Lawson and his strictures

Published : Jul 12, 2008 00:00 IST

The Geoff Lawson episode causes a furore in the local media. It is a widely discussed topic before the Pakistan coach sends across a hand-written unconditional apology. Notes from K. C. Vijaya Kumar.

June 29: Sri Lanka defeats Pakistan and all hell breaks loose at the post-match press conference. Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson, grumpy after the loss, issues strictures to the media — “Ask questions, don’t make statements, speak the right English.” A war of words ensues over “freedom of the press”. The local media walk out and we, the Indian scribes, are bemused.

June 30: Ramiz Raja, Wasim Akram and other former cricketers in the commentary box keep dropping into the press box. The Lawson episode is at the centre of the discussions. Later, Lawson sends across a hand-written unconditional apology.

Ramiz narrates an anecdote about Vivian Richards — “Once when Viv was batting, wicketkeeper Salim Yousuf was constantly appealing. Viv shouted at Yousuf and I told him not to take the chatter seriously as the wicketkeeper was just doing his job. Viv asked me ‘What do you call chicken in Urdu?’ and I said murghi and the next second Viv walked behind Yousuf muttering murghi, murghi, murghi!’”

July 1: Today is the second break in the tournament but there is no time to rest — off to the Pakistan National Bank ground. The Indian players limber up on the eve of the match against Pakistan. Irfan Pathan is declared fit and on the sidelines Wasim Bari gushes about M. S. Dhoni. “May be not in the class of Syed Kirmani, but still a good ’keeper and excellent captain,” says the legendary wicketkeeper.

Lunch at the Karachi Press Club, a lovely stone building with its walls lined with black and white pictures that reflect the city’s character: Clifton Beach, roads cluttered with colourful buses, trucks and cars ranging from the old Daihatsu to the latest Honda City. The meal is simple — a spread of chapatti, dal and chicken. The senior Pakistani journalists play perfect hosts and their warmth is endearing.

A late night trip to Clifton Beach — it’s 1.30 a.m. and McDonalds is packed. Youngsters sit on the compound wall and peer at the waves. A stray dog chases a camel, laughter all around. The city is wide awake!

July 2: India loses to Pakistan. The tournament is wide open — either India or Pakistan can make it to the final for a clash with Sri Lanka. The next few days will be about hope and despair depending upon which side of the Wagah you live. After Dhoni’s press conference, a journalist from Karachi asks him, “You were serious?” Dhoni turns on the charm. “What to do yaar, if serious questions are asked obviously the answers too would be serious.” Guffaws all around and the journalist whispers to us: “How about swapping our captains? Dhoni is too cool.”

July 3: We take the other route to the National Stadium — via Tipu Sultan Road. Mysore Decorators and Meerut Kebabs are some of the shops that flit by, as the driver Asghar says, “This locality is full of people who migrated here from the Deccan, I mean the Indian Hyderabad.”

Like our movies in which the cops seem to land precisely at the climax, the Indian team too does what is required to reach the final, at the right time. India defeats Sri Lanka to set up a summit clash with the men from the Emerald Isles on Sunday night.

July 4: Shoaib Akhtar may not be playing the Asia Cup but he is at the centre of discussions. The media is in a flap. Shoaib’s 18-month ban has been suspended by the Lahore High Court. It’s time to gauge the mood of the former Pakistan cricketers. “Pakistan needs Shoaib and Asif but first let them behave themselves,” says Ramiz. Akram adds: “He (Shoaib) should prove his fitness first.”

Later, the PCB chairman, Nasim Ashraf, announces a Pakistan Twenty20 super-league on the lines of India’s IPL. The tournament will be held in September 2009.

More cricket?Yes.But is more the merrier?No.

July 5: The day before the final. Aamir Shahzad, the hotel’s duty manager, queries about South India and Kerala. “I have a friend named Antony from Kerala. We worked together in Dubai. We are close friends and we stay connected through the internet. Would love to meet him in Kerala some day,” he says. The logic behind the ‘people-to-people-contact’, a statement that is repeated quite often during the Indo-Pak confidence building moves, resonates well in the mind.

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