Sports
Let’s not isolate Pakistan
by Rex Clementine
Our leaders have so much to learn from Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, who was Prime Minister three times having become the first female PM in the world in 1960. During the height of the cold war, with several countries showing alliance with either the US or Russia, she sensibly adopted a non-aligned policy and hosted the non-aligned summit in 1976 with the participation of 86 nations.
In a cricketing world that is becoming increasingly divided, we can do well by borrowing a leaf out of Mrs. Bandaranaike’s book. Officials have given Pakistan the cold shoulder by turning down their proposal to play the Asia Cup in a hybrid model whereby the event will be played in both Pakistan and UAE.
India will not travel to Pakistan due to the political differences between New Delhi and Islamabad but letting India play their games in UAE was something that could have been agreed upon.
Sri Lanka have commuted between Dubai and Lahore on previous instances when playing Pakistan like it happened in 2017 when Thisara Perera skippered the side. That UAE is too hot in September is also a lame excuse as the 2018 Asia Cup was entirely played in UAE in the month of September. Furthermore, when Sri Lanka successfully ended Pakistan’s unbeaten run in UAE in Test match cricket in 2017, that series too took place in September and October. Finding excuses to isolate Pakistan and satisfy India will not serve us good in the longer run.
When you are playing in Australia, you end up in the flight for more than five hours if you are travelling between Perth and Melbourne. So, what’s the fuss about a three- and half-hour flight between Lahore and Dubai!
It is true that no one wants to stand up to India these days and Sri Lanka has learned harsh lessons in the past trying to do so. It’s fine to be friendly with India but not at the expense of Pakistan, who has been one of our strongest allies over the years.
Abdul Hafeez Kardar, who had played for India before partition was the first Test captain of Pakistan and he later went onto become the President of PCB. It was he who aggressively pushed Sri Lanka’s case for Test status.
Mr. Kardar wasn’t a mere talker. He was leading by example too. He initiated the Ali Bhutto Trophy, a reciprocal series between the under-19 sides of both nations. The legend of Ranjan Madugalle was born there, not so much for his batting but his spin bowling.
SLC also benefited immensely when Mr. Kardar offered scholarships to local coaches and curators to go and learn the trade in Pakistan. The fact that Sri Lanka were granted Test status in 1981 was largely due to his untiring efforts and former board secretary Neil Perera, now in his 90s, would vouch for this.
The people of Pakistan are also the friendliest. When you land at the airport and when the immigration officer sees your passport, there’s a pleasant welcome and if your reason for travel is cricket, there’s a polite smile too. The first question is not how long you are going to stay in Pakistan, but how is Aravinda de Silva doing these days!
The same hospitality is given to you at the hotels, at restaurants and even during taxi rides. Fans can get a glimpse of the support our players get in Pakistan if they watched the 2008 Asia Cup final played in Karachi – the famous Ajantha Mendis game where he took six for 12 against India.
Sadly, that was the last multi-nation event Pakistan hosted. However, cricket has gradually returned to the country. PCB has been able to host their T-20 league tournament PSL successfully while England and Australia went there last year to play Test match cricket. A multi team tournament played there will be more than a welcome move and we should not put a spoke in the wheel to abrupt things.
[Cricbuzz]
Why did David Miller refuse a single off the penultimate delivery with Delhi Capitals needing 2 off 2? It’ll be spoken of for a while, but not inside the Gujarat Titans change room. Because Prasidh Krishna bowled a nerveless slower bouncer off the final delivery that Miller missed, and Jos Buttler then nailed a direct hit with an underarm throw from behind the stumps to run out Kuldeep Yadav, clinching a dramatic first win for GT in IPL 2026.
Despite being adjudged run out on the field, Miller wasn’t in the mood to concede defeat, and reviewed the final ball for a possible wide. But when replays confirmed what he had perhaps known, he was crestfallen. Equally distraught in the dugout was K L Rahul, whose 52-ball 92 set the game up for DC but for one run.
It was GT’s first win of the tournament and the first loss for DC after starting the campaign with two wins in a row.
Thirty-six needed off 12. A bruised finger that didn’t make it easy for him to grip the bat had forced Miller to retire hurt with DC needing 81 off 42. But when Tristan Stubbs was run-out in the 17th over, Miller returned hoping to play second fiddle to Rahul. Instead, he was now expected to deliver a box-office hit with Rahul nicking behind off a full Mohammed Siraj delivery two balls later.
Miller nearly delivered what was expected, as he went 6, 4, 6 off Siraj, repeatedly peppering the short leg-side boundary. At the other end, Vipraj Nigam also ramped four off a short delivery to bring the equation down to a manageable 13 off the final over.
Prasidh was tasked to bowl the final over. His three overs prior to that had been walloped for 41; Rahul, his state mate, had climbed into him earlier in the night. But all that would’ve been forgiven if Prasidh delivered a gun final over. That GT could only have four fielders out due to a slow over rate added to his challenge. And he nearly succumbed.
Nigam made room and swung cleanly to hit the first ball to the long-off fence, but a rush of blood had him swipe the second delivery to Shubman Gill at mid-off. With DC now needing nine off four, Kuldeep gently deflected his first ball to deep third to leave the chase in Miller’s hands.
With the equation down to 8 off 3, Prasidh bowled a slot-ball that Miller walloped over long-off. But with two needed, Miller inexplicably refused a single to take it all upon himself to finish the deal. He couldn’t connect on the final ball, and Prasidh belted a roar. GT had pulled one from under DC’s rug in dramatic circumstances.
After scores of 1 and 0 in his first two games, Rahul announced himself with a 29-ball half-century that was as pleasing as they come for large parts. It was also one that didn’t have the baggage of him playing run-accumulator, like he has tended to in the past while opening the batting. This Rahul was fun, free and fearless and he helped DC overcome a few roadblocks along the way, like when they lost two wickets in two deliveries to Rashid Khan at the halfway mark.
Rahul was particularly menacing against the fast bowlers, and it began with a wristy flick that he sent way back over deep square off Kagiso Rabada. The early jitters out of the way – if he even had some inkling of them – he batted like a man possessed, fearlessly climbing into length balls from Prasidh over cover, and slapping disdainfully over point.
He is good, but where is the Rashid of old, they asked. Turns out he hadn’t gone anywhere. After he conceded just nine in his first two with DC rampant, he returned to dismiss Nitish Rana in his dramatic third over, the 10th of the innings. Having been given out lbw earlier, only for Rana to overturn the decision through DRS, he was out a few balls later when he miscued a googly to Sai Sudharsan at long-off. This was Rana’s third sub-20 score of the season.
This brought the in-form Sameer Rizvi to the middle, and he lasted all of one delivery as Rashid snuck through his inside-edge with a ripping googly to briefly elicit jitters in the DC camp. This is when Miller entered, before briefly exiting with seven overs left. But in the same over, when Rashid had Axar Patel slice one to Glenn Phillips running back from cover, GT started to have an opening.
On any other night, Rashid’s spell would have cracked open the game. The fact that DC were still in it despite these wickets was down to Rahul. It needed the skilful Siraj to dismiss him with DC needing 45 off three overs. By then, the pressure was telling.
That GT were eventually able to get over the line was down to their run cushion, made possible thanks to half-centuries from Jos Buttler, Gill and Washington Sundar. Buttler looked unshackled, hitting four sixes off his first 15 deliveries en route a bruising half-century, while Gill played himself in and then allayed fears of neck spasms during his takedown of Kuldeep with the slog sweep. Then Washington, promoted to No. 4, struck his maiden IPL fifty to shore up the innings.
Even so, GT managed just 49 off the last five. On another day, this may have proved to be costly. It didn’t on Wednesday, and for that, they have Rashid to thank.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 210 for 4 in 20 overs (Sai Sudarshan 12, Shubman Gill 70, Jos Buttler 52, Washington Sundar 55, Glenn Phillips 14*; Mukesh Kumar 2-55, Lungi Ngidi 1-24, Kuldeep Yadav 1-42 ) beat Delhi Capitals 209 for 8 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 41, KL Rahul 92, David Miller 41*, Vipraj Nigam 12; Mohammed Siraj 1-42, Rashid Khan 3-17, Prasidh Krishna 2-52) by one run
[Cricinfo]
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