SYDNEY: Blake Ayshford of the Tigers is tackled during the round three NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the Canberra Raiders at Campbelltown Sports Stadium
‘Didn’t have quality to win WC’ :Strauss COLOMBO: It's all over now for England. They came, they entertained, they faltered when entertainment alone was not enough. There is a limit to how far refusing to lose alone can take you. On the big day, against a varied attack, England didn't have the quality to put up enough runs to defend. Andrew Strauss had no qualms in admitting that. "We were not good enough in the one-dayers in either Australia or this World Cup," Strauss said. "I think we scrapped hard, and showed some fight, which is great, but didn't have enough quality to go on and win this tournament. That's the reality. "I think I can't fault the energy and commitment and the desire that the guys have shown over the course of this World Cup. I think they tried their hardest today, but we were not allowed to play well by a very good side. I think you could cite tiredness, but that would be running away from the issue. Haven't played good enough cricket. Generally English teams in the subcontinent haven't played well enough to compete day in, day out. Disappointing, we have got to be better than that." Strauss said the side didn't do the fundamentals required to succeed in big events. "If you look at sides that have done well in this tournament, they have got a lot of variety in their bowling attack. We haven't got as much variety as them. They have got batsmen that have consistently made hundreds. Again we haven't done that well enough. These are the stark facts in front of us, we can still go back and get better, no doubt about it. That's what we will be trying to do in the coming weeks." On a ground that is statistically and historically a good friend of sides batting first, England were tied in knots by a top attack. When they had rebuilt, they were pushed back further. "We were thoroughly outplayed, we can't hide away from that," Strauss said. "We thought it was a good toss to win, we knew it was a pretty flat wicket, and probably 260270 was more like the par score. Lost a couple of wickets, had to rebuild, but then weren't able to go through the gears in the last few overs. You have to give credit to the Sri Lankan bowlers, there is a lot of variety there. "We didn't score many boundaries today. We knew our batting performance was under-par, but we thought pressure is a big man, if we can get two-three early wickets, hopefully that might be enough to make that pressure count. Unfortunately [Tillakaratne] Dilshan and [Upul] Tharanga played outstandingly well. We lost to a better side." That, Strauss said, shouldn't take away from the achievements in the first half of their winter. "The Ashes was certainly my proudest moment in cricket," he said. "Probably one of English cricket's proudest moments for a long time. No one will ever take that away from us. We were very fortunate to be part of that. Since then things have been tough, there is no doubt about that." World Cup failures usually come with the end of captaincy reigns and a vision to rebuild the team for the next event four years later. Strauss and England haven't thought about that as yet. "I just don't think that now is the time to answer that question," he said. "It's not something that I have thought of beforehand, I certainly have got a lot of cricket in me, full stop. -Reuters
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Hafeez backs strongest attack in the world MOHALI: Mohammad Hafeez, the Pakistan allrounder, has backed his team to come up trumps in the World Cup semi-final against India, who, he claimed, would be up against the "strongest bowling attack in the world". Pakistan's bowlers, led by Shahid Afridi, the tournament's highest wicket-taker, have set up wins for their team in six of their seven games so far in the World Cup. "We believe that we have the strongest bowling attack in the world at the moment," Hafeez said. "That is the key. Our bowling is our strength and our batsmen are just supporting them in whatever way is required." Hafeez, who bowls offspin, opened the bowling in Pakistan's quarter-final win against West Indies and is part of an attack that has shaped up to be among the most threatening this tournament. Umar Gul had been successful in the late
overs, Afridi's variations have proved difficult to deal with, left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz and left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman have chipped in while Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Razzaq have also been effective. Shoaib Akhtar, who will retire from international cricket after the World Cup, is also waiting his turn in the knockouts. "At the moment, we definitely rely on our bowling but we know we are capable enough as batsmen to achieve any total," Hafeez said. Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka in their chase to 266, faltered against New Zealand in their only defeat thus far in the competition, and stepped up against Australia and West Indies to bowl both of them out for under 200. The surface in Mohali, the venue for the semi-final, has traditionally been favourable for fast bowling, though Hafeez said Pakistan were pre-
pared for anything. "We really don't care about the pitch; whatever it will be, we are good enough to perform to the best of our ability." Pakistan haven't played in India since 2007 and the buildup to this high-profile clash has been massive. "For me this is the best cricketing opportunity as an individual player, to perform in such a pressure game, the semi-final of a World Cup and especially Pakistan-India." Pakistan have played India on four occasions in World Cups and have been beaten each time. History, though, mattered little to Hafeez. "Yes, Pakistan has not defeated India in the World Cup, but in the last 12 years, Australia also had not lost a single World Cup game. But then they lost to us (by four wickets) and to India. "There is no point thinking about the past. We think about the day; whoever the opponent is, we try to win on the day." -Online
Have enough experience of playing in India: Kamran KARACHI Pakistan's wicketkeeper-batsman, Kamran Akmal reckons that the experience of playing in India will see him in good stead when the team take on the arch-rivals in a high-profile World Cup semi-final in Mohali on Wednesday. "I will continue to play positive cricket and I have enough experience of the pressures that come with playing India in India. So I am mentally prepared for this battle," Kamran said. He said that the team too, is mentally prepared to face India. "The boys know how important this encounter is in many ways and not just as a qualifier for the World Cup final. It is great being back in India," he said. The flashy opener also declared that he is not bothered by all the media criticism against him, and is just focussing on the India match. "To me nothing is more important than this semi-final against India. Neither do I read news-
papers nor watch television channels. The media can write or say what they want to about me but I am not bothered because I know I still have a lot to offer to Pakistan cricket," Kamran said. The experienced campaigner has been under fire for his inconsistent performances behind the stumps and with the bat in the World Cup. He scored his first half-century of the tournament against the West Indies in the quarterfinal but his keeping has left a lot to be desired. The keeper's awful outing against New Zealand in the league phase when he dropped Ross Taylor twice in one over, led to calls for his ouster from the team, but Kamran remains unperturbed. "I don't think my performances are going downhill. I have been doing well in recent times and every player has his ups and downs. But I always think positive and know I can deliver for the country," he said.-Reuters
Taylor predicts date with destiny for kiwis
MOHALI:Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (R) bats as teammates Virat Kohli (L) and Suresh Raina(C) looks on during a training session at The Punjab Cricket Associaton (PCA) stadium in Mohali.-Reuters
COLOMBO: New Zealand vice-captain Ross Taylor is determined his team will progress further than any of their predecessors by qualifying for next Saturday's World Cup final in Mumbai. New Zealand upset South Africa on Friday to advance to the semi-finals for the sixth time. They meet Sri Lanka in Colombo on Tuesday. "We are proud of our history of making it to the semifinals," Taylor told a news conference on Sunday. "But this team want to make history and go one step further and make the final. We believe we can do that and we want to show it on Tuesday." If New Zealand are to reach the showpiece match, Taylor is likely to play a major role. He struck an unbeaten 131 on his 27th birthday in the group win over Pakistan, including seven sixes and a tournament record 30 runs off an Abdul Razzaq over.-Reuters
Pressure will be more on India, says Ramiz KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain, Ramiz Raja, has backed the national team to put up a spirited fight in the World Cup semi-final against India in Mohali on Wednesday. "It is very difficult to convince me on something. But, as far as this Pakistan team is concerned, I am totally convinced that even if it loses the semifinal it will not do so without putting a big fight," Ramiz said. The cricketer-turned-commentator said that while everyone is under the impression that the crowd pressure in Mohali would affect the performance of the Pakistani players, he thinks otherwise. "The way I look at it the pressure will be bigger on the Indian players because they are playing in front of their home crowd. The expectations are high from them, so they have to deliver," he said. Ramiz admitted that on paper India appeared to have more resources, but believed that either Pakistan's bowlers or India's batsmen will decide the fate of the high-voltage semi-final. "One thing I am convinced about is that I have not seen a more well gelled, motivated and united Pakistan outfit and the credit goes to Shahid Afridi who has led the side well and turned them into a 15-member unit instead of a 11-member playing eleven." Ramiz said the spirit in the Pakistan dressing room was the driving force and would serve them well in the semi-final. "When the odds are stacked against you it is usual for all 15 players of a touring side to stick together and be motivated to perform above themselves," he said. The former Test opener pointed out that Pakistan have a very strong bowling attack and, unlike in the past, the team's overall performance in the tournament has been consistent.-Reuters
MOHALI: Pakistan's Abdur Rehman, foreground, prepares to bowl as Misbah-ul-Haq looks on during a practice session in Mohali, India, Sunday.-Reuters
Hassan hopes for future WC chance ABU DHABI: Amid all the discussion and debate about the structure of future World Cups, and whether Associates will retain a place in the tournament, it's worth remembering one team who almost completed a remarkable journey to the current event. Afghanistan finished fifth in the qualifying tournament two years ago, enough to earn ODI status but agonisingly short of being one of the four extra teams in the subcontinent. Nobody is quite sure what the future holds for Afghanistan cricket; whether they were riding on the crest of a wave - both in terms of the emotion behind their success and a talented group players who came together at the right time - or whether there is a real chance of them developing into
a fully-fledged cricketing nation. Regardless, though, they deserve the chance to try again. Hamid Hassan, 23, is one of their poster boys and marquee players, an opening bowler with an ODI average of 20.86 and Twenty20 economy rate of under a run-a-ball. He has time on his side and is desperate that the ICC don't close off the World Cup to the Associate and Affiliate nations. "We were so close to getting into this year's tournament, just one win away, and we'd be very disappointed if he didn't have another chance," Hassan told ESPNcricinfo. "I know ICC have announced the next tournament will be 10 nations, but I don't think it's a good idea to not let the Associates in. Hopefully we get a chance to qualify." -Reuters
Cricket-World Cup fever hits India before key clash MUMBAI, March 27 (Reuters) - World Cup fever struck India seriously the moment it became apparent that the co-hosts would meet Pakistan in the second semifinal in Mohali this Wednesday. Yuvraj Singh's boundary off Brett Lee to win India's quarterfinal against defending champions Australia last Thursday sparked national euphoria. It also relegated Tuesday's first semi-final between 1996 champions Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Colombo to the status of a sideshow. For the first time three Asian teams will contest the semifinals while the India-Pakistan clash will be the first in India since 166 people were killed in Mumbai in 2008. India has blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attacks. The two countries have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 and relations have been tense since the Mumbai carnage. They have subsequently agreed to resume formal peace talks and on Sunday it was announced that Pakistan Prime
Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani had accepted an invitation from his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh to attend Wednesday's match in the northern Indian town of Mohali. On the cricket pitch the rivalry has been intense and, according to the Indian historian and cricket writer Ramachandra Guha, the television audience when India's Sachin Tendulkar faced the former Pakistan bowler Wasim Akram exceeded the entire population of Europe. Tendulkar, one century away from a scarcely believable 100 international hundreds, will face the new ball again on Wednesday before 30,000 spectators in the Chandigarh stadium. He has already scored centuries against England and South Africa in the tournament, although India took only one point away from both those matches. Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, who scored 175 in the opening match against Bangladesh, head a batting line-up of awesome potential which will face a versatile and
successful Pakistan attack in a classic one-day confrontation. Much of the credit for Pakistan's progress in the tournament goes to captain Shahid Afridi, who has created unity from discord while bowling his brisk wrist spin to devastating effect. CONFIDENT SRI LANKANS Pakistan no longer play matches at home since the armed attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009 and a corruption scandal overshadowed their tour of England last year. Afridi and his team have responded by displaying a discipline rare in Pakistan cricket and the captain heads the list of tournament wicket takers with 21 victims. "Shahid Afridi has done something quite remarkable in this tournament," said former captain Imran Khan, who led Pakistan to their only World Cup triumph in 1992. "Shahid has done brilliantly." India have not lost to Pakistan in four World Cup matches and if they are to qualify for the Mumbai final on April 2 two players seem critical to their success.-Reuters