Tiekoro had always looked on Tiefolo as a boor who covered himself with gris-gris to track down animals that had never done him any harm; his reputation for bravery was for him tantamount to a reputation for stupidity. But Tiefolo was the eldest son of his father's younger brother, and so he ought to try to get along with him.
M. Condé, Segu (1984), tr. B. Bray (1987), 355
So cricket is one of the rare things which can bring the Pakistan military and the Taliban together, in what amounts to a temporary ceasefire. For example, it is not unknown for army bulldozers to clear the wickets of debris at the start, and for the Taliban to provide security while tournaments are under way. My informants told me that the Al-Qaeda, by contrast, never played cricket and favoured volleyball. They also liked football - but never cricket.
P. Oborne, Wounded tiger (2014), 411-2
Astonishing teenagers are a recurring theme in Pakistan's cricket history. Of the 33 players recorded as making their Test debut before the age of eighteen, 15 are Pakistanis.
P. Oborne, Wounded tiger (2014), 386
In the wake of the 1992 World Cup triumph, the historian of Pakistan cricket begins to feel sympathy with Edward Gibbon as he came to terms with the final centuries of the Roman Empire. It becomes necessary to deal with a succession of short-lived rulers, installed, deposed and occasionally reinstalled after regular revolts from the legions. While the army remains full of soldiers of the highest quality, still capable of famous victories, too often it is fatally undermined by indiscipline and corruption.
P. Oborne, Wounded tiger (2014), 347
Shuja-ud-Din, who played in this poignant contest, recorded: 'This was simply not cricket, but it did not matter as long as you did not lose.'
...
It was becoming evident that Tests between Pakistan and India had developed a unique sensibility. Those who ere normal became slightly mad. Those who were already troubled were temporarily blinded with a kind of insanity.
P. Oborne, Wounded tiger (2014), 109
