Whatmore took over as coach shortly before last year's World Cup. — AFP/File
HARARE: The merry-go-round in Zimbabwe's cricket structures completed another cycle on Tuesday as the board approved a raft of changes less than two weeks before India arrive for a short tour.
Coach Dav Whatmore, captain Hamilton Masakadza and convenor of selectors Kenyon Ziehl were all sacked after Zimbabwe Cricket completed its review of the team's performance at the ICC World Twenty20 in India in March, where Zimbabwe failed to make the group stage.
Masakadza and Ziehl had been in their positions for less than a year.
Masakadza was appointed captain in January following Elton Chigumbura's resignation, while Ziehl replaced Givemore Makoni as convenor of selectors last July.
Whatmore took over as coach shortly before last year's World Cup in Australasia and was given a four-year contract last May.
However, performances failed to improve during his tenure, with Zimbabwe regularly losing to Associate nations and dropping down both the one-day international and Twenty20 international rankings.
A ZC media release said that former South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini, who has been serving as Zimbabwe's bowling coach since February, would take over from Whatmore in “an acting capacity until the appointment of a substantive head coach”.
It also said that vice-captain Graeme Cremer would replace Masakadza as captain on an interim basis, while former South Africa all-rounder Lance Klusener had been hired as a batting coach on a two-year contract.
Former Sri Lanka batsman Marvan Atapattu had filled the same role as a consultant during the World Twenty20.
ZC also announced that Tatenda Taibu had accepted the position of selection chief, almost four years after he retired from cricket at the age of 29 to dedicate his life to his church work.
“He will have additional responsibilities in development and high performance, and will also assist ZC in bringing former Zimbabwe players back into local cricket,” the release said.
Former captain Taibu had numerous run-ins with ZC as a player, most recently in 2011 when he claimed that ZC had “just painted a house that's about to fall”.
At the time ZC had revamped its domestic structures and was about to return to Test cricket after a self-imposed exile, but Taibu's words proved prophetic as the organisation subsequently slipped into a spiral of debt from which it has never recovered.
Despite being a Full Member nation with the ICC, Zimbabwe are currently ranked 11th in ODIs, below Afghanistan, and 12th in T20 cricket, where they are also behind the Netherlands.
Zimbabwe recently dropped off the ICC's Test rankings table because they had not played the required number of matches over the past three years. Their last Test was in November 2014.
A second-string India squad will arrive in Harare next week for three ODIs and three T20Is, which take place at Harare Sports Club between 11 and 22 June.
جس کا دامن صاف ہو اس کو پریشان ہونے کی کوئی ضرورت نہیں ہے، مریم نواز۔فوٹو:فائل
اسلام آباد: وزیراعظم نواز شریف کی صاحبزادی مریم نواز کا کہنا ہے کہ وزیراعظم نوازشریف کی طبیعت پانامالیکس کی وجہ سے خراب نہیں ہوئی ہے جس کا دامن صاف ہو اس کو پریشان ہونے کی ضرورت نہیں ہے۔
ایکسپریس نیوز کے پروگرام کل تک کے میزبان جاوید چوہدری کے ساتھ بات چیت میں نواز شریف کی صاحبزادی مریم نواز کا کہنا تھا کہ وزیراعظم نوازشریف کی طبیعت پانامالیکس کی وجہ سے خراب نہیں ہوئی بلکہ وزیراعظم کو گزشتہ 4 مہینے سے دل کی بیماری سے متعلق علامات ظاہر ہوئی تھیں جس کو وہ نظر انداز کررہے تھے تاہم جس کا دامن صاف ہو اس کو پریشان ہونے کی کوئی ضرورت نہیں ہے۔
مریم نواز کا کہنا تھا کہ پاناما لیکس ایک سازش ہے جو ناکام ہوگی تاہم جس طرح سے ترقی ہورہی ہے اس سے لگتا ہے کہ 2018 کے الیکشن سے خوفزدہ لوگ اس بات کو طول دینے کی کوشش کررہے ہیں۔
A police investigation into the killing of a gorilla at Cincinnati Zoo after a three-year-old fell into an enclosure will focus on the boy's parents.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters said the police would later "confer with our office on possible criminal charges".
The zoo says it had no choice but to kill the gorilla, and has defended its safety measures around the enclosure.
Animal activists have accused the zoo of negligence.
Stop Animal Exploitation Now, a Cincinnati-based animal rights group, said it had filed a federal complaint against the zoo with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The police said that their review of the incident "is only regarding the actions of the parents/family that led up to the incident and not related to the operation or safety of the Cincinnati Zoo."
The parents of the boy, who suffered minor injuries in the incident, have also faced heavy criticism on social media.
Cincinnati Police on Tuesday corrected earlier statements which had given the boy's age as four.
The case report provided by police states that witnesses said the gorilla at first appeared to be protecting the boy, but then grew agitated due to screaming onlookers. It then began to drag him.
Image copyrightREUTERS/CINCINATTI ZOOImage captionHarambe was an endangered western lowland gorilla
The child fell into the enclosure of 17-year-old Harambe, an endangered western lowland gorilla, on Saturday.
Video footage showed the boy being dragged through shallow water by the animal. Zookeepers shot Harambe soon afterwards.
The zoo on Monday defended its actions, saying it had no choice but to shoot the gorilla as tranquilisers would not have worked in time to save the boy.
It also said its Gorilla World exhibit was safe and exceeded required protocols.
But Michael Budkie, of Stop Animal Exploitation Now, said the USDA should fine the zoo for having an exhibit that the public could access.
"What happened this weekend made it very clear that the physical barriers at the Cincinnati Zoo are not adequate to keep people out of the enclosures, obviously," he said, adding that the enclosure was reported to be over 30 years old.
He also said the zoo had been criticised back in March after two polar bears were able to wander out of their pen into a service hallway.
#JusticeForHarambe - How it's playing on social media
People were quick to take to social media after zoo officials defended the decisionto shoot the animal.
Eddie Whrnbrg wrote on Facebook: "...the zoos aren't the problem. It's the idiotic parents."
On Twitter @blxxm83 wrote: "So lazy parents can't control their wild kids and a beautiful endangered animal gets shot and killed because of it? #Harambe #RIPHarambe"
In another tweet @brittrosenthal wrote "Sad thing is it looked like #Harambe was protecting the kid more than the parent was. #CincinnatiZoo"
Some even called for Ms Gregg to be dismissed from her job.
Ms Gregg, posting on Facebook after the incident, said her son was "able to walk away with a concussion and a few scrapes... no broken bones or internal injuries".
She also had this to say to her critics: As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes of of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids. Accidents happen but I am thankful people were in the right place today."
Her Facebook page has since been deleted.
About the same time as she made her comments, a Facebook group called Justice for Harambe was set up.
An online petition signed by more than 300,000 people was also created, calling for her to be held accountable for Harambe's death.
قومی ٹیم کے نئے فزیو کو ٹاسک سونپا گیا ہے کہ وہ محمد حفیظ کو جلد سے جلد فٹ کرنے کی کوشش کریں۔ ۔ فوٹو : فائل
لاہور: قومی ٹیم کے اوپننگ بلے باز محمد حفیظ کی ایم آر آئی رپورٹ تسلی بخش قرار دی گئی ہے۔
قومی ٹیم کے سابق کپتان اور اوپننگ بلے باز محمد حفیظ کو دورہ انگلینڈ میں شامل کرنے یا نہ کرنے کا فیصلہ ان کی فٹنس سے مشروط ہے جب کہ اب ان کی ایم آر آئی رپورٹ تسلی بخش قرار دی گئی ہے۔ ذرائع کے مطابق آسٹریلیا سے تعلق رکھنے والے قومی ٹیم کے نئے فزیو کو ٹاسک سونپا گیا ہے کہ وہ محمد حفیظ کو جلد سے جلد فٹ کرنے کی کوشش کریں۔
ذرائع کے مطابق قومی ٹیم 16 جون کو دورہ انگلینڈ کے لئے روانہ ہوگی تاہم محمد حفیظ کو ٹیم میں شامل کرنے یا نہ کرنے کا فیصلہ سلیکشن کمیٹی ان کی رپورٹ دیکھ کرے گی۔
واضح رہے کہ اوپنر محمد حفیظ گھٹنے کی انجری کا شکار ہیں جس کے باعث وہ اسکلز کیمپ میں بھی حصہ نہیں لے رہے اور وہ بھارت میں عالمی ٹی ٹوئنٹی کپ کے بعد سے کرکٹ میدان میں قدم نہیں رکھ سکے۔
SEOUL: North Korea has backed presumptive US Republican nominee Donald Trump, with a propaganda website praising him as “a prescient presidential candidate” who can liberate Americans living under daily fear of nuclear attack by the North.
A column carried on Tuesday by DPRK Today, one of the reclusive and dynastic state's mouthpieces, described Trump as a “wise politician” and the right choice for United States voters in the Nov 8 US presidential election.
It described his most likely Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, as “thick-headed Hillary” over her proposal to apply the Iran model of wide sanctions to resolve the nuclear weapons issue on the Korean peninsula.
Trump instead has told Reuters he was prepared to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to try to stop Pyongyang's nuclear programme, and that China should also help solve the problem.
North Korea, known officially as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is under UN sanctions over its past nuclear tests. South Korea and the US say its calls for dialogue are meaningless until it takes steps to end its nuclear ambitions.
DPRK Today also said Trump's suggestion that the US should pull its troops from South Korea until Seoul pays more was the way to achieve Korean unification.
“It turns out that Trump is not the rough-talking, screwy, ignorant candidate they say he is, but is actually a wise politician and a prescient presidential candidate,” said the column, written by a China-based Korean scholar identified as Han Yong Muk.
DPRK Today is among a handful of news sites run by the isolated North, although its content is not always handled by the main state-run media.
It said promising to resolve issues on the Korean peninsula through "negotiations and not war" was the best option for America, which it said is "living every minute and second on pins and needles in fear of a nuclear strike" by North Korea.
The North has for years called for the withdrawal of US troops from the South as the first step towards peace on the Korean peninsula and demanded Washington sign a peace treaty to replace the truce that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.
Its frequently strident rhetoric also often threatens nuclear strikes against South Korea and the US.
Forty tiger cub bodies have been found in a freezer at a Thai Buddhist temple accused of wildlife trafficking and animal abuse.
Police and wildlife officials started an operation on Monday to remove all the living tigers at the Tiger Temple.
Pictures from journalists at the scene posted to social media showed the 40 cubs lined up on the floor.
The site in Kanchanaburi is a popular tourist attraction but has been closed to the public since the raid.
"They must be of some value for the temple to keep them," Adisorn Nuchdamrong, from Thailand's Department of National Parks told Reuters news agency, referring to the tiger cubs. "But for what is beyond me."
Body parts from other animals were also found in a freezer, Tom Taylor, from Wildlife Friends Foundation, who was at the temple for the raid told the BBC.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionThe temple has long been accused of mistreatment, though the monks deny the allegations
A reporter from Khaosod said he had seen animal intestines in containers, a dead boar and other animal parts.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionThe cubs were found during a week-long raid of the controversial temple to remove all living tigers
Mr Taylor said 40 living tigers had been confiscated so far by authorities out of the 137 at the temple.
The 1,000-person operation is due to continue all week.
Since 2001, authorities have been locked in a battle with the monks at the temple to confiscate the tigers after allegations of wildlife trafficking and abuse surfaced.
Mor Mahal, the fantasy drama set in pre-industrial times, takes us back in time to the kingdom of Jahanabad and introduces us to the lives and intrigues of the royal palace.
The first episode had all the makings of a classic tale with elements of grand splendour as well as political machinations within the harem to gain favour, control and sometimes just the upper hand.
Mor Mahal's first episode came to a dramatic end as Farrukh Zad downed this vial of poison
First, a recap
For those who came in late, the theatrical end of the first episode with Farrukh Zad (Meesha Shafi), the Nawab’s first wife, consuming poison turned out to be a ploy to keep him from his new wife. While the Nawab (Umair Jaswal) offers his ministrations to her, his newest betrothed Meherbano (Sonia Nazir) risks her life in trying to leave the palace grounds instead of serving as a pawn in this marriage of state.
In Meherbano's attempt to escape, we are introduced to the nether regions of the palace with its own hidden pathways, dark secrets and mysteries. The tehkhana and the cemetery where she runs into Badshah Begum’s favoured practitioner of the black arts Akhtari Begum (Sania Saeed), all hint at the hidden, criminal underpinnings of the kingdom. One where loyalty is rewarded and any sign of dissent is met with that imperious refrain, “Off with their heads”.
This access to the dungeons also proves to be her undoing. Meherbano is unwittingly privy to Nawab Asif Jahan’s discussions with his Commander-in-Chief Dilawar Khan as the echoes of their speech reach down the sinuous corridors of the underground dungeon. The heir apparent to the throne seems to be the most pressing matter, with his Commander advising the Nawab to cast favour upon his pregnant second wife Suraiya Begum (Fiza Ali).
Nawab Asif Jahan isn't above conniving to sustain the upper hand
The conferring of such an honour sends the harem into a tizzy, with Farrukh Zad gunning for her son Prince Taimur to take the throne and Badshah Begum hoping to halt her son’s intentions by coercing her younger son Prince Shujaat to come out of his stupor of aiyashi to take on thehukummat. The prince, however, has other pursuits on his mind.
In Jahanabad, nothing is as it seems...
At this sixth installment, new characters and deceptions are introduced, which darkens the outlines of their backstories.
Prince Shujaat, played fairly languidly by Shah Fahad, is a charming rake interested in all the indulgences a royal palace can offer. Even Badshah Begum isn’t immune to his charms. Though she chides him, she gently concedes, ‘Dil bhar jaye toh aa jana, hum thumare muntisir raheinge. (When you've had your fill, come my way. I will wait for you.)
Prince Shujaat emerges as a threat to Nawab Asif Jahan's claim to the throne
Even the earlier introduced characters don’t seem to be who we thought they were. Nawab Asif Jahan may love his first wife, but doesn’t trust her with his life or the kingdom. And he isn't quite the honourable king who gave his pregnant mistress a place of honour. The appearance of thejowari merchant sheds light on how Suraiya actually became his Begum. With this revelation, Suriya’s insecurities assume a deeper shade of helplessness.
The revelation of Asif Jahan’s other spies in the harem was definitely a surprising twist. The King has his own vices, whether justified by a need to control information and power, or maybe just his pleasure. He is as apt at playing the field as he is the game of chess. His shrewd scheming, winning a woman as gambling debt, a cemetery strewn with corpses of dead shehzadis who dared to escape hint at a temperament similar to King Shahryar of One Thousand and One Nights, and not only because every episode ends with a cliffhanger.
A masterful tale
The strength of Mor Mahal lies in writer Sarmad Sehbai's weaving of a masterful tale. Each episode unfolds like complex origami, with each fold forming the foundation of things to come. The echoes in the tehkhana, the appearance of the jowari, the lies and deception now brought out in the half-light and the continued importance of the urrusi dupatta interweave the different strands of the story strengthening the narrative.
For once, we have a drama that is rooted in our history. Framing techniques from ancient texts and Egyptian romances and plot devices like mistaken identity allow the story to feel authentic to those times.
Mor Mahal takes inspiration from our rich history
The conversational styles of the harem members and the royal family's taunts are stylized ways of showcasing contempt. The symbolic use of poison, food testers, the dead cat, the empty cradle are all ingenious ways to convey the characters' real intent and make for great visual storytelling.
So then why isn’t the audience hooked?
Complaints about wooden acting, overacting, anachronistic props, lack of lighting get more mileage than the storytelling. It's true that writer Sarmad Sehbai haslittle regard for how his work gets accepted (or not) by audiences but some of the problem does lies in Mor Mahal's lack of accessibility – the language is archaic, there is no central romance and the audience is unable to relate to the characters.
I feel the acting isn't wooden, it's unaffected. Audiences aren't just used to such performances. For me, a king that exudes gravitas without reducing it to Shehenshah-esque mannerisms is refreshing. Though with dialogues threatening ‘deewar mein chunwa diye jaaoge’ (I'll have you walled in alive), maybe Nawab Asif Jahan's character will take a grave turn.
Mor Mahal falters in its pacing. For audiences used to more contemporary narratives, the distance of time and place is hard to overcome, something director Sarmad Khoosat needs to take into account. This slow pacing distracts viewers and gives them ample time to Google ‘wrought iron in ancient times’ and then complain about the candle stands.
For all the grumblings about dark interiors, when was the last time you saw a tehkhana with strobe lighting? The lighting in that scene as well as the menacing crocodiles was a perfect reminder of a crueler time when people were thrown to the dungeons with regularity. The threat of such a fate was enough for Meherbano to reveal her true identity.
As for them missing central romance, the entrance of Prince Taimur (Umer Naru) hopefully will fill in that gap and give the viewers a couple to root for.
Where Mor Mahal does falter is in its pacing. For audiences used to more contemporary narratives, the distance of time and place is proving to be hard to overcome, something director Sarmad Khoosat needs to take into account. This slow pacing distracts viewers and gives them ample time to Google ‘wrought iron in ancient times’ and then complain about the candle stands.
The audience already has to travel the distance of time to enter the royal realm and believe in their lives. That we are all emotionally distanced and can’t relate to any of the characters too is keeping audiences at bay. So far, the only human character seems to be Shola Jaan (Ali Saleem) whose desire for the urrusi dupatta and playfulness with it made you actually connect with him.
But then again, audiences are just proving that they like to cry foul at the hash they are served but will only continue to watch it. Horse to water and all that.
Aakhir mein, jaan ki aman paon toh kuch arz karon:
Speed up the pacing with sharper edits that bring the threads of 45 episodes closer to 25 will give the whole drama an aspect of a thriller - one that marries fiction, tradition and fantasy into one riveting package.
You even have crocodiles. Now make them bite.
Sadaf Siddique is a freelance writer, avid reader, film and drama enthusiast and sometime drama queen, not necessarily in that order.
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