**OVER VIEW: **
Celebrating fifty years of cricket
By Raju Jamil
http://www.dawn.com.pk/weekly/images/archive/020519/images/images8.jpg
While big corporate bodies, banks and other multinational organizations appear to have realized that entertainment media is the name of the game to promote and market their products, the Pakistan Cricket Board did not lag behind when they engaged Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari to add some fun to the seriousness of cricket they are projecting by celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Test Cricket in Pakistan.
Recently the lush green lawns of the DHA Country & Golf Club was the venue to celebrate the Karachi part of the Golden Jubilee festivities. Lahore had received it’s extravaganza two weeks earlier. The Karachi celebration coincided with the arrival of the Kiwis to Karachi for their last Test against Pakistan (which, unfortunately, never took place due to obvious reasons) and a welcome from Sindh. Anwar Maqsood, dressed as casual as he could afford to be, commenced the programme with recitation from the Holy Qura’n. While he was in full swing with adlibs up his sleeves, one thought that the pick of the function was the excellent speech and year-wise account of Test cricket in Pakistan starting from 1952 and ending at 2002 by Brig. Munawwar Rana, Director Operations-PCB. Rana talked about Pak Cricket from Kardar to Waqar Yunus elaborately. He highlighted the great and miserable achievements of our team. He paid glowing tributes to the Kiwis for their 1962 performance and thereafter. He appreciated Flemming’s endurance to beat the heat if not Pakistanis… during the sizzling Lahore Test.
*Nine awards were received by master batsman Javed Miandad who had to keep going on stage every few minutes to receive them. At one point, Anwar Maqsood quipped ‘Javed will soon be opening a crystal shop at Mall Road, Lahore’ *
Jeff Crowe, the Kiwi Manager spoke well too. He thanked the PCB for it’s over excellent hospitality and said, “Heat or no heat…we are committed to good cricket which we’ll do…by promoting even better ties.”
Watford Crystal trophies (over a three dozen) were given away by Governor Sindh Muhammadmian Soomro, Hanif Muhammad, Justice Nasim Hasan Shah and MD, PSO to the Pak-players who had created records during their playing days.
The booty, about nine, were received by our master batsman Javed Miandad, who had to keep going on stage every few minutes to receive them. At one point, Anwar Maqsood quipped “Javed will soon be opening a crystal shop at Mall Road, Lahore.” Hanif Muhammad got two for his 337 against West Indies at Bridgetown (1955). Wasim Bari got two for his caught behinds records. Anwar Maqsood’s remark that not only girls but boys also watch him eagerly, when Shahid Afridi came to receive his award, was something which many thought did not befit the occasion where hundreds of guests with families were gracing the occasion. Similarly, his quipping on younger recipients by referring them as “watchers” did not augur well. But some were really good such as when Intikhab Alam came to receive his trophy for making a record on first wicket first ball of career debut, Anwar said “If Intikhab had made a record recently his name would have been changed to referendum.”
Retired Justice Nasim Hasan Shah, the Chairman of the Golden Jubilee Organizing Committee, in his speech said the Pakistan Cricket Team’s glory is here to stay and that Pakistan would Insha’Allah get the World Cup-2003, encouraging the players.
After the awards ceremony followed a delightful skit and a not too delightful one, written by Anwar Maqsood himself in which Bushra Ansari and the compere took part. Bushra is a delightful mimic but also sings well and performed a few numbers after the skit. A ghazal evening was to follow later on and many people were under the impression that Tina Sani would perform, but it was s surprise for most when Salman Alvi stepped on stage. Ghazal lovers continued to stay on while others left the beautiful club as the following day was a working one.
(Published in weekly IMAGES of DAWN on 19 May-2002)