Done, dusted and

time to eat crow.

Maybe I should stop predicting , given my track record.

Or, maybe I should masquerade as a tarot card reader or astrologer.

Anyone at ESPN Star listening?

WTF

Here is what SL should do- keep harping on the bad light and make the game stretch into tomorrow. Make the ICC look like the asses they are.

This is absolutely ridiculous.

PS:- The Guardian OBO

Bad light stops play; one of the biggest farces you have ever seen ensues What a fittingly absurd end to the tournament: Australia are celebrating winning the World Cup, but Aleem Dar has gone over to tell them that, in fact, the game isn't over. What a farce. Even the scoreboard said 'Congratulations Australia'. Administrators were bringing on the gear for the presentation and Aleem Dar and Bucknor sent them back! Shambolic. And now we hear that the players might have to come back tomorrow for the final three overs! William Goldman was right; nobody knows anything. This is preposterous. What's going to happen now is that they are going to bowl the last three overs tonight, even though it is incredibly dark.

The Cricinfo Ball by Ball Commentary

6.17pm It's what is traditionally known as night. It is so dark but the umpires are now saying the match will continue. Heads should roll for this. The man is out putting the 30-yard circles back out. He needs a torch to do so. The batsmen are heading out to the middle accompanied by a guide dog. 6.15pmThis is a very unfunny joke, almost as if cricket was determined to show the world that it couldn't organise a whatsit in a brewery. The umpires are insisting the game is not over, everyone else thinks it is. Aleem Dar seems to be saying they can all come back tomorrow. Steve Bucknor's looking quite embarrassed in the background, letting Dar lead the process. Jayawardene is now on the pitch to talk to Bucknor and Bowden. 6.12pmAnd the farce continues! Now the stands for the ceremony have been brought on... and are off again, as the umpires shoo them away. My word. Here's a man who can tell you more, it's Martin. Now what's this? Aleem Dar is having a word with Australia, telling them they can't yet celebrate. Officially this match isn't over. You couldn't make it up. You don't have to. In fairness, this doesn't stop Australia celebrating. McGrath's all of a beam and there's a thumbs up and a smile for the tv cameras. The light's been offered and Sri Lanka have taken it - meaning Australia have won the World Cup again. They certainly deserve it and are huddling in celebration. A bit of a damp squib of an ending, which is of course fitting.

32.6

Clarke to Malinga, 2 runs, width outside off and that's worked out off the back foot to gully

and then this

The third umpire takes his time. Go on Rudi, no hurry ... and eventually he gives it out. Boos in the crowd are for the ridiculousness of the situation and not for the players
33.6	Symonds to Malinga, OUT, a big swing and a miss, Gilchrist whips off the bails, Dar calls for the third umpire as he could never have seen that far with any certainty
	SL Malinga st Gilchrist b Symonds 10 (6b 0x4 1x6) SR: 166.66
The post-match entertainers are waiting patiently. You have to feel for them

WICKET! Malinga st Gilchrist b Symonds 10 (Sri Lanka 209-8) Malinga misses a yahoo at Symonds and Gilchrist does the rest, although it took about 944 replays before the third umpire could give it.

This is a joke right?

The finals, that is.

First we get a truncated game, then the players are taken off when the rain is abating ( while playing on when it was pouring), then no one knows what the required score is, and now we are playing in the dark ( with the farcical scene of the umpires offering light).

Thank You ICC - you make the BCCI look like an efficient organization.

Congratulations Australia, although a lot of the sheen will be taken off your win because of the joke that is the ICC.

Its official..

The ICC is conducting a farce

23rd over: Sri Lanka 145-3 (chasing 282 from 38 overs) That was the end of the over. The rain is coming and the D/L par is 168. Australia are closing in on victory.

24th over: Sri Lanka 148-3 (chasing 282 from 38 overs) Here comes McGrath, and the rain is getting much heavier. Silva, trying to play himself in with rain falling and in poor light, is beaten twice by McGrath before driving a single to get off the mark.

24.5 overs: Sri Lanka 149-3 (Jayawardene 17, Silva 1; chasing 282 from 38 overs) It's Tait for Clarke, and it's now absolutely honking it down. But they are going to play on for now, and Australia will be happy with just one coming from the first five balls of that Tait over. It's all over bar some serious clouting. The D/L score par is 784,031.

Rain stops play That is probably that: Australia are ahead on Duckworth/Lewis and it seems unlikely that the players will come back on, although there is a tantalisingly hint of blue sky to the right. It's a sad but fitting way for the tournament to end, if indeed this is the end. I hope it's the end. Can it be the end? Please let it end.

To clarify if there is no more play today, Australia win the World Cup, even though there is actually the provision for a reserve day tomorrow.

The covers are coming off Sri Lanka will have a revised target if they get back on, but they already need over 10 an over. They need power-hitters but all they have are a load of wristy strokeplayers.

25th over: Sri Lanka 150-3 (chasing some random, secret, if-I-tell-ya-I'll-have-to-kill-ya target invented by two English mathematicians armed with some dice, a pencil, a bottle of Um Bongo and a vivid imagination) Tait finishes his over, and there's no news on whether the target has been revised. That sums up this whole effing tournament: the game is going on and the consumers don't even know what the rules of engagement are. Nor do the players. Not unreasonably, Jayawardene wants to know WHAT BLOODY TOTAL HIS SIDE SHOULD BE CHASING, so there's a delay in play while the umpires decide what on earth is going on. It is said that tournaments get the final they deserve, and this absolutely fiasco is entirely fitting. Apparently Sri Lanka need 269 from an unspecified number of overs. And according to the scoreboard, the D/L par score is 0! You couldn't make this nonsense up!

Overplaying his hand?

Michael Clarke into bowl. Wonder what the logic behind that move is?

Master stroke

The move to get Michael Clarke on to bowl.

In terms of a carrot, none was bigger than a part time slow bowler.

Given that Sri Lanka are behind in the D/L and the required run rate is 8.8, odds are that the Lankans would go hard at him.

Also, with the rain clouds in the horizon,the Lankans had their hands forced - to go hard and take risks against the left arm spinner.

Miss the opportunity and rue it for the next four years, take it and it still doesn't make a substantial dent on the runs required.

And now the bonus - Jayasuriya loses his rag and is bowled.

I would venture that Ponting will get his faster bowlers on now. Pace bowlers take a longer time to get through their overs and with impending rain and the D/L stacked against the Lankans, the pressure is all on them.

And now Tait.

And the Aussies slowing down the game :).. Nice

PS:- This is the "X" factor good captains bring to the game. There are captains who will go with the flow and there are others that are on the lookout for an opportunity, any opportunity and exploit it to the max.

Good job Ricky.

A 10 minute break

Chasing 282 in 38 overs, Sri Lanka gets a measly 10 minutes between innings.

I think this should actually help the Lankans - not too much time to mull over proceedings; just go out there and do it.

On the flip side, being pummeled the way they were, will the Lankans carry the baggage over the 10 minute break in to their batting?

Time will tell.

Adam Gilchrist - Centurion

20.3 Malinga to Gilchrist, FOUR, What a way to bring it up! Full ball outside off and it's slapped ferociously over mid-offf for a four. A century off 72 balls in a World Cup final. Adam Gilchrist take a bow! This has been a sensational effort and Kensington salutes him in admiration. Eight fours and six sixes. Take that

--
Brilliant brilliant knock that.. Take a bow Churchy!!!

95/0 in 15

with Gilchrist (67/51) going ballistic.. How much is Dilhara Fernando going to regret dropping that half chance off his own bowling?

Sri Lanka need to re group and quickly too. Mahela's captaincy skills are going to be tested!

Partab ramachand calls it..

In the final analysis the disaster came about because of a failure of the leadership. It’s as simple as that.

A mess..

or why the BCCI is a dirty four letter acronym.

Today..

You play against a mindset, a system. You have to counter a process and while, occasionally, a burst of individual passion can prevail, an excellent process invariably wins over a period of time.

Harsha Bhogle makes some telling points.

Restrained aggression is easy to suggest, but almost impossible to implement. It’s something the winners always possess while the rest are chokers.

Sandeep Dwiwedi on the Australia- South Africa match.

• Why did you prefer Tom Moody over Chappell the last time?

Moody was hungry, he was young and he wanted to prove something. He is also excellent in man-management. It was a good choice in my opinion. I think a coach as a person has to look to improve the game and be passionate in what he does.

Thanks Stephan, but here in India we do things differently.

The head says Australia will prevail, but Sri Lanka has played beautifully throughout, and has the ammunition to cause the unimaginable upset.

The wicket will be a good one to bat on, so take your pick. And whatever the head says, the game of cricket and this tournament need a fairytale ending.

Barry Richards.

Sreesanth sparkles in Muthoot ECC B's win.

I like this kid's attitude. He goes to the MRF Pace Foundation on his own initiative, speaks his mind about things, plays club cricket in his off time.Whats not to like?

Against Mumbai, he scored a fast, hard-hitting 210 on a batting beauty (at Eden Gardens). Again, in the semi-final against Karnataka (at Eden), he gave a lesson in grinding and playing out the bowling just as we needed it.

64000 $ question is - can he adapt to different surfaces and different pressures in the International circuit? I think he will do just fine.

"The cricket world did not stick their nose into the fact that half the Australian team didn't tour New Zealand for the Chappell-Hadlee series."

Tom Moody says it the way he sees it.

Australia appoints its coaches with its captains and its anticipated teams in mind. Simpson inaugurated the position 21 years ago as a tough-talking taskmaster, as the taciturn Allan Border struggled beneath his unwanted captaincy burden.

Simpson was not so happy a fit with Border's more confident successor Mark Taylor and was replaced by the low-profile Geoff Marsh. Taylor was happy enough to rely on the cumulative cricket wisdom of Steve Waugh, Warne, Ian Healy and Glenn McGrath and had no use for an éminence grise.

Buchanan took over as coach for Waugh's first home series as captain. In his diary of that series Waugh recalls that Buchanan instantly made him "very confident about the future" because "many of his ideas and goals are similar to mine": in other words, he enhanced Waugh's sensations of control over his own side.

Giden Haigh on the Peter Moores appointment.

Signing off with a whimper

Bowl it one last time, Glenn

South Africa choke.. Today

The same old story - Australia crush South Africa to enter final.

Wisden Verdict here. Graeme Smith's Tour Diary here.
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Brian Lara tribute here, an appreciation here.
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Rohit Brijnath discusses The problem with Australian cricket. Supposedly a tongue in cheek article, it is more caustic and biting than anything else from the Brijnath stable. Good on him!!!
--

There are so many people in India who follow the game but a large percentage of that need to concentrate on understanding the game and try and figure out who actually has changed the momentum of the game, it could even be one boundary you know, it could be one boundary at a crucial moment and the batsman might have got out after that but that four might have changed the game's momentum.

Anil Kumble speaks
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I've really enjoyed having a go at Brian Lara from around the wickets, which is another option I've while bowling at the left-handers," he once said. "That creates a new angle, offers more options. I hit the deck hard and get the seam movement that goes away for the left-handers, may be that's the reason. They make wrong adjustments and they nick it."

Vijay Parthasarathy profiles Oooh Aaah.
--

"Playing the game is one thing and teaching the nuances of the game is another. "

India's new bowling coach on the task ahead.

Hate to say this

but is Ricky Ponting a good captain or what?

I never rated his captaincy credentials- a feeling that was reinforced during the 2005 Ashes. But I must admit, he has been impressive this World Cup.

The thing that most impressed me is how he is in total control of the situation. And when it looks like the situation is slipping away, he has made the right changes - either with the bowling or in the field.

A captain comfortable in his own skin - take a bow.

Shot selection

or lack of it - the bane of the Proteas thus far. Vide this

2.3	Bracken to Smith, OUT, Smith again walks down the pitch to meet the ball, shapes to hit over the top and a sniff of swing takes the ball past the bat and into the off stump
	GC Smith b Bracken 2 (10m 5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 40.00
South Africa 7/1 AB de Villiers 4* (10b 1x4) NW Bracken 1.3-0-5-1
5.3	McGrath to Kallis, OUT, Kallis again gives himself room and advances to meet the ball, but McGrath fires in a yorker which clatters into the off stump
	JH Kallis b McGrath 5 (12m 9b 1x4 0x6) SR: 55.55
South Africa 12/2 AB de Villiers 4* (19b 1x4) GD McGrath 2.3-1-6-1
8.5	Tait to de Villiers, OUT, full, de Villiers drives with no foot movement, and a thick kick carries straight to Gilchrist. A fourth delivery over 90mph, a good mixture of length, and now South Africa are up against it
	AB de Villiers c Gilchrist b Tait 15 (39m 34b 3x4 0x6) SR: 44.11
South Africa 26/3 HH Gibbs 3* (5b) SW Tait 0.5-0-4-1
9.4	McGrath to Prince, OUT, And that might be it ... about the worst ball McGrath has bowled, wide and angled away from the left-hander, but Prince slashes, gets a thin edge, and Gilchrist does the rest
	AG Prince c Gilchrist b McGrath 0 (4m 2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
South Africa 27/4 HH Gibbs 4* (8b) GD McGrath 4.4-1-13-2
9.5	McGrath to Boucher, OUT, McGrath on a hat-trick ... much better ball, a stock McGrath delivery, Boucher plays a nothing prod and the ball is held low down by Matthew Hayden at first slip
	MV Boucher c Hayden b McGrath 0 (1m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
South Africa 27/5 HH Gibbs 4* (8b) GD McGrath 4.5-1-13-3
22.5	Tait to Gibbs, OUT, got him this time! A very, very thin edge - much thinner than the one which wasn't given earlier, also to Tait - looking for the short-pitched delivery. His feet were just rooted in the crease there as he chased the ball away from his body
	HH Gibbs c Gilchrist b Tait 39 (77m 49b 6x4 0x6) SR: 79.59

As well as the Australians have bowled, the Proteas seem to be batting with some kind of a death wish.

Today..

"Players like Daniel Vettori, Monty Panesar, Michael Clarke have come up to us in the past for tips, but strangely our own board thinks we, or a special spin clinic is not worth the effort. Strange.”

A billion dollar Board; bankrupt.

"Sporting contests on an everyday basis are decided not so much by outstanding shots as loose strokes."

A wordsmith; on a workhorse.

Hundreds of media professionals who are married to the Truth (or should be) filing over five long days “minute by minute” developments as Times Now put it, imaginary descriptions of real events they knew nothing about?

Now why does that sound eerily familiar (albeit in a different context)?

"I think it's very easy to hype up a huge game like this so much that the players become overanxious. We're trying to play it down as much as we can and just keep the guys in a really good space, because the guys all know what they have to do."

Sambit Bal previews the South Africans before tomorrow's semi final.

"Until individual performances start surprising me we've always got room for improvement. I haven't been surprised with anything so far."

Rahul Bhattacharya previews the Australians before tomorrow's semi final.

The former Indian medium pacer’s non-commital take on the status is indication enough of the fact that high-profile western Indian sides like Mumbai and Maharashtra may have shown a keen interest in buying Mhambrey out for the next season.

Mumbai angling for a bowling coach?

The Lankan skipper, who has been growing in that role through this tournament, then produced a master-stroke: he took Dilshan out of the attack after that wicket-taking over and brought back Murali, to attack Oram. The bowler went round the wicket, the batsman was unsure whether the ball was a doosra or a regulation off break; his hesitant push saw Murali dive forward, and sideways, to take a stunner (3/4; 114/4).

Prem Panicker's match report of the just concluded semifinal between Sri lanka and New Zealand.

Where were you when Michael Vaughan skipped down the track to lift Chris Gayle over long-on for six?

The weekly Spin.

"This was my last game as one-day captain, but I still want to captain the Test side," said Fleming, who has led the side to 98 wins and 106 defeats in his time at the top, including two World Cup semi-finals.

Stephan Fleming stands down as NZ captain.

'You have to go after Australia' - Chappelli

Actually you dont.

If you play the game on thier terms and thier pace, you are toast. If you play the game at your pace and force Australia to match it, you are setting the terms.

The one thing South Africa will need to guard against is losing wickets in a heap.

Far too often, teams try to do too much against Australia, and in doing so, lose the plot. And Australia are far too good a side to let any opportunity slip. Deny them that and I think South Africa should be all alright.

Ross Taylor - You beauty

Ross Taylor enters
1.4	Malinga to Taylor, no run, What was that? Waqar Younis in disguise? Full ball at 142kph and Taylor is squared up completely. Ball is full and beats the outside edge all ends up. That was a quick legbreak, Taylor quite bemused
1.5	Malinga to Taylor, no run, Another one, this time it's shorter in length and Taylor on the back foot but he can't get anywhere close as the ball pitches on middle and moves away viciously. Cracking ball
1.6	Malinga to Taylor, no run, And again ... Malinga bwoling some magic balls here but Taylor playing inside the line. Suddenly the overcast conditions helping swing and seam. New Zealand facing a big total and a lethal new-ball pairing

5.1	Malinga to Taylor, no run, And the jaffas continue. Taylor can only smile, Malinga returns the smile too. Full ball, pacy, swinging, seaming away. Taylor can't even think of putting bat into that. Mohammad Asif, Glenn McGrath are you watching?
5.2	Malinga to Taylor, 1 run, short of a length and seaming away again, Taylor gets an outside edge past second slip for a single
5.3	Malinga to Fulton, no run, full ball, batsman pokes tentatively, can't get to it. This is quite an unplayable spell from Malinga. Strange he's just had one wicket. He's probably delivered close to ten scorchers
5.4	Malinga to Fulton, no run, short of a length on off, patted back to the bowler. One of the few that managed to find the middle of the bat
5.5	Malinga to Fulton, 1 run, glided away to third man for a single, short of a length again. The issue is how often does one go on the back foot, considering the dangerous yorker that he possesses? Don't bet against it anytime soon.
5.6	Malinga to Taylor, no run, This is so regular that it's getting boring. Squared him up yet again and Taylor plays inside the line yet again, only to see the ball zoom past his outside edge

7.1	Malinga to Taylor, no run, Malinga oh Malinga, what does he need to do to get a wicket? Short of a length, outside off, it's muggy overhead and Taylor pushes in a circumspect fashion. Can't get an edge, can't get the middle.
7.2	Malinga to Taylor, no run, beaten again, he seems to have no clue there. The good thing here is that Taylor is playing inside the line every time. This one leaves him just a shade and the keeper and slips can only moan in frustration.
7.3	Malinga to Taylor, no run, Another positive: Taylor keeps getting beaten and smiling like a kid at a chocolate factory. Drives but is beaten this time, again to the one that leaves him. Malinga continues to smile at the other end
7.4	Malinga to Taylor, no run, Slower ball this time and Taylor it seems has decided to take him on, way down the track and is beaten again. Whatever he tries, he's just not putting bat to ball. When it's not your day ...
7.5	Malinga to Taylor, no run, Now this is getting so unbearable, Malinga is not only continuing to turn out cracking deliveries that are beating the outside edge but also managing an impish smile. Short of a length, Taylor pushes, beaten.
7.6	Malinga to Taylor, no run, Celebration time! Taylor has middled a ball. Short of a length and finally, after what seemed an age, has got the ball on the meat of the bat

Applause all around and a raised bat greet that defensive shot.

Hurrah!!!!

289/5 in 50 overs

and the guy doing all the talking in the Sri Lankan huddle is - Kumara Sangakarra.

It is interesting to watch, the interpersonal relation between Kumara Sangakarra and Mahela Jaywardene and the Sri Lankan team dynamics.

Mean while, Mahela Jaywardene scored 115*, an innings the Cricinfo ball by ball commentary calls

Mahela Jayawardene's knock, a lesson in pacing the innings, will go down as one of the great one-day innings and was a sort of effort that one associated with Aravinda de Silva.

Indeed.
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For the innings report, no better place than this.

Turn, bounce and ..

a plethora of slow bowlers.

I would assume the Lankans to be a lot more relaxed in the dressing room.
While the focus is squarely on Murali, it is the other bits and pieces bowlers that Sri Lanka have that pose the greater danger.
Conventional wisdom suggests that Murali should be given respect and the lesser bowlers taken apart. Conventional wisdom takes a back seat on a wicket that is affording purchase for the spinners and will continue to get more spin friendly as the day progresses.
Catch 22 anyone?
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Over 26.1 - Mike Artherton makes an interesting point - Fleming moved a fielder to the off side in the cover region just prior to Vettori's over. This, in turn, tempted Tharanga to play the sweep shot as the gap had been left in that region. Good intentions, bad execution.

WICKET! Tharanga b Vettori 73 (New Zealand 111-3) Tharanga gets his front foot too far across off-stump and is bowled middle and leg by Vettori's quicker ball.
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Over 29.2 - Scott Styris, carrying an injury to his right index finger, is loosening up. Here is the thing- Are bowlers allowed to bowl with their fingers bandaged? Doesn't that give the bowler additional advantage vis a vis grip and rip?
Are the Sri lankans within their rights to ask Styris to remove the taping before starting his over?
Question answered - Styris had to remove the taping prior to commencing his over.
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142/3 in 33 overs - Shaping up to be a good contest.

Somethings gotta give..

End of Power plays - SL 87/2

Over 21:-

20.6 Patel to Jayawardene, no run, Oh, thrown up, flight, arrived slowly and gripped and spun as well. Jayawardene gets his foot forward and tries to flick it to the on side but can't do so. He's one of the best players of spin but Patel and Vettori giving nothing away.

Over 22:-

21.1 Vettori to Tharanga, no run, Oh Taylor! missed a gimme of a run-out there! Tharanga flicks it square and Taylor fumbles before letting rip a throw to the bowler. Jayawardene is halfway down the track but the misfield allows him to get back in time

21.3 Vettori to Tharanga, SIX, down the track, that was flighted outside off and he creams a most delicious lofted cover drive over extra cover for a most stylish six. Tharanga can hit them, he can time them, he can place them and does he do it with some class
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105/2 in 23 overs Sri Lanka and looking more in control of the proceedings. Will Fleming play the holding game or try to make something happen? And will Sri Lanka be satisfied with the status quo or lose their rag?

A fascinating 60 minutes awaits.

Say it Sree

"Cricket is our life, and profession. If an engineer is allowed to become a model and work for advertisements, what's wrong if we do it."

Attaboy!

55 mins 32 secs

for the first World Cup semi final to begin.

Sri Lanka v/s New Zealand was my dream line up for the finals with Sri Lanka winning it all but hey, I get to see my dream game 3 days in advance, so there :).

Meanwhile, Rahul Bhattacharya writes about the chills and spills of the last four semifinals - worth a read.

Chrispy profiles the first semi finals as does Kartikeya.
--

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but its sinking
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in the relative way, but youre older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the english way
The time is gone, the song is over, thought Id something more to say

Sachin Tendulkar turns 34 today. Many Happy Returns of the Day Maestro.
--

Money, get back.
Im all right jack keep your hands off of my stack.
Money, its a hit.
Dont give me that do goody good bullshit.

Ex-players feel Amarnath right man for coaching India
New coach, manager to be appointed for two years: BCCI
BCCI forms committee to pick new India coach
No player likes to be rested: More
Money and much ado for Shastri
STAR family to launch cricket channel
--

When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I cant explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.

--
11 mins 25 secs for the World Cup semi finals to begins..

Cheers :)