Rashid Malik, ex-international tennis star, is organising the Sheharyar Malik National Grass Court Tennis Championships, named after his son who had died of cardiac arrest last year.

Over 200 tennis players from across the country have gathered in Lahore to play on the grass courts, the toughest pitch in the game of tennis. Top seed national champion, Aqeel Khan, and women champion, Ushna Sohail, are also competing in the championship which has Rs650,000 cash prize.

A national level event, which will continue next week, is being held on a grass court after almost 14 years lapse. Earlier, a grass court championship was mandatory in the calendar activity of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF). As best grass courts are only available in the city of Lahore, the Bagh-i-Jinnah, the venue of the Punjab Lawn Tennis Association, has been a regular venue for the sport. Rashid has vowed to hold this event every year, hoping that it would revive the grass courts activity.

Islamabad has been the headquarters of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) for the last 14 years and the people at the helm don’t want to hold any event out of the federal capital, ignoring the fact that grass courts are the real strength of Pakistani players to dominate in the world. But the PTF, just to keep hold on the game, is not ready to revive the national grass courts championships.

It may be mentioned that Sheharyar was also a tennis player and the decision of Rashid Malik and his family and friends to hold the event in Sheharyar’s memory is laudable.

Naeem Siddiqi, who is running a tennis club in New York, US, has especially reached Lahore to be a part of it.

Last week, the Gadhafi Stadium held the final of the Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah National Women Cricket Championships between Zarai Tarqiati Bank Ltd (ZTBL) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC). The bankers won it easily by nine wickets. There was no match between the two teams as the ZTBL was studded with almost with national cricketers. Surprisingly, the HEC had qualified for the final after beating a professional side of State Bank of Pakistan.

The HEC could score 100 runs which the bankers achieved in 15.1 overs for the loss of just one wicket.

Cricketers Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif appeared before the PCB anti-corruption tribunal at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for their alleged role in the spot-fixing.

The tribunal has handed over evidence of both the players against their alleged acts. Though Khalid Latif had tried to bypass the tribunal as instead of appearing before it, he had moved the Lahore High Court, challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal. But he could not get any relief and had to appear before the tribunal. They will again appear before the tribunal on May 5.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2017