LAHORE: In hundreds of YouTube fan videos exploding with neon typography and 90’s graphics, Pakistan’s biggest street cricket star, Muhammad Shahbaz, turns up to bat in a skin tight shirt and a manicured moustache.
Shahbaz, nicknamed Shahbaz Kalia, or simply ‘Kalia’ in cricket circuits, has played professional tape-ball cricket for over two decades and is notorious for routinely hitting twenty runs per over. Now 47 years old, his batting record is the stuff of legends in local and international tape-ball tournaments where he gained fame for hitting continuous strings of sixes in short cricket matches, usually ten overs per innings.
The tape-ball is exactly what it sounds like: a tennis ball wrapped in electric tape which can be delivered at good pace with overarm action, without the hazards of the hard-ball used in formal cricket.
As a league in and of itself, tape-ball cricket popped up during the sprawling overspill of Karachi’s development of the 1970’s, but became particularly popular in the 80’s by which time regular tournaments were being held everywhere from small stadiums to roadsides. According to Shahbaz, in tape-ball cricket, “you don’t have many choices of shots, except hitting sixes.”
Shahbaz started out playing hard-ball cricket at the prestigious Ludhiana cricket club in Lahore, an institution that has produced some of Pakistan’s biggest cricket stars like Waseem Akram, Saleem Malik and Saud Khan. Before shifting to its tape-ball version, which he considers a more entertaining, accessible game, Shahbaz also played the Veterans Trophy for seven years.
Leaning over a snooker table at a club in Lahore’s famous Moon Market last Wednesday, the day of the Pakistan-New Zealand World Cup clincher, Shahbaz explained why he stopped playing hard-ball cricket.
“Several reasons forced me to opt for tape-ball’s game,” he said as he hit the shot. “Expensive cricket kits, shortage of cricket grounds, little scope of hard-ball cricket at the local level and the destruction of the domestic cricket structure.”
Despite his good performance playing hard-ball cricket, Shahbaz said, he did not gain fame for his batting and it was not until he quit the pro category for its faster, cheaper taped-over twin that he was crowned king of Lahore’s mean streets.
“Tape-ball’s game gave me popularity and better opportunities,” he said.
Soon, he was playing tournaments at home and abroad.
“I played tournaments in Dubai and Oman, and I remember that I hit 28 sixes in an innings of 170 in Dubai,” he said. That equals 168 of the total runs made.
According to culture and sports writer Ahmer Naqvi, tape-ball cricket is so popular because it is a version of cricket that the poor and the young can afford to play especially in the cities where people have neither space nor time for orthodox matches.
“It’s both quick and can be played anywhere, and the players don’t need to spend on cleats, pads and helmets and gloves, expensive bats, whites or other kits,” he said.
There is a theory that tape-ball cricket was the precursor to the rise of the shorter T20 cricket game and Naqvi says in Pakistan, tape-ball cricket might have had an impact on creating different types of spinners suited to limited overs games.
“I think the clearest impact (of tape-ball cricket) was on developing an attitude to limited overs’ cricket that was ahead of its time,” Naqvi added. “The things that were common in tape-ball cricket in the 90’s are now common in T20s and ODI’s but sadly Pakistan didn’t quite benefit from that at the national level, largely due to the ban in IPL and terrorism-related stuff.”
In their teens, even Pakistan’s cricket legends Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis honed their fast-bowling skills with a tape-ball. International Pakistani test cricketer Adnan Akmal, the youngest of the famed Akmal brothers, told Arab News that he began his cricket career with a tape-ball, which requires an entirely different technique to formal hard-ball cricket, which relies more on strategy.
“You have to hit every ball out of the boundary in tape-ball, while in hard-ball cricket, one has to play according to the situation,” he said.
These days however, tape-ball maestro Shahbaz plays far less cricket and spends much more time focusing on his online business selling cricket kits on Facebook. Despite being the most famous street cricketer in the country with a huge fan following, he is paid Rs. 5000 ($30) per day in Lahore and close to Rs. 15,000 ($90) when he plays out of town in Karachi. Also, back problems means he needs a runner to play in professional games.
“Now I stand and hit only and all I need is timing and a strong wrist,” Shahbaz said.
Interestingly, however, Naqvi said that despite paying small, tape-ball cricket was potentially taking T20 talent away from formal cricket because domestic cricket at the national level didn’t pay as well and required a great deal of discipline.
“There is a class of players who only play in tape-ball events and make enough off that,” Naqvi said. “They obviously don’t make enough as a national team player, but significantly more than most domestic players would.”
But Shahbaz, a father of four, says he doesn’t want his children, especially his oldest, cricket-crazed sixteen year old son, to take up professional cricket at all.
“I want him to complete his studies and become a professional in some other profession,” the celebrated player said.
“Unless he (my son) has strong backing from influential circles,” Shahbaz said with a hint of sadness, “I know that cricket won’t give him anything.”
Then he turned to the small television behind him where Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Amir had just taken a glorious Kiwi wicket.
Street star Shahbaz Kalia is the most famous batsman you’ve never heard of
Street star Shahbaz Kalia is the most famous batsman you’ve never heard of
- Tape-ball cricket rose in popularity in Karachi in the 80’s as a replacement for the more expensive version
- Cricket star ‘Kalia’ is notorious for hitting continuous sixes in tournaments
Pakistan’s flood-hit farmers eye IMF climate funds despite no project-specific allocation
- Farmers in Sindh are keeping livestock in climate-resilient shelters built to protect against future floods
- IMF says its funding will support irrigation system reforms to help farmers adapt to climate shocks
KHAIRPUR, Sindh: It has been three years since flash floods submerged Rasool Bux’s village in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, wiping out the livestock shelters that supported his family’s livelihood.
The disaster in 2022 was one of the deadliest climate events in the country’s history, pushing millions into poverty and devastating key agricultural regions in Sindh.
As Pakistan looks to strengthen its defenses against future climate shocks, farmers and experts say protecting livestock, often the only source of income for rural households, must be a national priority.
“Our animals had perished and their shelter was damaged in the floods,” Bux told Arab News while feeding his two buffaloes and three cows at one of around 200 climate-resilient shelters built in Thari Mirwah by the German relief organization Malteser International to help local communities recover from the disaster.
The 52-year-old farmer from Gul Muhammad Sanjrani village in district Khairpur still fears another deluge could wipe out what little he has rebuilt. His animals are the primary source of income for his family, including his wife and five children. He now sells about five kilograms of milk daily to keep the household running.
Livestock plays a vital role in rural Pakistan’s economy, where dairy and meat consumption are tied directly to family survival. According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan issued in June, the sector engages over 8 million rural households, contributing 40 percent to their incomes and around 15 percent to Pakistan’s gross domestic product.
In a year when agriculture grew by only 0.6 percent due in part to extreme weather, livestock still contributed 4.7 percent to the sector, the largest share.
Sindh, Pakistan’s second-largest crop-producing province, is often hit hard by floods. Around 930 kilometers of the Indus River meanders through the province, making it one of the most flood-prone regions in the country, according to the International Growth Center (IGC).
In May, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved around $1.4 billion in climate financing for Pakistan under its Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), aimed at bolstering the country’s resilience to future climate shocks and promoting sustainable growth.
Bux, who wore a blue cloth and white turban, said once disbursed, the government should use this money on projects like building climate-resilient animal shelters in flood-affected areas like his village.
“More such shelters should be built in our village where some people can afford to build such shelters while others cannot,” he said.
Experts working on the ground echoed that view.
“The need for animal shelters here is huge,” said Muhammad Junaid Soomro, a project engineer at the Sindh Rural Support Organization (SRSO), which is working alongside Malteser.
“Even 300 to 400 such units will fall short of the need we have here for such shelters on a union council basis.”
“We [Malteser and SRSO] will go beyond this and build even more if we get the fund,” he added. “We are working in five union councils only, while there are 89 union councils in this district.”
Soomro urged the government to prioritize livestock and agriculture in flood-hit areas once IMF funds become available.
“They [Malteser] have made these shelters with a small amount of available funds. These can be made more [climate] resilient with the IMF’s climate resilient funding,” he said.
Imdad Hussain Siddiqui, who served as director of operations at the Provincial Disaster Management Authority of Sindh in flood-affected areas during 2022, described livestock as a “living bank” for rural families.
“Animals are the sole remaining resource where land and crops are swept away by flooding because they provide rescue, safety and the sole avenue through which families can recover and rebuild their lives,” Siddiqui told Arab News.
He said the loss of livestock due to the 2022 floods, which was estimated at 1.1 million, amounts to “direct destitution and long-term poverty” for many families.
“Strong infrastructure of livestock will enable such linkages to recover in the near future, permitting economic activity and income-generating opportunities for the affected people,” Siddiqui explained.
IMF FINANCING
While farmers and local organizations are calling for infrastructure-focused projects, the IMF says its climate financing is designed to support broader structural reforms, not specific projects like animal shelters.
“However, there are a number of ways in which the RSF will help to build climate resilience in Pakistan that will benefit Pakistanis living in flood-prone areas, such as farmers,” said Mahir Binici, the international lender’s resident representative in Pakistan, in response to queries from Arab News.
Binici said the RSF program supports policy reforms targeting water management and irrigation infrastructure, which are expected to directly benefit farmers. These reforms aim to improve service reliability and address issues such as waterlogging, salinization, groundwater depletion and water insecurity.
“The RSF’s reforms take a whole-of-government approach, with some to be implemented at the provincial level,” Binici added, noting that a major focus will be improving coordination between federal and provincial authorities.
While government and IMF-led policy reforms unfold, organizations like Malteser and SRSO have been building small-scale solutions, like elevated animal shelters, which offer some defense against future flooding.
“We felt the need for building these here as the disaster, the flood had devastated our animal shelters as well as our homes in the community,” said Kanwal Hussain, a project officer at SRSO.
The shelters, built from bamboo, plastic sheets and mud, are raised about three feet above ground level, with canopy walls designed to keep rainwater from pooling and weakening the structure.
“We have built a canopy wall so rainwater does not stay there and damage the roof,” Soomro said.
In 2022, the international NGO Germanwatch ranked Pakistan first on its Climate Risk Index due to extreme weather events, including floods, landslides and storms during an intense monsoon season.
Pakistan is already in the middle of another harsh monsoon season, with over 60 people killed in rain-related incidents, mostly in the northwest and central Punjab, in just the past week.
“Flood dynamics are quite different. A single heavy spell, despite seasonal aggregate being less, can trigger them, just like what happened in Swat,” said Sardar Sarfaraz, a former director at the Pakistan Meteorological Department, referring to a flash flood in the northwest last month that drowned over a dozen tourists.
Pakistan offers condolences as Texas floods death toll rises to 50
- Floods in Texas began on Friday as months’ worth of rain fell in a matter of hours
- Shehbaz Sharif hopes ongoing rescue efforts help save more lives from calamity
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered condolences to US President Donald Trump this week as the death toll from flash floods in Texas rose to 50, with American rescuers continuing the search for missing persons.
The flooding began in Texas on Friday — the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend — as months’ worth of rain fell in a matter of hours.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned that more rain has been forecast, and that “excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.”
“Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in the tragic flash floods in Texas, USA,” Sharif wrote on the social media platform X on Saturday night.
“Hope the ongoing rescue efforts will be successful in saving more people from this natural calamity.”
Monsoon rains have wreaked havoc in several parts of Pakistan since June 26, with the country reporting at least 66 deaths and 127 injuries due to rain-related incidents.
A deadly flash flood in the scenic Swat Valley, caused by a sudden rise in water levels due to monsoon rains, killed 13 members of a single tourist family last week.
“Having suffered a similar incident in northwest Pakistan just a few days ago, we can fully understand the pain and suffering of the bereaved families,” Sharif said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with President Trump @realDonaldTrump and the American nation at this difficult time,” he added.
Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual.
But scientists say that in recent years that human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves more frequent and more intense.
With additional input from AFP
Death toll from Pakistan building collapse rises to 23
- Friday’s incident was the latest in a string of deadly building collapses in Karachi
- It laid bare the issue of unsafe housing in the city, home to over 20 million people
KARACHI: The death toll from a five-story building collapse in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi rose to 23 late Saturday, the Sindh Health Department said after rescuers pulled more bodies from the rubble.
The Fotan Mansion residential building, where several families were said to be living, crumbled around 10 am on Friday in the impoverished Lyari neighborhood of the city.
Rescue workers, along with residents of the area, worked through the night to find survivors and bodies after the incident, which has once again laid bare the issue of unsafe housing in Karachi.
“[Total deaths] from the Karachi building collapse have reached 23 now,” the Sindh Health Department said in a message sent to reporters.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said on Saturday morning the rescue operation was still ongoing at the collapse site.
“Rescue operation still continues at Baghdadi Lyari where the building had collapsed yesterday,” Wahab wrote on social media platform X.
Many of the occupants were members of the low-income Hindu minority community and residents estimated that around 40 people were inside when the building collapsed.
According to the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), Fotan Mansion had been declared unsafe three years ago.
“This building was declared dangerous by the SBCA in 2022 and had been served multiple notices over the years,” SBCA spokesperson Shakeel Dogar told Arab News on Saturday.
“Before the recent rains, public announcements were also made in the area, but unfortunately, no one was willing to vacate.”
Friday’s incident is the latest in a string of deadly building collapses in Karachi.
In February 2020, a five-story building collapsed in Rizvia Society, killing at least 27 people. The following month, another residential structure came down in Gulbahar, claiming 16 lives. In June 2021, a three-story building in Malir collapsed, killing four. And just last year, in August, a building collapse in Qur’angi led to at least three deaths.
Mayor Wahab said on Friday evening that rescue efforts remained the city government’s top priority, with accountability and investigation to follow.
“Once we’re done with the rescue aspect, we will focus on who was responsible for this negligence or omission,” he added.
Minister orders probe into killing of barking deer on Islamabad’s Margalla Hills
- The South Asian country has witnessed frequent incidents of violation of wildlife laws
- This week, an escaped pet lion attacked a woman, two children in a busy street in Lahore
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr. Musadik Malik has taken notice of the killing of an endangered barking deer on Islamabad’s Margalla Hills and ordered a probe into the incident, the Press Information Department (PID) said on Saturday.
Barking deer, also known as Indian muntjac, are found in isolated populations within Margalla Hills National Park, Khanpur Range and Lathrar near the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. They are considered endangered in Pakistan due to their restricted range and declining population.
A disturbing video circulating on social media this week showed three men slaughtering the rare animal on the roadside and has sparked public anger and calls to investigate the incident.
Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Minister Malik condemned the hunting and killing of wildlife in protected areas, according to a PID statement.
“Such acts of cruelty and disregard for conservation laws are unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the minister, who has sought a report from authorities on the incident, was quoted as saying.
Separately, the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) said it had filed a complaint with police, seeking action against the ones involved in the incident for violating the Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Act.
“Barking deer is a protected animal under Schedule 1 of the act,” the IWMB said on X. “A request has been made for action under sections 12.4(a) and 16.1(a) of the Nature Act 2024.”
The board said a violation of the relevant section of the law is punishable by a fine of Rs1 million ($3,523) and imprisonment for a term of up to one year.
Pakistan has witnessed frequent incidents of violation of wildlife laws.
An escaped pet lion chased a woman and two children down a busy street in Pakistan’s Lahore, police said Friday, with dramatic footage showing the big cat leaping a wall before pouncing on them. All three were taken to hospital but were not in a critical condition.
Keeping exotic animals, especially big cats, as pets has long been seen as a sign of privilege and power in Punjab, the most populous province of the country.
Police said they had arrested three men.
“The suspects fled from the spot, taking the lion with them. They were arrested within 12 hours of the incident,” the office of the Deputy Inspector General Operations in Lahore said.
The lion, an 11-month-old male, has been confiscated by police and sent to a wildlife park.
Pakistan, UAE agree to boost cooperation in higher education, human resources
- The UAE is home to over 1.5 million Pakistanis who send more than $5 billion in remittances annually
- Both countries resolve to work on initiatives to benefit students, academic institutions and professionals
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in higher education and human resource development, the Pakistani embassy said on Saturday.
The statement came after a meeting between Pakistan’s Ambassador Faisal Niaz Tirmizi and Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulmanan Al-Awar, the UAE minister of human resources, higher education and scientific research.
The UAE is home to more than 1.5 million Pakistani expatriates who live and work in the Gulf country and send back more than $5 billion in remittances to the South Asian country annually.
During the meeting, Ambassador Tirmizi highlighted the contributions of the Pakistani community to the UAE’s development and appreciated the Gulf country for fostering an inclusive and enabling environment for expatriates.
“Both sides reviewed ongoing collaboration and explored avenues to further enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of higher education and human resource development,” the Pakistani embassy said.
“The discussions reflected a shared resolve to work closely on initiatives that benefit students, academic institutions, and professionals from both countries.”
Ambassador Tirmizi reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening institutional linkages and advancing cooperation in skill development and workforce preparedness.
“Minister Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Awar lauded the longstanding and brotherly relations between the two countries and expressed the UAE’s keen interest in expanding its partnership with Pakistan in mutually beneficial areas,” the Pakistani embassy said.
“He welcomed sustained dialogue and coordination between the relevant authorities of both nations.”
