What is it about the PCB and the BCCI, and the respective countries’ Interior Ministry? Pakistan is ahead, for the PCB President and the Interior Minister are one and the same, The BCCI has taken a more indirect route for the BCCI Secretary Jai Shah is the son of Indian Interior Minister Amir Shah, who became ICC President when it was India’s turn.
Neither Bangladesh nor Sri Lanka have handed their cricket boards to their Interior Ministries, apparently choosing to pass them ornery frankl to other sports. Take the Cricket Sri Lanka chief Shammi Silva, whose personal sporting experience comes in squash, where he won national colours in his playing days. The BCB is headed by someone with solid cricketing credentials, Aminul Islam, who rejoices in the nickname of ‘Bulbul’ He is not just one of 117 men to have made a century on debut, but one of only three to have done so when the team was making its debut. Solid cricket chops, it seems, but he switched from football after an injury ended his career. At that time, remember, football was the rage in Bangladesh, and being a cricketer was not yet the firecracker it has become.
Very frankly, the PCB stranded itself in a no-man/s-land of its own devising. It is not playing India, in sympathy with Bangladesh. That means India will get the points, Isn’t that what India wanted? And wouldn’t Pakistan have obliged by losing the match? But apparently millions of dollars in TV rights and advertising are involved. Not to mention the Mumbai Matchfixers and the Bombay Bookies.
Isn’t there some way India can be compensated at Pakistan’s expense? It’s of no consequence that Bangladesh is being ridden roughshod over, as a punishment for not being India’s trusted Man Friday, as it was under Hasina Wajed and the Awami League. The turfing out of Bangladesh was just one more bit of evidence of India’s persistent bad behaviour. Pakistan listed all of that when it told the ICC that it would not be playing India. It didn’t leave the tournament, though that was the logical thing to do.
However, there was also a lot of focus on the Jefrey Epstein correspondence. It led to Andrew Windsor-Mounbatten getting turfed out of his Royal Residence. His family life seems messed up, for his wife was a pal of Epstein’s. More orthodox was the reaction of Melinda Gates to her husband’s friendship with Epstein. It played a part in their 2021 divorce.
More explosive was the mention of Pakistan’s then Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. He’s really in trouble with Imran Khan, who was never invited to the Island. He would have gone there to combat corruption.
Why the combination of Basant and Kashmir Solidarity Day? Lahoris demonstrated their solidarity with the Kashmiri people by flying kites. They also demonstrated solidarity with the victims of the Tarlai bomb blast in the same way. I don’t think anyone made the supreme sacrifice, but dozens of urchins fell from roofs. Basant has been banned for so long that the collective knowledge has been lost.
I suppose the knowledge of the heavy drinking tradition still exists. Sharjeel Memon was nowhere to be seen, and Ali Amin Gandapur was also sorely missed. Wait for next year.
