Tough time for Asian Cricket Teams

The Subcontinent teams are going through a horrid phase these days in Cricket- A game which is followed like a religion in this region. The four teams of subcontinent; India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are facing serious problems both on and off the field, which is a matter of concern for the world Cricket because of their vital contribution to the game over the years.


SRI LANKA: Life without Muttiah Muralitharan was never going to be easy at first place for the Lankan Lions. They are on verge of losing a test series at home against a new-look Australian side. The Sri Lankan think tank has also gambled by appointing Tillakratne Dilshan as a test captain. Thilan Samaraweera would have been a better choice since both Jayawerdene and Sangakkara have excused to lead the side. Along with their On-field problems, the off-field problems are also dominant in Srilankan Cricket recently. The previous Sri Lankan Cricket board has been dissolved by the government on the charges of corruption just a few months ago.

BANGLADESH: A Test match defeat at the hands of a side which returned to this format after 6 long years tells the sad story of Bangladesh Cricket. The defeat was followed by a One-day series loss as well, which ultimately lead to the sanction of their most successful captain and vice-captain, citing disciplinary issues as another major reason. Bangladesh is yet to finalize a captain for their upcoming home series next month and whoever he might be, the situation on field is least expected to get better since hardly any Bangladesh captain has been given a complete autonomy over his team both on and off the field.

INDIA: It never rains but it pours. The success has poured over the Indian team during the last couple of years but the last couple of months have seen the worst of Indian Cricket Team. Be it a whitewash at the hands of England in Tests, Loss of number 1 Test rank, Limited over defeats, long list of injuries or strange selections; Indian Team is facing a nightmare on the field. The excess of leagues like IPL and Champions League is not doing any good to their players. BCCI is still unwilling to blame the financially beneficial league as a reason for their dismal English Summer.

PAKISTAN: With Pakistan, both on and off field controversies are expected all the time. The team itself is unpredictable while playing and so is the Cricket Board. A player is banned for indefinite period without any justification and he is again brought back in the team without any proper explanation. A player is dropped and later he returns as a captain; this is how Pakistan Cricket has been running under the present Chairman, Mr. Ijaz Butt. A fast bowler, who is nominated in the emerging player of the year category in ICC Awards, is 'rested' for a tour although he needs to play more cricket and has hardly played any cricket since last 3 months. That is how Pakistan Cricket runs. Afridi steps downs as captain and retires due to a conflict with Head coach, the Head coach resigns on personal grounds forcing Afridi to think about a comeback; this is the dramatic Pakistan Cricket for you. Although the On-field performance has been a lot better in last year or so, they are always in news for their off field controversies.

How Long is it going to take the Asian Teams to regain their lost pride in International Cricket?

Solar Energy and the End of Time

As the situation of middle-east stands right now, it's not going to take long before the Israel wages a war in the region for the establishment of their 'Greater Israel'. The promised land for Jews in the Bible is from River Nile to River Euphrates; that is the region between Egypt and Iran. There will be a war by Israel, backed by the United States of course, for the accomplishment of Biblical prophecy as well as to save the steadily declining economy of Israel by taking over the oil resources of the region. Israel is facing a rage of severe public protests over the inflating prices due to economic crises. There will be a major conflict over the possession of resources between Israel and the Arab world very soon and the World will witness the rise of a new Ruling state replacing United States, as prophesied by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on several occasions. The steady downfall Dollar's value will mark the end of US reign as a super power, as it happened with British Empire when the pound lost its value. It will be a tough time for believers when the major energy resources will not be in their access but Allah has mentioned a solution in Quran which can be beneficial for them if they apply themselves for the tough days ahead from now onwards.

According to an interpretation of a Hadith, Dajjal or Anti-Christ will be present on earth in a form of system before appearing in a phsyical dimension at the end of his time. The Hadith states that 'Dajjal will stay on earth for 40 days, 1 day like a year, 1 day like a month and 1 day like a week while rest of the days will be like our days'. According to Sheikh Imran Hosein, an Islamic Scholar, in 'a day like a year', Dajjal was present in United Kingdom and during that period of colonialism, United Kingdom was the ruling power of the world. During 'a day like a month', Dajjal will be present in United States. The duration of this stay will be shorter than the first one. We are living in the age when Dajjal's day like a month is about to end. In the next phase of 'a day like a week', Dajjal will shift his headquarters from U.S to Israel for the shortest period of his rule and after that, he'll appear in physical form and will be killed by Jesus, the son of Mary at a place known as Ludh- having a vast Airport now. That will mark the end of Judaism and Christianity from the world and only Islam will prevail.

During the 'day like a week' when the followers of Anti-Christ will bestow their resources upon their favorite nations only, those countries who will reject their policies will be at the receiving end. The oil supply to these countries will be suspended and their life will come to halt as oil is a major source of energy. Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) has told us that whoever encounters Dajjal should recite the first few (ten) verses of Surah- Kahf (The Cave). The Surah mentions in its first few verses, the story of a few young men who went to seek refuge of Allah from the people who wanted them to abandon their religion. Allah made them to go in a state of deep sleep for about three-hundred years without causing any sort of change to their bodies. Atheists will argue that it is not possible because such a phenomenon is in contradiction with science. But Allah mentions how their bodies were kept in unharmed and unchanged even after the passage of hundreds of years, in the following verse of this Surah:

"And [had you been present], you would see the sun when it rose, Inclining away from their cave on the right, and when it set, passing away from them on the left, while they were [lying] within an open space thereof. That was the signs of Allah. He whom Allah rightly guides is the [rightly] guided, but whom He sends astray - never will you find for him a protecting guide" (Surah Kahf, Verse 17)

The Quran is clearly mentioning the role of Sun as a source of causing the turnover or movements of men in the cave. The direction of Sun determined the direction and movement of bodies. This means that the Sun, or the Solar energy has been indicated as a major source of energy by Quran which can help believers in the times of hardship.

It is a high time that Muslim governments should not rely entirely upon the fuel energy as the only source of generating power. They should start investing on mega projects which involve the manipulation of Solar energy for providing the energy needs for vehicles, electricity and for rest of the basic requirements of life. The Engineers will have to play the most significant role for the development of cheap and accessible methods in order to set up the large scale solar energy plants along with easy-to-purchase devices, which can make use of solar energy for diverse functions of general use. Although there is a warning by Allah's apostle about the harsh time his Ummah will face towards the end of time, He has also provided them with the solutions in Quran and Hadith in order to tackle the hard time they will have to face with relative ease. Understanding the Quran, Identifying the solutions and implementing a proper strategy remains the key.

Son of the Soil

(A humble tribute to Pakistan Armed Forces, who are always defending our borders while we are enjoying a luxurious life)

 September the 6th, 1965- It is indeed a beautiful morning in Lahore. I have just offered my prayers and as I am about to put my heavy shoes back on, there is an ear-splitting sound- It's an attack from across the border. Without a second thought, I have swiftly picked my Kalashnikov, reciting kalma-e-shahadat and following the commands of my battalion commander. I am waiting for an order to open the fire. I can see a well-prepared army in front of my eyes who have attacked us at a time when the anticipation of such an action was least and while most of my countrymen are still asleep. Here comes the order 'In the name of Allah' to fight the enemy and protect our motherland. It is true that I have an old mother at home; a two-year old daughter who has seen me just once and a wife whose eyes are stuck at the door all the time, but all these relations have taken a back-seat right now. The only thing of my concern at the moment is to guard the honor of my motherland, and I shall do it till the very end of my life for I am a Son of the Soil- A proud soldier of Pakistan.



As the release of bullets from my Kalashnikov is steadily rising, I can unintentionally see the flashbacks in front of my eyes about some of the vague aspects of my life . When my friends were enjoying their youth in the busy streets of Lahore, I was going through a strict training routine at my Military Academy.  When they were busy in flying kites on top of roofs, I was being ordered to perform strenuous physical obligations. And now, when they must be having a tired sleep with their kids alongside them, I am trying my level best to make sure their sleep is not interrupted, for I am a Son of the Soil. 




Although I have been hit by a bullet on my right shoulder and left thigh, I am still not eager to see the angel of death as yet. I am holding the gun in my left hand. It is difficult to hold and fire from my weaker upper limb, I am still able to fire the odd shot. I am limping but I am not bothered. I am down but I still have my spirits high. I have been fighting since 4 days now; without sleep and without food. I, along with my battalion, has made sure that the enemy is unable to proceed forward even by a single meter, for I am a Son of the Soil.

Is it due to lack of sleep or is it because of excessive bleeding that I am starting to feel the darkness in front of my eyes? Whatever the reason may be, my left index finger is still up to the task. It is not until the last bullet of my gun that has crossed the border, I am now lying at the ground, unconscious and breathless, nourishing the soil with my patriotic blood; for I am a Son of the Soil.

Melbourne: The Most Livable City

Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state in Australia, has been rated as the most livable city in the World in a recently conducted survey which is carried out twice a year. Melbourne has overtaken Vancouver, a Canadian city which has been up there at the top according to survey for the past decade or so. It is a remarkable achievement for Melbourne to be the world's most livable city out of so many big names- a list in which a city like London is placed at number 53.

Exactly a month ago at this time, I was in a bed at Hilton Hotel, Melbourne. Although a short trip of around 4 days, the memories of Melbourne are going to stay with me forever. Having been there just about a month ago, I can definitely rate it as a livable city.

The fact that you will find a lot of interracial people coming from all over the world is one proof of Melbourne's magnetic influence upon masses. You will find a lot of strangers like me walking in the Melbourne City, capturing the sensational locations in their cams, and sitting anywhere the want at anytime of the day or night, without having any sort of fear. Even the birds are 'Human friendly' :)

I will not go into detail of what I was up to during the 4 days that I spent in 'the most livable City', as they call it now, because it might not interest the readers. However, I would like to acknowledge some of the experiences that I had while at Eureka Skydeck 88, On Ferry across the Yarra river, exploration of the City alone on foot without knowing where I was heading to, late midnight dinner at Crown Plaza , Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the time at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center- one of the largest of its kind across the whole country.


There was an Old man with me on the ferry who had his mother in the hospital on the previous night due to heart attack but he was sight-seeing the next very day alone without any sign of worry. He told me to continue my higher medical education from Australia. Since Melbourne is now the most Livable City on the planet, I think there will be a lot more people like me from various parts of the globe belonging to diverse fields, to consider the advice of the old man much seriously.