Who Will be World Champion of Cricket ?

..... 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 ..................

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.

#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

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

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.

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.

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.

re: romair

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

Sehwag is out. India is fukked.

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 .........

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 .............

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

re:#23 by Romair
You guys got your A$$ licked and still you talk about winning against India. India did not play Pak due to fear of losing? That is the biggest BULL i have ever heard. Right now, Pakistan does not even have a cricket team.
India does not play cricket with Pak because of Pak`s military regime and continuing political problems between the 2 countries. No team wants to visit Pak for security reasons. Stop smoking Hashish and get back to your sanity.
Sridhar

Jarrar 2 # 13:

`` As they say that ``Statistics are like lamp pole, a drunkard can use to hold on to and it can also be used to light`` so use it the way you want to use. ``

They also say, ``statistics are like a bikini. They hide more than what they reveal`` and that, ``statistics and numbers are like humans. You torture them enough and they will tell you any thing``

;)

#15 by rsridhar on March 22, 2003 6:08pm PT
[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. ]

I beg to differ. During most of the 80s, Pakistan was ranked 2nd behind West Indies in Test matches. WI and Pak were the only two teams who won both at home and away. In fact, Pakistan didn`t lose a test series at home from 1981 till 1995/96. During the same period, Pakistan beat India in India (1987), Eng in Eng (`87, `92, `96), NZ in NZ (`94). Pakistan was the only team that managed to draw the WI in WI (`88). Every other team was pummeled by the Carribeans both at home but Pak almost won the test series 2-0 had it not been for poor WI umpiring.

In ODIs too, WI was No.1 followed by England/Pak/Ind in close contest. Pak usually performed better in Sharjah than in Australia or WI during the 1980s.

The Australians had quite a weak team during the 80s especially after Lillee, Marsh and the Chappells left. They usually won against Eng and NZ but then who didn`t? Australia had a mini-revival in the 1987 world cup but it didn`t mature until 1994 when they beat WI in WI.

[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. ]

I disagree again! Dilip Vengsarkar, Navjot Sidhu and Azharuddin were truly world class batsmen. Ravi Shastri was another magnificent all-rounder especially in ODIs. However, Vengsarkar and Shastri lacked the killer instinct of Tendulkar and Ganguly. But then, the 80s was a different era. There were no 15-over field restrictions, fewer one-days, no restrictions on bouncers per over... Most matches were low-scoring (less than 230 runs per team).