» Sport: Beyond the Boundary
Andy Winter on how cricket can unite nations
In this column I have frequently quoted the former Pakistan bowling legend, Mushtaq Ahmed, who has described his affection for the ‘family’ that is Sussex County Cricket Club. The club has long welcomed players from around the world, from K S Ranjitsinhji and Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji (both of whom went on to represent England) to the Indians Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Piyush Chawla. Others have come from the West Indies, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia and, most recently, our first New Zealander, Brendan McCullum.
More so than ever before, international cricket has developed into one large extended family. With the advent of the Indian Premier League, players from different countries are coming together to form teams to play against other teams made up of players from throughout the world.
Mushtaq Ahmed himself is now part of the England coaching staff while other former players are coaching countries other than those for which they played. The South African Gary Kirsten coaches India while the Zimbabwean Andy Flower is England’s head coach.
Sussex County Cricket Club has a particularly close relationship with players from Pakistan. This year we have had Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Yasir Arafat, both Pakistan internationals, turning out for Sussex, while in the past we have had the likes of Imran Khan and Javed Miandad gracing us with their presence.
“I was muttering about the poor catching of various Pakistan players when my wife ticked me off for not appreciating the impact of the humanitarian disaster”
The England Test side (which includes Sussex’s own Matt Prior) is coming to the end of a series against Pakistan. The Pakistan team has been largely outplayed and questions have been raised about the performance at Test level of this relatively young and inexperienced side.
I was muttering about the poor catching of various Pakistan players when my wife ticked me off for not appreciating the impact of the humanitarian disaster that has befallen Pakistan in recent weeks. The flooding and displacement of millions of ordinary Pakistan citizens is on a scale those of us in England can hardly comprehend. She said that this must have had a profound impact on individual players, many of whom will have family members affected by the flooding.
She is right. Those of us who have been thrilled by the performances of Mushtaq, Rana, Arafat, Javed and Imran should remember their fellow countrymen and women at this time. They are part of our extended family. I would urge all readers to respond positively to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s appeal for donations. You can donate online (http://www.dec.org.uk/item/200) or call 0370 60 60 900.
