This is going to be a slightly long post. It’s a recount of a unique event that hardly anyone talks about. I was lucky to be an up-close and personal witness to it, and would like to share my experience with the readers of Well Pitched.
In October 1991, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held in Harare, Zimbabwe. My father was stationed in Zimbabwe at the time and was responsible for handling the visit of Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif.
Sharif, being a huge cricket enthusiast, and a regular and serious club cricketer, sent a message to my father a few months before the conference indicating his desire to play cricket with other world leaders during the conference.
Negotiations began with Sharif’s counterparts to gauge the interest level. Prime Ministers John Major (UK) and Bob Hawke (Australia) responded with great enthusiasm. The President of Maldives (Mamoon Abdul Gayoom) also indicated his interest in playing, though he admitted he had limited exposure to the game. Unfortunately, India declined participation. Not because of any political reasons, but because Prime Minister Narsimha Rao was 70 at the time and not in great shape (I’m not even sure if he was much of a cricket player/fan himself).
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