Sydney Morning Herald

Warne to bid adieu to IPL Times of India "I have always tried to be entertaining on the field - cricket to me has never been a job, it's been my hobby. Love the game and the people! " Warne wrote. "Thanks for kind words re my bowling - but it's 100% my last 4 games of professional cricket ... So long, ShaneBangalore Mirror Shane Warne: End of the spin kingGulfNews Warne turned Hampshire around - Dimitri MascarenhasBBC News sportal.co.in -BBC Sport -Gant Daily all 263 news articles »

Australian spin bowling great Shane Warne will retire from all forms of cricket at the end of the current IPL.

BBC Sport

Shane Warne calls time on career sportal.co.in Australian Test great Shane Warne has confirmed that he will retire from professional cricket after the Indian Premier League season. Warne, 41, retired from first-class cricket in 2007 and played his last one-day back international in 2005. ... Warne to retire after 2011 IPL campaignTimes Now.tv Shane Warne tweets his retirement from cricketSydney Morning Herald Australian spin bowling legend Shane Warne says he will retire from ...BBC Sport SkySports -The Sun -Clubcall all 219 news articles »

Telegraph.co.uk

Shane Warne - wine, women and wickets NDTV.com New Delhi: Australia's Shane Warne was that rare breed of sportsman who managed to balance a roller coaster life off the field with world-beating performances on it. (Also Read: Shane Warne announces IPL retirement | Top IPL celeb moments) The ... Warne to retire from pro cricket after IPL 2011American Chronicle Australian spin bowling great Shane Warne announces retirement after current ...Telegraph.co.uk Shane Warne to quit IPL after current seasonCricketnext.com sportsnewsfirst -Clubcall all 167 news articles »

The best of the action from the latest round of the 2011 County Championship. Updates though the day and click here for scores

11.51am: Notts 114-2
David Hopps writes: Nottinghamshire's ambitions stretch merely to batting all day in response to Yorkshire's 534-9. There is an alternative theory advanced by Andy Afford, editor of AOC magazine and Notts' spin bowling coach, that they could repeat
their miraculous victory at Headingley a fortnight ago - get level by lunchtime tomorrow, bowl out Yorkshire for 86 again and romp to victory in the last hour, at which point Yorkshire would formally announce that they would take no further part in the season. He was not being entirely serious.

This should provide ample opportunity to watch Ryan Sidebottom become red faced and a little waspish as he strives for a successful day against his old Notts colleagues. In the latest series of Shameless, there was an episode in which Frank Gallagher was hoping to find his nice alter ego. He was told that he didn't have one, but if he did he might have looked a little like Ryan Sidebottom.

Shameless is at its best when Paul Abbott, its creator, is centrally involved. Abbott's latest drama, Exile, ran over three successive nights over Bank Holiday. It was watchable stuff, but the BBC filming was clearly badly affected by the premature onset of winter, Oldham way, last November. Characters would walk into houses in golden sunshine then leave minutes later into snowdrifts. If Notts v Yorkshire has the same dodgy continuity then Yorkshire, 534-9 at start of play, could somehow find themselves 66-7 against by lunchtime.

There was a wonderful moment at stumps yesterday, as we were hanging around to interview Jonny Bairstow about his excellent double hundred (no, really, his comments are not worth passing on), and the umpire Steve O'Shaughnessy passed by. Sidebottom was with his wife and young child and O'Shaughnessy, who had turned down a ferocious lbw appeal from Sidebottom shortly before the close, gestured to the kiddie and ventured: "That puts life into perspective Ryan, it's not all about lbws."

From Sidebottom there was not a playful word to be had. He takes his profession seriously. It was missing, according to the replays, apparently.

Finally, apology time. When Bairstow hit that championship double hundred, it was suggested that only Essex's James Foster had achieved the feat among recent England wicketkeepers. Notts' coach Mick Newell gently pointed out this morning that this entirely overlooked Chris Read's 240 for Notts against Essex at Chelmsford in 2007. I have faithfully promised Newell that if Read gets another one today I will try to spot it.

11.46am: Vic Marks writes: Greetings. I seem to be at Edgbaston. It's the constant brrrrr of pneumatic drills that give it away. It's grey and chilly and noisy.

40 minutes into the day and the first wicket has just fallen. Croft caught at slip by Clarke off Woakes. The pitch, though not lethal, is not entirely trustworthy. Weather permitting there will be a result but I'm not sure who wins. At present with a lead of 202 and five wickets remaining I think I would prefer to be in Lancashire's shoes.

Hang on a minute. Woakes is now on a hatrick. Cross lbw first ball. Hatrick ball allowed to pass by Chapple. At present I might prefer to be in Warwickshire's shoes. Good game, cricket, when the draw is taken out of the equation (weather permitting)

11.29am: Mike Selvey writes: Even I, with a heart of stone when it comes to the fortunes of Yorkshire cricket ( I've served my time against them often enough to know about such things) felt a pang when I heard that young Jonny Bairstow had not only made his maiden first class hundred but went on to a double as well. It is , I guess, because we can see his dad in the features and the red hair. I bet he goes red in the face with the effort too.

Bluey was a terrific opponent, a quality keeper and combative batsman but beyond that a great enthusiast for the game of cricket. He took us for a brilliantly defiant hundred at Scarborough one year, albeit in a losing cause, loosening a few slates on the pavilion roof in the process. I remember too when, in Barbados, the England team, with no keeper available for a tour match ( I can't remember why exactly), called on Bluey, who was on the island entertaining, to the full, a tour group. Eventually he was located at the Mount Gay rum distillery. He still kept though.

There are problems at Edgbaston where Lancashire have a hold on Warwickshire. Apart from an unsatisfactory pitch, changed at the last minute because that which had been allocated was too dry, this started damp, pitted, and is now showing some erratic bounce. Of more concern though is the relaid outfield, which has not yet knitted properly with the square. Coming as it does right up to the stumps, it means that the bowlers back foot is kicking the turf out at the City end, leaving a large pot hole that needs constant attention. Apparently it takes 18 months to knit properly: this had been allowed 18 weeks. It is to be hoped that a solution is found by the time the Test match is played there, in front of the vast new stand, a solution will be found.

Now, a new feature: The County Blog Recipe Of The Day.
This from Nigel Slater's ' The Kitchen Diaries' and strictly speaking, the recipe for May 4, but appropriate given recent threads:

Chickpeas, with harissa, basil and ham
6 large tomatoes
a medium sized aubergine
olive oil -120ml
red wine vinegar-50ml
cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
chickpeas- 2 x 400g tins ( or soak your own, kingcrud)
large basil leaves- 12
Spanish ham or prosciutto -9 thin slices
For the dressing:
Harissa paste- 1 teaspoon
Olive oil- 60ml
Serves four
Set oven to 200 degreesC/ Gas 6

Cut tomatoes into six pieces each and put into roasting tin.
Discard aubergine stalk and slice flesh into four lengthways and then chunks, and then put into roasting tin with oil, vinegar, cumin, and generous grinding of black pepper and sea salt.
Roast for about an hour until aubergine is soft and golden brown, the tomatoes just caught at the edges and the whole is fragrant, juicy and sizzling.
Put tomatoes and aubergine into mixing bowl but leave juices behind in the tin. Mix the drained chickpeas with the tomatoes and aubergine.
Make the dressing by stirring harissa and olive oil into the roasting juices, then tip in with the vegetables.Leave a film of dressing in the tin. Leave the basil leaves whole and fold into the salad where they will wilt and soften.
Set roasting tin over a moderate heat, lay slices of ham in the dressing film and cook until they crisp slightly. Lift the ham out and lay slices on top of salad.
Serve it with crusty bread or as an accompaniment to grilled lamb, say.

Round 5 of the 2011 County Championship: Day three

Today's fixtures:

Division One
Sussex 438 v Hants 145-3 at Southampton
Yorkshire 534-9d v Notts 43-0 at Nottingham
Somerset 309 & 83-3 v Worcestershire 238 at Taunton
Lancashire 227 & 118-4 v Warwickshire 172 at Birmingham

Division Two
Gloucestershire 358 v Middlesex 296-4 at Bristol
Kent 280 v Northamptonshire 407-6 at Canterbury
Surrey 294 & 166-2 v Leicestershire 183 at The Oval

Your top team of writers today is: David Hopps at Trent Bridge; Vic Marks at Edgbaston; Barney Ronay at The Oval, and Mike Selvey in the Libero role.

Day Two match reports:
David Hopps writes: "Jonny Bairstow takes double century for Yorkshire off Nottinghamshire."

Vic Marks writes: "James Anderson gives Lancashire the edge over Warwickshire."

The new England set up

Poll: "Does England have too many cricket captains?"

Mike Selvey: "Success for Alastair Cook could put pressure on Andrew Strauss."

Andy Bull: "Andy Flower admits having three England captains is a gamble."

1981 revisited

A (short) review of "From the Ashes".

Your essential guide to the season

A preview of all the counties can be found here. You can find full fixture lists for the season here. And you can follow the action throughout the season here. There's also county cricket commentaries on BBC local radio here. County tables can be found here: Division One and Division Two.

Why not stick all these in your toolbar favourites?

You can also follow our cricket team here and on Twitter: David Hopps, Andy Wilson, Andy Bull and Steve Busfield.

Sydney Morning Herald

Warne to retire after IPL season BBC News Australian spin bowling legend Shane Warne says he will retire from professional cricket at the end of the current Indian Premier League campaign. The 41-year-old, who plays and coaches the Rajasthan Royals, confirmed the news on his Twitter account. ... Australian bowling legend Shane Warne set to quit after IPL IVEconomic Times Shane Warne tweets his retirement from cricketSydney Morning Herald Warne to retire after 2011 IPL campaignTimes Now.tv SkySports -sportal.co.in -Daily Mail all 99 news articles »

If anyone ever gave out awards for the most information packed into a Fringe episode,"The Last Sam Weiss" would win. This episode makes your head spin even more than last year's "Over There:Part 2" did. We're introduced to new revelations about Sam Wiess, Olivia, Peter, and *gulp* the future.

I could tell by about 5 minutes into the episode that this was not a Pinker/Wyman/Goldsman creation. It didn't have that smooth feel to it. As I pondered that thought, the "written by" credit appeared at 7:47, informing us "The Last Sam Weiss" was written by the female Fringe writing tag team of Owusu-Breen and Schapker. OK, I thought to myself. This is probably going to P/O hurt in some way...

I wouldn't do this in a review, but there is so much crammed into this chapter that I will list everything we've learned in "The Last Sam Weiss" below.



What We Learned In 321:

• Walter says Peter could have memory deficits and aphasia as a result of interacting with the Wave Sink Device
• 
  
  
  
  
• Tapioca Pudding is a useful distraction tactic for Walter Bishop
• 
  
  
  
  
• Sam Weiss has the original machine manuscript, and more!
• 
  
  
  
  
• Holyoke, Mass. is just outside Worcester, Mass.-NOT!!
• 
  
  
  
  
• Sam Weiss is at the very least the 6th in a line of Sam Weisses
• 
  
  
  
  
• Walter gets struck by lightning-twice!
• 
  
  
  
  
• It's apparently OK for Sam Weiss to drive Olivia Dunham around
• 
  
  
  
  
• Peter has either amnesia or aphasia when he first awakens-hard to tell which
• 
  
  
  
  
• The former Sam Weisses are buried in the Saint Arthelais mausoleum in western Mass.
• 
  
  
  
  
• The box and crowbar Sam and Olivia need is in the Whitely Museum in Boston
• 
  
  
  
  
• The Whitely Museum(and other buildings in the area) are experiencing lightning inside
• 
  
  
  
  
• The two Wave Sink Devices are causing a fift between them and horrifying events
• 
  
  
  
  
• Moving our WSD closer to the one Over There will stall the pace of destruction
• 
  
  
  
  
• Olivia's picture is on the paper manuscript page across from Peter!
• 
  
  
  
  
• Walter curves the paper to show Olivia bending the WSD with her mind. Olivia doubts her ability to do this. Walter has her practice her telekinesis on FauxLivia's Selectric 251 typewriter. Nothing happens and Olivia blames herself.
• 
  
  
  
  
• Peter was pretty sure there was a pawn shop at 42nd and Lexington in NYC. Turns out the pawn shop is on Third.
• 
  
  
  
  
• Peter buys the same Liberty half-dollar he owned as a child Over There
• 
  
  
  
  
• Peter tells a guard at Liberty Island he needs to see his father, the Secretary of Defense, Walter Bishop.
• 
  
  
  
  
• Olivia tells Walter Peter is on Liberty Island in NYC and they go and retrieve him
• 
  
  
  
  
• Astrid discovers the Selectric 251 typing Peter's mother's Greek phrase over and over
• 
  
  
  
  
• Walter and Olivia take Peter back to the Wave Sink Device in Pittsfield, Mass. Walter gives Peter a small physical and mental exam.
• 
  
  
  
  
• Olivia unlocks the WSD with her mind
• 
  
  
  
  
• Peter straps into the Wave Sink Device, just like in the picture of the manuscript
• 
  
  
  
  
• "Agent Bishop" finds himself in a war zone at least 10 years in the future. He is injured.
• 
  
  
  If you look at that list above it is truly amazing that the writers were able to include all that into a 42 minute show! What is most remarkable about this episode is the ending, where we are thrown into a future view of the Fringe Division at work, and Peter is apparently an active part of it, as an agent. Wow, is it May 6th yet?
  
  Things in the episode that remind me of other episodes:
  
  
  
• Peter in bed with a bedside heart monitor-reminds me of a similar scene in 223, "Over There:Part 2."
• 
  
  
  
  
• Sam Weiss' drawing of the box-rerminds me of a similarly-shaped box in 302, "The Box."
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• Sam Weiss prying the lid off the vault-reminds me of Peter opening a similar-looking container in NJ in 306, "6955 kHz."
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• Peter waking up wide-eyed with electrodes on his head-makes me think of his words to Olivia in 101, the pilot episode: "So you're saying my father is Dr. Frankenstein?"
• 
  
  
  
  
• Walter getting struck by lightning twice-reminds me of Dana Gray's history of the same thing happening to her in 317, "Stowaway."
• 
  
  
  
  
• "My name's....."-reminds me of the amnesia of Peter Lake, the main character in the book "Winter's Tale," by Mark Helprin, that young Olivia was reading in 315, "Subject 13."
• 
  
  
  
  
• Walter's reference to David Robert Jones and the lightbox-are a direct reference to 114, "Ability."
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• Astrid's announcement that "Peter's missing"-reminds me of Olivia telling Walter and Astrid "He's gone" in 219, "The Man From The Other Side."
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• Olivia running by explosions in the Whitely Museum hallway-reminds me of a similar thing as she ran with Peter in 314, "6B."
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• Sam's calculating his throw to make the vase fall and block the door-reminds me of Milo's calculated movements to make things happen in 303, "The Plateau."
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• Olivia using "Be A Better Man Than Your Father" to test her telekinesis-reminds me of the same phrase in 201, "A New Day In The Old Town."
• 
  
  
  
  
• "It's my favorite. It always brings me luck"-reminds me of Walter's "This one, this was your favorite" in 120, "There's More Than One Of Everything."
• 
  
  
  
  
• "Don't say I never took you anywhere"-reminds me of Peter saying a similar thing to Olivia in the sewer in 116, "Unleashed."
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• "You have no idea how extroardinary you are"-reminds me of Peter's "I've never met anyone who can do the things you do" in 215, "Jacksonville."
• 
  
  
  
  
• "I love you"-reminds me of John Scott saying the same to Olivia in 113, "The Transformation."
• 
  
  
  
  
• "Dear God!"-Walter said the same thing upon seeing the creature in 116, "Unleashed."
• 
  
  
  
  
• Walter beding the piece of paper to show Olivia bending the WSD with her mind-reminds me of Walter bending the paper to show how Alistair Peck could bend time in 218, "White Tulip."
• 
  
  
  Things That Struck Me About This Episode:
  
  
  
• "Riders On The Storm" on young Nate's Ipod:-the lyrics of this are quite apropos for this episode: "Girl you gotta love your man, take him by the hand, make him understand." Yeah, I like it. I wonder who the Doors fan is? The writers or the executive producers? Or both? And I think that the actors, the characters, and even we the audience are Riders Of The Storm, and it's just getting started!
• 
  
  
  
  
• Why would father Gary get out of his car in a lightning storm?-He looked strange and was dressed all in black. Is he a shape-shifter? Is that why he was so fearless?
• 
  
  
  
  
• "Spontaneous dry lightning storm, just outside Worcester." Holyoke, Massachusetts is not just outside Worcester, Massachusetts. Call me picky but I think if you're gonna write about distance like that you should make it as factual as you can. Holyoke is a good 40 minutes or more west of Worcester.
• 
  
  
  
  
• Regarding Sam Weiss being at least the 6th in a line of Sam Weisses-Hmm. Is this a play on the book series "The Saga of Seven Sons," in which the 7th son of the 7th son(I think that's how it goes) has special powers? (I have also wondered if the Violet Sedan Chair album, "Seven Suns" is also a nameplay on that book series.)
• 
  
  
  
  
• Walter getting struck by lightning-twice. Hmm. All of a sudden people are getting struck by lightning twice! Remember how Dana Gray's boss, in "Stowaway" told Lincoln Lee and Peter that she was struck by lightning twice? Also, if you've been reading the latest crop of Fringe comics, you'll remember there's one more member of Over Here that's been struck by lightning at least once-Nina Sharp.
• 
  
  
  
  
• Doesn't Peter look like Frakenstein's monster when he awakes with those electrodes on his head and the scars on his face?" I mentioned above the quote I thought of from the series pilot, and I think this reference is deliberate.
• 
  
  
  
  
• Ben Franklin's "Poor Richard's Almanac"-nice segue into Walter demonstrating Ben's kite experiment. And Walter kissing the top of Astrid's head? Adorable. (Notice he said her name correctly at least twice in this episode.)
• 
  
  
  
  
• Walter's science demonstration to Broyles-Very nice. Science whether you want it or not.
• 
  
  
  
  
• "Walter, maybe if you give me Cortexiphan..." This whole scene between Walter and Olivia was very bittersweet. A very Akiva Goldsman-like scene. Nice job, writers.
• 
  
  
  
  
• The police officer outside of the Whitney Museum-He and the cabbie had pretty good Massachusetts accents. We don't hear much of those on this show, even though it's based in Boston.
• 
  
  
  
  
• "Sam Weiss, patron member since '82."-Love that bit of humor. Hard to hate Sam when he does things like that.
• 
  
  
  
  
• Sam's Indiana Jones' type moves and "I work in a bowling alley."Hard to hate him when he does that too!
• 
  
  
  
  
• "I could've sworn there was one here..." Peter tells the male pedestrian at 42nd & Lex this as he struggles to figure out where the pawn shop is that he has been to before. If this scene makes the hairs stand up on your arm like poor Nate's did, you're not alone. This scene reminds me of Peter telling the bald kid in "Inner Child," that he could've sworn his GI Joe had its scar on the opposite side of his face, which was our first subtle clue that Peter wasn't from Over Here. Peter is having trouble remembering the differences between Over Here and Over There, and I have this creepy feeling that the showrunners are hinting that we'ver been looking at everything from a different angle from the pilot episode up to now. It's hard to put into words, but it's a thought worth remembering.
• 
  
  
  
  
• "That you don't fail." I wonder if that will be true of Olivia forever?
• 
  
  
  
  
• "I love you." Whoa! How many of you went "Oh" or gasped when Olivia told Peter that? What a huge confession for our Olivia!
• 
  
  
  
  
• Peter did not tell Olivia he loved her back. Hmm. I honestly expected something like this from these two writers. They also wrote "Marionette," which was a very P/O painful episode. I wonder what Olivia was thinking when he didn't reply with the same words?
• 
  
  
  
  
• Peter had two sets of flashbacks. The first set I believe was all of Season 1. The second set after he was locked into the WSD, was Seasons 1, 2, and 3 all mixed together. Notice there were no intimate thoughts of either Olivia during this, which is interesting. And, he was thinking of the "Projection Peter" kiss? Why would he picture that?! And he imaged he and Olivia as the kids they were in "Subject 13"? My first comment is, that maybe he was also thinking her thoughts once he was strapped in? I believe P/O worked together mentally to put out the light bomb in "Ability" AND that they worked together when she opened up the machine. That's just my opinion, though, I could be wrong. There were also images of Walter in the second set of flashbacks and I loved that.
• 
  
  
  
• Images of Fringe Division future. Wow. Is it May 6th yet?!
• 
  
  
  Overall this was an incredible episode. Because the writers crammed so much into it I will forgive them for not researching the geography of Massachusetts.
  
  I give this episode 5 out of 5 Over There half-dollars.

• Zimbabwean has more say in scheduling and planning
• Strauss's future as one-day captain up for discussion

Andy Flower has capitalised on his status as a double Ashes-winning coach by negotiating a new contract as England's team director which is understood to give him greater influence over scheduling and planning as well as an improvement in financial terms.

That planning process will begin next week with a two-day meeting in the Midlands involving Flower, his Australian bowling coach, David Saker, and the England managing director, Hugh Morris, at which they will review the team's winter of two halves – Ashes triumph followed by World Cup disappointment – and look ahead to the 2013 Ashes series and beyond.

Andrew Strauss's future as the one-day captain, which has been the subject of speculation since England's early World Cup exit, will inevitably be one of the subjects under discussion. So will the workload on coaches as well as players, although there is not understood to be any firm agreement in Flower's new deal over future touring commitments from which he may be released, contrary to recent suggestions.

The England and Wales Cricket Board was also keen to stress that Flower's improved deal does not involve any fundamental change to the arrangement under which he has previously been employed – as a permanent member of staff rather than for a set contracted period of two or three years.

That is a contrast with Saker, whose new three-year contract was announced during the fifth Test win in Sydney with which England secured the Ashes in January. Flower's bargaining position was strengthened considerably both by England's success in Australia and when he was widely touted as a possible successor to Gary Kirsten when he stepped down as India's coach after their World Cup triumph.

The announcement last week that the former England coach Duncan Fletcher would instead succeed Kirsten removed any doubt that Flower would be staying – but on his own terms. The 43-year-old Zimbabwean had already set the team fresh goals of climbing to the top of the ICC's world Test rankings and improving their standing in one-day cricket.

They were sixth in the Test rankings when he took over in unenviable circumstances in early 2009 after Kevin Pietersen had in effect driven out Peter Moores, Flower's predecessor as coach who initially brought him into the England set-up as batting coach. But they have now climbed to third, in addition to winning the ICC World Twenty20 this time last year, and Flower said: "I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to build on the considerable progress we have made to date as a squad and remain fully committed to developing the side and ensuring we are in a position to realise our objective of becoming the No1 side in the world."When I was appointed England team director in 2009 I stated that I wanted to create a winning England team and I am very pleased with the advances we have made as a squad over the last two years in all formats of the game. Regaining the Ashes in 2009 and retaining them last winter and the 2010 World Twenty20 title are obvious highlights, but there is still plenty more we want to achieve in the longer term.

"We have made no secret of our determination to become the No1 side in the world and challenge for global titles and I feel we have been making steady progress. I firmly believe we have the talent among the playing squad and management team to help us realise our ambitions and am looking forward to testing ourselves against quality opposition this summer and beyond."

After home series against Sri Lanka and India this summer, England have a less gruelling winter schedule than the one they have endured. After a few one-day games in India in October, they have a two-month window until Christmas, although they then have away Test series in Pakistan (likely to be played in Abu Dhabi and Dubai) and Sri Lanka early in 2012.

Other decisions to be made concern the rest of Flower's support staff. Richard Halsall, the fielding coach who was put in temporary charge when Flower had his health scare during the first Test of the Ashes series in Brisbane, will remain a key figure, while Graham Gooch and Mushtaq Ahmed were the other high-profile coaches used in Australia.

"It's great news," said the England spin bowler, Graeme Swann. "From an English perspective he's the greatest coach in the world and we're more than happy to see him put pen-to-paper again," he told Sky Sports. "He has formed an excellent partnership with Strauss, which is important. You have to have a strong leadership partnership and that's been exceptional."

Just like Barnes Wallis's original idea, this documentary was pretty daft

A two-hour documentary about the bouncing bomb? A little second world war background, a potted biography of the inventor, Barnes Wallis, graphics explaining the engineering, lots of footage from The Dam Busters and some CGI demonstrations of what happens if the bomb goes wrong . . .

Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb (C4) had all that, but it also had Hugh Hunt, a Cambridge professor of engineering with a plan to recreate the 1943 attack on the Möhne dam, on a smaller (but hardly small) scale. It was, in many ways, as daft a project as the original idea, which Bomber Harris called "tripe of the wildest description".

Wallis began his experiments with marbles and a washtub. Professor Hunt used a cricket bowling machine and a swimming pool, which gave one a very clear understanding of how hard it is to make a bomb bounce on water. It works if the angle is shallow enough, but if the plane flies too low the bomb is liable to bounce up and hit it, as was shown in archive footage of Wallis's tests.

The solution, as you may well know, is to put some serious backspin on your bomb. A bowling machine turned on its side does this rather obligingly.

There isn't a country on earth, apparently, where it's legal to drop bombs out of planes onto dams, but in the wilds of northwestern Canada they'll let you get away with a pretty close approximation. Hunt commissioned a temporary dam by the edge of a lake, and a foul-mouthed pilot called Arnie to fly at it armed with a dummy bomb.

A tension between Arnie and the professor made this more enjoyable that it might have been, and the possibility of failure made it quite involving, even over two hours. As much goes wrong as goes right: the bombs don't release properly; they don't spin fast enough; the dam is leaking ("It's washing out?" said Arnie. "Holy fuck!"). But the whole thing was a testament to the power of calculation, experimentation and recalculation. And if you made it to the end you got to see a pretty cool explosion.

Charlie Zailer, played by Olivia Williams, is the second female detective (after Vera) to turn up on ITV in as many nights. Case Sensitive (ITV1) is very much in the Prime Suspect mould, a mould someone clearly forgot to break. DS Zailer is grumpy, chilly, even a bit of a cow. Her male colleagues are sexist and patronising. It's her first day, and she's already letting her personal life interfere with her work. But she's good.

And Case Sensitive is also good: gritty and spare, with a few genuinely startling turns. A seemingly open-and-shut murder-suicide (mother and daughter, overflowing bathtub) started to unravel straight away. The husband's alibi wasn't as airtight as first appeared, and it seemed his previous wife also drowned. Plus there was this woman who'd had a one-night stand with him, and decided to get in touch. Bad idea, obviously, but her own motivations were potentially suspect.

By the end it was clear that the murderer, whoever it was, was very weird. In her review of Vera yesterday Zoe Williams pointed out that British whodunnits invariably combine believable characters with utterly preposterous crimes. This would appear to describe Case Sensitive to a tee, but so far my only real quibble is with the title. What has this dark police drama got to do with remembering that your Facebook password contains both upper and lowercase characters? If that turns out to be the key to solving the mystery, I'm going to be very disappointed.

The guilty pleasure of property shows derives from nursing one's loathing for the real-life buyers and renovators. They invariably come across as demanding, indecisive, thick and vulgar. Young, Rich and Househunting (BBC3) seemed to want pare the property format down to this bare essence: three self-regarding rich kids waft around looking at properties and being sniffy about them. What's not to hate?

The problem was they weren't that young (Luke may have been spoiled, lazy and stupid, but at 25 he was old enough to know better) or that rich (£800k is a tremendous amount of money, but it doesn't buy you much in the way of monstrous vulgarity in central London). And there wasn't much poor judgment on show either. Luke bought a modest flat to rent out. Milly ended up with a shop. No one got what they wanted — including me.

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9th over: Mumbai Indians 57-1 (target 119; Tendulkar 18, Rayudu 25) The tall legspinner Rahul Sharma replaces Murali Kartik (2-0-16-0). He beats Rayudu with consecutive deliveries, the first with a bit of extra pace and the second with a lot of extra bounce. It looks like it might be a good over for Pune, with just two runs from the first five deliveries, but then Rayudu strong-arms the last ball over midwicket for four. "Suzanne, I have thoroughly enjoyed Atherton's and Dickie Bird's autobiographies," says P.Satish Kumar. "I would recommend both."

8th over: Mumbai Indians 51-1 (target 119; Tendulkar 17, Rayudu 20) Cricket has moved on so much in the last 10 years that teams can now score six an over with barely a risk, and that's what Mumbai are doing here. After a few singles, Rayudu strokes a poor delivery from Parnell through extra cover for four, a really nice stroke that also brings up the fifty. "For what it's worth (answer: not much), the 'naff' knockout system used in the IPL directly mirrors the system used at international curling championships," says Darren Kilfara. "It's also pretty close to what they do in Australian Rules Football, except eight teams qualify for the playoffs and they have to go through two layers of this process before reaching the Grand Final. Any advance on that from any of your other readers, I wonder?" No plurals necessary.

7th over: Mumbai Indians 41-1 (target 119; Tendulkar 15, Rayudu 14) Tendulkar heaves Kartik into the leg side for a couple, and a flurry of low-risk singles make it another good over for Mumbai. At this stage, they are cruising. "Over on the county cricket blog," says Mike Murphy, "the auto-refresh still bears the legend 'This page will update automatically every minute', which seems to suggest an unnecessary, not to mention rather uncivilised, rush. Unless of course it's merely a ruse from the site editor to try and chivvy Wilson, Hopps, Selvey et al into earning their corn with more regular updates?"

6th over: Mumbai Indians 32-1 (target 119; Tendulkar 11, Rayudu 11) Rayudu flails the new bowler Wayne Parnell through extra cover for a couple, and is then beaten by a very full delivery angled across him. Five from the over, so Mumbai need 87 from 84 balls. "Dammit Smyth," says Leo Mirani. "I was just getting used to an post-World Cup, OBO-less life; a life where I could work undisturbed and untempted by the cricket. As it is it's hard enough to resist the webcast but now you've jumped into the fray. What with the wedding and the bank holidays and now the OBO, how is anyone supposed to get anything done?" You're getting married?

5th over: Mumbai Indians 27-1 (target 119; Tendulkar 10, Rayudu 7) The left-arm Murali Karkit spinner, one of life's more talented journeymen, comes into the attack. In other news, Danny Morrison has just made a rifle noise. With his mouth. I wonder how many times John Arlott did that. Anyway, Rayudu forces Kartik's third ball through the covers for four, aided by some iffy fielding. "This Tendulkar chap has not yet managed to get himself an average in this year's IPL," says Harkarn Sumal. "He's played in four matches and not yet been out, with a return to date of 201 runs. Frankly, his consistency is ridiculous. A colleague and I were trying to find a blemish to place on the sainted man, and the best we managed was the fact that he's (indirectly) responsible for the swarms of insane psychotic raging followers that go on the rampage 'below the line' on Cricinfo stories or within that website's ball-by-ball coverage (other text-based coverage is available…er… like this very one here) the moment anyone offers any sort of sensible critique – as distinct from criticism – of the little fella. In fact they even turn conversations/stories about entirely unrelated matters into bitter and pompous Sachin-fests. That's the best we could come up with to stick on the genius. We did try to come up with the most incendiary way of setting these followers 'off on one', and the best we managed was dream up was a suggestion that Inzamam-ul-Haq was a superior batsman and ambassador for the game. Neither of us dared to post this suggestion though, in case it resulted in a meltdown of the Cricinfo servers. You'd love to see the fall-out though, wouldn't you?"

4th over: Mumbai Indians 20-1 (target 119; Tendulkar 9, Rayudu 1) That's a gorgeous stroke from Tendulkar, who rubber-wrists an errant delivery from Wagh through square leg for four. If you'll allow me to state the offensively obvious, Pune needs to get him soon if they are to have any chance of victory. "Indian cricket is full of unfulfilled talents who left the sport frustrated because of a lack of political support," says Arvind Ramanan. "We Tamilians consider our people the most wronged by the BCCI and cribbing about a supposed anti-Southerner bias is a favourite pastime. The list of unfulfilled Tamilian talents [either never picked or unjustly discarded] is endless: L Sivaramakrishnan, Vaman Kumar, V Ramanarayan, S Sharath, M Ventakaramana, Sunil Subramaniam. The latest casualties are L.Balaji and S.Badrinath. two players itching to make it in India colours, but who are being kept out either by cloggers like Sreesanth/Munaf Patel in Balaji's case or by youngsters like Pujara/Rohit Sharma/Kohli in Badri's case. IMO, Badri should play for India at No3 in Tests after Dravid retires. No one listens!" I'm listening.

3rd over: Mumbai Indians 12-1 (target 119; Tendulkar 2, Rayudu 2) Tendulkar is beaten by a jaffa from Thomas, a lifting leg-cutter that is taken at neck height by the keeper Paine. He beats him again two balls later, this time with one that cramped Tendulkar as he tried to make room and flay through the off side. A fine over, just one from it. "There's a nice little piece on Danny Morrison's delivery here," says Drew Gascard. Ah, thank goodness. I thought I was the only one.

2nd over: Mumbai Indians 11-1 (target 119; Tendulkar 1, Rayudu 2)
Earlier in the over, Tendulkar got off the mark with a single that also made him the leading scorer in the competition so far. Doesn't he know this is supposed be a young man's game? Is there anything he can't do? Can someone ask him to see if he can cure baldness, please? Nice one. "You've actually succeeded in cursing the IPL OBO by doing the first stint on a match that'll be over in 75 minutes," says Guy Hornsby. "I didn't think you had it in you. The glorious thing about this is we can get all the 'action' without any teeth-grindingly terrible references to sponsors. If the OBO was sponsored, what would it sell? 'That's another great Naylor Monster Munch metaphor' or 'There's a real lack of Liver Compromiser emails at the moment'. The possibilities are endless." They're not, though, are they?

WICKET! Mumbai Indians 9-1 (Franklin c Manhas b Wagh 6) There's the early wicket that Pune needed. Franklin, playing a touch too early, chips the left-arm seamer Shrikant Wagh straight to mid on.

1st over: Mumbai Indians 6-0 (target 119; Franklin 6, Tendulkar 0) After a 0.4-second interval, the players are back on the field. Somerset's Alfonso Thomas opens the bowling, and James Franklin clatters the fourth ball past backward point for four. Six from the over. "How are the preparations for your and Andy Bull's live Oath-By-Oath blog of next week's wedding going?" asks Suzanne Hall. "Also, I received a copy of David Kynaston's book, WG's Birthday Party, for my birthday and wondered if anyone could recommend any other good books about cricket? Ideally with brightly coloured spines - I have eschewed the traditional alphabetical within genre taxonomy for books in favour of colour coding." I'm no spine fetishist, so can't comment on those, but the Wisden Cricketer had a list of the 50 greatest cricket books last year. I think it's online somewhere.

INNINGS BREAK

WICKET! Pune Warriors 118 all out (Sharma c Murtaza b Patel 13) That's the end of the innings. Sharma cracks a low full toss from Patel towards the cover sweeper Murtaza, who takes an excellent tumbling catch. Pune have left 22 balls unused; "very very naughty" says Danny Morrison. I never want to hear Danny Morrison speak the phrase "very very naughty" ever again.

Anyway, Mumbai need 119 to win, and they should get them with around four overs and seven wickets to spare. See you in 10 minutes.

17th over: Pune Warriors 118-9 (Sharma 13, Thomas 0) "Re the top five imaginary jobs, here's an exchange from What's New Pussycat?" says Gary Naylor. "Michael: Did you get a job? Victor: Yes, I got something at the strip-tease, I help the girls dress and undress. Michael: Nice job. Victor: Twenty Francs a week. Michael: Not very much. Victor: It's all I could afford."

WICKET! Pune Warriors 118-9 (Wagh c Symonds b Malinga 2) Wagh spoons a slower ball from Malinga straight to Symonds at short midwicket. That's Malinga's 11th wicket of the tournament; he's the leading wickettaker.

16th over: Pune Warriors 111-8 (Sharma 8, Wagh 0) "Danny Morrison has been excellent in the IPL," says Stuart Wilson. "Some of his comments have even rivalled those that could be expected from Bumble. My favourite was the other night when the camera focussed on a tearful young lady who had just watched the Mumbai Indians loose. He literally screamed 'start the car, lady, it's all over'!"

WICKET! Pune Warriors 111-8 (Parnell b Franklin 9) That's a superb shot from Rahul Sharma, who picks Franklin up over long on for the second six of the innings. Parnell then charges down the track and flat-bats four more over mid off. What has happened to James Franklin's bowling? He's followed the Mark Richardson route. Inevitably, the moment I typed that he took his first wicket. Parnell missed a mow across the line and the ball skipped on to hit the stumps.

15th over: Pune Warriors 100-7 (Parnell 5, Sharma 1) Ali Murtaza ends with excellent figures of 4-0-18-2. "I hope India pioneer a five-day version of football which prides itself on not much happening," says Scott W. "All the players can wear the same kit, all the clubs can be in masses of debt, crowds could be tiny... You see where I'm going with this, yeah?"

WICKET! Pune Warriors 98-7 (Uthappa c Pollard b Murtaza 45) What an awesome catch from Kieron Pollard. This really is outrageous. The dangerous Uthappa pinged Murtaza down the ground, and Pollard charged round from long on before diving forward to take a glorious two-handed catch a few centimetres from the floor. That's a stunning piece of athleticism and judgement. He spreads both arms wide in a Flintoffian messiah pose, and the entire Mumbai team sprint to embrace him. That catch has surely won the match for Mumbai.

14th over: Pune Warriors 97-6 (Uthappa 45, Parnell 3) Someone just needs to stay with Uthappa for a few overs, as he looks in great nick. After a helping of ones and twos, he skilfully steers Franklin wide of backward point for four. Ten from the over, and I WISH THEY'D STOP SHOWING THAT BLOODY FOSTER'S ADVERT BETWEEN OVERS. Sorry, needed to get that off my chest.

13th over: Pune Warriors 87-6 (Uthappa 38, Parnell 0) Earlier in the over, the dangerous Uthappa was caught at midwicket off a beamer from Malinga, which was obviously a no-ball. "Just don't tell your family you've stooped to this," says Lord Selvey. "They think you play piano in a brothel." My all-time top five dream jobs are...

WICKET! Pune Warriors 87-6 (Kartik c Symonds b Malinga 11) Another feeble dismissal. Kartik, who had been playing a sensible supporting role until then, chips Malinga straight to Andrew Symonds at mid on. Andrew Symonds! I remember him.

12th over: Pune Warriors 79-5 (Uthappa 32, Kartik 10) The New Zealander James Franklin comes into the attack. His first ball is on the pads of Uthappa – "starts badly into those legs" says Danny Morrison, who seems determined to construct as many phrases and sentences as possible that have literally never been used on this planet before – and tucked away for four. The next ball is a front-foot no-ball, harshly called by Asad Rauf; then the free hit is also a front-foot no-ball, but he gets away with the resulting free hit. A few singles make it eleven from the over. "Rayudu's been a tragic case,," says P.Satish Kumar. "At one point he was one of the brightest talents in India but his own hot-headedness combined with the way Hyderabad cricket has been run as one man's fiefdom had forced him out. He went away to the ICL frustrated but it has been wonderful to see him back on a stage where he belongs. The BCCI letting ICL players back into the official fold has been a great decision for Indian cricket. Rayudu now plays Ranji cricket for Baroda." That's something we could discuss: your favourite/most romantic unfulfilled talent. I've always had a soft spot for Duncan Spencer, Mark Lathwell and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan. In fact, you can talk about absolutely anything you like. Just send some emails. Please.

11th over: Pune Warriors 68-5 (Uthappa 25, Kartik 8) Kartik tries to hook Nechim, and the ball flies off the gloves and over the wicketkeeper's head for four. "Had a lick and got lucky!" says Danny Morrison. I have literally no idea what that means. I don't want to know; it doesn't matter when it's delivered with such elan. Danny Morrison is brilliant. "Not sure how much love you'll be getting over the emails for the Maharashtra clasico, probably only lazy no-goods who should be working," says Harry Drew. "So here's my pick for a fantasy T20 player - Albert Trott. Brilliant all-rounder - cleared the Lord's pavilion despite not having a modern monster bat and took four wickets in four balls and then another hat-trick in the same innings. Plus he liked to have a beer with the spectators on the boundary. I'd pay to see that..." Such derring-do is still associated with the name Trott. Jonathan, Heather. Dave.

10th over: Pune Warriors 60-5 (Uthappa 23, Kartik 2) To borrow a phrase from Chaucer, it's Uthappa or bust for Pune. After a couple of dot balls from the returning Malinga, Uthappa smokes one back over the bowler's head for four. Still, just six from a good Malinga over. Danny Morrison is back on commentary. That's the most important thing. "Rob, I was a little surprised to see you back so soon after the World Cup," says Luke Dealtry. "Pleasantly surprised... but at the same time... a little worried. Are you sure you're ready to get back into this? We don't want to see you fisting your keyboard in rage by 2pm. We know what OBOing the World Cup did to you." I just love the game, Luke. Love the player, love the game. That's my motto.

9th over: Pune Warriors 54-5 (Uthappa 18, Kartik 1) "My fantasy Twenty20 player would be Mike Procter," says Gary Naylor. "Averaged less than 19 in one day matches, through judicious use of a hideous short ball and unplayable yorker delivered off the wrong foot, over and round the wicket with windmilling Waqaresque arms that gave the batsman no chance to get set. Batted a bit too. Good to see Ambati Rayudu in the Mumbai team – this knock (at 16 years of age!) was every bit as good as it looks." Bloody hell! That's the most one-sided scorecard since Vijay Hazare's miraculous innings in 1943-44.

WICKET! Pune Warriors 52-5 (Mishra c Sharma b Murtaza 12) There goes the fightback. Mishra, having smashed Murtaza riskily to long on for a one-bounce four, tries to repeat the shot next ball and holes out to Rohit Sharma. That wasn't the smartest stroke.

8th over: Pune Warriors 48-4 (Uthappa 17, Mishra 8) Kieron Pollard comes into the attack. There's no Devon Thomas to shout "Bowling big boy, bowled big boy, bowled Polly", alas. Not that there is much good bowling – Pollard's first over has disappeared for 13. The first ball was short, wide and cut for four by Uthappa; the second was a front-foot no-ball, and the dangerous Uthappa swiped the resulting free hit over long on for a big six. Pune have recovered really well from that farcical little spell.

7th over: Pune Warriors 35-4 (Uthappa 6, Mishra 7) Just two from an excellent Patel over. "If I hadn't importuned you with emails earlier requesting an IPL OBO I apologise," says Ravi Nair. "I definitely did it in principle a million times. On another note, given what happened a couple of days ago, is Tendulkar (hallowed be his name) yet again going to be saddled with the 'pointless century scoring' tag?" (For those who don't know, Tendulkar scored a century the other day but Mumbai left.) Sachin (we're on first-name terms) left that reputation behind a few years ago, didn't he? It was an issue for a time – and I remember a very good piece from Sambit Bal in Wisden Cricket Monthly on the subject in 2002 – but surely people don't mention it anymore. Do they? I do like the idea of judging quality rather than quantity of runs and wickets, though. If you do that, the likes of Slater and Thorpe look better than their Test average of, from memory, 42.83 and 44.66.

6th over: Pune Warriors 33-4 (Uthappa 5, Mishra 6) Nechim strays onto the pads of Uthappa and the ball scoots away for four byes. Then Uthappa lifts a beautiful boundary back over the bowler's head. I've no idea how Pune get back into the match from here. They have two chances of winning, and slim is a traditionalist who doesn't do Twenty20. "FYI, even we Indians aren't following these matches," says Arvind Ramanan. "My cricket-loving friends and I have invested too much emotion into the WC and have nothing left to give to the IPL. A 50 per cent record will take you to the knockout stages and that is probably what all teams are aiming to achieve."

5th over: Pune Warriors 23-4 (Uthappa 0, Mishra 6) Mohnish Mishra, leaning into a push-drive, snicks just wide of slip for four. It's mayhem. There are shades of South Africa's shambolic batting performance in the 2007 World Cup semi-final, when they played far too many shots too early in thie piece. Anyway, here's Zachary Gomperts-Mitchelson. That's what it says on the email. Don't shoot the cut-and-paster. "Do you feel a wee bit dirty?" How do you know about the t- "Today great green beeearitish Counties play each other at cricket and your OBOing people having fun. Doesn't seem the thing, no wonder your scorned followers arn't emailing. To be honest now that Somerset have done to me what Arsenal have been doing all season I'm going to take the oppurtunity to miss a bit of county cricket and support a team with Tendulkar and Malinga in it, seeing both names on the same teamsheet makes me feel a bit tingly."

WICKET! Pune Warriors 17-4 (Yuvraj c Rayudu b Patel 0) This is getting silly. The captain Yuvraj has gone second ball, and Pune have lost four wickets for one run. He poked at a good one from Patel that moved away just enough to take the edge on its way through to Rayudu. That was a fine delivery.

WICKET! Pune Warriors 17-3 (Paine b Patel 3) Pune Warriors are having a shocker. Paine goes for a humongous and preposterous – all the ouses – pull at a delivery from the new bowler Munaf Patel that was too full for the shot; he missed, and the ball hit the top of the off stump.

4th over: Pune Warriors 17-2 (Paine 2, Uthappa 0) Danny Morrison has sidled into that commentary box, armed with a year's supply of enthusiasm and that soft, ticklish voice. "I'm not sure what standard of emails you're expecting today Rob," says Elliot Carr-Barnsleyh. "I'm not sure the OBO readership is ready for excitement that burns so brightly then is gone so soon. We tend to demand that our trudge through a town called Existential Despair isn't sidetracked by popping into the gawdy nightclub Cheap Thrill with Self Hate on our arm." Leave the Englishness out of this. At least wait till Michael Lumb (born in South Africa), Eoin Morgan (born in Ireland) or Owais Shah (born in Pakistan) are playing.

WICKET! Pune Warriors 17-2 (Munhas c Rayudu b Nechim 0) Two wickets in three balls. After Paine survives an LBW shout, Mithun Manhas has a miserable, leaden-footed waft – a real windy woof – at his first delivery and snicks it through to the keeper Rayudu. I think he was also beaten for pace.

WICKET! Pune Warriors 16-1 (Ryder c Tendulkar b Nechim 12) That's a big wicket for Mumbai. The new bowler Abu Nechim digs in a short one and Ryder, beaten for pace, loops a pull stroke straight to Tendulkar at midwicket.

3rd over: Pune Warriors 16-0 (Ryder 12, Paine 2) Ryder, a sublimely gifted and fractionally underrated player, pings Murtaza sweetly over mid off for a one-bounce four. Then Paine, who has started rustily, is beaten by a bit of extra bounce as he tries to cut. "Enjoying your birthday presents Smyth?" says my colleague Tom Lutz. "Apologies they are two years late. Plus I have moths in my cupboard so they may have eaten the Stone Roses record." Yes, my birthday presents from January 2009 were stolen/looked after while I staggered into the night by Lutz. Happy birthday to me!

2nd over: Pune Warriors 10-0 (Ryder 7, Paine 1) After a short delay – no idea why – Lasith Malinga tears in to bowl the second over. This might well be a one-over spell. His third ball is a slower one that Ryder picks and drives disdainfully over mid on for four. Later in the over, the IPL debutant Tim Paine is beaten by his first two deliveries.

1st over: Pune Warriors 3-0 (Ryder 3, Paine 0) Ali Murtaza, the young left-arm spinner, will open the bowling. He zips the second ball past Ryder's attempted cut and then has a huge stumping appeal next ball. It went to the third umpire, but Ryder had dragged his back foot into the crease in time. Just three from a decent first over.

Please send me an email. Please. I just can't do this alone.

Yuvraj Singh has won the toss and Pune will bat first. Sachin Tendulkar says he would have bowled anyway.

Mumbai Indians Tendulkar (c), Sharma, Rayudu (wk), Franklin, Pollard, Symonds, Sathish, Nechim, Murtaza, Patel, Malinga.

Pune Warriors Paine (wk), Ryder, Manhas, Uthappa, Yuvraj (c), Mishra, Parnell, Kartik, Thomas, Sharma, Wagh.

Some links

• A simply awesome YouTube archive (thanks to Arvind Ramanan)
• The new Wisden Cricketer website
• My colleague Steph Fincham's charity bike ride - all 413km of it - across Sri Lanka

Ultimate fantasy department And not in the Gareth Keenan sense. If you could pick one 20th-century player for a fantasy Twenty20 team, who would it be and why? I'd be tempted by Viv, just so I could gawp at him with all the man-love in the world, but I reckon it'd have to be Joel Garner. Imagine trying to score eight an over with the yorker from hell spearing in from the heavens, or with length balls kicking like a defiled mule (look at the second delivery on this video).

Where it's at Both these sides have started pretty well and sit third and fourth in a Spandex-tight table. Pune's fearless cricket, in particular, has caught the eye. The league stage goes on forever, until the end of May 2015. Then we enter the knockout stages, the system for which is odd, not to say a little naff. The top two play each other, with the winner going into the final; then third and fourth play each other, with the winner of that match going into a semi-final with the loser of the first knockout match. Confused? Excellent.

Preamble Hello. Who says the public don't get what they want? After literally no emails imploring us to OBO something, anything, between now and the first Test against Sri Lanka in late May, we've decided to fill the gap with some hot, steamy IPL action. Not all the games, but a handful each week, starting today with the match between er, who's playing today? What day is thi- last year's runners up, the Mumbai Indians, against one of the new franchises, the Pune Warriors. It is, as Black Grape didn't say, a big day in the west.

One of the nice things about the IPL is that you can dip in and out – of the tournament, the individual matches, and even the individual contests within those matches. Like a list book, or an epic, 12-day brawl on Rochester High Street, you can choose when you want to join in, and for how long. Today we get to watch, among others, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard and Graeme Smith. There are worse ways to spend a Wednesday afternoon, and not just because Alan Titchmarsh's chat show is on at three.

Actually, they should give Bumble a chat show. How much fun would that be? Or Shahid Afridi. Or Nasser, furiously interrogating his guests until they crack and weepily admit that, yes, they were on the grassy knoll, they did frame Roger Rabbit, and they were responsible for the entire Police Academy canon.

Everything you need to know about playing 3D games

The arrival of 3D technology into cinemas and now our homes is one of the most controversial aspects of popular entertainment. Some see it as a massive creative leap forward, the equivalent of Renaissance painters discovering perspective; others dismiss it as a gimmick, a means of selling ever more expensive movie tickets and TVs to gullible thrill-seekers. And now, at the heart of this whole debate, is the games industry.

All three of the major console manufacturers are backing 3D as a concept (some more than others, but we'll get on to that in a bit) and most game publishers, too, are supporting 3D with their main titles. There's now an interesting range of games available, showcasing the potential for 3D in the interactive sphere, and several massive examples are due out later in 2011.

Arguably, it is in games where the tech could really make a difference. While seeing stuff flying out of the screen can certainly enliven films, the ability to perceive depth might actually make a palpable impact on the very nature of game design, leading to environments of greater immersion and a more intuitive navigation experience. Anyone who's ever tried to leap from one platform to another in a polygonal world, like Assassin's Creed or Super Mario 64, will know what I mean.

So what do you need to play 3D games at home, and what titles should you try first? With the significant help of James Rivington from TechRadar, here's our quick guide to 3D entertainment for the interested console owner…

What you need

A 3D capable television
There are basically two types of 3D technology for the home: passive and active. The former requires those cheap plastic glasses you get in the cinema, and the latter uses battery-powered LCD specs. "The advantage of active 3D is that it supports full 1080-line high resolution," says James. "Passive only supports 540-line half-resolution 3D; so active is obviously the better option in most cases." However, if you're also planning on watching a lot of 3D TV and movies with your whole family, then a TV that employs passive 3D tech might work out cheaper.

But should you go for an LCD TV or plasma screen? "Plasma is popular with home cinema buffs, because the contrast ratio you can achieve on a high-end plasma is still beyond even the best LCD TVs with LED backlighting," says James. "But LCD TVs have always been very popular amongst gamers because of the added brightness you get from an LCD panel. Plasmas have traditionally had the advantage when it came to smooth motion but LCDs produce a hell of a lot more light, which can make for a more clear and vivid picture with brighter colours – and that in turn can give you the edge as a gamer.

"However, 3D plasmas do still have a few ninja skills in their 3D closet. 3D TVs suffer from a phenomenon called crosstalk where the left and right images bleed into each other, creating a sort of ghosting effect. The cheaper 3D TVs tend to exhibit this behaviour a bit more than the high end ones but as a rule, plasma TVs have so far been more successful at keeping crosstalk to a minimum."

If you've just started saving up for a new TV, keep an eye on the latest models as new features are being added regularly. LG is making grand claims for its "flicker-free" CinemaTV displays, which use cheaper passive glasses. "It's worth looking at Samsung's new 3D TVs, which feature improved lightweight active glasses using a version of Bluetooth rather than infrared for signal synchronisation," says James. "And of course we can expect to see more glasses-free 3D TVs this year and next – so far, models have been small, expensive and ineffective, but that's bound to change in time."

LG, Sony and Toshiba all showed off glasses-free models at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and Toshiba claims it'll launch a range in the UK next year; with the first batch of prototypes the viewing angle is very narrow (you've tried the Nintendo 3DS, right? Same thing) but then that was also the case with the first generation of 2D LCD televisions. We might have to wait five years before displays are big, affordable and viewable from all around the living room.

For now, here are three of our favourite models:

Sony KDL-40NX713 (£1,000): Converts 2D to 3D, and can be upgraded to full 3D with a TMR-BR100 emitter and TDG-BR100 glasses.

Philips 46PFL9705H (£2,500): Does a good job of overcoming the "ghosting" typical of LCD/LED 3D TVs.

Samsung UE65C8000 (£5,000): The world's largest 3D LED TV, with a stunning, thin, 29mm titanium-finish frame.

Some sets also "upscale" 2D footage to 3D via a process I'm not even going to pretend to understand. Of course, it's more subtle than "proper" 3D, but it works reasonably well on my Sony HX8.

If you're not sure, go to a decent electronics shop and try all of this out before you buy.

An HDMI 1.4 cable
"HDMI 1.4 supports various types of signal switching data which allow 3D Blu-ray players, multi-channel amplifiers and TVs to talk to each other and select the correct modes automatically," says James. "You will probably be able to get a system working with HDMI 1.3 cables, but you may have to do some manual switching – not a major issue really."

You can pick up basic cables for less than a tenner, and these will usually do the trick (ThatCable has an award-winning HDMI 1.3 option for a fiver). For high-end 1.4 cabling you might want to opt for the WireWorld Chroma 6 or a Chord Active (both about £50).

But is it worth spending extra on a fancy product, with hi-tech insulation and super-shielding? "A home cinema expert will tell you that it's always worth investing money in quality cables," says James. "Not only is it possible that a cheap cable may degrade general video and audio performance, it may also fail to carry the system data which is needed to keep HDMI-based equipment and 3D systems running smoothly. That said, the majority of casual gamers could pick up a cheap cable and not encounter any problems at all."

A surround sound set-up
Sure, you can play a 3D game without a big home theatre set-up, but you're losing some of the immersive nature of the medium. There are dozens of sound systems on the market, which offer seven channels plus a bass subwoofer. For standards, look out for products that support Dolby Digital Plus or better yet, Dolby TrueHD (7.1). Alternatively, there's DTS-ES (6.1) and DTS-HD Master Audio (DTS-HD MA).

"Many manufacturers are also working on adding an extra dimension of movement to the front-channel speakers," adds James. "So sound could move up and down, as well as left and right. There are two ways to do this; by adding two more actual speakers, or by using psycho-acoustic processing. Samsung, for instance, will offer both techniques in their forthcoming range of home theatre systems..."

PC gamers can also listen out for the Dolby Axon technology, which offers spatial 3D to in-game voice chatting. This makes other players sound like they're really in the environment, shouting from a distance, rather than sitting right in your head.

The games machines

Here are your 3D options on different gaming platforms.

The PlayStation 3
If you want to experience 3D games on a big TV in your living room, right now, PS3 is certainly the way to go. Sony is heavily backing the technology (see its dedicated 3D website here), which is unsurprising considering it manufactures hardware all the way down the 3D pipeline, from filmmaking equipment, to displays, to consoles. The company has an expert team in the UK dedicated to evangalising 3D to developers; one member of that team, senior engineer Ian Bickerstaff, gave a fascinating lecture at last year's Bradford Animation festival explaining the art and science of 3D entertainment and how Sony is helping studios to exploit the technology.

Setting up the machine for 3D is simple. Just head to the Settings section of the XMB, select Video Output Settings, then HDMI and finally Automatic – the system will now check your TV and ensure the 3D signal is compatible. Make sure you've also selected the 3D option on your TV, and that your TV is connected to your PS3 via an HDMI cable. Most 3D compatible PS3 titles have a 3D option on the menu – hit that, and you're away.

There is already a reasonable selection of games to try. Here is pretty much everything that's been released so far:

• Auditorium (PSN)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Crysis 2
• de Blob 2: Underground
• Dungeon Defenders (PSN)
• Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
• EyePet
• The Fight: Lights Out
• Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
• Gran Turismo 5
• High Velocity Bowling
• Hustle Kings (PSN)
• James Cameron's Avatar: The Game
• Killzone 3
• MLB 11: The Show
• MotorStorm Apocalypse
• MotorStorm: 3D Rift (PSN)
• NBA 2K11
• PAIN (PSN)
• Prince of Persia Trilogy (PSN)
• The Sly Collection
• SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs
• Super Stardust HD (PSN)
• Swords and Soldiers
• Top Spin 4
• TRON: Evolution
• Tumble (PSN)
• WipEout HD (PSN)

Coming soon...

• Cars 2
• Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection
• Mortal Kombat
• Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
• Virtua Tennis 4

We'll follow this feature with a list of the best titles, but for now I'd recommend Killzone 3, the gritty sci-fi shooter that makes effective use of 3D technology – there are times it genuinely helps with the experience, especially in sections where you're sniping distant enemies; the extra depth information really helps to pick them out from the scenery.

I'm also enjoying the insane futuristic offroad racer Motorstorm: Apocalypse, which regularly splatters your screen with muddy water and sends buildings crashing to the ground around you. There are some marvellous effects and the game's frantic, explosion-filled gameplay provides a better showcase for the tech than the more austere Gran Turismo 5.

And, of course, the PS3 features a Blu-ray player that can play a whole range of 3D movie titles.

Xbox 360
Although technically 3D capable, Microsoft is holding off on supporting the technology for now. In a statement last year, the company noted: "It's projected that less than one half of 1% of all TVs in the US this year will be 3DTVs. And 3DTVs will make up only 5% of the TV installed base three years from now."

There are, however, a few third-party titles that let Xbox owners experience stereoscopic visuals: Call of Duty: Black Ops; Enslaved: Odyssey to the West; Crysis 2; and the XBLA title Invincible Tiger.

Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo's dual-screen console is currently the only gaming system to offer glasses-free 3D. It uses "parallax barrier" technology to send a different version of the image to each eye, creating a stereoscopic effect. The device also features a 3D camera, and comes with several fascinating augmented reality demos that overlay computer graphics on to the real world as viewed through the LCD screen.

It's easy to set up and use (you charge it up, switch it on and, hey presto, autostereoscopic fun!), but the console has to be held in a steady position directly in front of the player; the effect is easily lost if you move just centimeters from the hotspot. Also, some purchasers have complained of dizziness and headaches when playing for too long, but most people won't have a problem. The 3D effect can be turned down, and even off, using a slider control on the side.

The launch line-up wasn't great, with Super Street Fighter IV, Nintendogs + Cats, Pilotwings: Resort, Ridge Racer, Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars and Pro Evolution Soccer proving the best of a distinctly half-hearted bunch.

There are some promising titles on the way though – even if most of them are based on very familiar brands. Nintendo has the submarine sim Steel Diver in May (much better than it sounds) and then The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D the month after. Animal Crossing 3DS, Kid Icarus, Paper Mario 3D, Super Mario, Mario Kart and Star Fox are also on the way this year. From third-party developers we can expect Resident Evil: Revelations, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater, Pacman & Galaga Dimensions and Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns. Still no absolute killer apps in there, but a crowd-pleasing bunch.

PC
3D gaming has been a reality on PC for a couple of years. The most popular solution is Nvidia's 3D Vision, which provides a pair of 3D glasses and all the drivers you need to get the system working on your PC, which has to be running Vista or Windows 7. You'll also need a 3D monitor and a compatible Nvidia graphics card – most of the GeForce products are fine. The company reckons that more than 500 titles are compatible with its technology, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, Starcraft 2, Left 4 Dead and Far Cry 2. Bigpoint, a publisher of free-to-play online games, is also set to support 3D, with two titles, ToonRacer and Ruined Online, arriving this spring.

We can also expect a range of glasses-free PC laptops, with Dell, Asus and Toshiba all unveiling models this year.

Smartphone
Over the past few years, Japan has seen several mobile phones using the same glasses-free 3D technology as the 3DS, but these haven't made it over to the West. That's all about to change. Two major new Android handsets will feature autostereoscopic displays: the LG Optimus 3D and the HTC Evo 3D. Even more intriguing though are the glasses-free 3D tablet PCs that manufacturers are developing. Toshiba has been showing off a 12.1-inch model, complete with an accelerometer that works in conjunction with the stereoscopic display, allowing users to manipulate and effectively peer around the objects on screen.

Two gas clouds (one red and one blue), each a million times thinner than air, are seen to completely repel each other under the influence of strong, quantum-mechanical interactions. Such gas clouds can model matter under extreme conditions, such as neutron stars or the quark-gluon plasma of the early universe.
Image: Martin Zwierlein

Clouds of gases that bounce off each other could help physicists model the behavior of high-temperature superconductors and other unusual materials. When two clouds of gas meet, they normally pass right through each other. But now, MIT physicists have created clouds of ultracold gases that bounce off each other like bowling balls, even though they are a million times thinner than air. This marks the first time that such impenetrable gases have been observed.

Nature - Universal spin transport in a strongly interacting Fermi gas



While this experiment involved clouds of lithium atoms cooled to near absolute zero, the findings could also help explain the behavior of other strongly interacting systems such as neutron stars, high-temperature superconductors and quark-gluon plasma: the hot soup of elementary particles that formed immediately after the Big Bang

Transport of fermions, particles with half-integer spin, is central to many fields of physics. Electron transport runs modern technology, defining states of matter such as superconductors and insulators, and electron spin is being explored as a new carrier of information. Neutrino transport energizes supernova explosions following the collapse of a dying star, and hydrodynamic transport of the quark–gluon plasma governed the expansion of the early Universe. However, our understanding of non-equilibrium dynamics in such strongly interacting fermionic matter is still limited. Ultracold gases of fermionic atoms realize a pristine model for such systems and can be studied in real time with the precision of atomic physics. Even above the superfluid transition, such gases flow as an almost perfect fluid with very low viscosity when interactions are tuned to a scattering resonance. In this hydrodynamic regime, collective density excitations are weakly damped. Here we experimentally investigate spin excitations in a Fermi gas of 6Li atoms, finding that, in contrast, they are maximally damped. A spin current is induced by spatially separating two spin components and observing their evolution in an external trapping potential. We demonstrate that interactions can be strong enough to reverse spin currents, with components of opposite spin reflecting off each other. Near equilibrium, we obtain the spin drag coefficient, the spin diffusivity and the spin susceptibility as a function of temperature on resonance and show that they obey universal laws at high temperatures. In the degenerate regime, the spin diffusivity approaches a value set by planck divided by m, the quantum limit of diffusion, where planck divided by m is Planck’s constant divided by 2π and m the atomic mass. For repulsive interactions, our measurements seem to exclude a metastable ferromagnetic state

The researchers, led by MIT Assistant Professor of Physics Martin Zwierlein, carried out their experiment with an isotope of lithium that belongs to a class of particles called fermions. All building blocks of matter — electrons, protons, neutrons and quarks — are fermions.

Different states of fermionic matter are distinguished by their mobility. For example, electrons can be mobile, as in a metal; immobile, as in an insulator; or flow without resistance, as in a superconductor. However, for many types of material, including high-temperature superconductors, it is not known what circumstances induce fermions to form a given state of matter. This is especially true of materials with strongly interacting fermions — that is, fermions that are more likely to collide with each other (also called scattering).

In this study, the researchers set out to model strongly interacting systems, using lithium gas atoms to stand in for electrons. By tuning the lithium atoms’ energy states with a magnetic field, they made the atoms interact with each other as strongly as the laws of nature allow: they scatter every time they encounter another atom.

To eliminate any effects of temperature, the researchers cooled the gas to about 100 billionths of one Kelvin, close to absolute zero (-273 degrees Celsius). They used magnetic forces to separate the gas into two clouds, labeled “spin up” and “spin down,” then made the clouds collide in a trap formed by laser light. Instead of passing through each other, as gases would normally do, the clouds repelled in dramatic fashion.

“When we saw that these ultra dilute puffs of gas bounce off each other, we were completely in awe,” says graduate student Ariel Sommer, lead author of the Nature paper.

The gas clouds did eventually diffuse into each other, but it took more than an entire second — an extremely long time for events occurring at microscopic scales. In fact, this diffusion was shown by the MIT researchers to be the slowest allowed by quantum mechanics.

John Thomas, professor of physics at Duke University, called the result “amazing,” given the fact that under normal circumstances, two clouds of gases composed of a mix of up and down spins diffuse into each other immediately. “It’s quite remarkable that these gases would actually turn around and bounce,” says Thomas, who was not involved in this research.

The research, conducted at the MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms, is part of a program aimed at using ultracold atoms as easily controllable model systems to study the properties of complex materials, such as high-temperature superconductors and novel magnetic materials that have applications in data storage and improving energy efficiency.

In future work, the researchers plan to confine the lithium gases to two dimensions, which will allow them to simulate the mostly two-dimensional confinement of electrons in high-temperature superconductors.

Their work can also be used to model the behavior of other strongly interacting systems, such as high-density neutron stars, which are only about 10 kilometers in diameter but more massive than our sun.

Another substance that interacts as strongly as the atoms in the ultracold lithium gas clouds created at MIT is the quark-gluon plasma that existed in the beginning of our universe and has been recreated in particle accelerators, such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, by colliding atomic nuclei at energies corresponding to a trillion degrees. In the “Little Fermion Collider” in Zwierlein’s lab, strongly interacting matter can be studied at ultralow temperatures a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero.

If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks

The Nottinghamshire all-rounder hopes his slimmer figure and greater work-rate will catch Andy Flower's eyes this season

Samit Patel begins his bid to convince the England head coach, Andy Flower, that the penny – and more pertinently, his weight – has finally dropped when Nottinghamshire begin their defence of the County Championship title on Thursday.

Flower was unable to contain his frustration at Patel's inability to improve his fitness when he reluctantly excluded the 26-year-old all-rounder from England's World Cup squad at the start of the year. "It did upset me, I'd be lying if I said it didn't," says Patel, a hard-hitting batsman who made 11 one-day international appearances before being discarded in 2009, again because of a lack of fitness.

"But I've definitely got to move on and accept the fact I wasn't fit enough for the ECB [England and Wales Cricket Board] criteria. Hopefully the fitness results I've sent to the ECB from Notts have opened their eyes a little bit.

"Andy's been great. He's still kept in contact, so obviously I'm not out of their plans. I've got to take all the positives out of what he's telling me; I can't take the negatives. I've got to move on quickly and sort my fitness and sort my cricket out and hopefully I'll be there.

"Fitness-results wise, I'm somewhere near the targets now, which I'm very happy about really. I'm getting 12 on the beep test, which was required, and the skin folds are also coming down, which I'm pretty happy about. I just really want to start playing cricket. I've not played much in the winter, which is probably good for me because I've been training hard. I'm just ready to go. I feel great, I really want to keep going and make it pay."

Despite the consistent excellence in one-day cricket that would have earned the left-arm spinner a World Cup place had he buckled down a little earlier, Patel was a peripheral figure for much of Nottinghamshire's 2010 Championship campaign, managing a single century and one four-wicket haul.

But all was forgiven when he played a crucial role on the dramatic last day with an audacious 96 to help secure five batting bonus points against Lancashire, setting up the position from which Ryan Sidebottom and Andre Adams collected the wickets that snatched the title from Somerset's grasp – and sparked wild celebrations on the Old Trafford outfield.

"Those memories are going to stay with all of us for quite a while," Patel says, smiling. "But we've got to get rid of them now, because we're starting again. I've still got Test ambitions as well as one-day ambitions, and I need to pull my socks up in four-day cricket.

"The only way is by showing a bit more discipline when I first go in – making it harder for the bowlers."

Patel's ability to bat as high as No4 for Notts, above their Australian import Adam Voges, underlines the qualities he could bring to England, although he concedes that the 23-year-old Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid – a good friend – will provide stiff competition in the battle to provide spinning support to his Notts team-mate Graeme Swann in the national set-up.

"I know Adil pretty well, he's a good cricketer and he does well for Yorkshire, and I suppose he is a rival," Patel says. "He bowls leg-spin and bats; I bowl left-arm spin and bat. Bowling leg spin helps for him, but I'm definitely competing this season.

"Playing as a second spinner to Swanny, that would be fantastic for me. Being his understudy, working in tandem, which we've done great here [at Trent Bridge] and away from here. In the future, hopefully, I can aim for that."

Rashid made a flying start with 11 wickets in Yorkshire's win at Worcester last week, which means Patel and Nottinghamshire, who being their season against Hampshire at Trent Bridge, are already playing catch-up. So are Somerset, the county who were denied a first title by last September's last-day drama, and are widely regarded as the favourites to go one better this summer.

Marcus Trescothick's team, who have been strengthened by the addition of the seamers Steve Kirby and Gemaal Hussain from Gloucestershire, also sat out the opening round and will launch their campaign at Taunton against Warwickshire. "Somerset are a good side who will obviously be pushing again, but they aren't the only ones," Patel says. "I reckon there's four or five teams who could win it. There's no gimmes in Division One, that's why it's such a strong competition.

"But we know exactly what's required at Trent Bridge, and if we can improve by 10% away from home we can definitely win the Championship again."

For their opening game, though, Notts have recalled Charlie Shreck from his loan at Kent, with both Darren Pattinson and Andy Carter missing due to minor hamstring and abdominal injuries respectively.

"This time last week we had six fit seamers and now we're down to four, so the side has picked itself in the end," the director of cricket, Mike Newell, says. "We usually play on result pitches at Trent Bridge and we need to make sure we're on the right side of those results as I can see six teams with a genuine chance of winning [the title]. We're one of those."

The Nottinghamshire all-rounder hopes his slimmer figure and greater work-rate will catch Andy Flower's eyes this season

Samit Patel begins his bid to convince the England head coach, Andy Flower, that the penny – and more pertinently, his weight – has finally dropped when Nottinghamshire begin their defence of the County Championship title on Thursday.

Flower was unable to contain his frustration at Patel's inability to improve his fitness when he reluctantly excluded the 26-year-old all-rounder from England's World Cup squad at the start of the year. "It did upset me, I'd be lying if I said it didn't," said Patel, who made 11 one-day international appearances before being discarded in 2009, again because of his lack of fitness.

"But I've definitely got to move on and accept the fact I wasn't fit enough for the ECB [England and Wales Cricket Board] criteria. Hopefully the fitness results I've sent to the ECB from Notts have opened their eyes a little bit.

"Andy's been great. He's still kept in contact, so obviously I'm not out of their plans. I've got to take all the positives out of what he's telling me, I can't take the negatives. I've got to move on quickly and sort my fitness and sort my cricket out and hopefully I'll be there."

Patel added: "Fitness-results wise I'm somewhere near the targets now, which I'm very happy about really. I'm getting 12 on the beep test, which was required, and the skin folds are also coming down, which I'm pretty happy about, because they're going in the right direction. I just really want to start playing cricket. I've not played much in the winter, which is probably good for me because I've been training hard. I'm just ready to go, I feel great, I really want to keep going and make it pay."

Despite the consistent excellence in one-day cricket that would have earned the hard-hitting, left-arm spinner a World Cup place had he buckled down a little earlier, Patel was a peripheral figure for much of Nottinghamshire's 2010 Championship campaign, managing a single century and one four-wicket haul. But all was forgiven when he played a crucial role on the dramatic last day with an audacious 96 to help secure five batting bonus points against Lancashire at Old Trafford, setting up the position from which Ryan Sidebottom and Andre Adams collected the wickets that snatched the title from Somerset's grasp – and sparked wild celebrations on the outfield.

"Those memories are going to stay with all of us for quite a while," Patel said with a smile. "But we've got to get rid of them now, because we're starting again. I've still got Test ambitions as well as one-day ambitions, and I need to pull my socks up in four-day cricket. The only way is by showing a bit more discipline when I first go in – making it harder for the bowlers."

Patel's ability to bat as high as No4 for Notts, above their Australian import Adam Voges, underlines the qualities he could bring to England, although he concedes that the 23-year-old Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid – a good friend – will provide stiff competition in the battle to provide spinning support to his Notts team-mate Graeme Swann in the national set-up.

"I know Adil pretty well, he's a good cricketer and he does well for Yorkshire, and I suppose he is a rival," Patel added. "He bowls leg spin and bats, I bowl left arm spin and bat. Bowling leg spin helps for him, but I'm definitely competing this season. Playing as a second spinner to Swanny, that would be fantastic for me. Being his understudy, working in tandem, which we've done great here [at Trent Bridge] and away from here. In the future hopefully I can aim for that."

Rashid made a flying start with 11 wickets in Yorkshire's opening win at Worcester last week, which means Patel and Nottinghamshire, who being their season against Hampshire at Trent Bridge , are already playing catch-up. So are Somerset, the county who were denied a first title by last September's last-day drama, and are widely regarded as the favourites to go one better this summer.

Marcus Trescothick's team, which has been strengthened by the addition of the seamers Steve Kirby and Gemaal Hussain from Gloucestershire, also sat out the opening round and will launch their campaign at Taunton against Warwickshire. "Somerset are a good side who will obviously be pushing again, but they aren't the only ones," said Patel. "I reckon there's four or five teams who could win it. There's no gimmes in Division One, that's why it's such a strong competition.

"But we know exactly what's required at Trent Bridge, and if we can improve by 10% away from home we can definitely win the Championship again."

For their opening game at home, though, Notts have recalled Charlie Shreck from his loan at Kent with both Darren Pattinson and Andy Carter missing due to minor hamstring and abdominal injuries respectively .

"This time last week we had six fit seamers and now we're down to four, so the side has picked itself in the end," said the county's director of cricket, Mike Newell. "We usually play on result pitches at Trent Bridge and we need to make sure we're on the right side of those results as I can see six teams with a genuine chance of winning [the Championship]. We're one of those."

In turning down ready IPL cash to play first-class cricket with Essex, Ravi Bopara has shown real class

WORTH MORE THAN MONEY

In the Spin's mind the words "Ravi Bopara" have tended to conjure up a distinct mental flipchart. The images are familiar: the creamy cover drive; the impishly self-satisfied 30 minutes of gorgeous, rhythmical Total Batting undercut at all times by the certainty of an imminent soft nick to the keeper or lazy-sweep lbw. The exhilarating hold-the-pose lofted six. The scuttling golden-arm bowling, righteously feasted on by Chris Gayle at last year's IPL. And the self-regarding smile of a man who appears to feel at all times just a little too pleased about how good his car stereo is.

To all of this can now be added something rather unexpected. Specifically, a set of personal priorities that stand as an example to ambitious young sportsmen everywhere - and as a stinging riposte to all who bewail the cynicism and greed of the gilded modern sportsman.

This week Bopara turned down £100,000 to play for the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL as a late replacement for the injured Paul Collingwood. This is a great gig by anyone's standards: a sack of cash for four weeks' work plus a slew of high-end after-hours hobnobbing. But Bopara turned it down because he wants to play Test cricket even more - which is on balance more likely if he scores runs for Essex in Division Two of the County Championship. This is such a breathtakingly bold decision it is hard to comprehend why it hasn't been reported, or celebrated, more widely.

Indeed it took the Spin some time to get its small and rather fevered brain around the full ramifications, which are, quite simply: England now have to pick Bopara for the first Test against Sri Lanka in June. The decision on who replaces Collingwood in the Test team is, let's face it, something of a toss-up in any case. But not to pick Bopara now would be self-destructive and dispiriting, both for the fertility of the ECB-county cricket nexus, and for the primacy of Test cricket among young England players generally. Forget how many runs he scores in the next six weeks. Bopara has made a stand. He must be supported.

If this seems a little overheated there is sound reasoning behind it, of a sporting rather than jingoistic nature. Teams require a kind of internal libido to function. Everybody has to want them to work, to want desperately to be there. Bopara clearly has this with England. This is about more than money for him - more even than a lot of money. As an institution that feeds on such desire, the England team should look favourably on him for this. If it's neck and neck for a spot, Bopara should have an edge.

He is essentially in a two-way shoot-out with Eoin Morgan to bat at No6 in Test matches. Morgan also knows this. Unlike Bopara he is at the IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders. Of the two, however, Morgan seems the most likely to benefit from more first-class cricket. Nobody really knows if he has it as a high-class long-form batsman. Runs now, and some technical refinement, might be invaluable. His decision, and it is entirely his to make, is to instead play lucrative short-form cricket despite the fact that the urge to qualify for England was apparently based on the high-falutin principle that there was no other way for him to play Test cricket. It is unfair, but there are those who would describe Morgan and his fellow late-comers to Englishness as cricketing mercenaries. This kind of thing doesn't help.

In a sense Bopara leaves the selectors little choice. What kind of message would it send out now to prefer Morgan? Bopara scored an excruciating 16-ball duck in his first innings since deciding to force the selectors' hand with sheer weight of runs in county cricket, but in effect we know enough about him already. He may or may not be good enough, just as Morgan may or may not be. But it would be sound self-promotion if Bopara's stance - Test cricket over gold - were to be rewarded.

Never mind the counterargument that wanting to play for England is also a commercial decision, as ECB central contracts are equally juicy. We're talking about turning down cash in hand, plus the chance of life-changing enrichment (score an IPL hundred and you're in clover) in return for no more than a heightened chance of preferment. Bopara - classy batsman, and apparently classy guy too - really, really wants it. The Spin can only hope England give him a summer to show more of the substance behind his style.

A JOBBING INTERNATIONAL CIRCUS?

The Spin spent last Friday at The Oval watching two matches simultaneously: the swashbuckling, disco-cricket of Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders via satellite TV; and the swash-knitting tea-dance cricket of Surrey v Northants in the opening round of County Championship matches.

How strange it was to watch two such contrasting sets of players in action: one of them a rag-bag of overseas players, careerist big-money signings and the odd local youngster - and the other a pair of IPL franchises.

The received wisdom is that there is something bolted-on about the idea of an IPL "team". These are simply pre-fabs. But of the 22 players on show in India, six were overseas imports and 16 domestic. At The Oval the 22 players also broke down into six imported and 16 indigenous. Of those English players, 11 had previously played for at least two other counties or moved as a big-money signing. There was, in effect, nothing to choose between the two sets of teams when it came to player-sourcing. And so the Spin decided to conduct its own Domesday Book-style census of county and IPL teams, with the idea of getting to the bottom of this issue once and for all.

The results are in. And the headline stat is that there is nothing to choose between IPL and County Championship Division One when it comes to loading your team with overseas players. The only real difference - and it is a significant one, of life-changing personal commitment - is that this is institutionalised in English cricket via residency and Kolpak-finagle.

On the basis of the last round of matches (and a predicted first XI for the non-playing Warwickshire) Division One is home to 33 first-choice foreign cricketers and 66 English, where nationality is taken at the moment the player in question first took up with an English county. Division One is therefore 33.3% overseas. The 10 teams of the IPL fielded 38 overseas players and 72 Indian. It is 34.5% overseas. In Division Two the picture changes slightly: 20 foreign players feature and 79 English. Division Two is only 20% overseas.

For England's top tier and the IPL the figures are remarkably similar, as are the figures for domestic players aged 23 or under (24% in the ECC, 19% in the IPL). It is hard to say what, if anything, this means, other than English cricket fans might want to think twice before dismissing the IPL as a jobbing international circus.

Plus of course there is the bigger question of what balance of overseas and domestic produces the best cricket and the best cricketers. There is no real answer to this, but young homegrown players and hardened internationalists looks like a pretty good mix: certainly at The Oval there was not much wrong with the duel between the still-wily 38-year-old Chaminda Vaas and junior biffer Rory Hamilton-Brown.

The other really outstanding figure is the number of South Africans in both cases. The IPL has 13. It is 11.8% South African. The County Championship has 25. It is 12.6% South African. The talent and sheer determination of South Africa's peripatetic cricketers really is phenomenal. Like ant colonies, or Starbucks franchises, they just keep on popping up everywhere. It is a great achievement.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"I was pretty tired and didn't want to run too much. I was pretty hot and humid so I tried to limit my running" - Shane Watson reveals the secret behind his record-breaking bout of six hitting (15 in his 189 against Bangladesh): basically it was laziness.

"I'm a batsman that can turn it up and turn it down, and at this moment, it's definitely a wonderful feeling heading back to putting on the maroon colours and wearing the coconut on my chest" - the mercurial Marlon Samuels celebrates his international recall by making Three Lions on a shirt sound a little dull.

THE POWER AND THE GLORY

The Spin has this week been reading Simon Wilde's new biography of Ian Botham: The Power and the Glory. It is an unusually good Botham book, although it does have the natural advantage, uncommon in the genre, of not having been written by Botham himself. Among the meticulous research and fine detail on Botham's early days the Spin's juvenile sensibilities were drawn to the passage covering Botham's retirement, specifically his final over in first-class cricket playing for Durham against the Australians. The details are already widely known, but Wilde frames the incident with delicacy, describing Botham "unzipping his trousers and letting his 'old man' dangle free while he sent down the final delivery".

This is bizarre on so many levels. First that Botham should call time on such a distinguished career with a moment of such juvenile numptiness. Plus the Botham phallus acts as a barometer needle of changing times: it seems surreal now that nobody on the boundary noticed this happening. Imagine such a retirement today, the perimeter crowded with Sky Sports News cameras, the squadron of newspaper snappers, Botham's old man projected live around the country and casually immortalised on the Ten O'Clock News. Poor David Boon, the striking batsman, played on for several years more. But who knows what scars he bears. Wilde's book coincides with the passing of 30 years since the 1981 Ashes series and Botham's glorious summer. It isn't the only marker: a cinema documentary film, From the Ashes, comes out on 8 May. Here as a Spin world exclusive is a specially put together download preview. It's great stuff.

CONTACT THE SPIN ...

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Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Apps

New iPhone, iPod touch and iPad product announcements for April 8, 2011:

New iPhone, iPad and iPod touch apps

• Bacciz LLC has announced its interactive book applications for kids. The applications, called Rapunzel 3D and Goldilocks and the Three Bears 3D, are Bacciz’s newest interactive storybook applications. Specifically developed for the iPad and iPhone, the applications include groundbreaking 3D images and animation, multiple language narrations, 3 story endings, 3 music tracks, and highly customized options aimed at engaging children from ages 4+.
• Frontier Design Group has introduced BeatStudio 1.0, their new music app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. BeatStudio is designed to let anyone build percussion tracks, with an intuitive interface that’s easy and natural for beginners, yet flexible and powerful enough to accommodate experienced players. BeatStudio offers a fast, easy, & fun way to create drum and percussion tracks that frees the player from the constraints of fixed-length patterns, promoting experimentation and improvisation.
• WEBST Consulting has introduced Word Search Plus 1.0, their new word game for iOS. This enhanced word search game offer players an effectively infinite playing experience, access to definitions, and the ability to look up the origins and historical contexts of words they find as well. The app includes an immense word bank, and because new games are created at random players are certain that they’ll never play the same exact puzzle more than once.
• Mediakitchen has introduced Ball Frenzy 1.0, their new extremely addictive game for iOS devices. Ball Frenzy combines elements of popular ball games such as marbles, pool and bowling. The concept is simple - knock all of your opponents balls off the pitch before they knock off all of your balls. Ball Frenzy is easy to play but difficult to complete. With a simple one finger control and no complex rules, this game is easy to pick up and start playing immediately.
• Hitesh Patel has announced Splat It! 1.01 for iOS, his puzzle game that challenges players to carom a “cue ball” off walls and blocks, splattering all the blue balls on the table. Featuring four stages and 60 levels of play, each level is a unique puzzle that must be completed to go on. The game requires patience and skill to place and shoot the “cue ball” so that it will run over the blue balls using the minimum number of shots and bounces, gaining the maximum score.
• Touch Apps has introduced Monster Blaster 1.0, their new monster packed match’em-up game for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. Monster Blaster combines a timeless classic, adds a truckload of angry monsters and some highly flammable power-ups to create the perfect balance between fun and challenge. Monster Blaster features tons of explosions with hours of challenging, strategic and zany gameplay, offering stunning visuals, and a soundtrack to blow you away.
• Vito Technology has dedicated a new version of astronomy guide Star Walk to the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight. Augmented Reality is now available for iPad 2 and lets you just point-and-display the sky in real time to explore the wonders of stargazing. Version 5.2 also features a calendar of celestial events, true-to-life sky view, extended search mode, and more. The release of this version is accompanied by a short time price drop.
• Soluble Apps has released MailShot 1.30, an update to its groundbreaking email solution for iOS devices. MailShot is a unique app which allows iPhone and iPad users to email groups of up to 50 people from within their favourite apps just by selecting a single contact from their address book. These contacts can be used to easily email groups of family or friends, classes, work or sports teams. This unique approach integrates seamlessly with the iPhone mail system.
• Brandon Abbott has introduced Great Hair 1.0 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Loaded with over 20 of the most iconic hairstyles of our time, Great Hair lets you see what you and your friends would look like with hairstylings of a Pop Star, Talk Show Host, Actress, and many more. Choose from existing photos or take your own with the camera. Touch zoom and rotate to perfectly position each hairstyle. Save photos to library, email to friends, or post directly to Facebook.
• Bjorn Fogelberg has introduced PLOP Master 1.0, his first game for iPhone and iPod touch. In this colorful game you touch three red dots at a time to keep the energy meter in check. The farther away these “plops” are from each other when you touch them, the more energy will be gained as they join together. Offering fun and addictive gameplay, PLOP Master features an unlimited number of levels with beautiful graphics with lots of happy colors.
• Thumbstar Games has signed a deal to publish games developed by FaceTec Ltd. Their latest iPhone app, Crazy Fool 1.0 allows you to create and send your own crazy fool personalized image using your camera or images stored on your phone. The app uses patented facial recognition and image processing technology which enables large scale automated facial personalization.
• Xform Computing, Inc., has announced the addition of the Google Chrome browser and support for Java to their AlwaysOnPC product for iPad, iPhone and Android. Chrome has rocketed up in popularity on PC and Mac computers due to it’s speedy performance, great synchronization features and its Web Store. Chrome is not available on most mobile devices. Features that people are familiar with on their computer can now be accessed in a similar way on AlwaysOnPC via their mobile phone or tablet with the app.
• Wil’s Apps, LLC has released Pling Pong 2 v0.1 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users. This is a new game where users must slide a plong into stationary plings to turn them off. If a plong hits a pling that is already off, it turns back on again. To win, all plings must be off. It takes plenty of playing to perfect the plong flings and players get lots of practice going through nine worlds and ninety-nine rounds. To celebrate the launch, Pling Plong 2 is being offered for only 99 cents.
• Revel Mob LLP has released Where M I 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users. Just in time for marathon season, Revel Mob has launched a real-time tracking app that will let supportive friends and family stay abreast of a runner’s location. The app is super easy to use and tracking permission codes can be sent to people individually or in groups. Unlike some GPS positioning programs, no account creation is necessary to use Where M I.
• Interweave has announced the launch of a new free Beading Daily app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. With this new app, Beading Daily delivers its valued digital content, which had existed solely on its website, to the mobile platform and to beaders around the globe.
• GAMEVIL has announced Chalk n’ Talk for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Chalk n’ Talk brings players all over the world together in an real-time online social drawing and word-guessing game. Players will race against the clock to sketch and guess a given word, while earning points that can be spent on customizing brushes and canvases or even gifted to friends. Artwork that users are especially fond of can be submitted to the world gallery to be rated for accolades. By connecting to GAMEVIL Live from the game, players can grow their network of friends to enjoy the experience together—automated matchmaking presents an endless roster of new challengers or private rooms can be created to chat and play with close friends.
• Home Revivals LLC has announced the release of iScape 1.2 an iOS app to assist both novice and professional landscape designers. This newly updated app will allow you to see your landscape options before the work begins, and, more importantly, before the money is spent. Simply take a picture and start designing your dream landscape today. iScape is very user-friendly; even kids have fun using it and taking part in designing their new yard.
• Neon Play has delivered a stunning new game mode in Paper Glider 2.0, the latest update to the App Store’s ten billionth download. Super Boost is a new game mode that enables players to use power-ups to assist the glider in flying even further. Customization is also now possible with a total of 12 different glider skins. These new features have been made possible by the implementation of TapJoy and their in-game coin currency.

New apps for iPad only

• Odd Magazine is a fashion magazine that offers an interactive experience with over 300 pages of content that takes great advantage of the iPad’s capabilities. The issue includes over 20 photoshoots, 12 movies, interactive slideshows, tons of animations, music/audio and even 3D models you can spin around 360 degrees.
• Applaud Limited has released the iPad version of its popular iPhone game Repeeto. Repeeto is an addictive and fun memory game based on the Simon electronic game which is widely considered to be the electronic game that ushered in the computer game era. Buttons disappear down the wormhole to reappear somewhere else on the screen. Keeping track of not only the pattern but where the buttons are on the screen makes Repeeto a far more challenging game.
• Internet Design Zone has launched a new iPad app: Lovepedia for iPad 1.0. Lovepedia for iPad gives advice, tips, dos and don’ts, etc., in the matters of love, dating, relationships and breakups. It is aimed at making the reader far better in love relationships. One may think that love advice is available in many sites on the net, then why this app? The reasons are interactive interface, engaging content, wonderful visual experience, one app for all advice.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

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This week, it's a group of pretty serious links tempered by candy, Batgirl, and a credit card application that will make your head spin. Sweet. (Also! Thank you again so much, sweet readers, for all your good thoughts and donations for Aline on Wednesday. You guys are positively wonderful.)

Image from Zatso

1) MSNBC: Sweet! Candy eaters surprisingly slimmer
Get this! Candy and chocolate eaters have “smaller waists, weigh less, and have a lower body mass index (BMI)” than those who forgo Mini-Snickers. Mostly, because they tend to work off the weight, don’t eat that much per day, and weight gain is largely (heh) associated with other things (soda, portion sizes, etc.). Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be mainlining some Jolly Ranchers.

2) Food Politics: Externalized Costs
In which Marion Nestle elaborates on the human rights, environmental, safety, and health care prices of inexpensive food. I’m not sure how much we can do on a personal level, except to buy ethically when possible. But on a macro/government level, it’s clear certain agricultural and labor policies (especially labor policies) need to change.

3) Wise Bread: How Water Can Save You $977 a Year
Remember: Water is the essence of wetness. And wetness is the essence of beauty. (And health. Drink more of it!)

4) New York Times: Colorless Food? We Blanch.
Can you imagine eating a gray Cheeto? Yeah, me neither. So it was no surprise when researchers discovered that food without coloring is way less appealing to us than foods with Red Dye #2. In fact, though some are organizing against artificial dyes in processed products, others argue, “I could live without sprinkles, but why would I want to?”

5) The Applied Research Center: The Color of Food
We’re not talking about the same kind of color as the last link. Instead, ARC did a, “survey of the food system, to map out the race, gender and class of workers along the supply chain.” And? Whites get the supervisory positions and the money, while people of color are mostly exploited. But wait! There’s more!

6) Accidental Hedonist: The Food Writer's Bubble
Interesting essay on the inherent elitism and ultimate meaninglessness of food writing. Best sentence: “Many of us in food media live in a bubble. Writers, chefs, marketers, and publicists, all groups have people who, when you mention food culture, majority privilege, or the effects of poverty on consumption patterns, you may as well be mentioning quantum physics or string theory.”

Wiki Commons Lausangnau

7) Orlando Sentinel: Mislabeling of fish at restaurants may be widespread, studies suggest
We’ve posted a bit about mislabeling seafood before, but this Sentinel article goes into depth on the fraudulent practice, including, places where “escolar masqueraded as tuna, tilapia stood in for red snapper, panga and emperor fillets were on menus as grouper, and imitation crab meat replaced authentic crab.” In a 2009 study, a majority of tested NYC restaurants were passing off lesser fish. SpongeBob would never do this.

8) Cockeyed.com: The Torn-Up Credit Card Application
Dude tears up credit card application he receives through the mail. Dude sends it in to credit card company. Dude receives credit card. Jaws will drop!

9) Neatorama: PETA Offers $1 Million Prize for Lab-Grown Meat
Vegan scientists and Frankenstein enthusiasts! Get experimentin’!

10) Wall Street Journal: Calorie Rules Make Diets a Federal Affair
The government proposed a bunch of new calorie labeling guidelines for restaurants, but curiously omit movie theaters, booze, hotels, bowling alleys, and a few other “Huh?” areas. It won’t go into effect until next year, so I can plead ignorance on Starbucks’ Lemon Iced Poundcake for at least another eight months.

AND ALSO

Reddit: At Least One of These Girls Will Grow Up to Be Awesome
Guess who?


Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!

Hampshire's spinners should make the team a force to be reckoned with this season

2010 in a nutshell A season rescued by a strong finish with a surprise – and hugely dramatic – t20 triumph and relegation avoided by only six points. Three championship victories all season reflected meagre bowling stocks and injuries to key players.

How they finished

LV County Championship Seventh in Division 1

CB40 Fourth in Group C

Friends Provident Twenty20 Champions

What they'll be playing in this season

LV County Championship Division 1

CB40 Group B

Friends Life t20 South Group

Captain Dominic Cork. The great survivor, still managing to infuriate and inspire aged 39. Made his first-class debut in 1990, a year before his No3 batsman James Vince was born. It seems certain this will be his farewell season – and equally certain he won't fade away quietly.

Coach/head of cricket Giles White. A Hampshire player for eight years and now in his third season as head coach, after graduating from the second XI. Has ducked and dived to good effect in the pre-season wheeling-and-dealing market.

Ins: Imran Tahir (Warwickshire), Johann Myburgh (Kolpak), Friedel de Wet (Kolpak)

Outs: Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Chris Benham (Released)

Overseas players Tahir should be a fine re-signing, the bamboozler of many a county batsman. Spearheads a promising four-day spin attack with the tyro left-armer Danny Briggs and a potentially irresistible one alongside Shahid Afridi in t20.

Key player Can James Adams transform himself from single-season flavour of the summer to a genuine star? Unorthodox but biffingly effective, a decent winter with England Lions will have helped. With Michael Carberry fit, Hampshire have a fine opening partnership.

Finance factor Posted the usual losses, but Hampshire have a fine base at the Rose Bowl and an aggressive and optimistic management.

Prediction for 2011: Fifth in Division One Should have enough in the way of spin threat to win matches. Their best bet looks to be t20 where the mouth-wateringly oddball duo of Cork and Afridi will take some stopping. Sean Ervine, retired once again from playing for Zimbabwe amid some acrimony, may have a point to prove.

Former Australia spin bowling great Shane Warne would be interested in coaching India, according to a news report.

Nets on Sunday Joe and Ben Joe and Ben’s nets session was a slow starter today with both of them as with last week bowling poorly initially, but as the session progressed their bowling got better. Ben initially was bowling short and down the leg side, Joe on the other hand was bowling full tosses down both sides mostly the leg-side. The coach Chris set Joe some targets e.g. bowl a full...

Source : Wrist Spin Bowling

28 years ago, I was rudely woken up by relatives screaming "We have won the World Cup". It is quite likely that Saturday's final between India & Sri Lanka also ended around the same time as that game in 1983. I was well awake this time around!

I can't recall exactly when I started following cricket with a lot of interest, but I definitely recall watching games from the 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia keenly. I did watch at least 1 day's play of the India v Pakistan test at Chepauk in 1987 and definitely remember Azhar taking a blinder of a catch. I can't recollect if it was off a spinner (Maninder) or off a medium pacer (Raju Kulkarni), most likely the latter since I didn't bunk school, and the last day of the test was on a Sunday. The 1987 tied test at Chepauk enthralled me. A few months earlier, I had read an account of the final over of the Brisbane tied test. Around the same time that the India v Australia game was coming to an end, with India in a winning position (50-odd runs to get with 5 wickets in hand), I was at my music class, and wondered aloud if a tie was possible. Needless to say, I got thrashed when umpire Vikram Raju's finger went up.

Back to the present though. The final was an excellent exhibition of classy batting by Jayawardene, who I still believe to be over-rated in comparison to Sangakkara, nice partnerships (Sangakkara-Dilshan, Mahela-Samaraweera & Mahela-Kulasekara, Gambhir-Virat & Gambhir-Dhoni) and a fair amount of power-hitting at the end.

Now that the tournament has ended though, teams & individuals need to introspect into whether they have achieved what they set out to.

Australia needs to take a serious look at their approach to grooming spin bowlers. Under Ricky Ponting's captaincy (possibly because of his limitations when it came to playing spin bowling in tests), the only time he used "spin" with some degree of seriousness was when he was washing his clothes. They've never identified any sort of backup options for Shane Warne other than Stuart "watch-me-bowl-a-half-tracker" MacGill. They need to find at least 1 more young batsman to play alongside Watson, Clarke & Ponting. It is rare for Aussie ex-captains to play on for too long after they've quit as captain. While Ponting may play on until the 2013 & 2014 Ashes, it is quite likely that he'd have quit ODI cricket by then.

Bangladesh need to have a rethink about their domestic cricket structure, and ensure that the top 25-30 players get a lot more exposure to cricket against first-class teams from countries that are better than them. It's quite obviouso that the talent is there, but they're not progressing beyond an odd upset every World Cup and getting thrashed by the rest of the stronger sides. Given their proximity to India & the vote that they bring to India's table at the ICC, I can't understand why they don't engage in some quid pro quo for test & ODI tours to India, and for IPL sides to pick their players.

England performed extremely well against the stronger sides, but lost it against the weaker ones (and barely survived against West Indies). This seems to indicate that it isn't a skill problem, but an inability to understand how to play limited overs cricket. Constantly complaining about the schedule doesn't get them anywhere. The Ashes-World Cup schedule was known well in advance, and they had the better part of 3-4 years since the 2007 World Cup to have a squad of 20-odd quality players to pick from. They have the bowling. Anderson, Broad, Ajmal Shahzad, Tremlett & Swann are a pretty handy lineup. But the batting is far too unidimensional with Strauss, Trott, Bell and Collingwood providing at least 2 too many 'bat 30+ overs' batsmen & only Pietersen, Bopara and Morgan providing the flair.

India won despite a bowling attack that was under threat of being smacked around every game, and a fielding unit (barring 2 or 3 players) which was ever willing to help opponents convert 1s into 2s, 2s into 3s, routine saves into 4s, etc. There's absolutely no doubt that they were the best side of the tournament, and they defeated all the top sides barring South Africa (England, perhaps conveniently, don't count). Yet, players like Virat Kohli & Sreesanth need to think about their game, and what they want to achieve. It is bizarre that Kohli, at 22, is unable to adapt his game to a situation where he goes in at #6 with a couple of overs left to go. He has to realize that he may not go in at #4 with 30 overs to go every time! Similarly, Sreesanth needs to realize that this was his 'last chance saloon'. He only had 2 opportunities to prove that he can be an effective #2 or #3 bowler in ODIs, and he fluffed up both times. If his strength is around generating late outswing, why did he pitch it so short on a very flat batting track in the final? Ashwin has most likely become the 2nd choice spinner, and I'd expect that he gets a lot more games over the span of the next 6-10 months to show that he can do a good job.

Ireland had at least 2 opportunities other than the game against England (v Bangladesh & v West Indies) to show that they should be given many more opportunities to compete against good sides, and also that a World Cup was better off with them than without them.

India's win over Sri Lanka in Mumbai stirs so many emotions that the final's script could have been written in the stars

It was hard not to get caught up in the fervour of excitement after a pulsating World Cup final. The shuffle from Wankhede Stadium as the fireworks blitzed the night sky, and the walk through the throngs on Marine Drive, "the Queen's Necklace" with its glittering lights, told it all. All the way back to the team's hotel, cars were bumper to bumper, horns blaring, Indian tricolours waving as youngsters hung precariously from their windows. Early night it was not.

So it came to pass, almost as precisely as planned when first the subcontinent was awarded the World Cup and Mumbai the final. In hindsight, as the day dawns over the Arabian Sea, it seems inconceivable that anyone but India should have taken the trophy. The astrologers were right with their predictions. Well, almost. There was a fairytale for the sainted Sachin Tendulkar, but not in personal performance for he was too readily undone by the ferocious maverick Lasith Malinga. Tendulkar was carried shoulder-high around the ground in celebration by his young team-mates as though a symbol, draped in the Indian flag, of how he has carried the hopes of a nation for so long. He looked a happy, fulfilled man, his hundredth international hundred now pencilled in for an English ground next summer.

There was no grand finale for Muttiah Muralitharan, the old fellow creaking, held together with sticky tape it seemed, unable to recapture even a glimmer of the past to help carry his Sri Lanka side to a second World Cup win rather than a consecutive loss, unable even to finish his quota of overs and glad perhaps that it really was all over.

By the end, there was almost resignation as he was being pummelled mercilessly through the offside by the India captain, MS Dhoni, who rose to the occasion so brilliantly that as he clouted the seamer Nuwan Kulasekara high up to the corporate boxes at midwicket to finish the match he reached 91 from 79 balls.

This was in a match that had already been graced with an exquisite century from the Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene and a more practical 97 from the Indian left-hander Gautam Gambhir before impetuosity took hold with his own century there for the taking.

Now it is India who well and truly have the bragging rights. At periods of time during the competition, there were occasions when it did not seem sufficient for them simply to recognise that they had a stellar batting side and that this would always offset a modest fielding side and indifferent bowling beyond the brilliant Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh. This was to misunderstand how momentum works in a competition, where the opportunity is always there to correct mistakes in personnel or strategy.

The fielding, led by Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kholi, was first rate, the bowling excellent. Zaheer finished the competition as leading wicket-taker and set the Sri Lankans back in the final with three consecutive maiden overs at the start of the innings, even if he was to suffer at its back end. But it was the all-round skills of Yuvraj, hitherto seen as a fill-in bowler, someone to come on and take the mickey out of Kevin Pietersen, which garnered the man‑of‑the‑series award.

It was in this context that Dhoni's decision to come to the crease at the fall of the third wicket in place of the man deemed Victor Ludorum which proved a masterstroke. Yuvraj had enjoyed a good series with the bat as well as ball. But Dhoni recognised two things at the fall of Kohli's wicket to Tillakaratne Dilshan's stunning return catch.

First, it was important not to get two left-handers together, for the contrast of right and left will always serve to disrupt rhythm. But of more importance was the understanding that Sri Lanka's spin options, which were seen as the key to the game, were off-spin only in Murali, Dilshan and the tall John Emburey-like youngster Suraj Randiv, brought in as replacement for the injured and much-missed Angelo Mathews.

Sri Lanka fiddled with their side, ditching the left-arm spinner Rangana Herath but more pertinently dropping Ajantha Mendis, the mystery bowler who – so it is said – has been worked out by Indian batsmen. For someone of his record in one-day cricket, this seemed a step too far.

Dhoni was able to control the match, first playing largely second fiddle with Gambhir, in a century partnership, before Gambhir retreated to square leg, swung agriculturally and lost his middle stump. But he was stunning thereafter – with Yuvraj now – a man capable of hitting the boundary where others would be defending, such is the strength of his forearms and the phenomenal bat speed that he develops.

All the while, as the game slipped away from them, Sri Lanka could mull on how Jayawardene's remarkable innings had given them hope. If their captain, Kumar Sangakkara, said afterwards that they needed 350 to compete with such Indian batting, he was being flippant: they had their minds set on 250 which history told them should win a match batting first under the lights at Wankhede.

There have been centuries of contrasting skills in previous World Cup finals: from Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Aravinda de Silva, Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, but none was in a losing cause. Jaywardene showed that skill and placement, deftness, awareness and cunning can be a match for any brutality. He sliced and diced the Indian bowling and scored at a rate that almost defied belief.

When he walked from the field with an unbeaten 103 he had faced just 88 deliveries and, with the final powerplay yielding 63 runs, had taken Sri Lanka beyond their expectations. At halfway, they might have believed the game was theirs to lose. Instead, India and Dhoni saw it as theirs to win.

Will it be India fulfilling its destiny or Sri Lanka spoiling the party? That is the question being posed heading into Saturday's 2011 Cricket World Cup final.

A tournament that has had plenty of highlights and breathed new life into the fifty-over format of the game reaches its climax following the semi-finals that saw Sri Lanka first overcome plucky New Zealand, and then India defeat their great sporting rivals Pakistan, not without a scare or two along the way

The final sees the first all-Asian final as two of three co-hosts (Bangladesh being the other) meeting in the final, and on paper, and for the most part performances over the tournament, the two strongest sides contesting it. Both sides bat deep, armed with explosive hitters throughout the order, whilst the bowling attacks are varied, possessing quality with both pace and spin.

Throughout the tournament India have made explosive starts. The partnership of Sachin Tendulkar, and particularly Virender Sehwag at the top of the order have ensured fast starts, but often these have not resulted in the type of totals they should have done and they have paid the price along the way (a defeat and a tie against South Africa and England in the group stages) whilst their total of 261 against Pakistan was considered short of what they should have posted. 

Sri Lanka have at times slipped under the radar, but they too have talent in abundance and batsman who are not afraid to take risks. Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan is the tournaments leading batsman with 464 runs and the tempo he sets early often shapes the Sri Lankan innings, evidenced by the way he destroyed England in the quarter-finals.

Spin has dominated in the tournament so far, an area both sides are strong in but two pace bowlers, India's Zaheer Khan and Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga will be key. Both are used at the start of the innings, but also utilised during the power plays. Khan has taken 19 wickets in the tournament but his economy rate of just 4.68 is as important, whilst Malinga has taken 11 wickets with his unorthodox approach and has accounted for many top batsman.

Team wise, the useful all-rounder Angelo Matthews misses out for Sri Lanka with a thigh injury and his loss will disrupt the balance of their side, whilst India will likely have to replace bowler Ashish Nehra who has a damaged finger, prompting a re-think of their bowling strategy, and they may decide to call up an additional spinner after opting for Nehra in their semi-final game. Interestingly, both captains are wicket-keepers and whilst Kumar Sangakkara is a relaxed figure out in the middle, it is the equally cool MS Dhoni who will have the pressure and weight of an expectant nation squarely on his shoulders.

The pressure of course will be on India, with expectations high since it was announced the tournament would be staged on the sub-continent. The fact that the final is in Mumbai lends even greater weight to it and the country will be brought to a standstill tomorrow with an estimated audience of over one billion expected to see the game.

The game will also feature two of the modern greats going head to head in what will be their final appearances in a World Cup. It will be Muttiah Muralitharan's final game for Sri Lanka. Perhaps not the bowler he once was, he is still a fearsome prospect and his overs in partnership with Ajantha Mendis could well set the tone for the Indian innings. Despite controversies surrounding his bowling action over the years, Muralitharan remains one of the most respected and well liked players of his generation, and with well over 1,000 victims to his name possesses records that may never be broken and he needs just three to overhaul Glenn McGrath for the all-time World Cup record.

All eyes though will be on Sachin Tendulkar though; the hometown boy who stands just one short of a century of hundred's for India in all comptetitions. Whilst there were hopes he would achieve this against Pakistan (eventually being dismissed on 85), what better way for him to grace a final by reaching that landmark figure. For all the dominance Muralitharan enjoys with the ball, Tendulkar is blazing records with the bat that when he retires will have similar status to some of those owned by Wayne Gretzky in the NHL.

Both sides have won the tournament once before: India when they shocked the West Indies back in 1983 (they also lost to Australia in 2003) and Sri Lanka in 1996, announcing themselves onto the world stage in the process.

India and Sri Lanka have match winners in abundance with both bat and ball and the game is virtually impossible to call. In terms of overall head to head record, India hold the advantage (67 wins to 50) and many observers feel that home advantage could be the key in determining the outcome and if true, will be the signal for the mother of all parties. 

India will hold a slight edge when they take on an equally determined Sri Lanka in the World Cup summit clash at the refurbished Wankhede stadium here tomorrow.

Though there is little to choose between the two teams, India will fancy their chances of putting it across the islanders as they are playing at home and are peaking at the right time after a rather patchy beginning to their campaign.

Armed with the wishes of millions of passionate fans and a never-say-die spirit, India are just one win away from crowning themselves the ODI world champions after almost 28 years as they clash with Sri Lanka in the first all-Asian cricket World Cup summit showdown.

More than two decades after their incredible World Cup triumph at the historic Lord's, India find themselves on the threshold of probably their biggest cricketing moment as they brace up for a nerve-wracking battle for supremacy.

A billion Indian hearts will also be beating for Sachin Tendulkar as India bid for their second World Cup title.

Tendulkar returns to his home turf at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai with determination to add the only silverware missing from the collection of the most celebrated cricketer of the modern era.

The Indian star, who turns 38 next month, holds almost all the coveted batting records, but his individual brilliance could not win the ultimate prize in a team sport like cricket.

In five previous appearances in cricket's showpiece event, Tendulkar helped India reach the semifinal at home in 1996 and finish runners-up to Australia in 2003 in South Africa.

Playing in his sixth and possibly last World Cup, a record he shares with Pakistan's great Javed Miandad, Tendulkar has led from the front to lift India into the final.

His 464 runs in the tournament are just three less than Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan's 467, and he goes into the title clash one century away from recording an unprecedented 100 international centuries.

Tendulkar's lucky 85 in Wednesday's semi-final against Pakistan, when he was dropped four times and survived close leg-before and stumping decisions, suggests he was destined to play the final.

"It will be a fantastic occasion," Tendulkar said of the match in his home city. "We will focus on the job in hand and try to get the job done."

Both India and Sri Lanka, who have played against each other frequently in recent times, have won the coveted trophy once each and will leave no stone unturned to regain the Cup.

Both the teams have some injury concerns ahead of the grand finale which will be high on emotions for a variety of reasons.

The match will be the last outing for India's highly respected coach Gary Kirsten who has transformed the team into world-beaters as also Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss, who is set to resign after the World Cup.

It will also be a swan song match for Muttiah Muralitharan, who is racing against time to recover from a knee injury.

The home team has suffered a jolt ahead of the game with Ashish Nehra, who bowled well in the high-voltage semi-final clash against Pakistan in Mohali, being virtually ruled out because of a finger injury.

Similarly, Sri Lanka have injury concerns over Muralitharan and have replaced all-rounder Angelo Matthews with Suraj Randiv. Veteran left-arm medium pacer Chaminda Vaas has been called in as cover for Muralitharan.

The hosts are also grappling with a selection dilemma ahead of the summit showdown which will be watched by millions of fans in both the cricket-crazy nations.

The Indians misread the Mohali track and opted for an additional seamer in Nehra at the expense of spinner Ravichandran Ashwin who did a decent job in the two matches he had played.

The Mohali pitch assisted the slow bowlers more though the three Indian pacers - Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel and Nehra - bowled well.

The Indians are peaking at the right time, having prevailed over defending champions Australia in the quarters and arch-rivals Pakistan in the semi-final but it remains to be seen whether they can pull it off when it matters the most.

Captain Dhoni has warned his teammates not to get distracted by the excessive hype surrounding their World Cup campaign and just focus on the job at hand.

"There will be plenty of things happening around us, but what is important is not to get distracted. We all know what our jobs are as professional cricketers so we will stick to that and try to play good cricket," Dhoni said.

"The Sri Lankans have a good side and they have done really well in the tournament. We have to play good cricket to beat them. We have to be at our best," he added.

Both the teams appear to be well-balanced on paper though the islanders certainly have a more potent bowling attack, particularly with the presence of spin wizard Muralitharan who will be keen to make an impression in his swansong game.

Although the Indians have a formidable batting line-up and most of them are quite adept in dealing with spin, Muralitharan is a wily customer and will find a way to put pressure on the batsmen if he takes the field tomorrow.

The home team will look to Tendulkar and the flamboyant Virender Sehwag to provide a rollicking start and set the platform for the middle-order to take India to a decent total at the Wankhede stadium track which is expected to suit the batsmen.

Sehwag, who started with a brilliant 175 against Bangladesh, has not really fired after that knock though he has rattled up quick-fire 30s and 40s. India need him to be at his brutal best to take the game away from the Lankans.

India have the depth in their batting but they need to ensure that they do not collapse in the batting powerplay as they had done against South Africa and the West Indies. They, however, made the powerplay count in the last game against Pakistan.

Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina have enough talent and skill to put runs on the board. Dhoni has been struggling with the bat and will be hoping to make a contribution in the final of the showpiece event.

Yuvraj, who is having a dream World Cup and has already won a record four man-of-the-match awards, will have a key role to play since he is the player in form both with the bat and ball.

The Sri Lankans, on the other hand, have a settled look to their squad and definitely have the resources to spoil India's party.

Their top batsmen - Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Upul Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene - have all been among the runs.

"It means a lot to us. This is what we planned for over two years. We missed a great opportunity in 2007 when we reached the finals and again we have got a great opportunity tomorrow," Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said.

"We will be preparing for the finals. We do not have to get carried away. We are in the finals and that is great and we need to keep our heads down and keep in mind that there is a lot of work left to be done. It is the biggest day of our lives," he added.

The eventual winners of the flagship event of the game would be richer by three million dollars, while the runners-up would take home 1.5 million dollars out of the total prize pool of 12.52 million dollars.

Sri Lanka have played four one-dayers at this venue, including a league match in this tournament against New Zealand. Out of those four, they have won two and lost two.

Sri Lanka and India had beaten each other once in their first two encounters at the ground in 1986-87 and 1996-97.

In two other non-India games, the Lankans were beaten by the West Indies in 1993, while they defeated New Zealand earlier this month.

Sri Lanka have prevailed in recent one-dayers against India, winning six of the 10 matches played last year in Dhaka, Harare, Bulawayo and Dambulla.

But India have won five of seven matches against the Islanders on home soil over the last five years.

India will be playing at the refurbished 33,000-capacity Wankhede stadium for the first time, while Sri Lanka know what awaits them having beaten New Zealand by 112 runs in a league match at the ground on March 18.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (Capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga,

Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Suraj Randiv.

Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS) and Aleem Dar (PAK)

TV Umpire: Ian Gould (ENG)

Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)

NNN

No amount of sniping can bring down the Sri Lankan spinner, who deserves to end his superb career as a World Cup finalist

The Sri Lankan team are in Mumbai, staying at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, so beautifully restored after the horrendous attack two and a half years ago. It is a fortress now, an exclusion zone surrounding it, so that the old Moghul-style Gateway to India and its concourse, normally thronged and past which the terrorists stormed from their boats, stands alone with its flocks of pigeons. Inside, Muttiah Muralitharan sits, nursing his injuries and hoping that his body can stand one more hurrah in the Wankhede Stadiumon Saturday.

Of course Murali will be fit – even if it is only "ish". He would not miss this for the world and no cricket lover would begrudge him a last appearance on a grand stage. No cricketer, and few sportsmen indeed, can have divided opinion as much as Murali but he is one of an indefatigable kind. He is adored and applauded as one of the two greatest spin bowlers of his generation or derided as a cheat, if an inadvertent one, for the accommodation of whom the laws of the game have been amended. There is no middle ground.

Over almost two decades, since he was no-balled in Australia in what looked like a cruelly premeditated act, the scrutiny has been unrelenting. Even the spelling of his name comes into dispute (we have no letter that translates from his native tongue the sound – somewhere between a "d" and a "th" – in the middle of his surname. He simply says "as you wish": he signed with a "th" for me.

I sit in the former camp, regarding him as a genius, a freak of nature whose unique physical attributes, to be found in his shoulder and wrist, make him capable of doing things with a cricket ball that others without his abilities should not even contemplate. It is, to sidetrack a second, an unfortunate consequence that one aspect of his legacy has been to sow the seeds for a generation of bowlers who, seeking to emulate his doosra, really do throw it. We have seen more than one of those in this World Cup. So, for me, it is fitting that he should be able to bow out from international cricket as a World Cup finalist and, perhaps, as a winner.

Were he not to play, then Scott Styris of New Zealand, lbw to his final delivery in Colombo on Tuesday night, would be the last of a truly staggering 1,331 international wickets for Sri Lanka. It was in the aftermath of that match, midnight long gone, that a group of us sat in our hotel and, over a bottle of wine, debated Murali's contribution. There were a few naysayers, as ever, but there was plenty of support. The argument ping-ponged back and forth.

Tom Moody was listening, quietly. Then he spoke, and the reason I mention it now is because we all have heard a hundred times how Murali has been tested repeatedly and cleared; how the parameters for flexion of the arm were altered not to accommodate Murali but because 99% of bowlers were shown by the most modern equipment to transgress the previous standards; how he has bowled his full range of deliveries with his arm in a brace; and how people still wish to believe the evidence of their own eyes rather than see him as a prestidigitator.

But this was different – to me, anyway. Moody was Sri Lanka's coach from 2005 until after the last World Cup final and he explained once more the way that Murali's shoulder can rotate abnormally; how he can touch his inner forearm with his fingertips (try it and see how near you get); how he is a wrist spinner who is almost a mirror image of a leg-break bowler; and, of course, how his arm is permanently bent.

So much we know. Moody continued. One day, he said, when Sri Lanka were in Perth, Murali went missing. When he turned up, it was discovered that on his day off he had taken himself to the University of Western Australia, where many of the tests on his action had been conducted. He told neither his colleagues nor the team management where he was going but he came back with a dossier. Apparently, he had heard that for all the previous investigations, there were still some voices suggesting that the tests had counted for little, because he had not been tested while bowling at different speeds.

So, Moody said, under lab conditions, he bowled the lot. Off-breaks, topspin, doosra, from all angles and at a whole range of speeds. Not one delivery came close to, never mind exceeded, the 15-degree limit. Moody still has the report, detailing every ball bowled.

The most striking thing, though, was Murali's motive. He did not go to the lab to prove yet again that he was clear. He went because he was starting to wonder whether there might not be some truth in what his more informed critics were saying. There was no way he wished to play a game in which he might genuinely be cheating. So he went to dispel that in his own mind and he came away content. If he had not been vindicated, the chances are that he would have abandoned cricket.

I think such genuine altruism by one of the truly great sportsmen needs recognition.

Mr. Yousuf Raza Gilani, the Pakistan PM, didn't prove to be lucky for his cricket team.

Watching the India-Pakistan semifinal yesterday with Dr. Manmohan Singh, his Indian counterpart, he must have realized that he had forgotten to carry the talisman that General Zia ul Haq and Pervez Musharraf had carried to cricket matches in India.

However, if the Pakistan team are now on their way to the Wagah border and beyond, and if India are set to meet Sri Lanka on April 2 at Wankhede, he is certainly not the one to blame. Nor can Dr. Singh claim credit for India's victory.

The record books will not show the four catches that Pakistan dropped.

They will not show the decision reviews that Sachin won.

They will only show 85 runs and the Man of the Match award against Tendulkar's name.

They will also not show that Misbah ul Haq and Younis Khan ensured that Pakistan lost the plot despite Wahab Riaz putting his hand up once Umar Gul had failed to live up to his pre-match billing.

All that they will show is an India victory, even though the two teams failed to deliver cricket of the quality that a semifinal deserved. India won primarily because Pakistan decided to lose the game, even before the game began.

No, they didn't lose it because Rehman Malik told them that match-fixing will not be tolerated and offenders severely punished.

They didn't lose it because he said that all of Pakistan's players were under the scanner of Pakistani intelligence. In fact, even his presence in the stadium didn't bother them.

Malik wasn't a factor, even though he most desperately tried to be.

One reason for Pakistan losing is because they patted themselves a bit too much for reaching the semis, when they were least expected to.

They eased themselves somewhere in the mind, believing that they had accomplished much more than they had been briefed to.

It showed in the way they bowled when Sehwag was batting. It showed again in the way experienced campaigners like Younis Khan and Afridi dropped sitters.

However, there is one thing that has had me confused.

How did the pitch change once Sehwag was out? Until he was on the crease, it looked like a 350-plus track. Yet, as he walked back to the pavilion, it chipped off a 100 runs.

Strange.

Furthermore, what made well-set batsmen do Hara Kiri?

Hafeez went in a stupid manner, and Gambhir did great damage to his reputation as India's best player of spin.

This was being billed as a contest between India's batting and Pakistan's bowling. Both were below par. India only scraped through, mainly on the strength of their bowling—yes, their bowling. Strangely, also their fielding.

If they had shown the same purpose and resolve in the game against England, the quarterfinal lineup may have been different.

In the end, it seemed like a game that Pakistan wanted to win, but didn't have enough left in the tank after a dream run-up to semis to fulfil their desire. Now they go to Wagah, while India go to Wankhede.

But wait, there is another W in the scheme of things—the two captains for the final are both Wicket Keepers for their teams.

However, we'll have to wait until late on Saturday to know who gets to keep the cup.

My heart says Dhoni—and like a true blue Indian fan, I don't even want to weigh his chances against Sanga and boys.

The much awaited, much hyped, Mother Of All Games, between the sub-continental giants, India and Pakistan, is finally behind us.

India won, Pakistan lost.

Indian fans will celebrate.

Pakistani fans will mourn.

Another sub-continental giant, Sri Lanka, await the men in blue on Saturday, the 2nd of April, 2011 in Mumbai.

Despite it sounding like a cliché on a stuck record, can Team India do it for Sachin Tendulkar?

The Little Master had a terrible outing. Four lives, two appeals turned down and yet the Little Master could not cross the Rubicon of 100 tons.

As Suresh Menon of the DNA remarked in one of his recent columns, would it be a bad thing if Tendulkar never did?

Sir Donald Bradman was unable to score the requisite four runs in his final innings to average a perfect 100, instead out for a duck to end up on 99.94. Was that such a bad thing?

Even the best are not perfect. Maybe that’s the Almighty’s way of saying, “Perfection is mine alone. You can only strive to attain it.”

Despite the opposition’s butter-fingers and a sterling bowling performance by young pace discovery, Wahab Riaz, Sach was crowned man-of-the-match.

Even he would admit that it was not his finest innings. Yet he ended up on the winning side. And that counts more in the eyes of the adjudicators.

Riaz deserved the award simply because a fifer, especially in a one-dayer, is a rare occurrence and more than equivalent to a ton.

To put it into context, in all ODIs ever played, there are 201 players who have taken five wickets or more and 277 who have scored tons.

Occurrences are even rarer. 3147 ODIs have been played since 1971. 1137 hundreds have been scored in them with just 349 instances of five wickets or more.

It’s always funny how when a big match comes up, some big players fail to turn up. Umar Gul disappointed. It was left to Wahab Riaz to take up the slack and make inroads into the vaunted Indian batting line-up.

His bowling restricted India to a competitive total.

This was his best ever bowling performance in an ODI. What a stage to do it on.

Aaqib Javed was another Pakistani bowler who raised the bar while playing arch-rivals India.The youngest player ever to take a hat-trick, Javed has 54 wickets in 39 ODIs against India at 24.64. Four of his six one-day man-of-the-match awards were against India.

Venkatesh Prasad was another who reserved his best for Pakistan. He had a hand to play in two of India’s previous four wins against the north-west neighbours in a World Cup.

No Indian can ever forget how he clean-bowled Aamer Sohail in that thrilling quarter-final encounter in 1996, turning the game India’s way.

Prasad has 43 wickets in 29 games against Pakistan at an average of 28.9 against his career average of 32.3.

More about the India-Pak game.

MS Dhoni may try and gloss over the fact that Yuvraj Singh was taken for runs in his final three overs. Dhoni said that he was glad that he did not have turn to more than five bowlers in this game.

Yuvi,however, looked decidedly vulnerable when Umar Akmal decided to use his feet against his pitch-perfect deliveries.

The Sri Lankans are excellent players of spin. They will not hesitate to target the weaker bowlers. Getting Ravindra Ashwin into the playing eleven will be the right choice.

The Indian skipper must be lauded for bringing back Ashish Nehra for this crucial game. The criticism he copped for the heart-breaking last over against South Africa must have been soul wrenching.

Dhoni’s man management skills came to the fore.

Nothing like faith reposed repaid—in spades.

Misbah-ul-Haq batted as though as he was in the nets having batting practice.

When he realized that there was no one to partner him, he decided that it was time to play Superman. No one told him that Superman Afridi had been struck with kryptonitis.

That Pakistan got so far in the tournament is a tribute to their fighting skills and the undoubted talent in their ranks.

The Indian bowling dealt in twos. Each bowler had two wickets to his credit. A real team-effort there.

Finally, credit must go to umpire Simon Taufel. He had a fantastic outing, spot on with his leg before decisions.

The real game-changer was the DRS.

If Sachin Tendulkar had not opted for a review against that leg-before-wicket decision by Ian Gould facing Saeed Ajmal, Team India might well have been staring down the barrel.

Can Tendulkar’s luck hold for yet another match?

Quote of the day: 
Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty – a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture. – Bertrand Russell

Hosts India made it to the final of the cricket World Cup with a 29-run victory over arch rivals Pakistan in the second semi-final here tonight.

Chasing 261 for a win, Pakistan were all out for 231 in 49.5 overs, with Misbah-ul-Haq scoring a fighting 56 off 76 balls with the help of one six and five fours and ensuring that the match was open till almost the very end.

Ultimately, he was last man out, caught by Virat Kohli off Zaheer Khan, to ensure that Saturday's final at Mumbai will be an all-South Asia affair with India meeting Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka had beaten New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

India had won the World Cup in 1983 and had made it to the final in 2003, when they lost to Australia by 125 runs. Sri Lanka were winners in 1996, beating Australia in the finals. Australia won the last three World Cups.

This afternoon, opener Sachin Tendular topscored with 85 - an effort which won him the Man of the Match award - as India put up 260 for nine from their 50 overs after Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first.

The other opener Virender Sehwag provided the hosts with a head start with a blazing 38 while left-hander Suresh Raina remained unbeaten on 36.

Left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (25) were the other Indian batsmen who got among the runs today.

The fact that Harbhajan Singh (12) was the only other Indian batsman to reach double figures tells its own tale about the manner in which the Pakistani bowlers held sway in the later stages and also the way the wicket behaved today.

It was an extremely satisfying day for Pakistan's Wahab Riaz, who took 5 for 46 for his first five-wicket haul.

Hafeez and his opening partner Kamran Akmal got the visitors off to a good start in their chase as they put on 44 runs for the first wicket in 9 overs.

Akmal had made 19 off 21 balls with the help of three fours before he sliced the ball to Yuvraj Singh at point while attempting a square drive off Zaheer Khan, giving, in the process, the much needed breakthrough for India. Pakistan were 44 for one at that stage.

Hafeez, who appeared to be in fine fettle, made 43 before he perished, going for a paddle sweep to one outside the off-stump from Patel and ended up edging the ball to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps.

Hafeez's 43 was made off 59 balls and included seven hits to the fence. Pakistan were 70 for two in 15.3 overs with his departure.

Yuvraj Singh, who has had a good tournament so far with both the bat and the ball, dismissed Asad Shafiq (30) in the 24th over. Shafiq was aiming for a cut, but missed the ball and had his middle stump knocked back. The Pakistanis were 103 for 3 in 23.5 overs. Shafiq's 30 came off 39 deliveries and included two fours.

Yuvraj struck again in his next over, claiing the prized wicket of Younis Khan this time. Younis had made only 13 before he was caught by a leaping Suresh Raina at cover while attempting a drive.

The visitors were 106/4 in 25.4 overs at that stage and the required run rate was climbing and there was not too much established batting to follow.

Umar Akmal made 29 off 24 balls with the help of two sixes and one four before he was bowled by Harbhajan Singh to make it 142 for five in 33.1 overs. The Pakistanis lost their sixth wicket when Abdul Razzak was bowled by Munaf Patel after he had just made three off nine balls. They were now 150 for six in 36.2 overs.

Kamran Akmal began Pakistan's chase with a superb square drive off the first ball of the innings from Khan through cover point for four. He hit the last ball of that over straight past the bowler for another boundary.

Khan's next over produced another eight runs, including a clip through mid-wicket by Hafeez. At the end of the first five overs, Pakistan were 28 for no loss.

Ashish Nehra, who was brought into the side today in place of spinner R Ashwin, managed to keep the runs in check.

Hafeez sent a short of length delivery from Munaf Patel, brought into the attack, for four and then Akmal hit an uppish shot between mid-off and extra cover for another four.

Hafeez appeared to be in fine clip as he hit Nehra to the mid-on fence for four.

Just when things were beginning to look not very good for India, Khan made the breakthrough as Akmal fell while reaching out for his favourite square drive and was caught by Yuvraj Singh at point. Akmal's 19 came off 21 balls and included three fours.

At the other end, Hafeez produced an exquisite cover drive off Patel for four and got another boundary off the last ball of that over. Pakistan were 51 for one at the end of the first ten overs, close to the required run rate of 5.22.

Hafeez pulled a short one from Patel to the fine leg fence four four as Pakistan tried to push the run rate up. But the Indian bowlers and fielders kept the batsmen on a tight leash and boundaries were few and far between. Pakistan were 70 for one at the end of 15 overs.

In the next over, Patel claimed Hafeez, edging the ball to Dhoni behind the stumps while going for a paddle sweep. His 43 was compiled off 59 balls and included seven fours. That made it 70 for two in 15.3 overs. At the end of 20 overs, Pakistan were 89 for two.

In the 24th over, Yuvraj Singh dismissed Asad Shafiq and accounted for Younis in his next over as Pakistan were reduced to 106 for four in 25.4 overs.

After several overs without any hits to the fence, Umar Akmal finally hit Yuvraj Singh over extra cover for four to relieve some of the tension the Pakistanis were undr. In the same over, he lifted the bowler over deep mid-wicket for a mighty six.

At the end of 30 overs, Pakistan were 130 for four, still needing 131 runs from the remaining 20 overs at a rate of 6.55 runs an over.

Umar Akmal hammered Yuvraj over the sight screen for another big six. Dhoni brought Munaf back into the attack.

Harbhajan finally got Umar Akmal, knocking his off stump back as the batsman tried to swish it away. Pakistan were now 142 for five in 33.1 overs. Umar Akmal made 29 off 24 balls, with the help of two sixes and one four.

At the end of 35 overs, Pakistan were 146 for five, with a required run rate of 7.66.

In the 37th over, Patel bowled Abdul Razzaq with a slower one, a legcutter that uprooted his off-stump. Razzaq had made only three off nine balls.

Pakistan's chances now entirely depended on Afridi. The Pakistani skipper thrased Yuvraj through cover, giving some indication that he intended to make a fight of it. A little later, Misbah-ul-Haq reverse swept Yuvraj past short third man for his first boundary. Pakistan were 177 for six after 40 overs, and the required run rate had climbed to 8.40.

In the 42nd over, Harbhajan Singh got rid of Afridi to make it 184/7 in 41.5 overs. Afridi made 19 off 17 balls with the help of one four.

After that, it was mainly Misbah-ul-Haq who stood between India and victory, and the batsman was determined to fight till the very end. But his partners were not quite upto the task. Wahab Riaz made 8 while Umar Gul contributed just two.

In the afternoon, Sehwag was the first Indian batsman to fall, trapped leg before wicket by Wahab Riaz in the sixth over after he had made 38 in a total of 48.

Tendulkar and left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) added 68 runs for the second wicket before the latter left, stumped by Kamran Akmal off Mohammed Hafeez. His 27 came off 32 balls and included two fours.

Virat Kohli (9) and left-hander Yuvraj Singh (0) fell of successive deliveries to Wahab Riaz in the 26th over.

Tendulkar, who got as many as four chances today, finally left when Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi held on to a catch at short extra-cover off Saeed Ajmal. The little master, who was looking for his 100th ODI century, was denied that distinction by the Pakistanis today. He made 85 off 115 balls with 11 shots to the fence.

Dhoni was trapped leg before by Riaz to make it 205/6 in the 42nd over, and Raina, who had played a stellar role in the quarter-final against Australia, simply ran out of partners after he had added 31 for the seventh wicket with Harbhajan. Zaheer Khan (9) and Ashish Nehra (1) could not even ensure that Raina got the strike as often as he should have.

Sehwag had got India off to a blazing start, literally from the word go. He drove Umar Gul's third delivery through covers for four. In Gul's second over, he hit him to the fence five times. The first was an uppish shot towards mid-wicket and the second was hit off his pads through the same region.

Sehwag despatched the fourth ball of the over past square leg and cut the next one through point before punching the sixth ball, a no-ball, through extra cover. Pakistan gave away 21 runs in all that over.

Sehwag lifted Abdul Razzaq over his head for another four in the next over, before Tendulkar, who was content to let his partner retain most of the strike, came up with an exquisite drive through extra cover.

Sehwag had not quite finished with Gul, taking two more fours off him in the next over. He whipped one ball through mid-wickt and lashed a wider delivery over point. At the end of the first five overs, India were on 47 for no loss and Pakistan appeared headed for a leather hunt.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi brought in Wahab Riaz into the attack and he struck in his very first over, trapping plumb in front of the wicket with his fifth delivery. India asked for a review of the decision, but the third umpire upheld the original decision. The batsman had attempted a flick off the back foot but was beaten by the ball that was a bit short of a length.

Sehwag's 38 came off 25 balls and included nine fours. India were 48 for one in 5.5 overs at that stage.

Gul was happy that Sehwag was no longer on the scene, but his troubles were not quite over. Tendulkar glanced one that strayed down the leg side to the fine-leg boundary for four.

In the next over, the little master clipped a short one from Riaz to the mid-on fence and then came up with a text-book square drive, going down on one knee, for another four.

Tendulkar and Gambhir also kept gathering the runs in singles and twos and took the side to 73 for one in the first ten overs.

In the next over, Tendulkar moved forward and offered a defensive stroke to Saeed Ajmal, missed and umpire Ian Gould adjudged him leg before as the crowd watched in disbelief. Tendulkar had to do some quick thinking about asking for a review, India having already lost the previous review when Sehwag was given out. Tendulkar took his chance and the replays showed the ball would have likely missed the leg stump by a slight margin. The umpire reversed his decision as the crowd heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Afridi, Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, conceded just three in his first over as the match slowly seemed to be acquiring an intense quality. In Ajmal's next over, Gambhir finally got his first for.

Tendulkar had a charmed life as Misbah failed to take a catch after the batsman pulled Afridi towards mid-wicket. He was on 27 at that stage.

In Ajmal's next, Tendulkar swept him fine for four and then edged him to the fence through the vacant slips. At the end of 15 overs, India were 99 for one. A single by Gambhir off Afridi brought up the 100 of the Indian innings.

At the other end, Gambhir cut Mohammed Hafeez for another four. Tendulkar moved into the 40s with a four off Afridi, over the bowler's head.

The Indian batsmen were clearly under pressure and the next over saw Gambhir making his departure, stumped by Kamram Akmal after being beaten by the turn of a delivery from Hafeez. Gambhir had faced 32 balls for his 27 that included two fours. India were 116 for two in 18.5 overs.

At the other end, Tendulkar got another life, on 47, off Afridi, the offending fielder being Younis Khan, who had stretched his hand to stop the drive but dropped the ball, as the bowler gaped in disbelief. India were 119 for two after 20 overs.

India's scoring rate had come down a bit, though Tendulkar did try to keep one end going. He hit Afridi over extra cover to reach his half-century and then came up with a beautiful late cut through the vacant slips for another boundary. Hafeez, however, managed to keep Virat Kohli under check. At the half-way mark, India were 141 for two.

Riaz claimed Kohli off the second ball of his next over, caught by Umar Akmal at backward point after the batsman offered a weak shot to one that bent in and edged the ball. Kohli made only nine in a total of 141 in 25.2 overs.

There was a buzz around the stadium as Yuvraj Singh, man of the match in four of India's previous outings in the tournament and the hero of its quarter-final win against defending champions Australia, walked in. He was beaten by the first ball he faced and had his stumps knocked back. India were now 141 for four in 25.3 overs, and Riaz was in line for a hat-trick.

Dhoni, the next man in, denied him the hat-trick and edged the next delivery to the third man boundary for four to take some of the pressure off. The Indian skipper signalled his intent to not get cowed down by steering Hafeez to the third man boundary. Tendulkar then glanced Riaz in the next over to the fine-leg boundary for another four.

In the next over, Afridi was left holding his head as Tendulkar was dropped again, this time by Kamran, though it was a difficult chance, by any standard, after the batsman edged a defensive push. The batsman then square drove Afridi over the off-side field for one more four as India reached 168 for four after 30 overs.

Gul and Hafeez managed to contain the Indian scoring rate and when the new ball was taken, at the end of 34 overs, India were 177 for four, hardly a cause for satisfaction from the home crowd's point of view. Tendulkar continued to live dangerously, getting yet another chance, this time when he was on 82, dropped by Umar Akmal at wide mid-wicket off Hafeez. Umar did jump and reach the ball but it popped out and Afridi was ready to pop a vessel or two.

Afridi, who had said before the match that his side would deny Tendulkar his 100th century, was proved corect finally when he held on to a powerful drive at shot extra cover off Saeed Ajmal.

Tendulkar's 85 was compiled off 115 balls and included 11 shots to the fence. India were 187 for five in 37 overs at that stage.

Much now depended on Dhoni and Suresh Raina, the new man in, as the Pakistani bowlers piled on the pressure and India's run rate dropped to below five for the first time after the second over. A single by Dhoni off Afridi took the home team to 200 after 40 overs.

Dhoni made his exit soon after, adjudged leg before to Riaz when he was on 25. The Indian skipper was trying to shuffle to the offside, and was hit on the. He did appeal aganst umpire Taufel's decision, but it did not help. India were 205/6 in 41.4 overs.

The Indians' aim now was to boost the total any which way, and Raina made a game effort in the company of Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan, capable of some lusty hititng, swept Ajmal to deep square for the first four in several overs, though the batsmen had to do a lot of running between the wickets to keep the scoreboard moving. India were 221 for six after 45 overs.

Raina brought some cheers to the crowd when lift Gul down the ground for four and then through cover for another boundary. Harbhajan Singh also helped himself to four with a deflection to fine leg.

In the 47th over, Harbhajan came out for a big hit against Ajmal, missed and was stumped by Kamran Akmal. Zaheer Khan survived somehow for some time and even hit Riaz for four. A single by Khan off Gul brought up the 250 of the innings.

With the overs running out, Raina hit Gul over fine-leg for four. At the other end, Riaz had Khan caght behind. Ashish Nehra made 1 before being run out off the second last ball of the innings. Munaf Patel did not get the strike at all as Raina took two off the last ball to set Pakistan a target of 261 for a place in the final.

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

NNN

Chasing 261 for a win, Pakistan were 177 for six wickets after 40 of their 50 overs against India in the second semi-final of the cricket World Cup here today.

Misbah-ul-Haq was batting on 23 and skipper Shahid Afridi on 15 at that stage.

Hafeez and his opening partner Kamran Akmal got the visitors off to a good start as they put on 44 runs for the first wicket in 9 overs.

Akmal had made 19 off 21 balls with the help of three fours before he sliced the ball to Yuvraj Singh at point while attempting a square drive off Zaheer Khan, giving, in the process, the much needed breakthrough for India. Pakistan were 44 for one at that stage.

Hafeez, who appeared to be in fine fettle, made 43 before he perished, going for a paddle sweep to one outside the off-stump from Patel and ended up edging the ball to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps.

Hafeez's 43 was made off 59 balls and included seven hits to the fence. Pakistan were 70 for two in 15.3 overs with his departure.

Yuvraj Singh, who has had a good tournament so far with both the bat and the ball, dismissed Asad Shafiq (30) in the 24th over. Shafiq was aiming for a cut, but missed the ball and had his middle stump knocked back. The Pakistanis were 103 for 3 in 23.5 overs. Shafiq's 30 came off 39 deliveries and included two fours.

Yuvraj struck again in his next over, claiing the prized wicket of Younis Khan this time. Younis had made only 13 before he was caught by a leaping Suresh Raina at cover while attempting a drive.

The visitors were 106/4 in 25.4 overs at that stage and the required run rate was climbing and there was not too much established batting to follow.

Umar Akmal made 29 off 24 balls with the help of two sixes and one four before he was bowled by Harbhajan Singh to make it 142 for five in 33.1 overs. The Pakistanis lost their sixth wicket when Abdul Razzak was bowled by Munaf Patel after he had just made three off nine balls. They were now 150 for six in 36.2 overs.

Earlier, opener Sachin Tendulkar topscored with 85 as India put up 260 for nine from their 50 overs after deciding to bat first on winning the toss.

The other opener Virender Sehwag provided the hosts, who opted to bat first, with a head start with a blazing 38 while left-hander Suresh Raina remained unbeaten on 36.

Left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (25) were the other Indian batsmen who got among the runs today.

The fact that Harbhajan Singh (12) was the only other Indian batsman to reach double figures tells its own tale about the manner in which the Pakistani bowlers held sway today.

It was an extremely satisfying day for Pakistan's Wahab Riaz, who took 5 for 46 for his first five-wicket haul.

Akmal began Pakistan's chase with a superb square drive off the first ball of the innings from Khan through cover point for four. He hit the last ball of that over straight past the bowler for another boundary.

Khan's next over another eight runs, including a clip through mid-wicket by Hafeez. At the end of the first five overs, Pakistan were 28 for no loss.

Ashish Nehra, who was brought into the side today in place of spinner R Ashwin, managed to keep the runs in check.

Hafeez sent a short of length delivery from Munaf Patel, brought into the attack, for four and then Akmal hit an uppish shot between mid-off and extra cover for another four.

Hafeez appeared to be in fine clip as he hit Nehra to the mid-on fence for four.

Just when things were beginning to look not very good for India, Khan made the breakthrough as Akmal fell while reaching out for his favourite square drive and was caught by Yuvraj Singh at point. Akmal's 19 came off 21 balls and included three fours.

At the other end, Hafeez produced an exquisite cover drive off Patel for four and got another boundary off the last ball of that over. Pakistan were 51 for one at the end of the first ten overs, close to the required run rate of 5.22.

Hafeez pulled a short one from Patel to the fine leg fence four four as Pakistan tried to push the run rate up. But the Indian bowlers and fielders kept the batsmen on a tight leash and boundaries were few and far between. Pakistan were 70 for one at the end of 15 overs.

In the next over, Patel claimed Hafeez, edging the ball to Dhoni behind the stumps while going for a paddle sweep. His 43 was compiled off 59 balls and included seven fours. That made it 70 for two in 15.3 overs. At the end of 20 overs, Pakistan were 89 for two.

In the 24th over, Yuvraj Singh dismissed Asad Shafiq and accounted for Younis in his next over as Pakistan were reduced to 106 for four in 25.4 overs.

After several overs without any hits to the fence, Umar Akmal finally hit Yuvraj Singh over extra cover for four to relieve some of the tension the Pakistanis were undr. In the same over, he lifted the bowler over deep mid-wicket for a mighty six.

At the end of 30 overs, Pakistan were 130 for four, still needing 131 runs from the remaining 20 overs at a rate of 6.55 runs an over.

Umar Akmal hammered Yuvraj over the sight screen for another big six. Dhoni brought Munaf back into the attack.

Harbhajan finally got Umar Akmal, knocking his off stump back as the batsman tried to swish it away. Pakistan were now 142 for five in 33.1 overs. Umar Akmal made 29 off 24 balls, with the help of two sixes and one four.

At the end of 35 overs, Pakistan were 146 for five, with a required run rate of 7.66.

In the 37th over, Patel bowled Abdul Razzaq with a slower one, a legcutter that uprooted his off-stump. Razzaq had made only three off nine balls.

Pakistan's chances now entirely depended on Afridi. The Pakistani skipper thrased Yuvraj through cover, giving some indication that he intended to make a fight of it. A little later, Misbah-ul-Haq reverse swept Yuvraj past short third man for his first boundary. Pakistan were 177 for six after 40 overs, and the required run rate had climbed to 8.40.

In the afternoon, Sehwag was the first Indian batsman to fall, trapped leg before wicket by Wahab Riaz in the sixth over after he had made 38 in a total of 48.

Tendulkar and left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) added 68 runs for the second wicket before the latter left, stumped by Kamran Akmal off Mohammed Hafeez. His 27 came off 32 balls and included two fours.

Virat Kohli (9) and left-hander Yuvraj Singh (0) fell of successive deliveries to Wahab Riaz in the 26th over.

Tendulkar, who got as many as four chances today, finally left when Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi held on to a catch at short extra-cover off Saeed Ajmal. The little master, who was looking for his 100th ODI century, was denied that distinction by the Pakistanis today. He made 85 off 115 balls with 11 shots to the fence.

Dhoni was trapped leg before by Riaz to make it 205/6 in the 42nd over, and Raina, who had played a stellar role in the quarter-final against Australia, simply ran out of partners after he had added 31 for the seventh wicket with Harbhajan. Zaheer Khan (9) and Ashish Nehra (1) could not even ensure that Raina got the strike as often as he should have.

Sehwag had got India off to a blazing start, literally from the word go. He drove Umar Gul's third delivery through covers for four. In Gul's second over, he hit him to the fence five times. The first was an uppish shot towards mid-wicket and the second was hit off his pads through the same region.

Sehwag despatched the fourth ball of the over past square leg and cut the next one through point before punching the sixth ball, a no-ball, through extra cover. Pakistan gave away 21 runs in all that over.

Sehwag lifted Abdul Razzaq over his head for another four in the next over, before Tendulkar, who was content to let his partner retain most of the strike, came up with an exquisite drive through extra cover.

Sehwag had not quite finished with Gul, taking two more fours off him in the next over. He whipped one ball through mid-wickt and lashed a wider delivery over point. At the end of the first five overs, India were on 47 for no loss and Pakistan appeared headed for a leather hunt.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi brought in Wahab Riaz into the attack and he struck in his very first over, trapping plumb in front of the wicket with his fifth delivery. India asked for a review of the decision, but the third umpire upheld the original decision. The batsman had attempted a flick off the back foot but was beaten by the ball that was a bit short of a length.

Sehwag's 38 came off 25 balls and included nine fours. India were 48 for one in 5.5 overs at that stage.

Gul was happy that Sehwag was no longer on the scene, but his troubles were not quite over. Tendulkar glanced one that strayed down the leg side to the fine-leg boundary for four.

In the next over, the little master clipped a short one from Riaz to the mid-on fence and then came up with a text-book square drive, going down on one knee, for another four.

Tendulkar and Gambhir also kept gathering the runs in singles and twos and took the side to 73 for one in the first ten overs.

In the next over, Tendulkar moved forward and offered a defensive stroke to Saeed Ajmal, missed and umpire Ian Gould adjudged him leg before as the crowd watched in disbelief. Tendulkar had to do some quick thinking about asking for a review, India having already lost the previous review when Sehwag was given out. Tendulkar took his chance and the replays showed the ball would have likely missed the leg stump by a slight margin. The umpire reversed his decision as the crowd heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Afridi, Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, conceded just three in his first over as the match slowly seemed to be acquiring an intense quality. In Ajmal's next over, Gambhir finally got his first for.

Tendulkar had a charmed life as Misbah failed to take a catch after the batsman pulled Afridi towards mid-wicket. He was on 27 at that stage.

In Ajmal's next, Tendulkar swept him fine for four and then edged him to the fence through the vacant slips. At the end of 15 overs, India were 99 for one. A single by Gambhir off Afridi brought up the 100 of the Indian innings.

At the other end, Gambhir cut Mohammed Hafeez for another four. Tendulkar moved into the 40s with a four off Afridi, over the bowler's head.

The Indian batsmen were clearly under pressure and the next over saw Gambhir making his departure, stumped by Kamram Akmal after being beaten by the turn of a delivery from Hafeez. Gambhir had faced 32 balls for his 27 that included two fours. India were 116 for two in 18.5 overs.

At the other end, Tendulkar got another life, on 47, off Afridi, the offending fielder being Younis Khan, who had stretched his hand to stop the drive but dropped the ball, as the bowler gaped in disbelief. India were 119 for two after 20 overs.

India's scoring rate had come down a bit, though Tendulkar did try to keep one end going. He hit Afridi over extra cover to reach his half-century and then came up with a beautiful late cut through the vacant slips for another boundary. Hafeez, however, managed to keep Virat Kohli under check. At the half-way mark, India were 141 for two.

Riaz claimed Kohli off the second ball of his next over, caught by Umar Akmal at backward point after the batsman offered a weak shot to one that bent in and edged the ball. Kohli made only nine in a total of 141 in 25.2 overs.

There was a buzz around the stadium as Yuvraj Singh, man of the match in four of India's previous outings in the tournament and the hero of its quarter-final win against defending champions Australia, walked in. He was beaten by the first ball he faced and had his stumps knocked back. India were now 141 for four in 25.3 overs, and Riaz was in line for a hat-trick.

Dhoni, the next man in, denied him the hat-trick and edged the next delivery to the third man boundary for four to take some of the pressure off. The Indian skipper signalled his intent to not get cowed down by steering Hafeez to the third man boundary. Tendulkar then glanced Riaz in the next over to the fine-leg boundary for another four.

In the next over, Afridi was left holding his head as Tendulkar was dropped again, this time by Kamran, though it was a difficult chance, by any standard, after the batsman edged a defensive push. The batsman then square drove Afridi over the off-side field for one more four as India reached 168 for four after 30 overs.

Gul and Hafeez managed to contain the Indian scoring rate and when the new ball was taken, at the end of 34 overs, India were 177 for four, hardly a cause for satisfaction from the home crowd's point of view. Tendulkar continued to live dangerously, getting yet another chance, this time when he was on 82, dropped by Umar Akmal at wide mid-wicket off Hafeez. Umar did jump and reach the ball but it popped out and Afridi was ready to pop a vessel or two.

Afridi, who had said before the match that his side would deny Tendulkar his 100th century, was proved corect finally when he held on to a powerful drive at shot extra cover off Saeed Ajmal.

Tendulkar's 85 was compiled off 115 balls and included 11 shots to the fence. India were 187 for five in 37 overs at that stage.

Much now depended on Dhoni and Suresh Raina, the new man in, as the Pakistani bowlers piled on the pressure and India's run rate dropped to below five for the first time after the second over. A single by Dhoni off Afridi took the home team to 200 after 40 overs.

Dhoni made his exit soon after, adjudged leg before to Riaz when he was on 25. The Indian skipper was trying to shuffle to the offside, and was hit on the. He did appeal aganst umpire Taufel's decision, but it did not help. India were 205/6 in 41.4 overs.

The Indians' aim now was to boost the total any which way, and Raina made a game effort in the company of Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan, capable of some lusty hititng, swept Ajmal to deep square for the first four in several overs, though the batsmen had to do a lot of running between the wickets to keep the scoreboard moving. India were 221 for six after 45 overs.

Raina brought some cheers to the crowd when lift Gul down the ground for four and then through cover for another boundary. Harbhajan Singh also helped himself to four with a deflection to fine leg.

In the 47th over, Harbhajan came out for a big hit against Ajmal, missed and was stumped by Kamran Akmal. Zaheer Khan survived somehow for some time and even hit Riaz for four. A single by Khan off Gul brought up the 250 of the innings.

With the overs running out, Raina hit Gul over fine-leg for four. At the other end, Riaz had Khan caght behind. Ashish Nehra made 1 before being run out off the second last ball of the innings. Munaf Patel did not get the strike at all as Raina took two off the last ball to set Pakistan a target of 261 for a place in the final.

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

The winner of today's match will meet Sri Lanka in the final on April 2. The Sri Lankans beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

NNN

Chasing 261 for a win, Pakistan were 130 for four after the first 30 of their 50 overs against India in the second semi-final of the cricket World Cup here today.

Umar Akmal was batting on 18 and Misbah-ul-Haq on 7 at that stage.

Hafeez and his opening partner Kamran Akmal got the visitors off to a good start as they put on 44 runs for the first wicket in 9 overs.

Akmal had made 19 off 21 balls with the help of three fours before he sliced the ball to Yuvraj Singh at point while attempting a square drive off Zaheer Khan, giving, in the process, the much needed breakthrough for India. Pakistan were 44 for one at that stage.

Hafeez, who appeared to be in fine fettle, made 43 before he perished, going for a paddle sweep to one outside the off-stump from Patel and ended up edging the ball to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps.

Hafeez's 43 was made off 59 balls and included seven hits to the fence. Pakistan were 70 for two in 15.3 overs with his departure.

Yuvraj Singh, who has had a good tournament so far with both the bat and the ball, dismissed Asad Shafiq (30) in the 24th over. Shafiq was aiming for a cut, but missed the ball and had his middle stump knocked back. The Pakistanis were 103 for 3 in 23.5 overs. Shafiq's 30 came off 39 deliveries and included two fours.

Yuvraj struck again in his next over, claiing the prized wicket of Younis Khan this time. Younis had made only 13 before he was caught by a leaping Suresh Raina at cover while attempting a drive.

The visitors were 106/4 in 25.4 overs at that stage and the required run rate was climbing and there was not too much established batting to follow.

Earlier, opener Sachin Tendulkar topscored with 85 as India put up 260 for nine from their 50 overs after deciding to bat first on winning the toss.

The other opener Virender Sehwag provided the hosts, who opted to bat first, with a head start with a blazing 38 while left-hander Suresh Raina remained unbeaten on 36.

Left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (25) were the other Indian batsmen who got among the runs today.

The fact that Harbhajan Singh (12) was the only other Indian batsman to reach double figures tells its own tale about the manner in which the Pakistani bowlers held sway today.

It was an extremely satisfying day for Pakistan's Wahab Riaz, who took 5 for 46 for his first five-wicket haul.

Akmal began Pakistan's chase with a superb square drive off the first ball of the innings from Khan through cover point for four. He hit the last ball of that over straight past the bowler for another boundary.

Khan's next over another eight runs, including a clip through mid-wicket by Hafeez. At the end of the first five overs, Pakistan were 28 for no loss.

Ashish Nehra, who was brought into the side today in place of spinner R Ashwin, managed to keep the runs in check.

Hafeez sent a short of length delivery from Munaf Patel, brought into the attack, for four and then Akmal hit an uppish shot between mid-off and extra cover for another four.

Hafeez appeared to be in fine clip as he hit Nehra to the mid-on fence for four.

Just when things were beginning to look not very good for India, Khan made the breakthrough as Akmal fell while reaching out for his favourite square drive and was caught by Yuvraj Singh at point. Akmal's 19 came off 21 balls and included three fours.

At the other end, Hafeez produced an exquisite cover drive off Patel for four and got another boundary off the last ball of that over. Pakistan were 52 for one at the end of the first ten overs, close to the required run rate of 5.22.

Hafeez pulled a short one from Patel to the fine leg fence four four as Pakistan tried to push the run rate up. But the Indian bowlers and fielders kept the batsmen on a tight leash and boundaries were few and far between. Pakistan were 70 for one at the end of 15 overs.

In the next over, Patel claimed Hafeez, edging the ball to Dhoni behind the stumps while going for a paddle sweep. His 43 was compiled off 59 balls and included seven fours. That made it 70 for two in 15.3 overs. At the end of 20 overs, Pakistan were 89 for two.

In the 24th over, Yuvraj Singh dismissed Asad Shafiq and accounted for Younis in his next over as Pakistan were reduced to 106 for four in 25.4 overs.

After several overs without any hits to the fence, Umar Akmal finally hit Yuvraj Singh over extra cover for four to relieve some of the tension the Pakistanis were undr. In the same over, he lifted the bowler over deep mid-wicket for a mighty six.

At the end of 30 overs, Pakistan were 130 for four, still needing 131 runs from the remaining 20 overs at a rate of 6.55 runs an over.

In the afternoon, Sehwag was the first Indian batsman to fall, trapped leg before wicket by Wahab Riaz in the sixth over after he had made 38 in a total of 48.

Tendulkar and left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) added 68 runs for the second wicket before the latter left, stumped by Kamran Akmal off Mohammed Hafeez. His 27 came off 32 balls and included two fours.

Virat Kohli (9) and left-hander Yuvraj Singh (0) fell of successive deliveries to Wahab Riaz in the 26th over.

Tendulkar, who got as many as four chances today, finally left when Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi held on to a catch at short extra-cover off Saeed Ajmal. The little master, who was looking for his 100th ODI century, was denied that distinction by the Pakistanis today. He made 85 off 115 balls with 11 shots to the fence.

Dhoni was trapped leg before by Riaz to make it 205/6 in the 42nd over, and Raina, who had played a stellar role in the quarter-final against Australia, simply ran out of partners after he had added 31 for the seventh wicket with Harbhajan. Zaheer Khan (9) and Ashish Nehra (1) could not even ensure that Raina got the strike as often as he should have.

Sehwag had got India off to a blazing start, literally from the word go. He drove Umar Gul's third delivery through covers for four. In Gul's second over, he hit him to the fence five times. The first was an uppish shot towards mid-wicket and the second was hit off his pads through the same region.

Sehwag despatched the fourth ball of the over past square leg and cut the next one through point before punching the sixth ball, a no-ball, through extra cover. Pakistan gave away 21 runs in all that over.

Sehwag lifted Abdul Razzaq over his head for another four in the next over, before Tendulkar, who was content to let his partner retain most of the strike, came up with an exquisite drive through extra cover.

Sehwag had not quite finished with Gul, taking two more fours off him in the next over. He whipped one ball through mid-wickt and lashed a wider delivery over point. At the end of the first five overs, India were on 47 for no loss and Pakistan appeared headed for a leather hunt.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi brought in Wahab Riaz into the attack and he struck in his very first over, trapping plumb in front of the wicket with his fifth delivery. India asked for a review of the decision, but the third umpire upheld the original decision. The batsman had attempted a flick off the back foot but was beaten by the ball that was a bit short of a length.

Sehwag's 38 came off 25 balls and included nine fours. India were 48 for one in 5.5 overs at that stage.

Gul was happy that Sehwag was no longer on the scene, but his troubles were not quite over. Tendulkar glanced one that strayed down the leg side to the fine-leg boundary for four.

In the next over, the little master clipped a short one from Riaz to the mid-on fence and then came up with a text-book square drive, going down on one knee, for another four.

Tendulkar and Gambhir also kept gathering the runs in singles and twos and took the side to 73 for one in the first ten overs.

In the next over, Tendulkar moved forward and offered a defensive stroke to Saeed Ajmal, missed and umpire Ian Gould adjudged him leg before as the crowd watched in disbelief. Tendulkar had to do some quick thinking about asking for a review, India having already lost the previous review when Sehwag was given out. Tendulkar took his chance and the replays showed the ball would have likely missed the leg stump by a slight margin. The umpire reversed his decision as the crowd heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Afridi, Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, conceded just three in his first over as the match slowly seemed to be acquiring an intense quality. In Ajmal's next over, Gambhir finally got his first for.

Tendulkar had a charmed life as Misbah failed to take a catch after the batsman pulled Afridi towards mid-wicket. He was on 27 at that stage.

In Ajmal's next, Tendulkar swept him fine for four and then edged him to the fence through the vacant slips. At the end of 15 overs, India were 99 for one. A single by Gambhir off Afridi brought up the 100 of the Indian innings.

At the other end, Gambhir cut Mohammed Hafeez for another four. Tendulkar moved into the 40s with a four off Afridi, over the bowler's head.

The Indian batsmen were clearly under pressure and the next over saw Gambhir making his departure, stumped by Kamram Akmal after being beaten by the turn of a delivery from Hafeez. Gambhir had faced 32 balls for his 27 that included two fours. India were 116 for two in 18.5 overs.

At the other end, Tendulkar got another life, on 47, off Afridi, the offending fielder being Younis Khan, who had stretched his hand to stop the drive but dropped the ball, as the bowler gaped in disbelief. India were 119 for two after 20 overs.

India's scoring rate had come down a bit, though Tendulkar did try to keep one end going. He hit Afridi over extra cover to reach his half-century and then came up with a beautiful late cut through the vacant slips for another boundary. Hafeez, however, managed to keep Virat Kohli under check. At the half-way mark, India were 141 for two.

Riaz claimed Kohli off the second ball of his next over, caught by Umar Akmal at backward point after the batsman offered a weak shot to one that bent in and edged the ball. Kohli made only nine in a total of 141 in 25.2 overs.

There was a buzz around the stadium as Yuvraj Singh, man of the match in four of India's previous outings in the tournament and the hero of its quarter-final win against defending champions Australia, walked in. He was beaten by the first ball he faced and had his stumps knocked back. India were now 141 for four in 25.3 overs, and Riaz was in line for a hat-trick.

Dhoni, the next man in, denied him the hat-trick and edged the next delivery to the third man boundary for four to take some of the pressure off. The Indian skipper signalled his intent to not get cowed down by steering Hafeez to the third man boundary. Tendulkar then glanced Riaz in the next over to the fine-leg boundary for another four.

In the next over, Afridi was left holding his head as Tendulkar was dropped again, this time by Kamran, though it was a difficult chance, by any standard, after the batsman edged a defensive push. The batsman then square drove Afridi over the off-side field for one more four as India reached 168 for four after 30 overs.

Gul and Hafeez managed to contain the Indian scoring rate and when the new ball was taken, at the end of 34 overs, India were 177 for four, hardly a cause for satisfaction from the home crowd's point of view. Tendulkar continued to live dangerously, getting yet another chance, this time when he was on 82, dropped by Umar Akmal at wide mid-wicket off Hafeez. Umar did jump and reach the ball but it popped out and Afridi was ready to pop a vessel or two.

Afridi, who had said before the match that his side would deny Tendulkar his 100th century, was proved corect finally when he held on to a powerful drive at shot extra cover off Saeed Ajmal.

Tendulkar's 85 was compiled off 115 balls and included 11 shots to the fence. India were 187 for five in 37 overs at that stage.

Much now depended on Dhoni and Suresh Raina, the new man in, as the Pakistani bowlers piled on the pressure and India's run rate dropped to below five for the first time after the second over. A single by Dhoni off Afridi took the home team to 200 after 40 overs.

Dhoni made his exit soon after, adjudged leg before to Riaz when he was on 25. The Indian skipper was trying to shuffle to the offside, and was hit on the. He did appeal aganst umpire Taufel's decision, but it did not help. India were 205/6 in 41.4 overs.

The Indians' aim now was to boost the total any which way, and Raina made a game effort in the company of Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan, capable of some lusty hititng, swept Ajmal to deep square for the first four in several overs, though the batsmen had to do a lot of running between the wickets to keep the scoreboard moving. India were 221 for six after 45 overs.

Raina brought some cheers to the crowd when lift Gul down the ground for four and then through cover for another boundary. Harbhajan Singh also helped himself to four with a deflection to fine leg.

In the 47th over, Harbhajan came out for a big hit against Ajmal, missed and was stumped by Kamran Akmal. Zaheer Khan survived somehow for some time and even hit Riaz for four. A single by Khan off Gul brought up the 250 of the innings.

With the overs running out, Raina hit Gul over fine-leg for four. At the other end, Riaz had Khan caght behind. Ashish Nehra made 1 before being run out off the second last ball of the innings. Munaf Patel did not get the strike at all as Raina took two off the last ball to set Pakistan a target of 261 for a place in the final.

?

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

The winner of today's match will meet Sri Lanka in the final on April 2. The Sri Lankans beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

NNN

Chasing 261 for a win, Pakistan were 89 for two after the first 20 of their 50 overs against India in the second semi-final of the cricket World Cup here today.

Asad Shafiq was batting on 20 and Younis Khan on 7 at that stage.

Hafeez and his opening partner Kamran Akmal got the visitors off to a good start as they put on 44 runs for the first wicket in 9 overs.

Akmal had made 19 off 21 balls with the help of three fours before he sliced the ball to Yuvraj Singh at point while attempting a square drive off Zaheer Khan, giving, in the process, the much needed breakthrough for India. Pakistan were 44 for one at that stage.

Hafeez, who appeared to be in fine fettle, made 43 before he perished, going for a paddle sweep to one outside the off-stump from Patel and ended up edging the ball to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps.

Hafeez's 43 was made off 59 balls and included seven hits to the fence. Pakistan were 70 for two in 15.3 overs with his departure.

Earlier, opener Sachin Tendulkar topscored with 85 as India put up 260 for nine from their 50 overs after deciding to bat first on winning the toss.

The other opener Virender Sehwag provided the hosts, who opted to bat first, with a head start with a blazing 38 while left-hander Suresh Raina remained unbeaten on 36.

Left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (25) were the other Indian batsmen who got among the runs today.

The fact that Harbhajan Singh (12) was the only other Indian batsman to reach double figures tells its own tale about the manner in which the Pakistani bowlers held sway today.

It was an extremely satisfying day for Pakistan's Wahab Riaz, who took 5 for 46 for his first five-wicket haul.

Akmal began Pakistan's chase with a superb square drive off the first ball of the innings from Khan through cover point for four. He hit the last ball of that over straight past the bowler for another boundary.

Khan's next over another eight runs, including a clip through mid-wicket by Hafeez. At the end of the first five overs, Pakistan were 28 for no loss.

Ashish Nehra, who was brought into the side today in place of spinner R Ashwin, managed to keep the runs in check.

Hafeez sent a short of length delivery from Munaf Patel, brought into the attack, for four and then Akmal hit an uppish shot between mid-off and extra cover for another four.

Hafeez appeared to be in fine clip as he hit Nehra to the mid-on fence for four.

Just when things were beginning to look not very good for India, Khan made the breakthrough as Akmal fell while reaching out for his favourite square drive and was caught by Yuvraj Singh at point. Akmal's 19 came off 21 balls and included three fours.

At the other end, Hafeez produced an exquisite cover drive off Patel for four and got another boundary off the last ball of that over. Pakistan wre 51 for one at the end of the first ten overs, close to the required run rate of 5.22.

In the afternoon, Sehwag was the first Indian batsman to fall, trapped leg before wicket by Wahab Riaz in the sixth over after he had made 38 in a total of 48.

Tendulkar and left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) added 68 runs for the second wicket before the latter left, stumped by Kamran Akmal off Mohammed Hafeez. His 27 came off 32 balls and included two fours.

Virat Kohli (9) and left-hander Yuvraj Singh (0) fell of successive deliveries to Wahab Riaz in the 26th over.

Tendulkar, who got as many as four chances today, finally left when Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi held on to a catch at short extra-cover off Saeed Ajmal. The little master, who was looking for his 100th ODI century, was denied that distinction by the Pakistanis today. He made 85 off 115 balls with 11 shots to the fence.

Dhoni was trapped leg before by Riaz to make it 205/6 in the 42nd over, and Raina, who had played a stellar role in the quarter-final against Australia, simply ran out of partners after he had added 31 for the seventh wicket with Harbhajan. Zaheer Khan (9) and Ashish Nehra (1) could not even ensure that Raina got the strike as often as he should have.

Sehwag had got India off to a blazing start, literally from the word go. He drove Umar Gul's third delivery through covers for four. In Gul's second over, he hit him to the fence five times. The first was an uppish shot towards mid-wicket and the second was hit off his pads through the same region.

Sehwag despatched the fourth ball of the over past square leg and cut the next one through point before punching the sixth ball, a no-ball, through extra cover. Pakistan gave away 21 runs in all that over.

Sehwag lifted Abdul Razzaq over his head for another four in the next over, before Tendulkar, who was content to let his partner retain most of the strike, came up with an exquisite drive through extra cover.

Sehwag had not quite finished with Gul, taking two more fours off him in the next over. He whipped one ball through mid-wickt and lashed a wider delivery over point. At the end of the first five overs, India were on 47 for no loss and Pakistan appeared headed for a leather hunt.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi brought in Wahab Riaz into the attack and he struck in his very first over, trapping plumb in front of the wicket with his fifth delivery. India asked for a review of the decision, but the third umpire upheld the original decision. The batsman had attempted a flick off the back foot but was beaten by the ball that was a bit short of a length.

Sehwag's 38 came off 25 balls and included nine fours. India were 48 for one in 5.5 overs at that stage.

Gul was happy that Sehwag was no longer on the scene, but his troubles were not quite over. Tendulkar glanced one that strayed down the leg side to the fine-leg boundary for four.

In the next over, the little master clipped a short one from Riaz to the mid-on fence and then came up with a text-book square drive, going down on one knee, for another four.

Tendulkar and Gambhir also kept gathering the runs in singles and twos and took the side to 73 for one in the first ten overs.

In the next over, Tendulkar moved forward and offered a defensive stroke to Saeed Ajmal, missed and umpire Ian Gould adjudged him leg before as the crowd watched in disbelief. Tendulkar had to do some quick thinking about asking for a review, India having already lost the previous review when Sehwag was given out. Tendulkar took his chance and the replays showed the ball would have likely missed the leg stump by a slight margin. The umpire reversed his decision as the crowd heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Afridi, Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, conceded just three in his first over as the match slowly seemed to be acquiring an intense quality. In Ajmal's next over, Gambhir finally got his first for.

Tendulkar had a charmed life as Misbah failed to take a catch after the batsman pulled Afridi towards mid-wicket. He was on 27 at that stage.

In Ajmal's next, Tendulkar swept him fine for four and then edged him to the fence through the vacant slips. At the end of 15 overs, India were 99 for one. A single by Gambhir off Afridi brought up the 100 of the Indian innings.

At the other end, Gambhir cut Mohammed Hafeez for another four. Tendulkar moved into the 40s with a four off Afridi, over the bowler's head.

The Indian batsmen were clearly under pressure and the next over saw Gambhir making his departure, stumped by Kamram Akmal after being beaten by the turn of a delivery from Hafeez. Gambhir had faced 32 balls for his 27 that included two fours. India were 116 for two in 18.5 overs.

At the other end, Tendulkar got another life, on 47, off Afridi, the offending fielder being Younis Khan, who had stretched his hand to stop the drive but dropped the ball, as the bowler gaped in disbelief. India were 119 for two after 20 overs.

India's scoring rate had come down a bit, though Tendulkar did try to keep one end going. He hit Afridi over extra cover to reach his half-century and then came up with a beautiful late cut through the vacant slips for another boundary. Hafeez, however, managed to keep Virat Kohli under check. At the half-way mark, India were 141 for two.

Riaz claimed Kohli off the second ball of his next over, caught by Umar Akmal at backward point after the batsman offered a weak shot to one that bent in and edged the ball. Kohli made only nine in a total of 141 in 25.2 overs.

There was a buzz around the stadium as Yuvraj Singh, man of the match in four of India's previous outings in the tournament and the hero of its quarter-final win against defending champions Australia, walked in. He was beaten by the first ball he faced and had his stumps knocked back. India were now 141 for four in 25.3 overs, and Riaz was in line for a hat-trick.

Dhoni, the next man in, denied him the hat-trick and edged the next delivery to the third man boundary for four to take some of the pressure off. The Indian skipper signalled his intent to not get cowed down by steering Hafeez to the third man boundary. Tendulkar then glanced Riaz in the next over to the fine-leg boundary for another four.

In the next over, Afridi was left holding his head as Tendulkar was dropped again, this time by Kamran, though it was a difficult chance, by any standard, after the batsman edged a defensive push. The batsman then square drove Afridi over the off-side field for one more four as India reached 168 for four after 30 overs.

Gul and Hafeez managed to contain the Indian scoring rate and when the new ball was taken, at the end of 34 overs, India were 177 for four, hardly a cause for satisfaction from the home crowd's point of view. Tendulkar continued to live dangerously, getting yet another chance, this time when he was on 82, dropped by Umar Akmal at wide mid-wicket off Hafeez. Umar did jump and reach the ball but it popped out and Afridi was ready to pop a vessel or two.

Afridi, who had said before the match that his side would deny Tendulkar his 100th century, was proved corect finally when he held on to a powerful drive at shot extra cover off Saeed Ajmal.

Tendulkar's 85 was compiled off 115 balls and included 11 shots to the fence. India were 187 for five in 37 overs at that stage.

Much now depended on Dhoni and Suresh Raina, the new man in, as the Pakistani bowlers piled on the pressure and India's run rate dropped to below five for the first time after the second over. A single by Dhoni off Afridi took the home team to 200 after 40 overs.

Dhoni made his exit soon after, adjudged leg before to Riaz when he was on 25. The Indian skipper was trying to shuffle to the offside, and was hit on the. He did appeal aganst umpire Taufel's decision, but it did not help. India were 205/6 in 41.4 overs.

The Indians' aim now was to boost the total any which way, and Raina made a game effort in the company of Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan, capable of some lusty hititng, swept Ajmal to deep square for the first four in several overs, though the batsmen had to do a lot of running between the wickets to keep the scoreboard moving. India were 221 for six after 45 overs.

Raina brought some cheers to the crowd when lift Gul down the ground for four and then through cover for another boundary. Harbhajan Singh also helped himself to four with a deflection to fine leg.

In the 47th over, Harbhajan came out for a big hit against Ajmal, missed and was stumped by Kamran Akmal. Zaheer Khan survived somehow for some time and even hit Riaz for four. A single by Khan off Gul brought up the 250 of the innings.

With the overs running out, Raina hit Gul over fine-leg for four. At the other end, Riaz had Khan caght behind. Ashish Nehra made 1 before being run out off the second last ball of the innings. Munaf Patel did not get the strike at all as Raina took two off the last ball to set Pakistan a target of 261 for a place in the final.

?

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

The winner of today's match will meet Sri Lanka in the final on April 2. The Sri Lankans beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

NNN

Chasing 261 for a win, Pakistan were 52 for 1 after the first ten of their 50 overs against India in the second semi-final of the cricket World Cup here today.

Opener Mohammad Hafeez (33) and Asad Shafiq (0) were at the crease.

Hafeez and his opening partner Kamran Akmal got the visitors off to a good start as they put on 44 runs for the first wicket in 9 overs.

Akmal had made 19 off 21 balls with the help of three fours before he sliced the ball to Yuvraj Singh at point while attempting a square drive off Zaheer Khan, giving, in the process, the much needed breakthrough for India. Pakistan were 44 for one at that stage.

Earlier, opener Sachin Tendulkar topscored with 85 as India put up 260 for nine from their 50 overs after deciding to bat first on winning the toss.

The other opener Virender Sehwag provided the hosts, who opted to bat first, with a head start with a blazing 38 while left-hander Suresh Raina remained unbeaten on 36.

Left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (25) were the other Indian batsmen who got among the runs today.

The fact that Harbhajan Singh (12) was the only other Indian batsman to reach double figures tells its own tale about the manner in which the Pakistani bowlers held sway today.

It was an extremely satisfying day for Pakistan's Wahab Riaz, who took 5 for 46 for his first five-wicket haul.

Akmal began Pakistan's chase with a superb square drive off the first ball of the innings from Khan through cover point for four. He hit the last ball of that over straight past the bowler for another boundary.

Khan's next over another eight runs, including a clip through mid-wicket by Hafeez. At the end of the first five overs, Pakistan were 28 for no loss.

Ashish Nehra, who was brought into the side today in place of spinner R Ashwin, managed to keep the runs in check.

Hafeez sent a short of length delivery from Munaf Patel, brought into the attack, for four and then Akmal hit an uppish shot between mid-off and extra cover for another four.

Hafeez appeared to be in fine clip as he hit Nehra to the mid-on fence for four.

Just when things were beginning to look not very good for India, Khan made the breakthrough as Akmal fell while reaching out for his favourite square drive and was caught by Yuvraj Singh at point. Akmal's 19 came off 21 balls and included three fours.

At the other end, Hafeez produced an exquisite cover drive off Patel for four and got another boundary off the last ball of that over. Pakistan were 51 for one at the end of the first ten overs, close to the required run rate of 5.22.

In the afternoon, Sehwag was the first Indian batsman to fall, trapped leg before wicket by Wahab Riaz in the sixth over after he had made 38 in a total of 48.

Tendulkar and left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) added 68 runs for the second wicket before the latter left, stumped by Kamran Akmal off Mohammed Hafeez. His 27 came off 32 balls and included two fours.

Virat Kohli (9) and left-hander Yuvraj Singh (0) fell of successive deliveries to Wahab Riaz in the 26th over.

Tendulkar, who got as many as four chances today, finally left when Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi held on to a catch at short extra-cover off Saeed Ajmal. The little master, who was looking for his 100th ODI century, was denied that distinction by the Pakistanis today. He made 85 off 115 balls with 11 shots to the fence.

Dhoni was trapped leg before by Riaz to make it 205/6 in the 42nd over, and Raina, who had played a stellar role in the quarter-final against Australia, simply ran out of partners after he had added 31 for the seventh wicket with Harbhajan. Zaheer Khan (9) and Ashish Nehra (1) could not even ensure that Raina got the strike as often as he should have.

Sehwag had got India off to a blazing start, literally from the word go. He drove Umar Gul's third delivery through covers for four. In Gul's second over, he hit him to the fence five times. The first was an uppish shot towards mid-wicket and the second was hit off his pads through the same region.

Sehwag despatched the fourth ball of the over past square leg and cut the next one through point before punching the sixth ball, a no-ball, through extra cover. Pakistan gave away 21 runs in all that over.

Sehwag lifted Abdul Razzaq over his head for another four in the next over, before Tendulkar, who was content to let his partner retain most of the strike, came up with an exquisite drive through extra cover.

Sehwag had not quite finished with Gul, taking two more fours off him in the next over. He whipped one ball through mid-wicket and lashed a wider delivery over point. At the end of the first five overs, India were on 47 for no loss and Pakistan appeared headed for a leather hunt.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi brought in Wahab Riaz into the attack and he struck in his very first over, trapping plumb in front of the wicket with his fifth delivery. India asked for a review of the decision, but the third umpire upheld the original decision. The batsman had attempted a flick off the back foot but was beaten by the ball that was a bit short of a length.

Sehwag's 38 came off 25 balls and included nine fours. India were 48 for one in 5.5 overs at that stage.

Gul was happy that Sehwag was no longer on the scene, but his troubles were not quite over. Tendulkar glanced one that strayed down the leg side to the fine-leg boundary for four.

In the next over, the little master clipped a short one from Riaz to the mid-on fence and then came up with a text-book square drive, going down on one knee, for another four.

Tendulkar and Gambhir also kept gathering the runs in singles and twos and took the side to 73 for one in the first ten overs.

In the next over, Tendulkar moved forward and offered a defensive stroke to Saeed Ajmal, missed and umpire Ian Gould adjudged him leg before as the crowd watched in disbelief. Tendulkar had to do some quick thinking about asking for a review, India having already lost the previous review when Sehwag was given out. Tendulkar took his chance and the replays showed the ball would have likely missed the leg stump by a slight margin. The umpire reversed his decision as the crowd heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Afridi, Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, conceded just three in his first over as the match slowly seemed to be acquiring an intense quality. In Ajmal's next over, Gambhir finally got his first for.

Tendulkar had a charmed life as Misbah failed to take a catch after the batsman pulled Afridi towards mid-wicket. He was on 27 at that stage.

In Ajmal's next, Tendulkar swept him fine for four and then edged him to the fence through the vacant slips. At the end of 15 overs, India were 99 for one. A single by Gambhir off Afridi brought up the 100 of the Indian innings.

At the other end, Gambhir cut Mohammed Hafeez for another four. Tendulkar moved into the 40s with a four off Afridi, over the bowler's head.

The Indian batsmen were clearly under pressure and the next over saw Gambhir making his departure, stumped by Kamram Akmal after being beaten by the turn of a delivery from Hafeez. Gambhir had faced 32 balls for his 27 that included two fours. India were 116 for two in 18.5 overs.

At the other end, Tendulkar got another life, on 47, off Afridi, the offending fielder being Younis Khan, who had stretched his hand to stop the drive but dropped the ball, as the bowler gaped in disbelief. India were 119 for two after 20 overs.

India's scoring rate had come down a bit, though Tendulkar did try to keep one end going. He hit Afridi over extra cover to reach his half-century and then came up with a beautiful late cut through the vacant slips for another boundary. Hafeez, however, managed to keep Virat Kohli under check. At the half-way mark, India were 141 for two.

Riaz claimed Kohli off the second ball of his next over, caught by Umar Akmal at backward point after the batsman offered a weak shot to one that bent in and edged the ball. Kohli made only nine in a total of 141 in 25.2 overs.

There was a buzz around the stadium as Yuvraj Singh, man of the match in four of India's previous outings in the tournament and the hero of its quarter-final win against defending champions Australia, walked in. He was beaten by the first ball he faced and had his stumps knocked back. India were now 141 for four in 25.3 overs, and Riaz was in line for a hat-trick.

Dhoni, the next man in, denied him the hat-trick and edged the next delivery to the third man boundary for four to take some of the pressure off. The Indian skipper signalled his intent to not get cowed down by steering Hafeez to the third man boundary. Tendulkar then glanced Riaz in the next over to the fine-leg boundary for another four.

In the next over, Afridi was left holding his head as Tendulkar was dropped again, this time by Kamran, though it was a difficult chance, by any standard, after the batsman edged a defensive push. The batsman then square drove Afridi over the off-side field for one more four as India reached 168 for four after 30 overs.

Gul and Hafeez managed to contain the Indian scoring rate and when the new ball was taken, at the end of 34 overs, India were 177 for four, hardly a cause for satisfaction from the home crowd's point of view. Tendulkar continued to live dangerously, getting yet another chance, this time when he was on 82, dropped by Umar Akmal at wide mid-wicket off Hafeez. Umar did jump and reach the ball but it popped out and Afridi was ready to pop a vessel or two.

Afridi, who had said before the match that his side would deny Tendulkar his 100th century, was proved correct finally when he held on to a powerful drive at shot extra cover off Saeed Ajmal.

Tendulkar's 85 was compiled off 115 balls and included 11 shots to the fence. India were 187 for five in 37 overs at that stage.

Much now depended on Dhoni and Suresh Raina, the new man in, as the Pakistani bowlers piled on the pressure and India's run rate dropped to below five for the first time after the second over. A single by Dhoni off Afridi took the home team to 200 after 40 overs.

Dhoni made his exit soon after, adjudged leg before to Riaz when he was on 25. The Indian skipper was trying to shuffle to the offside, and was hit on the. He did appeal aganst umpire Taufel's decision, but it did not help. India were 205/6 in 41.4 overs.

The Indians' aim now was to boost the total any which way, and Raina made a game effort in the company of Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan, capable of some lusty hititng, swept Ajmal to deep square for the first four in several overs, though the batsmen had to do a lot of running between the wickets to keep the scoreboard moving. India were 221 for six after 45 overs.

Raina brought some cheers to the crowd when lift Gul down the ground for four and then through cover for another boundary. Harbhajan Singh also helped himself to four with a deflection to fine leg.

In the 47th over, Harbhajan came out for a big hit against Ajmal, missed and was stumped by Kamran Akmal. Zaheer Khan survived somehow for some time and even hit Riaz for four. A single by Khan off Gul brought up the 250 of the innings.

With the overs running out, Raina hit Gul over fine-leg for four. At the other end, Riaz had Khan caght behind. Ashish Nehra made 1 before being run out off the second last ball of the innings. Munaf Patel did not get the strike at all as Raina took two off the last ball to set Pakistan a target of 261 for a place in the final.

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

The winner of today's match will meet Sri Lanka in the final on April 2. The Sri Lankans beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

NNN

Opener Sachin Tendulkar topscored with 85 as India put up 260 for nine from their 50 overs against Pakistan in the second semi-final of the cricket World Cup here today.

The other opener Virender Sehwag provided the hosts, who opted to bat first, with a head start with a blazing 38 while left-hander Suresh Raina remained unbeaten on 36.

Left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (25) were the other Indian batsmen who got among the runs today.

The fact that Harbhajan Singh (12) was the only other Indian batsman to reach double figures tells its own tale about the manner in which the Pakistani bowlers held sway today.

It was an extremely satisfying day for Pakistan's Wahab Riaz, who took 5 for 46 for his first five-wicket haul.

Sehwag was the first Indian batsman to fall, trapped leg before wicket by Wahab Riaz in the sixth over after he had made 38 in a total of 48.

Tendulkar and left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) added 68 runs for the second wicket before the latter left, stumped by Kamran Akmal off Mohammed Hafeez. His 27 came off 32 balls and included two fours.

Virat Kohli (9) and left-hander Yuvraj Singh (0) fell of successive deliveries to Wahab Riaz in the 26th over.

Tendulkar, who got as many as four chances today, finally left when Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi held on to a catch at short extra-cover off Saeed Ajmal. The little master, who was looking for his 100th ODI century, was denied that distinction by the Pakistanis today. He made 85 off 115 balls with 11 shots to the fence.

Dhoni was trapped leg before by Riaz to make it 205/6 in the 42nd over, and Raina, who had played a stellar role in the quarter-final against Australia, simply ran out of partners after he had added 31 for the seventh wicket with Harbhajan. Zaheer Khan (9) and Ashish Nehra (1) could not even ensure that Raina got the strike as often as he should have.

Sehwag had got India off to a blazing start, literally from the word go. He drove Umar Gul's third delivery through covers for four. In Gul's second over, he hit him to the fence five times. The first was an uppish shot towards mid-wicket and the second was hit off his pads through the same region.

Sehwag despatched the fourth ball of the over past square leg and cut the next one through point before punching the sixth ball, a no-ball, through extra cover. Pakistan gave away 21 runs in all that over.

Sehwag lifted Abdul Razzaq over his head for another four in the next over, before Tendulkar, who was content to let his partner retain most of the strike, came up with an exquisite drive through extra cover.

Sehwag had not quite finished with Gul, taking two more fours off him in the next over. He whipped one ball through mid-wickt and lashed a wider delivery over point. At the end of the first five overs, India were on 47 for no loss and Pakistan appeared headed for a leather hunt.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi brought in Wahab Riaz into the attack and he struck in his very first over, trapping plumb in front of the wicket with his fifth delivery. India asked for a review of the decision, but the third umpire upheld the original decision. The batsman had attempted a flick off the back foot but was beaten by the ball that was a bit short of a length.

Sehwag's 38 came off 25 balls and included nine fours. India were 48 for one in 5.5 overs at that stage.

Gul was happy that Sehwag was no longer on the scene, but his troubles were not quite over. Tendulkar glanced one that strayed down the leg side to the fine-leg boundary for four.

In the next over, the little master clipped a short one from Riaz to the mid-on fence and then came up with a text-book square drive, going down on one knee, for another four.

Tendulkar and Gambhir also kept gathering the runs in singles and twos and took the side to 73 for one in the first ten overs.

In the next over, Tendulkar moved forward and offered a defensive stroke to Saeed Ajmal, missed and umpire Ian Gould adjudged him leg before as the crowd watched in disbelief. Tendulkar had to do some quick thinking about asking for a review, India having already lost the previous review when Sehwag was given out. Tendulkar took his chance and the replays showed the ball would have likely missed the leg stump by a slight margin. The umpire reversed his decision as the crowd heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Afridi, Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, conceded just three in his first over as the match slowly seemed to be acquiring an intense quality. In Ajmal's next over, Gambhir finally got his first for.

Tendulkar had a charmed life as Misbah failed to take a catch after the batsman pulled Afridi towards mid-wicket. He was on 27 at that stage.

In Ajmal's next, Tendulkar swept him fine for four and then edged him to the fence through the vacant slips. At the end of 15 overs, India were 99 for one. A single by Gambhir off Afridi brought up the 100 of the Indian innings.

At the other end, Gambhir cut Mohammed Hafeez for another four. Tendulkar moved into the 40s with a four off Afridi, over the bowler's head.

The Indian batsmen were clearly under pressure and the next over saw Gambhir making his departure, stumped by Kamram Akmal after being beaten by the turn of a delivery from Hafeez. Gambhir had faced 32 balls for his 27 that included two fours. India were 116 for two in 18.5 overs.

At the other end, Tendulkar got another life, on 47, off Afridi, the offending fielder being Younis Khan, who had stretched his hand to stop the drive but dropped the ball, as the bowler gaped in disbelief. India were 119 for two after 20 overs.

India's scoring rate had come down a bit, though Tendulkar did try to keep one end going. He hit Afridi over extra cover to reach his half-century and then came up with a beautiful late cut through the vacant slips for another boundary. Hafeez, however, managed to keep Virat Kohli under check. At the half-way mark, India were 141 for two.

Riaz claimed Kohli off the second ball of his next over, caught by Umar Akmal at backward point after the batsman offered a weak shot to one that bent in and edged the ball. Kohli made only nine in a total of 141 in 25.2 overs.

There was a buzz around the stadium as Yuvraj Singh, man of the match in four of India's previous outings in the tournament and the hero of its quarter-final win against defending champions Australia, walked in. He was beaten by the first ball he faced and had his stumps knocked back. India were now 141 for four in 25.3 overs, and Riaz was in line for a hat-trick.

Dhoni, the next man in, denied him the hat-trick and edged the next delivery to the third man boundary for four to take some of the pressure off. The Indian skipper signalled his intent to not get cowed down by steering Hafeez to the third man boundary. Tendulkar then glanced Riaz in the next over to the fine-leg boundary for another four.

In the next over, Afridi was left holding his head as Tendulkar was dropped again, this time by Kamran, though it was a difficult chance, by any standard, after the batsman edged a defensive push. The batsman then square drove Afridi over the off-side field for one more four as India reached 168 for four after 30 overs.

Gul and Hafeez managed to contain the Indian scoring rate and when the new ball was taken, at the end of 34 overs, India were 177 for four, hardly a cause for satisfaction from the home crowd's point of view. Tendulkar continued to live dangerously, getting yet another chance, this time when he was on 82, dropped by Umar Akmal at wide mid-wicket off Hafeez. Umar did jump and reach the ball but it popped out and Afridi was ready to pop a vessel or two.

Afridi, who had said before the match that his side would deny Tendulkar his 100th century, was proved corect finally when he held on to a powerful drive at shot extra cover off Saeed Ajmal.

Tendulkar's 85 was compiled off 115 balls and included 11 shots to the fence. India were 187 for five in 37 overs at that stage.

Much now depended on Dhoni and Suresh Raina, the new man in, as the Pakistani bowlers piled on the pressure and India's run rate dropped to below five for the first time after the second over. A single by Dhoni off Afridi took the home team to 200 after 40 overs.

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

The winner of today's match will meet Sri Lanka in the final on April 2. The Sri Lankans beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

The teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain, wk), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel.

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal.

NNN

India made 168 for four from the first 30 of their allotted 50 overs against Pakistan in the semi-final of the cricket World Cup here today.

Opener Sachin Tendulkar was batting on 75 and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on 11.

The other opener Virender Sehwag was the first Indian batsman to fall, trapped leg before wicket by Wahab Riaz in the sixth over after he had made 38 in a total of 48.

Tendulkar and left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) added 68 runs for the second wicket before the latter left, stumped by Kamran Akmal off Mohammed Hafeez. His 27 came off 32 balls and included two fours.

Virat Kohli (9) and left-hander Yuvraj Singh (0) fell of successive deliveries to Wahab Riaz in the 26th over.

Sehwag had got India off to a blazing start, literally from the word go. He drove Umar Gul's third delivery through covers for four. In Gul's second over, he hit him to the fence five times. The first was an uppish shot towards mid-wicket and the second was hit off his pads through the same region.

Sehwag despatched the fourth ball of the over past square leg and cut the next one through point before punching the sixth ball, a no-ball, through extra cover. Pakistan gave away 21 runs in all that over.

Sehwag lifted Abdul Razzaq over his head for another four in the next over, before Tendulkar, who was content to let his partner retain most of the strike, came up with an exquisite drive through extra cover.

Sehwag had not quite finished with Gul, taking two more fours off him in the next over. He whipped one ball through mid-wickt and lashed a wider delivery over point. At the end of the first five overs, India were on 47 for no loss and Pakistan appeared headed for a leather hunt.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi brought in Wahab Riaz into the attack and he struck in his very first over, trapping plumb in front of the wicket with his fifth delivery. India asked for a review of the decision, but the third umpire upheld the original decision. The batsman had attempted a flick off the back foot but was beaten by the ball that was a bit short of a length.

Sehwag's 38 came off 25 balls and included nine fours. India were 48 for one in 5.5 overs at that stage.

Gul was happy that Sehwag was no longer on the scene, but his troubles were not quite over. Tendulkar glanced one that strayed down the leg side to the fine-leg boundary for four.

In the next over, the little master clipped a short one from Riaz to the mid-on fence and then came up with a text-book square drive, going down on one knee, for another four.

Tendulkar and Gambhir also kept gathering the runs in singles and twos and took the side to 73 for one in the first ten overs.

In the next over, Tendulkar moved forward and offered a defensive stroke to Saeed Ajmal, missed and umpire Ian Gould adjudged him leg before as the crowd watched in disbelief. Tendulkar had to do some quick thinking about asking for a review, India having already lost the previous review when Sehwag was given out. Tendulkar took his chance and the replays showed the ball would have likely missed the leg stump by a slight margin. The umpire reversed his decision as the crowd heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Afridi, Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, conceded just three in his first over as the match slowly seemed to be acquiring an intense quality. In Ajmal's next over, Gambhir finally got his first for.

Tendulkar had a charmed life as Misbah failed to take a catch after the batsman pulled Afridi towards mid-wicket. He was on 27 at that stage.

In Ajmal's next, Tendulkar swept him fine for four and then edged him to the fence through the vacant slips. At the end of 15 overs, India were 99 for one. A single by Gambhir off Afridi brought up the 100 of the Indian innings.

At the other end, Gambhir cut Mohammed Hafeez for another four. Tendulkar moved into the 40s with a four off Afridi, over the bowler's head.

The Indian batsmen were clearly under pressure and the next over saw Gambhir making his departure, stumped by Kamram Akmal after being beaten by the turn of a delivery from Hafeez. Gambhir had faced 32 balls for his 27 that included two fours. India were 116 for two in 18.5 overs.

At the other end, Tendulkar got another life, on 47, off Afridi, the offending fielder being Younis Khan, who had stretched his hand to stop the drive but dropped the ball, as the bowler gaped in disbelief. India were 119 for two after 20 overs.

India's scoring rate had come down a bit, though Tendulkar did try to keep one end going. He hit Afridi over extra cover to reach his half-century and then came up with a beautiful late cut through the vacant slips for another boundary. Hafeez, however, managed to keep Virat Kohli under check. At the half-way mark, India were 141 for two.

Riaz claimed Kohli off the second ball of his next over, caught by Umar Akmal at backward point after the batsman offered a weak shot to one that bent in and edged the ball. Kohli made only nine in a total of 141 in 25.2 overs.

There was a buzz around the stadium as Yuvraj Singh, man of the match in four of India's previous outings in the tournament and the hero of its quarter-final win against defending champions Australia, walked in. He was beaten by the first ball he faced and had his stumps knocked back. India were now 141 for four in 25.3 overs, and Riaz was in line for a hat-trick.

Dhoni, the next man in, denied him the hat-trick and edged the next delivery to the third man boundary for four to take some of the pressure off. The Indian skipper signalled his intent to not get cowed down by steering Hafeez to the third man boundary. Tendulkar then glanced Riaz in the next over to the fine-leg boundary for another four.

In the next over, Afridi was left holding his head as Tendulkar was dropped again, this time by Kamran, though it was a difficult chance, by any standard, after the batsman edged a defensive push. The batsman then square drove Afridi over the off-side field for one more four as India reached 168 for four after 30 overs.

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

The winner of today's match will meet Sri Lanka in the final on April 2. The Sri Lankans beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

The teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain, wk), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel.

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal.

NNN

India made 200 for five from 40 of their allotted 50 overs against Pakistan in the semi-final of the cricket World Cup here today.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was batting on 22 and left-hander Suresh Raina on 8.

The other opener Virender Sehwag was the first Indian batsman to fall, trapped leg before wicket by Wahab Riaz in the sixth over after he had made 38 in a total of 48.

Tendulkar and left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) added 68 runs for the second wicket before the latter left, stumped by Kamran Akmal off Mohammed Hafeez. His 27 came off 32 balls and included two fours.

Virat Kohli (9) and left-hander Yuvraj Singh (0) fell of successive deliveries to Wahab Riaz in the 26th over.

Tendulkar, who got as many as four chances today, finally left when Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi held on to a catch at short extra-cover off Saeed Ajmal. The little master, who was looking for his 100th ODI century, was denied that distinction by the Pakistanis today. He made 85 off 115 balls with 11 shots to the fence.

Sehwag had got India off to a blazing start, literally from the word go. He drove Umar Gul's third delivery through covers for four. In Gul's second over, he hit him to the fence five times. The first was an uppish shot towards mid-wicket and the second was hit off his pads through the same region.

Sehwag despatched the fourth ball of the over past square leg and cut the next one through point before punching the sixth ball, a no-ball, through extra cover. Pakistan gave away 21 runs in all that over.

Sehwag lifted Abdul Razzaq over his head for another four in the next over, before Tendulkar, who was content to let his partner retain most of the strike, came up with an exquisite drive through extra cover.

Sehwag had not quite finished with Gul, taking two more fours off him in the next over. He whipped one ball through mid-wickt and lashed a wider delivery over point. At the end of the first five overs, India were on 47 for no loss and Pakistan appeared headed for a leather hunt.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi brought in Wahab Riaz into the attack and he struck in his very first over, trapping plumb in front of the wicket with his fifth delivery. India asked for a review of the decision, but the third umpire upheld the original decision. The batsman had attempted a flick off the back foot but was beaten by the ball that was a bit short of a length.

Sehwag's 38 came off 25 balls and included nine fours. India were 48 for one in 5.5 overs at that stage.

Gul was happy that Sehwag was no longer on the scene, but his troubles were not quite over. Tendulkar glanced one that strayed down the leg side to the fine-leg boundary for four.

In the next over, the little master clipped a short one from Riaz to the mid-on fence and then came up with a text-book square drive, going down on one knee, for another four.

Tendulkar and Gambhir also kept gathering the runs in singles and twos and took the side to 73 for one in the first ten overs.

In the next over, Tendulkar moved forward and offered a defensive stroke to Saeed Ajmal, missed and umpire Ian Gould adjudged him leg before as the crowd watched in disbelief. Tendulkar had to do some quick thinking about asking for a review, India having already lost the previous review when Sehwag was given out. Tendulkar took his chance and the replays showed the ball would have likely missed the leg stump by a slight margin. The umpire reversed his decision as the crowd heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Afridi, Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, conceded just three in his first over as the match slowly seemed to be acquiring an intense quality. In Ajmal's next over, Gambhir finally got his first for.

Tendulkar had a charmed life as Misbah failed to take a catch after the batsman pulled Afridi towards mid-wicket. He was on 27 at that stage.

In Ajmal's next, Tendulkar swept him fine for four and then edged him to the fence through the vacant slips. At the end of 15 overs, India were 99 for one. A single by Gambhir off Afridi brought up the 100 of the Indian innings.

At the other end, Gambhir cut Mohammed Hafeez for another four. Tendulkar moved into the 40s with a four off Afridi, over the bowler's head.

The Indian batsmen were clearly under pressure and the next over saw Gambhir making his departure, stumped by Kamram Akmal after being beaten by the turn of a delivery from Hafeez. Gambhir had faced 32 balls for his 27 that included two fours. India were 116 for two in 18.5 overs.

At the other end, Tendulkar got another life, on 47, off Afridi, the offending fielder being Younis Khan, who had stretched his hand to stop the drive but dropped the ball, as the bowler gaped in disbelief. India were 119 for two after 20 overs.

India's scoring rate had come down a bit, though Tendulkar did try to keep one end going. He hit Afridi over extra cover to reach his half-century and then came up with a beautiful late cut through the vacant slips for another boundary. Hafeez, however, managed to keep Virat Kohli under check. At the half-way mark, India were 141 for two.

Riaz claimed Kohli off the second ball of his next over, caught by Umar Akmal at backward point after the batsman offered a weak shot to one that bent in and edged the ball. Kohli made only nine in a total of 141 in 25.2 overs.

There was a buzz around the stadium as Yuvraj Singh, man of the match in four of India's previous outings in the tournament and the hero of its quarter-final win against defending champions Australia, walked in. He was beaten by the first ball he faced and had his stumps knocked back. India were now 141 for four in 25.3 overs, and Riaz was in line for a hat-trick.

Dhoni, the next man in, denied him the hat-trick and edged the next delivery to the third man boundary for four to take some of the pressure off. The Indian skipper signalled his intent to not get cowed down by steering Hafeez to the third man boundary. Tendulkar then glanced Riaz in the next over to the fine-leg boundary for another four.

In the next over, Afridi was left holding his head as Tendulkar was dropped again, this time by Kamran, though it was a difficult chance, by any standard, after the batsman edged a defensive push. The batsman then square drove Afridi over the off-side field for one more four as India reached 168 for four after 30 overs.

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

The winner of today's match will meet Sri Lanka in the final on April 2. The Sri Lankans beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

The teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain, wk), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel.

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal.

NNN

India made 73 for one from the first 10 of their allotted 50 overs against Pakistan in the semi-final of the cricket World Cup here today.

Opener Sachin Tendulkar (23) and left-hander Gautam Gambhir (6) were at the crease at that stage. The other opener Virender Sehwag was the only wicket to fall, trapped leg before wicket by Wahab Riaz in the sixth over after he had made 38 in a total of 48.

Sehwag had got India off to a blazing start, literally from the word go. He drove Umar Gul's third delivery through covers for four. In Gul's second over, he hit him to the fence five times. The first was an uppish shot towards mid-wicket and the second was hit off his pads through the same region.

Sehwag despatched the fourth ball of the over past square leg and cut the next one through point before punching the sixth ball, a no-ball, through extra cover. Pakistan gave away 21 runs in all that over.

Sehwag lifted Abdul Razzaq over his head for another four in the next over, before Tendulkar, who was content to let his partner retain most of the strike, came up with an exquisite drive through extra cover.

Sehwag had not quite finished with Gul, taking two more fours off him in the next over. He whipped one ball through mid-wickt and lashed a wider delivery over point. At the end of the first five overs, India were on 47 for no loss and Pakistan appeared headed for a leather hunt.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi brought in Wahab Riaz into the attack and he struck in his very first over, trapping plumb in front of the wicket with his fifth delivery. India asked for a review of the decision, but the third umpire upheld the original decision. The batsman had attempted a flick off the back foot but was beaten by the ball that was a bit short of a length.

Sehwag's 38 came off 25 balls and included nine fours. India were 48 for one in 5.5 overs at that stage.

Gul was happy that Sehwag was no longer on the scene, but his troubles were not quite over. Tendulkar glanced one that strayed down the leg side to the fine-leg boundary for four.

In the next over, the little master clipped a short one from Riaz to the mid-on fence and then came up with a text-book square drive, going down on one knee, for another four.

Tendulkar and Gambhir also kept gathering the runs in singles and twos and took the side to 73 for one in the first ten overs.

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

The winner of today's match will meet Sri Lanka in the final on April 2. The Sri Lankans beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

The teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain, wk), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel.

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal.

NNN

India made 119 for two from the first 20 of their allotted 50 overs against Pakistan in the semi-final of the cricket World Cup here today.

Opener Sachin Tendulkar (46) and Virat Kohli (1) were at the crease at that stage.

The other opener Virender Sehwag was the first Indian batsman to fall, trapped leg before wicket by Wahab Riaz in the sixth over after he had made 38 in a total of 48.

Tendulkar and left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) added 68 runs for the second wicket before the latter left, stumped by Kamran Akmal off Mohammed Hafeez. His 27 came off 32 balls and included two fours.

Sehwag had got India off to a blazing start, literally from the word go. He drove Umar Gul's third delivery through covers for four. In Gul's second over, he hit him to the fence five times. The first was an uppish shot towards mid-wicket and the second was hit off his pads through the same region.

Sehwag despatched the fourth ball of the over past square leg and cut the next one through point before punching the sixth ball, a no-ball, through extra cover. Pakistan gave away 21 runs in all that over.

Sehwag lifted Abdul Razzaq over his head for another four in the next over, before Tendulkar, who was content to let his partner retain most of the strike, came up with an exquisite drive through extra cover.

Sehwag had not quite finished with Gul, taking two more fours off him in the next over. He whipped one ball through mid-wickt and lashed a wider delivery over point. At the end of the first five overs, India were on 47 for no loss and Pakistan appeared headed for a leather hunt.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi brought in Wahab Riaz into the attack and he struck in his very first over, trapping plumb in front of the wicket with his fifth delivery. India asked for a review of the decision, but the third umpire upheld the original decision. The batsman had attempted a flick off the back foot but was beaten by the ball that was a bit short of a length.

Sehwag's 38 came off 25 balls and included nine fours. India were 48 for one in 5.5 overs at that stage.

Gul was happy that Sehwag was no longer on the scene, but his troubles were not quite over. Tendulkar glanced one that strayed down the leg side to the fine-leg boundary for four.

In the next over, the little master clipped a short one from Riaz to the mid-on fence and then came up with a text-book square drive, going down on one knee, for another four.

Tendulkar and Gambhir also kept gathering the runs in singles and twos and took the side to 73 for one in the first ten overs.

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

The winner of today's match will meet Sri Lanka in the final on April 2. The Sri Lankans beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

The teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain, wk), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel.

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal.

NNN

India made 47 for no loss from the first five of their allotted 50 overs against Pakistan in the semi-final of the cricket World Cup here today.

Openers Virender Sehwag (38) and Sachin Tendulkar (8) were at the crease at that stage. Sehwag's 38 came off just 23 balls and included nine hits to the fence.

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

The winner of today's match will meet Sri Lanka in the final on April 2. The Sri Lankans beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

The teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain, wk), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel.

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal.

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Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first against Pakistan in the second semi-final of the cricket World Cup here today.

India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

The winner of today's match will meet Sri Lanka in the final on April 2. The Sri Lankans beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

The teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain, wk), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel.

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

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2nd over: New Zealand 10-0 (Guptill 5, B McCullum 5) Sri Lanka open the bowling with spin, as they did on Saturday, but this time it's Rangana Herath rather than Tillakaratne Dilshan. That's because New Zealand have two right handers, whereas England had the left-handed Strauss. The second ball is a miserable half tracker that McCullum, who won't die wondering like England did, pulls meatily for four. "B McCullum has had a dismal (might be a little harsh but I'm in a foul mood) tournament so far," says Matt Turland, who is in such a foul mood that he even refused to refer to McCullum by his first name. "If New Zealand are going to stand any chance of winning, he needs to do something special at the top of the order. Either that, or accidentally let go of his bat and injure half of the SL team. The second option seems more likely."

1st over: New Zealand 4-0 (Guptill 4, B McCullum 0) Shall we do this thing? Let's do this thing. Lasith Malinga is going to bowl the first over of the innings – but hang on, what's this? We now have three commentators. They are copying the Channel 9 system. At the moment it's Tony Greig, Russel Arnold and Ian Botham. Three commentators. Really? It doesn't feel right. Not since the episode of Father Ted when Dougal was running scared of the sheep-killing beast with four arses has there seemed such an odd number of something. Anyway, after four dot balls Guptill gets New Zealand up and running with a confident clip over midwicket for four. "Rob," says Daniel Pfeiffer, "if you actually report the cricket I'm off to cricinfo, I don't even really like cricket but this is a great break from tedium." Fish fingers, Easy A, retro football tops, blond nu-mullets, Tony Soprano, Mungo Jerry, Top Trumps, Beef Disco's, quarts of Liver Compromiser. That do you for now?

The first email of the day "Rob, could you please stop with all the comic asides and just give me details of the cricket?" says Alex Netherton. "So far you've given no descriptions of the action."

Some pre-match statgasms, c/o Infostrada

• There has never been an all-Asian final before
• New Zealand haven't won an ODI in Colombo since 1986
• Sri Lanka haven't lost a World Cup game against New Zealand since they got in 1996
• No host or co-host has reached the World Cup final since Sri Lanka in 1996

New Zealand have won the toss and will bat first. That's a decent toss to win on a pitch that should get slower and lower as the day progresses (it's the same pitch on which they eviscerated England three days ago). Muttiah Muralitharan is fit, so Sri Lanka are unchanged, while New Zealand bring in the seamer Andy McKay for the left-arm spinner Luke Woodcock.

Sri Lanka Tharanga, Dilshan, Sangakkara (c/wk), Jayawardene, Samaraweera, Silva, Mathews, Malinga, Muralitharan, Mendis, Herath.

New Zealand Guptill, B McCullum (wk), Ryder, Taylor, Styris, Williamson, N McCullum, Oram, Vettori (c), Southee, McKay.

Preamble Pop quiz, hotshot: how many sides have reached more cricket World Cup semi-finals than New Zealand? Answer: none. This is their sixth, which puts them level with Australia and Pakistan (who play their sixth tomorrow, I forget who against). It's a staggering achievement for such a small country. Just as the All Blacks find weird and wonderful ways to underachieve at the rugby World Cup, so it's an immutable law of cricket World Cups that New Zealand will be hopelessly patronised every time they reach the semi-finals overachieve.

Of all their journeys to the last four, this is surely the most improbable. Not just because they are the last non-Asian side standing, but also because they had been in such diabolical form before the tournament. They won just two of their last 16 ODIs leading up to the World Cup, including an infamous 4-0 defeat in Bangladesh. Yet, as usual, they pulled out a performance when it really mattered.

Right, that's enough of blowing smoke up their aperture because, as admirable a side as they are, they need a minor miracle to beat Sri Lanka in Colombo today. They have two chances, and slim generally doesn't do Tuesdays.

On the face of it, this is a mismatch. New Zealand have never reached a World Cup final, losing all five of their previous semis. Away from the green-tinged grass of home, they have lost 18 of the last 22 ODIs against Sri Lanka. They were thrashed by Sri Lanka earlier in this tournament and in the semi-final of 2007 - and Sri Lanka didn't have home advantage in either of those games

Sri Lanka are superior to New Zealand in every facet of the game except depth of batting. There is, logically, no way New Zealand can win this. But then, as we say most recently on Friday, logic tends to take a back seat with New Zealand at the World Cup.

Yesterday, Daniel "Diggy" Simmons celebrated his 16th birthday at Lucky Strike in New York City with his big sis Angie, family members and a few of his closest friends. This Aries cutie turned 16 on March 21st, but opted for a simple celebration at the bowling alley rather than the usual over the top party.  Pics inside...

Lol check out Diggy's bowling face.

Justin Combs came out to party with the birthday boy.

Quincy Brown, Diggy and Justin posed for a pic.

Diggy took a flick with his best friend Jessica Jarrell. 

Angela Simmons came out to show her lil bro some love.

Diggy also kicked it with DJ Spin King at the dj booth.

Angie opted to keep on her wedges while bowling. Cute look.

 

Bow Wow, Floyd Mayweather, and Uncle Russ (all not pictured) were also in attendance.

Fun times for the freshman rapper.

 

Photos via Wireimage/Nunez

Buoyed by the quarter-final win against England, Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara is optimistic of making it an all-sub-continental final in the cricket World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2.

One team from the sub-continent has made it to every final since 1992, and with India taking on Pakistan in the other semi-final, that trend will continue. But if Sri Lanka can beat New Zealand in the other semi-final in Colombo on March 29, it will mark the first final to feature two Asian teams.

"We have shown everyone what a good side we are and to do that we got to play good cricket," Sangakkara told reporters at the post-match conference after comprehensively beating England by ten wickets here yesterday.

"Psychological advantages and all of that come second place when it comes to playing proper cricket and good performance on the field. On Asian pitches, fitness counts a lot, that is one of the major factors you got to reckon playing in this heat," he added.

Spinners have always been the backbone of the Asian teams and with master off-spinner Muthiah Muralitharan leading from the front in his last World Cup before retiring from one-day cricket, the co-hosts sacrificed the pace of Nuwan Kulasekara and went with three frontline spinners against England, and the combination turned out to be correct.

"Playing three spinners proved successful." Sangakkara said. "All the bowlers bowled well to get wickets. We made the decision in the last minute to play three spinners. The wicket had dried out very nicely so it made the decision very much easier.

"Spin is our strength but at the same time we had some wonderful fast bowlers coming through over the last two years like Lasith Malinga, Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando, all these guys have a part to play depending on the opposition and the wickets. We try and keep ourselves unpredictable as a bowling side in this kind of tournament. We got the variety in our attack to do that," the southpaw added.

Sangakkara also praised his openers, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga, who both scored tons as Sri Lanka chased 230 without losing a wicket.

"It requires special performance to win big games and in that aspect Dilshan and Tharanga combined to give that little spark of inspiration. They were absolutely magnificent and ruthless.

"They were cramping up a bit and they could have thrown it away at that time but it shows how hungry they were to do well and finish it off when they had that opportunity," the skipper said.

All-rounder Dilshan also opened the bowling and Sangakkara said it was a deliberate strategy to target his English counterpart.

"He bowls very well to left-handers and sometimes makes the new ball turn. With Andrew Strauss being a left-hander and not having a great history against spin, our first option was to throw the ball to Dilshan and see whether he can do something for us. He did and on the field he has been the best in this whole tournament and his batting was just unbelievable. He showed as the guy who shouldered most of the responsibilities from start to finish," the captain said.

Sangakkara also urged his team to improve their fielding after three easy catches were put down off Eoin Morgan, who went on to score a fifty.

"We got to brush up on our fielding and make sure that we do not give the opposition that many chances, especially one batsman and one of their key players," Sangakkara said.

"Except for the three catches the rest of the fielding was pretty good. Missing catches you cannot do anything about. If you miss a catch you should not let your body language go negative but stay positive and look for the next opportunity and keep charging in and stay in the game," he added.

The prolific batsman also stated that Muralitharan would be okay for the semi-final clash against New Zealand.

"He has pulled up stiff. He has had a tough couple of weeks and hopefully we will have him hundred per cent for our next game," he said.

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The team have been unpredictable in this tournament and the only constant has been the regular changes to the line-up

England have got this far in the World Cup on a wing and a prayer. Against the best sides they have shown resilience and tenacity that belies their current collective form: no other quarter-finalist remained unbeaten by any of the others. But against the remainder, Bangladesh and the two Associate nations, Ireland and the Netherlands, they have been abject. It is no grounds for optimism when taking on one of the tournament favourites on Saturday, in Sri Lankan conditions and in front of a Sri Lankan crowd. Sri Lanka will be mindful not so much of the collective ability that they will recognise lurks beneath the surface but of their unpredictability. There is no legislating for erratic behaviour.

The topsy-turvy nature of this campaign by England is at total odds with the ethos of continuity that has been Andy Flower's watchword. When they won the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean last year, it was that continuity of selection that contributed to it. They began slowly but gathered momentum, knew their roles within the team and responded accordingly. By the final, they were in a position to produce a scintillating performance. In all those matches, the same XI played with the single exception of one where Ravi Bopara replaced Kevin Pietersen.

By way of contrast, look at the selection record since the end of the Ashes where there have been almost as many ins and outs as Nigel Kennedy's right elbow playing the coda to Baba O'Riley. Taking in the series in Australia and this tournament there have been 13 matches, not one of which has seen the same side play successively.

Nineteen players have been used, including 18 in Australia and 17 in this competition. There are a variety of factors in this. Injuries have played a massive part, with Eoin Morgan, Stuart Broad, Ajmal Shajzad, Kevin Pietersen all returning home, and now Michael Yardy joining them. Then there is the matter of conditions, where one match may demand an extra seamer, another a spinner or an additional batsman. There is nothing wrong in cutting the coat according to the cloth.

It is the third factor that is of most concern, however, for we are at the quarter-final stage, or to put it another way, two matches from a World Cup final, and, as yet, there is one fundamental element of strategy that has yet to be resolved.

Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar; Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla; Chris Gayle and Devon Smith; Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill; Shane Watson and Brad Haddin; Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga: only Pakistan and England have been undecided about openers and Pakistan appear finally to have settled on Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal.

England will go into the match with another new partner for Andrew Strauss. Almost by default, because they were running out of options to get him back into nick and saw a chance to solve two problems at once, it was Kevin Pietersen who had been given the job, a sound move as a counterpoint to Strauss's essentially back-foot play square of the wicket. Injury thwarted that one and so they reverted to Matt Prior, a free strokeplayer but one whose previous sojourns at the top of the order have not been a success. Nothing has happened to alter that view since he took over from Pietersen.

There would appear to be two options in Ian Bell and Bopara. Before Bopara joined the squad there was a strong body of opinion that Bell was well suited to a role he has fulfilled in the past. Bell is one of the more adept players of spin in the England side and as such has a value down the order. Furthermore, his promotion could cause more disruption in the order than might be necessary: all the indications though are that Bell will open and Prior will bat at three.

If, as they are suggesting, Sri Lanka will be presenting a surface more conducive to runs than hitherto at Premadasa then England will need even more careful consideration of their bowling options. They will almost certainly go in with Graeme Swann and James Tredwell as their spin options and it looks as if Tim Bresnan will be over his calf injury in time.

In the last match, Luke Wright and Bopara got through 12 overs between them as a fifth bowler and there is little option to change that balance unless it were to substitute Paul Collingwood's cutters and batting experience (despite his poor form to date) for Wright's enthusiastic urgency. That would be harsh on Wright, though, who made the most of his opportunity with the bat against West Indies.

Chris Tremlett was the second seamer then, but it is doubtful whether his back of a length bowling will serve the purpose this time. Thus it would leave the further option of returning to a refreshed Jimmy Anderson, deadly if it swings, fodder if not, or to take the mother of all gambles and blood Jade Dernbach, who only arrived recently from the Lions tour in the Caribbean. Anderson will win the day there.

Sri Lanka's sorcerer can drive England to distraction in Saturday's quarter-final, but sweeping could be the key

It is 13 years since Sri Lanka's famous victory at The Oval, and Muttiah Muralitharan has held sway over England ever since. There have been times when their batsmen have been able to counter him, and even occasions when they have dominated him, but more often than not he has come out on top. Murali's bowling has always been the key to contests between the two, in every format. And while he may not be the threat he once was, I expect this match to be just the same.

When I took over England in 1999 Murali had a psychological hold over English batsmen. Over time we were able to fix that in Test cricket. Technically, the team improved to the point where Michael Vaughan and Graham Thorpe were very secure against him defensively. But when we had to take risks the team weren't nearly as effective. Time and again in one-day cricket we would bat well and, just as we felt were edging the match, Murali would come on and change the game. He would shut down one end, the momentum would shift back to Sri Lanka and then he would take vital wickets as we tried to fight back.

One occasion when England did get the better of Murali was in the World Cup in 2007. England were chasing 235. Murali took one wicket for 48 runs. It felt like we had finally mastered the bogeyman, but we lost by two runs. I think we became over-confident, even complacent. We fell into the trap of thinking that because we had beaten Murali we had beaten Sri Lanka. That just shows how he can shape a match even when he is not bowling that well. He can distract you from Sri Lanka's other bowlers, who are very dangerous in their own right.

For instance, England have to think about how to play Lasith Malinga. He is quite predictable in that you know at the end of the innings he will be bowling yorkers. So you have to disrupt his length. Highly skilled batsmen can almost look to sweep Malinga, to get out and meet the ball on the full. Others should look to walk out at him. Walk down the line of off-stump and you can take lbw out of the equation. Go across the crease against Malinga and you get into trouble, but you need to move backwards and forwards.

Then there is Ajantha Mendis. England have not had much experience of facing him. Neither he nor Murali played in England's 3-2 series victory in Sri Lanka back in 2007, and make no mistake, the curator at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo is going to prepare a pitch that will suit those two.

A lot of teams just try to stop Murali taking wickets and settle for scoring three runs an over. By nature Murali is a defensive bowler, he is always quick to post men deep, and would rather give you singles than allow you boundaries. But if the wicket turns this approach can get quite dangerous, both ends will be locked up and then you have a huge problem. Use up too many overs and you are left needing to attack Malinga or the other spinners, which is when you become vulnerable. So psychologically that approach puts a lot of pressure on the batting side. It will be fascinating to see how Jonathan Trott plays. He has the mental strength to play that role and not to panic if the run rate drops.

A team may not want to go after Murali, but may find they have to. In the 2007 World Cup the two men who were able to score freely off him were Ravi Bopara and Paul Nixon. Kevin Pietersen was also playing Murali very well around that time, if not in that particular match. It is no coincidence that Nixon and Pietersen were both excellent at using the sweep and reverse-sweep.

English batsmen often got confused about whether to use the sweep against Murali. So many commentators seem to dislike the shot, which meant that players were wary of using it because they would be criticised if they got out.

This used to frustrate me. You have to sweep Murali to negate the variation in spin. With the sweep it does not matter which way the ball is going to turn. Then you force Murali to adjust his length by pulling it back a little shorter to stop you playing the shot. Do that and it means you can play him off the back foot. Then you have a little bit more time to read the spin of the ball off the pitch. This is crucial. It is very difficult to read Murali's bowling in the air because, unlike most off-spinners, the ball always has a scrambled seam, whether it is a doosra or an off-break.

When you are playing off the back foot you have to pounce on anything slightly short and look to work it to the leg-side or to cut him to the off if it is a doosra. These are the best ways to score off him. For English batsmen, who go hard at the ball, it is very difficult to hit him down the ground. He knows this and sets his fields accordingly.

Murali is retiring after this World Cup. Other teams seem to have figured him out over the years, but England have always struggled. This is their final chance to get it right.

With his stunning evisceration of Australia's top order, Tim Bresnan justified the decision to remove Steven Finn

When England have been good on this tour, they have been very, very good in thought, word and, Perth excepted, deed. After the grand, tension-free escape in Brisbane, there was the textbook victory in Adelaide, a well-nigh perfect performance.

At the Waca they batted poorly but at least the think-tank was operating with a clinical, clear-sighted logic, which has been consistently absent from the Australian quarter. There Chris Tremlett was chosen to replace Stuart Broad, patently the correct decision.

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England were never going to overhaul the team after that defeat in Perth. All the batsmen survived, but they did make one change for Melbourne: they dropped the leading wicket-taker in the series, Steven Finn. Not many teams do that. It is so easy to be swayed by statistics rather than the evidence of your own eyes.

Out went Finn. In came Tim Bresnan and the logic is now indisputable. Finn, despite his 14 wickets in the series, was looking weary by the end of the Perth Test; his body was starting to rebel. Moreover England knew that whichever of the drop-in pitches were used in Melbourne there would not be the steep bounce of the Waca, but there might be seam movement off a tacky surface and the possibilities of reverse swing. Conditions would be not so different to those experienced at Headingley (in fact for two days at the MCG it was as cold as Leeds) so who better to bring in to the team than the Tyke?

As has been the case whenever this England side has been on the eastern side of this country, whatever decision they have taken, has worked a treat. In the first innings Bresnan played the anticipated role. He was the self-effacing support bowler - even if it goes against the grain of most Yorkshiremen, Bresnan most definitely included, to embrace self-effacement.

Phil Hughes swished in his second over of the match and was caught in the gully. Perhaps the young Australian had underestimated him as well. For a dozen overs Hughes had been tested by Jimmy Anderson and Tremlett, the obvious and identifiable threats in the England attack; maybe young Bresnan, fifth-choice seamer, would provide some easy pickings for a batsman, who has to dominate to survive.

Brad Haddin also seemed to take him too lightly as he drove airily outside the off-stump and edged to Matt Prior. Bresnan had yielded nothing as England's latest pace trio hunted in a pack; in fact he had been the most economical of them all. Sunday was probably his second-best day as an England bowler. He has had some success in Bangladesh on those soul-destroying surfaces, but this was Australia, the MCG and the Ashes and he had slotted seamlessly (or is it seamfully?) into the side.

But Tuesday, the third day, must have been his best for England. Now Bresnan was the leader of the pack. That began to become evident in his first spell even though it was wicketless. The ball had been flying all around the MCG; the Australian 50 had come inside 10 overs. England's "bowling dry" policy had gone awry.

Enter Bresnan for seven overs and five maidens. The brakes were applied. Shane Watson was briefly becalmed and called Hughes for a wildly inappropriate single. Then Andrew Strauss sensibly strengthened his slip cordon. Bresnan was not only on target, stemming the flow of runs, he was passing the outside edge now and again.

In this Test Bresnan has booted the charge that he looks a bland trundler at this level into the River Yarra. The speed gun can be misleading - all the Australians have been at the top of the table in this game but what good has it done them? - but it has also told us that Bresnan has been the quickest of the English bowlers in this match.

If Bresnan's first spell stalled the Australians, his second stunned them. First there was Watson, wanton Watto, who promises so much, who delivers a fair bit, but who should produce much more given the number of starts he gets as an opening batsman, padding up to another delivery with a hint of reverse swing. Ricky Ponting looked on as the review system continued to do his side no favours. The decision of umpire Tony Hill was upheld.

Then Ponting himself was undermined by a little movement off the pitch, a little extra pace and the prospect of a task that was ever more monumental. An inside edge cannoned on to the stumps. Ponting's wicket has been the totemic one throughout the series, Mike Hussey's has been the hardest to procure, but here the suddenly mortal Mr Cricket hit a crisp drive into the hands of Ian Bell at short extra cover.

As Bresnan rocked down to the boundary at the end of another successful over he received rapturous applause, acknowledged with a perky wave of the hand. He looked like a Yorkshireman as he did so, the sort of Yorkshireman that all those living within a stone's throw of Pontefract would be proud to be: no-nonsense, bluff, cheerful, with a heart the size of a cabbage.

There may have been doubts before this match that Bresnan would have the penetration to have an impact against Test-standard batsmen, but there were no worries that he would be overawed by the occasion and the size of the crowd. It was a game of cricket, for heaven's sake, and that's what they are reared on up there.

Bresnan may only be 25 but he has been playing first-class cricket on a regular basis since he was 18. He has long been a Yorkshire stalwart, filling in manfully, even as a teenager, when the glamour boys - if that is how we can describe Darren Gough and Matthew Hoggard - were off playing for England.

Yorkshire may not see quite so much of Bresnan in the years to come. He is now an ink-in regular in the one-day side and after this performance he is clamouring for a more regular place in the Test team. Down in St Johns's Wood they now recognise what has been common knowledge up north for years: that Bresnan will never let you down.

In the world of sports, human factors and even manufactured structures share similar impact on winning.  Comparing drag racing to bowling might seem at first like matching lakes to rivers, but a close look might surprise.
 
The first gaze is the perspective of measurement. Bowling lanes and drag strips share straight alignment, of course, but Wikipedia and sanctions NHRA and PBA provide differentiation in rules that relate dimensions.
 
The width of a bowling lane in the Professional Bowling Association is 39 inches. The foul line to head pin measures 60 feet. The width of a National Hot Rod Association drag strip is 60 feet wide including one foot walls on each side.  Drag strip lanes are a minimum of 4,000 feet, where gasoline competitors race for 1,320 feet. Nitromethane cars race for 1,000 feet.  
 
It’s obvious these numbers reflect human versus machine competition, but closer analysis with 12-time PBA champion bowler Danny Wiseman, 43, and four-time NHRA Pro Stock Car champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., 40, explains much. Coughlin bowls for recreation and invited Wiseman to his NHRA pits twice in 2010. Both have more than 20 years experience of intense competition at their sports.

“You have to be able to apply everything that the lane is telling you do and make the shot while you’re walking four or five steps swinging a 15 or 16 pound object,” Wiseman said. “There is a lot to our sport that people don’t understand.”
 
Wiseman was quick to point out intricacies that go unexplained to PBA viewers owing to time and budget. 
 
“They have not shown what happens to the lane as it depletes, as the oil is taken off the lane because of the bowling balls,” Wiseman said. “It’s friction–how the bowling balls traveling through the lanes deplete the oil and changes the unseen oil pattern.

“We make adjustments like the race team does in their setup on the car to match the track, we do it with speed control, rev rate, different balls, surface changes on the ball and many more. You always see a lane, a ball, pins and a guy throwing it, but on that lane there’s oil and there are different patterns.” 
 
Wiseman also pointed out what legitimate PBA oil conditions would do to local bowlers.
 
“Local houses put up lane conditions where there is friction to the right and oil to the left. It’s basically a guide to the pocket. These local guys are up to 230 and 240 in their leagues. These same guys can’t average 170 and 180 on legitimate PBA conditions.”
 
Coughlin understands what Wiseman shared about lanes as NHRA track preparation is a detailed process too. He compared PBA and NHRA lanes.  
 
“They both are definitely straight and they both have a groove you need to narrow in on or adapt too,” Coughlin said. “But one is built to spin and then roll and the (Dragstrip) is made for maximum traction.”
 
“The two sports are more similar than most would think,” Coughlin added. “For example, once you start the race car it is all in the driver’s hands and bowling is very similar once you step onto the lanes. I believe that the mental prep for both sports is very similar.  I also believe reading the 'track' is very similar in both sports.”
 
The analysis shifts here to a weight and speed perspective. For comparison, baseball statistics add clarity to the mix.     
 
The average speed of a 15 to 16-pound bowling ball tossed by professional bowlers is 18 to 25 mph, the record is around 35 mph.
 
The weight of an MLB baseball is about 5 1/8 ounces. The fastest known speed of a baseball is a 103-mph pitch by Mark Wohlers in 1995, but most fast balls are below 100-mph in the 90-mph range. 
 
NHRA rules place a Pro Stock Car at minimum weight of 2350 pounds (driver included).  The fastest run by a PS car is 212.46 mph in 2010 by Greg Anderson, although it’s elapsed time that counts most in drag racing. That record is 6.509 in 2009 by Mike Edwards.
 
One last human-machine comparison: Michael Johnson ran the fastest human quarter mile at 43 seconds on a circular track going 18 mph.    
 
So much for numbers, human factors are often most significant. Coughlin commented on bowling and drag racing.  
 
“We have talked several times on how the sports world is so competitive and in our worlds how we both work to be the best at what we know and what we enjoy,” Coughlin said. “The fans don’t see the preparation of thoughts or practice that goes into our profession and when displayed on TV; it much of the time looks effortless…it is far from that.”
 
Wiseman defined the passion that often separates champions from contenders.  
 
“I’ve loved the game my whole life,” Wiseman said. “It’s never been about the money. It was always beating the best at what I love to do and what they love to do and beating those guys.
 
“You’re on TV. You need a double in the 10th to win. What are you thinking? I’m thinking I want that chance to win if it's in front of me. This is what I thrive on. Sometimes it happens.  Sometimes it doesn’t. Get up there.  Make the best shot you can.  If they fall they fall.  But the drive, you thrive on that—the pressure of wanting it. ”
 
Wiseman will never forget his first perfect 300 game at the tender age of 15, but these days it’s all relative. 
 
A normal 300?” Wiseman said. “I shot one at the World Series of Bowling (Nov. 2010).  It was like no big deal. To me it’s like another 100 pins over, meaning that 200 is par and I shot 300 so that another 100 pins added to my cumulative score.  It’s just another game to me. It doesn’t happen all the time. I’ve got 63 perfect games, but how many have I bowled in my career?  How many times has Jeg run 6.50’s and how many times has he been down the track. You look it that way.”
 
Wiseman also visits NASCAR races when possible and shared his thoughts. 
 
“I was talking to Chad Knaus, (Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief), talking about bowling balls to him and he had no clue, but once I started about RG values, differentials of the cores, technical aspects of balls and the internal properties and how that applies to the lane and  friction, his eyes lit up, ‘Really. You do all that?’ “I’m everything your whole team is individually.  Imagine doing it that way with performing for very little money comparatively to other sports. All love.”
 
Coughlin understands what Wiseman does.
 
“I can appreciate the passion and training that goes into to every shot, every strike, every spare or game win,” Coughlin said. “The challenge is to be the best at what you do and at the same time earn a living doing what you love.”
 
Wiseman understands well the mental aspects in all sports.
 
“Our game is very mental. You have to be able to apply your mind to your physical game and make your body do things that the lane conditions are telling you to do in adjustments on the fly. You can't second guess.
 
“All the best in the world in any sport, there are very similar mindsets, very similar circumstances regarding their individual sport. We all kind of ball it all up.  It’s very similar about what our minds are about.  I’ve talked to quite a few people. I’ve never read a book on how to win, but it takes a special person to be able to apply regardless of their sport.”
 
Fast minds seem key to success on fast lanes no matter what width or length.    

Photo credit: PBA and Danny Wiseman equipment

(All stats provided are against the top 8 ranked sides of the world.)

With the last two Tests of the year taking place simultaneously in the southern hemisphere, one would suppose we have enough information with us about who the best batsmen, bowlers and wicket keepers are for the bygone year. So without further ado, let's dive into it.

The first step to picking any XI is to decide on what combination of batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders one wishes to have at their disposal. Ideally having your top five as specialists, your number 6 as the batting all rounder, followed by the wicket keeper batsman, and then a bowling all rounder, plus three specialist bowlers would do the trick.

But with batting all rounders, like Jacques Kallis batting at number four, and wicketkeeping batsmen like Kumar Sangakkara batting at number three, the batting order may differ depending on the players selected.

 

The Openers

In the 21st century, selecting a good opening pair is probably the easiest task for a selector. With such few quality openers going around, it doesn't exactly pose a selection quandary.

For 2010, there were only a handful of batsmen who turned in, what one might label, world class performances. They were, in order of most runs scored against the top eight ranked sides, Virender Sehwag, Graeme Smith, Alastair Cook and Tamim Iqbal.

Shane Watson scored more runs for Australia than Iqbal did for Bangladesh, but his tendency to throw starts away has resulted in a mediocre average of 42, which effectively rules him out of contention.

Sehwag is an automatic choice for the team. For the last six years, the Nawab of Najafgarh, as he was proclaimed by Sunil Gavaskar himself, has been the premier opener in the world.

He has gotten runs on all kinds of surfaces, treating Dale Steyn and Muttiah Muralitharan with equal disdain. In 2010, he has continued in the same rich vein of form. With 1,237 runs so far in 20 innings and a mind boggling strike rate of over 90, comfortably the highest among all batsmen, Sehwag walks into almost any XI.

Choosing a partner for the erstwhile Sachin Tendulkar-clone is a tough task indeed. In Smith and Cook one would have ideal foils for Sehwag, just like his India and Delhi opening partner Gautam Gambhir provides.

Yet, Cook's early season failures effective put paid to his chances in the World XI. Of the 886 runs scored by Cook in the year, over 500 have come in his last five innings.

Smith is one of the classiest openers of all time, and would have walked into this XI with his impressive stats, had it not been for one Tamim Iqbal.

The dashing left hander from Bangladesh smashed an impressive 837 runs in the year, with some outstanding performances against England, both home and away, and a very memorable 150 against India in a fourth innings effort.

His striker rate, too, compares favorably with that of his partner. He strikers at a mind boggling 80 per 100 balls, 10 worse off than his partner, but still miles ahead of any other opener out there. The fact that he hails from a cricketing lightweight team only makes all his numbers look even more impressive.

Whether having two destructive batsmen as openers is a sound decision or not is up for debate. But in our fantasies, all practicality can go out the window, and we can just close our eyes and imagine these two stroke makers go hammer and tonks from the word go.

 

The Middle Order (Numbers 3, 4, 5)

Sangakkara would count himself unlucky on this one. With nearly seven hundred runs in just nine innings and an average of 99.28, you would think he would walk into the side.

But when you have a batsman in the middle of dream run, like Hashim Amla is at the moment, even Bradman would struggle to make it. The classy South African has pulverized bowling all over the world from his own back yard of South Africa to his ancestral home of the sub continent.

Amla started 2010 in AB de Villiers' shadow. But 16 innings and 1138 runs later, there is no doubt in an SA supporter's mind who the premier batsman in the side is. At number 3, Amla occupies a spot that is more crucial than most batting positions. He is the shield between the new ball bowlers and the middle order in case of an early wicket.

He is also the first line of attack if the openers are successful in laying a solid platform. While his strike rate of 51 might suggest a stoic batsman, having Sehwag and Iqbal as openers should give him some cushion to take his time.

The selection for the number four slot is as easy as it gets for a selector. Kallis may edge Tendulkar out when it comes to the performances particularly from the fourth slot, but taking into consideration Tendulkar's crucial knocks from number 5, due to India's policy of introducing night watchmen upon the fall of a wicket late in the day, Tendulkar gets the spot for yet another vintage year.

Five centuries, nearly 1300 runs, all at an average of 76 puts this right at the top of Tendulkar's year on year pile. The fact that the man is fast approaching is 38th birthday only makes his numbers seem even more insane.

For the final middle order slot, we have a fight on our hands. It's de Villiers versus Venkata Sai Laxman. Where de Villiers is destructive, Laxman is poetry in motion. Laxman is all wrist and fine angles, de Villiers all about the punchy drives and clearing mid wicket.

The two couldn't be more dissimilar, except for the common love of scoring runs. De Villiers boasts the superior run aggregate and conversion rate, whereas Laxman epitomizes the grit and fighting spirit required at this position. Laxman's two back to back fourth innings specials, 103, unbeaten, against Sri Lanka in Colombo, followed by 73* at Mohali epitomized Laxman's mastery over pressure situations.

This is the man who scripted what is perhaps the greatest modern day innings, 281 against Australia after following on. Both innings came at blistering strike rates, the one at Mohali especially so.

Where he batted with newbie Suresh Raina at the P Sara Oval to finish a fantastic win, his effort at Mohali was even more surreal, putting on 81 for the ninth wicket with Ishant Sharma and guiding India home from a stage where the game looked sealed for Australia.

De Velliers' case is perhaps not as straight forward. He constantly threw away starts against England at home, failed to make a major impression in India, and barring the utter destruction of a weak West Indies and highly under strength Pakistani attacks, de Villers' only remaining stand out innings is his better than a run a ball 129 in the first Test against India in South Africa at Centurion.

All things considered, Laxman gets my vote of confidence.

 

All-rounders and Wicket-keepers

There really is very little to argue when it comes to selecting the batting all rounder. Watson with 843 runs at 42.15 and 19 wickets at 26.52 over shadows even Kallis. There really is no debate with this one.

M.S. Dhoni leads the way for the wicket keepers. While Matt Prior, Brad Haddin and Kamran Akmal boast higher dismissals-per-innings rates, Dhoni seals the deal with his batting ability, and the fact that he is probably the best captain going around at the moment.

The likes of Smith and Andrew Strauss have very good bowling at their disposal, but to marshal a mediocre bowling unit to the number one slot and keeping them there requires more effort than topping dismissal charts at 35 for the year. A lot more, which also earns him the captain's position.

The bowling all rounder's slot is an interesting deal. Harbhajan Singh lies sixth on the wicket takers' list for 2010 with 35 sticks at a horrendous average of 44.2. But an economy rate of 2.9 coupled with over 420 runs and two centuries establish Singh as the best batsmen among the top ten wicket takers for the year, giving the much hyped spinner the number 8 slot.

 

The Bowling Attack

2010 could very well be marked down, in years to come, as the year which marked the resurgence of fast bowling in Test match cricket. From Steyn to Zaheer Khan, James Anderson to Morne Morkel, Mohammed Amir to Mitchell Johnson, fast bowlers have ruled the roost this year as they seldom have in the past decade. Where in bygone years he Warnes, the Muralis and the Kumbles would top wicket taking charts, they have made way for a new wave of wicket taking fast men.

Yet, at least one berth must be made available for a spinner. And that is what we will do first, before picking a new ball opening pair. If you thought picking the middle order was a cake walk, this will seem like… I really don't know what could be easier than that, so I will leave it to the reader's discretion.

But anyway, the spinner's slot in the World XI for 2010 goes to the one and only Graeme Swann. The English off spinner has been a breath of fresh air. At a time when Singh has made spin bowling look like climbing Mt. Everest with half a shoe lace, Swann has used his attacking instincts, well complemented by a captain who has shown faith in his abilities to pick up 40 wickets at just under 25. His economy and strike rates are impressive too for a spinner. All in all, the complete spin bowling package.

And now, the final piece, or pieces, of the jigsaw. The real question is who should partner Steyn, as , just as with Sehwag, he has simply blown competition away.

He takes wickets at a regularity, which most batsmen would rotate strike. His strike rate of 39.5 is simply stunning, with only Steven Finn and Ryan Harris coming close to matching the figure among all bowlers with 20 or more wickets.

Steyn also has nine more wickets than his nearest competitor, Anderson, with three five-fors and a ten wicket match haul. Easily the best fast bowler on the planet.

To partner him, we primarily have two contenders. England's Anderson, and India's Khan. With likes of Amir and Mohammad Asif ruling themselves out with accusations of match fixing against them, the Anglo-Indian pair come closest to providing Steyn with any competition for his throne.

Khan has been the lone work horse for his side. Complemented by huge underachievers, such as Singh and Ishant Sharma, Khan is often relied upon by Dhoni to not just pick wickets, but also bowl with frugality.

It's a balance Khan has achieved masterfully. He is probably the greatest exponent of the reverse swing ever produced outside of Pakistan. It has been his primary weapon on the dead sub continental tracks, the only place he has bowled in so far this season. He is yet to bowl in South Africa, with the Indian batting still in progress in the Boxing Day Test, but expect him to do well in conditions which complement him for a change.

Anderson has been a different proposition altogether. Flanked by fantastic support from the likes of Swann, Broad and new boy Finn, Anderson has lead his attack with distinction, finally fulfilling the promise with which he burst on to the scene just before the 2003 World Cup.

As mentioned, he is second highest wicket taker for the year, 47 wickets at an average just marginally better than Steyn. His ability to swing the new ball accurately and getting openers playing sets him apart as a fine new ball bowler.

If Khan has played more cricket and been less affected by injuries, the second fast bowlers spot could have been his for the taking, but Anderson, with his consistent displays all through the year get him the coveted position of Steyn's new ball partner.

 

The Final XI

1. V. Sehwag (IND)
   
2. T. Iqbal (BAN)
   
3. H.M. Amla (SA)
   
4. S.R. Tendulkar (IND)
   
5. V.V.S. Laxman (IND)
   
6. S.R. Watson (AUS)
   
7. M.S. Dhoni (IND) (C)
   
8. H. Singh (IND)
   
9. G.P. Swann (ENG)
   
10. D.W. Steyn (SA)
    
11. J.M. Anderson (ENG)

The tourists have not been better off in an Ashes contest in Australia for over 25 years and have proof of their resilience

The mauling in Perth was so severe. At a stroke England were cast back to any Ashes tour of the past 20 years when they were flicked away by superior home sides as if they were no more troublesome than another Western Australian fly.

After the third Test it became necessary to pinch oneself. The outcome at the Waca meant that the series stood at 1-1. No matter that the tourists had been pulverised by a bowling attack that had been ridiculed for the previous fortnight, England have not been in such a strong position in an Ashes contest in Australia for 25 years. Another bucket of water over the head, please, and the reminder: it is 1-1.

Back in 1986 England pitched up to Melbourne 1-0 in the lead and sealed the Ashes when Ian Botham, pottering up on one leg and bowling at Paul Collingwood's pace, took five wickets in Australia's meagre first innings. But this time England arrived in Melbourne severely chastened. For six weeks they had barely put a foot wrong in Australia only to be blown away by Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris at the Waca.

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Complacency could not have been the explanation. In the preparation for the Perth Test there were constant references from the England camp to Headingley and Johannesburg. These are the venues of recent English calamities. The implication was that this group of England players were wiser now. They had learnt their lessons. However their efforts at Perth prompted a magisterial "See me".

As at Headingley in 2009 against Australia and at Johannesburg in January 2010, England failed to bat 100 overs in the match in Perth, a sure-fire guarantee of defeat. There are some parallels in these three England defeats. In each case the opposition had opted to dispense with their spinner and to take the field with at least four pace bowlers in their side. However at Headingley the pitch was not especially quick; it seldom is there. Rather, England were flustered in Leeds in 2009. There was a delayed toss after an injury scare to Matt Prior. Andrew Strauss was all at sea at the start and the subsequent analysis was that England had become too preoccupied by their chance to win the Ashes. They looked too far ahead and were ambushed by Peter Siddle (five for 21 in the first innings) and Mitchell Johnson (five for 69 in the second).

They were never going to fall into that trap in Perth, we were constantly told. In which case we are driven towards the conclusion that England are fragile against pace bowlers on fast wickets. Perhaps the defeat at the Waca had more in common with Johannesburg, when Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel held sway against exactly the same seven batsmen that England put out in Perth.

This is an explanation that finds no support within the England camp, which is hardly surprising. We would not expect captain and coach to agree: "Yes our boys are a bit windy against fast bowlers on quick tracks. But never mind." Instead the management have focused on the positive manner in which England have reacted to recent severe hidings: after their defeat by the 2005 Australians at Lord's and that Headingley debacle in 2009.

In 2005 England stayed calm in terms of their selection policy; they kept exactly the same XI, who were anything but calm when the match at Edgbaston got under way. In a wonderfully frenetic – and defiant – display of batting England chalked up 407 against the Australians inside 80 overs and the series was alive.

In 2009 they made only one significant change after Headingley even though there was a clamour for many more. Jonathan Trott came in for Ravi Bopara while Andrew Flintoff returned from injury. The hosepipe of Bill Gordon, the groundsman, was hidden away somewhere in the bowels of The Oval and England prevailed on a pitch that was not designed for an attack consisting of four pace bowlers, which is what Australia chose.

So now England cling on to the fact that it is possible to rebound from dire performances; those victories at Edgbaston and The Oval provide the evidence. In Perth they may have been awful, especially with a bat in their hands. But their chance of retaining the urn remains.

England teams captained by Alec Stewart, Nasser Hussain and Flintoff all arrived in Melbourne in the certain knowledge that the Ashes were already out of reach; the same would surely have applied to the sides led by Graham Gooch and Mike Atherton but for the fact that the Melbourne Test was the second of the series on their tours. But this time Strauss has the luxury of knowing that England can retain the Ashes even if they lose in Melbourne. It could be worse.

or in the 'natural' bouncy tracks of Australia.

Andrew Strauss is expected to lead the same damaged men into the fourth Test on Boxing Day in front of a record crowd

So we come to the climax. First Australia, then emphatically England and, just as emphatically, Australia once more. This series has tottered this way and that like a Christmas Eve drunk on his way home. On Sunday 90,000 people will journey to the MCG to see what may well prove to be the defining match. The forecast for the match is set fair but not so for the Sydney Test in the new year. It may well be that whoever comes off better in Melbourne will take the spoils.

Simplistic it may be, and clichéd, to say that the defeat in Perth was a jolt to the system, a wake-up call for the England players, but in any sport it never pays to go through the victory speech before the deed is done. There are no two more grounded individuals than the Andys, Flower and Strauss, but ultimately cricketers have to think for themselves and some players may have got a little ahead of the game. For this match normal service will be resumed.

The consistency that makes champions, and that Flower sees as his biggest challenge, has yet to materialise but rarely do England have two bad games in a row. Australia may be cock-a-hoop after their overwhelming win at the Waca but they understand well enough the potential for a backlash.

For the past few days the centre of attention has been the pitch prepared by Cameron Hodgkins. It suited some to find conspiracy in the fact that what would normally be his first-choice pitch was being discarded in favour of another. Australian groundsmen, the curators as they are called here, are fiercely independent, however, their reputations dependent on the quality of the surface they produce.

The inclement weather that has blighted Melbourne for months so hampered preparation that it was a logical expedient and plain commonsense to prepare several surfaces and then see which one was best developing. Hodgkins had decided on his pitch before the Perth Test began and all the intelligence is that, accordingly, it will play as does a Melbourne Test pitch generally: help for the new ball, off the seam largely, and then little beyond some reverse swing. Early losses can be rectified in later sessions.

Neither side has arrived in Melbourne with any certainty as to what its starting XI will be. England will certainly not be panicked into making wholesale changes and may not make any at all. Central to this is Steven Finn, who is the leading wicket-taker in the series but who also has tended to leak runs at an alarming rate at times – around a run a ball in Perth. With only three seamers, and the reluctant use of Graeme Swann, Strauss was unable to maintain the sort of control that Ben Hilfenhaus, unselfishly, was able to offer Ricky Ponting. So there is sure to be debate.

Finn's virtue is his wicket-taking capacity and there is some mitigation for his figures in Perth, where two lengths were demanded: bouncer and full length. That he was driven too frequently was a direct function of his bouncer, which was not sufficiently short or potent to force the main players, Shane Watson and Mike Hussey, on to the back foot, and which was pulled mercilessly. His full length was no different from that exploited so well by Ryan Harris in particular but, in being allowed to play it from in front of the crease rather than pinned back as England's batsmen were, Watson and Hussey were able to pick him off. When he did go short, he was pulled.

It could, and will, be argued that, if Finn is strong enough (and Flower insists he is), he should play. Certainly, in trying to rough him up, Australians are letting him know he is a concern for them. Already, with the selection of Chris Tremlett in Perth, Strauss and Flower have shown fearlessness when they might have gone for dependability.

The same might apply here. It is feasible, on a pitch that will not have the same high-octane quality as that at the Waca, that Tim Bresnan would do a steady holding job and leave the strike bowling to Jimmy Anderson and Tremlett. It is also feasible that they could take a bolder decision and go for Ajmal Shahzad, who is the most adept reverse-swinger and showed in Hobart that he can bowl effectively to left-handers. The most radical thing, though, would be to show faith in Finn. Often the best decisions are those that would please the opposition least. Finn, the Australians know, can damage them.

Beyond that England could swap Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell in the order but will not. There is a very good chance that this game and the one in Sydney will be Collingwood's last Test matches and that, by the summer – on his own initiative but probably with gentle encouragement – he will have retired from Tests to concentrate on the shorter forms. Simply knowing that the end is in sight may for now be stimulus for this most cussed of cricketers to produce something when it is needed, not just by the team but by himself.

His absence is not an option for Eoin Morgan has much to learn about Test match batting and will get the chance next summer. Collingwood's catching is so potent, not least to Swann, that it is worth runs in itself. Were he not to be there at slip for Swann, it is Anderson who has been earmarked and groomed to take on the role.

Meanwhile despite their win, Australia have more fundamental selection problems. Of course Ponting will play, even with a cracked little finger. But they must now decide whether to continue with the winning format from Perth, which – given it is 52 years since they won an MCG Test with four seamers (and even then had Richie Benaud's leg spin) and have never in 102 matches over 135 years not had a frontline spinner there – would represent a massive deviation from historical precedent. If not, they must play a spinner of no international and little first-class experience in place either of the bowler who lent them control in Perth or of the one who took a hat-trick in Brisbane. An educated guess, on the back of their win, would be for an unchanged XI.