Legends of Sports

India scored a 29-run win over Pakistan in the World Cup cricket semi-final battle that was witnessed by the prime ministers of the two countries. Dubbed as the world's greatest sport battle in terms of sheer fan following, and in appreciation of cricket's total grip of the subcontinent, the match lived up to its enormous pregame buildup, with both sides hostility almost till the end amid extraordinary security that even included a no-fly zone.


The game in the packed stadium in Mohali, a north Indian town near New Delhi, saw India, batting first, posting 260 runs for the loss of nine wickets in the regulation 50 overs. Pakistan could only score 231 runs in reply after losing all its 10 wickets, leaving a deficit of 29 runs despite some spirited batting by Mohammad Hafeez (43) and Misbah-ul-Haq (56).

For India, the hero was once again Sachin Tendulkar, the master blaster whose 85 in 115 balls ensured his side would end up with a decent total. Tendulkar was well assisted by Virender Sehwag (38) and Suresh Raina (36 Not Out). Pakistan's bowling was spearheaded by pacer Wahab Riaz who returned an impressive tally of 5 for 46 runs. Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, in a stadium interview, apologized to his nation for his team's loss while congratulating India. His Indian counterpart M.S. Dhoni said Pakistan played well and praised his teammates for their fielding and bowling.

Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and a number of Pakistani officials flew into Mohali to witness the match at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.The two leaders also used the occasion, termed by some as cricket diplomacy, to hold talks designed to repair the intensely strained relations between the two neighbors in the wake of the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that claimed nearly 170 lives. India says the attacks were masterminded by terror groups in Pakistan.

Semi Final 2: India vs Pakistan

Virender Sehwag has batted quite well in the present competition, aggregating 380 runs at an average of 54.28, including one century and one fifty, in seven matches.

Sachin Tendulkar has recorded his 95th fifty in ODIs - his 38th at home.

Tendulkar is also the top run run-getter in India-Pakistan ODIs, amassing 2474 at an average of 39.90 in 68 matches, including five hundreds and 15 fifties, surpassing Inzamam-ul-Haq's tally of 2403 (ave.43.69) in 67 matches.

Wahab Riaz (5/46) is the first Pakistani bowler to bag five wickets in an innings at Mohali.

Sehwag's 38 off 25 balls is his best innings against Pakistan at the World Cup, eclipsing the 21 at Centurion on March 1, 2003.

Sri Lanka overcame a behind challenge from New Zealand to win by 5 wickets and reach the Cricket World Cup final as Muttiah Muralitharan added to his record one-day wicket total in his last match on home soil. Muralitharan took two wickets, including that of the Kiwi’s top-scorer Scott Styris (57) with his last ball, and was highly praised before and after the match Tuesday by the sellout crowd at the 36,000-capacity Premadasa Stadium.

Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis each claimed three wickets as New Zealand was controlled to 217 in Colombo. Sri Lanka scored 220-5 with 13 balls remaining as Thilan Samaraweera hit the winning runs with a boundary off Andy McKay.“It’s my last game and I got a wicket with my last ball,” Muralitharan said as he left the field with figures of 2-42. “The same thing happened to me in Test cricket so I’m very happy.”


Sri Lanka, the 1996 champion, moves to the final in Mumbai on April 2, where it will meet the winner of today’s match between archrivals India and Pakistan in Mohali, India.“It’s nice to absorb all of this but it’s crucial we know we haven’t won anything yet, we’ve just qualified for the final,” Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said in the post-match ceremony. “Whoever comes along, we’ll do our best.”

New Zealand, a surprise winner over South Africa in the final eight, lost wickets at normal intervals as the batsman struggled with the pitch. Styris’s 57 lead the team, with Martin Guptill adding 39 and Ross Taylor getting 36. “We set up a great platform but ruined it by losing too many wickets at the end,” Vettori said in an on field interview. “Unfortunately we probably let ourselves down the last 10 overs with our batting.”

Fierce rivals India and Pakistan will have to deal with massive prospect from their cricket-crazy fans when they clash on Wednesday for a place in the World Cup final. The presence of the prime ministers of both countries in the stands will also add a political fervour to the match. "The biggest, eminent guests will be there to see the game, but they are here to enjoy cricket, so we have to be at our best," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni told reporters on the eve of the match.

India will bank on their powerful batting line-up while Pakistan will pin hopes on their bowling variety in the match which has gripped the sub-continent's imagination. Batting mainstay Sachin Tendulkar will have another shot at glory when he walks to the crease needing one more century to complete a hundred international tons. With the flashy Virender Sehwag as his partner, Tendulkar will look to wrest early control for India at the top. Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, in-form Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni and Suresh Raina will inclusive a strong batting line-up and Pakistan would need to make the new ball count.


Speedster Umar Gul and Captain Shahid Afridi have been the main strike-force for Pakistan and they might be tempted to play Shoaib Akhtar, who will retire after the World Cup, as another wicket-taking option. Shoaib, 35, who is known for his raw pace, is under pressure to get fit for the high-profile match. Pakistan’s batting, on the other hand, has failed to set the tournament alight as none of the batsmen have registered a century yet.

But despite that, the team notched up confidence-boosting victories against Sri Lanka and Australia in the group stages and went on to maul West Indies by 10 wickets in the quarterfinals. Afridi, the highest wicket-taker in the contest with 21, is sure the team is not solely reliant on its bowling attack. "My team is very balanced. I got some very good experienced players alongside the youngsters and our bowlers are doing a great job," Afridi told reporters. Both captains have failed to shine with the bat and would like to set that record directly in Wednesday's pot-boiler.




ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - Records


ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - Photos

The first semi-final of the World Cup is expected to follow a similar storyline, with hosts Sri Lanka undoubtedly the favourites to attack New Zealand at their stronghold, the R Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday. The biggest, and perhaps only, problem for Sri Lanka is likely to be the quad strain that Muttiah Muralitharan picked up in the quarter-final victory over England. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara told reporters that the problem is dissimilar to the one Murali had in Mumbai when the teams last met in the group stages, and that every attempt would be made to ensure his contribution.

"I think Murali and everyone around him are trying to get him as fit as possible and ready to play. It is no use thinking of keeping him for the final because this is the crunch game. And if he can play on Wednesday, that'll be great for us. If he can't, we have enough cover," Sangakkara said. But one can't really be expecting to cover for Murali's guiles and the fear he induces in opposition batsmen. It was Murali who had starred in Mumbai, taking four wickets after Sangakkara had rescued his team from a tight spot with a dazzling century.


This is the second consecutive World Cup where the two teams are facing each other at this stage, and obviously the memories for Sri Lanka are sweeter. Riding on the back of then-skipper Mahela Jayawardene's unbeaten century, Sri Lanka beat the Stephen Fleming-led Kiwis by 81 runs at Sabina Park, Jamaica. Eight of the Sri Lankans who shaped the playing XI in that match are part of this squad, while for the Kiwis, seven members have survived. It is difficult not to take the Kiwis lightly, given their stop start battle so far in the World Cup and the one part of their game that has struggled for any form of consistency - the batting.

On paper, a line-up that reads Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor, and that has Daniel Vettori coming in as low as number nine could be likely to fire with unerring reliability. But as their group matches against Australia and Sri Lanka proved, they are anything but reliable, with the frailties in method and struggles against spin being mainly to blame. Their bowling is their stronger suit, with Tim Southee leading the attack well and the usual suspects like Jacob Oram, Vettori and Nathan McCullum being constant threats on the slow and low wickets here.

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand:




ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - Records


ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - Photos