Invariably every Hollywood film depicting catastrophe or science fiction showcases imaginative and often ridiculous plots coupled with the American paranoia and its relentless quest to become a superhero. Barring this idiosyncrasy, all such hugely budgeted movies are cleverly filmed with brilliant star cast, amazing cinematography, and immaculate direction and mind blowing special effects, making such films, ultimately riveting and film watching an exquisite experience.
Director Roland Emmerich’s film ‘2012’ is no different and indeed worth watching for its special effects on large screen.
2012 is based on Mayan prophecy which predicted that the Earth's Axe oscillates and changes its position every 26 thousand years and as a result the positions of the neighboring stars change all the time. Obviously the film starts with scenes showing some turbulence on various planets. The next moment a copper mine in India gets affected with rapid over heating.
A simple, intelligent Indian scientist (Jimi Mistry) reveals that the earth’s inner core is boiling caused by ‘Neutrinos’. We quickly learn that neutrinos are uncharged particles created during the nuclear fusion processes in the sun. Jimi alarms his friend Dr. Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) a US government scientist who in turn warns the chief of staff Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt) and the US President (Danny Glover) about impending disaster. Soon the computers take over and the scientists prognosticate the date, when the world would come to an end. This date happens to be 21 Dec 2012, the same date when the Mayan calendar (and inevitably disputed) foresees about the end of life on Earth.
Meanwhile a lake near a restricted zone evaporates and now in few minutes the earth’s crust would buckle. It will rise and shift the tectonic plates by thousands of kilometers. As a result, the audience will witness tremors creating wide cracks on land, sporadic volcano eruptions, and massive tsunamis which could even submerge the Himalayas, topple skyscrapers, and crumble bridges. Amidst flying cars and falling houses, people start to run, dodge, pray, hide and scream but our hero Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), a failed novelist and weekend father remains inquisitive and bravely helps his estranged family to escape safely. John’s performance and expressions are truly marvelous and throughout the movie, he remains calm, composed and considerate.
Woody Harrelson's performance as the eccentric prophet of doom is fantastic and might scare children. Chiwetel Ejiofor makes Adrian endearing and with relative ease, he portrays a virtuous diligent scientist who loves books and values human life. Oliver Platt is brilliant and authoratively demonstrates his leadership and displays his concerns about the future of governance, human race, diplomacy and money.
Kate Curtis, Cusack's ex-wife played by gorgeous Amanda Peet does a reasonable job as the American mother. Danny Glover is outstanding and in the film becomes the last US President. The President's daughter Laura Wilson (Thandie Newton) has a limited role but is seen as sensitive first daughter and an ardent art connoisseur.
Generally four forces affect an aircraft — two assist flight (thrust and lift), and two resist flight (gravity and drag). But Thomas McCarthy, Amanda’s new boyfriend and a plastic surgeon loses the landing gear and reduces the drag. Moreover he miraculously maintains the planes equilibrium through the devastation. Strangely the cell phones continue to remain active despite crumbling buildings that house the telecom towers!
The film succinctly safeguards the interest of G8 nations while the UN and other developing nations appear conspicuously absent. The Copenhagen summit could be few weeks away but strangely both US and China, the two great fuel guzzling and polluting nations prefer to become the saviours in 2012. The film ends in China where poor Tibetans are exploited to construct massive ships that would safely protect the human race and animals from extinction.
The script lacks solidity but the dialogues are equipped with a good mix of technical terms, humour and sarcasm. The films music fails to create the necessary tempo. The direction, camera work and aerial shots are seen to be believed. The film is lengthy but spectacularly blends science, fiction and mythology.
Only time will tell whether we face a global cataclysmic disaster towards the end of 2012 but there is no doubt that the world would certainly vanish if we fail to curb terrorism and greed. Until then do watch, nature emits its fury in the film 2012 and rampantly destroy architectural wonders, state of art infrastructure and human life but thankfully Emmerich refrains from stomping human emotions, feelings and hope!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Artist across the Borders! – Part II
Contd from Part I..
Lethal & Cavalier
If you are an Indian, Ricky Ponting’s 140 in 2003 world cup final and Saeed Anwar highest individual score of 194 still send shivers. As an opening batsman, Anwar was capable of dismantling the best bowling attacks around the world. An engineer by graduation, Anwar would relentlessly attack bowlers all over the field and score quickly. His success came from good timing and wrist flicks rather than physical power, and Anwar became famous for his trademark flick. He was able to lift a ball that had pitched outside off stump for six over midwicket.
Sultan of Multan
If you need to witness lethargy in cricket, just watch Inzy also known as the Sultan of Multan laboriously walking towards the crease, or his running between the wickets which could even embarrass a snail. If that fails to tickle your funny bone just see Inzy stand in the slip, and if you are lucky, you might even get to see him reluctantly trotting behind a ball, slowly pursuing it till some young ball boy eagerly stops it behind the fence with gleam and pride.
But make no mistakes, Inzy just fell 3 runs short from breaking Javed’s record and becoming Pakistan’s leading test scorer. Inzammam set a record for scoring the most fifties in One Day Internationals, 83 which has been surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar. He also became the second batsman to score 10,000 runs in One-day Internationals after Tendulkar. Inzamam has been known to be a very destructive batsman in all formats of the game. Like Tendulkar, Inzy has an amazing ability to pick the length of a delivery very early and play very late. His footwork is generally considered to be fast, enabling him to position himself early for shots. Who can forget his brilliant knock in 92 world cup semifinals against New Zealand at Auckland.
Both Inzamman and Younis are fearless and can single handedly change the course of match. They made a good pair of Captain and Vice Captain. But there is a little difference between Inzamman and Younis Khan’s captaincy. Unlike Inzamman, Younis is more stylish, prefers to shave and has a tremendous sense of humour. Unfortunately Inzamman had to adjust his batting and even his leadership to the violent political situation. Not to mention, the intrusion from various managers, coaches including Javed Miandad, the late Bob Woolmer, different board officials. There was a time when this soft spoken lad from Multan took strict disciplinary steps and cleverly handled the whims of Rawalpindi Express- Shoaib Akhtar including facing the criticism of his mentor the legendary Imran Khan.
Barring one incident of forfeiting the test match in England, Inzamman led the team with his bat with grace, dignity and respect. Along with senior talented players like Moin Khan, Shoaib Akhtar and Afridi, he managed to inspire and encourage young Mohd Yusuf (erstwhile Youhana), Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik. Today these same players have become astute match winners. Having said that Captaincy had a positive effect on Inzamam's batting, often leading by example in pressure situations, averaging greater as a captain (52).
Gentle Pathan
Under Inzamam’s captaincy the team prayed more and played less. Inzy’s men looked more like Tablighi Jamaat than Men in Green, leaving late Woolmer exasperated. Thankfully Younis Khan is blessed with a younger team who look more hungry and desperate to showcase their talent, skills and bring glory to their country. Like any other Pathan, Younis Khan is fearless, and will forever be remembered as the second Khan to bring home a world title for Pakistan.
As a batsman, Younis is compact and elegant. His determination and temperament makes it possible to play any format of the game and even score runs with flourish. His sweep shots are close to perfection. The amazing cuts and spectacular off-drives between point and extra cover are worth watching. Sitting on one knee and hitting the classical cover drives would remind you of the Great Gavaskar. Younis is not as tall as Majid Khan but like him rarely hits a straight drive and is not afraid to pull or hook fast bowlers. His on-drives and flicks in midwicket and square leg region are equally good. It is a pleasure to see Younis craft and pace his innings. His stroke plays and running between the wickets sometimes remind you of Asif Iqbal who also played with a certain aura of flamboyance, arrogance, determination and grit.
Elegant All-rounder
Shoaib Malik breathes elegance. His footwork and back-foot drives remind you of the talented Sanjay Manjrekar. Malik is not blessed with a strong physique but compensates with his sense of timing. He has good wrist work and his cuts and drives in off and leg region are indeed a delight to watch. Malik has proved himself as one of the most cerebral batsmen of his era. He does not have Afridi’s brute force or Yousuf’s defense but Pakistan owes many a win to the youngster whose maturity goes far beyond his age. Malik has an amazing pair of hands and rarely spills any catches. The classical off spinners do surprise the batsmen but his bowling action has often come under the scanner and somehow remains a suspect.
Diligent Soldier
The moment he scores a century, this talented batsmen observes Sajdah where he prostrates in gratitude to Allah in the direction of Mecca. Prior to his conversion to Islam in 2005, he walked to the crease and blessed himself by making a cross and repeated the act every time he reached a milestone. Yousuf is humble and has no inhibitions in publicly displaying his faith. His Test average of 56.00 currently ranks him as quality batsmen. Mohd. Yousuf is known for his ability to score runs at exceptional rate through his great technique and composed strokeplay. His batting lacks style but his concentration, determination and hard hitting has always helped Pakistan bounce back from any brink of defeat.
Boom Boom
If you are an Indian, Ricky Ponting’s 140 in 2003 world cup final and Saeed Anwar highest individual score of 194 still send shivers. As an opening batsman, Anwar was capable of dismantling the best bowling attacks around the world. An engineer by graduation, Anwar would relentlessly attack bowlers all over the field and score quickly. His success came from good timing and wrist flicks rather than physical power, and Anwar became famous for his trademark flick. He was able to lift a ball that had pitched outside off stump for six over midwicket.
Sultan of Multan
If you need to witness lethargy in cricket, just watch Inzy also known as the Sultan of Multan laboriously walking towards the crease, or his running between the wickets which could even embarrass a snail. If that fails to tickle your funny bone just see Inzy stand in the slip, and if you are lucky, you might even get to see him reluctantly trotting behind a ball, slowly pursuing it till some young ball boy eagerly stops it behind the fence with gleam and pride.
But make no mistakes, Inzy just fell 3 runs short from breaking Javed’s record and becoming Pakistan’s leading test scorer. Inzammam set a record for scoring the most fifties in One Day Internationals, 83 which has been surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar. He also became the second batsman to score 10,000 runs in One-day Internationals after Tendulkar. Inzamam has been known to be a very destructive batsman in all formats of the game. Like Tendulkar, Inzy has an amazing ability to pick the length of a delivery very early and play very late. His footwork is generally considered to be fast, enabling him to position himself early for shots. Who can forget his brilliant knock in 92 world cup semifinals against New Zealand at Auckland.
Both Inzamman and Younis are fearless and can single handedly change the course of match. They made a good pair of Captain and Vice Captain. But there is a little difference between Inzamman and Younis Khan’s captaincy. Unlike Inzamman, Younis is more stylish, prefers to shave and has a tremendous sense of humour. Unfortunately Inzamman had to adjust his batting and even his leadership to the violent political situation. Not to mention, the intrusion from various managers, coaches including Javed Miandad, the late Bob Woolmer, different board officials. There was a time when this soft spoken lad from Multan took strict disciplinary steps and cleverly handled the whims of Rawalpindi Express- Shoaib Akhtar including facing the criticism of his mentor the legendary Imran Khan.
Barring one incident of forfeiting the test match in England, Inzamman led the team with his bat with grace, dignity and respect. Along with senior talented players like Moin Khan, Shoaib Akhtar and Afridi, he managed to inspire and encourage young Mohd Yusuf (erstwhile Youhana), Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik. Today these same players have become astute match winners. Having said that Captaincy had a positive effect on Inzamam's batting, often leading by example in pressure situations, averaging greater as a captain (52).
Gentle Pathan
Under Inzamam’s captaincy the team prayed more and played less. Inzy’s men looked more like Tablighi Jamaat than Men in Green, leaving late Woolmer exasperated. Thankfully Younis Khan is blessed with a younger team who look more hungry and desperate to showcase their talent, skills and bring glory to their country. Like any other Pathan, Younis Khan is fearless, and will forever be remembered as the second Khan to bring home a world title for Pakistan.
As a batsman, Younis is compact and elegant. His determination and temperament makes it possible to play any format of the game and even score runs with flourish. His sweep shots are close to perfection. The amazing cuts and spectacular off-drives between point and extra cover are worth watching. Sitting on one knee and hitting the classical cover drives would remind you of the Great Gavaskar. Younis is not as tall as Majid Khan but like him rarely hits a straight drive and is not afraid to pull or hook fast bowlers. His on-drives and flicks in midwicket and square leg region are equally good. It is a pleasure to see Younis craft and pace his innings. His stroke plays and running between the wickets sometimes remind you of Asif Iqbal who also played with a certain aura of flamboyance, arrogance, determination and grit.
Elegant All-rounder
Shoaib Malik breathes elegance. His footwork and back-foot drives remind you of the talented Sanjay Manjrekar. Malik is not blessed with a strong physique but compensates with his sense of timing. He has good wrist work and his cuts and drives in off and leg region are indeed a delight to watch. Malik has proved himself as one of the most cerebral batsmen of his era. He does not have Afridi’s brute force or Yousuf’s defense but Pakistan owes many a win to the youngster whose maturity goes far beyond his age. Malik has an amazing pair of hands and rarely spills any catches. The classical off spinners do surprise the batsmen but his bowling action has often come under the scanner and somehow remains a suspect.
Diligent Soldier
The moment he scores a century, this talented batsmen observes Sajdah where he prostrates in gratitude to Allah in the direction of Mecca. Prior to his conversion to Islam in 2005, he walked to the crease and blessed himself by making a cross and repeated the act every time he reached a milestone. Yousuf is humble and has no inhibitions in publicly displaying his faith. His Test average of 56.00 currently ranks him as quality batsmen. Mohd. Yousuf is known for his ability to score runs at exceptional rate through his great technique and composed strokeplay. His batting lacks style but his concentration, determination and hard hitting has always helped Pakistan bounce back from any brink of defeat.
Boom Boom
Boom Boom Afridi is a man in hurry, whether it’s his batting, fielding or even bowling. On his day, he can slay any bowler with brute force and can make the ball fly the distance or even break the windshields in car park. Afridi has everything in his repertoire. His faster one which people find suspicious comes straight at you like a flying missile and rarely miss the timber. He fields with amazing alacrity and his running between the wickers could even bring sprinters to shame.
Future
The country is reeling under fundamentalism, terrorist attack and seems to slowly become an anarchic state. But hopefully accomplishments in cricket and sports would someday curb all these. The recent Twenty20 world cup win seems to have changed the way Pakistani’s now approach their cricket. There is certain bonhomie amongst the players and the younger players appear more vibrant and determined. As expected there is a new captain. It remains to be seen how long does the Pakistan board trust and empower Mohd.Younus with captaincy.
Until then someone should publish a book about the other legendary artist Hanif Mohammed and Nissar Khan, the talented Wasim Raza, Rameez Raja, Wasim Bari, spinners Iqbal Qasim, Abdul Qadir, Mushtaq and Saqlain and those brave hearts mentioned above.
Future
The country is reeling under fundamentalism, terrorist attack and seems to slowly become an anarchic state. But hopefully accomplishments in cricket and sports would someday curb all these. The recent Twenty20 world cup win seems to have changed the way Pakistani’s now approach their cricket. There is certain bonhomie amongst the players and the younger players appear more vibrant and determined. As expected there is a new captain. It remains to be seen how long does the Pakistan board trust and empower Mohd.Younus with captaincy.
Until then someone should publish a book about the other legendary artist Hanif Mohammed and Nissar Khan, the talented Wasim Raza, Rameez Raja, Wasim Bari, spinners Iqbal Qasim, Abdul Qadir, Mushtaq and Saqlain and those brave hearts mentioned above.
The Artist across the Borders! – Part I
When it comes to India – Pakistan matches, nothing can be more ecstatic and perhaps even more patriotic than to see Tendulkar & Sehwag clobber the Pakistani bowlers. But as diehard cricket lover, I must confess my liking for other teams including Pakistan. In the current team, I enjoy watching Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Mohd Ameer and Imran Nazir.
Come to think of, there is a certain amount of artistry and romance associated with people from across the border. The haunting ghazals of Faraz Ahmed brought to life by the mellifluous singing of Mehdi Hassan, the soulful music of Ghulam Ali, the incisive plays authored by Hasan Manto and even the electrifying Sufi music of Strings are an experience in itself. When it comes to individual triumph, Pakistan has always been a favourite at Squash.
India’s strength lies in batting while Pakistan relies on their fast bowlers. However both these neighbours have many things in common. When it comes to cricket and hockey, both India & Pakistan continue to remain unpredictable. Pakistan is troubled by feudalism and we are bogged down with casetism. Both have produced great sportsmen including cricketers and yet their teams continue to display inconsistency. And despite being world champions, both these countries are desperately struggling to resurrect their national game - Hockey!
Run Machine
My admiration for Pakistan team began way back in 1978, when as a 7 year old child, I saw a long haired bespectacled man with a coloured head band and white handkerchief around his neck, mercilessly clobbering our bowlers around the park. That day he remained not out and scored a magnificent 235. In the earlier test, this same man had scored 176 in the first innings and was on his way to score another blistering century in the second innings, but fell prey to a rather innocuous delivery. The score board read Batsman No 4 - Zaheer Abbas, 96 runs, caught Chetan Chauhan bowled Sunil Gavaskar and the match ended in a dull draw!
Zaheer may have missed scoring a century in each innings of a test, but he has an enviable record of scoring a double century and century in a match on four occasions. In those days, Pakistani umpires were known for their notorious decision making. The decisions were often biased and LBW did not exist in their lexicon but that shouldn’t belittle the accomplishments of some of their players including Zaheer.
In 1978, the stylist Majid Khan didn’t play and Mustaq Mohammad was called to captain the side. Along with Zaheer, the team had talented Asif Iqbal, Imran Khan, Wasim Bari, Javed Miandad, Iqbal Qasim, and Sarfaraz Nawaz. The allrounder Mudassar Nazar and his opening partner Moshin Khan were able to see off the new ball and establish good partnership.
While, the 1989 series saw the emergence of Tendulkar and Waqar, the 1978- 79 series brought to fore the amazing talent of Javed, and also introduced the world to Haryana Hurricane- Kapil Dev. India had Ghavri and Kapil but Pakistan’s bowling line up of Imran Khan and Sikhander Bakht was equally ferocious. This series also ended the golden era of our great spinners.
Crafty Accumulator
Javed Miandad with ruffled hair, big eyes, strong forearms, thick moustache and a devilish smile reminded you of those goons from Punjabi flicks. You will rarely associate elegance and style with Javed. But Javed compensates it, with his thinking and astute knowledge of the game. Moreover he has been abundantly blessed with courage, confidence, temperament, skills, talent and innovation. Javed was a fantastic fielder and a master of batting improvisations.
Often bowlers provoke and sledged at batsmen and Javed would wait for such an opportunity. As soon as any bowler provoked Javed, the next moment his bat would retaliate and the ball would be seen behind the ropes. He wouldn’t stop there. Javed was incorrigible and with his presence of mind and tenacity would aptly respond with verbal volleys. Perhaps this is how he motivated himself and till his last test, he continued to provoke and unsettle the bowlers around the world. Standing at short leg or silly point, he would incessantly chatter and play mind games with the opposition. In 1978 Javed scored two brilliant centuries and with Asif Iqbal scampered for singles and clinched the test match and series for Pakistan.
Swiftest Gentleman
Asif Iqbal was stylish and a finest diplomat and advocate of the game. Perhaps Asif was the real finisher at No 6, and excelled in all departments. His bowling was accurate, and his athleticism and fielding very sharp. However it was his batting that saved several tests and won him many accolades. While Asif played a stellar role in 78 series against India in Pakistan, the next year on tour to India, his batting faltered. Under his captaincy Pakistan lost the 1979 series in India.
Cricket is a metaphor of life. Ironically in his final test, the fastest and swiftest runner between the wickets was run out at Eden Gardens. The entire stadium of 80,000 spectators gave Asif a deserving standing ovation. Since 1996 the crowd at Eden Gardens has changed, however it was befitting to see Pakistan team receiving a standing ovation at Chepauk, where barely 18 minutes ago, the colossal Tendulkar stood like Rock of Gibraltar, playing a valiant knock despite excruciating back strain. To my mind, that knock deserves a place along with G.R. Viswanath’s 97 at Chepauk and Laxman’s 281 at Eden Gardens.
The Debonair
The long haired, Oxford educated, debonair Imran had a wonderful physique that any fast bowler would aspire. His Pathan inheritance had blessed him with good height, muscular shoulders, strong wrist, and till date he continues to be an eye candy of every woman. Behind Jeff Thomson and Holding, Imran became the third best fast bowler in the world and had a beautiful run up and a unique bowling style. The final leap and the release of ball, barely before his feet had firmly landed in the crease, were worth watching and many of us still find it difficult to emulate.
In years to come Imran went on to win the world cup in 92, create many records; became a successful captain and was among the top all rounders in the world. Pakistan had several fast bowlers, but it was Imran who inspired everybody in the country to take up the art of fast bowling. Soon you had Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed who in turn carried the legacy left by Imran and encouraged Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Mohammed Sami, Mohammed Asif and now Mohammed Ameer to bowl pace. Imran’s contribution to Pakistan cricket is phenomenal. He has an eye for talent and gave opportunities to several young talents like Abdul Qadir, Salim Malik, Moin Khan, Rameez Raja, Amir Sohail, Saeed Anwar, Inzammam, Saqlain Mustaq, and Afridi in the team.
Left Arm of God
Perhaps no other left hand pace bowler has received such adulation and respect. Akram was thin, lanky, a good hitter and a master of disguise. Wasim Akram with an unorthodox run up and short leap was quick and unplayable on any wicket. Akram ran carrying the ball in his right hand making it difficult for the batsmen and even to the non striker to determine the shiny surface. In no time Akram would reached the bowling crease and before he got into his final delivery stride, the ball had changed hands and sat nonchalantly between his magic fingers.
In a jiffy the ball would have a life of its own. The ball would fly with great speed, seam and often swing and obey his master’s commands. Who can forget his phenomenal spell against England in 92 world cup, getting Alan Lamb and Chris Lewis in quick succession? Wasim had that innate ability to vary his pace and move the ball either ways. Many prolific batsmen including Robin Smith have lost their balance to his toe crushing yorkers.
Peter Roebuck rightly states that “Cricketers like Wasim are not to be judged merely in terms of figures. He has a remarkable record, but that is not the point. No one doubts that Wasim was a great cricketer. Rather, he is to be judged by his contribution to the game, as a match winner and a man who proved that bowling could be as entertaining as batting.” Little wonder then, why the cricketing world considers Wasim as ‘The Left Arm of God!’
Master of Reverse Swing
Waqar and Tendulkar made their debut in the same Test match. Waqar took 4 wickets in the drawn match including wickets of Kapil Dev and Sachin. Waqar was athletic, muscular, and stylish and bowled amazing in-swingers and out-swinger. He also had a good in swinging yorkers but it was his leg cutter that would unfailingly find the gap between the bat and pad. The ability to reverse swing and his explosive speed made him as one of the feared bowlers in modern cricket.
Come to think of, there is a certain amount of artistry and romance associated with people from across the border. The haunting ghazals of Faraz Ahmed brought to life by the mellifluous singing of Mehdi Hassan, the soulful music of Ghulam Ali, the incisive plays authored by Hasan Manto and even the electrifying Sufi music of Strings are an experience in itself. When it comes to individual triumph, Pakistan has always been a favourite at Squash.
India’s strength lies in batting while Pakistan relies on their fast bowlers. However both these neighbours have many things in common. When it comes to cricket and hockey, both India & Pakistan continue to remain unpredictable. Pakistan is troubled by feudalism and we are bogged down with casetism. Both have produced great sportsmen including cricketers and yet their teams continue to display inconsistency. And despite being world champions, both these countries are desperately struggling to resurrect their national game - Hockey!
Run Machine
My admiration for Pakistan team began way back in 1978, when as a 7 year old child, I saw a long haired bespectacled man with a coloured head band and white handkerchief around his neck, mercilessly clobbering our bowlers around the park. That day he remained not out and scored a magnificent 235. In the earlier test, this same man had scored 176 in the first innings and was on his way to score another blistering century in the second innings, but fell prey to a rather innocuous delivery. The score board read Batsman No 4 - Zaheer Abbas, 96 runs, caught Chetan Chauhan bowled Sunil Gavaskar and the match ended in a dull draw!
Zaheer may have missed scoring a century in each innings of a test, but he has an enviable record of scoring a double century and century in a match on four occasions. In those days, Pakistani umpires were known for their notorious decision making. The decisions were often biased and LBW did not exist in their lexicon but that shouldn’t belittle the accomplishments of some of their players including Zaheer.
In 1978, the stylist Majid Khan didn’t play and Mustaq Mohammad was called to captain the side. Along with Zaheer, the team had talented Asif Iqbal, Imran Khan, Wasim Bari, Javed Miandad, Iqbal Qasim, and Sarfaraz Nawaz. The allrounder Mudassar Nazar and his opening partner Moshin Khan were able to see off the new ball and establish good partnership.
While, the 1989 series saw the emergence of Tendulkar and Waqar, the 1978- 79 series brought to fore the amazing talent of Javed, and also introduced the world to Haryana Hurricane- Kapil Dev. India had Ghavri and Kapil but Pakistan’s bowling line up of Imran Khan and Sikhander Bakht was equally ferocious. This series also ended the golden era of our great spinners.
Crafty Accumulator
Javed Miandad with ruffled hair, big eyes, strong forearms, thick moustache and a devilish smile reminded you of those goons from Punjabi flicks. You will rarely associate elegance and style with Javed. But Javed compensates it, with his thinking and astute knowledge of the game. Moreover he has been abundantly blessed with courage, confidence, temperament, skills, talent and innovation. Javed was a fantastic fielder and a master of batting improvisations.
Often bowlers provoke and sledged at batsmen and Javed would wait for such an opportunity. As soon as any bowler provoked Javed, the next moment his bat would retaliate and the ball would be seen behind the ropes. He wouldn’t stop there. Javed was incorrigible and with his presence of mind and tenacity would aptly respond with verbal volleys. Perhaps this is how he motivated himself and till his last test, he continued to provoke and unsettle the bowlers around the world. Standing at short leg or silly point, he would incessantly chatter and play mind games with the opposition. In 1978 Javed scored two brilliant centuries and with Asif Iqbal scampered for singles and clinched the test match and series for Pakistan.
Swiftest Gentleman
Asif Iqbal was stylish and a finest diplomat and advocate of the game. Perhaps Asif was the real finisher at No 6, and excelled in all departments. His bowling was accurate, and his athleticism and fielding very sharp. However it was his batting that saved several tests and won him many accolades. While Asif played a stellar role in 78 series against India in Pakistan, the next year on tour to India, his batting faltered. Under his captaincy Pakistan lost the 1979 series in India.
Cricket is a metaphor of life. Ironically in his final test, the fastest and swiftest runner between the wickets was run out at Eden Gardens. The entire stadium of 80,000 spectators gave Asif a deserving standing ovation. Since 1996 the crowd at Eden Gardens has changed, however it was befitting to see Pakistan team receiving a standing ovation at Chepauk, where barely 18 minutes ago, the colossal Tendulkar stood like Rock of Gibraltar, playing a valiant knock despite excruciating back strain. To my mind, that knock deserves a place along with G.R. Viswanath’s 97 at Chepauk and Laxman’s 281 at Eden Gardens.
The Debonair
The long haired, Oxford educated, debonair Imran had a wonderful physique that any fast bowler would aspire. His Pathan inheritance had blessed him with good height, muscular shoulders, strong wrist, and till date he continues to be an eye candy of every woman. Behind Jeff Thomson and Holding, Imran became the third best fast bowler in the world and had a beautiful run up and a unique bowling style. The final leap and the release of ball, barely before his feet had firmly landed in the crease, were worth watching and many of us still find it difficult to emulate.
In years to come Imran went on to win the world cup in 92, create many records; became a successful captain and was among the top all rounders in the world. Pakistan had several fast bowlers, but it was Imran who inspired everybody in the country to take up the art of fast bowling. Soon you had Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed who in turn carried the legacy left by Imran and encouraged Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Mohammed Sami, Mohammed Asif and now Mohammed Ameer to bowl pace. Imran’s contribution to Pakistan cricket is phenomenal. He has an eye for talent and gave opportunities to several young talents like Abdul Qadir, Salim Malik, Moin Khan, Rameez Raja, Amir Sohail, Saeed Anwar, Inzammam, Saqlain Mustaq, and Afridi in the team.
Left Arm of God
Perhaps no other left hand pace bowler has received such adulation and respect. Akram was thin, lanky, a good hitter and a master of disguise. Wasim Akram with an unorthodox run up and short leap was quick and unplayable on any wicket. Akram ran carrying the ball in his right hand making it difficult for the batsmen and even to the non striker to determine the shiny surface. In no time Akram would reached the bowling crease and before he got into his final delivery stride, the ball had changed hands and sat nonchalantly between his magic fingers.
In a jiffy the ball would have a life of its own. The ball would fly with great speed, seam and often swing and obey his master’s commands. Who can forget his phenomenal spell against England in 92 world cup, getting Alan Lamb and Chris Lewis in quick succession? Wasim had that innate ability to vary his pace and move the ball either ways. Many prolific batsmen including Robin Smith have lost their balance to his toe crushing yorkers.
Peter Roebuck rightly states that “Cricketers like Wasim are not to be judged merely in terms of figures. He has a remarkable record, but that is not the point. No one doubts that Wasim was a great cricketer. Rather, he is to be judged by his contribution to the game, as a match winner and a man who proved that bowling could be as entertaining as batting.” Little wonder then, why the cricketing world considers Wasim as ‘The Left Arm of God!’
Master of Reverse Swing
Waqar and Tendulkar made their debut in the same Test match. Waqar took 4 wickets in the drawn match including wickets of Kapil Dev and Sachin. Waqar was athletic, muscular, and stylish and bowled amazing in-swingers and out-swinger. He also had a good in swinging yorkers but it was his leg cutter that would unfailingly find the gap between the bat and pad. The ability to reverse swing and his explosive speed made him as one of the feared bowlers in modern cricket.
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