As I write this year’s sports round-up, I should be sad and gloomy but surprisingly I’m not! Now....
SPORTS ROUNDUP
As I write this year’s sports round-up, I should be sad and gloomy but surprisingly I’m not! Now, most of the readers will probably not even know why someone writing a sports article should feel low today (i.e. December 11, 2018). No, it’s not about losing a home Test series against New Zealand in the UAE, neither is it about Manchester United’s dismal performances this current Premier League season because every match where they drop points, still hurts! So, what is it that I should feel gloomy about, but I’m not? Well the fact that Pakistan National Hockey Team has been convincingly dumped out of the Hockey World Cup in the Indian City of Bhubaneswar (which is anything but unpredictable)! They were beaten 5-0 by Belgium in the first knockout round. Here’s another interesting fact: as neglected as hockey is in Pakistan, it is still our national sport.
I can recall the days I was still studying in primary school when Pakistan Hockey Team last won the World Cup in 1994 in Australia, beating The Netherlands in the final on penalties. That glorious afternoon under the Sydney sun gave this nation a reason to feel pride in their national game. The hero of the day was one Mansoor Ahmed Khan, the legendary goalkeeper of that world champion side. Mansoor would not have imagined in his wildest dreams that his heroics will count for nothing some 24 years later when he will helplessly succumb to a heart disease at a hospital in Karachi. Mansoor was unrecognisable as he breathed his last on May 12, 2018.
To be able to remember what the likes of Mansoor achieved for Pakistan is something that I count as a blessing, being an ardent sports fan. Pakistan hockey team even won the Champions Trophy in the nineties. There was immense public interest in the sport back then, but it is unimaginable these days to expect a primary school student as I was back then to tell you the name of a single hockey player of the national side. In fact, even sports fans would find it hard to name the national hockey team players these days; how the mighty have fallen...
The Hockey World Cup was eventually, and deservedly it has to be said, won by Belgium on December 16, beating neighbours Netherlands on penalties. Belgium is the country that has impressed me the most, recently. Belgium has the population of the size of Lahore, yet they just clinched their first Hockey World Cup. Not only that but they are also the current Olympic Champions in hockey and their football team claimed third place in this year’s FIFA World Cup that was held in Russia from June 14 to July 15.
Champion du monde
The year 2018 was the year of the FIFA World Cup, which took place in the summer. It was the biggest sporting event of the calendar year and provided some mouthwatering games to its worldwide audience.
Defending champions Germany were favourites along with Spain, France and Belgium. However, as has been the case this century the defending champions had a miserable tournament against all odds and they were dumped out in the Group Stage. Spain and Colombia were eliminated in the first knock-out round, while, Brazil was sent home by the high flying Belgium. Croatia booked their ticket in the last four by beating the hosts on penalties and England made it to the semis for the first time since 1990 by claiming victory against Sweden. France, on the other hand, with their expansive brand of high energy football were steamrolling one opponent after the other. Their attack was led by the likes of Antoine Griezmann and the teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe. Matuidi, Pogba and Kante were pulling the strings from the midfield and their defence looked solid in every game too.
France vs. Belgium would have been the ideal final, but unfortunately the two sides met at the semifinals stage and the French won a tight battle by a single goal margin to book their place in the final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Their opponents in the final were Croatia, led by the elegant Luka Modric. Modric’s side overcame England in extra time to make it to the final for the first time in their history.
The final was expected to be tightly fought and low scoring but it turned out to be the exact opposite. France were more efficient with the opportunities that they created and ran out victorious by 4 goals to 2. Luka Modric was declared the Best Player of the tournament; he was given a tough fight by the electrifying Kylian Mbappe, who won the Best Young Player accolade while England’s Harry Kane claimed the Golden Boot for his 6 goals.
Shining stars
56 Pakistani athletes took part in 10 different sports at the 2018 Commonwealth Games held at Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to April 15. Thanks to the Wrestling contingent, Pakistan finished 24th on the medal table; a total of 71 countries took part in the Games. Muhammad Inam took the solitary gold for Pakistan in Wrestling in the 86kg category.
Muhammad Bilal and Tayab Raza took bronze in the 57kg and 125kg categories respectively. In Weightlifting, Talha Talib (62kg) and Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt (+105kg) claimed bronze. Pakistan finished with a total of 5 medals.
The Asian Games 2018 were staged in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia. Pakistan were ranked 34th in the medal table and they claimed four bronze medals. Nargis took bronze in Women’s +68kg Karate whereas Arshad Nadeem claimed bronze in the Men’s Javelin throw. The other two bronze medals were won by the Men’s Squash and Kabaddi Teams.
Through the covers
Pakistan cricket team had a mixed year 2018. Pakistan’s first tour of the year was that of New Zealand where they were thoroughly beaten in the five-match ODI Series 5-0, but came back to clinch the T20 rubber 2-1. An understrength West Indies then visited Pakistan for a three-match T20 Series, with all three matches played at the National Stadium in Karachi. Pakistan claimed the series 3-0; it was the first time since 2015 (Zimbabwe) that a Test playing country played a series of more than one match in Pakistan.
During the summer, team Pakistan travelled to the UK and Ireland, where they featured in the first ever Test in Ireland’s history. In this Test, the visitors claimed a five-wicket win. The two-match Test series against England ended at 1-1 and the tour ended with Pakistan beating Scotland 2-0 in T20Is.
Later, in July, a T20I Tri-Series was held in Zimbabwe featuring Pakistan and Australia along with the hosts. In the final, Pakistan claimed a six-wicket win against Australia, to win the title. They then thumped Zimbabwe in a five-match ODI series 5-0.
In this series against Zimbabwe, Pakistan’s opening batsman Fakhar Zaman became the first player from his country to score a double hundred in the 50-over format. Fakhar’s 210 not out is the fifth highest individual score in ODI history and only the eighth occasion a player has crossed the magical figure of 200. In the same match, Pakistan team posted their highest ever ODI score of 399/1. Imam-ul-Haq was the opening partner of Fakhar Zaman in the match and at the fall of the first wicket the score was 304 which is the world record partnership for the first wicket and only the fourth 300 plus stand in ODI history.
The Asia Cup was held in the UAE in September. Pakistan team’s performance was below par in the tournament and they couldn’t make it to the final. India claimed their 7th title by beating Bangladesh by 3 wickets.
Pakistan’s next opponents were Australia who were without their mercurial batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner. Smith and Warner were banned earlier in the year on their tour to South Africa for ball tempering. Australia looked a different outfit without their elite batsmen and Pakistan took full advantage of the situation; they claimed the 2-match Test Series 1-0 and then white washed the visitors in the T20Is 3-0.
New Zealand were next, they were also handed a 3-0 drubbing in the T20s. The three match ODI series was tied at 1-1 while in the Test Series NZ upset the hosts and clinched a memorable Test Series win. During the series against the Kiwis, Pakistan’s spin wizard Yasir Shah claimed his 200th Test wicket in his 33rd match and broke Clarrie Grimmett’s 82-year-old record of fastest to reach the 200-wickets mark. Currently, the national team is on the tour of South Africa where they will play three Tests, three T20Is and five ODIs.
The third edition of Pakistan Super League was held in February and March. Islamabad United won their second title by beating Peshawar Zalmi in the final in Karachi.
The leagues of extraordinary gentlemen
Club football is such a vast topic and there’s so much to write about it. Ok, let’s start with Real Madrid who claimed a third consecutive Champions League title in May under Zinedine Zidane. Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1 to win a record-extending 13th title and their third in a row.
Manchester City under Pep Guardiola became the first team in Premier League history to amass 100 points in a single season. Manchester United finished a distant second. Juventus continued their dominance of the Serie A as they won their 34th title overall. Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga for the 27th time in their illustrious history.
PSG claimed the 2017-18 Ligue 1 title. While Real Madrid won the Champions League, their arch-rivals Barcelona took the domestic honours. They finished La Liga as Champions for the 25th time and trounced Sevilla by 5-0 in the final of the 2018 Cope del Rey. For his heroics with Real Madrid and Croatia, Luka Modric won the Ballon d’Or trophy. By doing so he broke Ronaldo and Messi’s duopoly on the trophy for 10 years.
Zidane quit Real Madrid at the end of the season and was replaced by Julen Lopetegui, who lasted only a few months before getting sacked mid-season. Zidane was not the only high profile departure from the Santiago Bernabeu, their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo also left for Italy’s Juventus.
Manchester United were having their own difficulties in the Premier League and Jose Mourinho became its victim on December 18, when he was shown the door. Mourinho has been temporarily replaced by United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino is bookmakers’ favourite ahead of Zidane to take the Old Trafford hot seat before the start of the next season.
On December 22, Real Madrid added another trophy to their cabinet by beating UAE’s Al Ain club in the Club World Cup tournament at the ZSC Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Federer and Nadal’s sport
Roger Federer continued to show his class to the world when he started the year by successfully defending the Australian Open. This was King Federer’s 20th Grand Slam. The man following him is Rafael Nadal, the Spaniard took his Grand Slam tally to 17 when he claimed his 11th French Open title. Nadal has now equaled Margaret Court’s record of most singles titles won at one major. The final two Grand Slams - Wimbledon - were won by the Serbian maestro Novak Djokovic.
Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep won the Women’s singles title at the Australian Open and French Open respectively. Angelique Kerber won the Wimbledon Championships; 20-year-old Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese person to win a Grand Slam when she defeated the legendary Serena Williams in the final of the US Open. Simona Halep and Djokovic will end the year as the top ranked singles players in the world.
Elsewhere
Various other sporting events were held throughout the year 2018. In golf, Team Europe regained the Ryder Cup when they beat Team USA in Guyancourt in France. Also, the Winter Olympic Games were organized in South Korea this year. Across Atlantic, the Boston Red Sox claimed the 2018 World Series title, Philadelphia Eagles stunned New England Patriots to win their first super Bowl. Golden State Warriors swept aside Cleveland Cavaliers to win the 2018 NBA Finals.
What’s next?
The year 2018 was a big year for sports just like 2017, 2016 or any year before that. The fun with sports is that you always have something to look forward to. The next year is the year of the Cricket World Cup, the Rugby World Cup and the IAAF World Championships. The world of sports keeps on giving, it never disappoints!
