Whats International cricket for Imran Nazir?

Quite an interesting start to the world cup, isn’t it? The result was as expected but a few things in the middle were not. Though Pakistan bowled well, West Indies made a very good come back showing that they have taken their lesson from the collapse in the warm-up matches. But you still can’t trust that batting line up; they sort of get hypnotized and launch into a suicide mission at times. I hope not to see one of those in this tournament as I personally would love to see them lift the cup- if India doesn’t.

Now about the Pakistan innings, openers are killing them. Imran Nazir plays the way we play gully cricket in India. The kids just go out there playing a 10 over match and throw their bat at whatever they see. But no, wait, even the kids in gully cricket do it more carefully. Pakistan has been having opening problems for a long time. They need openers that can play sensibly. Is it really that difficult for a Nazir to understand that? He came in, hit a handsome six and made himself look like a hero and next ball he said bye bye. Its not about talent, its about attitude.

Pakistan’s biggest strength for this world cup is their middle order. It didn’t look very good in this match though. They attempted a rescue mission but fell short. This middle order is the most precious asset that Pakistan holds and if they don’t play to their potential, Pakistan’s chances of making it to the semis look slim.

Sabina Park

Thats where the first match between Pakistan and host West Indies will be played. Speculations are on and every kind of opinions are pouring in. Where Pakistan's injury depleted team looks innocuous, West Indies showcased a range of its weaknesses in the warm-up match against India. Its a tough call now. But this match will sure set the tone for the world cup. I believe West Indies has the edge here. Its their backyard and they have the players to do it. All they need is some sensible approach. Good luck to both teams.

Hindustan Times predicts loss for Pakistan

The astrologers are in action. Hindustan Times, the second biggest English daily in India is perheps taking opinions of Anita Nigam for the world cup. And she says that for the starter between Pakistan and West Indies, the hosts are the favorites. She believes that Pakistan will lose the match by a narrow margin. But then she keeps it open saying that if Pakistan bats second, they have a chance of winning as well.

You can read the story here.

I believe the team that plays well will win the match. If the heavenly bodies can fix matches, why cant Azharuddin and Cronje?

India wins and West Indies dissapoints

I expected better stuff from West Indies. What we saw was bad. Irresponsible cricket resulting in a humiliating defeat just before the World Cup starts. I hope they will learn their lesson and next time will wait for the opposition to bowl a good delivery before throwing their wickets.

India made perfect use of the carelessness that the West Indian batsmen offered. This is a good sigh for India as their last series here in West Indies was not great. This gives India the right confidence.

The problem of Sehwag still remains though. He again played a bad shot got out early in the innings. But then no more wickets fell. This Indian team looks cool