SPORTS LETTERS

From Mr Nadeem Baksh

As someone of Pakistani descent, I could not agree more with Derek Pringle's observation (24 July) of the "blood boiling" antics of Pakistani players in their many cricketing experiences against England.

I have watched Pakistan v England in 1978, 1982 and 1992, and seen brilliant play dwarfed on numerous occasions by the highly strung, volatile temperaments of the players themselves. Mr Pringle's observation that "powerful personalities play their part in perpetuating" the feuds between the two teams did not go far enough in marking Imran Khan's stint as captain as a case in point.

His years as captain were not without charges of arrogance and self- manufactured kudos, elements which do not help any team and which have now resulted, as Mr Pringle correctly observes, in Pakistani cricketers who have "rarely simmered in their bid to bring wider recognition to their country and themselves". There is a dark, chauvinistic element inherent in the ethos of Pakistan which neither Imran nor his fellow countrymen have quite managed to control.

NADEEM BAKSH

London

From Mr Peter Phillips

As a huge fan of the Olympic Games, I am intensely irritated by the production methods that the BBC employs when any British athlete takes part in any event. I enjoy watching our athletes and am thrilled if they are successful. But the BBC seems to show us the British participants and ignores all other competitors regardless of their quality or merit. I have just watched a 100m heat in which Linford Christie was taking part - other athletes barely got a mention in the pre-race period and their pictures were shown only as a last resort. Are we going to have to suffer through this for the rest of the Games?

PETER PHILLIPS

Hampton Hill, Middlesex

Letters should be marked "For publication" and contain daytime and evening telephone numbers. They should be sent to Sports Editor, The Independent, 1 Canada Square, London E14 5DL. They may be edited for reasons of space.