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[RicePlateReddy]

Younis Khan's Either-Or logic!

http://content.cricinfo.com/pakvsl/content/current/story/393451.html

Younis Khan has appealed to cricket's administrators to save the game in Pakistan, or risk pushing future generations into the clutches of terrorists. The Pakistan captain fears that an extended boycott by touring teams could lead to a dramatic decline in interest and participation in cricket among the nation's youth. That, in turn, could invite corrupting influences to fill the void that might otherwise have been occupied by sport, Younis argued.

[Cover Point]

Younis Khan's Either-Or logic!

http://content.cricinfo.com/pakvsl/content/current/story/393451.html

Younis Khan has appealed to cricket's administrators to save the game in Pakistan, or risk pushing future generations into the clutches of terrorists. The Pakistan captain fears that an extended boycott by touring teams could lead to a dramatic decline in interest and participation in cricket among the nation's youth. That, in turn, could invite corrupting influences to fill the void that might otherwise have been occupied by sport, Younis argued.

Great. Now I can use the same logic to get permission from my wife to keep playing cricket here. About 70% of all players in our league are Pakistanis. I can now tell my wife that I am not playing for my own pleasure but as a service to the world. That if I dont play with them they will all turn to terrorism and that cant be good for our future.

Awesome.

[dhruvdeepak]

http://content-gulf.cricinfo.com/srilanka/content/current/story/393489.html

Thilan Samaraweera, who was shot on his leg during the armed attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, has undergone a two-hour surgery and is reported to be safe and stable.

Samaraweera, who scored successive Test double-centuries in Pakistan, was the worst affected from the terrorist attack and was admitted to a private hospital on arrival in Colombo on Wednesday. He had the bullet removed from his left thigh muscle the same day.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said the decision to remove the bullet was made to protect Samaraweera's long-term playing career.

"The bullet, which fortunately missed all nerves, was relatively close to the knee joint so the safest course of action was to remove it," Jayawardene said.

Samaraweera will spend the rest of the week recuperating in hospital and is only expected to resume physical training in two months.

After the operation he said he was relieved to be home and with his family after the ordeal. "I am feeling better and I'm very happy to be back in Colombo with my wife Erandathie and my children," Samaraweera said. "This has obviously been a very difficult time for them, but we are all relieved the operation was successful.

"The surgeon told us that it must have been a 'lucky bullet' because somehow it missed all the important bits of nerve tissue, tendons and ligaments. I certainly feel lucky to have survived and I would also like to sincerely thank the [bus] driver Mohammad Khalil for showing such courage to get the team bus away from the gunmen." Samaraweera, hoped to resume playing cricket in June.

Kumar Sangakkara and Ajantha Mendis also underwent further surgery for removal of shrapnel from their bodies. Sangakkara had shrapnel removed from his shoulder on Wednesday and was said to be out of danger. He is expected to leave hospital today.

Mendis underwent two operations on Wednesday to remove more shrapnel from his head and back. He is still detained at the hospital although he is out of danger. Mendis is expected to be out of action for at least four to six weeks according to medical authorities.

Newcomer Tharanga Paranavitana and assistant coach Paul Farbrace are the other two team members detained in hospital. But neither were operated upon. Paranavitana is expected to be discharged later on Thursday while Farbrace, who had a large piece of shrapnel removed from his right arm by surgeons in Pakistan, is under observation.

[vincent]

According to Nadeem Ghouri - a Pakistani umpire who was travelling in the mini-bus along with fellow officials Simon Taufel and Steve Davis - the match referee Chris Broad threw himself on Raza after realising he had been shot. "It was very brave," Ghouri told Reuters.

It was very brave. If a picture of it were published in Pakistan, there would be a fatwa on Broad's ass for behavior incompatible with the culture.

We can all use some dark humor in such circumstances

Well, since you say we can use some dark humour at this point of time, here is one from Garfield:

[kban1]

Butt accuses Broad of lies on security

Cricinfo staff

March 5, 2009
 

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has accused Chris Broad of lying in claiming that security was lax for the visiting team and officials in Lahore.

Broad said on Wednesday that players and officials arriving for the Test were not provided sufficient protection despite assurances given by the PCB.

Butt, though, disputed Broad's account. "It is a big lie that there were no policemen. A commando jumped over Broad and saved his life. The commando was hurt so if there was no policeman, how come Broad was saved?

"All his [Broad's] statements are false. He has now made obnoxious comments. That a gentleman of his stature is saying this is unfortunate," he told reporters in Lahore. "He says there was no policemen there [but] I think there could be no bigger lie than this because six policemen died and ten are injured.

"Our people have also been injured. We lost six policemen who were trying to protect the cricketers and the match officials. So if some one is complaining about just a scratch, then it is very sad."

The PCB, he said, would lodge a formal protest with the ICC against Broad, who was the ICC's match referee for the Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the city.

But Broad's account of events was backed by umpire Simon Taufel. "I'm angry we were isolated, I'm angry we didn't get the same amount of security the playing staff got, and I'm angry that in our hour of need, we were left on our own," he said. Simon Davis, the other umpire, went out of his way to praise Broad's actions during the attack.

Dominic Cork, who was in Lahore working for the media at the time of the attack, reacted angrily to Butt's comments. "If Butt believes the security was good enough for international sportsman then he is wrong," he said. "He should live and die by the words he came out with ... he is completely and utterly out of order. When they were getting the teams out of there I witnessed Butt sitting down and doing absolutely nothing."

Butt also denied suggestions of a conspiracy in the attack that singled out foreign players and officials. "It is wrong to suggest that. The same security procedure was followed," he said. "The Pakistan team used to leave at the same time as the Sri Lankan team and other officials, but somehow or the other on that day they got a bit late.

"There a two high powered investigations going on [and] I think we should not do witch-hunting. Let's not fool ourselves and our country, let the report come out. A lot of allegations are being made [and] instead of putting the blame on each other I think we should wait."

Wasim Bari, the PCB's director of HR and administration, also brushed off claims of slack security. "Let the investigations conclude then we will get to know what were the security lapses."

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/pakvsl/content/current/story/393513.html

[kban1]

Umpires stunned, upset and relieved after Pakistan ordeal

Cricinfo staff

March 5, 2009


The Australian umpires Simon Taufel and Steve Davis are angry at the lack of security arrangements that led to them being shot at repeatedly during the terrorist attack in Pakistan. Taufel and Davis were travelling behind the Sri Lanka bus on the way to the ground in Lahore when the firing began, leaving their driver and seven others dead.

"I'm angry we were isolated, I'm angry we didn't get the same amount of security the playing staff got, and I'm angry that in our hour of need, we were left on our own,'' Taufel said after landing in Sydney on Thursday.

Davis, who was travelling in the same car as the match referee Chris Broad, said in Melbourne he felt "let down" by the officials in Pakistan. "We were certainly left with no security in our van when we were fired upon, security obviously went with the Sri Lankan bus when they managed to get away but we were left there and no one came back for us,'' Davis said.

"We were all down on the floor and weren't gonna put our head up for anything. Our bus was just left in the roundabout and despite them getting back to the stadium, no one came back for us."

Davis said he was angry because "we had all sorts of assurances and despite all that this was still able to happen". "We were put in a very vulnerable position and felt very helpless,'' he said.

Taufel said 25 armed commandos were in the convoy but the umpires were still left on their own. "What I can tell you is we were isolated, left alone and unaccounted for. Looking at that footage, I can't tell you why we're here. I have absolutely no idea. I've seen reports to suggest they haven't caught anyone. I find that amazing. I don't know why."

He said they were "caught in a war". "Sometimes if we have a bad day out on the field, and if we don't get everything right, at least we can say nobody has died," he said. "Well. on Tuesday people died, and as I've just expressed to my family, I can't explain why I'm here. There is no reason for us to still be here.''

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/current/story/393459.html

[ruchir]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/SnRGlxeT4hU&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/SnRGlxeT4hU&rel=0</a>

[LosingNow]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnRGlxeT4hU&e

OMG!!

Delusional propa*a.. whatever gives them comfort, I guess.

[WicketView]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnRGlxeT4hU&e

OMG!!

Delusional propa*a.. whatever gives them comfort, I guess.

Who is this guy? Is this the same guy who came on Zakaria's show some time back with his conspiracy theories about nine eleven and the Mumbai blast? Or is this a new idiot?

I would not stop at saying whatever gives them comfort ... why are these kinds of people being given a voice? To get more stupid people to believe them?

[RicePlateReddy]

Google for this low life, Hameed Gul. He was head of the ISI soon after the Soviet Afghan war ended, is considered by many to be one of the fathers of the Taliban, and headed the J&K terrorist efforts when trouble began again in the late 80s. The guy has no power now (Musharraf locked him up for a while!) and all his pet projects are condemned-- so expectedly, he still takes it all out on India, as he goes down kicking and screaming. Yes, WV, he was the 9-11 conspiracy theorist.