Archive for February, 2011

Iraqi leaders and US president Barack Obama proclaimed that Iraq was now truly sovereign as they marked the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq’s cities to bases within Iraq.

Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, declared June 30 “National Sovereignty Day” and ordered a public holiday. This charade ignores the fact that 130,000 US troops on Iraqi soil still amounts to an occupation or that the current political process in Iraq was put in place by the foreign occupiers in order to guarantee a local leadership that secures western interests. It also plays down the fact that these US troops can be deployed back to cities at anytime provided the Iraqi leadership requests it. Details…

 Independent Television sports reporter Rubaid Mahbub checks up World Cup history to see what injuries kept some of cricket’s brightest stars from breaking records in previous tournaments

Michael Hussey, Nathan Hauritz, Eoin Morgan, Praveen Kumar and of course Mashrafe Mortaza. These are some of the names who will be missing out cricket’s biggest event this year due to the demon called INJURY!

Not seeing a fully fit Mashrafe Mortaza in action could well be one of the biggest disappointments as a Bangladeshi spectator, but I am not going to talk about this anymore, as I feel enough has been said and written already about this brave young man from Narail and his injury! Instead, I am going to tell you about some famous and at times bizarre injury incidents. Some injuries made big names miss out on big occasions and some would make you giggle or make you feel pity for the poor soul. So here we go!

Waqar Younis: The legendary fast bowler missed out on his country’s biggest achievement in sports, when Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992. The charismatic Imran Khan and his green machines brought the cup back to the subcontinent without their fastest bowler. Waqar was suffering from a stress fracture of the back. However, the records suggest World Cups and Waqar, fondly known as ‘Burewala Express’, never got along very well. He participated in three World Cups 1996, 1999 and 2003 and took 22 wickets in 15 matches.

Brett Lee: Australia’s fastest bowler missed the 2007 edition of the World Cup in the Caribbean. After a wonderful show at the 2003 World cup, where he picked up 22 wickets in 10 matches, an ankle injury forced Lee to become a spectator at Australia’s third consecutive World Cup triumph. At 34, ‘Binga’, is back for, perhaps, his last World Cup bash this time…way to go mate!

Shoaib Akhter: The fiery Pakistan pacer missed a lot of cricket due to injuries throughout his career though the reason for missing out the 2009 T20 World Cup was personal. The Pakistan Cricket Board very honestly revealed why he was left out of the squad that year. The board put out a press release stating that the ’speedstar’ player was suffering from genital warts! A very embarrassed Akhter considered suing the board!

Dennis Lillee: One of the greatest fast bowlers of all time Lillee, broke down on Australia’s 1972-73 tour of the Caribbean, after fighting back problems for over a year. He was able to return after months of treatment and a remodelled action, which considerably cut off his fearsome pace. A famous story goes that ahead of the 1974-75 Ashes, England players went to watch Lillee in the nets and left after a few minutes, convinced that he was a shadow of his former self. Lillee took 25 wickets in that series as England, drowned 4-1, were destroyed by the pace and hostility of Lillee and Jeff Thomson.

Sachin Tendulkar: Yes, he too had to suffer like a mere mortal! Sachin is in his 22nd year as a professional cricketer and missed just three Tests and 45 ODIs in his first 15 years of playing. Then came the infamous tennis elbow in 2004 and turned sports pages into medical dictionaries in India. It kept Sachin out some very high-profile contests, including the Champions Trophy and half of the Test series against Australia.

Shane Bond: At his peak and when he was fully fit, he was the best fast bowler in the world. But, unfortunately for the Black Caps, his success came at a very high price. Bond’s body was barely able to cope with the strains of fast bowling. He played only 82 ODIs in a career span of nearly 8 years. In his only World Cup appearance in 2003, he took 17 wickets in just 8 matches.

 You probably don’t know this but bdnews24.com has a stall at the Ekushey Boi Mela, and today our task was to get GrameenPhone users to subscribe for cricket updates (sms “CRIC” to 2002). In return, we gave out some great t-shirts with the tiger wearing a Bangladesh jersey - bdnews24.com’s mascot for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. This eventually resulted in chaos, though I am sure the spirit was right. Who isn’t excited about the first match of the tenth World Cup? It’s Bangladesh versus India, and even if you don’t understand cricket, you care about how it turns out!As I am writing this, ten overs have been bowled and desperation and frustration unite (frusteration?) in all of us, more so to the superfans at the stadium, clad in green, red and gold. If we don’t break the Virender Sehwag-Sachin Tendulkar partnership soon this will go badly for us. As in, not just a loss, but a humiliating loss by a ridiculously immense margin. Sehwag and Tendulkar have made it to their 16th half century partnership. This is not good. Incidentally, Tendulkar has the world’s highest number of double century partnerships. Notwithstanding the hilarious motorcycle and Bournvita adverts, this man is dangerous.

…AND SACHIN TENDULKAR IS RUN OUT!

Not that we can’t still lose by a tremendous amount, but removing a cricket legend for 28 runs is something to celebrate! But the boundaries are still coming in like raindrops and this is absolutely killing me. YOU FIELDERS NEED TO MOVE!

As expected, the jubilant mood could hardly last. Sehwag hit the first six of the match and made it to his half century with ease. Grit your teeth and endure. There’s 35 more overs and the second half to live through.

The records keep building. Sehwag now has the seventh highest total by a batsman in the World Cup. Virat Kohli and Sehwag complete a century partnership. 

Okay, now that the full 50 overs are complete, here are some brutal stats to mull over as we watch Team Bangladesh in their futile chase for 371 runs:

1. India’s 370/4 is the fifth highest World Cup score, also India’s third highest score in the World Cup. Previously, they’ve had 373/6 in 1999 against Sri Lanka, and 413/5 in the last World Cup against Bermuda, which is the highest score in the history of the World Cup.

2. Sehwag’s 175 ranks fifth in the highest World Cup individual score, equalling Kapil Dev in India vs Zimbabwe in 1983. The honour of highest total by a batsman in the World Cup is still held by Gary Kirsten in South Africa vs UAE in 1996.

3. It was Virat Kohli’s first ever World Cup match, and he didn’t do to shabbily, scoring a century off 83 balls. This is also his 5th ODI century.

4. Sehwag and Kohli’s 203-run partnership is India’s fifth 200-run partnership in the World Cup, and Sehwag’s second.

And:

5. This is the highest score Bangladesh has had to chase in the World Cup. This is not going well. 

Bring it on, second half.

Last month the Xinjiang capital, Urumqi was put under surveillance by the Chinese government, following the Uighur Muslims’ clash with groups of Han Chinese and Chinese security forces. The violent riots first broke out in 2010.

Though Chinese officials say 197 people - mostly ethnic Han Chinese - died in the violence, Uighur groups say many more died and that most of the dead were Uighurs. At least 200 Uighur women faced off against riot police to appeal for more than 1,400 people arrested over violence to be freed. Later hundreds of Han Chinese marched through the streets of Urumqi smashing shops and stalls belonging to Uighurs.

Since April 1996 some 57,000 Uighur Muslims had been arrested and about 1,700 of them executed. The Chinese government also stepped up a crackdown on ‘unauthorised’ religious activity. China’s summary execution of 30 Uighur in February 1997 was particularly barbaric.

Such barbarism never quelled the spirit of the Muslims of China. They continued defiantly to identify themselves as Muslims, despite the killings and despite the public burning and banning of the Qur’an. This defiance is deeply rooted in their Islamic heritage.

The Communist crusade against Islam
This oppression has the objective of stripping the Muslims of their Islamic identity. Soon after the Communist takeover in 1949, the Mao government set about dividing the Muslims into nationalities so they would identify with their ‘ethnic’ origin and not their ‘Muslim’ identity.

Aside from the physical attacks, Muslims have been subject to a constant attack on their Islamic identity. The period of the so-called Cultural Revolution (1966-76) showed the attitudes and policies of the Communists. This can simply be summarised by two posters which appeared in Peking (later to be called Beijing) in 1966. These called for the abolition of Islamic practices. Muslims were also banned from learning their written language during the Cultural Revolution. This language incorporates the Arabic script and appears influenced by Arabic, Turkish and Farsi. This change was critical as it distanced Muslims from the Arabic language, the language of the Qur’an, a tactic used by many enemies of Islam, including Mustapha Kamal, the man who abolished the Khilafah. During this era many Mosques were closed down as the communists released their venom against Islam and the Muslims.

The policy of ethnic (Muslim) cleansing has continued today. Han Chinese have been moved to settle in the region in a further attempt to make the province have a Non-Muslim majority. Back in 1949 the Han population constituted a mere 2-3% of the total population, now they represent around half of the population and control most businesses.

Reaction of Muslim governments
While the world witnesses the oppression of our brothers and sisters in Xinjiang, little condemnation has been heard from the Saudi, Egyptian, Turkish or other so called Muslim rulers who prefer to maintain lucrative contracts with the Beijing government rather than speak up for Islam and Muslims. We must continue to highlight the suffering of the Muslims of Xinjiang, and pray that God eases their suffering and make the Muslim rulers who ignore their plight account for their negligence.

Nicolas Sarkozy and Muslims would agree on one thing when it comes to his comments to parliament about the burqa, and that is he didn’t make the remarks that he did in order to start a debate or discussion, he did it with the clearest of intentions, to insult, hinder and ultimately frighten those who are so obviously regaining, without compromise, their Islamic identity.

It is a sign of subjection and is a symbol of “women’s enslavement”. If one had heard that in isolation one may be forgiven for thinking of the endless enslavement of women whose bodies are used and abused in order to sell the health and beauty products. You may even think of the women who suffer from abduction from their home countries only to be brought over into countries such as France to be prostitutes; women who suffer violence, 400 a year die at the very hands of their spouse, women such as Sarkozy’s wife, who is an acclaimed former model who has posed in the nude. But he was speaking of a piece of cloth.

The banning of pieces of cloth is not something that Mr. Sarkozy is a stranger to. Indeed he was the very man as Interior minister who spearheaded the ban of the hijab in 2004 in schools. Has that meant their liberation, have women forsaken their scarves and thanked Mr. Sarkozy for his championing of Muslim women’s rights?

My recent trip to Paris tells a very different story. France does see the subjection of Muslim women and their enslavement, but not for the reasons that the French President has us believe. They are subjected as a consequence of the very laws that seek to “liberate them”. I heard of women denied medical help for refusing to take off her hijab at her doctor’s surgery, a women refused vaccination for her child for her refusal to remove her “symbol of enslavement”; scores of women bullied and demoted at work for daring to adhere to the Islamic dress and one woman was actually denied entry to a police station to complain of an assault. In essence the French secular state should not preach what it most certainly does not practise.

Mr. Sarkozy would do well to learn from Muslim women about rights. Women had the right to vote, to trade, to education, to be employers and employees well before the so called enlightenment. Was it not Rousseau who said that women will always remain intellectually inferior to men?

The reality is, Mr Sarkozy, that 20% of your French-born citizens are reverting to Islam. Muslims living in France are proud of their pieces of cloth and are increasing by significant numbers every day. My return to Paris, having lived there for some years prior, was truly eye-opening. Despite the attack on the Islamic dress, women donning it were apparent everywhere.

Whilst Mr. Sarkozy is trying to spread fear, perhaps it is he who is fearful of the resurgence of Islam in the hearts and minds of Muslims. His attempt to create a “French Islam” has failed miserably, and his attempt to step up the attack is weak and transparent. What does it say about the strength of your secular values if you feel threatened by a mere piece of cloth?

From the team captains being taken on rickshaws around the field, to the dancers, to Sabina Yasmin, Momtaz, and Runa Laila’s singing, to the final theme song and fireworks, it was a real grand show. Hopefully, in another 4 years, we can lean back and say, “That’s nice, but the ceremony we had in Bangladesh for the tenth World Cup - now that was something!”

“The wall cricket was amazing! That and Bryan Adams were the best parts of the show,” said one viewer. To recap, for those of you who had your cable line sabotaged in the middle of the ceremony: highlights include the beautiful automated kites, the acrobats scaling the side of the neighbouring Shilpa Bank Building in a rendering of the cricket pitch and game, and Bryan Adams singing the very three songs that are best known in Bangladesh: “Summer of 69″ “Let’s Make a Night to Remember” and “18 till I Die”. And a very elaborate, well-executed dance by the Sri Lankans - yes, there were other dances, from Bangladesh and from India, but the Sri Lankans outdid the others with their ship and giant oyster.

Speeches from the chief guests were all succinct and to the point, with the Bangladesh Cricket Board President expressing his gratitude to the states hosting the event and the International Cricket Council President ending with “Bangladesh Zindabaad.”

There may have been a crooked lotus or two out there and a few questionable wardrobe choices - one of the most striking being Sonu Nigam in a silver faux snakeskin coat and black waistcoat, exposing an unnecessary amount of chest - but in general everyone carried themselves through beautifully. It was definitely a night for everyone to be proud of Bangladesh and inwardly relieved that nothing took a politically significant motif.

Plus the official song for the 2011 World Cup is very catchy. Performed by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy, “De Ghumaa Ke” has verses in Hindi, Bangla and Sinhalese. It’s no “Waka Waka”, but still a fun rhythmic song to dance to, and definitely beats the Commonwealth Games anthem. The fireworks began halfway through the song, and that marked the end of a really well-orchestrated evening.

Just a side note on fun things the government has done to make sure this event went over well: paid off all the neighbourhood beggars to stay away from the visitors, and sent out Dhaka City Corporation officials with mosquito repellents into the ditches surrounding the hotels and stadiums, so that our visitors would not be bitten by mosquitoes. Wonderful gestures that we, (mostly) tax-paying citizens of the nation, of course do not merit. Our hides are used to mosquito bites and warding off beggars.

The only people in the audience who didn’t seem to appreciate the spectacles at the opening ceremony were the team captains, who all looked very striking in suits, but extremely grim as they observed all the song and dance. Quite a contrast to all the ministers and cricket authorities who were clearly absorbed and enjoying all the festivities! Presumably the pressure is already on for the first games: on Saturday, Bangladesh versus India, and on Sunday, Kenya versus New Zealand and Sri Lanka versus Canada. Anyone care to predict outcomes? The games are officially on!

Were you hoping to be impressed? You probably were. Granted there is more to come, maybe a few cringes expected when Mila and Elita sing the new welcome song by Zulfikar Russell, but apart from that there’s the promise of Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin, Momtaz, and yes, BRYAN ADAMS.

So, 30 minutes into the event? Not great. One might ponder whose executive decision determined the saree choice for the presenters, but let’s leave that issue aside and wonder why a simple dress code could not have been introduced for the people who were asked to begin the festivities today by standing in the middle of the stadium and lip synching to their own songs. I am sure my mingled unease and amusement at Mahadi’s “TODAY IS YOUR LUCKY DAY” t-shirt and Beauty’s, well, reflective red and silver shalwar kameez straight out of some supposedly glamorous Bollywood number.Not that everyone needed to be red and green per se, but something — a little less casual and more nationalistic might have been in order.

Thoughts on this, anyone?

It is now just hours away from the opening ceremony of the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and it is safe to say that there is no cricket fan in Bangladesh who isn’t holding their breath, and that too only partially because of Bryan Adams. Most of them in Dhaka, after failing in the scramble for tickets, are making plans for watching the World Cup at home, with prayers for constant power — a prayer that is very unlikely to be answered.

The warm up matches have not at all abated the excitement. With Pakistan defeating Bangladesh, and England winning very narrowly with Canada, it all just appears to be further evidence that there is no telling what will happen, unlike the 2007 tournament, when it was more of a question of “which team will be in the final against Australia”. Former Australian captain and cricket commentator Ian Chappell believes that “[a]s many as five teams have a realistic chance of winning the coveted trophy.” India has a strong team this year but will have to endure the great pressure of playing for one billion supporters; Australia’s fast bowlers might be at a disadvantage and they only have one full-time spinner who has previously played just one ODI. South Africa, this year are looking exceptionally well-balanced, as is Pakistan with the likes of Shoaib Akhter and Umar Gul leading the pace attack.

And if you were worrying about more cricket fixing scandals this tournament, the International Cricket Council has decided that Twitter will be banned as a precautionary measure against corruption. No player or official is allowed to tweet updates during the duration of the tournament! But will that be enough to contain match fixing that potentially involves millions and millions of dollars? We’ll just have to wait and see. For now, the stage is all set for the tenth cricket World Cup. Let’s sit back and cheer for the home team and enjoy the tournament!

GO TIGERS!