Genius: Joined several millions to become an Imran Khan fan in the 1979 home series against India
And after decades of watching cricket, I still believe that no one comes close to what Imran achieved. He was the captain, the spearhead of bowling attack, he was the inspiration. he was the selector, and he was the coach, and he was leading a team of individuals with all sorts of characters and former captains, many of whom would naturally like to create rifts, play politics and create grouping in the team while they were dealing with personal egos.
And on top of that Imran had the entire PCB on it’s knees. He truly was a one man show who did it all by himself.
All other competitors of Imran Khan, did not have 1/10th of difficulty, challenges and responsibilities that Imran had to deal with.
PakPassion.net: The USA is slated to host the T20 World Cup in 2024 and there are talks to include cricket in the 2028 Olympics at Los Angeles, do you think these decisions can have any impact in growing the popularity of the sport in North America?
Colorblind Genius: As I posted in other threads. Cricket has emerged as a highly lucrative business industry. And perhaps one of the reasons why they wanted to launch ICC backed international cricket in USA is to expand the business.
In my personal opinion, within the next few years, USA is going to produce a world class T20 cricket team and reach the top pretty quickly.
Here is one of the reasons.
Please read post # 44
http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...B-learn-from-the-BCCI&p=10631295#post10631295
PakPassion.net: Have you played any competitive cricket yourself?
Colorblind Genius: Yes, a little bit. I played first class cricket in Pakistan. And I think my highest achievement was one international level game that I played representing Pakistan in an ALL-Pakistan College Eleven against All Sri Lanka College Eleven in early 90's
I also played an Under-19 game against India when the Indian under 19 team visited Pakistan in the early 90's
I remember, their captain's name was Ram Das. And we took him to a "Mohalla" in Peshawar that is also named Ram Das.
It was a great experience. Cricket rivalry was pure and without any hatred and vengeance towards each other's nationality or religious affiliation.
PakPassion.net: Who's your favorite batsman? Who's your favorite bowler?
Colorblind Genius: Since college years, I am a fan of Martin Crowe. Also love watching some of those lazy elegance strokes by Mohammad Yousuf.
My two all-time favorite bowlers are Tim Southee and Jimmy Anderson.
Both have mastered the art of swing in such a great way that it looks like poetry in motion.
Their grip, wrist position, seam position and release point, make the ball move just at the right time and at the right distance to kiss the outside edge and get the slips fielder busy.
PakPassion.net: When and how will Pakistan become the number one ranked Test team again?
Colorblind Genius: As to how?
Here is the answer, IMO.
Please read post 1 and 2
http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?153821-Will-Dav-Whatmore-read-this
As to when?
As we all know, just like everything else in nature, cricket is also evolving, and this includes test Cricket.
We all have seen that modern day batsmen seem to lack the temperament and technique to be able to consciously and consistently play long innings.
For example, when was the last time we heard that a batsman carried his bat? Matter of fact, some younger cricket fans may not even know what does "Carry a bat" in Test cricket terms, even mean?
So, as we see that Test Cricket seems to get shorter and quicker.
But at the same time, another phenomenon is happening in Pakistan. One of the most popular formats is a one over game where folks like Shahbaz Kalia, and Karnal Zahid and Teimur Mirza and Javed Langra etc are local heroes.
We seem to be ahead of the game.
We have the breeding grounds to produce short tempered, highly unorthodox lapaaru tullas - and this also seem to be the direction, that international cricket has taken.
So, who knows, if the quality of Test Cricket gets watered down to a point where it becomes a slightly extended format of T20, then we might as well just have the right kind of players who could ace this format?
PakPassion.net: You've professed to be an avid baseball fan, a sport where one league dominates everything else, do you think cricket is also headed in that same direction with the IPL? What can be done realistically to maintain the prestige of international cricket?
Colorblind Genius: A few Indian folks tell me that there is now an increasingly large number of IPL fans in India that go to the ground only to party. They don't care who wins or who loses in the IPL games. They just want to scream, drink and dance when a six is hit or a wicket falls. And that's it.
Baseball on the other hand has an amazing amount of die-hard fans. The fan support behind each team is mesmerizing. And they do care, if their team wins or loses.
So, coming back to your point.
Yep. This is an obvious possibility.
How to counter it and maintain the prestige of Int'l cricket?
IMO, If BCCI is the powerhouse, then it's primarily because of the white players.
If no international team plays Test or ODI cricket with India, BCCI cannot generate this much of a business.
If no foreign, especially white, players participate in the IPL, it won't be able to generate this much of a revenue.
So, we see that much as ICC needs BCCI's money, BCCI needs internal cricket just as much.
And we can play with this equation.
IMO, ECB, CA and CSA should form a coalition with the support of ICC.
These boards should discuss and get all their players under confidence to be united under one flag.
And they should send a clear message to BCCI and IPL that our players will play with India and in IPL only and only on our own terms, or else NONE of them will participate in IPL or play against India.
This is obviously the most difficult part of the plan, but once if that happens, it will bring BCCI to it's knees.
And once we have BCCI on the negotiation table, we can play a very fair and honest game that is beneficial to all. And it should help international cricket.
The solution is to play IPL on a larger model of baseball.
Create two divisions on a GLOBAL LEVEL involving every cricket playing country, and within those two divisions, create teams that play against each other in a best of 5 or 7 series just as they play in baseball, till the two teams emerge from each league to truly play the "World Series".
This format should be played once a year, and then no other International T20 should be played at any other time during the year. All players and all boards must sign off on this.
Teams should then have enough allocated time to play Test and ODI cricket by following their yearly cricket calendar.
In a nutshell, unite all current T20 leagues to get enough players, bring more players in, and play ONE global T20 event exactly on baseball model. Do this once a year, and then play ODI and Test during rest of the year.
PakPassion.net: Your thoughts on whether PCB should move on from Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik?
Colorblind Genius: I've had a personal bias towards both where I always supported Shoaib Malik and always being against the inclusion of Hafeez. I've been right and wrong on many occasions but at this point, I agree that both need to retire from Pak cricket.
There is a philosophy that they should play as long as they can.
But come'on, who are we kidding?
They are touching forty, and sooner than later, their body will start to deteriorate. How much more can they play? 2 years? So what?
Why not leave on a high note with whatever dignity you have left rather waiting for the point to be dragged out?
Also, we need to expose new players. Both Hafeez and Malik have played MORE THAN ENOUGH cricket. They should now make space for others.
PakPassion.net: Who do you think should be the coach of Pakistan Cricket Team? Should we continue with Saqlain Mushtaq or hire a foreign coach?
Colorblind Genius: Look, Saqlain comes out to be a nice, shareef and seedha saadha guy. He may have a few tricks up his sleeve but he is not sharp, shrewd, alert and street smart enough to handle modern day cricket that is brazen and ruthless.
IMO, Pakistan does not need a full time coach. We need part time consultants.
I wrote about it here. Please read post # 139
http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...-coaches-for-Pakistan&p=11249399#post11249399
And perhaps. Saqlain could be one of the short-term consultants.
PakPassion.net: Mohammad Abbas - is the dream over for him - has he been worked out by the opposition?
Colorblind Genius: Yes. Abbas turned out to be a bowler who is good only when the perfect condition exist to support his bowling. Soon as you take that away, he is done and dusted.
He also seems to have some fitness issues and perhaps age is catching up with him. At almost 32, what else do you expect?
PakPassion.net: Shaheen Shah Afridi — seems to be a very special young talent indeed — how far can he go?
Colorblind Genius: The amount of toll that modern day cricket takes on a pace bowler's body is enormous.
I think Shaheen should take a wise approach to strike a fair balance between his longevity and effectiveness.
PCB should also support him to get perhaps another 5 GOOD years out of him.
PakPassion.net: What was the one Pakistan talent you saw had the upmost potential in but faded away and it upset you?
Colorblind Genius: Many folks talk about Asim Kamal and rightly so, but there was another little-known player named Aamir Nazir.
He broke into the international scene and ripped through the defenses of some of the great batsmen of that era.
And even though, I am a great fan of Imran Khan, but after all Imran is a human and humans do make mistakes.
Among a few unconscious and unintentional mistakes that Imran made was that when he saw the natural swing of Aamir Nazir, he jumped on to change his grip, seam position, action change. I am sure Imran had good intentions but that effort towards improvement backfired so bad that Aamir Nazir never recovered. He lost it all and disappeared in the sunset.
I think he should've left alone or least coached to alter his natural action. He had the potential to last for a longer time and create deeper dents.
PakPassion.net:What is the future of Test cricket?
Colorblind Genius:As I posted above.
It's evolving just like anything and everything else in nature.
We will perhaps see a standard 4 days (it used to be 6 days if some of you remember?). And from 4, it might become an extended form of T20.
4 innings of 20 overs each, played in a day? Who knows?
==
PakPassion.net: Why the nickname "Colorblind Genius"?
Colorblind Genius:Sort of found this teasing and an interesting term where one shortcoming seems to make up with another quality. I guess this is how things work in nature. Nothing is perfect but everything plays it's role to make things work on a grand scale.
And no, neither am I color blind nor a genius.
PakPassion.net: Who was your first cricketing hero or role model?
Colorblind Genius: Joined several millions to become an Imran Khan fan in the 1979 home series against India
And after decades of watching cricket, I still believe that no one comes close to what Imran achieved. He was the captain, the spearhead of bowling attack, he was the inspiration. he was the selector, and he was the coach, and he was leading a team of individuals with all sorts of characters and former captains, many of whom would naturally like to create rifts, play politics and create grouping in the team while they were dealing with personal egos.
And on top of that Imran had the entire PCB on it’s knees. He truly was a one man show who did it all by himself.
All other competitors of Imran Khan, did not have 1/10th of difficulty, challenges and responsibilities that Imran had to deal with.
PakPassion.net: The USA is slated to host the T20 World Cup in 2024 and there are talks to include cricket in the 2028 Olympics at Los Angeles, do you think these decisions can have any impact in growing the popularity of the sport in North America?
Colorblind Genius: As I posted in other threads. Cricket has emerged as a highly lucrative business industry. And perhaps one of the reasons why they wanted to launch ICC backed international cricket in USA is to expand the business.
In my personal opinion, within the next few years, USA is going to produce a world class T20 cricket team and reach the top pretty quickly.
Here is one of the reasons.
Please read post # 44
http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...B-learn-from-the-BCCI&p=10631295#post10631295
PakPassion.net: Have you played any competitive cricket yourself?
Colorblind Genius: Yes, a little bit. I played first class cricket in Pakistan. And I think my highest achievement was one international level game that I played representing Pakistan in an ALL-Pakistan College Eleven against All Sri Lanka College Eleven in early 90's
I also played an Under-19 game against India when the Indian under 19 team visited Pakistan in the early 90's
I remember, their captain's name was Ram Das. And we took him to a "Mohalla" in Peshawar that is also named Ram Das.
It was a great experience. Cricket rivalry was pure and without any hatred and vengeance towards each other's nationality or religious affiliation.
PakPassion.net: Who's your favorite batsman? Who's your favorite bowler?
Colorblind Genius: Since college years, I am a fan of Martin Crowe. Also love watching some of those lazy elegance strokes by Mohammad Yousuf.
My two all-time favorite bowlers are Tim Southee and Jimmy Anderson.
Both have mastered the art of swing in such a great way that it looks like poetry in motion.
Their grip, wrist position, seam position and release point, make the ball move just at the right time and at the right distance to kiss the outside edge and get the slips fielder busy.
PakPassion.net: When and how will Pakistan become the number one ranked Test team again?
Colorblind Genius: As to how?
Here is the answer, IMO.
Please read post 1 and 2
http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?153821-Will-Dav-Whatmore-read-this
As to when?
As we all know, just like everything else in nature, cricket is also evolving, and this includes test Cricket.
We all have seen that modern day batsmen seem to lack the temperament and technique to be able to consciously and consistently play long innings.
For example, when was the last time we heard that a batsman carried his bat? Matter of fact, some younger cricket fans may not even know what does "Carry a bat" in Test cricket terms, even mean?
So, as we see that Test Cricket seems to get shorter and quicker.
But at the same time, another phenomenon is happening in Pakistan. One of the most popular formats is a one over game where folks like Shahbaz Kalia, and Karnal Zahid and Teimur Mirza and Javed Langra etc are local heroes.
We seem to be ahead of the game.
We have the breeding grounds to produce short tempered, highly unorthodox lapaaru tullas - and this also seem to be the direction, that international cricket has taken.
So, who knows, if the quality of Test Cricket gets watered down to a point where it becomes a slightly extended format of T20, then we might as well just have the right kind of players who could ace this format?
PakPassion.net: You've professed to be an avid baseball fan, a sport where one league dominates everything else, do you think cricket is also headed in that same direction with the IPL? What can be done realistically to maintain the prestige of international cricket?
Colorblind Genius: A few Indian folks tell me that there is now an increasingly large number of IPL fans in India that go to the ground only to party. They don't care who wins or who loses in the IPL games. They just want to scream, drink and dance when a six is hit or a wicket falls. And that's it.
Baseball on the other hand has an amazing amount of die-hard fans. The fan support behind each team is mesmerizing. And they do care, if their team wins or loses.
So, coming back to your point.
Yep. This is an obvious possibility.
How to counter it and maintain the prestige of Int'l cricket?
IMO, If BCCI is the powerhouse, then it's primarily because of the white players.
If no international team plays Test or ODI cricket with India, BCCI cannot generate this much of a business.
If no foreign, especially white, players participate in the IPL, it won't be able to generate this much of a revenue.
So, we see that much as ICC needs BCCI's money, BCCI needs internal cricket just as much.
And we can play with this equation.
IMO, ECB, CA and CSA should form a coalition with the support of ICC.
These boards should discuss and get all their players under confidence to be united under one flag.
And they should send a clear message to BCCI and IPL that our players will play with India and in IPL only and only on our own terms, or else NONE of them will participate in IPL or play against India.
This is obviously the most difficult part of the plan, but once if that happens, it will bring BCCI to it's knees.
And once we have BCCI on the negotiation table, we can play a very fair and honest game that is beneficial to all. And it should help international cricket.
The solution is to play IPL on a larger model of baseball.
Create two divisions on a GLOBAL LEVEL involving every cricket playing country, and within those two divisions, create teams that play against each other in a best of 5 or 7 series just as they play in baseball, till the two teams emerge from each league to truly play the "World Series".
This format should be played once a year, and then no other International T20 should be played at any other time during the year. All players and all boards must sign off on this.
Teams should then have enough allocated time to play Test and ODI cricket by following their yearly cricket calendar.
In a nutshell, unite all current T20 leagues to get enough players, bring more players in, and play ONE global T20 event exactly on baseball model. Do this once a year, and then play ODI and Test during rest of the year.
PakPassion.net: Your thoughts on whether PCB should move on from Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik?
Colorblind Genius: I've had a personal bias towards both where I always supported Shoaib Malik and always being against the inclusion of Hafeez. I've been right and wrong on many occasions but at this point, I agree that both need to retire from Pak cricket.
There is a philosophy that they should play as long as they can.
But come'on, who are we kidding?
They are touching forty, and sooner than later, their body will start to deteriorate. How much more can they play? 2 years? So what?
Why not leave on a high note with whatever dignity you have left rather waiting for the point to be dragged out?
Also, we need to expose new players. Both Hafeez and Malik have played MORE THAN ENOUGH cricket. They should now make space for others.
PakPassion.net: Who do you think should be the coach of Pakistan Cricket Team? Should we continue with Saqlain Mushtaq or hire a foreign coach?
Colorblind Genius: Look, Saqlain comes out to be a nice, shareef and seedha saadha guy. He may have a few tricks up his sleeve but he is not sharp, shrewd, alert and street smart enough to handle modern day cricket that is brazen and ruthless.
IMO, Pakistan does not need a full time coach. We need part time consultants.
I wrote about it here. Please read post # 139
http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...-coaches-for-Pakistan&p=11249399#post11249399
And perhaps. Saqlain could be one of the short-term consultants.
PakPassion.net: Mohammad Abbas - is the dream over for him - has he been worked out by the opposition?
Colorblind Genius: Yes. Abbas turned out to be a bowler who is good only when the perfect condition exist to support his bowling. Soon as you take that away, he is done and dusted.
He also seems to have some fitness issues and perhaps age is catching up with him. At almost 32, what else do you expect?
PakPassion.net: Shaheen Shah Afridi — seems to be a very special young talent indeed — how far can he go?
Colorblind Genius: The amount of toll that modern day cricket takes on a pace bowler's body is enormous.
I think Shaheen should take a wise approach to strike a fair balance between his longevity and effectiveness.
PCB should also support him to get perhaps another 5 GOOD years out of him.
PakPassion.net: What was the one Pakistan talent you saw had the upmost potential in but faded away and it upset you?
Colorblind Genius: Many folks talk about Asim Kamal and rightly so, but there was another little-known player named Aamir Nazir.
He broke into the international scene and ripped through the defenses of some of the great batsmen of that era.
And even though, I am a great fan of Imran Khan, but after all Imran is a human and humans do make mistakes.
Among a few unconscious and unintentional mistakes that Imran made was that when he saw the natural swing of Aamir Nazir, he jumped on to change his grip, seam position, action change. I am sure Imran had good intentions but that effort towards improvement backfired so bad that Aamir Nazir never recovered. He lost it all and disappeared in the sunset.
I think he should've left alone or least coached to alter his natural action. He had the potential to last for a longer time and create deeper dents.
PakPassion.net:What is the future of Test cricket?
Colorblind Genius:As I posted above.
It's evolving just like anything and everything else in nature.
We will perhaps see a standard 4 days (it used to be 6 days if some of you remember?). And from 4, it might become an extended form of T20.
4 innings of 20 overs each, played in a day? Who knows?
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