Pak team arrives in Delhi for Mohali match

Updated at: 1818 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

NEW DELHI: Pakistan cricket team reached here to play their arch rivals India in the semi-finals of the World Cup 2011.The team left Dhaka this morning for the Indian capital from where it will go to Mohali where the semi-finals will be played on March 30.Captain Shahid Afridi said, while talking with Geo News before the departure at the Dhaka airport, that Indian team is difficult but his players’ morale is high.Pakistan team will stay at Delhi for a few hours then proceed to Mohali.

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World Cup: Proteas restrict Kiwis to 221-8

Updated at: 1714 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

DHAKA: Despite a 114-run third wicket partnership between Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor New Zealand could reach 221 for eight wickets in their 50 overs against South Africa in the third quarter-finals of the World Cup here at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium on Friday.After captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and elected to bat first but they were reduced to 16-2 by the sixth over. However, Ryder and Taylor rescued them to take the score to 130 by the 33rd over before the Proteas bounced back with three wickets for 26 runs in six overs.Jesse Ryder, who failed to reach 50 in six previous innings in the tournament, finally struck World Cup form with a fluent 83.Kane Williamson hit an unbeaten 38 towards the end to ensure South Africa chased a 200-plus target for a place in the semi-finals.Seamer Morne Morkel finished with 3-46, while fast bowler Dale Steyn and leg-spinner Imran Tahir picked up two wickets each.South Africa's ploy to throw the new ball to a spinner worked again as left-armer Robin Peterson dismissed Brendon McCullum in his second over with a superb diving return catch.It was Peterson's 15th wicket in the tournament behind only Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi (21) and Indian seamer Zaheer Khan (17).Steyn then had Martin Guptill caught at mid-off for one, but Ryder and Taylor settled in to take the attack to the rival camp.South African captain Graeme Smith introduced off-break bowler Johan Botha in the fifth over and Tahir in the 13th, but failed to secure another quick wicket.Ryder brought up New Zealand's 100 in the 28th over with a superb drive through the covers off Steyn for his seventh boundary.Taylor, who smashed an unbeaten 131 off 124 balls against Pakistan, looked set for another big knock before he holed out in the deep off Tahir in the 33rd over.South Africa choked the Black Caps with two more blows as Scott Styris was bowled by Morkel for 16 and Tahir ended Ryder's brave knock by having him caught on the mid-wicket fence.The winners will meet either Sri Lanka or England in the first semi-final in Colombo on March 29.

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World Cup: Pakistan equal Australia in reaching semi-finals for 6 times

Updated at: 1649 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

COLOMBO: Though Australia could not reach the World Cup semi-finals for the seventh time as India shattered their dream of winning the fourth consecutive title in the mega event but Pakistan equaled the record of reaching the semi-finals for the sixth time.Pakistan did so while defeating the West Indies in the first quarter-finals in the tournament.Earlier, the record of playing the World Cup semi-finals for six times was held only by Australia who have now been beaten by India. India have reached the semi-finals for the fifth time stopping England to move into the semis.England have already played the semi-finals for five times while New Zealand have qualified for the semi-final for the fifth time. Both can stand beside Pakistan and Australia if they perform well in the quarters-finals.West Indies had won the World Cup twice but they played the semi-finals only for four times.South Africa and Sri Lanka reached this stage for three times and Kenya also joined the last four teams once in the World Cup.

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Team morale high, we’ll give tough time to India : Afridi

Updated at: 1506 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

DHAKA: Pakistan captain Shahid Khan Afridi said that Pakistan has always given a tough time to India in India and his team would plan a better strategy against the hosts in their semi-finals in the World Cup.He said that the morale of the team is high and each player of his team has a sense of responsibility.Afridi said that he has fulfilled the promise of reaching the semi-finals with their nation’s prays and all his boys are confident enough to tackle India.He said that they would give positive results in the semi-finals, too.The skipper said that the Pakistan team is ready to compete with any team anywhere and he would plan an strategy according to situation.“The boys are professional cricketers,” he said. “Of course everybody likes to have the crowd supporting you but that doesn’t mean that we cannot play in front of fans, who are backing our rival team. There were over 30,000 people supporting Sri Lanka in Colombo but we won that match,” he said referring to Pakistan’s 11-run win over the tournament co-hosts in a Pool A match last month. Afridi is confident that his players were capable of giving their best at any venue.

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Singh invites PM, President to watch semi-final

Updated at: 1830 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday invited Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari to watch semi-final match between Pakistan and India in Mohali, Geo News reported quoting Indian media.According to the Indian TV channel, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will witness the semi-final match to be played at Punjab Cricket Association ground in Mohali."I propose to be at Mohali to watch the World Cup semi-final match between India and Pakistan to be held on 30th March," Dr Singh said in a letter to President Zardari."There is huge excitement over the match and we are all looking forward to a great game of cricket that will be a victory for sport. It gives me great pleasure to invite you to visit Mohali and join me and the millions of fans from our two countries to watch the match," he said.Dr Singh wrote a similar letter to Mr Gilani, inviting him and his wife to join him at Mohali.

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South Africa elect to bat against New Zealand

Updated at: 1304 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

DHAKA: New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has won the toss and elected to bat against South Africa in the third quarter-finals of the World Cup here at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium on Friday.Teams: New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (captain), James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock, Daryl Tuffey.South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne van Wyk.Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Rod Tucker (AUS), TV umpire: Kumar Dharmasena (SL)Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (SL)

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South Africa bank on spin to outwit Kiwis

Updated at: 0900 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

DHAKA: South Africa captain Graeme Smith says the deliberate shift from pace to spin could help his team beat New Zealand in the World Cup quarter-final on Friday.South Africa, who in the past always used their accomplished battery of fast bowlers to blow away rivals, have played three spinners to take advantage of the slow wickets in the sub-continent.Smith has often handed the new ball to either off-spinner Johan Botha or left-arm spinner Robin Peterson even though South Africa boast a formidable pace attack in Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.The gamble has appeared to work so far with Peterson taking 14 wickets and leg-spinner Imran Tahir, the third slow bowler in the side, has 12 wickets."The thing about our three spinners is they're very different from each other," said Smith. "They've all performed different roles at different times, but worked well together."The versatility of the guys has been great. Imran's definitely been the more attacking option for us. To have him in the line-up adds a bit more to me as a captain."Robbie (Peterson) has been around for a long time but it is only now that people have started to show a lot of confidence in him as a cricketer. Through that faith and confidence, he's starting to believe more in himself."Spinners love being here, especially South African spinners. They don't get as much help back home, so to be able to execute their skills in these conditions is very exciting for them."Smith attributed South Africa's impressive run in the tournament which saw them top Group B with five wins in six matches to contributions from everyone in the squad.It also made picking the right combination difficult, he added."Selection has always been tough and it's getting tougher as guys perform well," he said. "It's an ideal challenge to have players performing well and that you have a good squad of players to pick from."We are not relying on four, five guys to win us the World Cup."In five previous tournaments, the Proteas crashed out three times in the semi-finals, once in the quarter-final and another time in the first round, earning them the unwanted tag of cricket's perennial chokers.South Africa know New Zealand will not be pushovers -- the Kiwis have won three of their five World Cup meetings against them, including a five-wicket success in the Super Eights round of the 2007 edition."New Zealand have always been a very street-wise, street-smart team," said Smith. "They have obviously got some power-batters in the top order, guys who can take the game away from you."From the bowling point of view, they can take the pace off the ball as a lot of their guys can bowl medium-pace or change of pace. And they have got a spinner like (skipper Daniel) Vettori."You can't take any guy in their line-up for granted. We need to play well to beat them."Smith said the presence of former South African pace spearhead Allan Donald as New Zealand's bowling coach was not worrying him."If we stressed over a South African in another team I don't think we'd sleep much," he said. "Allan was a great performer for South Africa and we wish him all the best in his role as New Zealand bowling coach."I'm sure he believes he can add value to their environment, but our environment has changed a lot since Allan was a part of it."

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Defeated Ponting backs India to beat Pakistan

Updated at: 0952 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011
AHMEDABAD: Australia captain Ricky Ponting predicted India would beat Pakistan when the arch-rivals meet in the World Cup semi-finals after seeing the co-hosts end his team's 12-year run as champions.Ponting made his first international century in over a year when Australia batted but it wasn't enough as India, thanks to an unbeaten 57 from Yuvraj Singh, won by five wickets after finishing on 261 for five with 14 balls to spare."If you look at their attacks, they're quite similar," said Ponting, who in Australia's preceding final group match saw Pakistan end the title-holders' 34-match unbeaten streak at the World Cup."Pakistan played the quicks against us, (Abdul) Razzaq and (Umar) Gul and (Wahab) Riaz played that game as well and he's done a pretty good job for them. They used a lot of their spin."How do I compare the bowling attacks? It's pretty hard to say, but I think India will beat Pakistan in the semi-final."Ponting added of the March 30 clash in Mohali: "We all know how fierce a rivalry it is between Pakistan and India so I'm sure that's going to be a very entertaining semi-final."India have a got a great chance now. Their batting is very powerful and they bat quite deep."

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Cricket WC: Muted Ponting praise as Aussies bow out

Updated at: 0635 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

Muted Ponting praise as Aussies bow out MELBOURNE: Ricky Ponting has subdued calls for his dumping as captain with a stoic overdue century despite Australia making their earliest exit from a World Cup in almost two decades, newspapers said on Friday. Under-fire Ponting made 104 -- his first international hundred in 13 months -- in Australia's total of 260 for six, but it wasn't enough as India finished on 261 for five to win their quarter-final in Ahmedabad Thursday with 14 balls to spare. Ponting has now presided over the end of Australia's 12-year run as World Cup champions after his third Ashes series defeat to England earlier this year. Although the Australian cricket public still want Ponting, 36, to go as skipper 65 to 35 percent in one newspaper poll of 10,000 fans he looks to have bought himself more time in the job, the press said. "Ricky Ponting's spot in the Australian cricket team is safe for now but his side's glorious World Cup era is over after losing their quarter-final to India," the Daily Telegraph said

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World Cup: India floor Aussies to meet Pakistan in semis

Updated at: 2210 PST,  Thursday, March 24, 2011

AHMEDABAD: India recorded a sensational five-wicket victory to oust defending champions Australia with14 balls to spare in the second quarter-finals of the tenth World Cup here at the Sardar Patel Stadium on Thursday.Now they will meet Pakistan in the semi-finals to be played on March 30 at Mohali.Chasing a modest total of 261, India completed the victory in 47.4 overs to shatter Australia's dream of an unprecedented fourth straight World Cup title and fifth in all was shattered. Yuvraj Singh, who struck the winning boundary, was the man-of-the-match yet again as he top-scored with an unbeaten 57 besides taking two wickets.The left-handed batsman has so far scored four fifties in the tournament where he is averaging over a hundred.Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir also hit fifties for India.Tendulkar was caught behind off Shaun Tait for a fluent 53, his 94th ODI fifty, during which he became the first batsman to score 18,000 one-day international runs.Gambhir and Virat Kohli batted steadily in a stand of 49 before Kohli (24) slapped a full toss from part-time spinner David Hussey straight to Michael Clarke at short mid-wicket.One ball after surviving a run-out, he set-off for a non-existent single and was well-beaten by Cameron White's throw to David Hussey having made 50, his 24th ODI half-century Batting first after captain Ponting won the toss, defending champions Australia made 260 for six in their 50 overs.Ponting made 104 from 118 balls with seven fours and a six, his 30th ODI hundred and the fifth in World Cups.It was also his first century in 39 international innings since he made 106 against the West Indies in a one-day international in Brisbane last year.He was out late on when, he reverse-swept Ravichandran Ashwin straight to Zaheer Khan at short third man.David Hussey, recalled in place of the dropped Steven Smith, made a useful 38 not out and helped Ponting add 55 for the sixth wicket after Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey and Cameron White all fell cheaply.Back-up spinners Ashwin and Yuvraj Singh took four wickets between them with left-arm quick Zaheer taking the other two to fall. But lead off-spinner Harbhajan Singh's 10-wicketless overs cost 50 runs. Australia got off to a steady start through openers Shane Watson and Haddin but a change of ends for Ashwin had them roaring again when he bowled Watson for 25.Later, Haddin gave his wicket away by driving Yuvraj to mid-off where Suresh Raina took a low, tumbling catch to leave Australia 110 for two.Haddin was the second top scorer with 53. Together with Ponting, he shared a second-wicket stand of 70 runs.

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Tendulkar crosses 18,000 runs in ODI cricket

Updated at: 2144 PST,  Thursday, March 24, 2011

AHMEDABAD: India's batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar completed 18,000 runs in one-day international cricket when he reached 45 against Australia in the second quarter-finals of the World Cup 2011 here at the Sardar Patel Stadium on Thursday.This was his 94th ODI half-century as he has already made 48 hundreds in this form of cricket, and both remain world records.The master batsman has also scored 51Test hundreds which takes his overall hundreds to 99, one short of the century of centuries.However, he missed a chance to score his 100th international hundred as he was dismissed for 53, made off 68 balls with seven fours against Australia on Thursday.Tendulkar edged paceman Shaun Tait to wicket-keeper Brad Haddin in the 19th over and had started walking when umpire Ian Gould called him back while he confirmed the legality of the delivery.Once the replays showed that the delivery was legal, Tendulkar walked away, much to the disappointment of the crowd which packed the Sardar Patel stadium for India's do-or-die encounter.Tendulkar, 37, looked in sublime form during his 68-ball innings, hitting seven fours in his 94th one-day half-century.Tendulkar has so far made 18,008 runs at an average of 45.13 in record 451 one-day internationals.His highest score of 200 not out is the only double-century made by any batsman in ODI cricket.

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World Cup: Ponting ton helps Aussies reach 260 against India

Updated at: 1748 PST,  Thursday, March 24, 2011

AHMEDABAD: Skipper Ricky Ponting’s classic century guided Australia to set a target of 261 runs for India in the second quarter-finals of the tenth World Cup here at the Sardar Patel Stadium on Thursday.Batting first after Ponting won the toss, defending champions Australia made 260 for six in their 50 overs.Ponting made 104 from 118 balls with seven fours and a six, his 30th ODI hundred and the fifth in World Cups. It was also his first century in 39 international innings since he made 106 against the West Indies in a one-day international in Brisbane last year.The 36-year-old Tasmanian, who had managed just 102 runs at 20.4 in five previous innings this tournament, had come into the match amidst reports he could be quitting international cricket completely after the World Cup.He was out late on when, he reverse-swept Ravichandran Ashwin straight to Zaheer Khan at short third man.David Hussey, recalled in place of the dropped Steven Smith, made a useful 38 not out and helped Ponting add 55 for the sixth wicket after Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey and Cameron White all fell cheaply. Back-up spinners Ashwin and Yuvraj Singh took four wickets between them with left-arm quick Zaheer taking the other two to fall. But lead off-spinner Harbhajan Singh's 10-wicketless overs cost 50 runs. Australia got off to a steady start through openers Shane Watson and Haddin but a change of ends for Ashwin had them roaring again when he bowled Watson for 25.Later, Haddin gave his wicket away by driving Yuvraj to mid-off where Suresh Raina took a low, tumbling catch to leave Australia 110 for two Haddin was the second top scorer with 53. Together with Ponting, he shared a second-wicket stand of 70 runs.India made one change from the side that beat the West Indies by 80 runs in their final group match in Chennai, bringing in Virender Sehwag, fit after recovering from an allergic reaction to a painkilling injection in his knee.He replaced dropped all-rounder Yusuf Pathan, with Suresh Raina retaining his place.Australia made one change from the side that lost to Pakistan by four wickets -- a defeat that ended their 34-match unbeaten run at the tournament dating back to 1999.Leg-spinning all-rounder Steven Smith was dropped and his place was taken by David Hussey.

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England's Yardy quits World Cup with depression

Updated at: 1654 PST,  Thursday, March 24, 2011

COLOMBO: England all-rounder Michael Yardy has quit the World Cup suffering from depression just days before the quarter-final against co-hosts Sri Lanka.The 30-year-old Sussex left-hander, who played in three matches at the tournament, said he felt he had no option but to return home."Leaving at this stage of a World Cup campaign was a very difficult decision to make but I felt that it was the only sensible option for me and I wanted to be honest about the reason behind that decision," he said."I would like to wish the squad all the very best ahead of the game on Saturday. "I would appreciate some privacy over the coming weeks while I spend time with family and close friends ahead of what I hope will be a successful season for Sussex."The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said they had applied to the International Cricket Council technical committee to request a replacement for Yardy. "I would like to offer my full support to Michael on behalf of everyone involved with the England team and the ECB," said ECB managing director Hugh Morris."Michael has been an integral part of the England set up in recent years and while he will be missed in the knock out stages of the World Cup, our priority now is to ensure that he returns home to his family and is able to spend time recovering with a strong support network around him."Sussex cricket manager Mark Robinson reacted to Yardy's exit by saying: "Sussex are very proud of Michael Yardy and very supportive of his decision, not only to come home but also to be prepared to go public with the reasons.As captain and one of our leading players, we'll give him all the time and all the support necessary so that he can continue to lead this club forward."Left-arm spinner and lower order batsman Yardy had managed just two wickets at an expensive 79.50 apiece and contributed a mere 19 runs at the World Cup.He was not set to feature in the quarter-final in any event, having been omitted from the team that beat the West Indies by 18 runs to secure England's place in the last eight.Yardy has though played in 28 one-day internationals since making his debut in 2006 and was a member of the England side that won the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean last year.England had already lost star batsman Kevin Pietersen and fast bowlers Stuart Broad and Ajmal Shahzad to injury at this tournament.Yardy's condition appeared reminiscent of the problem that forced former England opener Marcus Trescothick to retire from international cricket.

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Australia win toss, elect to bat against India

Updated at: 1333 PST,  Thursday, March 24, 2011
AHMEDABAD: Australia captain Ricky Ponting has won the toss and elected to bat first against India in the second quarter-finals of the tenth World Cup here at the Sardar Patel Stadium on Thursday.India made one change from the side that beat the West Indies by 80 runs in their final group match in Chennai with opener Virender Sehwag fit after recovering from an allergic reaction to a painkilling injection in his knee.
Sehwag replaced dropped all-rounder Yusuf Pathan, with Suresh Raina retaining his place.Australia, bidding for a fourth successive World Cup title and fifth in all, made one change from the side that lost to Pakistan by four wickets -- a defeat that ended their 34-match unbeaten run at the tournament dating back to 1999.Leg-spinning all-rounder Steven Smith was dropped and his place was taken by David Hussey, a batsman and handy occasional off-spinner.India's Sachin Tendulkar came into this match needing just one more century to become the first player to score a hundred international hundreds.The winners of this match will play Pakistan, who thrashed the West Indies by 10 wickets in Dhaka on Wednesday, in a semi-final in Mohali on March 30.Their last World Cup meeting was in the 2003 final when Australia beat India by 125 runs in Johannesburg, with Ponting making a match-winning 140 not out.India: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (captain, wk), Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel
Australia: Brad Haddin (wk), Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Cameron White, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Shaun TaitUmpires: Marais Erasmus (SA) and Ian Gould (ENG), TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL)

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DRS results: Aleem Dar hasn’t had single decision overturned

Updated at: 1129 PST,  Thursday, March 24, 2011
COLOMBO: In all, 162 decisions have been reviewed so far, of which 35 have been upheld (i.e, the original decision has been changed), while 127 have been struck down. Among the umpires, Aleem Dar, Ian Gould and Billy Bowden haven't had a single decision overturned through the DRS. At the other end of the scale are Asoka de Silva and Daryl Harper, with 50% or more of their decisions being overturned. South Africa have used the DRS better than any other side with a success rate of more than 38%. Zimbabwe and Canada, while not matching South Africa for results, have done almost as well in terms of reviews. Ireland impressed everyone with their skills with bat, ball, and in the field, but they'll need to do some work on the DRS - they didn't get a single review correct in 11 attempts, making them the only team with a 0% record. Bangladesh, Netherlands and New Zealand weren't much better.

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India challenge excites Waqar

Updated at: 0946 PST,  Thursday, March 24, 2011

DHAKA: Pakistan coach Waqar Younis relishes the prospect of playing the last two matches in India to win the World Cup as his team continued its ruthless march in the tournament.Pakistan, led from the front by inspirational captain Shahid Afridi, crushed the West Indies by 10 wickets on Wednesday to advance to their first semi-final since 1999.The easy win set up a potentially explosive semi-final against arch-rivals India in Mohali on March 30, if the co-hosts beat defending champions Australia in Ahmedabad later on Thursday.Waqar said it would be "awesome" if Pakistan was to play India for a place in the final at the Wankhede stadiun in Mumbai on April 2."I would love to play India in India," the fast bowling great said. "There is no bigger rivalry in the game than that. We have not played each other in our own country in recent years."So it should be very exciting. The two are cricket-loving countries. If it happens it will be awesome."Waqar said it did not matter whether they play the semi-final against India, or Australia whom they beat by four wickets in the league to end the defending champions' unbeaten 34-match streak in the World Cup."I have no preference whom we play," he said. "We have to concentrate on what we have to do."All I know is that we are going to be playing in India. There will be a lot of pressure. Not only on us, but probably on the other side as well. Whoever holds their nerves better will come out on top."Waqar was delighted at the emphatic win over the West Indies, and hoped more such games were to follow."A comfortable win is always a good thing," he said. "Hopefully we will get another comfortable win. That's the aim. But we know our opponents are going to be a lot stronger."Waqar was not worried his team may not get the kind of support in India that came its way in the league in Sri Lanka or in Dhaka on Wednesday."Hopefully there will be a few people coming across the border from Lahore and they'll be supporting us in Mohali," he said."I know it won't be like what we got here in Dhaka or in Sri Lanka. That was amazing. The people were right behind us. When we played against Sri Lanka, the crowd was not with us. So we are really comfortable with that."Look, we have to go wherever the tournament takes us. Mohali or Mumbai, we have to play the best we can."Afridi's 4-30 against the West Indies took his tally as the tournament's leading wicket-taker to 21, but Mohammad Hafeez stole the show with his all-round display.The off-spinner, asked to share the new ball with Umar Gul, picked up two early wickets and then hit an unbeaten 61 off 64 balls in the company of opening partner Kamran Akmal (47 not out)"Hafeez is a smart cricketer," the coach said. "He is very confident when it comes to bowling. He has got such self-belief that whenever he is given the ball, he delivers."Bowling was never the issue in this tournament for us, it was the batting. We struggled with the openers, so it was really pleasing to see them getting runs." (AFP)

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Updated at: 1901 PST,  Wednesday, March 24, 2011
hile terming an India-Pakistan contest as the biggest rivalry in the world, Pakistan’s bowling coach Waqar Younis sought to keep his emotions in check ahead of a potential World Cup semifinal clash between the sub-continental giants.Pakistan, who drubbed the West Indies by 10 wickets in the first quarterfinal here on Wednesday, will now travel to Mohali where they await the winners of the second last-eight match between India and Australia in Ahmedabad on Thursday. “It’s just a game and not a war, so just treat it like sport,” Younis emphasised when asked if he would challenge India now. “Don’t put words into my mouth and I will not get into this kind of act. India will do everything in their hands to do well as do we, and so far as not winning a match (against India in a World Cup) is concerned, even Australia hadn’t lost a match for 34 games but eventually they did,” he pointed out.“There is no security issue,” said Younis when asked if his team had any concern going to India. “I don’t see any big reason to be wary about. When we went there in 1999 then things were not that normal but now the situation is quite alright, things are smooth. It’s good to go to your neighbouring country and play some competitive cricket. As of now we are happy to be going to India,” he remarked.Pakistan had the capacity crowd rooting for them here, but the scenario would be quite different in India. “We have to concentrate on what we have to do,” he noted. “We are going to Mohali and hopefully we will have people coming in from Lahore and other parts. We won’t have a support like here but we will definitely have some sort of support there. But we have to go wherever the tournament takes us. Whether it’s Mohali or Mumbai, wherever we go we have to play our best,” he reasoned.Personally, Younis said, he would like to see an India-Pakistan match. “I haven’t spoken to my team yet about it, but if you ask me, I would love to see an India-Pakistan face-off,” he stated. “I don’t think there is a bigger rivalry than India-Pakistan. Yes we do hear about the Ashes and other clashes, but India-Pakistan is different. I don’t think so far there has been a proper recognition of the magnitude of the rivalry between the two nations. The fact that both the countries haven’t played each other for a while now only adds to its interest,” he explained.

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World Cup: India vs Australia is mini-final, mega contest

Updated at: 1901 PST,  Wednesday, March 24, 2011

It is cricket’s equivalent of Brazil vs Germany or Italy vs Argentina in a football World Cup — a high voltage contest. India vs Australia is the match of the quarterfinals, nay match of the championship. Not for nothing Tim Nielsen says it is a mini-final.So evenly are the teams stacked up, separating them will be exercising in futility. A shot, a throw, a wide or a dot ball can decide the outcome of the contest. “We’ll have to be on our toes for 100 overs,” said Ricky Ponting. MS Dhoni concurred, stating that his side cannot afford a blink. One moment of lapse can change game on its axis. A humdinger is on the cards at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera on Thursday.On the eve of the game, the teams’ approach was that of cultivated pragmatism than overt show of bravado. The fear of failure was all too evident among the captains as was the realisation of magnitude of the contest and enormity of the job at hand. There were no mind games nor high decibel rhetoric. ‘We want our cricket to do the talking’ was the general refrain of Dhoni and Ponting.Coming into the match, neither side has exactly justified their billing — the build-up has not been the way they would have expected. The top two one-day teams in the world have been rather lacklustre in the group stage, having managed only one win each over a major team. Australia, in particular, have been scrappy, with Ponting providing fodder for his critics with a string of poor scores. The team has not even shown the typical aggression it is known for. This is very unlike an Australian team.“We’ll play the Australian way and let our cricket do all the talking,” said Ponting with more hope than conviction. Dhoni was cautiously optimistic that his batsmen will be able to curb their avarice and prevent another meltdown in the batting powerplay.

“We’ll not try to go for the broke,” said the India skipper. “We’ll keep smaller targets in mind. Controlling emotions will be a big factor, but I think most of the Indian cricketers are good at it. We win some and we lose some.”One of the big sideshow of the second quarterfinal will be the appearance of Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar in a World Cup game. One of them will have played his last game in the World Cup by Thursday night. Ponting said the contest is not about two individuals but about two teams and then hastened to add that 100 international centuries will be an incredible effort. “We will make sure that he doesn’t get it tomorrow,” the Australia skipper said.Whether or not Tendulkar gets 100th century, India will be looking for a substantial contribution from the Little Master, particularly because of the uncertainty over the availability of Virender Sehwag for the game. A lot will depend on how India start — in both batting and bowling — which means performance of Sehwag (if he is fit) and Tendulkar will be crucial to the team’s chances.Australians have said that they have plans in place for the key Indian batsmen and bowlers. A lot will depend on how these players, particularly the openers, will handle the barrage of short balls from Brett Lee & Co. India, sure, are not a one or a two-batsman team but Dhoni will need his premier batters to get going. When Lionel Messi fires, Argentina’s chances of winning becomes

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Pakistan outplay Windies to storm into semis

Updated at: 1900 PST,  Wednesday, March 23, 2011

DHAKA: Pakistan thrashed West Indies by ten wickets to move into the World Cup semi-finals here at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on Wednesday.Chasing an easy target of 113 runs, openers Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez completed the Pakistan victory without being separated, in just 20.5 overs.Kamran contributed 47 and Hafeez 61 as both made 113 runs together, Pakistan’s biggest opening stand of this tournament.Earlier, batting first after winning the toss, the West Indies could not resist against the Pakistan spin attack, led by Shahid Afridi, and were bundled out for 112 in 43.3 overs.Leg-spinner Afridi, already the tournament's leading wicket-taker, took his tally to 21 as he finished with four for 30, including two wickets off successive balls.Off-spinners Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal claimed two wickets each for 16 and 18, respectively, while pacers Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq took a wicket each.Veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul, brought back to the team after being dropped in the previous match against India, was the only batsman to defy the spinners with a dour unbeaten 44 off 106 balls Except Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan (24) and Kemar Roach (16), no West Indian batsman could get into double figuresThe West Indies were reduced to 71-8 before a 40-run stand between Chanderpaul and Roach, which helped the former champions surpass their lowest World Cup total of 93 against Kenya in Pune in 1996.The West Indies never recovered from the disastrous start when they lost three top batsmen, Chris Gayle, Devon Smith and Darren Bravo, by the sixth over.Gayle, returning to the side after recovering from an abdominal strain, made eight when he drove Umar Gul to mid-off where Afridi accepted the catch.Hafeez, who shared the new ball with Gul, trapped Smith and Bravo leg-before in the space of four deliveries to open up the middle-order.Shell-shocked by the early reverses, the West Indies groped to 36-3 after 15 overs, with Chanderpaul making just three runs off his first 27 deliveries.Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chanderpaul put on 42 for the fourth wicket before Afridi destroyed the innings with three wickets in 11 balls.Sarwan, dropped by Gul at mid-off when he was on 14, added 10 more to his score before Afridi gained revenge by having him caught at point by Umar Akmal.

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Lorgat happy with Mumbai as final venue

Updated at: 1816 PST,  Wednesday, March 23, 2011

AHMEDABAD: ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has defended Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium as the venue for the World Cup final, saying it could provide the perfect setting for a Sachin Tendulkar "fairytale".The climax to world cricket's showpiece takes place on April 2 at the 33,000 capacity Wankhede rather than at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, which can seat 63,000.India great Tendulkar has 99 international hundreds heading into the co-hosts' quarter-final with Aus on Thursday.But Lorgat appears to want him to delay the landmark 100thcentury."Can you imagine a fairytale ending with Sachin Tendulkar getting a hundred in the final and India wins at Wankhede which is his home ground?," said Lorgat on Wednesday."And the fact of the matter is, no matter what the number, we haven't got sufficient tickets."Mumbai is the home town of ICC president Sharad Pawar and the way tickets for the final have been distributed has proved controversial, with some 20,000 going to clubs linked to the Mumbai Cricket Association and 8,500 to the ICC.This World Cup has seen repeated instances of Indian police baton-charging fans in a bid to control frantic crowds queuing for scarce tickets.

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