Team India Hiccups Into Quarter Finals!

India win by five wickets with more than 13 overs to spare. But Netherlands made them labor for the win. Not convincing Team India! Top celebrated batsmen fell in heaps. Thanks to Yuvraj Singh who stars in both of the last  wins.  There are questions all the way...

If unfit Nehra could be tested then why not test the  sitting spinner Ashwin as well. If you are not giving him a chance against the minnows when you are planning to cap him or not at all. Chawla is hardly doing anything except being Dhoni's favorite. Sreesanth was dumped for just one bad spell that too in the very first match and was also rewarded with rebukes. That aggressive fellow has a lot to contribute to Team India's fortune or how would you know if not tested at all. Why the same standards not being applied to Chawla too? Or is the thinking other way round? First ensure QF birth and then go on with the experimenting! Meaning you want to experiment against the likes of South Africa and West Indies! While whole of India knew Team India would easily make it to the QFs how come the Indian skipper himself had all the doubts! And,don't you know at the QF stage you need just one match to get knocked out of the World Cup!

Things are not looking good. Experiment or no experiment Saturday's match against SA will be crucial for proving Team India's credentials, if any, and the performance in that match will set the future prospects in a meaningful perspective. It's not that you have to win the World Cup, there cannot be any compulsion. But you must give it a serious try utilizing all your talent and expertise available. You must never leave scope for regrets after the event is over.

This is the biggest cricketing event of the world, Realize it and keep the personal likes and dislikes on the shelves. Answer all the questions with your unquestionable performance. Time is running out!

Pakistan Back To Inexplicable Ways!

As late as the 43^rd over Pakistan had the New Zealand innings and the match in control. The expected target was around 220—quite achievable considering Pak batting strength. But mayhem broke loose then.

Pakistan already fielded badly dropping several straight forward catches, but the bowlers managed to keep NZ batsmen in check.

Shoaib Akhter, the fastest and the most experienced campaigner started it all. Suddenly he became so generous that fours and sixes just rained apart from wides. As many as 28 runs were scored in his 9^th and 46^th of the innings. Is this the most expensive WC over ever? Other Pak bowlers did no help to their team either. Last 30 balls yielded more than 100 runs! As happens in one day games teams score maximum runs in the last ten, but today after being in absolute control Pakistan seemed to give up. Crossing 250, okay possible. But more than 300 (303 target to be exact) was just the impossible made possible by Pak.

When we say Pak bowled horribly in the end we must also say about the incredible batting by New Zealanders. Ross Taylor scored a brilliant century consisting of 7 huge sixes and 8 fours. The seventh wicket partnership lasting hardly four overs was the most destructive from Pak point of view. Nothing much to write about Pak batting. They were just blasted out of the match. With subdued body language the Pak batsmen tried to hit out blindly and fell easy prey to tight NZ bowling. All out for 192.

Back at their unpredictable best, Pakistan is capable of doing anything from now onwards. It will be very difficult for them to go back to hard intense cricket of late. With England around just don’t put your bets on any team in the knockout stage. True to cricket anything is possible. India take on Netherlands tomorrow, but days to go for the much awaited Ind-SA and Ind-WI matches.

The Wonder That Is...England!

They nearly lost to minnows Netherlands. Chased a target of 339 runs against favorites India successfully--resulting in a tie. They set a target of 328 against minnows Ireland...and LOST! They set a pathetic target of 172 against mighty South Africa...and WON!

England is living dangerously and so they could be immensely dangerous to any side--particularly in the knockout stage. If they happen to meet Australia in the quarters I would bet they win! Basically or potentially they are a very strong side and now is fast accumulating the Pakistanish unpredictability! This is a deadly combination. Beware, all team captains! They have nothing to lose, but everything to win the World Cup..once!

Meantime the saga of ineffectual matches continue. Barring a few rather debilitating possible upsets by the minnows everybody knows which four top teams of each group go to the quarters. By the time you have all the top teams together it will be over in a whiff. Then why suffer the ordeal!

For cricket crazy Indians, Team India will play minnows Netherlands on 9th. Then the big one against South Africa on 12th. After an excruciating break of over a week they play the last big match against West Indies on 20th. And then the knockout begins.