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Imran said the terrible fielding had cost Pak dear. He was commenting on the great chance thrown away by Pakistan. 260 was the target set by Aus and India overcame it. Similarly, with sound, sensible batting, Pak could have overcome it. But unfortunately, Pak choked and wilted under a WC SF pressure ! No team which dropped Sachin four times deserved to win. Sachin became the Man of the Match, top scoring with 85 and paving the way for an Indian victory ! "No team deserves to win the way Pakistan fielded," Imran said. "You cannot drop a player like Sachin four times. And don't forget the ground fielding," All the 22 players out there in the middle felt the pressure, said Imran. "This was the ultimate pressure game. The Indian batting felt the pressure, except for (Virender) Sehwag, and at the end Suresh Raina. Apart from that, everybody felt the pressure. "Pakistan bowlers, except the two -- Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal and, I think, Mohammad Hafeez too, fel

My son, Sreejith Govind, writes this from Gujarat. "Yes, this world cup has generated passion. But has not seen enough of quality cricket. Where is the tear-away fast bowler? Steyn, Lee, Tait & Roach were humbled. Zaheer, Gul and Southee have stood out, as they have tried to bowl within the stumps. The fast bowler is now an endangered breed. Another trend is the effective slingy action of Malinga and Wahab Riaz. Batsmen are tentative against balls released from above the off-stump. Maybe, this is why Munaf is effective. Wickets have not fallen to authentic spin. Harbhajan's wickets have all been off loose deliveries (save Akmal's wicket) Vettori was taken to the cleaners. So were Graeme Swann & Piyush Chawla. Cricket is losing its purity. But on the other hand, it is developing more into a mind game. Zaheer, Afridi, Southee, Yuvraj & others have all been deceptive."

Undoubtedly, this is the best and thrilling WC ever ! Thrilling matches, great upsets, great batting performances, bowling performances and great catches catapult this WC as the greatest ever ! Now the whole cricketing world is now going to witness the mother of all battles at Mohali at 0230 PM sharp today ! Yesterday's Mohali SF was a super thrilling match. The fate of the match was decided in the 100th over. Fortunes fluctuated in a high pressure game. Ever since Umal Gul was hit for a four by Sehwag in the third ball of the first over , till Misbah's dismissal in the 100th over, it was a game of dire vicissitudes. It was Advantage India when Sehwag hit Gul for five fours in one over and then it was Advantage Pakistan, when Wahab Riaz ripped through the batting order. When it comes to a Pak India duel, it will always be fiercely fought, as both are more or less equal, powerful teams. It was rightly defined as the Mother of all battles. Then when Raina snatched the initiative

Providence ( Jupiter in the House of Fortune ) saved India yet again. Master Batsman Sachin Tendulkar got Man of the Match Award for his blistering 85, but then he had as many as six lives. Four Paki fielders let him off, Misbah, Y Khan, Afridi and Akmal. He survived two close calls for lbw and stumping. Today was his day. Let us see the astrological factors. Yesterday was Dhanishta, his kshema tara or 4th star or Lucky Star. But Dhanishta, which ruled for 57 Nadis ( 23.5 hours ) or right throughout the day was not so good for India or Dhoni. For Dhoni, it was his vipat tara, or adverse star. Hence the nervousness of the Indian spectators and viewers ! For Sehwag, this was his sampat tara or favourable star. Even though he scored only 38, he hit the premier Pak bowler, Umar Gul, for five fours in one over. He hit Gul off his length ! When we analysed, we knew that some factors were adverse and we did remedial measures to overcome those adverse factors. We knew that the Transit position

Providence ( Jupiter in the House of Fortune ) saved India yet again. Master Batsman Sachin Tendulkar got Man of the Match Award for his blistering 85, but then he had as many as six lives. Four Paki fielders let him off, Misbah, Y Khan, Afridi and Akmal. He survived two close calls for lbw and stumping. Today was his day. Let us see the astrological factors. Yesterday was Dhanishta, his kshema tara or 4th star or Lucky Star. But Dhanishta, which ruled for 57 Nadis ( 23.5 hours ) or right throughout the day was not so good for India or Dhoni. For Dhoni, it was his vipat tara, or adverse star. Hence the nervousness of the Indian spectators and viewers ! For Sehwag, this was his sampat tara or favourable star. Even though he scored only 38, he hit the premier Pak bowler, Umar Gul, for five fours in one over. He hit Gul off his length ! When we analysed, we knew that some factors were adverse and we did remedial measures to overcome those adverse factors. We knew that the Transit position

Providence ( Jupiter in the House of Fortune ) saved India yet again. Master Batsman Sachin Tendulkar got Man of the Match Award for his blistering 85, but then he had as many as six lives. Four Paki fielders let him off, Misbah, Y Khan, Afridi and Akmal. He survived two close calls for lbw and stumping. Today was his day. Let us see the astrological factors. Yesterday was Dhanishta, his kshema tara or 4th star or Lucky Star. But Dhanishta, which ruled for 57 Nadis ( 23.5 hours ) or right throughout the day was not so good for India or Dhoni. For Dhoni, it was his vipat tara, or adverse star. Hence the nervousness of the Indian spectators and viewers ! For Sehwag, this was his sampat tara or favourable star. Even though he scored only 38, he hit the premier Pak bowler, Umar Gul, for five fours in one over. He hit Gul off his length ! When we analysed, we knew that some factors were adverse and we did remedial measures to overcome those adverse factors. We knew that the Transit position

Providence ( Jupiter in the House of Fortune ) saved India yet again. Master Batsman Sachin Tendulkar got Man of the Match Award for his blistering 85, but then he had as many as six lives. Four Paki fielders let him off, Misbah, Y Khan, Afridi and Akmal. He survived two close calls for lbw and stumping. Today was his day. Let us see the astrological factors. Yesterday was Dhanishta, his kshema tara or 4th star or Lucky Star. But Dhanishta, which ruled for 57 Nadis ( 23.5 hours ) or right throughout the day was not so good for India or Dhoni. For Dhoni, it was his vipat tara, or adverse star. Hence the nervousness of the Indian spectators and viewers ! For Sehwag, this was his sampat tara or favourable star. Even though he scored only 38, he hit the premier Pak bowler, Umar Gul, for five fours in one over. He hit Gul off his length ! When we analysed, we knew that some factors were adverse and we did remedial measures to overcome those adverse factors. We knew that the Transit position

Sehwag hit the third ball of the first over of Gul for four! Normally he hits the first ball for four but this he chose the third ball ! India are 4/0. Sehwag hits Gul for five fours and Pak wilt under Sehwag's onslaught ! 21 runs off Gul's second over. Sehwag is trapped lbw by Riaz for 38 and India lose their first wicket at 48! Sachin survives two close calls, one an lbw. He was ruled out by the umpire and then the UDRS ruled him not out. The next ball was a stumping decision, but his foot was well grounded. One billion people had their hearts in their mouths ! Misbah drops Sachin off Afridi and here Sachin is leading a charmed life ! Now India cross 100 runs and are now 101/1. Sachin is on 39 not out and he now has a tally of 418 runs, being second only to Dilshan ( 467). He overtook Sanga ( 417 ). Sachin was a bit tentative against Ajmal, but then he hit him for 2 fours in the last over. Afridi was slightly troubling him, but then he lofted Afridi for four. He is now on 43

Gul has already said that he will target the Indian top order. Indian batsmen should play him carefully and India should not lose early wickets. Blunt Afridi and make him go wicketless, a scenario which Pak cannot face. Let Zaheer damage the Pak top order. Give him an extended spell and let him take early wickets ! Pak have not faced much pressure during this WC. They are susceptible to pressure. The only pressure situation that they faced, were when they were 45/5. They succumbed to pressure that day. India on the other hand have come out of many pressure situations. The two teams have not played each other for more than two years. After 2008, India has grown by leaps and bounds. India has zoomed to be the No 2 ODI team in the world, due to ICC Rankings, while Pak is sixth. Indian batting is superior, with five centuries in this WC. No Paki has ever score a century. Pak has a slight edge in bowling, but this should be blunted carefully by the Indian batsmen ! Pakis are saying that Ind

Great bowling by SL saw NZ all out for 217! Except for Styris, none of the NZ batsmen could shine. Malinga and Mendis picked up 3 wickets, while Murali got 2, Herath and Dilshan one each. Unless SL choke, this may be a one sided match ! Guptill scored 39 and Taylor 36. Now SL are 76/1, needing 142 runs off 190 balls ! Sanga has come in to partner Dilshan. Upul Tharanga was out to a superb diving catch by Jesse Ryder. NZ is fielding well. Now Sanga hits a four and SL are 99/1, needing just 119 runs off 162 balls. Unless a miracle happens, SL is on her way to Mumbai, which will make it an all Asian final. Sanga said yesterday that it will be an all Asian final ! Dilshan was eventually out for 73, caught by Ryder off Southee. Mahela is lbw Vettori and SL lose their third wicket. ( Kochi fans are a bit upset, that their captain is out cheap ! ). 51 needed off 88 balls. Samaraweera will be tested and anything can happen ! Sanga does an Upar Cut or upper cut and is caught at third man ! SL 1

NZ entered the semi finals, making all predictions by pundits futile. NZ is the only non sub continental team in the SFs. SL is almost unbeatable in Fortress Lanka. But when one day's form can change all equations, Advantage Lanka becomes null and void. In the group match, Lanka easily overcame the Kiwis. The pitch at Colombo will be favourable to Lanka and home ground support is also benign. Lankan stars lead in both batting and bowling in this World Cup ! Batting first and scoring 230 may not be a winning total for NZ. The adversary is not South Africa. Even though 230 was adequate against the Proteas, NZ had to take out their best to overcome powerful SA. After dismissing Kallis, the Kiwis brought in immense pressure and the Proteas wilted. In order to win over Lanka, SL will have to be very cautious in batting and should not lose early wickets. If NZ becomes, say, 20/2, then the remaining batsmen will be under pressure. John Wright, a professional coach, should teach the rud

When Ind overcame the short pitched Australian balls and entered SF, Mohali is about to witness another final before the Final ! The greatest benefactor is ESPN, who have exclusive rights for telecasting this WC. The ad charges of ESPN increased fivefold as a result. Now the ad charge for the ten second slot is 15-18 lakhs ! It was 12 lakhs in the QF and in the final it is expected to go to 24 lakhs ( if Ind plays the final ). In the league matches, it was just 3.54 lks ! The ad charges for the SF is 25% more than in the QFs. When compared to other sports, the Ind Pak semi final is topping ! But companies are not minding the high charges. They get maximum viewership for their ads. They are ready to spend crores in a match involving Ind and Pak. More than 1000 cr has been mopped up by ESPN. More than 80 companies have advertised this WC. From 2007 to 2015, the TV rights for matches organised by the ICC have been bagged by ESPN for 2 billion dollars ! The hotels in Mohali have incre

When Ind overcame the short pitched Australian balls and entered SF, Mohali is about to witness another final before the Final ! The greatest benefactor is ESPN, who have exclusive rights for telecasting this WC. The ad charges of ESPN increased fivefold as a result. Now the ad charge for the ten second slot is 15-18 lakhs ! It was 12 lakhs in the QF and in the final it is expected to go to 24 lakhs ( if Ind plays the final ). In the league matches, it was just 3.54 lks ! The ad charges for the SF is 25% more than in the QFs. When compared to other sports, the Ind Pak semi final is topping ! But companies are not minding the high charges. They get maximum viewership for their ads. They are ready to spend crores in a match involving Ind and Pak. More than 1000 cr has been mopped up by ESPN. More than 80 companies have advertised this WC. From 2007 to 2015, the TV rights for matches organised by the ICC have been bagged by ESPN for 2 billion dollars ! The hotels in Mohali have incre

A one billion cricket crazy nation is kept in suspense. Who is the mystery man which Yuvraj talked about ? It can be Yograj Singh, his father or Sachin. It was he who inspired him in his bad patch ! Yuvraj said his inspiration has been a 'special' person, a person who comes to his mind in a pressure situation ! His father, Yograj says it can be Sachin ! "I would not be surprised if he meant Sachin," said Yograj. "Sachin has been a huge influence in his life over the last 11 years or so. He has always been there when Yuvraj was going through a difficult phase in his career." "Sachin is not just a great cricketer but also a great human being. He has been Yuvraj's guiding angel. My son is very close to him and shares things he would not share with anyone else." Injuries and poor form had Melancholy mark him for her own, but Yuvraj, the mastermind behind India's 2007 T20 WC triumph, once again showed that he is world class. Yograj said it was

A one billion cricket crazy nation is kept in suspense. Who is the mystery man which Yuvraj talked about ? It can be Yograj Singh, his father or Sachin. It was he who inspired him in his bad patch ! Yuvraj said his inspiration has been a 'special' person, a person who comes to his mind in a pressure situation ! His father, Yograj says it can be Sachin ! "I would not be surprised if he meant Sachin," said Yograj. "Sachin has been a huge influence in his life over the last 11 years or so. He has always been there when Yuvraj was going through a difficult phase in his career." "Sachin is not just a great cricketer but also a great human being. He has been Yuvraj's guiding angel. My son is very close to him and shares things he would not share with anyone else." Injuries and poor form had Melancholy mark him for her own, but Yuvraj, the mastermind behind India's 2007 T20 WC triumph, once again showed that he is world class. Yograj said it was

It was a bold decision taken by Dhoni to include the southpaw, Raina, in lieu of the big hitting Yousuf Pathan. It was a calculated risk he had taken. He had taken a technically superior batsman instead of a pinch hitter. It is true that Pathan can score a century off 60 balls on his day. But this is the World Cup and the opposition will measure him. The very reason that India could not make use of the Powerplay and lower order batting debacle was the 'risky' Pathan. His hit out or get out approach is not good in World Cups ! The opposition will trap him. ( Look at Gayle and Afridi. Two great hitters in the game and both could not get going with the bat in this WC ). Now with Raina at No 7, Indian batting looks, as Imran put it, impregnable ! Thunderous applause greeted the captains, Ponting and Dhoni, went they went to toss. Ponting won the toss and batted. Dhoni, in his non chalant way, announced that Raina will play instead of the big hitting Pathan. The experts were shock

It was a bold decision taken by Dhoni to include the southpaw, Raina, in lieu of the big hitting Yousuf Pathan. It was a calculated risk he had taken. He had taken a technically superior batsman instead of a pinch hitter. It is true that Pathan can score a century off 60 balls on his day. But this is the World Cup and the opposition will measure him. The very reason that India could not make use of the Powerplay and lower order batting debacle was the 'risky' Pathan. His hit out or get out approach is not good in World Cups ! The opposition will trap him. ( Look at Gayle and Afridi. Two great hitters in the game and both could not get going with the bat in this WC ). Now with Raina at No 7, Indian batting looks, as Imran put it, impregnable ! Thunderous applause greeted the captains, Ponting and Dhoni, went they went to toss. Ponting won the toss and batted. Dhoni, in his non chalant way, announced that Raina will play instead of the big hitting Pathan. The experts were shock

The Asian Super Show at Mohali promises to be the mother of all battles. Both Pakis and Indians highlight their plus points and ignore their own minus points. Pakis says that pressure will be on India, because of the high expectations of their fans. The betters and experts say that Ind are favourites to win this WC. Whereas nobody gave Pak a chance when the tournament started ! 'If India were going to win the World Cup, this is their best chance," said Imran Khan, ex captain of Pak. "I am not trying to play mind games, but the fact that they are favourites and are playing at home will means they are under more pressure. My advice to the Indian team is to take sleeping pills, otherwise they won't be able to sleep." But the Pakis are not going to lose the psychological battle. They know that the number of Paki fans inside the Mohali stadium will be limited to Pak cricket officials and diplomats, even though some Indians may support them. Afridi said that Sachin w

Mark Waugh is of the opinion that it was India who was the best team to participate in QFs. The best match in the QFs was the match between Aus and Ind. And the worst match was Pak - WI encounter. Pressure took the upper hand in the match SA vs NZ. SA were touted as a balanced side and a side fancied to win the WC. It was unfortunate that they choked. That SL cannot be defeated in Fortress Lanka was learnt by England belatedly ! Ind was the team which withstood pressure and rose to the occasion. Everybody had written off India, when they were 187/5. But the determination of Raina and Yuvraj brought home the bacon. Four other teams, some of them reckoned as formidable, were out of the tournament. Even though Ponting played a scintillating knock, Aus were behind by 20 runs. 261 was chasable and India did it in style. It was the second spell of Zaheer which was responsible for Aussies scoring less than 261. Yuvraj's innings was another example of Ind exploiting opportunities. Yuvra

He is the second leading bowler in this WC with 17 wickets. He is a master of reverse swing. He is Zaheer Khan, alias ZAK, India's premier bowler ! He was born with Scorpio rising, with Jupiter exalted in the Ninth, in the House of Fortune and Mercury exalted in the 11th. The exalatation of Mercury gives his wisdom and intelligence. He bowled India back into the game on many occasions, against Eng, against Australia ! Transit wise, he is having Jupiter in the favourable Fifth and Saturn in th favourable Eleventh or the House of Gains. May he bowl India to victory in the coming matches ! He has Venus well posited in his own house, in Libra. He is born in Anabha Yoga, caused by Mars. He will be tough, successful and will be brilliant ( Krodhee sampat sadya suthanu kujayor anabahayam pragalbhascha ). Mercury and Sun form Nipuna Yoga, a yoga for skill. ( budhena nipunam dhee keerthi soukhyanvitham ).

He is the second leading bowler in this WC with 17 wickets. He is a master of reverse swing. He is Zaheer Khan, alias ZAK, India's premier bowler ! He was born with Scorpio rising, with Jupiter exalted in the Ninth, in the House of Fortune and Mercury exalted in the 11th. The exalatation of Mercury gives his wisdom and intelligence. He bowled India back into the game on many occasions, against Eng, against Australia ! Transit wise, he is having Jupiter in the favourable Fifth and Saturn in th favourable Eleventh or the House of Gains. May he bowl India to victory in the coming matches ! He has Venus well posited in his own house, in Libra. He is born in Anabha Yoga, caused by Mars. He will be tough, successful and will be brilliant ( Krodhee sampat sadya suthanu kujayor anabahayam pragalbhascha ). Mercury and Sun form Nipuna Yoga, a yoga for skill. ( budhena nipunam dhee keerthi soukhyanvitham ).

The Indian Prime Minister invited his Pak counterpart to watch the Mohali semi final between India and Pak. Gilani has accepted the invitation ! Somebody jocularly remarked that it saves the Pak PM one lakh rupees, as a 15 K rupee ticket is being sold in the black market for one lakh ! This high voltage match scheduled on Wednesday promises to be the mother of all battles. Pak and India are old rivals. While Pak has a better record in ODIs, India has a better record in World Cups ! Meanwhile, Sachin has been relegated to the third place. Trott leads with 422 runs and Dilshan is second at 394. Sachin has 379 runs in this World Cup. Meanwhile, Pak has started playing mind games. Afridi said they will not allow Sachin to score his hundredth hundred. ( This is not the right thing to say. Make Love, not War !. The PM and others are trying to solve the misunderstandings between the two countries and here is Afridi saying something inauspicious, from an Indian perspective. Indians are emotion

Strauss won the toss and batted and Eng are 95/2 off 26.5 overs. A solid start. SL started with 3 spinners, Herath, Murali and Mendis. Dilshan opened the bowling. Now Bopara is trapped lbw by that wily fox, Murali and Eng are 95/3 off 27 overs. Eoin Morgan has come in and we can expect some unorthodox shots from him. Eoin Morgan lofts Mendis into the hands of Samaraveera, which he drops ! A life for Morgan ! Morgan survives a close lbw call and he now bears a charmed life, with four lives ! Trott takes three and completes his fifty. Eng 136/3. At this stage, 240 will be a good score. And Eng will be happy with 240. Morgan lofts Murali into the hands of Mathews and drops it ! Eng could only score 229, setting 230 to score for SL. SL does it in style. 231 for no wicket, with Tharanga and Dilshan scoring centuries ! It was unfortunate that Eng bowed out without any resistance. Now SL faces NZ on Tuesday and mighty India take on a resurgent Pakistan !

B McCullum went, caught and bowled Peterson and Guptill exited to Steyn and now NZ are 34/2. Now they are 48/2, with Jesse Ryder going great guns! Jesse Ryder is playing magnificently, on 82, out of total of 147/3 off 36 overs. Ross Taylor played well for 43. Styris, playing in this last WC, lofts Botha for four and NZ are 152/3 odd 36.4 overs ! Now Ryder is gone, for a well played 82 and NZ are 171/5 off 43.1 overs ! NZ scored 221 in their first innings, leaving SA to score 222. SA proved to be eternal chokers and were bowled out by NZ for 172. South Africans committed harakiri, after they were comfortably placed at 108/2. From 121/3, they were 126/6 and eventually bowled out for 172, thereby proving the theory that they are grand chokers ! NZ, with her bits and pieces men, proved that they are a side which can upset any other side in the world. Their fielding was exemplary and they shone as a team unit. Congrats to them ! Oram bowled well for his 4/39 and was adjudged Man of the M

The Castrol Predictor gives 73% chance to mighty SA and only 27% to NZ, despite the fact that NZ is the dark horse ! Nobody gives much chance to NZ. Nobody expects any upset also. SA is far ahead of NZ in all the three departments of the game. That SA is one of the most powerful teams is proved by their performance. " We will lift the Cup" said Smith. Except for the sole match against Eng, their batting has been good. Bram Villiers with two hundreds lead their batting. Amla, Kallis, Duminy as top orders and with Peterson and Ingram as lower orders, their batting is the next best batting line up in the world, after India ! Peterson has put in a great performance. He has taken 14 wickets and has shone with the bat. Tahir with 12 wickets is not lagging behind. Instead of pace, it is the spin bowlers who have taken wickets ! But then pacers have not let them down and it was Steyn's 5/51 which turned the tables against India !But the Mirpur pitch favours spin and it is the spi

He has got 4 Man of the Match Awards, for grand performances. He peaked at the right time. He has 341 runs and eleven wickets, with four fifites and one hundreds ! Who will be the Man of the Tournament? Yuvraj ! How happy will his father, Yograj, be , if his son does another Saviour role at Mohali ! Yuvraj showed what determination can do. The entire Motera crowd became silent when India were 187/5. But then an unbroken 74 runs partnership between him and Raina saw India through ! He proved that Care and diligence bring luck. Previously Indians were speculating that this may be Pathan's Cup or Kohli's Cup. Yes, care is the watchword and it is care that made Sachin and Yuvraj ! Careless can break you and care can make you ! He may be the Man of the Tournament ! Meanwhile, Srikant, the Chaiman of Selectors, opined that yesterday's victory was one of the best professional victories India had for a longish time. He said the present team is the most responsible lot ever ! Expert

He has got 4 Man of the Match Awards, for grand performances. He peaked at the right time. He has 341 runs and eleven wickets, with four fifites and one hundreds ! Who will be the Man of the Tournament? Yuvraj ! How happy will his father, Yograj, be , if his son does another Saviour role at Mohali ! Yuvraj showed what determination can do. The entire Motera crowd became silent when India were 187/5. But then an unbroken 74 runs partnership between him and Raina saw India through ! He proved that Care and diligence bring luck. Previously Indians were speculating that this may be Pathan's Cup or Kohli's Cup. Yes, care is the watchword and it is care that made Sachin and Yuvraj ! Careless can break you and care can make you ! He may be the Man of the Tournament ! Meanwhile, Srikant, the Chaiman of Selectors, opined that yesterday's victory was one of the best professional victories India had for a longish time. He said the present team is the most responsible lot ever ! Expert

Indian batting is impregnable, said Imran. India are hot favourites, says Imran, Viv Richards, Allen Border etc ! When the WC started, Pak was an underdog. Now with some superlative performances, they topped Group A. But then India has always been their nemesis in the WCs so far. The thing is psychological. In WC, we find SL losing to Pak and Pak losing to India ! Psychologists attribute this phenomenon to fear of failure ! May be Pak has more wins in ODIs against India, but on the World Cup stage, Pak simply falter ! Imran says both Afridi and Dhoni will have sleepless nights, but the pressures is more on India, as they are playing a before a home crowd ! Pak, as underdogs, have no such pressure. ( This statement is not true. Pak is also riding on high expectations. Most of the Pak experts feel that Pak may go all the way. If Pak wins, Pak will be graced by happiness. So pressure in on both ! ).

261 was not an easy target to get. And when India were 187/5, it was Advantage Australia. Then in walked Suresh Raina. Sachin had told Raina that he should play well, as this is a golden opportunity. And what an innings he played. He gave support to the in form Yuvraj. Yuvraj scored his fourth fifty in the WC, along with a century. He completed 300 runs in the WC. And he has eleven wickets. Most probably he will be the Man of the Tournament ! Raina finished with 34 not out. The six he hit off Brett Lee just blazoned forth his talent. India has ended Aus's WC hopes. Now Aussies are out. India now meet Pak in the semi final. It was Aus who lost, not Ricky Ponting. His innings was without scintillating strokes, but was one of great character. He will be remembered for his swan song. He said his side did pretty well, till an in form Yuvraj and Raina snatched victory away from the Kangaroos. Dhoni said Raina is technically more superior to Pathan. " With Pathan, we were not able to

Aus are now 65/1. Shane Watson was bowled by Ashwin for 25 and the first wicket fell at 40/1. Haddin blasted Munaf for three fours and now Aus are 67/1. Now Aus have progressed to 86/1, with Ponting and Haddin playing well. Ponting scored a century. This is his answer to his critics, who wanted to remove him ! Australia finished with 260/6 ! Ashwin picked up two wickets, Yuvraj two and Zaheer two. Now India need 261 to win. India has seven world class batsmen and they had scored 338 against Eng, 370 against BD, 296 against SA and 268 against WI. So it is gettable. The dew factor may be at work and it will to be to the advantage of India. Ind should not lose early wickets. Should survive the intial attack of the pace trio and batting will become easy when the dew factor comes into play !

If India ends the Kangaroo's 12 year WC monopoly, the likely casualty may be the Aus skipper, Ricky Ponting. The stubborn Tasmanian has been asked to step down since Aus lost the Ashes series to Eng Down Under. Furthur calls for his resignation came, after Aus went down to Pak last Saturday. Brendon Julian, who played 25 matches for the Aussies, feels that Ponting should quit ODI cricket, but remain as Test captain. "He owes nothing more to one-day cricket...I think it's an ideal time for him to step out of one-day cricket" said Julian. I don't think he really needs to step down and keep playing for Australia (in ODIs). I think there are good enough players out there now that can step into that spot and do it quite well." Ian Chappell, Geoff Lawson and Doug Walters have asked Ponting to step down. Pressure has taken a toll of Ponting's physique and psyche. He was out cheap to Pak! He had always struggled for runs in this WC and was rapped by the ICC for b

If India ends the Kangaroo's 12 year WC monopoly, the likely casualty may be the Aus skipper, Ricky Ponting. The stubborn Tasmanian has been asked to step down since Aus lost the Ashes series to Eng Down Under. Furthur calls for his resignation came, after Aus went down to Pak last Saturday. Brendon Julian, who played 25 matches for the Aussies, feels that Ponting should quit ODI cricket, but remain as Test captain. "He owes nothing more to one-day cricket...I think it's an ideal time for him to step out of one-day cricket" said Julian. I don't think he really needs to step down and keep playing for Australia (in ODIs). I think there are good enough players out there now that can step into that spot and do it quite well." Ian Chappell, Geoff Lawson and Doug Walters have asked Ponting to step down. Pressure has taken a toll of Ponting's physique and psyche. He was out cheap to Pak! He had always struggled for runs in this WC and was rapped by the ICC for b

WI lost Gayle for 8 to Umar Gul and then Smith and Bravo were trapped lbw by Hafeez and now WI are now 36/3. It is a sad start and in the First Powerplay, WI could only score 18/3. West Indies won the toss and batted. Loss of three wickets for 18 meant that it is Advantage Pak ! Except for Chanderpaul, none of the WI batsmen offered any resistance. Chanderpaul was not out with 44. With 4/30, Afridi has become the no 1 bowler in this WC, having taken 21 wickets. The match is not over yet. In Sharjah, I saw a match between India and Pak. Pak bowled out Ind for 125 and then Kapil & Co bowled them out for 87 ! So we cannot say that Pak has won ! Meanwhile, Clive Lloyd opined that it will be an India SA final. He feels that Aus will not retain the title. Their batting is weakened. On the other hand, India seems to be formidable in batting, with many of their batsmen bowling spin ! Let his tongue be gold ! Pak got the remaining 113 runs easily, with an unbroken opening partnership with H

Despite batting collapses ( there is a Conspiracy Theory that it was done deliberately ) and sub standard bowling, India continue to be favourites with the betting syndicates. They not only expect Ind to beat the Kangaroos, but to go all the way. Ind take on defending Champion Aus on Thursday. The Champions' invincible aura is gone, as they holed out to Pak on Saturday ! Undoubtedly the loss to Pak will awaken them but then they are facing India in India, with Ponting in poor form and with a lower and middle order which have not clicked. Maybe Ind wouldnt have got the 8/13 favourites tag, if the WC was played on the green tops of Aus ! Reports that Ponting's captaincy may be over after this match add fuel to the fire to the already lowered Aus morale ! Ladsbroke give India 8/13 odds. For Australia, the odds are 5/4. Williamhill tips Ind at 4/6 to beat the mighty Kangaroos ! Suddenly the chinks in the Aussie armour are exposed. It is clear that Aus have not replaced Warne, McGr

The Aussie juggernaut came to a halt, when they lost to Pakistan ! After 34 consecutive WC triumphs, the World Champions have been reduced to a mere fifth rate power ! What happened to the mighty Kangaroos ? Why did they go down to Pak? If we do SWOT, we will come across some of their obvious weaknesses ! Ponting's poor form The man who scored a blistering 140 not out against India in the final of 2003, the man who challenged the formdable Sachin, is in poor form. May be his finger injury has a lot to do with it. He now looks a shade of his former self. He wanted to get out of the rut of low scores but then in the last six matches, he has only scored 102 runs, at an average of 20.40 ! No support for Lee In the last match with Pak, Lee bowled brilliantly but lacked support from the other end. Tait was lacklustre. And so was Mitchell Johnson. Kenya played out the entire 50 overs against them Underperforming Middle Order Neither Michael Hussey nor David has been amongst the runs. Cam

If Sehwag sports a numberless jersey at the back, it is due to advice from numerologists. But the ploy had worked and Sehwag amasses 327 runs from five games at an average of 65.4 ! Rival bowlers, who would like to see the back of this dangerous batsman, now blame Numerology and Astrology ! These sorts of beliefs are also part and parcel of football. African nations do voodo on the football fields. They also urinate on those fields, as a part of the black magic process. Players sport talismans and get counsel from astro scholars. Dhoni sports number seven, as July 7th is his birthday. Yuvraj sports 12, as his birthday is Dec 12. He also sports a black thread on his wrist, to ward off evil spirits, on instructions from his mother. Kohli opens admits the influence of Astrology in his life. "Earlier, I used to wear the same pair of gloves with which I'd been scoring. That phase has gone as now I look for comfort. Now the belief revolves around wearing black wristbands." Zah

Their unpredictability and their knack of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat makes Eng one of the most dangerous sides in the world, according to Ian Bell. Eng beat mighty SA, but lost to IRE and BD. When WI were going strong 222/6 ( needing 244 for victory ), Eng took three wickets for three runs and turned around the match ! Their rivals avoid facing Eng now. They are the T20 World Champions and they beat Australia Down Under in the Ashes series. "In the last 12-18 months, when we've had matches we've got to win we've come out well," Eng's No 4 said. "I'm sure there are a lot of teams around that don't really want to play England - because they don't quite know what they're going to get at the minute." It is true that Eng had not played upto their full potential, but then that will be be preserved for the knockout stages. "If we win all three matches, we'll be able to look back on one of the best (northern hemi

Apart from Gayle and Pollard, the most dangerous batsman is Darren Bravo, hailed as the new Lara ! Now he is gone, holed out to Bajji, off Raina ! While Ashwin got the scalp of Kirk Edwards with a carrom ball early, the next wicket took a lot of time to get. Bravo lofted Ashwin for six. India opened with a spinner, Ashwin. And with a carrom ball he had the inexperienced Edwards lbw ! Now WI are 92/2. Devon Smith has scored a 50 and is now joined by R Sarwan. Dhoni brought his main bowlers Zaheer and Bajji, who responded well. Zaheer clean bowled Devon Smith for 81 and WI were 3 down. Then Pollard lofted Bajji and was caught at the fence by Pathan ! WI 159/4 ! Now WI have lost 9 wickets for 186 and India will be meeting Aus at Motera ! WI will be meeting Pak. Zaheer took 3/26, Yuvraj 2/18, Ashwin 2/41 and Bajji 1/35. It was obvious who will be the Man of the Match. Yuvraj with his brilliant 113 and his spell of 2/18 was without a rival ! Indian fans are a bit irate that India has not ye

India won the toss and batted against WI. The first ball by R Rampaul was a typical West Indian one. It went over the batsman and the wicket keeper for four byes. At the moment, India are 8/0. Gambhir and Sachin opened the batting. Sehwag is injured and wants rest. Ashwin and Raina are in. The irate Indian fan had questioned the non inclusions of these two. Let us see how they fare. Also Kohli and Pathan ! Sachin is out, caught Thomas bowled Rampaul for 2 and now India are 14/1 ! Gambhir is gone for 22 and India are 80/2. Yuvraj and Kohli are playing. Previously, there were complaints from the middle and lower order batsmen that, since the top three monopolised the other matches, the middle and the lower order could not perform well. Let us see how the middle and lower orders will perform today for India ! Now India are 148/2, with Yuvraj on 67 and Kohli on 47. Kohli has just completed his 50 ( he is on 52 ) and Yuvraj on 68 and India are 154/2 off 28 overs ! The ideal scenario for Ind

India won the toss and batted against WI. The first ball by R Rampaul was a typical West Indian one. It went over the batsman and the wicket keeper for four byes. At the moment, India are 8/0. Gambhir and Sachin opened the batting. Sehwag is injured and wants rest. Ashwin and Raina are in. The irate Indian fan had questioned the non inclusions of these two. Let us see how they fare. Also Kohli and Pathan ! Sachin is out, caught Thomas bowled Rampaul for 2 and now India are 14/1 ! Gambhir is gone for 22 and India are 80/2. Yuvraj and Kohli are playing. Previously, there were complaints from the middle and lower order batsmen that, since the top three monopolised the other matches, the middle and the lower order could not perform well. Let us see how the middle and lower orders will perform today for India ! Now India are 148/2, with Yuvraj on 67 and Kohli on 47. Kohli has just completed his 50 ( he is on 52 ) and Yuvraj on 68 and India are 154/2 off 28 overs ! The ideal scenario for Ind

Indian batting has performed and bowling and fielding have underperformed, according to her ardent fans.All media and fans were praising Dhoni before. Now they are after his blood ! Perceived complaceny and bowling frailties are criticised by its 500 million plus fans ! If the population of England is just 51 million and Aus 24 million, then its cric fans are also less. Not so the mighty Elephant ! Dhoni has to answer 500 million cric cracks, who would go to any length to see Sachin hold the coveted Trophy on Apr 2nd ! ( The overpopulation of Ind is generally described as a minus point. But, in cricket, it becomes a plus point ). Th cric crazy Indian fan now wants Greg Chappel as coach. He is a severe critic of Ind bowling and fielding ( A nation of one billion plus cannot produce a genuine fast bowler ! ). Ashwin is a magician and should be allowed to play. Ashwin can be Ind's trump card and he can give the Cup to India ( Just like Imran said that if Umar plays well, Pak will win

The Federal Bank, a Kerala Bank, will be the chief sponsor of Kochi Tuskers Kerala. The agreement was signed yesterday by P C John, the ED of Fed Bank and Mehul Shah, one of the directors of Kochi. Tickets will be sold via the branches of Fed Bank and via their website, Federal Bank The Fed Bank authorities said that they will be launching more programs for the benefits of the cricket lovers ! The IPL schedule is out and can be accessed at http://www.cricketastro.com/html/indian_premier_league.htm If India win today, they will have to face Aussies. If India lose, then they will have to face SL! There was a guy in Wodehouse who was asked by his prospective mother-in-law. " What will you do if you are confronted by a charging rhinocerus ?' To which he replied, " It is highly unlikely that I will move in such social circles as charging rhinoceri". He was asked again " What will you do if you are confronted by a puma on one hand and a python on the other ?&q

Just imagine ! A team, undefeated for the last 34 WC matches, losing to Pak ! Now Pak need only 9 runs to win ! It was Aussies' batting which let them down. Asad Shefiq and Umar Akmal have starred in the Pak win. Shefiq was out for 46 and Umar is on 43 not out. Younus also played well for 31. Razzak pulls Krejza for four and then next ball hit it past extra cover for four and Pak win by four wickets. Umar is on an undefeated 44 not out ! So Aus has lost, which makes the Cup wide open ! We now know why Aus was never fancied as favourites, despite winning 34 matches in the WC consecutively. Although Lee took 4 wickets, he did not get support from the wayword Tait and Johnson.

Just imagine ! A team, undefeated for the last 34 WC matches, losing to Pak ! Now Pak need only 9 runs to win ! It was Aussies' batting which let them down. Asad Shefiq and Umar Akmal have starred in the Pak win. Shefiq was out for 46 and Umar is on 43 not out. Younus also played well for 31. Razzak pulls Krejza for four and then next ball hit it past extra cover for four and Pak win by four wickets. Umar is on an undefeated 44 not out ! So Aus has lost, which makes the Cup wide open ! We now know why Aus was never fancied as favourites, despite winning 34 matches in the WC consecutively. Although Lee took 4 wickets, he did not get support from the wayword Tait and Johnson.

The aim of Pak is simple. They dont want to face India. ( If you look at WC records, SL lose to Pak and Pak lose to India ). So they want to top Group A to meet the B4! Most probably they will be meeting Eng or WI ! ( Afridi said he doesnt want to face India before the intimidating Ahmedabad crowd ). Umar Gul led their superb bowling ( at 149 kph ) and took 3/30. Aus never got going and there was not a great innings from their batsmen ( In the warm up match, they were all out for 176 against India ). Kochi fans are happy as Steve Smith ( 25 ) performed well. He is a Kochi Tusker! But still the game is wide open, as Pak were bowled out for 184 by Canada. Pak batsmen will have to face the formidable pace trio. Let us see what will happen ! Brett Lee has struck, sending Hafeez caught and bowled. A brilliant catch and Pak are 12/1!

England,India and WI can relax now. BD is out of the WC. They were bowled out for 78, with Peterson taking 4/12. It was Tsotsobe who wrecked the BD top order. Tsotsobe, with Botha made BD 21/4, taking 3 wickets and the match was almost over! Tsotsobe finished with the figures of 3/14 and that was the end of BD. Barry Richards opined that BD have human resources, but unless that factor is supported by infrastructure and coaching, it will not bring home the bacon ! How correct he is !