hadi123
Test Debutant
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2010
- Runs
- 15,247
- Post of the Week
- 1
Many thanks to [MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] for his thoughtful responses.
PakPassion.net: Why are you so passionate about cricket?
Syed1: I do not think I’m any more passionate than the next guy. I think growing up in Pakistan it is a pre-requisite that every kid takes interest in cricket and I did the same. As most folks on PakPassion will attest to the fact that Pakistan cricket has more than its fair share of dejections and miseries but that is what makes the victories ever so sweeter. Take the recent Champion’s Trophy for example, Pakistan went into the tournament with an unsettled side and got absolutely smashed in the first match, but then bounced back to beat South Africa, Sri Lanka, England and India on the trot. The last two being complete hammerings. If that doesn’t keep the fan base passionate I do not know what will. I think a lot of my passion for cricket stems from my participation on PP. If I wasn’t a frequent visitor of this forum I would barely have any inside scoop of the squad and the team selections and would be a little less informed than I am now. I would like to thank MenInG and Saj bhais for running this epic forum that keeps us coming back for more every single day.
PakPassion.net: What do you miss most about Karachi?
Syed1: Oh man I miss so much about it. Karachi will always be home no matter how far I go or much time elapses between visits. I’ve lived in Canada for more than a decade of my life but nothing compares to how at home I feel in Karachi. Javed ki nihari, Ghaffar ke kabab, Biryani center ki biryani, halwa puri nashta, cheap shopping in Zainab market, camel riding on Sea View, swimming in Hawk’s Bay on hot summer day, Hot n Spicy paratha rolls, mithai and kulfi from Shaheen, sajji from Burn’s Road, Peshawari ice-cream, playing tape ball cricket on the street, chilled mangos, driving around with buddies on empty DHA streets at night listening to our favourite music (yes security used to be good enough at one point that you could do that without a worry). I can go on and on, you probably get the gist.
PakPassion.net: How have you been able to maintain the Passion/Jazba of an 18 year old in your mid-late twenties?
Syed1: I guess I’m a naturally aggressive person so that shows in my posting and gets translated into “jazba”. I think it has something to do with Pakistan cricket. There are always these moments every so often that make you get up off your sofa and jump around ecstatically. I did a victory lap of my house shouting at the top of my lungs when Yasir Shah picked up that last Windies wicket in the second last over of the test. Beautiful.
PakPassion.net: Who do you like arguing with most in PakPassion?
Syed1: I have had my fair share of duels with a wide range of posters. However, I always like arguing with Mamoon, or siding with Bilal7 while those two are having one of their epic arguments. I find MMHS and Markhor as very knowledgeable and tend not to be get into prolonged arguments with them otherwise their vast knowledge will come into play. From the other side of the fence cricketjoshila or Varun are the ones that I have the most arguments with over politics and India/Pakistan.
But, my all-time favourite person to argue with is Hawkeye. It’s so much fun proving him wrong when he is going on and on about the “explosive-ness” of the Akmal bradraan
PakPassion.net: Which decline of a player saddened you the most?
Syed1: Misbah. A lot of you may know me as an avid critic of Misbah but during my pre-PakPassion days I used to be huge fan of his specially after the 2007 T20 WC. A lot of people blamed him for the defeat in the WC but most didn’t realize that Misbah was the guy who even brought us that far. Fast forward to 2011 ODI WC, the opposition is the same and this time Misbah was one of the main architects of our defeat (there were many that day) and that flipped a switch in my head. I went from being a supporter of Misbah to someone who disliked the fact that he was in the side. However, I should point out that Misbah had pretty much redeemed himself by the England Test series and after earning the mace for Pakistan. If only he had just quit when he was ahead rather than tried to hold on he would have had a fan in me. In any case we should salute him for his services to the country and for always conducting himself with utmost dignity.
PakPassion.net: What is your ultimate goal in your life?
Syed1: To be a better human being than I am at present, to bring joy to my parents and to work for their comfort as they transition from middle to old age. I also want to start donating more than I presently do especially towards education focused charities in Pakistan. I want to somehow work towards uplifting the education standards in Pakistan because I firmly believe that if we as a nation have to progress it cannot be through building highways and motorways but through building an educated nation. If a nation is educated it won’t need a loan to build a road.
PakPassion.net: What is your all time favourite movie and TV show?
Syed1: Favourite movie: The Dark Knight
Favourite TV show: Friends (I have watched the entire series atleast three times)
PakPassion.net: What can Pakistan do so sports like Boxing do not die?
Syed1: Bring merit in selection and no sport will die in Pakistan. Otherwise we will continue declining in all sports. It is a minor miracle that Pakistan is still able to assemble a half decent cricket side despite the nepotism and connection-based selections at all levels.
PakPassion.net: What is your favourite food?
Syed1: Nihari. Nothing like it. I can have it for any meal of the day.
PakPassion.net: What is your opinion on growing up in Canada vs growing up as an upper class middle kid in Karachi?
Syed1: I think growing up in Pakistan makes you appreciative of things you might take for granted in Canada. In Pakistan you do not have a guaranteed and continuous supply of power, water, gas etc. Everything you buy you can bargain and reduce the price. Traffic rules are merely suggestions. Everybody has to be viewed with a tinge suspicion especially if they are being extra nice to you. I feel like children growing up in Pakistan are more aware of what is happening in the world than their counterparts in Canada who are mostly shielded from the world till they come of age. That being said, kids who grow up in Canada are generally more expressive and confident and do not shy away from speaking their mind.
PakPassion.net: If you had to make a team of 11 cricketers from Pakpassion members, who would they be?
Syed1: My ODI team of PakPassion members would be:
1. cricketjoshila – he is tenacious and gritty and best guy to face the new ball
2. shaz619 – overtly aggressive and “in your face” personality needs to give the side a fast start
3. Mamoon – best batsman in the side
4. Markhor – calm, composed, pragmatic, calculating, ideal guy to set a platform or guide a chase
5. WebGuru – astute, knowledgeable and leader of men, basically Misbah with better strike-rotation(C)
6. Jaded – ice cool and never loses his composure, finisher batsmen and handy left-arm spin
7. Sarfarazian92 – gritty keeper batsman much like his idol
8. Hawkeye – needs to get his act together he is holding onto his place in the side by a thread (pace allrounder). We all know Hawkeye is going to slip up sooner rather than later at which point Bilal7 or Belawal2014 swap in his place.
9. Ahmedwaqas92 – great with numbers and has “guile”, leggie
10. Chief Destroyer – knows the ins and outs of fast bowling
11. Slog – he is a fast bowler in real life so good candidate to open the bowling, good head on his shoulders
PakPassion.net: Which is your favourite cricket team after Pakistan?
Syed1: Life is such that I only get to watch Pakistan matches, but if there is one team that I genuinely want to see winning it is the Windies. I absolute LOVE their style of play. Fast aggressive pacers, explosive batsmen and spinners with plenty of tricks up their sleeves. Their performance in the 2016 T20 WC when they beat India in the semis and England in the final was awe-inspiring. I really hoped that this would turn a new leaf in Windies LOI cricket but as per habit WICB struck and Windies were back to square one.
PakPassion.net: Who is your favourite Indian cricketer?
Syed1: I think I have made this obvious enough during my posting career on PP. It is Mahinder Singh Dhoni without a shadow of a doubt. I find it amazing when Indian posters ridicule the man and shun his achievements. He has won an ODI WC, T20 WC, Champion’s Trophy, No. 1 test ranking amongst other things for his nation, and to top it off he is perhaps one of the best finishers the game has ever seen. A truly once in a generation type of player and captain. Dhoni has also set the platform for a very dangerous and well-oiled Indian team that will always be there and there abouts in world tournaments for the foreseeable future. Apart from all of that Dhoni is a perfect gentleman and carries himself with dignity and grace.
PakPassion.net: Who is your favourite Pakistan cricketer?
Syed1: My all-time favourite cricketer has to be Shoaib Akhtar. In my humble opinion, Shabby personifies Pakistan cricket. Flair, aggression, never say die attitude and the occasional hiccup. My earliest memory of watching cricket live is of the 99 WC with a young Shoaib Akhtar running in from a mile away with his hair flowing in the wind and the entire crowd going “oooooooo” during his run up. In my two decades of watching cricket I have not come across another cricketer who could induce as much adrenaline rush as Shabby did. Although these days he needs to tone down his self-praise on Twitter a little bit.
Honorable mention to Immy K, unfortunately I didn't get to watch him live
PakPassion.net: How did you first come across PP?
Syed1: I used to browse Youtube and watch short cricketing videos and compilations. One day I came across a few videos by TalhaSayed (a very respected poster here) that had a PakPassion.net watermark on them. The videos were very nicely done and had beautiful HD quality (which was not that common in those days as it is now). I figured I should visit this website for more HD content. Little did I know that this wonderful website was a community of fellow passionate cricket lovers and enthusiast. It took me a couple of years of lurking to finally sign up and I haven’t looked back since. So you can credit Talha bhai for introducing me to this website and being a nuisance for parosis, Misbah lovers, Afridi lovers, Akmal lovers, Nawaz Sharif lovers, basically everybody in general.
PakPassion.net: What is your favourite sport after cricket?
Syed1: You would be surprised to know that cricket wasn’t my favourite sport growing up. Yeah I did play tape ball cricket everyday but that is only because that’s what all the boys in the street were doing. I was completely in love with the sport of football and would play it everyday after school, even during Ramzaan while fasting. I wasn’t half bad in footy either and regularly made my school team and performed in tournaments. Cricket was more a casual fun time for me, while football was serious business. That all changed when I grew a bit older and entered my twenties. Fast forward to half a decade later and I barely play any football or follow matches outside of world events while I regularly play tape or hardball cricket and watch every single Pakistan match. I guess that is life, your interests and likes/dislikes change and evolve as you grow. Who knows maybe next you will find me posting on a guli danda forum
PakPassion.net: Why are you so passionate about cricket?
Syed1: I do not think I’m any more passionate than the next guy. I think growing up in Pakistan it is a pre-requisite that every kid takes interest in cricket and I did the same. As most folks on PakPassion will attest to the fact that Pakistan cricket has more than its fair share of dejections and miseries but that is what makes the victories ever so sweeter. Take the recent Champion’s Trophy for example, Pakistan went into the tournament with an unsettled side and got absolutely smashed in the first match, but then bounced back to beat South Africa, Sri Lanka, England and India on the trot. The last two being complete hammerings. If that doesn’t keep the fan base passionate I do not know what will. I think a lot of my passion for cricket stems from my participation on PP. If I wasn’t a frequent visitor of this forum I would barely have any inside scoop of the squad and the team selections and would be a little less informed than I am now. I would like to thank MenInG and Saj bhais for running this epic forum that keeps us coming back for more every single day.
PakPassion.net: What do you miss most about Karachi?
Syed1: Oh man I miss so much about it. Karachi will always be home no matter how far I go or much time elapses between visits. I’ve lived in Canada for more than a decade of my life but nothing compares to how at home I feel in Karachi. Javed ki nihari, Ghaffar ke kabab, Biryani center ki biryani, halwa puri nashta, cheap shopping in Zainab market, camel riding on Sea View, swimming in Hawk’s Bay on hot summer day, Hot n Spicy paratha rolls, mithai and kulfi from Shaheen, sajji from Burn’s Road, Peshawari ice-cream, playing tape ball cricket on the street, chilled mangos, driving around with buddies on empty DHA streets at night listening to our favourite music (yes security used to be good enough at one point that you could do that without a worry). I can go on and on, you probably get the gist.
PakPassion.net: How have you been able to maintain the Passion/Jazba of an 18 year old in your mid-late twenties?
Syed1: I guess I’m a naturally aggressive person so that shows in my posting and gets translated into “jazba”. I think it has something to do with Pakistan cricket. There are always these moments every so often that make you get up off your sofa and jump around ecstatically. I did a victory lap of my house shouting at the top of my lungs when Yasir Shah picked up that last Windies wicket in the second last over of the test. Beautiful.
PakPassion.net: Who do you like arguing with most in PakPassion?
Syed1: I have had my fair share of duels with a wide range of posters. However, I always like arguing with Mamoon, or siding with Bilal7 while those two are having one of their epic arguments. I find MMHS and Markhor as very knowledgeable and tend not to be get into prolonged arguments with them otherwise their vast knowledge will come into play. From the other side of the fence cricketjoshila or Varun are the ones that I have the most arguments with over politics and India/Pakistan.
But, my all-time favourite person to argue with is Hawkeye. It’s so much fun proving him wrong when he is going on and on about the “explosive-ness” of the Akmal bradraan
PakPassion.net: Which decline of a player saddened you the most?
Syed1: Misbah. A lot of you may know me as an avid critic of Misbah but during my pre-PakPassion days I used to be huge fan of his specially after the 2007 T20 WC. A lot of people blamed him for the defeat in the WC but most didn’t realize that Misbah was the guy who even brought us that far. Fast forward to 2011 ODI WC, the opposition is the same and this time Misbah was one of the main architects of our defeat (there were many that day) and that flipped a switch in my head. I went from being a supporter of Misbah to someone who disliked the fact that he was in the side. However, I should point out that Misbah had pretty much redeemed himself by the England Test series and after earning the mace for Pakistan. If only he had just quit when he was ahead rather than tried to hold on he would have had a fan in me. In any case we should salute him for his services to the country and for always conducting himself with utmost dignity.
PakPassion.net: What is your ultimate goal in your life?
Syed1: To be a better human being than I am at present, to bring joy to my parents and to work for their comfort as they transition from middle to old age. I also want to start donating more than I presently do especially towards education focused charities in Pakistan. I want to somehow work towards uplifting the education standards in Pakistan because I firmly believe that if we as a nation have to progress it cannot be through building highways and motorways but through building an educated nation. If a nation is educated it won’t need a loan to build a road.
PakPassion.net: What is your all time favourite movie and TV show?
Syed1: Favourite movie: The Dark Knight
Favourite TV show: Friends (I have watched the entire series atleast three times)
PakPassion.net: What can Pakistan do so sports like Boxing do not die?
Syed1: Bring merit in selection and no sport will die in Pakistan. Otherwise we will continue declining in all sports. It is a minor miracle that Pakistan is still able to assemble a half decent cricket side despite the nepotism and connection-based selections at all levels.
PakPassion.net: What is your favourite food?
Syed1: Nihari. Nothing like it. I can have it for any meal of the day.
PakPassion.net: What is your opinion on growing up in Canada vs growing up as an upper class middle kid in Karachi?
Syed1: I think growing up in Pakistan makes you appreciative of things you might take for granted in Canada. In Pakistan you do not have a guaranteed and continuous supply of power, water, gas etc. Everything you buy you can bargain and reduce the price. Traffic rules are merely suggestions. Everybody has to be viewed with a tinge suspicion especially if they are being extra nice to you. I feel like children growing up in Pakistan are more aware of what is happening in the world than their counterparts in Canada who are mostly shielded from the world till they come of age. That being said, kids who grow up in Canada are generally more expressive and confident and do not shy away from speaking their mind.
PakPassion.net: If you had to make a team of 11 cricketers from Pakpassion members, who would they be?
Syed1: My ODI team of PakPassion members would be:
1. cricketjoshila – he is tenacious and gritty and best guy to face the new ball
2. shaz619 – overtly aggressive and “in your face” personality needs to give the side a fast start
3. Mamoon – best batsman in the side
4. Markhor – calm, composed, pragmatic, calculating, ideal guy to set a platform or guide a chase
5. WebGuru – astute, knowledgeable and leader of men, basically Misbah with better strike-rotation(C)
6. Jaded – ice cool and never loses his composure, finisher batsmen and handy left-arm spin
7. Sarfarazian92 – gritty keeper batsman much like his idol
8. Hawkeye – needs to get his act together he is holding onto his place in the side by a thread (pace allrounder). We all know Hawkeye is going to slip up sooner rather than later at which point Bilal7 or Belawal2014 swap in his place.
9. Ahmedwaqas92 – great with numbers and has “guile”, leggie
10. Chief Destroyer – knows the ins and outs of fast bowling
11. Slog – he is a fast bowler in real life so good candidate to open the bowling, good head on his shoulders
PakPassion.net: Which is your favourite cricket team after Pakistan?
Syed1: Life is such that I only get to watch Pakistan matches, but if there is one team that I genuinely want to see winning it is the Windies. I absolute LOVE their style of play. Fast aggressive pacers, explosive batsmen and spinners with plenty of tricks up their sleeves. Their performance in the 2016 T20 WC when they beat India in the semis and England in the final was awe-inspiring. I really hoped that this would turn a new leaf in Windies LOI cricket but as per habit WICB struck and Windies were back to square one.
PakPassion.net: Who is your favourite Indian cricketer?
Syed1: I think I have made this obvious enough during my posting career on PP. It is Mahinder Singh Dhoni without a shadow of a doubt. I find it amazing when Indian posters ridicule the man and shun his achievements. He has won an ODI WC, T20 WC, Champion’s Trophy, No. 1 test ranking amongst other things for his nation, and to top it off he is perhaps one of the best finishers the game has ever seen. A truly once in a generation type of player and captain. Dhoni has also set the platform for a very dangerous and well-oiled Indian team that will always be there and there abouts in world tournaments for the foreseeable future. Apart from all of that Dhoni is a perfect gentleman and carries himself with dignity and grace.
PakPassion.net: Who is your favourite Pakistan cricketer?
Syed1: My all-time favourite cricketer has to be Shoaib Akhtar. In my humble opinion, Shabby personifies Pakistan cricket. Flair, aggression, never say die attitude and the occasional hiccup. My earliest memory of watching cricket live is of the 99 WC with a young Shoaib Akhtar running in from a mile away with his hair flowing in the wind and the entire crowd going “oooooooo” during his run up. In my two decades of watching cricket I have not come across another cricketer who could induce as much adrenaline rush as Shabby did. Although these days he needs to tone down his self-praise on Twitter a little bit.
Honorable mention to Immy K, unfortunately I didn't get to watch him live
PakPassion.net: How did you first come across PP?
Syed1: I used to browse Youtube and watch short cricketing videos and compilations. One day I came across a few videos by TalhaSayed (a very respected poster here) that had a PakPassion.net watermark on them. The videos were very nicely done and had beautiful HD quality (which was not that common in those days as it is now). I figured I should visit this website for more HD content. Little did I know that this wonderful website was a community of fellow passionate cricket lovers and enthusiast. It took me a couple of years of lurking to finally sign up and I haven’t looked back since. So you can credit Talha bhai for introducing me to this website and being a nuisance for parosis, Misbah lovers, Afridi lovers, Akmal lovers, Nawaz Sharif lovers, basically everybody in general.
PakPassion.net: What is your favourite sport after cricket?
Syed1: You would be surprised to know that cricket wasn’t my favourite sport growing up. Yeah I did play tape ball cricket everyday but that is only because that’s what all the boys in the street were doing. I was completely in love with the sport of football and would play it everyday after school, even during Ramzaan while fasting. I wasn’t half bad in footy either and regularly made my school team and performed in tournaments. Cricket was more a casual fun time for me, while football was serious business. That all changed when I grew a bit older and entered my twenties. Fast forward to half a decade later and I barely play any football or follow matches outside of world events while I regularly play tape or hardball cricket and watch every single Pakistan match. I guess that is life, your interests and likes/dislikes change and evolve as you grow. Who knows maybe next you will find me posting on a guli danda forum
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I heard it's a really dangerous place to be, Lahore is safer I will eat Nihari for the first time ever over there 
[MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] now I know why he speaks so much..
