World Cup 2011: SL president invites Kiwi premier to semi final

Updated at: 1358 PST,  Sunday, March 27, 2011

The Sri Lankan president has invited the New Zealand prime minister to watch the semi final.President Mahinda Rajapaksa has extended an invitation to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to watch the World Cup semi final between Sri Lanka and New Zealand on Tuesday, March 29.Sri Lanka and New Zealand have already faced each other in the group stage when Sri Lanka defeated the Kiwis. Both sides have also encountered in the semi final of the 2007 World Cup that was also ended in the victory of the Asian side.

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Security stepped up as India-Pakistan clash nears

Updated at: 1358 PST,  Sunday, March 27, 2011

MOHALI: Security was ramped up at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium on Sunday as India staged their first training session ahead of the high-profile World Cup semi-final against Pakistan.The match, the first between the arch-rivals on Indian soil since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, gained an added security headache Sunday when Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani confirmed he will attend Wednesday's clash.Police were out in greater numbers in and around the ground on Sunday and there were even "media security officers" escorting reporters into the ground.Meanwhile, the security presence was equalled only by the increaesed number of television trucks parked side by side outside the Stadium, all eager to beam back pictures of such stars as local hero Yuvraj Singh and Sachin Tendulkar.India were due to train later Sunday but both television reporters and eager fans desperate for a glimpse of their favourites, could be disappointed if, as has happened before, some players decide to opt out of a practice session.Pakistan, the 1992 champions, were put through their paces once again by coach Waqar Younis in an early morning training stint that started with a lively football match.Coming back to the PCA Stadium was proving particularly pleasant for Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam, who earlier in his career coached a Punjab team featuring both Yuvraj and India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.I am nostalgic, I remember this place very well," former Test leg-spinner Alam told the Sunday Pioneer.The two years I spent here earned me friends for life. It feels great to come back.Alam's relaxed mood was in keeping with that of his team.Opening batsman Mohammad Hafeez said on Saturday neither he nor his Pakistan colleagues had any qualms about security, saying: "We have no fear or a feeling of (any) shortcoming when it comes to security.That's not our job; our job is to play cricket. To provide security is the responsibility of the ICC (International Cricket Council) and the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India).We are very happy and we are enjoying ourselves very much.Around 3,000 police will patrol Wednesday's match with some 2,000 expected to be deployed in and around the 30,000-capacity PCA Stadium on matchday.An estimated 1,000 police have already descended on the luxury Hotel Taj in nearby Chandigarh where both teams are staying, a force which includes Indian army commandos.The game, which takes place in the border state of Punjab, has already sparked a flurry of political activity.Faharullah Babar, a spokesman for Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari responded to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's "cricket diplomacy".It was decided in response to the Indian Prime Minister's invitation that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will visit India to witness the semi-final cricket match," he said.Elsewhere the frantic scramble for hotel rooms and tickets showed no signs of slackening, even though the PCA had insisted as early as Tuesday that the 14,000 available tickets had been sold, with the rest in the hands of the ICC.However, there have been numerous reports of a thriving black market in tickets with prices rocketing so that a 5,000-rupee ($112) ticket was being sold for as much as 25,000 rupees ($560)For a match as big as this one, we cannot do anything about black market tickets," said PCA joint secretary GS Walia.As far as we are concerned, we only gave the tickets to those who stood in the queues and bought them. We cannot keep track if they sell these in (the) black (market

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Tickets not available for Indo-Pak tie

Updated at: 1546 PST,  Sunday, March 27, 2011

NEW DELHI: Cricket fans at Mohali are complaining about the unavailability of tickets at the counters on Sunday.The fans are angry and allege that the tickets are now being sold at a high price in the black market.However, there have been numerous reports of a thriving black market in tickets with prices rocketing so that a 5,000-rupee ticket was being sold for as much as 25,000 rupees.For a match as big as this one, we cannot do anything about black market tickets," said PCA joint secretary GS Walia.As far as we are concerned, we only gave the tickets to those who stood in the queues and bought them. We cannot keep track if they sell these in (the) black (market)

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Misbah backs Akhtar factor against India

Updated at: 1522 PST,  Sunday, March 27, 2011

MOHALI: Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq believes fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has a key role to play in the World Cup semi-final against India -- even if the paceman doesn't take the field.The 35-year-old Akhtar has said he will retire after the World Cup and has only featured in three matches at the tournament to date.But he remains capable of working up fearsome speed and may have one last shot at India when Pakistan face their arch-rivals on Wednesday.Shoaib Akhtar is a class bowler," said Misbah on Sunday.He has performed for Pakistan on a number of occasions including the 1999 World Cup (when the team lost to Australia in the final).And Misbah said that, at the very least, he would help Pakistan's batsmen get ready for the challenge of facing India's seamers.Batsmen get to prepare well against pace bowling when they face him at the nets. If he does play in the coming matches, I feel it will give us a psychological advantage.When it comes to India-Pakistan matches, Misbah is currently associated with the 2007 World Twenty20 final in Johannesburg The now 36-year-old Misbah rescued Pakistan from the depths of 77 for six and his 43 almost guided Pakistan to victory in the first World Twenty20 final.With three balls left, and six runs needed to win, he was last man out when he tried to lap Joginder Sharma over short fine leg and was caught by Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.Asked if he wanted to put that right, Misbah said: "Every game is a new game and it's not because of that, that this is a special game.This is a World Cup semi-final, I really want to play well.Misbah, one of two former captains in the side along with Younis Khan, praised skipper Shahid Afridi for the way he'd led the side to the semi-finals.Leg-spinner Afridi is the tournament's leading bowler with 21 wickets and Misbah said: "I think the important thing is his aggression and the other thing is that he has led the team by example.He is performing really well, just taking wickets at the right time, so that really helps the team when the captain is performing like that. Everybody is standing behind him at the World Cup.There were concerns that having two ex-captains in a Pakistan team traditionally renowned for its volatility could prove divisive but Misbah insisted: "I think there are always differences in opinion but we always talk to the captain about what he thinks. He's really good at that.He listens to the players, especially the senior players and the coaches, we just decide everything with a good co-ordination, and that's why everything is going well and the team is performing well.Misbah added it was also good to have veteran manager Intikhab Alam, the former Pakistan captain, on board given his experience in helping the team win the 1992 World Cup in Australia and the 2009 World Twenty20 in England.That's a positive thing we have, the last two World Cups, 50 overs and 20 overs, we've won when he was with the team so he has a good experience of how to perform in pressure situations.No Pakistan batsman has yet made a hundred this tournament with Misbah's unbeaten 83 in the 11-run win over Sri Lanka, who face New Zealand in the other semi-final, their highest individual score.Our batsmen not making big scores is not a concern because we are winning. We will be happy if we win the World Cup without a single individual hundred," Misbah insisted.

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Maldives releases cricket WCup terror suspect

Updated at: 1502 PST,  Sunday, March 27, 2011

COLOMBO: Maldives police said Sunday they had released a man suspected of plotting an attack on the cricket World Cup taking place in South Asia.Maldivian national Iqbal Mohamed, 42, was arrested on March 10 as he arrived at Male International airport from Pakistan following a tip-off from the international police body Interpol.Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Interpol chief Ronald Noble announced the arrest last week, with Malik saying a "serious attempt" at an attack had been foiled.He (Mohamed) is no longer in our custody. He was released over the weekend on a court order," police spokesman Ahmed Shiyam said by telephone from the capital Male.Shiyam declined to give the reason, but local media reported that a court had refused to extend Mohamed's detention and ordered his release late Friday.Mohamed fled to Pakistan in 2007 after allegedly being involved in a bomb attack in Male. Maldivian police then sought France-based Interpol's help and issued a red notice for his arrest.At the time of his arrest, Interpol said their officers based in Sri Lanka's international airport had detected him while scanning passenger lists for terror suspects during the ongoing cricket World Cup.Police in the three World Cup host countries of Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh have thrown blanket security for the tournament, which ends in Mumbai on April 2.

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Taufel, Gould to umpire India-Pakistan clash

Updated at: 1421 PST,  Sunday, March 27, 2011

NEW DELHI: Australia's Simon Taufel and Ian Gould of England were on Sunday named as the umpires for Wednesday's highly-charged World Cup semi-final between India Pakistan.Sri Lanka's Ranjan Madugalle will be match referee with New Zealand's Billy Bowden and Australian Rod Tucker acting as the third and fourth umpires respectively.For Tuesday's first semi-final between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Colombo, Steve Davis of Australia and Aleem Dar of Pakistan will be the on-field umpires.Chris Broad is the match referee with South Africa's Marais Erasmus and Billy Doctrove of West Indies, the third and fourth umpires respectively.The International Cricket Council said that officials for the final will be made later in the week

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Gilani, Manmohan meeting would improve ties: Indian HC

Updated at: 1530 PST,  Sunday, March 27, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal said the meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan in Mohali would help improve ties, Geo News reported He was talking to media during a friendly cricket match between Indian High Commission and Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.He pointed that visas were being issued to Pakistanis for the match.Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani accepted the invitation of his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh to watch the cricket World Cup semi-final match between Pakistan and India in Mohali on March 30.According to official sources, Prime Minister Gilani will informally meet Manmohan Singh during the match and a formal meeting will be held after the match in which bilateral matters will come under discussion.

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india vs pakistan 2011 amir fight shastri

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Sachin will have to wait for 100 international tons: Afridi

Updated at: 2113 PST,  Saturday, March 26, 2011

Karachi, (PTI): Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi predicted that Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar will have to wait until after the World Cup to reach the milestone of scoring 100 international centuries.Sachin will have to wait until after the World Cup for his 100th international century because we are not going to allow either him or any other Indian player to play a big innings," Afridi said.Tendulkar has been in prolific form in the World Cup and completed 18,000 runs in One-dayers in the previous game against Australia. He needs just one more hundred to complete 100 international centuries, the first by any batsman.Pakistan will take on India in the second semifinal of the World Cup to be held in Mohali on March 30 and Afridi said he was confident of his side beating India.It is a game of cricket and both teams can lay claim they will win the semi-final but given our current form I am confident we can beat India," Afridi said.Admitting that his team-mates wanted to face India in the semi-finals, the skipper said, "The players wanted this clash and we are looking forward to it. We know the expectations are high but at the end of the day I have told the players that the team, which controls and keeps its nerves in such a high tension match, will prevail.Afridi also felt that the pressure on India would be far more in the semi-final as compared to Pakistan, as they would be playing in front of their home crowd.Normally whenever both teams play there is great pressure because of the high expectations of the people but this time India are playing in front of their home crowd and the pressure will be greater on them," he said.Stating that his players were under no pressure because of the fact that Pakistan had never beaten India in a World Cup match before, Afridi said, "That is history and this team has a habit of changing history. More importantly the winning momentum we have got it allows the players to be better prepared for the big match.The flamboyant all-rounder also made it clear the players were not feeling the pressure of having to go and play in India after a gap of nearly four years"We have a young team and many of our players have not played in India before but it is not a problem for them because they have become used to playing even home matches abroad. I am confident they can handle the pressures of playing in India.Afridi, meanwhile, also appealed to the fans to treat this high-profile clash between the neighbours as just another cricket match.

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Sri Lanka demolish England to storm into semis

Updated at: 2113 PST,  Saturday, March 26, 2011

COLOMBO: Openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga powered Sri Lanka into semi-finals, hitting brilliant hundreds in a comprehensive 10-wicket triumph against hapless England in the last of the World Cup quarter-finals here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.Sri Lanka will now play the first of two semi-finals here on March 29 against New Zealand who knocked out South Africa in Dhaka on Friday while arch-rivals Pakistan and India meet in the second semi-final in Mohali a day later.Dilshan finished with a 115-ball 108 not out, spiced with 10 boundaries and two sixes, while Tharanga notched an unbeaten 102 off 122 deliveries, studded with 12 fours and one six, as the duo easily reached the 230-run target with 10.3 overs to spare.It was the second 200 plus partnership in the tournament as the pair also scored 282 for the first wicket against Zimbabwe in the group stages at Pallekele.Dilshan was the first to reach his hundred, his 10th in one-day cricket and second in this tournament, cutting Swann to the cover boundary for his ninth boundary.Tharanga completed his 11th century, and also his second in this World Cup, with the winning boundary off Chris Tremlett.Earlier, captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and decided to bat first on a slow, flat pitch.but England made a poor start losing both openers for 31 However, Jonathan Trott (86) rescued them with a cautious innings of 86, adding 64 runs for the third wicket with Ravi Bopara (31) and 91 for the fourth with Eoin Morgan (50) as England made 229 for six in their 50 overs.Trott’s 86 was his 11th fifty in one-day internationals and the fifth half-century in the tournament. But he was unable to lift the innings in the final overs as England managed just 23 in the batting power-play.Trott fell in the 49th over, caught off Muralitharan who finished with 2-54, after a 115-ball innings which featured just two boundaries.It will be Sri Lanka's third successive World Cup semi-final, having finished runners-up to Australia in the last edition held in the Caribbean four years ago.

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Updated at: 1945 PST,  Saturday, March 26, 2011

MOHALI: Mohammad Hafeez is confident Pakistan can overcome India when the arch-rivals meet in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday thanks to the "strongest bowling attack in the world Pakistan, the 1992 champions, possess a bowling line-up for pretty much all conditions despite missing the new ball duo of Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif, both banned following last year's spot-fixing scandal in England."We believe that we have the strongest bowling attack in the world at the moment," said Hafeez on Saturday.That is the key. Our bowling is our strength and our batsmen are just supporting them in whatever way is required.Umar Gul is arguably the most skilled exponent of reverse-swing at this tournament while Hafeez, who took the new ball alongside him in the 10-wicket quarter-final thrashing of the West Indies, is a more than handy off-spinner.Left-arm pace comes in the shape of Wahab Riaz, with all-rounder Abdul Razzaq providing seam support while Saaed Ajmal's off-spin is a potent weapon.And then there is the leg-spin of Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi who is the tournament's top bowler with 21 wickets at an average of just 10.71 apiece.Meanwhile fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who will retire after the World Cup waits in the wings."At the moment, we definitely rely on our bowling but we know we are capable enough as batsmen to achieve any total, whatever our bowlers give us," added Hafeez.The pitch for India's five-wicket quarter-final win over Australia in Ahmedabad offered plenty of assistance to spinners, an area where the co-hosts clearly had an edge on the beaten champions.But Hafeez said whatever kind of surface was prepared in Mohali would suit Pakistan."We really don't care about the pitch, whatever it will be, we are good enough to perform to the best of our ability."Matches between India and Pakistan are always special affairs.And the context of a World Cup semi-final in the border state of Punjab merely heightens the frenzied atmosphere, particularly as India-Pakistan fixtures have become increasingly rare for political and security reasons.

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