Showing posts with label World T20 Final. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World T20 Final. Show all posts
Sunday, June 21, 2009

PAKISTAN, The World Twenty20 Champions!


Posted by Q at Sunday, June 21, 2009 Pitched (37)

I was wronged by Pakistan and never before have I been so pleased at being wronged!

Ecstatic should be the appropriate word, though what I'm going through right now cannot be described in words.

I don't want to say I told you so but right now I feel like I should - I called Pakistan the favorites and it wasn't an emotionally optimistic call; it was one I made purely based on history.

Sri Lanka got a spanking. 8 wickets IS a spanking.

Pakistan's doubters got a spanking.

And we got a World Cup victory!

Sri Lanka were so occupied thinking about how to play the Pakistan spinners that they lost half their team to the Pakistan pacers.

Mohammad Aamer was outstanding, as was Abdul Razzaq.

Umar Gul did not finish well but his first couple of overs at back of a length worked to perfection.

And Sri Lanka couldn't have finished their innings without giving Afridi a wicket. We had to see the Afridi salute!

Dilshan, well what do I say; he should have read my letter.

He did top the World Twenty20 with the player of the tournament award, but in my books, for me the man of the moment, the man of the final, the man of competition was none other than Shahid Afridi!

For all the abuses and curses he's got over the last two years, he turned them around in two absolutely fantastic, and match winning knocks, in the semi final and the final.

He was always going to do well with the ball; what he produced with the bat in the last two games is what mesmerized the Pakistani fans.

The 1992 image of Imran Khan with his arms raised is what has been etched into the memories of all Pakistani fans.

After today the image of Afridi hitting the winning runs, taking his helmet off, and raising his arms in glory is what will remain with Pakistani fans forever.

Call it irony or call it karma, it was Shoaib Malik out there in the middle with Afridi taking Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title!

Both did it together.

I have a lot more to say, and I will, but right now I am way too emotional to continue writing.

I am going to celebrate and so should you.

Pakistan are the World Twenty20 Champions!

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A Nervous Pakistan Fan


Posted by Q at Sunday, June 21, 2009 Pitched (27)
So then, the day is here when Pakistan vie for a world title.

In about 4 hours, the players will take the field for the warm ups, toss, national anthems, and the game!

I have hardly been able to sleep.

I'd be lieing if I say that I'm not stressed about the match and that it doesn't matter who wins because Pakistan has already exceeded everyone's expectations by reaching the World Twenty20 final.

Bullsh*t!

Ofcourse it matters.

I want Pakistan to win. I will have it no other way.

Yes they've done great to get this far. Yes they had an awesome semi final. Yes they have surpassed all expectations.

Yes I want a world cup win!

As I finally stopped attempting to sleep, I wondered, "agar meri yeh haalat hai, to team ki kya haalat hogi?", i.e. "If I am this tense, what would the team be going through?".

I've been playing cricket since my school days. Though now I sleep peacefully the night before my match, back in the school days I could hardly do it, constantly turning over in bed in anticipation of the morning and my big game.

I'm sure many of you have gone through the same.

Considering that, imagine the plight of Mohammad Aamer and Shahzaib Hasan. Even Ahmed Shehzad for that matter.

These boys are still in their teens and will be trying to win their country a world cup final - one opening the bowling, the other the batting.

I just hope the occasion does not get the better of them.

A decade ago, Pakistan played another final at Lord's. Once again with a very young team. Back then, nerves got the better of them.

I hope that is not the case this time.

Having said all that, I am very much looking forward to the match, despite being a nervous wreck at the moment!

The match should be a cracker; both the teams are closely matched and should give each other tough competition.

I'll be back at the same venue where I was for the semi final on Thursday with the same contingent of 30, and maybe more, cheering Pakistan on.

Here's hoping for a Pakistan win!

If you're as stressed out as I am, go ahead and read this awesome write from a Dawn blogger.

Certainly calmed my nerves.

GO GREENS!

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Saturday, June 20, 2009

The World Twenty20 Final: The Consistents vs The Unpredictables


Posted by Q at Saturday, June 20, 2009 Pitched (16)
My semi final preview titled "Consistency vs Unpredictability" led SP to comment that the perfect final would be Sri Lanka vs Pakistan as that would pit the the role models of consistency against the unpredictables.

Come tomorrow, that is exactly what it will be at Lord's.

Here's a look at the final of the World Twenty20.

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan

Billing: From the Nightmares of Lahore to the Dreams of London.

Pre-Tournament Calls: No one really expected either team to get this far; I had labeled one of them as the Dark Horses and the other as the favorites.

The Past: They have clashed four times before in T20 internationals, with each team winning two apiece. This will be Pakistan's second attempt at a World T20 title. The last time each team reached a World Cup final, both lost.

The Now: Sri Lanka have reached the final on an unbeaten run and are on a 6-match winning streak, second only to South Africa's 7, which was halted by Pakistan. Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka in their Super 8 clash, but beat the best side of the tournament in their semi final.

Key Players: The leading run scorer is from Sri Lanka - Dilshan. The 5th highest run scorer is the Pakistan captain. Top 5 wicket takers are from Sri Lanka and Pakistan - Mendis, Malinga, Gul, and Ajmal on 12 each, followed by Afridi with 10.

Strengths: The above shows that both teams have relied on their bowlers much more than their batsmen. Undoubtedly a pacer and two spinners from each team hold the key.

Weaknesses: Sri Lanka's batting has relied heavily on the top 4, looking very thin after that. Pakistan's batting has failed to inspire on more than one occasion.

Meaning of Victory: Pakistan to do what they failed to a decade ago at Lord's and two years ago at Johannesburg. Sri Lanka to top off an unbeaten campaign becoming the first team to win a World T20 title without losing a game.

Q's Call: The team that bats first will win. I don't think either team has the batting to chase down a total, while both have the bowling to defend any kind of score. Where have you heard that one before?

Irrespective of who wins, cricket has already won the game, something that has been captured beautifully by SledgeHammer here.

It all gets underway tomorrow; Sri Lanka are unbeaten, while Pakistan have come out on top each of the four times that they have been in a do-or-die situation during the World Twenty20.

Will the consistents trump the flair, or will the unpredictables rise to the occasion once more?

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Cricket Zindabad!


Posted by Q at Saturday, June 20, 2009 Pitched (2)
No matter who wins tomorrow at Lord's, cricket has already won.

Read Redemption & Defiance by Well Pitched's Sledgehammer on BCC! for the first time.

Cricket Zindabad!

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Open Letter to Tilekaratne Dilshan


Posted by Q at Saturday, June 20, 2009 Pitched (13)
Dear TD,

You have been a true star at the World Twenty20.

It has been a pleasure watching you bat and score more runs than anyone else in the competition. That too by some distance.

Considering the way you have batted in these 20-20 matches, it is no surprise that you managed the highest score of the World T20 tonight, that you have the highest average among all batsmen, and that you have hit more 50+ knocks than any other batsmen in this competition.

It was unfortunate that you missed your century in tonight's semi final; you sure deserved one!

Despite that, I believe that your innings single handedly landed Sri Lanka a date with Pakistan on Sunday at Lord's for the World T20 Final.

Your innings was a pure gem and a treat to watch.

You have mesmerized millions during this competition with your awesome strokeplay and an audacious shot that only you can play.

Rather, an audacious shot that you have created and that only you can play.

Last week, I named your shot the "sitting-down-in-weird-frog-type-stance-and-scooping-over-the-keeper-shot".

Since then it has been called "The Dilshan" by some and "The Dilscoop" by others.

I don't exactly know what you like to call it, but whatever it is, I just want to advise you to refrain from using it in the World T20 Final.

For one simple reason really.

The 2007 World T20 witnessed a new star emerge for Pakistan, coincidentally your opponents in the final this year.

That star also created a shot of his own; he played it handsomely, much like you, throughout the competition, piling on score after score taking Pakistan into the final of the 2007 tournament.

However, when it came to the final, that same shot by that same star cost Pakistan the game.

That, TD, should be reason enough for you to refrain from bending down on your knees and scooping the ball over the keeper's head.

Yours sincerely,

Q.

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A thought about the World Twenty20 Final


Posted by Q at Saturday, June 20, 2009 Pitched (6)
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka.

From the Nightmares of Lahore to the Dreams of London.

It will be a cracking final no doubt.

I will have a detailed preview up tomorrow; right now I want to share a thought that I shared with a friend before we sat down to watch the West Indies vs Sri Lanka semi final.

I told him that I would like to see Pakistan play Sri Lanka in the final; my reasoning was that if Pakistan manage to win the World Twenty20 then they would do so after beating the two best teams of the competition.

And that would put a lid on those going around saying that Pakistan did not deserve to be in the semis or don't deserve to win the cup because of the easy route they had.

Well we had the tougher semi final, and we made it. Come Sunday, we may go a step further than 2007!

Will you still say Pakistan did it because of an easy route to the semi finals?

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