Imran Khan says cricket is a big unifier in the Commonwealth
Posted by ZoeWare - 19/07/09 at 08:07 pmWatch Imran Khan, retired Pakistani cricketer turned politician, talk about the unifying nature of cricket in the Commonwealth.
Q: Do you think sport has an important role to play in the Commonwealth?
Khan: It already has mainly cricket in the Commonwealth has been a big unifier. Commonwealth countries in that way know each other much more than the countries that are outside the Commonwealth through cricket. Because cricket is a big sport in Commonwealth countries, it is a major sport. In India it’s a passion, in Pakistan it’s a passion, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh (although they are not very strong as yet), Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies – it is something that ties these countries better than the other countries which are outside the Commonwealth.
Category : Sport
Tags: cricket, Imran Khan, Sport
Stay Updated : 
RSS 2.0 feed.
July 24th, 2009 at 8:47 am
I would like to ask Mr.Khan as to why cricket is not featuring in the commonwealth games if it is such a unifier?
July 24th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I’d like to support Mr.Khan in getting Cricket as a commonwealth sport. Seems better to me to support a good idea than slap the speaker.
So how about “the powers that be”, add Cricket to the list of the Games.
August 1st, 2009 at 5:44 am
I totally agree with what Imran khan says in terms of cricket as being “a big unifier in the Commonwealth”. since I started watching and playing cricket I got to know more about the commonwealth countries better than any other countries outside the commonwealth. Even there have many cricket games been organised as an alternative form of dispute resolution (to rebuild the diplomatic tie between india and pakistan during the ‘state of war’ period). I think Commonwealth should be more supportive in terms to promote peace and unity thourgh encouraging this kind of sports activitis such as cricket.
August 1st, 2009 at 8:08 am
I play cricket, and i dream of the day that Uganda will beat Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Yes, in this lifetime. It reminds me of the first time i met a group of young people from the commonwealth in Cyprus 2008. The brilliant gentleman from SriLanka dared me to a game of cricket and if my side won he would meet all my expenses to visit him in SriLanka. How kind!
We didn’t find an oval, otherwise i would be writing this from Colombo.
I agree with Imran Khan, it is a big unifier. the commonwealth being a people organization can take such games to another level and even have a commonwealth league, its all about bringing people together and sharing life at a different level.
Like Mong said, even when two countries have a dispute, often times, the unifying game will be Cricket.
We have big names in the game from the commonwealth, perhaps they can lead in creating a tournament that will create an opportunity for us to get to know each other better.
August 1st, 2009 at 11:22 am
In Sri Lanka some are playing cricket while 300,000 Tamils have been detained in terribly overcrowded camps behind barbed wire and heavily guarded by the Army and aid agencies given restricted access and media banned(journalists have no free access to the whole of Northeast Sri Lanka) and reports of severe shortage of water, food, medical and sanitation facilities and abductions and rape.
The Southwest has been a paradise for tourists. The Northeast(now the poorest region, formerly prosperous) has been under an army of occupation for four decades.
Sinhalese like me are ashamed to be Sri Lankans.
August 1st, 2009 at 11:30 am
Sri Lanka has a very good cricket team and is the country with the largest difference between the rich and the poor in South Asia according to ADB.
Let’s have justice for all and cricket for all.
August 1st, 2009 at 11:33 am
Let cricket unify groups of people within states as well as between states.
August 6th, 2009 at 5:13 am
Hi Siriban
Do you suggest that Cth should be taking more appropriate measures to promote and develope the populartiy of Cricket all across the Cth? I can clearly envisage the huge benifits that Cth will be benifited by promoting this popular game.Anyway, how would you suggest the Cth in regards to promotion and the development of cricket? I would like to advise Cth to introduce a tournament for school children all across the Cth so that they can get to know each other, learn the multiple cultures, make friendship and so on. In this way, Cth can plant the seeds of unity, friendship and peace among the young children to build a REAL Commonealth Nation. There might be also some other effective ways that Cth can do.
September 20th, 2009 at 9:47 am
I guess Canada should leave the Commonwealth then.
October 14th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Mr. Khan is no unifier… He is an opportunistic DIVIDER. I can’t speak for his influence inside Pakistan, but the West/Europe/USA will ALWAYS remember how he tried to incite Pakistanis to riot and kill Westerners over the fictional “Koran-defacement” episode, and he knew better, just like he knows better about the latest dropped ball ‘scandal’.
Mr. Khan’s self-aggrandizing, power-hungry ways are a source of nausea outside of Pakistan. Thank heavens his political ambitions have been stunted because the man is a major Jacka-s in the opinion of many. Why won’t he just GO AWAY finally? Because the man can play a sport doesn’t mean his opinion is worth any more than Mike Tyson’s or David Beckham’s (ie. ZERO).