India vs Pakistan live: Sachin Tendulkar misses ton

Shahid Afridi dismissed master blaster Sachin Tendulkar to reduce India 187/5. Sachin Tendulkar scored 85 runs.

India vs Pakistan: Live commentary
Earlier, Wahab Riaz provided double blow to India by dismissing Kohli and Yuvraj (0) in one over.

After fiery start, India lost opener Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.

Wahab Riaz provided first breakthrough to Pakistan when he dismissed dangerous Sehwag. Sehwag scored 38 runs of 25 deliveries.
India received second jolt when Mohammad Hafeez got rid off Gambhir for 27 runs.

Earlier, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the crucial toss and elected to bat first against Pakistan in the second semifinal of Cricket World Cup 2011.

Dhoni has made one change in the side. Spinner R Ashwin paved the way for pacer Ashish Nehra. Dhoni feels that Pakistan side is good against spinners.
On the other hand, Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi said that toss will not affect the result of tie. He said that there are no changes in the Pakistan side. The same team, which played against West Indies will play today.
Afridi said that this is biggest encounter of his career.
Teams:
Ind: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra
Pak: Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal

Cricket World Cup - Yuvraj v Afridi – India vs Pakistan

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 semi-final: India v Pakistan
Venue: Mohali Date: Wednesday, 30 March (1000 BST)
Coverage: Highlights on BBC Two (see listings), Red Button & online at 2200 GMT (UK only); live Test Match Special commentary (BBC 5 live sports extra, Radio 4 LW and online); text commentary online and mobiles; live on Sky Sports

Afridi and Yuvraj have played to their true potential during the World Cup

By Sam Sheringham

Wednesday's titanic semi-final between India and Pakistan could hinge on the contest between two great entertainers who have reinvented themselves as ruthlessly efficient performers at this World Cup.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi and India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh have often been derided as "Hollywood" cricketers, capable of turning on the style when conditions suit them, but just as likely to go missing when their teams need them most.

However, by curbing some of their natural instincts and performing with a new maturity, the duo have taken their games to new heights.

SHAHID AFRIDI

Shahid 'Boom Boom' Afridi earned his nickname for smashing the ball out of the ground with a ferocity and regularity the game had rarely seen.

These days the big scores are few and far between, but the Pakistan captain's capacity to make an explosive impact on games make his moniker as fitting as ever.

Now it is the show-stopping quality of Afridi's bowling that is clearing the bars.

Highlights - Pakistan power past West Indies

In seven matches at the 2011 Cricket World Cup, he has taken 21 wickets at a staggering average of 10.71.

Having only taken four or more wickets on five occasions 312 one-day internationals, he has achieved the feat four times in seven matches at the tournament.

His ability to intersperse conventional leg-spinners with googlies, top-spinners and quicker deliveries on the slow, low, wickets of the subcontinent have rendered him nigh-on unplayable and been the single biggest factor in Pakistan's run to the semi-finals.

Afridi's combination with paceman Umar Gul, who has 14 wickets, has helped the side overcome the shortcomings of an inconsistent batting line-up to beat Sri Lanka, Australia and the West Indies en route to the last four.

With his constant flow of wickets, Afridi has largely led by example, but his leadership has also caught the eye for the way he has galvanised a notoriously fractious squad and imbued them with more energy and efficiency in the field.

"Everybody is standing behind him at the World Cup," said Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq.

"I think there are always differences in opinion but we always talk to the captain about what he thinks. He's really good at that.

"He listens to the players, especially the senior players and the coaches, we just decide everything with a good co-ordination, and that's why everything is going well and the team is performing well. It's a big thing actually."

Originally selected for Pakistan in 1996 as a leg-spinning all-rounder, Afridi shot to fame at the tender age of 16 with the fastest one-day hundred off 37 balls in his first international innings.

A compulsive slogger, he has hit the highest-number of sixes in the history of one-day cricket and three of the seven fastest centuries.

But while his batting has always been inconsistent and is showing signs of terminal decline - he has just one fifty in his last 21 innings and a tournament average of 10.83 - as a bowler he is undoubtedly at the peak of his powers.

Having declared in 2009 that he was a bowler first and a batsman second, he has become an undisputed master of his craft, as anyone who witnessed his devastating bursts against Kenya, Sri Lanka, Canada and the West Indies would testify.

The one worry for Pakistan would be Afridi's record against India, whose batsmen are notorious for their mastery of spin bowling.

In 63 matches against their arch-rivals, he has 38 wickets at a decidedly ordinary average of 55.50.

YUVRAJ SINGH

England fans will remember Yuvraj Singh as the man who gave Stuart Broad an unforgettable lesson in just how tough international cricket can be.

In launching the fresh-faced seamer for six sixes in an over at the 2007 World Twenty20, India's middle order mauler showed his immense talent for taking attacks apart.

Indeed, Yuvraj has long been recognised as one of the most exciting and destructive performers in the game, as a tally of 216 sixes in international cricket and a Twenty20 strike-rate in excess of 150 would confirm.

India too strong despite Ponting ton

As with many players of his ilk, Yuvraj's undoing has tended to be the absence of a Plan B in bowler-friendly conditions, and a run of low scores saw him dropped from the India side for the first time last year.

Perhaps it was the wake-up call he needed because something has come over Yuvraj at this World Cup and India are reaping the rewards.

In curbing his instinct to go after every ball, he has converted himself into India's "Mr Dependable", judging the pace of a run chase to see him team to victory in a manner that has drawn comparisons with Michael Bevan, Australia's former master finisher.

Although free-scoring openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar have been grabbing the headlines, Yuvraj has played an influential role in four of Indies five victories at the tournament.

In the group games against Ireland and the Netherlands, he entered the fray with India wobbling and steered them over the line with measured fifties, while against the Windies he lifted an otherwise indifferent batting display with an imperious 113.

my responsibility is to bat till the end whether we are batting first or chasing a target

Yuvraj Singh

But the left-hander's finest hour came in the quarter-final against Australia after India had been reduced to 187-5 chasing 261 on a slow Ahmedabad track.

Aided by Suresh Raina in a partnership of 74, Yuvraj struck a match-winning unbeaten 57, sealing India's place in the last four by cracking a Brett Lee yorker through the covers for four.

"Finishing a game gives me a lot of confidence going into the next match," said Yuvraj, who has also taken 11 wickets with his left-arm spin.

"I'm just happy about how I am hitting the ball, my responsibility is to bat till the end whether we are batting first or chasing a target."

Overall, Yuvraj has struck 341 runs in six matches, with one hundred and four fifties at a staggering average of 113.66.

And with Wednesday's showdown taking place at Yuvraj's home ground of Mohali, few would bet against another influential display from India's man of the moment.

ICC Cricket World Cup ad rates soar before India vs Pakistan match

Tickets for the India vs Pakistan World Cup semifinal match in Mohali are not the only thing being sold at an inflated rate.
Media agencies say broadcaster ESPN Star is demanding between Rs 15 lakh to Rs 18 lakh per 10 seconds. It's a huge jump from the Rs 3.5 lakh for 10 seconds it charged at the league level. While some doubt whether ESPN Star will get what it wants, others are certain advertisers will pay up.
"India-England match was about 12 to 13 ...and it's India-Pakistan, it's semifinal, it's knock out...so between 15 and 20, if it is a good contest, is a safe bet," said MEC India MD T Gangadhar about the Television Rating Points.

So far, the tournament has delivered. The six India league matches did average ratings of 9.51, while non-India matches averaged close to 1.5 TRPs.

Broadcast sponsor Vodafone says response to live match coverage on mobiles has been 5 times higher than what the IPL garnered last year. Ground sponsor LG has received 50,000 applications for its cheer-leading squad. But will these guys buy more air-time?

"As an advertising platform the world cup rating for me would be, 5 or 5 and a half on 10, but as a sponsorship platform it is far more valuable to us," said LG India CMO LK Gupta.

"We could promote things differently if India gets into the finals and ride on the sentiment that Indians will have. After all, more than 50 million Indians were watching the India-England match. I am sure that the number will be higher when we go along. Unlikely though that we will buy more air time," said Vodafone Brand Communication VP Anuradha Agarwal.

The 42 league matches reached over 175 million households in the country, which is 48 per cent more than the previous world cup, and 30 per cent higher than IPL-3.

Media planners say available inventory for the finals will be sold only after the two finalists are penciled in. And if India is one of them, spot rates will go through the roof.

India Vs Pakistan Live Updates: India Elects to Bat

India Vs Pakistan Semi Final Match: INDIA WON THE TOSS AND ELECTED TO BAT FIRST

What to Say about the BIG Match. Its really bigger than the final match for every Indian and Pakistan. Rivalry of both countries made it so. The two continent team are fighting for the berth in finals of world cup to meet the co hosts Sri Lanka.

Both the teams are cheered up by the national honors. Manmohan and Gilani’s presence is tells the story of the game. Huge tension and huge pressure on both teams. Its virtually fight of a great batting team and great bowling attack. lets see who wins bat or ball. who ever the winner, Indo-Pak relations will definitely improve with the match.

India surprisingly going with Nehra in the place of Ashwin as the Pakistan is well comfortable with spin. India needs good partnerships from the top order batsman to hold the match. One of the openers needs stay back for a long time in the crease to accelerate the innings.

Sachin, Sehwag are producing good opening partnerships and Gambhir and Kohli continuing the same and Yuvraj finishing them in style. Indian bowling is the worry part as Zaheer is carrying the the Indian team. Zaheer needs support from Munaf and Nehra. Harbhajan needs to fire to make the game easy for India.

Pakistan bowling is superb and taking the games away fro the opponents with their spin magic. India batsman are good at playing the spin. Akthar’s inclusion in the final eleven is still a doubt. Umar Gul and Hafeez picking the wickets for Pakistan. Afridi is on fire though he failed with bat. Umar Akmal and Misbah are the key batsman for the match. Lets see the Big Match. Stay tuned with us for updates.

PAKISTAN VS INDIA: WASIM AKRAM FEELS YUVRAJ SINGH’S WICKET WOULD BE CRUCIAL FOR THE MEN IN GREEN ICC Cricket World Cup

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram suggested Shahid Afridi and his bowlers to get rid of in-form India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh as early as possible during their ICC World Cup 2011 semi-final in Mohali on Wednesday if they hope to reach the tournament final in Mumbai on 2 April.

“Shahid Afridi and team will have to bowl intelligently to him (Yuvraj),” said the legendary pacer while talking to a cricket website. “They will have to stop his run-flow and that's the only way I think Yuvraj can be stopped.”

Akram said that the stylish Punjab batsman has shown great attitude in the World Cup so far and is eager to play long innings. He further added that Yuvraj has converted good starts to fifties and a century which he felt could be disastrous for Pakistan if they did not dismiss him early.

The 29-year-old Chandigarh player has so far earned four Man of the Match awards and has compiled a tally of 341 runs at a astounding average of 113.66 besides claiming 11 scalps at a bowling average of 24.63.

The former Pakistan great also hailed the Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his judicious and smart captaincy and admired his horses-for-courses strategy.

India’s bowling attack has apparently been their weak link in the showpiece event so far. However, Wasim Akram warned Pakistan batsmen not to take Indian attack lightly. He said that the Zaheer Khan-led bowling brigade of co-hosts is doing pretty well. The best thing about Indian attack, according to the former Pakistan seamer, was their variety.

Akram singled out India’s spearhead pacer, Zaheer Khan for praise. He said that Khan has been bowling well over the past two years but his length has been perfect in the ongoing World Cup.

When asked about the pressure of crowd on the teams, Akram reckoned India would be more under pressure since they are the hosts.

“India will be the team under pressure, not Pakistan. The media in India is big and strong. The pressure created by them is simply mind-boggling and then there are a billion people with massive expectations,” said the legendary pacer.

India Vs Pak: Game on at Mohali, a billion hearts pound

The national anthems, a pantheon of leaders and celebrities from both sides of the border, and a toss that India has won to choose to bat first against Pakistan in the second semi-final of the cricket World Cup.
It's game on at Mohali. And Sachin Tendulkar and Virendra Sehwag have walked out to bat.
This after Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Dr Manmohan Singh met the two teams at the PCA stadium.
Mr Gilani, accompanied by his wife Fauzia, was received at the defence airport by Union Minister of State for Communication, Sachin Pilot, and Pakistan's High Commissioner, Shahid Malik, among others.

Before leaving Islamabad for India, Mr Gilani thanked Dr Singh for inviting him to the match, and said that he's "looking forward to a great game."  He also said he believes "this match will bridge the gap" between India and Pakistan. (Watch: Match will bridge India-Pak gap: Gilani)

Captains MS Dhoni and Shahid Afridi have asked their teams to ignore the hype and focus on the game - a little tough to do, perhaps, given the circumstances. (Watch: Cricket above diplomacy, say both captains)  The match has mass-produced hysteria on both sides of the border.  And the "aman ka chhakka" diplomatic initiative launched by Dr Singh has added a new dimension.

The electric atmosphere crackled some more last night after rain began pounding Mohali, but this morning, the Sun was out. The Met department promises a clearer sky during the match. However, there is a slight possibility of a light shower in the evening. (Read & Watch: Clear sky in Mohali ahead of match)

A large delegation is accompanying Mr Gilani. His team will use the Taj hotel in Chandigarh as its base. The main players include controversial Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who publicly warned his country's cricket team against match-fixing, provoking fierce criticism both within and outside Pakistan.

Team Singh will include Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon.    Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, as well as Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi are not part of the official delegation but will attend the game and the dinner that Dr Singh is hosting at 7.30 pm tonight for the Pakistani delegation at the stadium. (Read: Gosht Barra, Tawa ki Machhi for PMs' dinner)

At the stadium, Mr Gilani and Dr Singh will watch the game from a VVIP box, but are expected to exit a little later to hold informal talks. 

Last week, in a move that surprised many, Dr Singh formally invited Mr Gilani and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to watch the match with him.  Mr Gilani accepted the invitation over the weekend.

Sources say that there is no formal agenda or structure for the talks between the two Prime Ministers. This is the first time such high-level talks are being held since a group of 10 Pakistanis sailed into Mumbai in November 2008 and launched India's worst-ever terror attack.

Asked if he would try to move from playing "a one-day series to a longer series" during his talks with Dr Singh at Mohali, Mr Gilani replied: "Naturally when we go (to India), the talks will be held according to the opportunity."

The Match India vs Pakistan Semi Final Live Stream ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 On

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India halt Australia's run in World Cups to enter semi final of ICC cricket world cup 2011 and meet Pakistan at Mohali. Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina provided the pivotal coil as India knocked the world champions out of the World Cup and set up the mother of all semi-finals in Mohali against Pakistan. Here is the score for the Quarter final match between India and Australia.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his team was ready to take on bitter rivals Pakistan after surviving a high-pressure game against Australia in the World Cup quarter-finals. Chasing a target of 261, Dhoni's men appeared to be in trouble at 187-5 in the 38th over but Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina carried the team to a five-wicket win with 14 balls to spare at the packed Sardar Patel Stadium.

India vs Pakistan: Memories of another day

During the 1996 World Cup, Avijit Ghosh was in Faislabad reporting on the Sri Lanka-England quarterfinal the day India beat Pakistan. He recalls how Pakistan reacted to the defeat...

Everybody remembers that game. The India-Pakistan 1996 World Cup match where Ajay Jadeja spanked Waqar Younis for a couple of overs and overnight became a poster boy. For generations hockey and cricket have served as proxy platforms of war. That game was meant to settle every issue of national pride and manhood. Much before the first ball was bowled, the air was charged with dynamite. And everyone was ready to be blown over.

In Pakistan, everybody seemed to be on speed: energised, excited and chatty. The joke was that doctors treating hypertension had long queues outside their clinics. There was no overtly anti-India frenzy on the street. But it was evident that losing wasn't really an option.

Taxi drivers, TV hosts, waiters and former cricketers -- everybody was convinced Pakistan would win the game. They had an unshakeable belief in the superiority of their team. We are better, so we will win: that's what most of them said. And, most informed neutrals admitted that the green and white guys looked meaner, readier, classier.

The Pakistanis had one major stress factor though: Sachin Tendulkar. In the previous games, his scores were: 127 not out, 70, 90, 137 and 3. Tendulkar, then 22 years old, looked imperious, almost infallible. Almost every Pakistani believed that the Mumbai batting genius was the only hurdle between them and a place in the last four.

A salesman at Lahore's Liberty Market, however, was confident that the Pakistani pace attack would get him early. "If you look at his record against us, it isn't much to talk about," he winked. The shop owner gave me a 10% discount when he came to know that I was a journalist. The next day we drove to Faislabad in a shared Toyota taxi. The Indian automobile revolution was still a few years away. It was a sharp contrast from the yellow and black Ambassador taxi that we normally travelled in.

On March 9, 1996, the day India took on Pakistan in Bangalore, I was reporting on another quarterfinal game: England versus Sri Lanka. Nobody, including the 1,500 spectators in Faislabad's Iqbal Stadium seemed remotely interested in the on-field proceedings. You could hear the running commentary on the transistor radio in the stands.

The press box was strangely nervous though some journos also kept cracking jokes. And there were conspiracy theories about Wasim Akram's injury that kept him out of the game. India made a slow but solid start. When Tendulkar was bowled, someone told an Indian journo, "Aapki to aadhi team out ho gayee." He quipped, "Aadhi nahi sahib, poori out ho gayee."

The England-Lanka game got over quickly. Unlike the one fought out in Bangalore, it was a day game. By the time we finished filing our reports and entered our hotel, the Pakistan reply had reached a critical stage. At the lobby, I recall seeing a few tense faces watching TV. When Salim Malik was out, one of us spontaneously exclaimed, "He is gone." Angry heads instantly turned around. But things kept going from bad to worse for Pakistan. Nobody spoke. By 9.30pm, it was all over.

I stepped out of the hotel and walked the streets hoping to soak in the general mood. The silence was deafening.

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Live Stream ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

More than 20 million watch Americans Sri Lanka vs New Zealand live have multiple ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Social Security numbers online (SSNs) associated score with their highlights name in commercial records according to a new study announced in December from ID Analytics, Inc. The study found that rather than serving as a unique identifier, more than 40 million SSNs are associated with multiple people.

6.1 percent of Americans have at least two SSNs associated with their name. More than 100,000 Americans have five or more SSNs associated with their name.

Dr. Stephen Coggeshall, chief technology officer, at ID Analytics said. “Most of these cases of duplication are likely due to simple data entry errors as opposed to deliberate falsification. Nevertheless, organizations expose themselves and their customers to risk if they solely rely on the SSN to verify an individual.”

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand

Watch Cricket World Cup 2011 online live - stream here

ID Analytics analyzed 290 million Social Security numbers, and found that 1 in 7 are associated with more than one name. Anywhere from 3-4 million names are directly used to commit fraud.

MSNBC reported the same study showed 140,000 SSNs are connected to 5 or more people and 27,000 SSNs are connected to 10 or more people.

Some of these secondary SSNs are the result of typos where an administrator may incorrectly enter a digit and then that secondary SSN is now connected to a person’s credit going forward.

In other cases it is deliberate fraud. When the same person is shown using multiple Social Security numbers on purpose then a flag is raised.

Consumers often find out their SSN is compromised as a result of being denied credit or when bill collectors call them for non payment.

Watch Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Cricket World Cup 2011 online free live - stream

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand World Cup semi-final: Give match full attention, even if it is a distraction

There's only one more day until we get cricket again. Yes, Pakistan take on India in a match most Indians have already decided will be theirs as they march inevitably and triumphantly to the final and ultimately to the crowning glory of victory in Mumbai on Saturday.

Newspapers, the internet and the man in the street is talking about nothing but this game. Heads of state, normally at odds with one another will sit side by side sharing in the soothing diplomatic balm of cricket. Where numerous delegations have failed, where decades of politics have seen only entrenchment, cricket, it is predicted, will finally offer the chance for both countries to bury the hatchet.

Indeed, when the final ball is bowled and India have won a tight game played in an exemplary spirit by 1 wicket (Tendulkar 143 not out of course) none of us should be surprised if the politicians turn to each other, shake hands on a nuclear disarmament treaty and agree on the spot to a binding and mutually acceptable partition of Kashmir into the bargain. Then again, if it was that simple you'd think the UN might have tried staging a match between Israel and Palestine by now.

But wait. Haven't we forgotten something? It'll come to me in just a second. Oh yes. The other semi-final . And doesn't that take place today in Colombo between my tip to be champions, Sri Lanka, and perennial overachievers New Zealand? Indeed it does and it could well prove to be a more fascinating game than pundits and the public are giving it credit.

Sri Lanka tore England apart on Saturday with a ruthlessness and skill that ought to terrify all remaining teams in the World Cup. In winning by 10 wickets chasing 230 they laid down a marker and announced their credentials, but of course no one has actually noticed in the furore accompanying tomorrow's high profile event. A team of all the talents, Sri Lanka have but one weakness; a stodgy lower middle order and long tail. But the top four of Tharanga, Dilshan, Sangakarra and Jayewardene are so exceptional the relative shallowness of the batting may not be tested.

With the ball, on their own ground where bowlers are rewarded for sticking to tight lines and lengths, they are probably matchless. They have adopted a four spinner strategy, dispensing with a second front line seamer in favour of Angelo Matthews as a back up to the phenomenon that is Malinga. They have been bested in this World Cup only once, and that by an atypically consistent Pakistan side after being set 277 to win at Colombo. They fell a mere 11 runs short.

So, what hope can New Zealand realistically have? Well, they possess in Guptill, Ryder, Taylor, both McCullums and Oram players who can hit out of the park. Styris is a fine player of spin and with the ball they have seven genuine options including an array of spinners led by their returning skipper Daniel Vettori.

Against South Africa in their quarter final they adopted a strategy of batting first upon winning the toss and digging in. They will look to "take the game deep", to keep themselves in the contest as long as possible and hope to up the tempo with wickets in hand in the final 7 overs. They have prodigious strikers of the ball lower down the order and with Southee at 11 they really do bat all the way down.

The 19 people outside New Zealand and Sri Lanka who have remembered this game is taking place at all, to a man expect the hosts to turn over the Kiwis with some ease. And if Sri Lanka win the toss and bat first that could well turn out to be the case. But with the final within touching distance and a massive expectant crowd piling pressure on their heroes, an awkward run chase could turn into an epic anti-climax for the Lankans if they lose a couple of quick wickets.

There may be no 30-strong diplomatic delegations in attendance. The game may look like a one-sided mismatch and you may believe that the winner will inevitably lose to the mighty Indians in the final anyway, but I'm not so sure on all of those counts. And since we need distractions to wile away the time between now and Wednesday I urge you to give this match your full attention. We could be in for a surprise.

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Semi Final match 2011, Live Score Card

IN THE first semi final match of the year's biggest sports event, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has won the toss and decided to bat first against Sri Lanka at the flat wicket of R. Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo this afternoon.
In the crucial match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has made one change in the playing XI from the quarter final match against South Africa. He preferred seamer Andy McKay for Luke Woodcock in the final playing XI.
Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara has retained his line-up from the quarter final match against England.
In the semi final of 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, the Lankans had set the target for Kiwis and won that match by 81 runs with the brilliant performance of Mahela Jayawardene and Muttiah Muralitharan. Sri Lanka has won their previous four World Cup games against New Zealand.
New Zealand, who is playing its sixth semi final of the Cricket World Cup 2011, has reached the semi finals of the Cricket World Cup on five occasions in 1975, 1979, 1992, 1999 and 2007, but never played even a single final of this mega cricketing event.
Sri Lanka has played semi finals in 1996, 2003, 2007, and final in two times in 1996 and 2007. In 1996, Sri Lanka won the Cricket World Cup trophy.
Here are the playing XI of Sri Lanka and New Zealand in the first semi final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:
Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Angelo Mathews, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis.
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (wk), Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, Nathan McCullum, Daniel Vettori (capt), Jacob Oram, Andy McKay,Tim Southee.

IPL 2011 Tickets: buy IPL 4 tickets online

Fourth edition of IPL will take place from 8^th April 2011 to 22^nd May 2011. The ILP 4 will see 10 teams playing this time, after the earlier editions of Indian Premier League had 8 teams each. What is more interesting in IPL 2011 is that there will be 74 matches to be played in the tournament. If you are a diehard cricket fan, you can watch the matches live at various venues and stadiums that have also been raised this time.  You can easily buy the IPL 4 tickets from official IPL partnering website, KyaZoonga.com. The site offers the option of either selecting the by venue or by team matches so that you can book your IPL tickets without any hassle.

IPL cricket aficionados can buy the tickets easily from the net. IPL 2011 tickets for the fourth season of all the matches are readily available at various sites apart from KyaZoonga. These include official site of IPL and BookMyshow.com. The prices can also be seen at these sites as per the stands chosen. In fact, the demand for IPL 4 tickets is now increasing as the season tournament is approaching.

IPL 2011 Tickets

You can buy these tickets at affordable prices. It is worth remembering that you should read all details and terms and conditions mentioned on the sites and tickets before you buy the tickets from any website mentioned above. Last season, there was the option to buy bulk IPL tickets for all matches or for your favorite teams. The fans are hoping that this option should also be available this time so that they can buy the tickets in bulk for IPL cricket 2011 and enjoy the matches with their friends and family.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Pakistan beat West Indies, Enter Semi Final

Pakistan were the favorites going into this crucial quarter final game, but very few would have expected it to be such a one sided affair.  Read to know more!

Right from the first over, bowled by Umar Gul, Pakistan seemed to be very positive and confident in their approach as the pacer was firing all cylinders at Devon Smith, and Chris Gayle was crammed for room by the other opening bowler, Hafeez. Chris Gayle, being him, hit Umar Gul for a boundary in his second over, but in an attempt to counter attack him, the stylish left hander faltered and was caught by skipper Afridi at mid off. Hafeez struck with two more wickets, of Smith and Darren Bravo as both of them failed to read his 'doosra'. West Indies were in doldrums at 16-3 in the 4th over. The responsibility of stabilizing the West Indies innings was on experienced shoulders of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chanderpaul, but neither of them looked comfortable at the crease. Both of them added 42 runs in 19 overs. Meanwhile Afridi continued his excellent form with the ball as he removed two big fish- Sarwan and Pollard and finished with 4-30, taking his tally of wickets to 21 in 7 games.

Not even a single West Indies batsman looked to have answer for Pakistan's lethal pace and tricky spin attack and they were bowled out for shameful total of 112 in the 44th over.

The West Indian bowling was as ineffective as their batting and even the out of form openers thrashed the bowlers all over the park. Hafeez smashed unbeaten 61 off 64 deliveries which included 10 hits to the fence, while Kamran remained unbeaten on 47 off 61 balls (7 fours).

With this emphatic win, Pakistan became the first team to reach the semi finals. They will play the semi-final against India in Mohali. That is one must awaited match. Let's wait and watch what happens!

Scores:

West Indies-                  112-10

Pakistan-                        113-0

Result: Pakistan win by 10 wickets

Man Of the Match- Mohammad Hafeez.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 SWOT analysis of Team India and Pakistan

With Sachin Tendulkar planning to quit after this World Cup, the bar is set much higher for the Indian players. Team India stands as one of the favorites alongside a formidable Sri Lanka, a strong South Africa, T20 Champions England and the reigning ODI champions Australia.

So here at Cric City we have done a SWOT analysis on the selection

of Indian squad for the upcoming cricket fiesta.

The players selected by BCCI are: MS Dhoni (Captain), V Sehwag (Vice-captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, R Ashwin, Piyush Chawla.

Cricket experts say that bowlers win you test matches while batsmen win you ODI?s. If this is indeed true then India stands a bright chance for they have a splendid batting line up. Sachin ,Sehwag ,Gambhir take up the first three slots while ,Dhoni and Pathan will be at six and seven respectively. Num 4 and 5 slots will be a tossup between Kohli,Yuvraj and Raina. The bowling side has 3 spinners and 4 seamers. The bowling department may not look that strong with Nehra and Munaf there but considering Patel?s recent form he also becomes a force to reckon with. The spin attack led by Bhajji looks good and also the part timers have proved their worth.

Strengths:

Balanced Team: The team is a perfect combination of both experienced as well youth. Though the bowling department looks a little weak, presence of Zaheer and Harbhajan should exude confidence to others in the team. After a long time Indian tail has started wagging which was evident in the last Series as well as the warm up match against Australia.

Home Conditions: Since the World Cup is being played in the subcontinent, the Indian cricket team can expect the maximum crowd support. The Indian stadiums will be expecting a crowd of about 50,000.

Weakness:

Consistency: Off late team India has not being able to perform consistently. A lot of the games show that individual performers have saved the game. If the team India aims to win the WC then they have to perform collectively and every player have to play to their fullest.

Brittle Middle Order: Yuvaraj and Raina are not in good form and have been picked mainly based on their past performance. It is an altogether a different issue that both of them are game changers but their current forms are the weak links.

Absence of a genuine Allrounder: For the past 4 years selectors have been trying to groom one genuine allrounder , but with little sucesss. The fifth bowler slot is absent which makes the team to rely on bowlers like Yuvaraj and company.

Opportunities:

Spinning Subcontinent Pitches: The pitches in the subcontinent are very favorable for spinners and India has opted for 3 spinners. Its part-timers are also spinners. Both Ashwin and Chawla have a chance to shine in their 1st WC and aid Bhajji in the sub-continent conditions. With spinners, India would be restricting the opposition at the same time will be an attacking team.

Virat Kohli: The young star has been in brilliant touch and was India's highest run-getter in 2010 so this is the big chance for him to stand out and fix his place in the team's middle order.

Sachin Swansong: The only accolade missing in Tendulkar's illustrious career. The entire country wants it for him and also the entire team wants to win the cup for him. This should act as an extra motivation for everyone in the team.

Threats:

Injuries: A lot of Indian players have just come back after injuries. Though fully fit their fitness would still be suspect and they would be short of match practice.

No back-up keeper: So who keeps if MSD is declared unfit right before a match?

Team Pakistan:

Pakistan team doesn't seem to be playing under any pressure. The reasons are obvious, earning a malign reputation by spot fixing scandals and infighting, the Pakistan cricket fraternity is on a recovery mode. With Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amer suspended, the first choice bowling attack of Pakistan is gone. With the captaincy issue getting resolved recently, the team morale won't be that high. But still a sub-continent team in sub-continent cannot be ignored.

THE SQUAD

Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Umer Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Umer Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shehzad.

Young Players

Out of the 15 chosen, 8 are those who have never been part of an event of this importance. Clearly the Pakistan selectors did not have an option and leaving out Imran Nazir reaffirms the fact that they wanted to start afresh. If we start taking the replacements for the suspended tainted trio, Ahmed Shehzad is in for Butt and Shehzad has definitely proved himself.

He has a distinction of playing at the highest level and then going back to represent Pakistan in the Under 19 World cup. He only has one gear and that is to clear the in-field any how, he is not afraid to take on the fastest of the bowlers and even on bouncy wickets he has played some magnificent shots on the rise. He won't get that pace in sub-continent and moreover his 7 match experience might not be enough.

Umar Akmal, a prodigy in the making, probably a complete batsmen Pakistan have produced after the era of Saeed Anwar. Though Younis Khan is probably the best Pakistan has got at the moment. This would be the make or break tournament for Umar and to utilize his complete ability he must be slotted at No.3 nothing below that.

Wahab Riaz, is the replacement for Mohhammed Asif and to be fair on him he is a decent catch from the bowling factory. He has not exactly filled in the shoes of Asif but his approach ahs been commendable and as with Umar it would be make or break trip that he would be making to India.

Weakness

On the other hand there is Mohammed Hafeez, Pakistan selectors does seem to have a blind faith on this player. With an average of 22 in 62 ODIs, how he has made it to the squad is a question, only reason one can think of is, he is not swashbuckling as Shehzad so they assumed he would be the calmer and wiser partner.

Mohammed Amer could have been the potent weapon for Pakistan instead they had to content themselves with the old potent weapons, Shohib Akhtar. as an old war veteran, it is not his pace or form which has made him survive this long, it's probably his never say die attitude and this never "say die attitude" unfortunately looks good .

Being hit for an economy of more than 8 and again coming back to bowl the full quota of overs to end up with run rate of 7 does not fit the bill for never say die attitude. That plainly is poor bowling but Pakistan selectors as I mentioned earlier tend to assume a lot of things.

Putting Kamran Akmal in the slot is just because of the poor form he is in, he tried his hands as an opener then at number 3 with no effect. In recent times, he has been very successful in the sub-continent primarily against India and his being in form would be of prime importance. He is more like Suresh Raina of Pakistan, unpredictable yet assuring figure.

Inspirational Misbah Ul Haq is a player of calibre but his big match playing credential is doubted.

Abdul Razzak is more of confusion; unpredictability has hovered all around his cricketing career. Not as strong a bowler he used to be but he is the variation guy of the team. He can pack a punch and on a given day could be more barbaric than Yusuf Pathan, but its all about him clicking or not. Not exactly a worry but can't put him in chances section as well.

Chances

Chances have to be read as Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi. Gul is the strike bowler, best exponent of death bowling and Shahid Afridi along with Saeed Ajmal, is the best spinning duo in the world cup. With one having the knack of picking up wickets and other is choking down the batsmen.

Younis Khan just cannot afford to have a bad day on the field as he would be the spine of Pakistani batting attack.

Semi-final could be the maximum they could reach but again unpredictability is what Pakistan cricket lives with.

Pakistan Vs India in Semi Final of World Cup 2011 – Are You Ready?

India has made to semi-finals of the cricket world cup 2011 to face Pakistan by defeating world champions Australia today. The semi final which is scheduled for 30th of March is one of the most awaited day for the people of sub-continent.

Six days before the match takes place and the time has frozen on us. As much as I am excited, this is also making me nervous. The craze is in the air. Pakistan vs India is all our twitter timelines and Facebook news-feeds read. 144 hours before it all begins, and this is trending worldwide on twitter.

Pakistan has never beaten India a single match in the history of cricket world cup but has India beaten Pakistan a single match at Mohali? The history shall repeat but which one?

Will you make a really good excuse to ditch college/work this day? Or would you just say Pakistan vs India!

Who prevails in this game? Are you ready?

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India vs Pakistan: A dream date

It would be a dream match when India will clash with Pakistan in the semifinal match that will be held on March 30 at Mohali.

India qualified for the semifinal after crushing Australia by five wickets on Thursday in a quarterfinal match.

On the other hand Pakistan had defeated West Indies to secure its berth in the semifinal.Both the countries are super excited ahead of the mega clash.

This would be the second semifinal match of the World Cup 2011.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on Wednesday said that if his team happens to clash with India his players would give their best shot in an attempt to defeat their rival.

Pakistan has never beaten India in the World Cup.

However, Team India is also prepared to put forward their best strategy to take on the Pakis.

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting after losing the quarterfinal match to India said that if he had to choose between the two countries his vote would be with India to win the semifinal.

Looking ahead to the semifinal clash against Pakistan at Mohali on March 30, Yuvraj Singh said it would be another dream game.

"The India-Pakistan game is going to be another dream game after India-Australia," he added.

Ind vs Aus: Yuvraj, Sachin, Raina help Men in Blue avenge 2003 humiliation

It was billed as the blockbuster and the quarterfinal, the second of the 2011 Cricket World Cup at the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera on Thursday lived up to the expectations.

Blog: Can we beat Pak and some other questions

India survived a Ricky Ponting masterclass (104, 118 balls, 7x4, 1 x6) and some tense moments to beat four-time World Champions Australia by five wickets and 14 balls to spare to set up a potentially explosive clash with arch rivals Pakistan in Mohali on March 30.

The hosts rose to the occasion in style, first with a superb bowling and fielding effort, then the great master Sachin Tendulkar set the stage alight with glorious strokeplay to put the side on cruise mode before some quintessential Indian harakiri.

The Aussies sensing a chance changed colours, bowled with venom, sledged hard and even bled - Brett Lee getting a cut under his eye while fielding. They did it all but couldn't stop India from progressing.

There were many heroes for India as they set about their chase of 261, but Yuvraj Singh, yet again, emerged as the knight in shining armour coming up with a match-winning knock of unbeaten 57 runs besides picking up two wickets earlier. The effort earned the southpaw his fourth Man-of-the-match award in this World Cup.

Also rising to the challenge was young Suresh Raina with a gutsy unbeaten 34. Yuvraj and Raina realized 74 runs from 61 balls just when the Aussies had turned on the screws.

There was some intense drama before though courtesy a horrible mix-up between Gautam Gambhir (50; 64b, 7x4) and Yuvraj (their third in the span of five minutes) resulting in the run out of Gambhir. Yuvraj edged David Hussey to Cameron White at slip and even before Yuvraj could realize, Gambhir had dashed towards him from the non-striker's end and it was a point of no return.

Five overs earlier, Virat Kohli swatted a full toss straight down the throat of Michael Clarke at mid-wicket.

Skipper MS Dhoni cracked a thundering boundary, but another attempt off Lee saw Dhoni cut the bowler straight to Michael Clarke at point. The Indians had slid to 187 for 5 in 37.3 overs and seemed to be spoiling their own party till Yuvraj and Raina came into their own.

Of course, Tendulkar (53; 68b, 7x4) was on a different planet altogether as he caressed, punched, pulled, drove and also played the upper cut, the way only he can to raise hopes of the ton of tons.

Ind vs Aus: Semifinal against Pakistan a dream match: Yuvraj

His dream of guiding India to a win over Australia in the World Cup realised, star batsman Yuvraj Singh is now focussing on the semifinal clash against arch-rivals Pakistan, saying the much-anticipated game would be a battle of equals.

Yuvraj struck an unbeaten half century after claiming two wickets last night to collect his fourth man of the match trophy in the ongoing World Cup.

Looking ahead to the semifinal clash against Pakistan at Mohali on March 30, Yuvraj said it would be another dream game.

"The India-Pakistan game is going to be another dream game after India-Australia. It's a great victory for India today. We would be playing our best cricket against Pakistan. They know our game we know theirs both teams are equal. They have had a very good tournament and have beaten West Indies and Australia," Yuvraj told reporters after India's five-wicket win over the defending champions.

"We don't want to think about the Pakistan game now. It has been a high-pressure game for us (against Australia) and lot of our system has been drained. We would like to relax for a couple of days and then make plans about Pakistan game," he added.

It was very difficult to keep his emotions in check in the high-octane quarterfinal match.

"Over the last one year I have been dreaming of staying till the end and taking the team to victory against Australia in the World Cup and the moment has come. This is the moment I have lived for as a cricketer," he said.

He admitted that it was a tough situation with enormous pressure on him and any small mistake on his part could have thrown India out of the World Cup.

"It was very hard to control emotions. It was difficult to control oneself in such a situation as one mistake and you will be out of the World Cup. I tried to just watch the ball, play down the ground and not lift the ball in the air," said the left-handed batsman.

Yuvraj said he was playing in the tournament with the thought of someone special in his life, though he did not specify the person.

"I am playing for a very special person that comes in my mind and whenever things are not going well I think of that person and things work out," he remarked.

Yuvraj conceded that the dismissal of Gautam Gambhir, who was run out due to a misunderstanding with him, and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in quick succession had put the team under pressure but Suresh Raina lived up to the challenge in crucial stages.

"When Gambhir got out I thought I will get a good partnership going with MS (Dhoni) but when MS got out I knew I was in trouble. When Raina came in I told him to take his time and let's get 20-30 run partnership. He has shown nerves in a crucial stage and this will boost his confidence also," he said.

He said he had already apologised to Gambhir for the mix-up that resulted in his partner getting run out.

"I have apologised to Gautam for the miscommunication on the field. We have not played together much. I think it was probably my fault," said Yuvraj.

Though he got his fourth man-of-the-match award in the tournament, Yuvraj sounded modest and said the team effort was crucial.

"I feel good to have contributed to the team but the victory cannot be achieved by one person, it's a team effort," he said.

He said though he cherished the centuries he had scored in his career, even scores like his 52 not out last night were special as they resulted in the team winning a crucial tie.

"Though centuries are very special for a player, when you are able to contribute 20 or 30 runs which help the team win crucial matches they also become special," he said.

Looking back at the past one year which had seen him being axed from both the ODI and Test teams, Yuvraj said he was very happy that things have turned around for him.

"Last year everything I touched turned into mud. This year it has been a good year," he said.

Praising coach Gary Kirsten for the contribution he has been making, Yuvraj said that was the vital difference from 2007 when the team was knocked out in the first round of the World Cup.

"In 2003, the team was very great (when it made the final). I don't want to talk about 2007. In 2011 with Gary coming in, our confidence in each other has grown. Players confide in each other and the way Gary keeps the team like a family that shows in our performance," he pointed out.

Tri-Nations ICC Cricket World Cup review: South Africa vs New Zealand

In their come from behind win over the Boks yesterday in Durban, the All Blacks showed some frightening glimpses of their potential, with just a few Achilles heels on display.

Nine points behind with 15 minutes to play, New Zealand raised the pace of the game to a level that the exhausted boks could no longer contain. The penultimate try was the pick of the bunch, with Rodney So’oaiolo producing an explosive 50m kick return from deep in New Zealand territory that set up a sustained period of phase pressure in the Boks 22. The eventual try came from a mercurial pick and go three metres out by the omnipresent Richie McCaw.

The final try, a classic capitalisation on a quick turnover to give Rokocoko a clear run in, was then almost inevitable. South Africa had nothing left in the tank.

That’s not to say that this wasn’t a strong performance from the Springboks. In the first half, Matfield read the Kiwi lineout as easily as his own, giving the home side good ball. Berger was everywhere in defence and never more than two steps away from McCaw. Percy Montgomery used his experience at the back, his kicking game impressive. The half-back Ruan Pienaar staked his case for a regular place with touches of world class.

However, by the second half the South African scrum had disintegrated and only quick work at the base managed to keep it functioning at all. To nullify the lineout malfunctions, the All Blacks started taking quick throws whenever possible, which served to accelerate the pace of the game further.

Scarily for any opposition, it’s hard to pick out single All Black contributions, such was the joined up, full pace approach. But for such a game plan to work, the back row must be at the top of their game and McCaw, Collins and So’oialo were. The power of their running and gang tackling was at times awesome.

For the Wallabies in Melbourne this weekend, victory will require a performance the like of which they haven’t given since the last world cup versus this same opposition. Encouraging as last week’s gutsy but ultimately losing effort against the Boks was, it will take much more determination and accuracy, for it also seems that this All Black side has raised the bar in terms of conditioning.

If the Wallabies can find this level of performance, then there are some chinks in the AB armour to attack:

   1. The line-out. Perhaps because of the injuries at lock, this weakness is once again ripe for exploitation; Vickerman and Sharpe must take a leaf out of Matfield’s book. Note that this doesn’t mean the Wallabies should try and overplay a kicking game as it would play into All Black hands.
   2. Ball retention. Keep it tight and drive it through the phases. This worked for the Boks this weekend, they came unstuck as soon as they tried to loosen it up. Give the ABs 65% of the ball next weekend and it’ll be a massacre at the MCG. As the Brumbies and Bulls also showed against the Crusaders, McCaw starts to leak penalties on the back foot.
   3. Mongrel. The AB’s are a well oiled machine when allowed to play. You have to be in their face with big tackles and causing niggle everywhere else. The South Africans did a good job of this until they ran out of puff. Who will be Australia’s Baakies Botha?

Anyone think of anything else?

And finally, there’s another silver lining – the ref isn’t Kaplan

NEW ZEALAND 26 (Richie McCaw, Joe Rokocoko tries; Daniel Carter 3 pens 2 cons, Aaron Mauger drop goal) bt SOUTH AFRICA 21 (Schalk Burger, Butch James tries; Percy Montgomery 2 pens con, Ruan Pienaar pen) at ABSA Stadium Durban.

Graeme Smith vs. Martin Guptill: Player analysis – ICC World Cup 2011

Graeme Smith vs. Martin Guptill: Player analysis – ICC World Cup 2011

New Zealand and South Africa will face each other in the quarter-final of International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2011 on 25^th March. This will be a tough test for both nations looking to clinch their first World Cup.

South Africa, out of their six group matches, have won five against the Netherlands, India, Ireland, Bangladesh and West Indies. While they have lost only one to England. With this win loss-ratio, the Proteas are at the top of group ‘B’ with ten points. On the other hand, New Zealand have won four matches against Kenya, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Canada, while losing two games to Australia and Sri Lanka. The Black Caps, with eight points, are in fourth place in their group.

Both teams have a variety of players in their squads including top pacers, spinners, and batsmen. Graeme Smith is one of the most talented players of the South African team and serves his team as captain and plays the role of top-order batsman. The player gives useful innings while playing in the opening spot and has the ability to anchor the innings. Smith has the ability to play nice shots in the slips and amasses runs with great ease. His prior experience of playing in two mega events is a big advantage for him. Smith is one of only six players in the world who have scored more than 5000 ODI runs as a captain.

Smith is expected to give productive innings if South Africa will bat second in the quarter-final. The opener has given better performances in chases rather than batting first. Smith while batting second, averages more than 47 runs and has been able to put up six centuries. When he bats first, he averages a meager 32.75 runs including two tons.

Before the ICC World cup 2011, Smith scored more than 4000 runs in wins at an average of 47.58 including seven centuries.

The ongoing tournament is the third showpiece event of Smith’s career, as earlier he has been part of the 2003 and 2007 campaigns. In 2003, he was a junior player and did not give a noticeable performance. However, he was a prominent figure in the 2007 edition. He took an appealing start, hitting four fifties in the first four matches. A former South African cricketer describes Smith as, "He has the ability to lead from the front and impose himself on the opposition."

The 30-year old has played 19 World Cup innings so far scoring 719 runs at an average of 39.94 including six fifties.

On the other side, Martin Guptill is also a prolific top-order batsman for the Black Caps, who plays well and has great technique. Comparaed to Smith, Guptill needs more consistency in his batting form. The 24-year-old has played six innings at this World Cup, scoring 222 runs at an average of 55.50 including two fifties.

The ICC World Cup 2011 is the first mega event of his career, where he has hit his highest score of unbeaten 86 runs against Zimbabwe in a winning cause at Ahmedabad on 4^th March. Guptill performs well at home ODIs at an average of 46 including one century and four half centuries. Abroad, he lacks consistency and averages 26.31 including five half centuries. Former New Zealand fast bowler, Dann Morrison, describes Guptill as, "He hits the ball nice and straight and very much plays in the 'V'. He's been missing in action a bit lately, but in India the conditions tend to suit guys who play off the front foot, so he should score a lot of runs."

Both the teams are expected to play a nip and tuck competition. However, the Proteas are likely to take less pressure as they are leading their group with maximum points.

Can India beat defending champs Australia at 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup?

If you pass the House of Dosas on Kingsway early Thursday (March 24) and you spot chairs flying around inside, you probably won’t need to phone 911.

It could just be passionate cricket fans taking advantage of the South Indian establishment’s wall-to-wall television screenings of the 2011 ICC World Cup cricket tournament in India.

And tomorrow (at the unholy hour of 2 a.m. Pacific time), India, as host nation, takes on defending three-times-in-succession champions Australia in the much-anticipated quarterfinal showdown.

It has been called a battle of the “flawed” heavyweights, but that is damning both nations with faint praise. In truth, anyone with even a remote interest in the bat-and-ball contest should realize this is about as big as it gets.

The retirement of Steve and Mark Waugh, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, and Matthew Hayden means that Australia’s star has never been more on the wane. India will hope they can exploit that and squeeze a victory the way Pakistan did to the Aussies in the group stages. Pakistan is already in the semifinals, after thrashing the West Indies. Now their subcontinental neighbours will hope to end the Australian dominance in this 50-over one-day format.

The Indians will feel this is their last chance with star batsman Sachin Tendulkar in the squad. The Little Master, as he is known worldwide, may well be in his last World Cup. He’s 37 years old now, and even though his eyes and reflexes are still holding firm, the man is only human.

The Australians will hope their captain Ricky Ponting, himself 36, still has something left in the tank. As captain he has come under some pressure and has behaved in petulant fashion, including against Canada, out on the field.

Ponting (or “Punter” as he’s affectionately called) can’t do that in this quarterfinal, or else Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will make sure it’s Punter's last as skipper.

Stay tuned tomorrow morning, and watch for flying chairs.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Team Squad IPL 2011 – Players List

IPL Chennai Super Kings 2011 Squad

Chennai Super Kings – IPL Chennai Super Kings Team

IPL 4 Chennai Super Kings Teams Players List is placed here. The Chennai Super Kings was the other team who had gone into the auction with four players retained and hence were left with only $4.5 million at the start of the auction. However, unlike Mumbai they did not go after the really costly players. Their strategy was simpler – try to buy back as many players that they had in the last year.

For starters, they have S Badrinath for $800,000, a sum of money that looks far greater than what he deserved. Same goes with R Ashwin who was won for a bid of $850,000 and their pace bowler Doug Bollinger who was won over for $700,000.

Their best buy was probably Michael Hussey, another of their previous year players for a sum of $450,000 – not too many going after Hussey especially given that he is not getting any younger any more.

There were two other buys, Dwayne Bravo for $200,000 and W Saha for $100,000.

Chennai Super Kings had decided to go in with a simple strategy; try to retain all the players from the previous season and they seemed to be very successful. Of the previous year’s players, they had Joginder Sharma ($150,000), Sudeep Tyagi ($240,000), George Bailey ($50,000) amongst the others whom they had taken in the first day of the auction.

Apart from the others, they had also chosen Scott Styris ($200,000), Ben Hilfenhaus ($100,000), Nuwan Kulasekera ($100,000), Suraj Randiv ($80,000), Faf du Plessis ($120,000).

This meant that they had taken up a strong bowling side for the day. Chennai Super Kings IPL Auction 2011 Results is placed below.

Chennai Super Kings are all set to retain left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati, who has been in great demand as a part of their uncapped basket. They have also signed up Ganapathi Vignesh, Abhinav Mukund, Anirudha Srikkanth, Vas Devadas & Yo Mahesh.

IPL CSK Players Squad List

• MS Dhoni (retained)
• Suresh Raina (retained)
• M Vijay (retained)
• Albie Morkel (retained)
• R Ashwin – 0.85 Million USD (3.85 Crore INR)
• S Badrinath – 0.8 Million USD (3.62 Crore INR)
• Doug Bollinger – 0.7 Million USD (3.17 Crore INR)
• Michael Hussey – 0.425 Million USD (1.92 Crore INR)
• Sudeep Tyagi – 0.24 Million USD
• Dwayne Bravo – 0.2 Million USD (90 Lacs INR)
• Scott Styris – 0.2 Million USD
• Joginder Sharma – 0.15 Million USD
• Faf du Plessis – 0.12 Million USD
• Nuwan Kulasekara – 0.1 Million USD
• Ben Hilfenhaus – 0.1 Million USD
• Wriddhiman Saha – 0.1 Million USD
• Suraj Randiv – 0.08 Million USD
• George Bailey – 0.05 Million USD
• Shadab Jakati – Uncapped
• Ganapathi Vignesh – Uncapped
• Abhinav Mukund – Uncapped
• Anirudha Srikkanth – Uncapped
• Vas Devadas – Uncapped
• Yo Mahesh – Uncapped

IPL 2011 Schedule Fixtures Matches Dates

IPL 2011 Schedule  – Indian Premier League

IPL 2011 Dates – IPL 4 to begin six days after ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

IPL 2011 Schedule – IPL 4 to begin on April 8 and conclude on May 22. Defending IPL champions the Chennai Super Kings will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the first match of the IPL 4 on April 08, 2011.

The governing body also released the schedule of the IPL 2011 with changes in the play off system for the fourth edition of the game.

IPL 4 will see 10 teams and the governing body released provisional schedule of the games and the opening match will be at MA Chidambaram Stadium Chennai which will see the champions go to defend with the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 8, 2011. It is also their right to host the first match of the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League.

According to the tentative schedule, the 10 teams which include the two additions of franchises the Kochi and the Sahara Pune Warriors will play in all 74 matches and at 13 venues. The 74 matches are spread across 51 days and to reach the finals the final four teams of the IPL 4 will have to play in a new play-off system which will be coming into effect from the 2011 season. IPL 2011 Fixtures are placed below.

IPL 2011 Schedule

IPL 2011 Schedule – Indian Cricket Match Timetable 2011 is placed below. Chennai play Kolkata in opening match of IPL-4‎.

Date	Time	Teams	Venue
April 8	8 PM IST	Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders	Chennai
April 9	4 PM IST	Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals	Hyderabad
April 9	8 PM IST	Kochi v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Kochi
April 10	4 PM IST	Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians	Delhi
April 10	8 PM IST	Pune Warriors vs Kings XI Punjab	Navi Mumbai
April 11	8 PM IST	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers	Kolkata
April 12	4 PM IST	Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils	Jaipur
April 12	8 PM IST	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians	Bangalore
April 13	4 PM IST	Pune Warriors vs Kochi	Navi Mumbai
April 13	8 PM IST	Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings	Mohali
April 14	8 PM IST	Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore	Hyderabad
April 15	4 PM IST	Mumbai Indians v Kochi	Mumbai
April 15	8 PM IST	Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders	Delhi
April 16	4 PM IST	Chennai Super Kings v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Chennai
April 16	8 PM IST	Deccan Chargers v Kings XI Punjab	Hyderabad
April 17	4 PM IST	Rajasthan v Kolkata Knight Riders	Jaipur
April 17	8 PM IST	Pune Warriors v Delhi Daredevils	Navi Mumbai
April 18	8 PM IST	Kochi v Chennai Super Kings	Kochi
April 19	4 PM IST	Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers	Delhi
April 19	8 PM IST	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals	Bangalore
April 20	4 PM IST	Mumbai Indians v Pune Warriors	Mumbai
April 20	8 PM IST	Kolkata Knight Riders v Kochi	Kolkata
April 21	8 PM IST	Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals	Mohali
April 22	8 PM IST	Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings	Mumbai
April 23	4 PM IST	Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Kolkata
April 23	8 PM IST	Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab	Delhi
April 24	4 PM IST	Deccan Chargers v Mumbai Indians	Hyderabad
April 24	8 PM IST	Rajasthan Royals v Kochi	Jaipur
April 25	8 PM IST	Chennai Super Kings v Pune Warriors	Chennai
April 26	8 PM IST	Delhi Daredevils v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Delhi
April 27	4 PM IST	Pune Warriors v Chennai Super Kings	Navi Mumbai
April 27	8 PM IST	Kochi v Deccan Chargers	Kochi
April 28	4 PM IST	Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab	Kolkata
April 28	8 PM IST	Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians	Jaipur
April 29	8 PM IST	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Pune	Bangalore
April 30	4 PM IST	Kochi v Delhi Daredevils	Kochi
April 30	8 PM IST	Mumbai Indians v Kings XI Punjab	Mumbai
May 1	4 PM IST	Rajasthan Royals v Pune Warriors	Jaipur
May 1	8 PM IST	Chennai Super Kings v Deccan Chargers	Chennai
May 2	8 PM IST	Delhi Daredevils v Kochi	Delhi
May 3	8 PM IST	Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders	Hyderabad
May 4	4 PM IST	Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals	Chennai
May 4	8 PM IST	Pune Warriors v Mumbai Indians	Navi Mumbai
May 5	4 PM IST	Kochi v Kolkata Knight Riders	Kochi
May 5	8 PM IST	Deccan Chargers v Delhi Daredevils	Hyderabad
May 6	8 PM IST	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kings XI Punjab	Bangalore
May 7	4 PM IST	Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings	Kolkata
May 7	8 PM IST	Mumbai Indians v Delhi Daredevils	Mumbai
May 8	4 PM IST	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kochi	Bangalore
May 8	8 PM IST	Kings XI Punjab v Pune Warriors	Mohali
May 9	8 PM IST	Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Super Kings	Jaipur
May 10	4 PM IST	Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians	Mohali
May 10	8 PM IST	Deccan Chargers v Pune Warriors	Hyderabad
May 11	8 PM IST	Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Jaipur
May 12	8 PM IST	Chennai Super Kings v Delhi Daredevils	Chennai
May 13	8 PM IST	Kochi v Kings XI Punjab	Indore
May 14	4 PM IST	Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers	Mumbai
May 14	8 PM IST	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders	Bangalore
May 15	4 PM IST	Kings XI Punjab v Delhi Daredevils	Dharamsala
May 15	8 PM IST	Kochi v Rajasthan Royals	Indore
May 16	8 PM IST	Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians	Kolkata
May 17	8 PM IST	Pune Warriors v Deccan Chargers	Pune
May 18	4 PM IST	Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Dharamsala
May 18	8 PM IST	Chennai Super Kings v Kochi	Chennai
May 19	8 PM IST	Pune Warriors v Kolkata Knight Riders	Pune
May 20	8 PM IST	Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals	Mumbai
May 21	4 PM IST	Kings XI Punjab v Deccan Chargers	Dharamsala
May 21	8 PM IST	Delhi Daredevils v Pune Warriors	Delhi
May 22	4 PM IST	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Chennai Super Kings	Bangalore
May 22	8 PM IST	Kolkata Knight Riders v Rajasthan Royals	Kolkata
May 24	8 PM IST	Qualifier 1	Mumbai
May 25	8 PM IST	Eliminator	Mumbai
May 27	8 PM IST	Qualifier 2	Chennai
May 28	8 PM IST	Final	Chennai

Australia v Canada: Live Cricket Scores and Updates | ICC Cricket World Cup Live Updates

Not the most exciting game – we all know who is going to win – but interesting to watch, nevertheless: Australia meets Canada at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, in the 35th match of the ICC World Cup 2011. Stay with us for live cricket scores, Castrol index updates (via Yahoo! Cricket), and more. Fans who want to watch the game online, free of charge, find that information at the end of this intro.

Australia and Canada only met once, 32 years ago, and since Australia have won the World Cup four times while Canada continue to be the competition’s whipping boys – as the Reuters stat box reveals. I like that term “whipping boys” – they are not the only ones though. Canada will be watching this with a lot of interest, and maybe, just maybe, they can show what they are really made of: even if they cannot cause an upset, at least they’ll put up a good fight? One can only hope – and judging by this year’s beautiful competition, nothing seems impossible. Minnows can turn to sharks with the right motivation…

And here comes another interesting fact: Australia are the only undefeated side left in the World Cup and only the very “foolish” — would put money on a bunch of part-time Canadians to break that run. Well, call me foolish, but I’d love to take that chance. Can you imagine my fortune, if Canada decides to prove us all wrong? Joking aside, Canada need the victory, at least for pride.

As promised, for those who want to watch the game online, here are a few websites providing live streaming, live scorecards and updates: ESPNstar.asia (live streaming available only in Asian countries), Crictime.com (site for live streaming, broadcasting on four different servers) and ESPN3.com (ideal for US viewers). Willow TV is also an official online broadcaster in the United States. Our most recent feed came via a very nice mail from someone who created a nice feed here called CricZero. Fans in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland can watch the game via BSkyB. A complete list of 2011 Cricket World Cup broadcasting rights can be found via Wikipedia, or at Yahoo! Sports, in *pdf format.

RCOM to provide replays of the ICC Cricket World Cup matches on Mobile Phones

This tie-up will also enable consumers in BluFi locations across the country and those using intARact augmented reality browser to view highlights and action replays of cricket matches for free

Reliance Communications and TELibrahma, a leading provider of mobile solutions, has partnered to deliver video updates and replays from the ICC World Cup cricket matches for all cricket lovers.

With this partnership TELiBrahma would deploy BluFi in stadiums and enable consumers to receive video highlights when they are watching the match in stadium. With the World Cup being played in different countries, this becomes the world's first and biggest in-stadia deployment.

This tie-up will also enable consumers in BluFi locations across the country and those using intARact augmented reality browser to view highlights and action replays of cricket matches for free.  This solution is supported on more than 80% of the mobile phones in India and works across phone models, operators and geographies.

Announcing the video updates service, Mr Mahesh Prasad, President Wireless Business, Reliance Communications said, “As ICC’s Global Partner till 2015 we are proud to be associated with the game that is growing in popularity across the globe. The innovation and advanced technology that RCOM incorporates is ideal for today’s consumer who is always on the move. This time our customers will enjoy cricket with our new service video updates from ICC World Cup.”

Commenting on the tie up, Mr. P R Satheesh, President, TELiBrahma said, “TELiBrahma is pleased to be associated with Reliance Communications and do next big thing on mobile. We believe it would help consumers to catch the missing action and advertisers to achieve better ROI from their investment in cricket. This opportunity will help brands to deliver what is relevant to consumers at the place where it matters and on a device that creates the impact". 

SWOT Analysis of team Australia and team Canada

The four times winner with a hat-trick in its kitty, Australia, is definitely the eye-candy for all the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 watchers. In the betting community, where the matches make the biggest impact, Australia is the second favorite team, with 11/2, after India, who enjoys 11/4. The team currently ranks 4th in Tests and 1st in ODIs.

The World Number 1 ODI Squad

With the Coach, Timothy Nielsen, the squad announced includes Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Ricky Ponting (Capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Cameron White, Tim Paine (wk), Steven Smith, John Hastings, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Doug Bollinger.

The exclusion of seasoned batsman Brad Hodge who is in prolific form in the Ryobi Cup, as the leading run-getter with three centuries at an average of 82.33 is sure to raise a few eyebrows. Yet as Ricky Ponting says, 'Australia may lack the big names it once had, but the three-time defending champion is still good enough to make an impact at this year's World Cup too." Ponting will remain the Captain of Australian team. The Hussey brothers too are included in the 15 men world cup squad and also the spin bowling champion Shaun Tait and the fas bowling terror Brett Lee are intact in the new team, despite injuries.

The Australian batting no more evokes the fear of life in the opposition without the retired Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist in their ranks. But the Antipodeans' bowling can pose a few puzzles, even on docile sub-continental pitches. The quartet of Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait and Doug Bollinger - three of them certainties in any given match -- can rattle the best in the business.

The Injured Superstars

Coach Nielsen once said, "You can't replace superstars". Each of the best Australian players has been through an injury phase in the recent days, and are back with a bang to defend the World Cup title for the fourth time.

Key Batsman Ricky Ponting - For most of the Australian summer leading to the World Cup, Ricky Ponting faced questions about his poor form and future, a broken finger only adding to his gloom. The right hand batsman and a close catching fielder, has till date altogether played 151 matches scoring a total of 12,333 runs at an average of 53.85. The Australia Captain has made 39 centuries and 56 half centuries.

The fastest spinner Shaun Tait - The Australia's fastest bowler Shaun Tait, who makes pace his ace, dropped out of international cricket in 2008 due to a combination of injury problems and depression later returned as a short-form specialist. still capable of making the world's top batsmen hop towards square leg. His expertise is in Express pace, and full length that can make turgid pitches irrelevant. Infact, Tait gave up first class cricket to protect his fragile body for 50-over and Twenty20 games. This spin master in 22 matches has taken 38 wickets at an average of 25.28.

Pace bomber Bret Lee - Fast bowler Brett Lee made a rousing return from a 15-month injury lay-off, bowling back at 150km/h. The 34 year old pace bomber, Lee, in 10 matches has 22 wickets at the world-class average of 17.91. He claims a wicket every 22.68 balls, or once every fourth over, a strike-rate unmatched by any quick, tweaker or medium-paced trundler in the showpiece 50-over extravaganza.

2010 Performance

Overall, the Aussies won 16 of their 25 matches played in 2010 and have managed to hold onto their number one ranking ahead of the World Cup.

The Ground acquaintance

Australia has long acquaintance with the Indian grounds - Sardar Patel Stadium (SPS), Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium (VCAS), R.Premadasa Stadium (RPS), M.Chinnaswamy Stadium (MCS) and Punjab Cricket Association Stadium (PCAS). The pitches are unlikely to be West Australia Cricket Association ground?s style decks.

ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP: Australia vs Canada

AUSTRALIA will look to continue its winning streak in the ICC Cricket World Cup when it faces Canada in Bangalore tonight at 7pm (AEST).

And you can catch all the action right here with live scores, online commentary and the Cricket World Cup interactive.

So what are you waiting for? Vote on the Cricket World Cup poll, check out the latest images from the sub-continent and cheer your team onto victory.

ICC Cricket World Cup: Day 26: Nice Tune-Up For Aussies

Trivandrum: After a commanding performance against Kenya in their previous outing, Australia have another light-weight encounter on their hands, against Canada in Bangalore. With the entire side fit and raring to go, the Aussies will look to pick up another easy 2 points and jump to the top of Group A.

The form of Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey was the biggest positive to come out of the Kenya game for the Kangaroos, who seem to be one of the most lethal sides in the tournament. They have an air about them of a team that knows exactly what they are doing, and it isn’t something to be surprised about, considering they are three-time defending champions.

Cameron White has been the sole batsman whose insipid form sticks out like a sore thumb. Though he is considered to be a top quality player by many in the Australian team management, it might not be all too bad an idea to give David Hussey a chance in place of the Victorian.

Having said that, White might very well find some much required form with a good hit in the middle against Canada, but another failure in this game might very well cut short his World Cup quite early on.

Spinner Jason Krejza has been bowling well and keeping things economical, but will have to get among the wickets to help his side’s cause during the middle-overs. The pace trio of Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson have so far done well, but they need the support of lead spinner Krejza.

Apart from these small issues, Australia are definitely one of the better balanced sides in the tournament, and will be looking to progress right through to the business end of the mega-event. They will use this game against Canada to iron-out any small worries and will also put into use any experiments they want to try ahead of the final Group game against Pakistan, and of course the quarter-finals.
Prediction: Easy Australian win.

Now an IPL like Wrestling League from November 2011

NEW DELHI: Indian Wrestling League, an event on the lines of hugely successful IPL, will be launched later this year, the Wrestling Federation of India announced on Monday.

The WFI in collaboration with Kolkata based Leisure Sports will organise the League during November and December this year.

"Each team shall be named after the franchisee owner and will be permitted to have two foreign wrestlers in each style," G S Mander, President of the Wrestling Federation of India, said.

The League will be held in seven weight categories for both men and women. During the first year, there will be six city based teams competing in the league.

The bouts in the five-week long competition will be held at different venues on last three days of the week.

The wrestlers will obtain classification points after every bout and at the conclusion of the league, prize money will be awarded to the winning team and also to the Champion wrestlers.