Who Will be World Champion of Cricket ?

re:#22 by Romair
I said one time in chowk that i do not watch cricket as avidly anymore but i will still be interested to see Paki A$$ whipped in world cup. Did you watch how Tendulkar whipped Shaib Akhtar`s A$$. And that is the guy you were saying will win matches for you!
I do not care if India loses to Australia. As far as i am concerned, India has won this cup by whippint the stinking Paki A$$.
Sridhar

yantric,

..... you have it wrong - they just don`t like hondas (and toyotas) ...... the poor hindoos are just an excuse ......... as for me, i don`t like anyone - hindoos, mullahs, homos, short people, people with nose hair, baskeball players, eskimos, jehovas witnesses, bushmen, corporate raiders and other assorted villians ...............

......... but most of all, i don`t like hindoos and pastry chefs .............

ya allah .......... dushman ka sar neecha kar ......

............ for the first time, ever in my life, i checked the cricket scores to make sure the forces of evil were meeting divine retribution ..........how about those aussies! ......... ya allah, if the aussies win, i promise to switch to fosters for a whole year and drink that crap without complaining ......... good bye sam adams, hello fosters ............

P.S. just kidding - there is no way i`d touch fosters .......... but our incompetent god is easily fooled - i have been making and breaking promises all my life and am still waiting for that bolt of lightening .........

Sehwag is out. India is fukked.

re: romair

...your behind was missing for so long after march 1st.....got bitten by a rat?...

India wins toss and elects to field - unexpected decision by Ganguly.

Australia reach 144 for 2 in 23 overs - headed for 240+ easily unless someone from the Indian team pulls off a miracle ... tsk tsk - this match will need a miracle from SRT.

Australia is picked to win the final, and are quite a better team than India, and better than all other teams. However, this is about as good a chance as India has ever had to defeat Australia. Australia`s no. two and three bowlers aren`t playing, and neither is a top Aus. batsman playing. India on the other hand is healthy and playing their best cricket in years.

India stopped playing cricket with Pakistan, because they were afraid of losing to Pakistan in cricket and the bad press that would raise in India. For some reason, they did however play Pakistan in the World Cup. And India did play Pakistan in all other sports where India had some chance of winning, i.e. hockey, polo etc. Doesn`t quite make sense.

Now India should have some confidence, after their success in the World Cup. So if an Indian win will convince India to stop mixing politics with sports and will give it enough confidence to play Pakistan in cricket, then I support India to win the final. If India continues to mix politics with sports, even after a win in the final, then I support Australia to win.

Australia is picked to win the final, and are quite a better team than India, and better than all other teams. However, this is about as good a chance as India has ever had to defeat Australia. Australia`s no. two and three bowlers aren`t playing, and neither is a top Aus. batsman playing. India on the other hand is healthy and playing their best cricket in years.

India stopped playing cricket with Pakistan, because they were afraid of losing to Pakistan in cricket and the bad press that would raise in India. For some reason, they did however play Pakistan in the World Cup. And India did play Pakistan in all other sports where India had some chance of winning, i.e. hockey, polo etc. Doesn`t quite make sense.

Now India should have some confidence, after their success in the World Cup. So if an Indian win will convince India to stop mixing politics with sports and will give it enough confidence to play Pakistan in cricket, then I support India to win the final. If India continues to mix politics with sports, even after a win in the final, then I support Australia to win.

Ref hamidm #5

I am amazed about the bigotry you kids exhibit about hindoos. Wonder where the got it from......... My kids have muslim and even pakistani friends although they are aware of the history of the subcontinent. Guess you really have got ur genes to mutate to be hindu hating scum. Guess you can take a muslim out of pukiland but cannot take puke out of him.

India is more likely to win if:

1/ They win the toss
2/ Tendulkar clicks
3/ or score over 240

India is less likely to win if:

1/ They lose the toss
2/ Chase over 200

#17 Pankaj,

I am an ardent cricket fan in the mould of old cricket lovers for whom the cricket is also very important. I loved the Aussies Vs Pak game and enjoyed throughly the level of professionalism Aussies shown, and who can not love Tendulkar`s batting against Pakistan.

I would have loved to see Pakistan winning and being in the semies, but not the way they played in the world cup. Their team selection, coach selection, team analyst`s selection (Sikandar Bakhat has 69 test wickets and I cant imagine what would he suggest to Akram and Waqar!).

I loved Indian team`s approach and the way Srinath has fine tuned that software that Indian team uses has to be applauded and must be used to learn a lesson or two from it. Indian team is said to have lap-tops for every single player and a computer specialist (who with help from Srinath) developed this software. Each player takes help from the software about his shortcommings and things about opponenet teams.

I am not saying that India will surely win, but my thesis is India is THE TEAM that can put the sentence ``Australia runners up of 2003 world cup`` in the history books.

Jarrar

Jaffari Sahab

I am impressed by your support of Indian team though the odds are aginst them. I am going for the nightout in any case to watch the match irrespective of whoever wins. Thanx.

..... if the indians win the world cup and the infidel forces capture baghdad and the israelis mange to build the temple by july, then jesus should be back by late september - just in time for octoberfest (i have seen pictures of the last supper with those overflowing steins of ale) ............

........... for a while there, i thought this guy, emmanuel - with his sandals, robe and halo - was jesus ............ then it turned out that he was just your ordinary, run of the mill polygamist with a thing for under aged girls ...... kind of like us muslims ............ but now i am really worried ........ the other day i had a dream that urstruly was riding a jackass and eating ladoos with a one-eyed mullah walking behind him and picking up the crumbs .......... they came to a dusty cross-roads and were met by a six foot four arab without underwear and a five foot four indian in batting pads - osama and tendukar! ......... it was confusing, to say the least .......... and then jesus was eating green eggs and grits with dr seus and tendulkar at a shoney`s in kentucky ......... verily, the world is coming to an end ..................

Hi,
There has been another very important factor in the victories of the Indian team, the team camaraderie the fact that individual intersts must be suordinated by the team`s goals.

I am great fan of the Yankees organization and been reading a bunch about them and came across an interview of their General Manger Joe Torre. He said:

``I have always judged peopel on effort as oppose to the bottom line ...... All players should be told that they don`t have to be on the winning side to be a winner.``

who would say Kenyans are not winner even though they lost to Aussies and India, its all how you fought. DOes any one remember Aussies Vs S. Africa semi final of 1999?

Here is my advice to Indian team; if you you want to have the title of the world champions and be in the rare league of Windies and Aussies (those who won this vaunted title twice!!) then it boils down to simple five words:
DO THE BEST YOU CAN and belive me you will be world champs.

Jarrar

re:#9 by HisExcellency
Pakistan was never in the same league as West Indies or Australia during the 80s and 90s. I used to watch the game regularly then. Imran Khan was responsible for giving a new impetus to a team that was rich in talent but poor as a cohesive force.
India, btw, never had world class players in 80s and 90s except Gavaskar (in 80s) and Kapil Dev. The spin trio was on the wane in 80s. I cannot even recall names of even one player who i can say was world class except the above 2.
India, if i were to belive media reports, has today leapfrogged into a new age where technology and training go together. I read about a new software Indian cricket team uses that makes it possible for players to review their performance on any given day and correct their defects. They also study the defects of the opposing team very minutely. Their training is vastly superior now.
I saw the tape of India-Pak match and was impressed by the team effort even though Tendulkar`s knock stood out. I think this team has the potential to beat Australia.
Sridhar

#8 AhmedZai
{
Even then I would be willing to put my weight behing Australia. Its a game between professionalism and talent.
}
Indian team is very professional too. In my opinion the ``will`` to win the game is stronger in Indian team than Aussies and you never know.
I know beating Aussies wont be an easy thing but then if you want to be crowned as World champions you gotta just do this, right ?

My worries are:

1. Rahul Dravid`s injury.
   Dravid injured his finger during semi final and gave a rediculus amount of byes 16 runs. Such a display will be tough to defend against Aussies.
   Its not the time to try Parthik Patel (the teen age wicket keeping sensation of India!). I hope Draid does the good job.
   
2. Zaheer Khan`s maturity in bowling.
   It is time for Zaheer Khan to show some nerves and bowl with discipline.
   

#10 Ansari.

{
Jarrar; lagta hai aap hamare madani sahab ko jaante nahin hain. . .unko logon ko aazmane ka shauq hai. . .beshak thore difficult hain lekin ab tak naik niyat ka muzaahira kiya hai. . .aage bhi yehi umeed rahegi. . .
}
Its never easy to read URDU in Roman. And no I dont know ``Madni Sahib`` and you wrote that ``unko logon ko aazmane ka shauq hai`` so what they say in urdu:
``Too Teer Azma, Hum Jigar Azmien``
no I dont mind as long as criticism is limited to Cricket, for politics and relegion there are other forua too.

Cheers,
Jarrar