They return as heroes

It was a match that will live long in my memory.

Pakistan slipped out of the World Cup after a nerve-wracking loss to archrivals India.They now return home as heroes nonetheless.

The defeat is not under debate: we lost fair and square. However, the team that returns home is now a special one. They are special because they wore green and marched into the yard in Mohali, with their heads high, sending shock waves of intimidation to their opponents.

Shahid Afridi’s leadership and the team’s performance in the 2011 World Cup was awe-inspiring. They continued to defy all odds, defeating the unlikeliest of opponents and losing when defeat seemed implausible. They lived up to their tag of being the most unpredictable team in the world. It makes them one of the most entertaining sides to watch in the game of cricket. No one can deny that fact.

It is important to go back in time and look at the haywire journey our cricket team has gone through. The odds were against us all the way, but we still managed to shock many and get into the semi-finals.

Think of the turmoil the Pakistan team has been through. The 2007 World Cup was marked with the sudden death of our coach Bob Woolmer. This upset was followed by a year which saw no Tests in 2008. This was then followed by the Sydney debacle. And we were rocked by one of the most damaging scandals in cricket history when three of our players were banned on grounds of involvement in spot-fixing.

Our talented team was on the brink of utter collapse.

Yet here we saw them yesterday, walking right into the PCA ground with smiles and twinkles of glory in their eyes. They stood before millions of fans ready to fight India in a World Cup semi-final battle. This is a journey which deserves nothing less than applause, appreciation and love.

They are our heroes. Our heroes who won many but lost one or two. They are our heroes, regardless of whether they come bearing the golden trophy or not. We should welcome them as heroes, and nothing less.

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Afridi behind Pakistan's success

 Most of the Pakistan players believe that their team have reached the semi-finals, thanks to the shrewd and aggressive leadership of Shahid Afridi.

Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez gave credit to Afridi after a training session at the Punjab Cricket Association ground. "As a leader, Shahid has controlled the team very well. He has played a huge role in keeping the team together," remarked Hafeez, who looks up to his leader for guidance and gets inspired by his captain.

"The big positive about Afridi is that he controls and supports all the players to the hilt. For me, as a player, when you know your captain is supporting you, it is very easy to put in a 110 per cent effort," he added.

Regarding transformation in the team and how Afridi went about building confidence, Hafeez said: "We didn't know who our opponent would be at any time. We have reached here purely because of the hard work we have put in during the last seven months."

"Every individual knew that if we play as a team we are a very good side and capable of winning the World Cup. That strong belief is what we carried into the first match. It's the belief that is crucial to our making it to the semi-finals."

So what are his plans to tackle the huge pressure of an India-Pakistan match? "There is bound to be pressure while playing in the semifinal of a World Cup. Just because it is an India-Pakistan match does not mean that there is any extra pressure on the team."

"We are enjoying our cricket and supporting each other. It is that unity and backing we give each other that has been the key to our success."

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Pakistan Team Offering Namaz At Mohali Stadium | Video

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Pakistan ki ‘Kaala Pathar’ Practice – Big Fear for Indian Media

Lol. This is Funny. Pakistani Players did practice on ‘Kaala Pathar’ today and Indian Media has already been frightened. Do you know what ‘Kaala Pathar’ practice means? Check this Video and laugh with us. Poor Indian Media.

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Aamir Sohail and Ravi Shastri HOT debate On Pak India Semi Final | Video

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Sachin will have to wait for 100 international tons: Afridi

KARACHI: 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 told a newspaper.

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 semifinal but given our current form I am confident we can beat India," Afridi said.

Admitting that his teammates wanted to face India in the semifinals, 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 semifinal 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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Pakistan has always given India tough time as visiting team: Afridi

Pakistan's limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi has said that Pakistan has always given a tough time to India when playing in the neighbouring country, and that his team will plan a better strategy against the hosts in their World Cup semi-final clash in Mohali. 

Afridi, who led his team to a thumping victory against the West Indies in the quarterfinal on Wednesday, said that the morale of his squad is very high, and that each player of the team has a sense of responsibility, especially against India. 

He further said that he had fulfilled the promise of reaching the semi-finals, and now all his boys were confident enough to tackle India and give positive results in the March 30 game. 

"The Pakistan team is ready to compete with any team anywhere and he will plan a strategy according to the situation. The boys are professional cricketers," The Nation quoted the skipper, as saying. 

Afridi had initially said that his team would prefer to play their quarterfinal or semifinal out of India because of the pressure involved in playing in front of the Indian crowd, but later retracted his statement, saying that Pakistan was willing to play at any venue, including India, as its main emphasis was on cricket and doing well on the field. 

"Of course, every team like to have the crowd supporting them but it doesn't mean 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. 

Expectations are high in the cricket-crazy region for a mouth-watering Indo-Pak clash for a slot in the World Cup final match to be held at Mumbai on April 2. 

India and Pakistan have not played in any bilateral series since the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008. The Pakistan cricketers have also not played in the Indian Premier League since its first edition in early 2008.

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Legend's tips do the trick for Afridi and his team

 The tips Shahid Afridi got from former Pakistan greats seem to have worked wonders for his players who are preparing to face India in next week's high-voltage World Cup semifinal in Mohali.

Afridi, who has been praised by his teammates for seeking their advice, recently spoke to former captains Imran Khan and Wasim Akram about the team's campaign in the quadrennial extravaganza.

Imran confirmed that he had a talk with Afridi. "Yes, we discussed the team composition and batting order and some other issues. I gave him my advice, which I felt is best for the team, but at the end of the day he is there with the team and has to take the decisions," Imran said.

The cricketer-turned politician said that he had advised Afridi about playing Saeed Ajmal and shuffling the batting order to send Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq up the order. "But he has his reasons for some decisions," the former great added.

Imran has constantly been advising the Pakistan team to play positively and take bold decisions and not be afraid of defeat, a trait, he says, enabled him to lead Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup title.

Afridi is also said to have spoken to another former great, Wasim Akram, and got valuable tips from him. Akram has also called for the Pakistan team to play an extra specialist bowler in the crunch matches.

Sources said that Imran had told Afridi to tell the players to be mentally prepared for the semifinal against India and not take any extra pressure.

"Imran believes that it will be India which will be under more pressure compared to Pakistan as they are playing in front of their home crowd and Pakistan have their best chance of beating them in the World Cup," the source said

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Indian Bookies Make Pakistan Favourites

The Indian bookies have shocked cricket fans round the world placing the Pakistan team as a favourite to lift the 2011 Cup.

After the beating of Australia and then the West Indies the Pakistani team is believed to be at its peak in the tournament. The Indian team may have been down graded due to home crowd pressure.

Being a favourite is never in a teams favour. However with the crashing out of South Africa it seems clear that one of the sub continent team will definately lift the cup.

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World Cup semi-final: India, Pakistan it is

AHMEDABAD: Yuvraj Singh was India’s hero yet again as the hosts ended Australia’s 12-year-reign as World Cup champions with a five wicket quarter-final victory on Thursday.
The left-hander’s unbeaten 57 — his fourth fifty of a tournament where he is averaging over a hundred– saw his team home after they’d been wobbling at 187 for five.
But India reached their target of 261 with 14 balls to spare.
Victory set up a dream semi-final against arch-rivals Pakistan in Mohali on March 30.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting scored his first international century in over a year in a total of 260 for six.
But it wasn’t enough to maintain his team’s bid for an unprecedented fourth straight World Cup title and fifth in all.
India, aiming for a first World Cup title since 1983, needed 54 to win off the final 10 overs.
Yuvraj eased fraying home nerves with a square-driven four off Brett Lee and, with erratic speedster Shaun Tait (one for 52 in seven overs) conceding 13 runs in the 41st over, the target became well under a run-a-ball. He was well-supported in an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 74 by Suresh Raina (34 not out).
Ponting was previously involved in a controversial incident which could have seen Gambhir out for nought when he dived forward at square leg for a possible catch before suggesting he was uncertain as to whether the ball had carried.
The umpires referred the decision but replays showed the ball bouncing well in front of Ponting.
Opener Sachin Tendulkar looked in sublime touch.
But Australia denied him his 100th international hundred when he was caught behind off Tait for a fluent 53 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.
Now the question was could the remaining batsman avoid panic.
Unfortunately for India, left-hander Gambhir couldn’t.
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 and been in a position to win the match for India.
Instead, at 168 for four, the pressure was back on India and that only increased when skipper MS Dhoni fell for seven after a cut off Lee was well caught by a diving Clarke at point.
Earlier, Ponting’s 104 was his first hundred since he made 106 against the West Indies in a one-day international in Brisbane last year.
Ponting, who’d 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.
Nevertheless the 36-year-old demonstrated his enduring class in a 118-ball innings featuring a six and seven fours.
He was out late on when he reverse-swept Ravichandran Ashwin straight to Zaheer Khan at short third man.
Lineups:
India: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin.
Australia: Brad Haddin, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Cameron White, Mike Hussey, David Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait.
Umpires: Marais Erasmus, South Africa, and Ian Gould, England.
TV Umpire: Richard Kettleborough, England. Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle, Sri Lanka.

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Imran wants Shoaib back in Pakistan team

DHAKA: Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan wants to see fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar restored to the Pakistan team if it plays India in the World Cup semifinals.
Akhtar hasn’t played since the defeat by New Zealand midway through the group stage and has since announced he will end his 14-year international career following the tournament.
”If Pakistan plays its semifinal against India, I think Shoaib Akhtar should get a chance and share the new ball with Umar Gul,” Khan was quoted as saying in Thursday’s edition of an Urdu language newspaper.
Pakistan has won all its games since Akhtar was dropped, culminating in Wednesday’s 10-wicket victory over West Indies in the quarterfinal.
Akhtar has taken 247 wickets in 163 limited-overs internationals but he has been plagued by fitness problems throughout his career. He has spent the last two years struggling to recover from knee surgery.
He took two wickets in Pakistan’s group win over Sri Lanka, but his last over against New Zealand went for 28 runs when Ross Taylor hit the paceman for three sixes and two fours.
Akhtar has targeted a career haul of 250 wickets, but he maintains that he is not unhappy to have been left out of the team.
”It will be dream to reach that landmark, but if I don’t get picked, there is not much I can do. I still remain the fastest bowler in this World Cup,” Akhtar was quoted as saying.
”Pakistan winning the World Cup is far more important than reaching personal goals. For me, nation comes first. That’s the way I have been. So I will accept any team decision.”

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Ponting backs India to beat Pakistan

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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Afridi says his dream of winning World Cup for Pakistan becoming a reality

Pakistan's limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi has said that his dream of winning the coveted World Cup trophy for his country is on its way to becoming a reality as he led his team to a thumping victory against the West Indies in the quarterfinal on Wednesday.
"It's my dream to do something for my country. It's my dream to help Pakistan win the World Cup and today all of us are extremely happy that we have taken another step towards that direction," The News quoted Afridi, as saying.
He expressed his confidence that his team, which registered a 10-wicket win against the Windies in the knockout stage, would maintain its golden form in the March 30 semi-final match.
"I'm confident that the team will maintain its form in our next match," said the seasoned allrounder.
Afridi took four wickets for 30 runs to take his tally in the tournament to 21, becoming Pakistan's most successful bowler in a World Cup. Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan owned the previous record with 17 wickets in the 1987 tournament.
But the skipper made it clear that personal goals were not important to him.
"It's all about the team and Pakistan," he said. "We are here to give the best for our country and each and every player in our team is trying to do that."
Pakistan may encounter archrivals India in the semi-final stage, if the co-hosts beat Australia in Thursday's quarterfinal in Ahmedabad.
Expectations are high in the cricket-crazy region for a mouth-watering Pakistan-India clash for a slot in the World Cup final match to be held at Mumbai on April 2, but Afridi said that he would not be losing sleep over it.
"It doesn't matter if we play India or Australia in the semifinal," he said.
"The good thing for us is that we are going to Mohali and now our aim is to win a place in the final. I'm confident that the team will maintain its form in our next match," he added.

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Imran demands apology from Pakistan to Bangladesh

Ex-Pakistani cricket star Imran Khan has demanded an official apology from the Government of Pakistan to the people of Bangladesh for the atrocities allegedly committed by the Pakistan Army in 1971.

Imran Khan stunned everyone during a live television show hosted by Hamid Mir on Geo News and Geo Super TV channels on Wednesday afternoon just a few moments before the start of a cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies in Mirpur, Bangladesh.

Hamid Mir invited Imran Khan in his live TV show on March 23, which was Pakistan Day. He asked a question to Imran Khan about the expected behaviour of Bangladeshi crowd in Mirpur. Imran Khan said that Bangladeshis will support the Pakistani cricket team.

Hamid Mir informed Imran Khan that today (March 23) is Pakistan Day and Bangladeshis will support Pakistani cricket team “Don’t you think that the time has come that the Pakistani government must apologise to the people of Bangladesh for Army operation in 1971”? Imran Khan immediately agreed with Hamid Mir and said that previously he was also of the opinion that Army operation was a good thing because there was no independent media in Pakistan in 1971. Imran Khan said that when he went to England in 1971, his Bengali friends told him the reality of the Army operation. Imran Khan said that he experienced the love and affection of Bangladeshis during an exhibition match in Mirpur in 1989.

He said that the Army operations always created hatred in Pakistan and we must apologise to Bangladeshis. Responding another question, Imran Khan said “we must learn lessons from our past mistakes and we should not repeat these mistakes in Balochistan and tribal areas where we have started Army operations on the US pressure”. Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan is the first ever Pakistani dignitary who has demanded an apology from Pakistan to Bangladesh on a live TV show in Pakistan.

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Pak cricket team has "no security concerns about going to India" for WC semis: Waqar

The Pakistan cricket team has no security concerns over going to India for their World Cup semi-final at Mohali on March 30, coach Waqar Younis has said, adding that he is in fact happy to visit the neighbouring country.
"We have to go wherever the tournament schedule takes us. We have no security concerns about going to India. It's good to go to a neighbouring country. I am happy to go to India," The Nation quoted Waqar, as telling reporters after his team thrashed the West Indies by 10 wickets in their quarterfinal match at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.
He said that Pakistan had toured India in 1999 when the relations between both countries were not that good. "Now things are far better," he added.
Waqar felt that Pakistan would not get the same backing from the Indian crowd as they got in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but expected the presence of Pakistani fans in the Mohali stadium.
"We won't get crowd support like here or Sri Lanka but some people might cross the border to see us play. We have to play wherever the tournament takes us. We are not concerned by security," he said.
Pakistan may encounter archrivals India in the semi-final stage, if the co-hosts beat Australia in Thursday's quarterfinal in Ahmedabad. (ANI)

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Mohali tickets selling like hot cakes

 The possibility of a Pakistan-India semifinal on March 30 has come as happy news for Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) as tickets for the match are selling like hot cakes.

There are realistic chances that the Asian giants could meet in Mohali for a place in the World Cup final and according to reports cricket fans are queuing up for tickets at the PCA Stadium.

If Pakistan beat West Indies in Mirpur on Wednesday (today) and India prevail over Australia in the second quarterfinal in Ahmadabad on Thursday (tomorrow) then the two arch-rivals will meet in a dream clash in the last-four stage of the tournament.

A top PCA official said on Tuesday that tickets for the match are selling like hot cakes. “There has been a brisk sale of tickets for the semifinal match. A total of 9920 tickets have been sold on the opening day yesterday at various branches of Central Bank of India including the two gates of PCA stadium, Mohali,” said PCA Joint Secretary, G S Walia, in an interview on Tuesday.

Pakistan cricket fans are also desperate to get hold of the tickets for the second semifinal. “I was in Colombo to support Pakistan against Australia and now I’m in Dhaka for the quarterfinal against the West Indies. But it will be like a dream come true if I’m at Mohali to witness a Pakistan-India World Cup match. I’ll try my best to get a ticket for it,” said Ali, a medical student from Karachi.

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Afridi cools expectations

Shahid Afridi refused to be drawn on Pakistan's chance of winning the World Cup after his side's 10-wicket demolition of West Indies.

The first quarter-final clash in Dhaka proved to be extremely one-sided as West Indies were skittled out for just 112 in 43.3 overs.

Such a minimal target proved no problem for Pakistan, with openers Mohammad Hafeez (61 not out) and Kamran Akmal (47no) knocking off the runs required inside 21 overs.

Skipper Afridi, who again led from the front with the ball by taking 4-30, admits expectation levels will now grow back home following the result.

Game-by-game

"I'm very happy because before this competition I told my friends and the nation that with this team I wanted to play in the semi-finals," he said.

"There will now be more expectations to go on.

"But I am just thinking game by game. The only thing we can do is give 110 percent.

"Every team from now will come harder and harder. We will just keep making plans for each team and try and stick to those."

Pakistan had already underlined their potential with a 34-run win over Australia in their previous outing, a result that meant they topped Group A.

Afridi, who has now taken a tournament-best 21 wickets so far, puts their success down to planning.

"On each and every game we make plan with the coach (Waqar Younis) and we stick to those plans," he said.

"Everyone has done a great job, especially the bowlers from first game."

Spin issues

West Indies counterpart Darren Sammy admitted an inability to play spin had been a major problem for his team throughout their disappointing campaign.

"We definitely did not get enough runs," he said. "They bowled well at us and we didn't counteract, hence we were bowled out cheaply.

"Throughout tournament we have been losing wickets to spin and today was no exception."

Sammy, though, hopes his youthful side will travel back to the Caribbean having gained some valuable experience.

"We look at our squad have a number of players under the age of 27 which augers well for us," he said. "We have a few youngsters that should be around for next World Cup.

"We didn't play to our full potential at all in this tournament. When we do that we can beat any team on our day."

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Confident Pakistan take on struggling Windies in World Cup quarters

 A rampaging Pakistan go into the cricket World Cup quarterfinals against a struggling West Indies on Wednesday, hoping to continue their winning run and take a step closer to the coveted title.

Pakistan had a tumultuous build up to the World Cup with the team battling spot-fixing allegations but Shahid Afridi and his men have not allowed themselves to be distracted by the scandal as they topped group-A with five wins in six outings.

Hugely talented but highly unpredictable, Pakistan started off with a bang before running into New Zealand's Ross Taylor who blew them away with a breath-taking century but Afridi's men quickly regrouped and finished the league stage with a comfortable four-wicket win over Australia.

Pakistan's clinical display in their last match not only earned them a victory but also broke four-time champions Australia's unbeaten streak of 34 World Cup matches and Afridi will hope for an encore on Wednesday.

For Pakistan, former captain Younis Khan has been the cog of their wheel, while Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal also chipped in nicely, scoring 192 and 211 runs at an average of 48 and 52.75.

Youngster Asad Shafiq also has shown in the two games he played in the World Cup averaging 124. But Pakistan's opening partnership has been a worry.

Both Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad have failed to give Pakistan a start, which has put undue pressure on the middle-order.

Afridi too has failed with the bat scoring just 65 runs in six games and the captain will hope to strike form in Wednesday's match.

The skipper, however, has been very effective with his leg-breaks and currently is the leading bowler in the tournament with 17 wickets. Swing bowler Umar Gul also has been among wickets taking 13 scalps.

The predicament for the 1992 champions would be Gul's pace partner. While Shoaib Aktar has not been at his best, Wahab Riaz has been expensive against Australia giving away 39 runs in six overs taking a wicket.

Afridi said beating Australia has boosted their confidence and they are now focused on their quarterfinal match against West Indies.

"We knew that beating Australia would be very important for us and this win has enhanced our image, sending a good signal to the cricket world that we can win despite our difficult situation," Afridi said.

"West Indies have qualified for the quarterfinals after some good play, so we have to do well in all three departments. Our focus is on the quarterfinals, we have a must-win match against a dangerous opponent," Afridi added.

The West Indies, on the other hand, have been grappling with injuries. Key players - pacer Kemar Roach and former skipper Chris Gayle - didn't play the crucial match against India because of illness and abdominal strain respectively.

The Caribbean team also have struggled with their form in both batting and bowling and have been inconsistent as after three consecutive wins they lost their last two games against England and India from being comfortably placed at 222-6 and 154-2 respectively at one stage.

However, the defeats didn't spoil their quarterfinal dreams as they managed to make it to the knockout stage finishing fourth in Group B with better run-rate than Bangladesh, who also won three matches.

The two-time champions West Indies were ranked behind Bangladesh at 10th place in the ICC ranking in February and have lost 18 successive matches against the leading nations but Darren Sammy's men would hope to raise their game in time on Wednesday.

"We reached our first objective of reaching the knockout stage and we have to tighten our games quickly and produce our A game to beat Pakistan in the quarterfinals," Sammy said.

"Once we put our heads down and play each ball on its merit, we will come up with good shot. We will have good time to beat them. We have to beat Pakistan and then it will be sweet revenge to beat India at home," he added.

The West Indies have good memories of Sher-e-Bangla stadium where they bundled out Bangladesh for their lowest one-day total of 58 in the league match and romped home by nine wickets.

"We did well against Bangladesh at Dhaka and hopefully we will have the same confidence going in there on Wednesday," he said.

Teams (from):

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (c), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Ahmed Shahzad.

West Indies: Darren Sammy (c), Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kieron Pollard, Devon Thomas, Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Kemar Roach, Kirk Edwards, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Devendra Bishoo.

Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZL) and Steve Davis (AUS)

TV umpire: Daryl Harper (AUS)

Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)

Match starts: 2 pm (IST).

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5,000 Pakistan cricket fans given Indian visa

In a goodwill gesture that can return to haunt the security agencies, India has provided visas to 5,000 Pakistani citizens for watching the ongoing Cricket World Cup matches.

“Most of them have been provided with up to 15-day duration multiple visas to facilitate travel to watch matches in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh also,” a senior official said.Though the Home Ministry said the visas have been given after following well-laid and tough process of security clearances, its own records show that the number of Pakistanis overstaying in India without reporting has increased consistently over the years.

As many as 4,742 Pakistanis had disappeared after expiry of visas in the year 2005, their number had gone up to 5,392 in 2006; 6,038 in 2007; 7,547 in 2008 and 7,691 in 2009.

Only 371 of the 4,742 missing Pakistanis in 2005 were traced and deported. There is no trace of those who remained behind giving credence to security agencies apprehensions that many of such cases could be unwanted elements like terrorists, smugglers, drug dealers and other criminals.The Ministry, however, said all the visas have been given 45 days in advance on the basis of cricket match tickets, return journey tickets, submission of local address and checking their antecedents with the help of Indian Consulates in Pakistan. They will also have to report to the local Foreigners Regional Registration Officers(FRROs). India took a lenient view as Pakistan that was to co-host the ICC World Cup along with Sri Lanka and India was declared unsafe by the ICC following objection by several western countries due to increasing terror attacks.

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Who will lift the 2011 World Cup?

KOLKATA: Eight quarterfinalists. One grand prize. A prize that will lead to one ultimate winner. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 has been an exciting tournament so far. Cricket fans have seen some great victories, some onesided shows, and the odd upset. With the quarterfinals about to begin, the thought of who will win the World Cup is on everyone's minds.

Barring one blemish, South Africa has been impressive, till Pakistan put it past Australia. The latter seemed invincible. India's bowling attack may not be great, but the expectations from the star-studded batting lineup and the team in general is understandably high. Pakistan is a serious contender, and a couple of other teams cannot be written off either.

The quarterfinals can be anybody's game. Nandan Bal, coach, Indian Davis Cup Team, feels there are many strong contenders for the title. "I would like to believe that India is a hot favourite still. Though we have had our ups and downs, we haven't peaked as yet. All our matches will be played at home, which will give us an advantage. England, despite having struggled, is capable of showing its true skills. South Africa is like a well-oiled machine," says he.

As India will be playing at home, the boys will have to go beyond their best. Former Bengal captain and national selector, Sambaran Banerjee feels that the Indian team stands a good chance. "India will have to struggle in the quarterfinals . If they can defeat Australia, they will be the chief contender for the Cup. Pakistan has been a bit inconsistent but I have a good feeling about Sri Lanka and South Africa," he says.

Well-known cricketer Hrishikesh Kanitkar believes there are four teams to watch out for: South Africa, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. He says, "Both India and Pakistan have played well. Pakistan has shown brilliance on the field. With their win against Australia, it seems like they can beat anybody. Sri Lanka has really stepped up and played as a unit. South Africa has really shaped up. They have played well under pressure."

And when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. "It is difficult to predict the chief contenders since all the teams that have reached the quarterfinals are in good form. Team India has a good chance but the India-Australia match will be a tough one. There will be surprises as well — likeIreland beating England," says cricketer Deep Dasgupta. 

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Sachin didn't have it in him to succeed as captain - Azhar

March 20, 2011 (CricIndian): Former Indian captain, Mohammad Azharuddin in a recent interview to GQ magazine has said that he doesn't want to talk about Sachin Tendulkar.

Replying to a question on why Sachin didn't succeed him as the captain of Indian team, he said, "I don't want to talk about him. There are some people I just don't want to talk about."

When reminded of reports which claimed he didn't support Sachin when the latter was captain, he said, "Not true. Check the statistics. When he was captain, I scored more runs than anyone else on the team, in both forms of the game." Azhar also added that, "Tendulkar didn't have it in him to succeed as captain."

Azhar, who was banned for life by the ICC after the match fixing scandal a decade ago, is now Member of Parliament from the Congress party. When asked about his present contacts with cricketers, he said, " I am not in touch with anybody. I have a different life now."

Azhar also denied that he never made a statement that he went through tough times during match-fixing scandal because he was a muslim. "No! I never said that. I was misinterpreted. At that time, everyone wanted a piece of the cake and they were writing what they felt like. People talk like that, and I can't help it. I was captain for nine years and I never felt that.," he said.

"No. I didn't do anything wrong. If I had, I would not have achieved so much. I played 17 years for my country. And I gave my best," Azhar said, about the match-fixing scandal.

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Labors in Islamabad Paid Tribute to Shoaib Akhter

Labors in Islamabad paid tribute to Shoaib Akhter by making a giant billboard. Labors had a full dancing session in front of his picture. Surely everyone will be missing the fastest bowler of all the time.

Courtesy: Cricinfo © AFP

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