Shayan
ODI Debutant
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2005
- Runs
- 12,742
Many thanks for all your questions for the PPCL Chairman, and of course to King_Rizzy for taking the time out to answer them.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
PakPassion.net: Why did you turn from an Afridi-lover to an Afridi-hater?
King_Rizzy: I used to love Shahid Afridi, this was a man who once upon a time got me really excited (when I was a kid) when he used to walk out to the crease to bat. I remember how my eyes used to light up totally fixed on the TV, waiting for him to smash ball after ball to the boundary. He used to do it frequently as well. I was a real sucker for him. It’s all I loved about cricket and players, trying to hit fours and sixes. In them days, results didn’t matter to me, I was a kid, I didn’t care, I didn’t understand.
Then I got older, I matured, I started understanding the game of cricket properly, what is really required to be a proper cricketer. Even for a short period at this stage I still had hopes for Afridi, hopes that he’d calm down, start to play ‘proper’ cricket, but he didn’t, same old Afridi who tried to hit everything out of the park, and still it worked sometimes. But then there came a point where even that hope had faded, he disappointed me and Pakistan too many times for me to even care for him anymore. It’s like anything in life, if you have certain expectations from someone, whether it be a cricketer, a politician, a work colleague, a student, and they don't deliver, you start to lose hope and when it’s plain and clear to see nothing will come of it, you eventually give up and move on. I find it strange that Afridi hasn’t figured this part out yet. I understand why kids love him, because I’ve been through that, but I don’t understand why the current mature Afridi lovers don’t see it, maybe they’re blinded by their love him? I don’t know. I’ve gone from having my eyes absolutely glued to the TV when Afridi walks out, to totally losing interest whilst Afridi is out there with the bat in his hand. Please retire.
PakPassion.net: Who is your favourite player?
King_Rizzy: It’s obviously not Afridi. Favourite player of all time, and my cricketing idol is without a shadow of a doubt Inzamam-ul-Haq. The best Pakistani batsman of all time in my opinion. It’s the way he went about things that impressed me. Yes, he might’ve had his flaws, but who doesn’t? I liked his approach to the game, on and off the field. His calm nature, his fantastic ability to win matches, he had a whole repertoire of shots, which he pulled off with ease considering his size. He was always able to play a match according to the situation, unlike a lot of players these days who are just one dimensional. ‘Inzi’ had patience to play a glorious test innings, had the aggression to destroy the opposition in a one day match. I’m sure in his prime, if T20’s had existed, he’d have excelled in that format also. An all-round great batsman, and will take someone special to match his talents.
PakPassion.net: What are your all-time favourite matches from each format?
King_Rizzy: My favourite Test match would have to be the second test in the 2005 Ashes series. I was never really into Test cricket, until one day I decided to sit down and watch a Test match. The first Test match I ever watched was the first Test of this series, where Australia dominated. I got interested, so I decided to watch the second Test, and what a match it was. I don’t need to explain how good a match this was, most here will already know, but I’ve never come across another Test match as nail biting and thrilling as that one.
As for ODI’s, another common favourite, where South Africa and Australia both scored 400+ in their 50 overs. Amazing batting, amazing individual batting performances, great stuff.
With regards to T20I’s, I have to go with the 2009 T20 Final which Pakistan won. Why? Because I was there, in the stadium, a moment I will never forget, watching Pakistan lift that trophy, amazing scenes. Yes, it was also one of them rare days where Afridi produced a match winning innings. I guess he’ll hold on to that for the rest of his life now. Personally, I feel Mohammed Amir won us that match, getting out the in-form Dilshan in the first over of the match. That was a game changing moment right there and Sri Lanka were immediately on the back foot.
PakPassion.net: Apart from cricket, you’re also a keen football fan. Being from Bradford, can you tell us what’s gone wrong at Bradford City A.F.C over the years?
King_Rizzy: Finances. Bradford are currently in League Two, which is three divisions below the Premier League. I remember the day Bradford got promoted to the Premier League, the entire city was jubilant, there was a buzz all around. Can you believe that in 13 years they’ve gone from Premier League all the way down to League Two? I think the owners at the time got over excited when Bradford got to the top flight, that they over spent in terms of transfers. Most teams make a fortune once they moved into the Premier League, but unfortunately, Bradford ended up making a loss through poor financial planning. They bought in the players, but unfortunately the players didn’t deliver either. They were in the top flight for two seasons, and when they got relegated, that over-spending in the Premier League caught up to them and the next season the club ended up in Administration. Same story two years later where they found themselves in Administration again, not sure what the new owners were up to. Bradford were relegated a total of three times in seven seasons, which is disastrous. This season they seem to be doing well, currently 5th in the table, still in the League Cup where they face Arsenal on December 11th at home, which I will be attending, so COME ON BRADFORD!
PakPassion.net: What kind of country do you want Pakistan to develop into? And when do you believe Pakistan would become (or not) the way you want?
King_Rizzy: One day I hope Pakistan turns into a country like the UK. Many people will read what I just said and take it the wrong way on so many levels. I want Pakistan to become modernised, but at the same time holding on to its culture and beliefs. No, corruption is not part of Pakistani culture, it never was. I’m of the belief that corruption happens all over the world, in every country, at a political level, but other countries, i.e. the western countries, do it in such a way that you won’t even notice, whereas Pakistan will do it in such a way that they want you to know they’ve done it. Everyone knows that once corruption is eradicated from Pakistan, Pakistan will automatically sort itself out. Will this ever happen? I don’t think it will happen in my life time, and I’m only 23. I hope I’m proven wrong though. People say Imran Khan is the man to sort Pakistan’s problems out. How much can he do? As much as I like and respect Imran Khan for the things he’s done for Pakistan, I feel his whole political career is a lie and he’s only gotten to where he is because he’s an ex Pakistani cricketing superstar. If he was an ordinary Joe Bloggs preaching what he’s preaching at the moment, he’d be nowhere and nobody would really care. He’s not fighting a losing battle in terms of sorting out Pakistan for the better, but rather he’s fighting a war already lost in my honest opinion.
PakPassion.net: What is one of the most memorable moments of your life?
King_Rizzy: Whilst getting married was the best moment of my life, I’m not going to bore you with that. I mentioned Imran Khan above, so it relates to him. Imran Khan is the chancellor of University of Bradford where I obtained my Masters degree in Biomedical Sciences. During graduation, Imran Khan used to be present at the ceremony (not any more though, something to do with being busy with politics!). Anyway, during graduation, he shakes every graduates hand. So I made my way on to the stage to receive my degree. I thought, I’m meeting a legend, everyone else is just shaking his hand and just quickly moving on. I took my time, walked over, shook his hand, and said to him that it’s an honour to meet him, to which he replied “It’s an honour to finally meet you Rizwan, give my salam to your father”. As you’d expect, I was a bit shocked and confused. Did I miss something? Anyway, after everyone received their degree certificates, Imran Khan gave a memorable motivational speech. Once the entire ceremony was over, my dad took our family, who were in attendance, to go see Imran Khan. Turns out they knew each from a long time ago, which he didn’t think to mention before the ceremony, or in my 20+ years of existence! We all had lunch together, my dad and him reminiscing about their past. It was a great day (and a great week as my brother got married in that same week, I was also at Headingley to witness Pakistan bowl out Australia for 80-odd, I got to meet Pakistan players at a training session at Headingley the day before and I scored a century in cricket that week for my club).
PakPassion.net: Would you recommend the field of Biomedical Sciences for the upcoming youth? Why or why not? Are you working in the Biomedical Sciences field or not?
King_Rizzy: I can’t speak for outside of the UK, but in the UK, at this moment in time, I would not recommend it as a career. When I started my degree, there were so many jobs available in this sector, that it was unbelievable. I think it was ~10,000 jobs available every year, but only ~5,000 graduates annually, so there was a shortage of Biomedical Scientists. A few months after I started my degree, recession hit UK and jobs went down the drain in all sectors, with this particular sector one of the worst hit. The economic downturn is still with us today, and jobs are difficult to come by in this area now. The degree itself is fascinating and I loved every moment of it, but getting a career out of it is slim.
I’m currently not working in the Biomedical Sciences field. I’m one of the lucky ones who actually got offered a job in this field, but I didn’t take it. At the same time, my brother offered me a job at his Insolvency Practice. I decided to take that instead. So far it’s going really well. If you know anyone or company struggling financially, contact me!
PakPassion.net: If given a choice in life, what would you choose – Luck, Money or Education?
Definitely education first. I think an educated person will make his own luck, and with a combination of both education and luck, he’ll make money. They all work hand in hand.
PakPassion.net: What in your view is this fascination with simulation games? We have a huge fan base for such things but what is the reason for that?
King_Rizzy: Simulation games can become addictive. I’ve come to know that from my past experiences. I run PPCL, but I’m more addicted to another simulation game, known as Football Manager (which I’ve been playing now for 12+ years, I always get the new one every year). I think the addiction comes from the fact that you’re partaking in a fantasy type competition, where you’re managing, playing, participating in a way which you probably wouldn’t ever be able to in real life. In Football Manager for example, I’ve won countless Premier Leagues, countless World Cups, signed players for millions and millions of pounds. I can never do that in real life, which is why there’s this fascination, it’s like a dream come true….until you wake up and smell the coffee and then remember it’s not real!
PakPassion.net: How stressful is running the PPCL and what types of issues have you faced and how do you intend to handle them? Did you at any point regret taking on the role of "King of PPCL"?
King_Rizzy: Running PPCL can be exhausting at times. My busiest period is off season, which sounds strange as most would expect me to be relaxing, but really I’m working hard behind the scenes trying to get things sorted for the upcoming season. This year has been even more hectic behind the scenes, with all the new features coming into place for Season 3, I’ve not stopped. Ibad17, who runs PPFMC, goes through the same thing. I have lots of admiration for people who run these types of competitions, because I know how much hard work goes into them.
No matter what you do in life, problems will always arise somewhere. Same goes for PPCL. You always get those people who like to talk, who like to moan when things don’t go their way, just because they are sitting in front of a computer on another side of the world. Those people annoy me. All talk no action is the phrase that comes to mind. They’re the type of people who would run a mile if asked to take on a similar type of responsibility. Most of the time I just ignore them, it’s the easiest thing to do. Now I just have a Board of Arbitration, so they sort that stuff out haha.
I’ve never regretted taking on PPCL, even through the bad times. How can you regret taking on something which has been highly successful? People come and go, it’s part of life. You move on and look forward to the future.
PakPassion.net: Why is it that other forums are unable to create the same type of hype around these leagues as the one on PakPassion? What’s the secret?
King_Rizzy: Interesting question. I won’t be giving any secrets away, that’s for sure! Not sure which other forums you’re talking about here (although why would you go to another forum when the best forum in the world is right here!), but the main reason has to be the members of the forum who participate in such leagues. We created good hype during off season for the start of PPCL 3, that’s not just down to myself, but to the Mods behind the scenes who helped me out, especially Dhump, who created all the graphics you’ve seen so far. It’s a collective effort by the PP team, a job well done I feel.
PakPassion.net: You've run leagues in the past on other forums. How did you get into it?
King_Rizzy: I’ve ran PPCL and PPFMC on another forum in the past (but they were obviously called something else then). In all honesty, I enjoyed running PPFMC a lot more, maybe because it’s run on Football Manager and you already know my links with that. I initially got into running the PPCL equivalent first. I was asked by someone else who was running it at the time to help, and I just took up his offer and here I am. I then came up with the idea of PPFMC myself, ran it on the other forum, where Ibad17 was also present, he took over, and then we both brought it over to this forum, and the rest is history.
PakPassion.net: Why PakPassion and not any other cricket forum?
King_Rizzy: When I first made my way on to PakPassion, it wasn’t really deliberate, but more by fluke. I was looking for a new bat and through Google I found PP, and the Cricket Equipment Forum here, which actually stopped me from buying a few fake bats off ebay. I frequently read the forum, but wasn’t registered. Then I decided to register after I got a bit of free time and decided I need to occupy that free time with something, so I proposed PPCL and we got the ball rolling. A great fluke in the end I'd say.
PakPassion.net: What are your thoughts on your moderating job here and related experiences (usual troubles, misunderstandings) at previous forums?
King_Rizzy: I was a moderator on a previous forum for the most popular online cricket game, so as you know, it got busy at times, but my role as moderator there was completely different to here. Over there, I was just moderating the forum, that’s it. You come across the usual troubles like spammers, trolls, people with poor grammar, people creating multiple accounts. The general misunderstandings between a user and a moderator, often people thinking Moderators abusing their power, I’ve seen it all before.
My role on PP is however different. I do less moderating on the forum itself, but rather my role here is to take care of PP Leagues, chip in with Sports Corner, run our sport’s twitter account, which is @sportpakpassion, and also run the Members Interview. I’m actually enjoying my role on PP, and keeps me occupied, gives me a little something to do when I’m free.
PakPassion.net: What is the highest level of cricket you have played yourself? What type of player are you? Tell us about your best performance?
King_Rizzy: Well I play club cricket, don’t think I’m good enough to play at a higher level than this. I’m a batsman. My best performance would be when I made 144 a couple of years ago. However, my favourite performance was when I came in to bat with 5 overs to go, with the team requiring 62 runs to win. I scored 45 off 18 balls and we won with 7 balls to spare.
PakPassion.net: What type of music do you like?
King_Rizzy: I like a variety really, I like rap, Bollywood, a big fan of Coke Studio, anything by Rahat Fateh and Atif Aslam. My favourite song is ‘Maula Mere Maula’ from the movie ‘Anwar’.
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