Pakistan Moves to Final of Twenty20 World Cup 2009

The match has just finished write now and Pakistan has won it by 7 runs. As a result, they are in the final of Twenty20 World Cup 2009. This is the second time that the country is playing in the final of T20 World Cup. In 2007, they did it in South Africa but lost to India and thus became runners up. This matter broke the heart of millions of fans in the country. This time, they are praying that their team can win the trophy.

Pakistan batted first and scored 149 runs for 4 wickets from their 20 overs. They started well but then lost their way. I have to give a lot of credit to South African bowlers and fielders. At one stage, it seemed to me that Pakistan would score at least 170 runs but in the last 5 overs, South Africa came back very strongly.

On the other hand, South Africa struggled from the first and they never looked very confident of getting the mere 150 runs. Well, the main credit goes to the Pakistani bowlers as they always exerted pressure on the South African batsmen. In the end, South Africa could score 142/5 and was 9 runs short.

The opponent of Pakistan will be decided in the semifinal match of Sri Lanka vs West Indies. I am expecting Sri Lanka to move to the final and then we may watch a South Asian final in T20 World Cup 2009. Here, I like to remind the readers that in 2007, there was an all South Asian final.

India vs South Africa T20 World Cup 2009: Analysis and Live Score Information

If you are a cricket fan then of course, you know the matter that India is already out of Twenty20 World cup 2009. This matter has caused a lot of anger and pain in the country but do not forget that Indian team has still one match to play and that match is it against South Africa. India vs South Africa match is going to take place later tonight. It may be insignificant but you have to remember that both of the two teams have something to play for.

I know that South Africa will not take this match lightly because a lot depends on the result of the match for them. If they win it then they will surely be the champion of the group and they will go to the semifinal as the group winner. This will give them some confidence and will help them to avoid perhaps Sri Lanka. SA has another important reason to try to win this match. This time, Australia and India are out and at this moment, South Africa is considered to be the hot favorite. So, if they can win the match then it will make them even more favorite And give their players much more confidence because India is the current champion of the event.

On the other hand, I think that the Indian players will take this matter very seriously because already many people are in India are very angry. They’re complaining that the Indian players are more interested in about money in Indian premier league or sponsorships rather than playing seriously for their own country. Even Indian coach stated that IPL caused a big problem. So, this is a very important opportunity for Indian team to show that they are dedicated for their country. So, they will try their best to win the match and if they can win it convincingly then they can perhaps state that the defeat against England was just a surprise and unexpected upset.

In this tournament, South Africa so far has looked very balanced and solid. Their batsmen Have done superb job and their bowlers are not far behind either. They have some top quality players who are also excellent in fielding. So, I feel that in today’s match, South Africa is the strong favorite to win.

Indian batsmen except Yuvraj Singh have mostly disappointed all the supporters. In England, There are many people of Indian origin and in every match that India played, they were in the stadium in large number. Even in the last match against England, I felt that there were almost equal number of supporters of both the team’s despite the fact that this match to place in England. So, it is even more painful for the supporters because they came to enjoy the matches hoping for the repetition of Indian performance of 2007.

The match is going to start at 17:30 Local Time (16:30 GMT). That means 10 PM Indian time. Start cricket TV channel is going to broadcast it live for Indian viewers and I feel that many people are still going to watch the match hoping to see that their team can demolish South Africa.

As for live score: many websites will provide live score of the match. I am giving names of few:

Cricinfo

Cricketnext

Cricket.sulekha

Stickcricket

So, enjoy the match and pray for your team’s success.

India out of T20 World Cup: Bad Business for Star Cricket?

If you are a passionate supporter of Indian cricket team then you have my sympathy. Just a few minutes ago, Dhoni and his men lost to England and with this loss, India is out of Twenty20 World Cup 2009. They were the reigning champion. So, it is a big and depressing shock for all the fans.

Telegraph wrote:

India, the defending champions and kings of all things Twenty20, were knocked out of the tournament on a tense evening at Lord's by an England team that continues to defy predictions of their demise.

England recorded their finest Twenty20 victory and a win over the West Indies on Monday will ensure the home side's place in the semi-final. It would be a remarkable achievement for a team twice beaten and seemingly forever on the verge of elimination.

The people of India are crazy for cricket and they are very upset for this matter. However, I feel that the officials of Star Cricket are perhaps even sadder than any fan. They should be very sad because now, most people in the country would not bother to watch the matches live in this TV channel. India has another match to play in Super Eight Stage. However, the result of that match does not matter and that is why, I am expecting a low TV ratings for Star in that match. Then, there will be no Dhoni and his team in the semifinals or in final. So, naturally, fewer people will bother to watch those matches.

The irony is that similar thing happened for Sony Entertainment Television in 2007 ICC World Cup that took place in West Indies. In that event, India had early exit from the first round. It caused huge financial loss for SET. Well, I don’t think that it would be a big loss for Star Cricket. Still, they would be unhappy with the result of today.