Simon & Schuster Wounded Tiger: A History of Cricket in Pakistan

A well researched comprehensive history of Pakistan cricket. It's full of stories of Pakistani cricketers past and recent. The stories of cricketers of the partition era and the sixties are nostalgic. Lots of cricket trivia make this book very interesting. It's a pity that the hard bound edition isn't available.

One of the best books ever written on Pakistan Cricket. Peter Oborne starts by saying and I paraphrase that most of the books written about Pakistan and its Cricket are by foreigners who do not like Pakistan, Peter Oborne is obviously not one of them because he loves the country and has visited dozens of times. He went not only to all the major cricketing centers like Lahore and Karachi but also close to the Afghan border and Swat valley. Once you pick up this book it will be really hard to put it down. During his journey, in addition to conducting hundreds of interviews and visiting all the expected (and unexpected) places, he visited AH Kardar/ Fazal Mahmood's old neighborhood and hangouts in Lahore, met their families and even visited their graves. This speaks volumes of the amount of research done by Peter Oborne for this book. A must read for lovers of Pakistan Cricket (and also for those who are biased against Pakistan, its people or its Cricket).

The book exceeded my expectations. Mr. Oborne has put a lot of effort in the research and it shows in the detail of anecdotes and personalities covered in the book. Mr Oborne is not just a curious cricket fan of Pakistan cricket. He is an academic and a historian of Pakistan cricket. He has sighted multiple sources to cover personalities and events which makes a very authentic and interesting read.The author starts from pre partition period, covers personalities like Lala Amarnath and his Lahore connection. It has covered Kardar and Fazal's role in establishing Pakistani cricket in detail. Usually only players are mentioned in books like these but the author does not forget remarkable administrators like Justice Cornelius and many more. Starting from pre partition Pakistani cricketing events until 2014 he has covered Mohammad family, Burki family, Javed, fallen from grace Mohammad Amir, Misbah the great captain and many more. Player's backgrounds are also covered in addition to their cricketing feats.I think Mr. Oborne has done an excellent job at covering rich history in a balanced and comprehensive way. Above all, the narrative is extremely interesting and kept me glued to the book until I finished it. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

one of the best books I have read

Books on Pakistan are a perennial favorite of mine. More often than not – these are written by the South Asian correspondents / editors of the more famous newspapers / journals or the MJ Akbar types. After meandering thru partition / the coups / dictators / terror / Taliban / failed democracy…they conclude that it is a country which is fully screwed….nice and proper and beyond hope and redemption (Think of Anatol Leiven’s Pakistan : A Hard Country or MJ Akbar’s : Tinderbox)…and no patch of comparison with its go-go neighbor India…I have a feeling that these books are specifically written for Indian audiences…who need a reference point to feel good about India…So when finds a book written by the Political editor of Telegraph and also realizes that he has a string of well-reviewed books to his credit, you gingerly buy WOUNDED TIGER – it is about cricket and also Pakistan….and hoping to spend a couple of evenings reading about the turbulent state of cricket in a troubled country. The book also has one of the most appealing and inviting covers that one can find in recent times….see it below and you will know what I am talking about.Magnificent is the word to describe the majestic sweep of this book which runs into 500+ pages. Unlike the normal author who more often than not is prejudiced and prejudges Pakistan before he types his first word – here is a man who writes with fondness towards the cricketers, even indulgent at times…but given the fascinating subject/(s), we can pardon the author for these minor transgressions.What one needs to understand that unlike in India (where we are only crazy about cricket and nothing more)…in Pakistan (a country where seem to be perpetually at war with themselves) ….Cricket defines their national identity…and their collective consciousness is bonded by Cricket and nothing else.Tracing the shaky and tentative start of the ‘independent’ cricket establishment of Pakistan post the partition to the present days of Salman Butt and his peccadilloes, the book faithfully traverses the history of Pakistan cricket, its evolution, its inextricable links with the political establishment and how they mess it up, the super-stars and the child prodigies to the errant wild boys….it concurrently runs on two tracks…tracing the history and evolution of the country in the background and the cricket story in the forefront.From the early stalwarts – AH Kardar to Fazal Mahmood – and later the Asif Iqbals (he is a Hyderabadi and seems to be the first cousin of my friend Nissar Ahmad) to the charismatic Imran Khan to the wilder boys like Javed Miandad and Shoaib Akhthar and finally to the Afridis and Misbahs – the book profiles all of them – their early rise, their superstar days and to their downfall ( of some).Covers in detail the ills of the system, the noble men (Think Kardar) who tried to protect the cricketing system from the whims of the political masters ( the chief patron of BCCP is the PM of Pakistan), the famous six of Javed Miandad, the highs of the team including the World Cup victory in 1992, the ups and downs of their tryst with democracy and its impact on the cricket team, the fascinating stories of their teenage sensations and how they rise above their destinies and become overnight super stars, the match fixing scandals and how they were used to fix players…this book is a must for anyone who wants to understand cricket in Pakistan and why it is – the way it is.Normally, when you read a book on Pakistan, it confirms a presentiment that you always nurtured – that the country is beyond hope but when you read this book on cricket on Pakistan, you will walk away with a different perspective…and empathize with an amazing bunch of human beings…who rise above all that is wrong….and play such wonderful, aggressive and bold cricket…. Go read the book before it becomes too stale with a dozen reviews in all the magazines….it is worth spending a good 5-6 hours reading this treatise on our neighboring cricketers. Much better than the ‘Great Tamasha’…which was on Indian cricket.8