Just as much as the world of cricket provided Pakistan with an answer to Anant Ambani, in the shape of Azam Khan, so the world of cricket has produced Shan Masood as Pakistan’s answer to the Indian Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh. Just as much as ACM Singh must be walking around New Delhi, trying to avoid everyone, but also trying to explain why he has not drowned himself in the provisional handful of water, so I suppose does Shan Masood try to explain away how he managed to score a century, leading his team to a total of 575, but still lose by an innings, and why he is still alive. Like ACM Singh explaining away that his boys knocked out Lahore’s air defences, Shan Masud will hastily say that he won the series.
India has managed to get egg all over its face. Its much-vaunted Rafale jets proved to be no good. Three were downed. As if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, all of the drones, the Harap hovering munitions, were also shot down.
In fact, it seemed so embarrassed that it attacked after agreeing to the ceasefire, as if that would make a difference. However, it’s all part of the war of words, which one has to agree that India has won.
I think the secret was that it did not regard Pakistan as the enemy so much as the truth. Where is Pakistan? On India’s Western border. Pakistan has announced that it has decided to surrender and merge with India. Pakistan has given India the water of the three western rivers. Indian forces have entered Mianwali, and there is heavy fighting around Sibi. India has decided not to take KP, because it has no intention of taking on Ali Amin Gandapur.
And towards the end, Pakistan violated the ceasefire. I was reminded of a cartoon in which one character claimed to have been in a fight and really beat up the other guy, almost breaking his foot with his chin, and almost breaking his hand with his nose. That seems to me like how India is going to claim that it won.
I’m surprised that the PTI has not objected to the ceasefire, for having been conducted by someone other than Imran. If Imran had been free, he would have leaped across to Delhi in two strides, bowled them over with a little bit of reverse swing and then pummelled Modi into submission. There would have been no need for a ceasefire, because of an abject Indian surrender.
Speaking of Imran, former Australian legspinner Stuart MacGill was given ‘open’ jail time, where he serves his sentence in the community, for having facilitated a coke deal. He spent most of his career in the shadow of Shane Warne, because of whom he was not picked, but he still took 208 wickets in 44 Tests. He is accused of (and has been convicted for), introducing his dealer to his brother-in-law, the two of them coming to a deal worth A$330,000.
The whole affair came to light after MacGill claimed that he was kidnapped and beaten up earlier, before being let go. That sounds as if there was a drug deal, but then there was a dispute over money.
Now those who accused Imran of corruption, and rioting against the Army, trying to take over GHQ, must be kicking themselves for not having included drug trafficking charges. Portraying Imran as converting PM House into a drug dealer’s den would have been useful. They could have also charged him with not depositing the proceeds in the Treasury.
Imran must regret not being in a position to help MacGill. Though of course MacGill wasn’t exactly reaching out. I mean, why not introduce the dealer to Imran? The implication is that MacGill was a cokehead. One of the conditions of his ‘open prison’ is that he stay away from drugs and alcohol. Look, drugs are certainly on the table, but can anyone involved in Aussie cricket stay away from the sauce? Surely that comes under the definition of cruel and unusual punishment?
