Call it the single common denominator of an otherwise horizontally and vertically polarized society; name it as the second religion of the populace; consider it a national craze; or the sole area of activity which has defined and deified the image of Pakistan the world over, Cricket constitutes that rare rhythm of unity and passion, which otherwise eludes the sonorous cacophony of Pakistani milieu.
But with like all other pantheons, Cricket does not remain Cricket sans its titans, legends and gladiators. Talk of hostility mixed with method; speak of personal charisma enmeshed with statesmanship; think of inspirational leadership glowing with the spunk of personal example and only one name springs to every cricketing aficinados' mind-Imran Khan.
A legend is one who bequeathes a new folklore to his charges and coming generations. He toils to till the barren land of challenge and hardship to pave the way for the reaping of a rich harvest by coming generations. A legend is one who models and moulds various other prodigies into his own image and reflection. A legend is one who inspires an entire generation and those to follow, by dazzling feats of honour, consummate skill and unforgettable heroism. In Cricket there have been numerous greats, shoals of talents, countless supremos yet there have only been a rare few legends. Imran Khan stands at the highest pedestal of legends, in the pantheon of Cricket.
To narrow down Imran Khan's contribution to Cricket to his fabled World Cup victory is to understate his legacy. His impact and contribution run way deeper than that.
His lasting and most enduring legacy is the revival, redefinition of the glorious art of fast bowling. It were his feats with the cherry in hand that propelled Pakistan to newer heights of glory from Lahore to Lord's. It was his sinuous and tiger like approach to the crease; that singular and lovely leap and that inimitably splayed action which endeared him to humanity sans discrimination. His electric speed; metronomic control and acute gumption were just icings on the cake.
It was Imran Khan who inspired every Pakistani youth into taking up fast bowling. It was Imran Khan who bypassed and averted the tardy and slipshod system to unearth and fashion absolute gems like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed, Saleem Jaffer and others. It was Imran Khan who inspired the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Zahid, Muhammad Amir, Muhammad Asif, Shahid Nazir, Muhammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gull and others into decimating the best in the business through pure swagger and skill.
But it has been a while since the law of averages has caught up with our fast bowling. Our perenially rickety and antediluvian domestic circuit is plumbing new depths of infertility and ineptitude. The nurseries of young talent have dried up. Schools and college scene has evaporated; club arena is in doldrums and First Class league has lost its luster and sheen. Pakistan Cricket teeters uncontrolably at the edge of the precipice.
But all is not yet over. Have no fear when King Khan is here. Last Sunday the "pull back from the brink" operation went underway at Lahore. 28th February, 2016 shall go down in history as the day when the "tabdeeli" made forays into the decadent world of fast bowling and revived it like never before.
In pursuance of Imran Khan's dream and his stalwart aide Naeem ul Haq's initiative, Sports and Culture Federation PTI has entered the arena to ferret out new talent in fast bowling as to resuscitate the dwindling fortunes of this trade.
Team PTI set out to hold talent hunt camps at Lahore, Rwp/Islamabad, Faisalabad and Gujranwala. The maiden camp at Lahore was held on 28th February, 2016.
The camp broke all records of participation with over 700 contestants turning out to swing their arms and probe their fate. Over 2000 balls were bowled, with a state of the art Bushnell Speed gun calibrating the speed of each and every ball bowled. The trial continued non stop for nine consecutive hours which in itself is an inimitable record.
The real treat came during the afternoon when young Muhammad Zahid from Lahore clocked at a whopping 148 km/h to sheer astonishment of everyone present. Muhammad Hamza from Mardan, impressed and fascinated everyone with his great speed and even greater skill with the ball. A total of five other bowlers were short listed for the frand finale at Islamabad.
Team PTI shall now be holding camps at Islamabad and Faisalabad to ferret out more talent and will short list 5 bowlers each from the enumerated venues. All the shortlisted candidates shall be gathered in Islamabad for a grand finale in which final 5 boys shall be selected by Imran Khan himself.
Out of the 5 chosen boys, 4 shall ve sent to National Cricket Academy Lahore, for career development. The fastest bowler of the competition shall be awarded with a job by State Bank of Pakistan.
In one fell swoop, Pakistan Cricket shall get embellished and reinforced by a full battery of sublime fast bowling talent. For the first time in history, a political party would be serving Pakistan sports in a non partisan manner.
The leadership of Imran Khan and astute management of Naeem ul Haq make for a remarkably effucacious combination. All credit goes to Mr. Naeem ul Haq, for selecting right people for the right job and them supporting them to hilt in pursuance of Imran Khan's fond dream.
This landmark initiative constitutes a watershed in PTI's organizational history. For supporting us in making possible what was considered impossible, I owe Mr. Imran Khan and Mr. Naeem ul Haq my eternal gratitude. Hats off to Sports and Culture wing of PTI for pulling off such a rare organizational feat. The best part if it all is that the best is yet to come. Tabdeeli a gaye hai!!
by webmaster@insaf.pk (tkiadmin)
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