From Mushtaq to Misbah: a journey like none other

Our special guest this week is Nadeem F Paracha, an historian, author, and cultural critic who writes a regular column for the Dawn newspaper.

NFP, as he is fondly known, has been a keen observer of Pakistan cricket for close to half a century. Drawing on his vast knowledge of history and culture, he brings a unique perspective when writing about the game. And he adds vital context with regard to the political and social conditions that have prevailed across the years.

Talking Points:

• Memories from the 1976-77 season
• Wasim Raja – a man ahead of his time
• Pakistan’s historic win in Sydney in 1977
• The thrill of Pakistan v West Indies in 1977
• Mushtaq Mohammad – a largely forgotten captain
• Politics and cricket in the 1970s
• Zia-ul-Haq’s love for television
• Early radio and TV coverage of cricket in Pakistan
• Javed Miandad’s immortal six in Sharjah
• How the game spread to the smaller towns
• The 1987 World Cup – and Imran’s retirement
• The ugly 1990s
• The match-fixing scourge
• Inzamam and the Zia school of captaincy
• Misbah’s ideology-free pragmatism
• What the return of international cricket means to Pakistan
• and much more…

Participants:

Nadeem F Paracha (@nadeemfparacha)

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Related:

Like Nation, Like Cricket: How Cricket Has Mirrored The Political Evolution of Pakistan – nayadaur.tv – Nadeem F Paracha

Pakistan cricket: A class, ethnic and sectarian history – Dawn – Nadeem F Paracha

The biggest unfulfilled talent – thecricketmonthly.com – Nadeem F Paracha on Wasim Raja

West Indies v Pakistan, Fifth Test, Kingston, 1977 – YouTube upload

Misbah’s story: How the almost forgotten cricketer rose to become an icon – Dawn – Nadeem F Paracha

Cricket columns by Nadeem F Paracha in Dawn

The multi-faceted domestic giant – Gul Hameed Bhatti obituary in ESPNcricinfo – Osman Samiuddin

With Allah on their side – Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2006 – Osman Samiuddin

For God’s Sake, It’s Cricket – Outlook Magazine – Amir Mir

Books discussed:

The Pakistan Anti-Hero: History of Pakistan Nationalism Through the Lives of Iconoclasts – Nadeem F Paracha

End of past: An immediate eyewitness history of a troubled nation – Nadeem F Paracha

Osman Samiuddin’s Unquiet Ones

Cricket Cauldron: The Turbulent Politics of Cricket in Pakistan – Shaharyar M Khan and Ali Khan

Javed Miandad’s autobiography – Cutting Edge

Imran: Autobiography of Imran Khan – By Imran Khan and Patrick Murphy

Mushtaq Mohammad’s autobiography – Inside Out 

Mike Brearley’s Art of Captaincy 

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Lead image from here