Source : http://thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=37624&Cat=8
Today, Pakistan take on the West Indies in the first of four do or die encounters of the World Cup, and those with weak hearts and dispositions had best stay as far away from their television screens as possible. Having defied all odds and come out on top of their group, Shahid Afridi’s men have managed to find their dream opposition: a team even more prone than Pakistan to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. But given Pakistan’s peculiar penchant for the unpredictable, anything can happen in Mirpur today. As always, a health warning is relevant before any match involving the boys in green.
There are enough good omens for Pakistan’s demoralised fans to hope that the spectres of at disastrous year have been laid to rest. Apart from the odd hiccup or two along the way, particularly the embarrassing and unexpected thrashing by New Zealand, Afridi’s men have managed to defeat two of this tournament’s favourites, Australia and Sri Lanka, on their triumphant march to the quarter finals. It is this very fact --- that we beat the two best teams in the group and lost to a lesser one --- that suggests there is no room for complacency today. As for the rest, the top eight teams eventually managed to make it to the quarter finals, as the format intended. So there we have it: the somewhat battered Australia play a much-hyped but brittle India in the clash of the giants, the mighty Sri Lanka get a chance to outwit England, which is fast earning the reputation of being ‘the new Pakistan’ for their sheer unpredictability, and the chillingly professional South Africans get a chance of shaking off their ‘choker’ reputation against New Zealand. Whatever happens between now and April 2, when the cricketing extravaganza climaxes, is guaranteed to be exciting and nerve-wracking. Not least because fate might yet pit Pakistan against India in a decisive semi-final at Mohali.
Today, Pakistan take on the West Indies in the first of four do or die encounters of the World Cup, and those with weak hearts and dispositions had best stay as far away from their television screens as possible. Having defied all odds and come out on top of their group, Shahid Afridi’s men have managed to find their dream opposition: a team even more prone than Pakistan to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. But given Pakistan’s peculiar penchant for the unpredictable, anything can happen in Mirpur today. As always, a health warning is relevant before any match involving the boys in green.
There are enough good omens for Pakistan’s demoralised fans to hope that the spectres of at disastrous year have been laid to rest. Apart from the odd hiccup or two along the way, particularly the embarrassing and unexpected thrashing by New Zealand, Afridi’s men have managed to defeat two of this tournament’s favourites, Australia and Sri Lanka, on their triumphant march to the quarter finals. It is this very fact --- that we beat the two best teams in the group and lost to a lesser one --- that suggests there is no room for complacency today. As for the rest, the top eight teams eventually managed to make it to the quarter finals, as the format intended. So there we have it: the somewhat battered Australia play a much-hyped but brittle India in the clash of the giants, the mighty Sri Lanka get a chance to outwit England, which is fast earning the reputation of being ‘the new Pakistan’ for their sheer unpredictability, and the chillingly professional South Africans get a chance of shaking off their ‘choker’ reputation against New Zealand. Whatever happens between now and April 2, when the cricketing extravaganza climaxes, is guaranteed to be exciting and nerve-wracking. Not least because fate might yet pit Pakistan against India in a decisive semi-final at Mohali.
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