Model Poonam Pandey to bare all if India wins World Cup

Cricket-crazy model Poonam Pandey says she will bare-all if the Indian team wins Wednesday's semi-final against the neighbours at Mohali.
 
According to reports, the city-based model, has decided to go nude in front of the entire stadium if India ends up winning the World Cup.
Claiming she is just trying to motivate the Men in Blue, Pandey said she even won't mind giving the team a private show in the dressing room if they win.
She added that she does not have qualms of even undressing in the stadium, if the law permits, and after permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
What better motivation does Dhoni and his men need to conquer the world!

Younis drops a easy catch by Sachin Tendulkar in World cup Semifinal

At some point over the next couple of days, Pakistan will come to understand just how close they actually got - with this side whom few gave a chance - to getting to a World Cup final. The margin of defeat looks comfortable enough but there wasn't a whole lot between them and India, ultimately, other than a safe pair of hands somewhere, anywhere in the field.

There are many frustrating ways to lose a game, let alone one as big as this, but few gnaw away at reason and rationality quite like those lost to dropped catches. In this age of the instant vent and search for a "match ka mujrim" (criminal of the match), Misbah-ul-Haq's innings is already being pilloried in Pakistan for its poor pacing. The reaction is misplaced and overdone, for the pitch wasn't given to fluent strokeplay, particularly after the ball softened, and there had already been some momentum-losing poor shots earlier from the openers.

Blaming the batting in any case misses the point. Pakistan are never comfortable chasers and 261, in a World Cup semi-final, at the home of the opposition is an entirely different kind of 261 from the ones they might chase down in a bilateral series in the UAE. The point is, they shouldn't have been chasing that much in the first place.

There are some truisms in cricket that Pakistan quite brazenly and joyously ignore; leading among them are those to do with catching. They win matches? Yes, but not as much as scoring runs and taking wickets, thank you. They once dropped Graeme Smith five times as he ground out 65 in an ODI in Lahore, and still won the match comfortably. They dropped seven catches in an innings in New Zealand in 2009-10 and won the Test comfortably. These are to recall just two examples from a sizeable sample.

But there are some rules in life you cannot defy, some batsmen you really cannot give a chance to. And if you give Sachin Tendulkar four chances - not one but four! Tendulkar! - you cannot expect to win a game, no matter what else you do. It was one of Tendulkar's least fluent recent innings as well, but in the drops of Misbah, Younis Khan - their two best catchers -Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal, went the game. It is as simple as that.

It wasn't - as it never is - just the runs that came after the drops, though Tendulkar did add 58 runs after the first chance went down. It was the mood that was lost each time. The first spill, with Tendulkar on 27, came as Pakistan were beginning to regain their senses after Virender Sehwag's early blast. Tendulkar had just survived two torrid overs from Saeed Ajmal and a seminal moment was at hand.

The second, on 45, came the over after Gautam Gambhir had gone. Momentum again was at stake. The third came a few overs after Wahab Riaz's two-wicket over left India in a position of real danger. All chances, incidentally, were created by the tournament's leading wicket-taker, the man to whom Pakistan look for inspiration, for breakthroughs, for controlling the middle overs of the game, their captain, a man who thrives on taking precisely such wickets, Shahid Afridi.

The effects of this on a game cannot possibly be calculated, except to say the obvious, that it changes everything and goes beyond runs alone. Who knows what target Pakistan could have been chasing? There was another, less important, miss later, on 81, but a miss nonetheless and none of the outfield catches were difficult.

"We made some big mistakes in fielding, we dropped some catches, and catches for Sachin," Afridi said. He then quipped, referring to his much-discussed phantom statement in the build-up of trying to prevent a 100th international Tendulkar hundred, "I told you he wouldn't score a hundred." It was gallows humour.

It is sad - but also predictable - that ultimately it came down to Pakistan's fielding, for that is the one area they have really worked hard on in training and actually thought about methodically, making sure for once of placing the right fielders in the right places. Younger players have come in who genuinely enjoy fielding, a couple of older ones have led the way.

 

Cricket Controversies

Harbhajan Singh Vs Andrew Symonds: Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2007-08

The second Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground between India and Australia is infamous for the altercation between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds. Harbhajan Singh was charged with racial abuse for calling Symonds a monkey owing to his non-white background. Bhajji was banned for three matches and it also soured the relationship between the two teams as well.

 

PakistanVs. England: 4th Test Match: Oval 2006

Pakistan's decision of not turning up for the match not only cost them the match but also revealed the uglier aspect of the game. Match umpires Darrel Hair and Billy Doctrove found Pakistan guilty of ball-tampering and awarded England 5 penalty runs. As a result, the then captain of the Pakistani team, refused to continue the match as an act of rebellion against the unfair (as they thought it) decision. The match was awarded to England and Inzy was found guilty of bringing the game to disrepute.

 

Terror Attack on Sri Lankan Team: 2009

The entire cricketing fraternity was gripped with horror when the bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team was fired upon by 12 gunmen near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. In the incident, six Pakistani policemen along with two civilians were killed and six members of the team were injured.

 

Hansie Cronje Match Fixing Scandal: 2000

The highly successful journey of South African captain Hansie Cronje was cut short by allegations of match-fixing. Cronje accepted his the charges and released a statement revealing all contact with bookmakers. Cronje was banned from playing cricket for life in October 2000, which was followed by his dramatic death in a plane crash in 2002.

 

Pakistan Spot-Fixing Controversy: 2010

An English newspaper published allegations that Mohammad Asif along with Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt had accepted bribes from a bookmaker to under-perform at the 4th Test in England. Asif's ex-girlfriend Veena Malik also made public claims that he worked with an Indian bookie and had proof of his involvement with bookmakers. As an outcome, the ICC banned all three players: Butt, Asif and Amir were suspended for 10, 7 and 5 years respectively.

 

Harbhajan-Sreesanth Slap Incident: 2008

After a defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings XI, Harbhajan Singh, who was captaining Mumbai Indians, slapped Indian teammate Sreesanth across the face for saying "hard luck" to Bhajji. Sreesanth was seen crying on the ground and his tears were there for everyone to see. Cricketers described the incident as "really ugly." As a consequence, Harbhajan was handed an 11-match ban by the BCCI.

 

Zimbabwe Cricket crisis

During 2000-01, Zimbabwean players alleged political interference in the running of the game in the country. Robert Mugabe's government was accused of corrupting the game with its racist policies. after going through a tumultuous phase in 2004, the board of Zimbabwe Cricket was replaced by Mugabe's government which announced a 12 month withdrawal from Test cricket.

 

The Bodyline Series: 1932-33

This series has been described as the most controversial period in Australian cricketing history. During the Ashes series, the English team used controversial bowling tactics, where the bowlers bowled deliveries which were often short-pitched, bouncing as high as the torso. The main target of the 'Bodyline' was the legendary Sir Don Bradman. These tactics generated much ill-feeling between the teams and also gave birth to the term 'Bodyline'.

 

Afridi's Ball-Chewing Incident: 2010

In this embarrassing incident which gained notoriety as the 'Bite-Gate' incident, Shahid Afridi was caught biting the ball on cameras. Afridi tendered a lame apology, stating that he was merely trying to smell the ball. He eventually pleaded guilty to ball tampering and was banned for two T20 matches. The incident only had people wondering one thing: What the hell was he thinking?

India beat Pakistan by 29 runs to reach the final of World Cup 2011

India beat Pakistan by 29 runs to reach the final of the ICC World Cup on Wednesday. In what would be the first Cup final between two sub-continental teams, Dhoni’s men will take on Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai on April 2.
It's a tremendous win over Pakistan, at last moments even Misbah hit some great shots but nobody is there at ground to help to much score to pakistan to reach the level of the match.
Zaheer, Munaf, yuvraj, harbhajan & Nehra have taken each 2-2 wickets & all the players help to win the match. as well as Sachin was "Man of the Match" for scoring 85 runs & Wahab Riaz bowled well & taken 5 wickets on 46 runs but no efforts make positive by pakistan to comeback in match in Mohali.

Michael Clarke Australia's New captain

Michael Clarke has been named Australia's 43rd test cricket captain, replacing Ricky Ponting who stepped down Tuesday after a nine-year reign.

Clarke's appointment as test and one-day captain was announced at a news conference Wednesday along with the appointment of allrounder Shane Watson as vice-captain.

Cameron White will continue to captain the Australian Twenty20 team, with Watson as his deputy.

Cricket Australia chairman Jack Clarke said Michael Clarke had proven to be an excellent captain when standing in for Ponting, notably during Australia's recent 6-1 Commonwealth Bank Series win against England.

Clarke, 29, will first lead Australia on its tour to Bangladesh next month which comprises three one-day internationals. He will lead the test team for the first time when Australia tours Sri Lanka in August, though he stood in for the injured Ponting in the fifth Ashes test against England this summer.

"Michael has shown himself to be excellent with his on-field tactics when heading the national side," Jack Clarke said. "To captain your country is a great honor and responsibility and I congratulate Michael and wish him the best in what will be an exciting and challenging time."

Michael Clarke said he was looking forward to the opportunity to lead the Australian team.

"It is a great honor to be appointed captain of Australia, but at the same time, a great surprise as I wasn't expecting Ricky Ponting to stand down," he said.

"I have always respected those who have come before me in this role and humbled to think of my name being mentioned alongside theirs."

Ponting endorsed Clarke as his successor while announcing his retirement.

Clarke, a right-handed batsman who has played 69 tests, scoring 4742 runs at an average of 46.49, has been seen as Ponting's likely successor since cementing his place in the Australian team after it's 2006 Ashes whitewash of England.

He said he foresaw no problems with Ponting remaining in the test and one-day teams as a player and expected to take advice from his former captain.

"I think Bangladesh will be a great test for that to see how it all unfolds," Clarke told a news conference in Sydney. "I'm confident that if he can continue to play for as long as he has done, I'm sure it will work."

Watson, 29, said he was looking forward to the added responsibility and working closely with Clarke.

"Playing cricket for Australia has been a great honor for me and to now be appointed vice-captain is really exciting," Watson said. "I look forward to doing what I can to help and support Michael Clarke in the test and ODI teams, and Cameron White with the Twenty20 group.

"There are challenges ahead but also opportunity and I look forward to being part of the leadership group as we work together to grasp that opportunity."

The chairman of the Australian selection panel, Andrew Hilditch, paid tribute to Ponting while welcoming Clarke's appointment.

"Ricky has been an inspirational leader of men," Hilditch said. "He has led the side with skill, courage, passion, determination and integrity at all times.

"Michael (Clarke) has shown great leadership and tactical skills in the opportunities he has had to lead the side when Ricky has been injured or not available. The time is right now with Ricky stepping down for Michael to assume the leadership of the Australian cricket team."

Hildith also announced Australia's squad for the Bangladesh tour, which includes a warmup match on April 7 and ODIs against Bangladesh on April 9, 11 and 13. All matches will be played in the capital Dhaka.

Xavier Doherty returns as a specialist spinner after missing the World Cup because of injury while 20-year-old fast bowler James Pattinson has been named in place of Shaun Tait, who announced his retirement on Monday.

Sri Lanka defeat New Zealand by 5 wickets in World Cup Semifinal in Colombo

Sri Lanka restricted New Zealand to 217 all out in the first semifinal at the Cricket World Cup, where record one-day and Test wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan is playing his last match on home soil.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and elected to bat first on the same wicket at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium where Sri Lanka humiliated England by 10 wickets in a March 26 quarterfinal. Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis claimed three wickets each and Muralitharan got 2-42, including New Zealand’s top scorer Scott Styris (57) with his last ball.
After New Zealand Innings Sri lanka starting to chase 217 score,  Sri Lanka overcame a late wobble to battle past New Zealand by five wickets and book their place in the World Cup final.

The co-hosts were coasting to victory while Tillakaratne Dilshan (73) was continuing his prolific form in a 120-run stand with Kumar Sangakkara (54).

Dilshan deposed England's Jonathan Trott as the tournament's top runscorer in what appeared a straightforward chase of 217 all out under lights at the Premadasa Stadium.

But the second-wicket pair were both among the batsmen to go as Sri Lanka stumbled and stalled from 160 for one in the 33rd over to 185 for five in the 43rd.

Some strong nerves were therefore required from the late middle order to haul them through - with a flattering 13 balls to spare - to an all-subcontinental showpiece decider in Mumbai on Saturday, against either Pakistan or India.

The World’s Fastest Bowler Shoaib Akhtar(Ravalpindi Exprss) will Play the 30th March Semifinal Against India

It was really a suspense that will Shoaib Akhtar alais Ravalpindi Express run on 30th March Semifinal against India ? yes It's now finally decided that Shoaib Akhtar now will play in semifinal India Vs. Pakistan
The battle of Bouncers and Sixes is about to come in the form of Pakistan Vs India Semifinal. Two great opponents Pakistan and India are going to face each other in the WorldCup 2011 semifinal on 30th March at Mohali. It definitely will be the most exciting match of the tournament so far. Everyone is curious to watch the Sachin’s batting and Shoaib’s bowling specially.
everyone want him to play the greatest WAR of Semifinal. Every cricket lover was asking the same questions that are *Is Rawalpindi Express going to play Semifinal? *Why Shoaib is not in the team? *What happened on 30th March without Shoib’s bowling? Etc. At last according to the news Shoaib Akhtar is going to play the Semifinal against India. He is really working hard to give tough time to Indian batsmen.

Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif & Mohammad Amir already Banned for 5 to 10 years

Three Pakistani cricketers were already banned for 5, 7 & 10 years by the International Cricket Council (ICC). They were all found guilty of spot fixing in their series against England in August 2010.

The scandal implicating cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Amir was regarded as one of the most shocking scandals in the history of international cricket. The affair was unveiled by a British tabloid News of the World which linked to a video of a broker receiving money on behalf of the players, sending waves of condemnation throughout the cricket-playing-and-watching world. Soon thereafter, the cricketers were suspended by the ICC and charged with corruption via spot-fixing.

After months of trial, Salman Butt, ex team captain, was awarded a penalty of 10-year ban while Mohammad Asif is banned for 7 & Mohammad Amir is banned of 5 years – the punishment being regarded as very strict by experts in the sport. Butt’s punishment is being considered the strictest case of punishment on behalf of his leading role in spot-fixing. Asif and Amir are have both been found guilty of delivering pre-planned no-balls, already made known to the gamblers through the broker named Mazhar Majeed.

Salman Butt was reported by media expressing disappointment with the ICC’s ban imposed on them. Amir is reportedly taking it well perhaps due to his age, being 18 now and thus anticipating catching up with cricket when his ban expires at age 23. The players reserve the right to file an appeal against the decision of the ICC tribunal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. 

Indian PM invites Gilani, Zardari for World Cup semi-final

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has accepted the invitation to visit Mohali to watch the high-voltage World Cup semi-final match between India and Pakistan on Wednesday (March 30).

The decision was taken following a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Gilani, which began at midnight on Saturday and lasted for about two hours.

A day after India had qualified for the semi-final beating world champions Australia in the quarters, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had sent an invitation to Gilani as well as Zardari to watch the match.
PM Singh has already said that he would watch the match in Mohali.

ICC World Cup 4th Quarter Final, Sri Lanka v England, Tharanga and Dilshan crush England

England crashed out of the World Cup as Sri Lanka openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga both scored centuries in an emphatic 10-wicket quarter-final win. Earlier Jonathan Trott's stubborn 86 provided the spine as England battled to a seemingly competitive total of 229-6. Dilshan ended with 108 and Tharanga 102 as England suffered only their fifth 10-wicket one-day loss.

Sri Lanka 231 for 0 (Dilshan 108*, Tharanga 102*) beat England 229 for 6 (Trott 86, Morgan 50) by ten wickets

ICC World Cup 3rd Quarter Final, New Zealand v South Africa & South Africa collapse sends New Zealand into semis

Proteas reached 108-2 in the 25th over chasing New Zealand's 221-8, but subsided horribly to be all out for 172.
For New Zealand, Jesse Ryder was the top scorer with 83, while with the ball, Oram picked up 4 for 39 and McCullum 3 for 24.

New Zealand 221 for 8 (Ryder 83, Taylor 43, Morkel 3-46) beat South Africa 172 (Oram 4-39) by 49 runs

ICC World Cup 2nd Quarter Final, India v Australia & India into the semis, to meet Pakistan in Mohali

Yuvraj Singh played a match-winning innings after Ricky Ponting's 104 - his first century for 13 months - helped Australia set a target of 261 for India in Ahmedabad. Sachin Tendulkar's 53 set the hosts off in fine style, and Gautam Gambhir added 50 before Yuvraj (57 not out) saw India to a five-wicket win with 14 balls to spare.
The result ended an extraordinary run of success for the Aussies in the World Cup. Beaten finalists in 1996 when Ponting was a junior player, they won the next three tournaments, an imposing run that included a run of 34 matches without defeat.
India team: SR Tendulkar, V Sehwag, G Gambhir, V Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, SK Raina, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, MM Patel.

ICC World Cup 1st Quarter Final, Pakistan v West Indies & Pakistan storm into semi-final

Pakistan annihilated West Indies by 10 wickets in the first knock-out match at Mirpur to secure a World Cup semi-final against India or Australia. Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal each took two wickets in an over as Pakistan bowled out West Indies for a paltry 112. Afridi claimed 4-30 to reach 21 wickets in the tournament as only Shivnarine Chanderpaul resisted with 44 not out. Pakistan reached the modest target with 175 balls left, man-of-the-match Hafeez (61) with 10 fours and opening partner Kamran Akmal firing seven fours in 47.

Pakistan 113 for 0 (K Akmal 47*, Hafeez 61*) beat West Indies 112 (Chanderpaul 44*, Afridi 4-30) by 10 wickets

 

TOP Batsman Leading Run Scorers

LEADING RUN SCORERS
Players	Matches	Innings	Runs	Average	St. Rate	100/50	Best
IJL Trott (Eng)	7	7	422	60.00	82.22	0/5	92
TK Dilshan (SL)	7	7	394	56.60	97.60	2/1	144
Sachin Tendulkar (IND)	7	7	379	54.25	99.15	2/1	120
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)	7	6	363	121.66	88.67	1/2	111
Upal Tharanga (SL)	7	7	359	71.50	77.30	2/2	133
AB De Villiers (SA)	5	5	352	88.00	107.60	2/1	134
Virendra Sehwag (Ind)	6	6	343	60.50	1119.50	1/1	175
Yuvraj Singh (IND)	7	6	341	113.66	86.67	1/3	113
Andrew Strauss (Eng)	6	6	329	54.60	97.89	1/1	158
RN ten Doeschate (NED)	6	6	307	61.66	89.67	2/1	119
Hamish Amla (SA)	7	7	306	39.60	86.60	1/2	113

TOP Bowlers Leading Wicket Takers

 

World Cup 2011 TOP Bowlers Leading Wicket Takers

LEADING WICKET TAKERS
Players	Matches	Wickets	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Best	Economy
Shahid Afridi (Pak)	7	21	64.3	5	225	5/16	3.10
Zaheer Khan (Ind)	7	17	61.4	1	276	3/20	4.31
Tim Southee (NZ)	7	15	62.2	7	255	3/13	3.85
RJ Peterson (SA)	7	15	56.0	5	236	4/12	4.02
Imran Tahir (SA)	5	14	39.3	2	150	4/38	3.90
Umar Gul (PAK)	7	14	52.3	4	203	3/30	4.22
KJR Roach (WI)	5	13	40.3	2	156	6/27	3.88
Harvir Baidwan (Can)	6	13	56.0	3	301	3/35	5.91
Brett Lee (Aus)	6	12	45.4	5	190	4/28	4.16
Sulieman Benn (WI)	6	12	47.5	3	238	4/18	4.97