You and i both. But sadly the team is lacking. Elahi has no foot work. Inzi is not in nick. Nazir is not in the squad. Shoiab is a dangerous to us and the other team. Afridi is a freaking liability, we should just hand them a wicket when he plays. I doubt we are making it.
It'll be pretty funny for a gora in Canada/USA phoning up his desi buddies all across the country in the middle of the night.
Every desi will be having a party at their house on Friday Night/Sat Morning.
lol people might think there is some sort of cult going on :p
**Bouncing back of ‘Inzamam the destroyer’ awaited
JOHANNESBURG: Gone is the permanent smile on the big man’s face. Missing is his lively behaviour and jokes which otherwise keep members of the Pakistan team entertained and happy all the time.
Inzamamul Haq, today, is facing the biggest battle of his cricketing career – to strike form by Saturday for the crucial World Cup match against India.
For someone who is rated as one of the world’s best middle-order batsman and who has scored 8948 runs in 287 One-day Internationals, the World Cup has become a nightmare.
Just last April, the 33-year-old Inzamam was blasting the hapless New Zealanders for a career best Test score of 329 at Lahore. Since last Saturday he has collected two ducks and his four innings in this World Cup which has seen him struggling badly for form and confidence.
Although his teamates are strongly behind him and believe he will come through eventually as is he too great a batsman to be kept quiet for long, only Inzamam himself really knows what he is going through.
“He is a class act and you don’t just drop him because he is not scoring runs. This is the time we need to back him completely. He remains one of the finest batsman I have seen and he has to eventually come through,” says his former captain and teammate Wasim Akram.
Wasim should know as he and Inzamam are the only two surivors of the 1992 World Cup team which won the title at Melbourne.
The Pakistan manager Shaharyar Khan also dismissed any chances of dropping Inzamam for the next match because of his poor form. “We can’t do that to such a great player. Everyone knows his calibre and it is a matter of time when he will regain his confidence.”
But then, only Inzamam perhaps feels the pain of not being able to deliver for the team when it is most required. You might give any amount of support to a player but when he is out of form, he has to fight his own devils.
One can only feel for the big man because he has totally lost his confidence and charm. Gone is his chirpy behaviour and friendly banter with everyone. These days he keeps to himself and has nothing much to say to anyone. Clearly, he is a worried man.
On the flight this morning from Cape Town to Johannesburg, he hardly said a word to anyone and one was reminded just what a great leveller cricket can be.
Normally, Inzamam despite having a shy and silent image publicly, is the darling of the team and a very humorous and friendly person. His practical jokes on his teamates are famous and he is also known to speak his mind and put other players in place when he believes something is going wrong or getting out of hand.
“You have to know Inzamam to realize just how important he is to the team. He has a very good cricketing brain and temperament. He supports and guides others a lot, including Waqar Younis. So it is not helping seeing him in this sort of mood,” says his friend and teammate Rashid Latif.
“He is also a very loyal friend and complete team man. Which is why everyone wants him to get back to his normal self soon.”
Just one example of how loyal Inzamam is to his friends came in 2001 when the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman asked him to lead the Pakistan team and he responded by advicing Tauqir Zia that it would be a better decision to appoint Waqar as captain as he had the ability to command respect of the players and keep them in line.
There is a famous saying in cricket. “Form is temporary and class is permanent.” One just hopes this proves to be true for Inzamam by Saturday. Because if he is unable to fire on all cylinders or even put together a decent score, Pakistan would find it hard to beat the Indians and have to take an early flight back home.
In the past, Inzamam has always proved to be a big thorn in India’s way and they would be praying his confidence does not return to haunt them.
**http://www.jang-group.com/thenews/feb2003-daily/27-02-2003/sports/s15.htm
**Pak batsmen unable to overcome mental block: Youhana
‘We play India after three years and it should bring out the best in us’
From our correspondent
JOHANNESBURG: Pakistan’s ‘Mr Consistent’ Yousuf Youhana believes that the draught of runs faced by his fellow batsmen has more to do with a mental block rather than them being short on technique or form.
Youhana, who won the Man of the Match award against Holland with his 58 off 59 balls on Tuesday, told ‘The News’ that it was sheer bad luck and a psychological thing that the batsmen were not scoring enough runs.
“Believe me we are all in fine form in the nets and we are all timing and stroking well. Nor is it a case of us being technically weak to play on the South African pitches. It is just that we have all faced bad luck and nothing is going right for us.”
“Look at Inzamam. He is the best player in the team even today and has loads of experience. He has been batting brilliantly in the nets and yet he has just not got going in the matches.”
“I can say we are facing a combination of bad luck and a sort of mental block. And this has meant a severe loss of confidence for the batsmen. When we go into bat we are all shaky and afraid to play our natural game for fear of failing again and that is only adding to the pressure and undermining our confidence,” said Youhana.
“Look at me for example and the way I played against Holland. Normally, I should have murdered such a bowling attack but since we are all struggling to find our confidence we are all shaky and afraid of failure and that is a big psychological pressure on everyone.”
Youhana, who has remained one of Pakistan’s most consistent players in every condition, accumulating 4292 runs in 125 matches with eight hundreds and 24 half centuries in One-day Internationals, said he was hopeful that the batsmen required just one good match and everything would be okay.
“We just need to have one good match and this mental block and pressure will be removed. And I think because we play India after nearly three years in our next game it should bring out the best in us.”
“The way I look at it, someone like Inzamam is bound to explode in such a pressure game. Everyone knows he is a quality player and he will soon start getting runs again. Playing against India should bring us closer together and make us fight harder,” Youhana said.
He made it clear that the spirit and atmosphere in the team was the best he had seen in a long, long time. And neither was the frequent changes made in the team or batting order really bothering anyone.
“We are all seniors and we discuss everything together and do what is best for the team. There is nothing wrong in the team and there are no problems at all. It is just that we are looking for that one elusive good match to bring our confidence back. Everyone knows what this team is really capable of when it plays to its true potential.”
He didn’t agree with the feeling that Pakistan was a very inconsistent team. “Look at our track record in recent years. We have always remained at the top and even given a tough time to teams like Australia. But then which team does not go through a rough patch?”
Youhana, however, conceded that there was need to improve the quality of pitches back home in domestic cricket. "Yes, there can be more improvement. The nature of the pitches should be varied.
“Batsman should learn to play on every sort of pitch and and different conditions so that he is groomed and mature enough to handle the pressure at the international level.”
The stylish batsman admitted that Pakistani players found it hard to adjust to the extra bounce of the South African pitches.
“Look, when the ball swings and seams around a lot I don’t think there is any team which is comfortable playing in those conditions. Same is the case with us.”
“Against England if we had fielded second at Newlands in those conditions under lights, I can say with a guarantee that our bowlers would also have skittled them out for a low score. It was amazing the way the conditions improved for the bowlers under lights,” he added.
“But yes. since pitches here tend to have more bounce we face some problems. But I think we are all experienced enough. Myself, Inzamam, Saeed Anwar and Younis Khan have the capability toadjust accordingly. But yes it is difficult at times.”
Youhana said he didn’t believe Pakistan’s World Cup campaign was grinding to a disappointing end. “No one in the team believes that. We all know we can do it and qualify for the Super Sixes. Hopefully, against India we will fight to the end.”
He made it clear that while he was happy at winning the Man of the Match award against Holland he was not satisfied with his batting. “I should have scored a hundred. But I struggled out there to dominate the bowling and that is not my style.”
**http://www.jang-group.com/thenews/feb2003-daily/27-02-2003/sports/s4.htm
**Wasim, Waqar want to win India tie -- at all cost
JOHANNESBURG: Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis are absolutely clear about one thing -- that this is their final World Cup appearance for Pakistan.
And they don't have a greater urge than to see Pakistan emerge victorious from its crucial Pool 'A' clash with arch-rivals India at the Centurion on Saturday.
"It is a very important match for us. As it is we can't afford to lose any game now in this World Cup.
"But obviously playing against India just adds to the pressure and excitement," says Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis.
"We are playing against each other after nearly three years and not only people back home but I think the Pakistani and Indian community all over the globe are looking forward to this game. I would think it would be the showpiece match of this World Cup," he stated.
"And we want to win it badly. We have not done well in this World Cup so far. But I know we are yet to play to our true potential and I hope everything falls into place against India," he contended.
Pakistan goes into Saturday's sell out game with a big psychological disadvantage as they have never beaten India in the World Cup. On three occasions in 1992, '96 and '99, India had the better of Pakistan and thrice it has been while batting first.
The fact that for both teams the game is of paramount importance if they want to qualify for the Super Sixes of this World Cup is adding to the hype and anticipation around the match.
And the strained relations between the two neighboring countries and the suspended cricket ties since June 2000 only give the match a cutting edge.
But Wasim at 36 and having been around for 18 years at the international level knows what it is all about. "The hype was similar in the 1999 World Cup. The organizers went crazy with the security for that match. But on the day of the match itself nothing untoward happened and the better team won on that day."
"I think even on Saturday in this World Cup the better team will win and people are mature enough to accept that."
Wasim, however, conceded that he also was feeling the pressure and expectations around the match. "Yes I know it is very special for many people. And we are all praying that we should be able to give our best on that day. India has a very strong batting line-up and they have found some degree of form.
"But if we play totally to our potential then we can beat them. As it is we have held the psychological edge over them in the overall number of matches played between us," he reminded.
Both the Ws agreed on one point -- that for Pakistan to succeed it was crucial for Inzamamul Haq to strike some form. The big man who has shed 14 kilos of weight in the last few months, unfortunately for Pakistan, also appears to have lost his appetite for runs and has scored two successive ducks in this World Cup.
"Inzamam is a class player and he has always delivered. At this time we just have to keep faith in him and in our hearts we know he will come good sooner or later. We all hope it is against India," said Waqar.
Making it clear that he had no personal animosity with any Indian player nor did he expect any extra tensions on the field, Wasim who reached the landmark of 500 one-day wickets on Tuesday against Holland, stated he personally didn't know many of the Indian players as they were a young side.
"I know Sachin (Tendulkar), Sourav (Ganguly) fairly well. Zaheer (Khan) and Ashish (Nehra) have called me up a couple of times to seek some advice as we all belong to the same fast bowlers club. I have given them some tips. But that is all."
And the big left-arm fast bowler, whom the Indians tend to fear more than even the erratic Shoaib Akhtar, made it clear that he would not be targeting any specific Indian batsman. "Ideally I would like to get all their top players."
**
:k:
Thats the respect this great player commands.Let the better team win. 
The current points table…lookin so sweet now 
Group A
Team Points Run Rate
Australia 16 +1.77
India 16 +1.28
England 12 +1.07
Pakistan 8 +0.39
Zimbabwe 8 -0.09
Holland 0 -2.02
Namibia 0 -2.81
Nothing feels better than when someone gets a dose of their own medicine and on top if they are whiny brits 
I specially enjoyed caddick getting murdered after the bold interviews he was giving leading up to this game.
well played india… :k:
What would happen if inzi returns to form against india...and win us a game, that would be something!!! I hope he does or else!
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Rangeela Guppy: *
What would happen if inzi returns to form against india...and win us a game, that would be something!!! I hope he does or else!
[/QUOTE]
what would happen if the earth was flat? chances are about the same...
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by saby: *
.....
"The way I look at it, someone like Inzamam is bound to explode in such a pressure game. Everyone knows he is a quality player and he will soon start getting runs again. Playing against India should bring us closer together and make us fight harder," Youhana said.
....
[/QUOTE]
Bet of the Tournament : Inzimam will perform his best in game against India.
Well cant say much if Inzi is gonna give his best or not, I certainly hope so but its good to know that team spirit is still there and no decision is taken without proper consultation and advice. I really hope that batting clicks. I have a feeling Saeed is going to score a big one. He is getting starts in almost every game he has played so far and he just might perform at his best too.
excellent articles Saby :k: Lets hope Pakistan really improve their performence and come out with their best against India.
Now for Pakistan, says confident Ganguly
India captain Sourav Ganguly has promised his side will go all out for a World Cup win against arch-rivals Pakistan at Centurion on Saturday - even though he believes a place in the Super Sixes is already in the bag.
Ganguly’s men all but booked their place in the tournament’s second phase with their 82-run Group A win over England under the Kingsmead floodlights in Durban on Wednesday.
“Yes, I think so,” replied Ganguly when asked if his team were through to the Super Sixes.
“But we need to go with as many points as possible. The next game is important because we need to carry points through.”
Under tournament rules, teams take the points gained against their Super Six rivals, during the group phase, through with them into the second round.
“We need to win the game against Pakistan as that will make it easier for us to qualify for the semi-finals,” added the India skipper.
Ganguly used the afterglow of victory to turn on pundits who had been severely critical of India following their nine-wicket group defeat by reigning champions Australia on February 15.
Ganguly’s house in Calcutta was stoned as the cricket-crazy Indian public turned on their heroes - but the left-handed batsman threw a few verbal rocks back at his detractors.
“Some of them are very immature. People say what they want. But millions listen to them and a couple, I’m not going to name them, are just jokes.”
India’s win against England was spearheaded by paceman Ashish Nehra. The 23-year-old left-arm paceman took 6 for 23, the third-best return in World Cup history.
His career-best analysis, and best of the competition so far, was all the more impressive as Nehra was a major injury doubt for the match having sprained an ankle after bowling just one ball in the 181-run thrashing of Namibia on Sunday.
“That was one of the best performances in a one-day international since I started playing for India,” Ganguly said. “He bowled a good line and length and moved the ball.”
But the Delhi-born quick almost missed the match of his life.
“Nehra had to go for a fitness test in the morning. But hats off to him, he was more determined than anyone to play.”
First-change Nehra, despite attending the post-match press conference with his left ankle strapped, said he was in good shape.
“It’s a great feeling. I’m really excited. There was no pain in me.”
His figures were way in excess of his previous best at this level - 3 for 30 against New Zealand in Colombo in 2001 - but Nehra, who said he was a “great fan” of Pakistan left-arm speedster Wasim Akram played down his achievement.
"Zaheer (Khan) and (Javagal) Srinath bowled really well in the first 10 overs.
“I think it was a good wicket to bowl on, I just concentrated on line and length.”
Akram is my hero, says Nehra
Centurion (Feb 27): England has one man to blame for the World Cup defeat to India which has all but knocked them out of the tournament - Pakistani veteran Wasim Akram.
It was the lessons learnt from the great man that helped fellow left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra demolish England with 6-23, the third-best figures in the history of the tournament at Durban on Wednesday.
“Wasim bhai (elder brother) always told me to bowl a good line and length under floodlights and the ball would do the rest,” Nehra said.
“I have spoken to him many times and follow his advice religiously. It would be stupid not to take Wasim bhai’s advice. He is after all the greatest left-arm fast bowler and my hero.”
http://autofeed.msn.co.in/pandoraV15/output/DF66870E-4DF6-4700-861E-7744C13C5DC8.asp
Anyways, I was listening to Shoaib Akhtar’s Interview and It seems he has a British accent, Then I asked some of my friends and they said Pindi Xpress was brought up in England, Is that true ??
Pindi Xpress is targetting Sachin, Dravid and Sehwag 
and believes that Indians have a problem with genuine pace. He also believes he can bowl faster and at about 165 KMPH.
**“I am targeting the entire Indian team but Sachin Tendulkar is my main target. Also Rahul Dravid; he is the key to the lower order. He comes in and scores 50 runs in no time,” he said
“I love to bowl to the bigger names and Tendulkar is one of them. I will also go for (Virender) Sehwag. But Tendulkar is the greatest,” he said, adding that bowling to the Indians is easier because they struggle against genuine pace. **
Nah he was born in Pindi, but he used to play for Lashings when he first started playing international cricket, he learned most of his English in England, thus his accent is English.
Well I agree, he has the power to bowl more than 165, but they won’t get him any where. I don’t blame him targeting those batsman, just shows how he respects those 3 batsman.
Before you guys go off on another idiotic and stupid fight over totally irrelevant topic... I must say... STOP IT!
Its ok to brag about your respective teams, but cut out the name-calling.... this goes for all of you.
Re: Shoaib... if he bowls at 165 kmh and then ends his spell with 65 runs in 10 overs with 1 wicket... who benefits? Some one needs to put some sense into his head.
Ok, can someone clear this up for me. Even if Pakistan wins both the next two matches... will it still be reliant on NRR to go through (assuming some other results come out differently) or is it assured of a Super-6 position by winning the next two?
If Pak wins its next two matches and Australia beats England, Australia, Pakistan and India will go to Super Six. If England beats Australia, then only two teams of India, Pak and england will go to super Six based on their run rates..
So, if by some freak accident England beats Australia, then Pakistan can still get knocked out even after winning the next two matches.
Dang!
The only good thing is that Pak-Zim match is the last one, so atleast Pakistan will know what they are aiming for. Maybe if knocked out already, the Zimbabwe will just allow Pak the required run rate. Ah! if wishes were horses. Well, first things first... lets kick some butt on Saturday, otherwise we are out anyway (even if not statistically).
England beating Aussies? Guys, you must be dreaming! Nowhere near chance of England beating the Aussies. Aussies have shown their class in league matches upto now. More fun yet to come. 
Wasim a huge threat for us in tomorrow’s game: Ganguly
JOHANNESBURG: Indian captain Saurav Ganguly has described Wasim Akram as the biggest threat to his team in the crucial World Cup Pool ‘A’ encounter against Pakistan at the Centurion on Saturday.
He told ‘The News’ on Thursday that Wasim Akram and to a lesser extent Shoaib Akhtar were the biggest challenges facing his team in a match in which the intensity level would be extraordinary.
“I regard Wasim as the best bowler in the world of cricket. He is a magician with the ball. He can make the ball dance. He can do whatever he wants with it. I have faced a lot of bowlers and they all have their qualities. Glenn McGrath is very accurate, but Wasim is in a different class since you don’t know what he is coming up next with,” Ganguly said.
“I am not surprised that Wasim has reached the 500 wickets mark in One-day Internationals. He would have done it much earlier but he has missed quite a number of matches for Pakistan in recent years.”
Ganguly and coach John Wright who have brought about a resurgence of sorts in Indian cricket said that India’s biggest challenge would be seeing off Wasim and Shoaib Akhtar with the new ball.
“It is not easy. First you deal with Wasim and then you have Shoaib going at you from the other end. It is only after seeing off these two that you can think about Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq or Abdul Razzaq,” he added.
The Indian skipper also made it clear that when both teams meet on Saturday it would not matter whether the Pakistani batsmen had been out of form or Inzamamul Haq had not been scoring runs in this World Cup.
**“I don’t think all that will matter. This is a high intensity and pressure game. We are playing against each other after three years and the sentiments of the people of both countries is very high. This is a huge pressure game for both teams really.”
“And whether we are through to the Super Sixes or not in this World Cup. Honestly speaking we would like to win this huge game,”** he said.
The Indian skipper who has a love and hate relationship with his media and fans back home felt that in Saturday’s match, **India will have to go in with a totally different mental attitude.
“It is an absolute pressure match. The intensity level will rise above the other matches that much I can guarantee you.”**
Ganguly said he was happy that India would be playing Pakistan having beaten England convincingly and felt that after a long time India had the batsmen and bowlers to play Pakistan on a even kneel.
“Again I say Wasim will be the big difference between the two teams. And Shoaib is not going to be easy at all. People talk a lot about his erratic bowling but believe me only we know what it is to face a bowler of his pace from 22 yards.”
The qualification of both teams depends a lot on Saturday’s crunch match. If India win they are through to the Super Sixes with 16 points from their six matches. If Pakistan wins it is just one step away from qualifying from the next stage and will have the luxury of playing their last preliminary round game against Zimbabwe knowing where they stand.
Because after the India and Pakistan match, the next day Australia take on England and that match will also decide whether England remains in contention for the Super Sixes or not.
Ganguly, however, made it clear that while the cricketing tension on the field would be great, it would be a great cricket match against Pakistan and should perhaps turn out to be one of the best of the World Cup.
India have beaten Pakistan on all three occasions that they have clashed in the World Cups of 1992, 96 and 99. But in the last meetings between the two teams in Sharjah and in the Asia Cup final at Dhaka, Pakistan were the convincing winners.