WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015

India relaxed before B’desh quarter-final

MELBOURNE: If India, the most watched “I know that every time India meet and heavily scrutinised team in world crick- in the World Cup, everyone et, are under any pressure ahead of goes back to 2007 and what happened in Thursday’s World Cup quarter-final against Port of Spain. This Indian side bears no Bangladesh, they are doing well to hide it. resemblance to that team whose morale With the weight of expectation of the was so low right from the start of the com- world’s second most populated country on petition,” he wrote in a column that their shoulders, India’s players could hardly appeared in Tuesday’s Hindustan Times be any more relaxed. newspaper. Yesterday, less than 48 hours before the “Even though Bangladesh are playing start of the match, the players ventured to their best , this is a happy Indian side the Melbourne Cricket Ground. that has mastered the art of winning Rather than hitting the nets to practise crunch games.” their and bowling, the players took For India, the weight of expectation can it easy, with a light-hearted game of soccer sometimes be overbearing. They have been on the stadium’s sprawling outfield. feted like rockstars at every match they Despite being followed by a massive have played during the tournament and a Indian media contingent, the team did not crowd of 80,000 is expected to flock to the make themselves available for media inter- MCG for tomorrow’s sudden-death action, maintaining a cloak of silence until encounter. Wednesday’s mandatory pre-game news Complacency may have loomed as the conference. biggest danger but India Mahendra As the defending World Cup champions Singh has said the pressure to succeed was and one of two unbeaten teams in the enough to ensure they never let their tournament-the other is -India guard down. “Irrespective of which team will go into Thursday’s match as over- we play or which tournament we play, we whelming favourites to win but still wary are under pressure,” he said after his team’s about their opponents. final pool game win. “The good thing, the Bangladesh famously beat India at the boys are quite used to it. Once a few times 2007 World Cup but have beaten their there have been instances where we are great rivals just once since then and retired down, but from that position, also, we have India bowler Javagal Srinath said history come back strongly and we have done would not repeat itself this week. well.” —Reuters AUSTRALIA: Sri Lankan cricketers warm up during a training session at the Sydney Cricket Ground ahead of the 2015 Cricket World Cup quarter- final match against South Africa. —AFP Bangladesh look to past glories SouthA frica out to

MELBOURNE: Bangladesh know the odds ‘FEARLESS CRICKET’ are stacked against them beating India in India avenged their loss to Bangladesh shed unwanted tag tomorrow’s World Cup quarter-final at the at the 2011 World Cup, which they went on Melbourne Cricket Ground. If history and to win, and have been punishing them ever current form are any guide, India should since. Since 2007, Bangladesh have beaten Q-final Sri Lanka showdown win in a canter. India just once, in 2012. Shakib, currently ranked the world’s top all-rounder, said Bangladesh have done well just to make SYDNEY: South Africa have a chance to finally hit form at the right time and flourish in the Muttiah Muralitharan’s simple advice to his Bangladesh were adopting the same the quarter-finals, beating England, shed their reputation as one of the most mental- pressure of the knockout stage. compatriots was “win the toss and do not get approach they had in 2007 in the hope of Scotland and Afghanistan along the way, ly fragile teams in international sport when they South Africa, by contrast, have lived with the too hung up thinking about AB de Villiers”. producing another major upset. “I think we but few expect them to go any further. take on Sri Lanka in what should be a tight “chokers” tag for many years now and defeat at Unless there is cloud cover over the SCG, and played fearless cricket and we all want to And that suits Bangladesh just fine. The World Cup quarter-final today. the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday will the weather forecast indicates there will not be, play that brand of cricket (again) and, so far Tigers are used to living in India’s cricketing The Proteas boast the number one ranked trigger another bout of soul-searching back both sides are likely to follow the spin-bowling in this World Cup, I think we’re doing it,” he shadow and are happy to play the role of batsman in world cricket in skipper AB de Villiers, home. great’s advice and bat first. said. “India have a very good team. They are underdogs against their subcontinent while elegant Sri Lanka lefthander Kumar It was at the SCG that the South Africans South Africa lost to both India and Pakistan in the defending world champions, they’ve neighbors. Sangakkara’s four successive centuries make him bowed out of their first World Cup in 1992 after the pool stage batting second, as did Sri Lanka got some world class players, but we’re And while they have only managed the form batsman of the tournament. the victory target revision in the wake of rain dis- against New Zealand and Australia, and they doing well in this World Cup, our confi- three wins over India in 28 One Day Neither side has had the bowling perform- ruption condemned them to defeat against have concerns over the form of opener Quinton dence is high enough and we’re up for the Internationals it is enough to give the ances they had hoped for so far but both are England. de Kock. match.” Bangladesh were once regarded as Tigers hope. Their most famous win came expecting key interventions from their top pace- Their exits since have been a mixture of mis- With Hashim Amla at the top of the order the whipping boys of world cricket but men in the knockout stages, Dale Steyn for takes-Herschelle Gibbs “dropping the World Cup” and Faf du Plessis fit again after a back prob- at the 2007 World Cup when Bangladesh Shakib said India, perhaps more than most South Africa and Lasith Malinga for Sri Lanka. in 1999 — high farce- miscalculat- lem, though, South Africa have enough batting beat India by five at Queen’s Park countries, had unwittingly helped them Both showed good form in the pool stage but ing the victory target in 2003 — and simply to carry one out-of-form player even before Oval at Port of Spain. It was only a pool become a force to be reckoned with. Many lost two of their six games, while their record being outplayed-against Australia in 2007. you consider the carnage de Villiers can wreak match but the result meant India failed to Bangladesh players, including Shakib, play against each other in one-day internationals is On paper, the 2015 side is the equal of any of on his day. Sri Lanka’s top order, which also fea- make it past the first round. in the (IPL) along- well balanced with Sri Lanka just ahead on 29 their predecessors and, it appears, the biggest tures Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne For the Bangladeshi players, 2007 side India’s top players and being exposed wins to 28 for South Africa. threat to them winning a first knockout match at Dilshan, have carried them through to the last remains a constant source of inspiration, to massive crowds in big matches. Where Sri Lanka have a clear edge, however, a World Cup is themselves. eight and they have managed well enough even if it removed the veil of surprise. “This is the first time we’re playing in a is in the World Cup record books. Champions in Sri Lanka know that and will take any oppor- without frontline spinner Rangana Herath, who “Obviously it will be in our memory,” World Cup quarter-final but at the same 1996 and finalists in the 2007 and 2011 tourna- tunity they have to ramp up the pressure, espe- remains an injury doubt, for their last two Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan time we need to understand it’s another ments, the islanders have shown the ability to cially if skipper wins the toss. matches. —Reuters told a news conference on Tuesday. game of cricket,” said Shakib. “Obviously, on “But it’s a new game and we all know it. pen and paper, India is a better team than India are a very good side, they have some Bangladesh, no one has any doubt about it. world class players. “Obviously it’s going to But on the day it’s a one-off game and if we be hard for us. We know that but we’re up have a good day and they have a bad day, Number’s up for superstitions for the challenge.” you never know.” —Reuters ADELAIDE: Cricket is a game of numbers, of number seven,” said Dhoni. “There is no reason why I wear number 10,” said runs and wickets, averages and strike rates, all “It is a very neutral number according to Afridi. “I just like this number.” examined in mind-boggling detail. But for astrologers. It doesn’t have a very positive side Sri Lanka’s , who became Pakistan’s Umar Akmal and Haris Sohail, the cru- or a negative side. It is all about yourself. If you the first batsman to score four consecutive hun- cial figure is the one on their backs. They are just have a positive mind and if you are working hard dreds in one-day cricket at this World Cup, wears two players whose superstitions have influenced then the results will be in your favor,” said Dhoni. the number 11 which numerology associates their choice of shirt numbers at the tournament. He has also named his own brand of fragance with wisdom. Akmal wears the number three jersey rather “7 by MS Dhoni.” Australia introduced shirt num- South Africa captain AB de Villiers wears 17 than his regular squad of number of 96. The 24- bers in international cricket in the 1995/96 sea- — he was born on February 17 and made his year-old wicketkeeper/batsman, who has hand- son while the first World Cup to feature num- Test debut on December 17. Indian numerolo- ed over the gloves at the World Cup to Sarfraz bered jerseys was the 1999 edition in England. gist Sanjay Jumaani said most cricketers are Ahmed after a poor stretch of form behind the The number 10 is a hugely symbolic shirt in aware of what they consider to be their lucky stumps, said he acted on the advice of his ‘Pir’ or football, worn by greats such as Pele, Diego numbers when they choose shirt numbers. spiritual adviser. Maradona and Lionel Messi. In cricket, legendary “All cricketers wear their respective lucky However, he didn’t get off to the best of starts Indian batsman wore the num- numbers on their jerseys, barring a few,” said with the bat at the World Cup, dismissed for ber ten as does Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi at this Jummani, on whose advice former Indian bats- nought against old rivals India before making a World Cup. man Virender Sehwag once decided to sport a tournament best of 59 against the West Indies. Numerologists associate 10 with energy. numberless shirt to overcome poor form.—AFP Oddly, Sarfraz, who is not known to have sweated too much over his shirt number — 54 incidentally-has thrived in his two games, scor- ing 49 against South Africa, and taking six catch- MELBOURNE: Bangladesh players Imrul Kayes (center) and Taijul Islam (right) play es, before hitting an undefeated 101 opening football during a training session ahead of their 2015 Cricket World Cup quarter-final the innings in the crucial win over Ireland on match against India. —AFP Sunday. Surprise call-up Haris Sohail changed his number to 89 instead of 80 and has enjoyed knocks of 70 against the UAE and 36 in the game against India. Irfan ruled out He was also out for nought against West Indies and managed only three on Sunday in the Ireland game. His change of shirt number did lit- of World Cup tle for his composure after claiming he had seen a ghost in his Christchurch hotel on the eve of the competition’s two-match warm-up series ADELAIDE: Giant Pakistan fast bowler have to live with it.” Irfan, at seven-feet one against New Zealand. Mohammad Irfan was ruled out of the inch, the tallest man to play international Team manager Naveed Akram Cheema said World Cup yesterday because of a stress cricket, took eight wickets in the five Sohail was “visibly shaken” and spent the rest of fracture to his pelvis, an injury which cap- matches he played at the World Cup. the night in the coach’s room. One of his Twitter tain Misbah-ul-Haq described as a “huge His injury is the latest in a series of dev- followers wrote: “You’ve faced down Shaitaan setback”. The 32-year-old first felt the hip astating setbacks suffered by Pakistan who (the devil), the Kiwis should be easy. Best wish- injury in the 129-run win over the United have been stripped of an entire first-choice es.” Another Pakistan stalwart, Mohammad Arab Emirates two weeks ago when he attack. “It’s difficult because we lost two Hafeez was reported by local media as having bowled just three overs. bowlers to suspension before the World “run from pillar to post” to get the shirt number The seven-foot one-inch fast bowler Cup,” said Misbah of ace spinner Saeed eight used by former Pakistan captain, Inzamam- played in the crucial victory against South Ajmal and spinning all-rounder ul-Haq. Maybe Hafeez should have walked Africa, taking three wickets, before missing Mohammad Hafeez. “We also lost two good rather than run as an ankle injury forced his Sunday’s game against Ireland which quality pacemen-Umar Gul and Junaid withdrawal from the World Cup. Pakistan won to secure their place in the Khan-also to injury. Now just when we have last-eight. The injury is a major blow to the started to perform well this injury hits us FRAGRANCE 1992 champions’ chances of defeating four- badly. “It’s a worrying sign for a captain but Meanwhile, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who led time winners Australia in the quarter-final we have to find a way to handle this.” India to the 2011 World Cup, wears the number at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. Junaid was announced in the 15-man seven because he was born on the seventh of “Irfan was one bowler who was different squad for the World Cup but injured his leg July-the seventh month. to all the others in the competition,” Misbah at a training camp and was replaced by “It’s just that I always felt seven was very spe- AUCKLAND: India’s Ravichandran Ashwin (left) is congratulated by teammates MS Dhoni and told AFP. “It is a huge setback for us but we Rahat Ali. —AFP cial for me. So it is not superstition. I just love the Suresh Raina (right) in this file photo. —AP