And we have a new champion after more than a decade.Credit to the Indian cricket team!But that's stale news,ain't it?The hottest news in India and Pakistan and in the cricketing world for the last 6 days has been that India and Pakistan are to meet in the second semifinal of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in Mohali.
Let's warm up a bit.We saw two damp quarter finals and two scorchers.Pakistan and Sri Lanka had thumping wins over West Indies and England on the first and last matches of the last 8,respectively.The margin was same - 10 wickets.But the other two interceding the former ties were as good as it gets.India beat the defending champions Australia in a match of swinging fortunes,living up to its reputation.Tension from ball one,neither teams letting the other run away with the match for almost the whole of it.On 24th March,Motera saw a story of standing up and getting counted when it matters.Ricky Ponting battled poor form with the bat to produce a gem of a ton,which turned out to be his World Cup swansong.M S Dhoni stood up to display some proactive captaincy becoming of his stature as a highly rated leader in world cricket,right from picking Suresh Raina in the XI ahead of Yusuf Pathan.As it turned out later,Raina had to come out as a most decisive pawn when Dhoni departed leaving India at 187-5 with 74 runs still to get to win and the jitters surely set in.He and Yuvraj Singh did an excellent job in overcoming the panic triggered by Gambhir's 'planned' and suicidal run out.Yuvraj Singh continued his superb run in the cricket field,having earlier claimed two important wickets in the Australian innings,to hit the threatening pair of Lee and Tait out of the attack and forcing the Kangaroos to play the game at his pace.Raina then virtually ended the match by hitting the very first ball of the batting powerplay taken in the 46th over,off a wounded Lee who had to be reintroduced into the attack,for a six,following it with a four off the first ball of the following over from Tait.
Actually,I kinda started feeling sad for Ponting.You could notice his dejection,sensing the end of his illustrious World Cup record.The player to have featured in the most number of matches in World Cups,spanning over 5 editions - 1996,1999,2003,2007 and 2011,he never saw his team fail to make the final before,lifting the last three Cups,with him as the captain in the last two.This was a rude crash for him,he barely managed to contain his emotions at the presentation ceremony after being knocked out.
New Zealand,in the following match,rank underdogs in Dhaka,pulled off a stunner.With the Oz sent home,the South Africans were the best bet till then to fill their shoes.Not many would have given the Kiwis much chance after they set a modest target of 230.The Proteas began well despite the awkward loss of Hashim Amla early on.Smith failed yet again to build on his start,still Kallis and de Villiers exuded a sense of assurance.But once Kallis was sent back with a swift palming by Jacob Oram at the deep mid wicket boundary,somehow the panic set in.New Zealand did field like springing tigers that day,and with Martin Guptill brilliantly running out AB de Villiers,the procession started.None of the later batsmen,save Francois du Plessis,showed stomach for fight.Two heavyweights eliminated in two days.
Yet,Sri Lanka started as favourites and remained so till a middle order collapse saw them slide from 160-1 to 169-4.Muttiah Muralidharan bowled for the last time in an international match on home soil and wrapped it up appropriately with the wicket of Styris of his last delivery.Dilshan and Sangakkara are in ominous form,but the lower middle order have looked vulnerable.So last eve,when Thilan Samaraweera and Chamara Silva were left out with a late challenge from the never say die Black Caps,the 49 runs then needed to reach the finish line of 218 looked like a sweat.Silva hit two boundaries off Ryder to release the pressure momentarily,only for Southee to rattle his stumps to keep the game alive.An injured Angelo Mathews then screwed the visitors' hopes by hitting a few lusty blows to wrap it up,helped by 5 wides sent down the leg side by Andy McKay.So for the first time in World Cup history,the final is gonna be an all-Asian affair.
Also for the first time,India fights Pakistan for a place in the final.Need we say more.Right from the instant Yuvraj hit Lee for the winning boundary,it was as if the fantasies of the average cricket fan came realised.The mother of all cricket matches is to start a few minutes later in a historical battle zone.A lot of stories have a cocked up in the background of this match in the last 6 days.The experts have speculated their fill.Most of them,barring a few like Imran Khan,understandably,have sided with India.My emotions as an Indian are bound to be with India,but my cricket sense acknowledges that Pakistan have greater momentum.They have been playing as a team while India have managed to strike it right only on the last match.Pakistan bowlers have impressed with their low economical rates,but a reason for that might be the fact that they played a lot of their cricket in this Cup in slow wickets in Sri Lanka,while wickets in India have been traditionally flatter and truer.But India's inability to put pressure on the opponents by failing to pick up early wickets in an area of concern.Strategically,Indians need to be more wary of Ajmal than Afridi,I feel,with India being likely to field 3 left handed batsmen.But will Pakistan play Shoaib Akhtar?We'll know.
Head to head in Mohali,Pakistan enjoys the advantage,While India have triumphed over Pakistan in all their World Cup clashes.One way or the other,history will be rewritten.Once the match starts,make no mistake,sparks will fly,6 days have been a long wait.Both teams will have a third invisible party to contend with.I need not name it,call it what you may,you have been feeling it for days.It's India vs. Pakistan,need we say more?
Let's warm up a bit.We saw two damp quarter finals and two scorchers.Pakistan and Sri Lanka had thumping wins over West Indies and England on the first and last matches of the last 8,respectively.The margin was same - 10 wickets.But the other two interceding the former ties were as good as it gets.India beat the defending champions Australia in a match of swinging fortunes,living up to its reputation.Tension from ball one,neither teams letting the other run away with the match for almost the whole of it.On 24th March,Motera saw a story of standing up and getting counted when it matters.Ricky Ponting battled poor form with the bat to produce a gem of a ton,which turned out to be his World Cup swansong.M S Dhoni stood up to display some proactive captaincy becoming of his stature as a highly rated leader in world cricket,right from picking Suresh Raina in the XI ahead of Yusuf Pathan.As it turned out later,Raina had to come out as a most decisive pawn when Dhoni departed leaving India at 187-5 with 74 runs still to get to win and the jitters surely set in.He and Yuvraj Singh did an excellent job in overcoming the panic triggered by Gambhir's 'planned' and suicidal run out.Yuvraj Singh continued his superb run in the cricket field,having earlier claimed two important wickets in the Australian innings,to hit the threatening pair of Lee and Tait out of the attack and forcing the Kangaroos to play the game at his pace.Raina then virtually ended the match by hitting the very first ball of the batting powerplay taken in the 46th over,off a wounded Lee who had to be reintroduced into the attack,for a six,following it with a four off the first ball of the following over from Tait.
Actually,I kinda started feeling sad for Ponting.You could notice his dejection,sensing the end of his illustrious World Cup record.The player to have featured in the most number of matches in World Cups,spanning over 5 editions - 1996,1999,2003,2007 and 2011,he never saw his team fail to make the final before,lifting the last three Cups,with him as the captain in the last two.This was a rude crash for him,he barely managed to contain his emotions at the presentation ceremony after being knocked out.
New Zealand,in the following match,rank underdogs in Dhaka,pulled off a stunner.With the Oz sent home,the South Africans were the best bet till then to fill their shoes.Not many would have given the Kiwis much chance after they set a modest target of 230.The Proteas began well despite the awkward loss of Hashim Amla early on.Smith failed yet again to build on his start,still Kallis and de Villiers exuded a sense of assurance.But once Kallis was sent back with a swift palming by Jacob Oram at the deep mid wicket boundary,somehow the panic set in.New Zealand did field like springing tigers that day,and with Martin Guptill brilliantly running out AB de Villiers,the procession started.None of the later batsmen,save Francois du Plessis,showed stomach for fight.Two heavyweights eliminated in two days.
Yet,Sri Lanka started as favourites and remained so till a middle order collapse saw them slide from 160-1 to 169-4.Muttiah Muralidharan bowled for the last time in an international match on home soil and wrapped it up appropriately with the wicket of Styris of his last delivery.Dilshan and Sangakkara are in ominous form,but the lower middle order have looked vulnerable.So last eve,when Thilan Samaraweera and Chamara Silva were left out with a late challenge from the never say die Black Caps,the 49 runs then needed to reach the finish line of 218 looked like a sweat.Silva hit two boundaries off Ryder to release the pressure momentarily,only for Southee to rattle his stumps to keep the game alive.An injured Angelo Mathews then screwed the visitors' hopes by hitting a few lusty blows to wrap it up,helped by 5 wides sent down the leg side by Andy McKay.So for the first time in World Cup history,the final is gonna be an all-Asian affair.
Also for the first time,India fights Pakistan for a place in the final.Need we say more.Right from the instant Yuvraj hit Lee for the winning boundary,it was as if the fantasies of the average cricket fan came realised.The mother of all cricket matches is to start a few minutes later in a historical battle zone.A lot of stories have a cocked up in the background of this match in the last 6 days.The experts have speculated their fill.Most of them,barring a few like Imran Khan,understandably,have sided with India.My emotions as an Indian are bound to be with India,but my cricket sense acknowledges that Pakistan have greater momentum.They have been playing as a team while India have managed to strike it right only on the last match.Pakistan bowlers have impressed with their low economical rates,but a reason for that might be the fact that they played a lot of their cricket in this Cup in slow wickets in Sri Lanka,while wickets in India have been traditionally flatter and truer.But India's inability to put pressure on the opponents by failing to pick up early wickets in an area of concern.Strategically,Indians need to be more wary of Ajmal than Afridi,I feel,with India being likely to field 3 left handed batsmen.But will Pakistan play Shoaib Akhtar?We'll know.
Head to head in Mohali,Pakistan enjoys the advantage,While India have triumphed over Pakistan in all their World Cup clashes.One way or the other,history will be rewritten.Once the match starts,make no mistake,sparks will fly,6 days have been a long wait.Both teams will have a third invisible party to contend with.I need not name it,call it what you may,you have been feeling it for days.It's India vs. Pakistan,need we say more?
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