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Home , Shahid Afridi

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Pakistan fans hold mock funeral after WCup exit

KARACHI: Angry fans the Pakistan team give expect they played spinner , fast bowler Junaid smashed television sets and carried out a rank bad cricket and couldn’t handle the and all-rounder mock funeral after the national team lost pressure,” fan Munazza Jillani said at a throughout the tournament and leading to Australia in the World Cup quarter-finals school for special children in Karachi. fast bowler missed the in Adelaide yesterday. Bangladesh blamed poor umpiring deci- quarter-final. chair- Around 50 supporters in Multan sions for their defeat by India in the second man Shaharyar Khan tried to take positives mourned the death of Pakistan cricket and quarter-final. from the tournament. “The quarter-final burnt bats and cricket equipment to Cricket analyst Aaliya Rasheed said the loss is disappointing, but what is hearten- express their disappointment. reaction of the people in some cities was ing is that the team showed a lot of fight- The quarter-final, which began at 800 understandable but said generally cricket ing spirit and character in trying to defend NEW ZEALAND: Chris Gayle of the West Indies takes a local time, was followed nervously by mil- fans had taken the defeat sportingly. a low total against tournament favourite moment out during a West Indies training session lions in the country with special screenings “I think our team was good enough to hosts Australia,” he said. Khan said the ahead of their 2015 Cricket World Cup quarter-final in public parks, schools, restaurants and reach the quarter-finals and not beyond board would give a fitting farewell to - match against New Zealand today. — AFP hotels on a normal working day. that. Give them credit for this given the tain Misbah-ul-Haq and all-rounder Shahid “Bangladesh can claim they were done number of injury problems we faced,” who have now retired from one-day New Zealand in by poor umpiring but what excuse can Rasheed said. Pakistan were without top internationals. —Reuters clear favorites

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum expects favoritism, underdog status and the possibility of choking under the weight of expectation to have lit- tle influence on today’s World Cup quarter-final against West Indies. A rampant New Zealand went through pool phase unbeaten, while inconsistent West Indies lurched into the last eight clash at Wellington Regional Stadium with a six- victory over United Arab Emirates. To McCullum, though, that meant nothing. “I’ve said right throughout the tournament, whether you’re favorites or whether you’re underdogs, once the coin goes up, the contest between bat and ball starts,” the New Zealand skipper told reporters on Friday. “All of that talk and all of that pre-match favouritism goes out the window. Tomorrow’s no different, just because it’s a quarter-final.” The co-hosts have arguably the most balanced side in the World Cup, all of whom have stepped up at one stage or another during the tournament. That has particularly pleased McCullum. “In horse racing parlance ... I think the horse has never been bet- ter and we’ve got every chance in this game to be able to go out there and win, even if things aren’t a hundred per cent,” McCullum said. “That’s something you probably can’t say about too many New Zealand teams in the past. That’s encourag- ing.” McCullum has indicated that New Zealand will revert to their top lineup, with fast bowler Adam Milne returning from shoulder injury to join new ball duo MULTAN: Pakistani cricket fans chant slogans during a protest against the national cricket team players in Multan. Trent Boult and in place of Mitchell Angry Pakistan cricket fans smashed TVs and staged a mock funeral for the team after poor batting and sloppy catching McClenaghan. saw them dumped out of the World Cup. — AFP Southee somehow managed to exploit a clear blue sky and little wind to produce a captivating spell of late-swing bowling to take career-best figures of 7-33 against England at Wellington Regional Stadium a Bitter end for Misbah and month ago. Boult was imperious in their match against Australia with 5-27 the following week in Auckland, while left- Afridi’s one-day careers arm spinner has complemented the opening pair with 13 at 13.29, and an economy rate of 3.69. West Indies, by contrast, have struggled in ADELAIDE: A crushing quarter-final loss for his reserve, the explosive Afridi’s dis- improve standards. “Especially we need the top-order batting with most of the runs from top- to Australia at the World Cup yesterday missal for 23 was less unexpected, albeit to improve our batting. This has been scorers Chris Gayle and coming in one was a heart-breaking swan-song in one- a carbon copy of his ’s demise. now a problem for almost three, four big partnership against Zimbabwe in Canberra. day cricket for Pakistan captain Misbah- A third batsman in years,” he told reporters after scoring his Gayle, who is struggling with a back injury, has ul-Haq and fellow veteran . would hit straight to Aaron Finch near 3,000th run as captain. scored 279 runs with 215 coming from that one Though Pakistan grafted hard to reach the rope to squander his positive start of “We are not up to the mark, up to the innings, while Samuels’ 133 has accounted for the knockout rounds, Australia ruthlessly 20. With the batsmen failing to provide a standards, international standards. We 66 percent of his total runs of 203. exposed their batting frailty, which will total to defend, their bowlers were let need to really improve that. “And also West Indies captain said the key to the be further undermined by the seasoned down by two dropped catches in the fielding is another aspect where all the game could be to take early wickets when McCullum pair’s retirements. field that could have changed the com- other international teams are really comes out firing and then get stuck into the middle Over eight Pakistan batsmen scored plexion of the match. going up to a higher level, and we really order. “Obviously Brendon McCullum’s carrying some 10 or more runs in their modest total of Australia all-rounder need to improve that, and obviously that form ... we will be our normal self in the power play, we 213, but none could build on it, and both was dropped on four and Glenn Maxwell comes with the fitness. “A lot of steps just have to be disciplined,” Holder said. Misbah and former skipper Afridi were spilled on five. The pair would then build have been taken by the cricket board “I think aggression is also key. Brendon is a pretty among those who failed to convert their an unbeaten partnership of 68 to close and just trying to develop that sort of aggressive batsman so I can probably try to fight fire starts. Forty-year-old Misbah, who finish- out a six-wicket victory. system, fitness culture in Pakistani with fire and try to get the better of him. es his one-day career without a , Misbah lamented his side’s poor shot domestic cricket. “But still, we are not “New Zealand’s middle order (also) hasn’t been test- slog-swept straight to a fielder at deep selection and forecast a grim future for there, and I think we need to really ed in this tournament and so it’s important that we get midwicket to be out for 34. Pakistan if administrators failed to crack improve that, otherwise we’re going to early wickets and test them.” — Reuters If surprising for a batsman renowned the whip in the domestic leagues to suffer in the future.” — Reuters