KARACHI: Many legends of Pakistan sports, especially cricket, were honoured at a glittering reception here on Friday evening at a local hotel which drew tremendous appreciation from all quarters who demanded that such functions be held on a regular basis to give the successful sports persons their due for bringing so many laurels for the country.

The well-attended reception saw awards presented to Late Hanif Mohammad, Shahid Afridi, Moin Khan, Aaqib Javed, Younis Khan, Iqbal Qasim, Abdul Qadir, world renowned umpire Aleem Dar along with current Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed and ex-national footballer Ali Nawaz Baloch for their meritorious services. Short films were also shown to highlight the careers and achievements of these sportsmen.

Sohail Younus, the chief organiser, said it was essential to reward and recognise the immeasurable services rendered by these sporting legends for the the country that was the main aim of arranging the function.

Sports legends honoured in glittering ceremony

Two awards were posthumously given to the legendary Pakistan batsman and LittleMaster Hanif Mohammad and pioneer of Urdu cricket commentary Munir Hussain. Their awards were received by their sons Shoaib Mohammad and Iqbal Munir, respectively.

Later, speaking to media Aleem Dar, arguably the most celebrated international cricket umpire, attributed his tremendous success to hard work, honesty and dedication to the profession he has been involved with for the past 20 years.

Aleem said there is no short cut in life if one wants to make a name. “I never thought that I would earn so much fame and wealth. Life was extremely tough to begin with when I went to Lahore from hometown of Gujranwala since I had no money even to pay for bus fare,” Aleem said. “But I never lost hope and had complete faith in Allah and worked hard to realise my dream of becoming a cricketer. And then I found that playing was not my cup of tea and hence I was pushed into umpiring.

“And the rest is a story everyone knows but people must reme­mber that to get this far in whatever profession they are, without hard work, honesty and dedication you can’t achieved the goals you have set for yourself.”

Aleem, who has the distinction being adjudged the ICC Umpire of the Year three times on the trot from 2009, disclosed that Pakistan’s Aaqib Javed and Mitchell Johnson were the only bowlers he saw who could generate swing by landing the rough side of the ball on the pitch.

“This type of bowling is definitely not ball-tampering sort of stuff and is perfectly legitimate under playing conditions. In my career I have seen only Aaqib and Johnson swing the ball in an unconventional manner,” the 50-year-old, who has so far supervised in 121 Tests, 190 One-day Internationals and 43 T20 Inter­nationals since 2000, explained.

Also honoured with awards were cricket organisers and team owners including Ashiq Qureshi, Nadeem Omar, Azhar Zaidi and Prof Ejaz Faruqi.

In brief speeches, all the award winners thanked the organisers for acknowledging their contributions in such a graceful manner.

Ex-footballer Ali Nawaz appealed to the Prime Minister Imran Khan to free Pakistan Football Federation from political interference to safeguard the future of the sport in the country. Nadeem, on the other hand, lamented that apart from cricket, the rest of sports are in shambles in including hockey which used to be the national game of Pakistan.

The sportsmen received their awards from prominent personalities and businessman including Ahmed Shuja Kidwai, KCCA president and Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar, Fahad Mahmood, Salahuddin Sallu, Nadeem Younus, Uzair Saboor and Owais Mir.

The function was conducted by Syed Yahya Hussaini.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2018