I just came back from a short trip to Pakistan (with a very brief stopover in Dubai). During the trip, I had three random encounters with cricket personalities, and had one interesting airport security check. Completely pointless, but it's a lazy Friday so thought I'd share them with you.

The first encounter was in Lahore. On a spring afternoon, my cousins and I went to Lahore Gymkhana for lunch. As we walked out, we saw a familiar figure talking to a couple of people. At first I remarked that this individual looked a lot like Salim Malik. But after another second, I realized it was indeed him! He headed toward our direction and I asked him for a quick photograph. He very politely accepted, we chatted for about 30 seconds, and off he was to play golf. Now, let me state this clearly and under oath, NO MONEY WAS EXCHANGED BETWEEN MR. MALIK AND MYSELF IN RETURN FOR THE PHOTOGRAPH!!! :)

The next encounter was with none other than the CEO of PCB, Mr. Ejaz Butt. He was attending my cousin's wedding (he is related to another cousin's in-laws). My father introduced me to him, and I thought about spending 10 minutes with Mr. Butt, but then realized that it might only ruin the mood of the festivities since the outcome of any discussion would not have been too pretty. So I just said my salaams and he was kind enough to respond and do the usual 5 second chit chat. Have to say though that Mr. Butt was sitting alone for most of the time. I'm sure he's just a quiet guy!

My third and final encounter was at JFK airport in New York. This was perhaps the most surprising of all. As I'm waiting for my baggage, I turn around and see that Mr. Steve Bucknor is standing right next to me! Looks a bit different without the hat, and he's a bit taller than I imagined. He did give a bit of the trademark "slow death" treatment as he tried to figure out whether I was friend or foe - he didn't raise the finger, I was cleared! I talked with him and his traveling companion (perhaps his wife) for a few minutes as we waited for baggage. Hot off his Test retirement, he flew from SA to Dubai, Dubai to JFK (same flight as me, but likely on the upstairs first/business deck of the A380 rather than with us common folk), and was now flying to Barbados for the 3rd and 4th ODIs, which will be his last international appearances. I thanked him for his service to cricket (probably should have also thanked him for not giving Miandad out LBW in the WC 92 final ;). His luggage included a massive cricket kit bag with ICC logos. Not particularly sure why he carries it with him...can't imagine he needs much equipment, but to each his own.

And, finally, the security check I refer to? Well, that was at Islamabad airport, as I was leaving on my flight to Dubai. Put my backpack in the x-ray machine, walked through the metal detector, and waited for my backpack. The screener signals a further review of my bag. No biggie, have a look I say. He says he's only interested in my keys. Keys? OK, fine with me. So I open the front pocket of my backpack and point to the keys. He then says that there's something circular and shiny on my keychain that he wants a closer look at. At that moment it hits me what he's looking for. Back in Jan 2005, I visited Australia and went to Bowral (naturally!). I picked up a Don Bradman keychain from the musuem there, and I have attached it to my keys ever since. So the screener took a closer look at the keychain, front and back, and probably realized that an image of Bradman driving a ball is perhaps a dangerous weapon on the field, but not so much on a flight! Thankfully the keychain was returned to me, and off I went on my flight!

Enjoy the weekend, the beginning or end of it - depending on what part of the world you live! :)

Graeme Smith showed some serious guts in the Third Test against Australia by batting with a broken arm. And he almost saved South Africa in what was an enthralling test.

His performance brings to mind a similarly courageous performance more than 22 years ago (wow, I'm feeling very, very old right now!). On the way back from school in Islamabad, my bros and I turned on the radio to get the latest on the first test between Pakistan and West Indies in October 1986. Pakistan, in its second innings, had established an overall lead of around 200 against the mighty Windies when they lost their ninth wicket. Given that Saleem Malik's arm was broken by a Windies pacer in the first innings, we were sure the innings was over.

As we were contemplating the solidity of the lead, the radio commentator in typically dramatic radio commentary style (anyone who listened to Pakistan radio commentary in the 1980s knows what I'm talking about) announced that Saleem Malik was (*gasp*) making his way toward the pitch!!! We couldn't believe it! We rushed home and were able to make it in front of the TV before Malik faced his first ball.

We were mesmerized as Malik defended, avoided, and even steered the fierce deliveries of the likes of Marshall, Patterson, Gray, and Walsh, all with one hand in a cast and one holding the bat. This was truly dramatic, legendary, and heroic stuff, especially for an impressionable 10 year-old who had just recently become addicted to cricket (a certain Sharjah match a few months prior did it for me!).

Malik's presence at the crease allowed Wasim Akram to get his first test fifty, and stretch Pakistan's lead to a more comfortable 240. Incredibly, Malik remained not out, and scored 3 runs in an eventual partnership of 32.

Now, the West Indies were demolished in the second innings and were dismissed for just 53! (I think it was their lowest total at the time). Qadir with six and Imran with four were the chief destroyers.

It's tempting to say that Malik's heroics were unnecessary given the large margin of victory. But I like to think it was Malik's presence at the pitch that won the mental game for Pakistan, and the West Indies could not recover. I felt that way all those years ago, and I feel the same way today!

Thank you Saleem Malik for this memorable contribution, and so many other classic innings. Malik's contributions are often disregarded because of his unwise and dishonorable involvement in certain off-field activities. But the fact remains that he was a great player and contributed a lot to Pakistan with the bat (and, on occasion, with the ball as well!).

In times like these for Pakistan cricket, atleast some people have something to cheer about - for Javed Miandad, Saleem Malik, and Mushtaq Ahmed it was a significant day.

Javed Miandad was included in the PCB Governing Board, a position that was held by Ijaz Butt before he became chairman.

So if you're not a successful coach, you are given a post in the Pakistan board. When will we see Lawson wear a suit?

This may also resurrect Faisal Iqbal's career!

Saleem Malik got his life ban overturned by a Pakistan court after 8 years.

Azharuddin has hope I guess and Cronje can now finally come back from the dead!

Malik talked about setting up a cricket academy. Really? Who is going to join this academy?

Or rather what is he going to coach in this academy - How to lose a match? Or how to set your team up for victory, run some partners out, and then throw your wicket to lose the match?

Mushtaq Ahmed has been appointed spin coach by the England Cricket Board.

There's hope for the ICL players!

Mushtaq is going to work with spinners in England's test and ODI squads as well as in ECB's development programs.

I didn't know they had spinners in England's squads and development programs.

Nonetheless, a great achievement for someone who is involved with the ICL and who was not allowed to be Pakistan's assistant coach due to being charged in a match fixing inquiry, the same one that banned Malik 8 years ago.

High time someone thinks about the current players in Pakistan!

Pakistan won the ODI World Cup on this day. 25th March 1992.

Not many Pakistan cricket fans will forget that date.

Maybe if we as a country had more to be proud of or had we won the world cup 4 times like the Aussies, 25th March wouldn't hold much significance. But the fact that that is the only time that Pakistan won the world cup and that too of a sport that is close to religion and life for some, 25th March is significant. It is very significant.

That period of the early 90s was also a good overall period for sports in Pakistan. Apart from the cricket world cup, Pakistan won the hockey world cup in 1994, Jansher Khan was the number 1 ranked squash player at that time, and Mohammad Yousuf (not the artist formerly known as Yohanna) was the world snooker champion. Sadly such is no more the case.

Moving back to happy times.

I was all of 12 when the 1992 world cup took place, and I was just starting to get the grasp of the nitty gritties of cricket as a player and a watcher.

The '92 world cup collided with the boom of the sattellite dish in the Middle East and watchingm LIVE cricket on TV apart from the tournaments held in Sharjah, was a new phenomenon in the UAE.

The dish in our house was installed on the day Pakistan was to start its campaign against the Windies. By the time the decoder caught the signal, Rameez Raja was approaching his 100 and Pakistan's innings was coming to a close.

Pakistan lost that match and also those against India and South Africa. A miracle gave them 1 point in the washed out match against England in which they had been bowled out for a mere 73. After the first 5 games out of 8 in the group stage, Pakistan had only managed to beat Zimbabwe and they had all of 3 points.

With 3 matches to go, the competition seemed over for Pakistan and the newspapers were full of criticism and some journalists had even gone to the extent of reporting the details of the flight that the Pakistani cricketers would be returning on.

The build up to the world cup was hardly any good for Pakistan. Skipper Imran Khan had a shoulder injury, which prevented him from bowling. Their pace spearhead Waqar Younis had broken down with a stress fracture of the back and was ruled out of the world cup. Javed Miandad had been initially dropped from the squad due to indifferent form and Saleem Malik was named the official Vice Captain. Miandad only made it to the squad when Imran Khan informed the management that he won't be able to play in the initial matches.

The squad comprised of a number of inexperienced young cricketers with minimal international experience - Inzamam-ul-Haq, Aamir Sohail, Aaqib Javed, Mushtaq Ahmed were only a year old in international cricket.

Moreover, with Miandad captaining the side ahead of official Vice Captain Saleem Malik when Imran Khan sat out the first few matches, Malik led a mini revolt inside the dressing room disturbing the young inexperienced team.

Many books and documentaries on Pakistan's '92 world cup victory have done the rounds and I'm not sure if this story has been told before. I am sharing it cause it is my favorite and it will probably go down as the moment that turned the tide for Imran Khan's cornered tigers.

The night before the match against Australia, Imran Khan had summoned his troops at the team hotel. Pakistan had just arrived at Perth from Brisbane where they had lost their match to South Africa. The team dressed in their green coats and khaki trousers waited for the skipper and in some time Imran Khan turned up wearing a T-shirt with a tiger printed on its front.

It was then that he spoke to the team about his dream of winning the world cup. About how he wanted everyone to pick themselves up. About how Saleem Malik should think whether he wants to play for Pakistan ever again or not. About how the Pakistanis were cornered like tigers and they had to win all their matches from here and also hope that other results are in their favor for having any chance to make it to the semis. Imran Khan spoke to each member personally in that meeting. He even held a press conference after that requesting the Pakistani public that he believed his team can do it and they all should pray for them.

Pakistan beat Australia the next day. They had never beaten Australia at Perth before that and I doubt they did ever again, but if anyone gets the chance to watch that match again, do so to see what Pakistan can do on a day they believe in themselves.

They went on to beat Sri Lanka in the next game and New Zealand as well who had not lost a single game the whole tournament. Australia managed to beat West Indies in their final league match, which gave Pakistan a ticket to the semi finals. 1 extra point from a rained off game had pushed Pakistan through. It was truly a miracle.

The rest, as everyone says, is history.

Pakistan had won 5 matches on the trot, new heroes were born, Imran Khan's dream had come true, and the Pakistani tigers had won the cricket World Cup!

These memories will hardly ever go.