Author: kazimabidi

Twenty20 Cricket

kazimabidi Uncategorized

Sometimes I wonder how life used to be without the internet and the cell phones. Weren’t we living and enjoying our lives then as much as we do today. But somehow its unimaginable to think of it without all these things. When we don’t know about something we never miss it. I feel the same is happening to cricket today.

I enjoyed watching cricket ever since I was small. It used to be 3-4 month long tours with test matches consuming 6 days to often give a drawn result. But I loved it. Then came the limited over cricket, which in a way transformed test cricket and I loved watching those action packed games that ensured results. The batsmen would respect good bowlers and wait for the weak ones to hit. The game would still start with specialist fast bowlers who would bowl outswingers often left away by watchful batsmen. Slips were in position. The flavor of cricket was still alive. The essence survived. The basics remained the same. Then came the Twenty20 format.

Watching IPL twice and a 2020 world Cup in about 20 months  Continue reading →

Leadership lessons from Cricket Captains, by Kazim Abidi

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Kazim Abidi is an entrepreneur, sportsman and a good friend who has just started contributing to this blog.

When we talk of cricket we talk of those big strides a fast bowler takes, the graceful stroke play of a batsman, the horizontal dive of a fielder, wizardry of a spinner and numerous other things that take place on the field. To a cricket lover it is poetry-in-motion. Close matches bring about the excitement, which is so unique because it’s a game with lots of gaps that allows you to think, ponder, discuss strategies, make changes etc. In this excitement we often forget the role a captain plays.

I think about my team HKU where I play my Saturday league cricket. It’s quite a mixture of English, Australian, Pakistani and Indian players. We didn’t do well for two seasons until we got Phil Glenwright, a player who has passed his prime, as our captain. The internal politics disappeared, the level of commitment from each individual soared. The team became a cohesive unit where an average player performed at parity with the stars. The captain’s confidence in each one of us and his appreciation for trivial things meant the world to us. We finished second in the league last year and are playing in the finals for the title this year. Continue reading →