prediction: India bats first and puts up a score of around 310-320. Scuttle SL for about 240. Pak out of tourney. oh well, atleast we fought back after that ass whooping by SL.
^
we already have had an india-sl encounter in this series and using that match as a yardstick, ur prediction is absurd....
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Originally posted by Atlanta: *
prediction: India bats first and puts up a score of around 310-320. Scuttle SL for about 240. Pak out of tourney. oh well, atleast we fought back **after that ass whooping by SL*.
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that ass whooping was done by ourselves, not SL.
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*Originally posted by armughal: *
^
we already have had an india-sl encounter in this series and using that match as a yardstick, ur prediction is absurd....
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It was a different SL team and a different situation then.
I am sure I am not the first one to suggest that this bonus point thingy is such a piece of bull crap. Having said that (and getting it out of my system :-D), Pakistan has no one else to blame but themselves for this predicament, when they lost so badly to SL. Now SL has the luxury of selecting which team they want to play in the Final. So be it.
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*Originally posted by Faisal: *
I am sure I am not the first one to suggest that this bonus point thingy is such a piece of bull crap. Having said that (and getting it out of my system :-D), Pakistan has no one else to blame but themselves for this predicament, when they lost so badly to SL. Now SL has the luxury of selecting which team they want to play in the Final. So be it.
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I totally agree. What is the need of bonus point system when we have Net RUnrate(NRR) system in place. Isnt winning with big margin translates into good NRR.
Why we need both?
if india wins the next game to keep pak out of final then I expect an apology from fair and balance. You were angry with sachin for his batting. But I hope you see how india has benefitted (spelling) from his batting in pak match.
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*Originally posted by Atlanta: *
if india wins the next game to keep pak out of final then I expect an apology from fair and balance. You were angry with sachin for his batting. But I hope you see how india has benefitted (spelling) from his batting in pak match.
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No..I am still angry . He didnt finsih it.
Many time India has been in situation like that and everytime they attempted to win and many time they did it. Ofcourse it was done by people like Dravid,Kaif & Yuvraj. Never by Sachin. He has never won any match from this situation and he should have tried for it yesterday.if he had tried ,India may not have won the match but they could have reached 240 easily.
Also if he was trying to get 240 he couldnot do it either and he left it to tailenders as he always does. Thanks to Kumble ,Pathan and Balajis Indian managed to do it. Sachin could neither won nor save bonus point.
Add Moin to this list 
must you remind us of that.
very good article by Dean Jones on this match.
**
India’s seniors have to stand up and be counted**
July 27, 2004
Well, it comes down to this match to find out who will qualify for the Asia Cup final. Sri Lanka are certainties already, but at least India knows that their destiny is in their own hands. Pakistan, on the other, does not have the same luxury and will be hoping for Sri Lanka to keep up with their very impressive form by defeating this inconsistent Indian team.
Let’s have a look at the SWAT [strengths, weaknesses and tactics] analysis for this match.
SRI LANKA
STRENGTHS: Playing at home at the Ranasinghe Premadasa stadium gives the locals a huge advantage. Sri Lanka knows when to bat, they know what ends to bowl certain bowlers and what fields should be set. Then add a huge screaming crowd behind their team and you have a fantastic recipe for success.
It was good to see Jayasuriya back to his normal good form. I was so happy for the Sri Lankan team that they did not give Bangladesh even one wicket in their recent match. That shows me this team is really having some pride in their work and they have shown Pakistan and India that they will have to play out of their skins to beat them.
WEAKNESS: Psychologically, Sri Lanka has the wood over both teams by beating them already in this tournament. But the absence of Muralitharan from tomorrow’s match could make all the difference.
Sri Lanka is showing no real weakness in any department at the moment. But please do not be complacent now Sri Lanka.
**
TACTICS: Make sure you beat India in this match to throw them out of the tournament. You would rather play Pakistan than India. Pakistan has the tendency to live on a lot of luck. India don’t.**
INDIA
STRENGTHS: The strengths for India in the bowling department are Pathan, Nehra and Tendulkar. In the batting department only Dravid has gone on from a fifty to make a century. Tendulkar and Ganguly are getting close to their normal selves but they are still 15-20 per cent off their required output.
India won’t have to face Murali, at least for this crucial match.
WEAKNESS: The bowling technique of Balaji is now badly flawed. He needs to go see Kapil Dev or someone to sort his action out. The injury to Zaheer is still a little worrying. If Zaheer breaks down in this match then he has pulled the wool over too many guys and will cop the full brunt of his actions if India lose in the process.
The form of Sehwag both with bat and in the field has been really disappointing. I love watching him play. Yes, he is a frustrating cricketer who will not play the percentages, and in doing so can look awful at times. His fielding effort against Pakistan was very shoddy indeed.
TACTICS: Play all the left arm quicks and leave out Balaji. The batsmen must attack Vaas. I would instruct Sehwag and Tendulkar to bat five feet out of the batting crease while facing Vaas. Bat on off-stump and look to hit everything through mid-on and mid-wicket.
Poor fielding suggests there is a slight change in team harmony and team spirit. It will take 95-100 overs to break this confident Sri Lankan team, so India must be ready for a dog fight.
India has to win this one. With Sri Lanka without the services of Murali, I will put my money on India. They have a good chance of winning this one. Win the toss and bat first India and see how Sri Lanka like it chasing a decent total.
**
If they want to earn respect around the world, then the senior players have to stand up and be counted in these situations. One good tour to Pakistan does not constitute a great career! When teams win these tough matches it helps them learn to win major games for other series down the road.**
things are not looking promising for Pakistan. :-\
**Ganguly: ‘It’s do-or-die’ **
Preview by Dileep Premachandran
July 26, 2004
Looking ahead to Tuesday’s crucial Asia Cup match against Sri Lanka, Sourav Ganguly said that he preferred to think about the performances of the last two years, as opposed to the defeats against Sri Lanka and Pakistan earlier in the competition. And India’s hopes of making the final received a boost when Muttiah Muralitharan was ruled out of the match after his grandfather passed away.
**Marvan Atapattu hinted that Sri Lanka would ring the changes in a game that they don’t need to win. Chaminda Vaas is expected to miss the match because he is still to regain full fitness after being laid low by the flu bug that has swept through virtually the entire squad during the last 10 days. Sri Lanka are therefore left to pick their 11 from the remaining 12, which means they will be forced to play seven batsman and four bowlers. **
Sri Lanka were very much aware, though, that victory tomorrow, and in the final on Sunday, would take them to second place in the ICC ODI Championship table. They are also on a remarkable streak of ten consecutive wins, and Atapattu insisted that the Indians wouldn’t be the recipients of any neighbourly hospitality. (the only encouraging thing in the article. :o)
Ganguly made no excuses for his team’s colourless displays so far, saying, “We have to lift our game. It’s a do-or-die situation for us. But we’ve been in such spots before, and got the job done.” When asked if he had taken any positives from the loss to Pakistan, he said, "The only positive is that we have no second chance. In the past, when this team has had its back to the wall, we’ve come out and played well."
**And what if it rained? “Then we go home,” he said with a rueful grin. **
India’s preparations have been hampered by the knee injury to VVS Laxman, and with the A team touring Zimbabwe, no replacement will be called up. With the five-bowler experiment not having worked against Pakistan, India will almost certainly have to bring Parthiv Patel back into the team as a specialist keeper, and drop a bowler.
Zaheer Khan has recovered from his quadriceps-muscle problem, and could play, unless the team management is hesitant to go in with an all-left-arm pace attack. Ganguly defended Lakshmipathy Balaji, who has struggled to find any sort of rhythm here, saying, “Bala had one bad game, but because it was against Pakistan, much has been made of it. This is a guy who has won you games in the recent past. Anyone can have a bad day, it happens to the best on these flat pitches.”
He did hint, though, that Balaji could make way for Zaheer – “It will be hard on him if he’s left out, but it’s just one game” – with Harbhajan Singh likely to be left out in order to accommodate Patel. Ganguly, more than anyone, will be aware of how his team’s one-day form has fallen away since the World Cup, with 15 wins and 14 defeats from 31 subsequent games.
Both teams had relaxed training sessions in typically muggy Colombo weather. **And although Sri Lanka have been the class act of this tournament, by a considerable distance, you sensed that India’s desperation would tilt the scales in their favour tomorrow, especially with Murali away in Kandy mourning his grandfather.
Moin Khan’s sloppy shy at the stumps off the final ball against India may yet cost Pakistan far more than just a bonus point. **
he better pray that india loses today werna i’ll pray that he never gets selected again…
broadcasting?
Hey is anyone broadcasting it live? If so then can u plz start a thread with the links. Thanks
I already am praying he does not get selected again. He has shown that he is past his best (in batting). He was always a below average keeper.
*Ganguly has won the toss and elected to bat. *
First bad omen for pakistan.
its highly unlikely Sri lanka will win...they are gonna play their second string side...and with India giving it their best in this game, cuz its a do or die as Gangualy said...there's a very good chance India will run away with the victory.
^ Not exactly a second string side but Vaas and Murali are missing and Indians will surely eye a big big score.
Balaji has been dropped.