Sports
ST. MORITZ PLAYOFFS: PAKISTAN AND INDIA MEET IN THE ALPS
ICE CRICKET SIZZELS IN THE MOUNTAINS
(Source: Ina von Ber)
St. Moritz became the center of the first ever Ice Cricket tournament on 8 and 9 February 2018. The event took place in the breathtaking backdrop of the Swiss mountains in freezing cold temperatures. Shahid Afridi's royals stun Virender Sehwag-led diamonds to win series 2-0 Jacques Kallis scored a notable knock of 90 runs (not out) as Royals chased down the target in 16.4 overs for the loss of two wickets.
Stars from India, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and other Commonwealth nations played two cricket games on the frozen Lake of St. Moritz. Pakistan and India, mutually hostile to one another, displayed great sportsmanship. In the colonial era, both countries belonged to British India, before two nations emerged from India and Pakistan with independence from the British Empire in 1947. With the split came the dislike: the two nuclear powers have been at war with each other three times.
Source: Ina von Ber
Since cricket is the number one national sport in both countries, the rivalry always overflows in cricket games. It's a different story in St. Moritz, where the "Amul St. Moritz Ice Cricket" event took place last week and brought 20 million viewers to TV screens. Afridi wants to edge into the picture with the Indian flag and says overwhelmingly. "Afridi's touching gesture wins the hearts of India," writes "The Hindu". And "The Times of India" is certain: "Afridi gained a lot of sympathy on both sides of the border with this poignant scene. "As part of this event in St. Moritz, Afridi himself says: "I believe that as cricketers we can serve as role models and show how people can relate to individual nations. I think that after Pakistan, the two countries where I received the most love and respect were India and Australia. (Cricket St. Moritz)
"Our vision is uniqueness," says Vijay Singh, organizer of the Amul St. Moritz Ice Cricket event. "And that's exactly what we made happen. The first ice-cricket tournament in the world." A great success: Exciting duels and great sportsmanship in the icy Engadin cold. "The top players crossed borders and showed that it is possible to play cricket at the highest level. And on snow and at minus temperatures."
On Thursday and Friday, both T20 cricket matches were broadcast in 25 countries. This included India, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Switzerland (Teleclub Zoom). Under the captaincy of Pakistan's Shahid Afridi, Royals defeated Virender Sehwag-led Diamonds by eight wickets to mark their second consecutive win in the two-day St. Moritz Ice Cricket tournament in Switzerland on Friday. Diamonds, batting first, rode on the fifties by Andrew Symonds and Mohammad Kaif to post 205/5 in their allotted 20 overs. Jacques Kallis scored a notable knock of 90 runs (not out) as Royals chased down the target in 16.4 overs for the loss of two wickets. He was later bestowed with the Player of the Match award. Besides Afridi and Sehwag, the event also featured prominent names such as Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq, Mahela Jayawardene, Kallis, Zaheer Khan, and Michael Hussey.
Squads Shahid Afridi's Royals XI: Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan), Abdul Razzaq (Pakistan), Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Graeme Smith (South Africa), Daniel Vettori (New Zealand), Nathan McCullum (New Zealand), Grant Elliott (New Zealand), Monty Panesar (England), Owais Shah (England), Matt Prior (England), Aidan Andrews (Switzerland).
Virender Sehwag's Diamonds XI: Virender Sehwag (India), Zaheer Khan (India), Mohammad Kaif (India), Ajit Agarkar (India), Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka), Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka), Michael Hussey (Australia), Andrew Symonds (Australia), Mithun Manhas (India), Ramesh Powar (India), Rohan Jain (Switzerland).
