The Googly

Shoaib Akhtar stoops to new depths

Last week I was not entirely unsurprised to hear that the PCB, in an unprecedented show of strength had decided that Shoaib had just taken that one step too far. Banned for, well, it's unimportant how many years, because Akhtar is at the end of his lease of cricketing life, and one year would be a year too far.

Perhaps this is why Shoaib is fighting so very hard to overturn the decision of the PCB. He knows full well that he could pick up a contract, if not with the IPL then with the rebel ICL and earn shed loads of money.

But Shoaib is a proud Pakistani cricketer. His fortune and fame are entirely based upon his appearance on the field for his country.

He wants to come back for his country, but to make an allegation of match-fixing is really not the way to go. Cricket had to search its very soul after the Hansie Cronje scandal - something that we will probably never know the truth of. For Shoaib to seek redemption now by suggesting that he has something to reveal is the mark of a very desperate man.

Sadly, for a man so gifted with the ball in the park, it seems that Shoaib is seeking nothing more than to wound his coaches and fellow players who have so often sought to protect him.

Wanton allegations do nothing  but harm to the game, the game we love so much and if any of his accusations should bear fruit and truth, then, sadly, we won't remember Shoaib for his skill and charm, but for dragging the sport into yet more disrepute.

The PCB has a lot of work to do.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

Five things for Shoaib Akhtar to do now he’s been banned

The Rawalpindi Express has been given the boot by the PCB for five years.  What could he possibly do with his time now?  Here are our suggestions:    

1. Take drugs, but properly this time, without fear of being caught.  Then put on demonstrations of bowling at 134mph before his heart explodes out of his chest.    

2. Star in his own Bollywood film, entitled “My Big Fat Bowler’s Arm” - a musical rollercoaster ride through the life of a legend.   Featuring the songs All the Ladies Love Me; Drugs, Glorious Drugs; and Whoops Mr Asif! Your Arse Is On The End of My Bat    

3. Play in the Indian Premier League, where the Mumbai Super MonsterSquad (or whatever they are called) will pay him handsomely.    

4. Come over to England and play for Surrey, with it’s lovely villages and easy access to West London’s finest male entertainment establishments.    

5. Keep his head down for once.

Shoaib Akhtar is dropped AGAIN because he's facing ANOTHER disciplinary panel

Pakistan are due to play the newly victorious Bangladesh in five ODIs and a Twenty20 match in April.  One person who will not be joining them - in what will no doubt be a walkover - is Shoaib Akhtar, who has landed himself in the pooh again.

Shoaib is to face a PCB disciplinary panel amidst charges of giving statements against the policies of the Board and spoiling the team spirit of the Federal Areas side whom he captained in one match of the recent Pentangular Cup. He faces several counts of violation of the PCB Players Code of Conduct.

"I will submit my viewpoint when I appear before it." the fast bowling dope-fiend said, "I am still very keen to play for Pakistan against Bangladesh in the upcoming series and I don't think my career is finished."

Of course it's not finished, Shoaib could sacrifice a goat in the middle of the wicket at lunchtime and still be recalled by Pakistan, such is his talent/their spinelessness.

Australia - "We don't fancy being blown up, thankyou very much"

The boys receive the news about the Pakistan tour; shortly before cheering

Australia have finally done today what we have all expected for the past few months and cancelled their tour to Pakistan amid all the death, bombings and the like.

"We are very sorry that the tour could not take place at this time," Creagh O'Connor, Cricket Australia's chairman, said. "This was a difficult decision based on independent review of the circumstances prevailing in Pakistan at the moment. We wish no loss to the Pakistan Cricket Board and look forward to undertaking this tour in the near future."  By 'near future' they mean 2009; and by 'look forward to' they mean 'dread'. 

I don't know what they are so worried about, it's not like any of them are women that are likely to stand for election in the country is it?

Does anyone really care about the Indian Premier League?

The auction is over, players have been bought for stupid amounts of money, the world's media have reported it and now... well, who cares?

A pointless tournament will take place at some point in the future, but who is going to be watching?  Do we really care that Adam Gilchrist is playing for Hyderabad for example?  In the US, the all-star games are a novelty that people watch but have absolutely no regard for the result. I for one cannot help thinking that this tournament is of the same ilk.

Maybe I am being too harsh.  What are your views on the IPL?  Are you going to watch?  Do you care who Andrew Symonds or MS Dhoni are playing for?

Can you hit a cricket ball hard? Then Glamorgan want you..

Glamorgan are not only looking for an overseas player for this coming season, they are looking for one that can knock the skin off the ball.  Having had their approach for Adam Gilchrist rebuffed last week, the men with the money in Cardiff are now chasing Shahid “37 ball century“ Afridi.

Glamorgan cricket manager Matthew Maynard revealed: “We want a top-class player who will win us matches and also drag people through the gate and Afridi is someone who fits the bill.”

How I wish that were taken literally.  I would love to see Shahid, all wild-eyed and bearded, grabbing people as they walk down Cathedral Road and dragging them into Sophia Gardens before walking to the crease and tonking the ball into the RiverTaff.

Shoaib Malik says he did not get married to an imaginary woman on the phone

This is one I would definitely file under, "you couldn't make it up".  Just when you think off-field sub-continental cricket could not get any more bonkers, this turns up.

Shoaib Malik is threatening to sue an Indian family who claim that he married their daughter over the phone.  For his part, Malik does admit to having a relationship with the lady, Ayesha Siddiqui, over the internet.  That's the handsome, successful, famous Shoaib Malik by the way, not some waiter from the Bengal Balti in Hounslow, so it begs the question why he needs to look for women on the internet.  Nowt as queer as folk, as they say.  His camp claim he was tricked, as the photos he saw on the web were of another woman and so when he agreed to marriage it was not the actual lady herself, and they didn't even get married anyway.  Confused?  Me too.

Mad as a bag of monkeys.

Super Sixes: Shahid Afridi scores a twelve!

Afridi hits a ball into the roof of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, a shot that scores 12 in Power Cricket.  I must confess that Power Cricket rather passed me by, in fact I don't even remember this event taking place in the Welsh capital.  Still a fabulous shot though.

Super Sixes: MS Dhoni clobbers Pakistan

India take an unassailable lead in last year's ODI series vs Pakistan, via a massive victory six from their captain.  Outstanding.

England under-19s fail to impress, again

On the 27th Jan, Pakistan's juniors took on Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo and won by an impressive nine wickets. A couple of days before that England had failed to capitalize on their previous good form and lost to Sri Lanka.

So what hope today was there for the so highly rated England boys as they played Sri Lanka again? Well bloody nothing really. Sri Lanka won the toss and batted first. James Harris struck early and removed multi-initialled EMGDY Munaweera for just 6, but his companion Chandimal hit 10 fours and one six on his way to an unbeaten 112. Sri Lanka posted a total of 312 - the highest I think in this Tri-Nation's series and England had a lot to do.

They didn't do much. Wakely out for a duck, Ben Brown (to my utter disappointment) only made 12 and Sam Northeast (who does sound like part of the Shipping Forecast) was top scorer with 32. England lost by 158 runs and my only comfort is that Billy Godleman was not playing. So many hopes for the future lie on that young man's shoulders that we can imagine that he would have won the game for us single-battedly.

A pretty miserable preparation for the World Cup - I can only hope that it will all go better for the boys there.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

Shoaib Akhtar is dropped AGAIN because he's facing ANOTHER disciplinary panel

Pakistan are due to play the newly victorious Bangladesh in five ODIs and a Twenty20 match in April.  One person who will not be joining them - in what will no doubt be a walkover - is Shoaib Akhtar, who has landed himself in the pooh again.

Shoaib is to face a PCB disciplinary panel amidst charges of giving statements against the policies of the Board and spoiling the team spirit of the Federal Areas side whom he captained in one match of the recent Pentangular Cup. He faces several counts of violation of the PCB Players Code of Conduct.

"I will submit my viewpoint when I appear before it." the fast bowling dope-fiend said, "I am still very keen to play for Pakistan against Bangladesh in the upcoming series and I don't think my career is finished."

Of course it's not finished, Shoaib could sacrifice a goat in the middle of the wicket at lunchtime and still be recalled by Pakistan, such is his talent/their spinelessness.

Australia - "We don't fancy being blown up, thankyou very much"

The boys receive the news about the Pakistan tour; shortly before cheering

Australia have finally done today what we have all expected for the past few months and cancelled their tour to Pakistan amid all the death, bombings and the like.

"We are very sorry that the tour could not take place at this time," Creagh O'Connor, Cricket Australia's chairman, said. "This was a difficult decision based on independent review of the circumstances prevailing in Pakistan at the moment. We wish no loss to the Pakistan Cricket Board and look forward to undertaking this tour in the near future."  By 'near future' they mean 2009; and by 'look forward to' they mean 'dread'. 

I don't know what they are so worried about, it's not like any of them are women that are likely to stand for election in the country is it?

Does anyone really care about the Indian Premier League?

The auction is over, players have been bought for stupid amounts of money, the world's media have reported it and now... well, who cares?

A pointless tournament will take place at some point in the future, but who is going to be watching?  Do we really care that Adam Gilchrist is playing for Hyderabad for example?  In the US, the all-star games are a novelty that people watch but have absolutely no regard for the result. I for one cannot help thinking that this tournament is of the same ilk.

Maybe I am being too harsh.  What are your views on the IPL?  Are you going to watch?  Do you care who Andrew Symonds or MS Dhoni are playing for?

Can you hit a cricket ball hard? Then Glamorgan want you..

Glamorgan are not only looking for an overseas player for this coming season, they are looking for one that can knock the skin off the ball.  Having had their approach for Adam Gilchrist rebuffed last week, the men with the money in Cardiff are now chasing Shahid “37 ball century“ Afridi.

Glamorgan cricket manager Matthew Maynard revealed: “We want a top-class player who will win us matches and also drag people through the gate and Afridi is someone who fits the bill.”

How I wish that were taken literally.  I would love to see Shahid, all wild-eyed and bearded, grabbing people as they walk down Cathedral Road and dragging them into Sophia Gardens before walking to the crease and tonking the ball into the RiverTaff.

Shoaib Malik says he did not get married to an imaginary woman on the phone

This is one I would definitely file under, "you couldn't make it up".  Just when you think off-field sub-continental cricket could not get any more bonkers, this turns up.

Shoaib Malik is threatening to sue an Indian family who claim that he married their daughter over the phone.  For his part, Malik does admit to having a relationship with the lady, Ayesha Siddiqui, over the internet.  That's the handsome, successful, famous Shoaib Malik by the way, not some waiter from the Bengal Balti in Hounslow, so it begs the question why he needs to look for women on the internet.  Nowt as queer as folk, as they say.  His camp claim he was tricked, as the photos he saw on the web were of another woman and so when he agreed to marriage it was not the actual lady herself, and they didn't even get married anyway.  Confused?  Me too.

Mad as a bag of monkeys.

Super Sixes: Shahid Afridi scores a twelve!

Afridi hits a ball into the roof of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, a shot that scores 12 in Power Cricket.  I must confess that Power Cricket rather passed me by, in fact I don't even remember this event taking place in the Welsh capital.  Still a fabulous shot though.

Super Sixes: MS Dhoni clobbers Pakistan

India take an unassailable lead in last year's ODI series vs Pakistan, via a massive victory six from their captain.  Outstanding.

England under-19s fail to impress, again

On the 27th Jan, Pakistan's juniors took on Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo and won by an impressive nine wickets. A couple of days before that England had failed to capitalize on their previous good form and lost to Sri Lanka.

So what hope today was there for the so highly rated England boys as they played Sri Lanka again? Well bloody nothing really. Sri Lanka won the toss and batted first. James Harris struck early and removed multi-initialled EMGDY Munaweera for just 6, but his companion Chandimal hit 10 fours and one six on his way to an unbeaten 112. Sri Lanka posted a total of 312 - the highest I think in this Tri-Nation's series and England had a lot to do.

They didn't do much. Wakely out for a duck, Ben Brown (to my utter disappointment) only made 12 and Sam Northeast (who does sound like part of the Shipping Forecast) was top scorer with 32. England lost by 158 runs and my only comfort is that Billy Godleman was not playing. So many hopes for the future lie on that young man's shoulders that we can imagine that he would have won the game for us single-battedly.

A pretty miserable preparation for the World Cup - I can only hope that it will all go better for the boys there.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

Close call for England Under-19s

Two days ago, this Googly correspondent was singing the praises of young Billy Godleman after his match-winning performance against Sri Lanka in England Under-19s warm-up match for the pre-World Cup Triangular competition. I was fairly sure that Billy would be the stand-out player when the tournament proper got underway, but not to be today.

England's juniors scraped a win over Pakistan (who yesterday beat Sri Lanka fairly comprehensively by 83 runs) by a narrow margin of just 16 runs.

And the bulk of these came courtesy of the bat of Sussex's 19-year-old Ben Brown. Ben is mostly categorised as a wicketkeeper and has only one First-class match to his name: last summer when he scored 46 against Sri Lanka A. Today he came to the rescue as the top order failed to fire and only Dan Redfern and Chris Woakes made double figures. Ben hit a stonking 93 not out off 105 balls, with nine fours and a six.

Far too early in his career to claim him as the next keeper/batsman, but not a bad start. England's total was 213 and after Pakistan's performance yesterday, one might have given them the edge but Tom Westley's (pictured) removal of top order bat Umair Mir was vital and 17-year-old Liam Dawson's three for 47 along with James Harris's removals of opener Ahmed Shehzad and tail-ender Adil Raza secured the victory for England.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

Classic hat-tricks: Irfan Pathan

Many hat-tricks are often a tail-end clean up job, so a three that accounts for quality batsmen is particularly special.  This one, from India's man-of-the-moment Pathan, is such a hat-trick, accounting for Salman Butt, Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf.

Saqlain Mushtaq wants to play for England, oh yes

It seems that Saqlain has given up on ever being selected for Pakistan again and is making kissy-faces at the England selectors.  In a story that we first covered some 12 months ago, the doosra-creating spinner has an English wife, therefore a British passport and thus qualifies for England. 

Quite why the England selectors would want a semi-crocked bloke who only took 14 wickets last season instead of our beloved Monty, or the immense promise of young Adil Rashid is something Saqlain would not be drawn on.  [Image: Getty]

Performance of the Day - Sourav Ganguly

In day two of India v Pakistan in the third Test at Bangalore, there were stand-out performances from both Ganguly and occasional India team member Irfan Pathan. Both have a compelling case to earn today's accolade and it has been a hard call to make.

On runs alone, the award has to go to old-timer, but now very much in form, Ganguly. 239 of 361 balls with 30 fours is almost an exhibition display and one that we all rejoice in.

Pathan is a gentleman of the sport and said "When it came to Test cricket, I had never thought I would score a hundred on my comeback. ... I didn't even think that I would play in the third Test."

The only other contender today has to be the thighs of Sri Lankan fielder Jehan Mubarak - they did for Vaughanie today.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

India vs Pakistan, Third Test: Who will win?

Pakistan have one game to square the series against India.  Unfortunately for them their captain is injured and the only possible replacement, Younis, is about as keen to do the job as Alan Mullally facing Curtly Ambrose.  India, meanwhile have the terrible dilemma of having to choose the in-form VVS Laxman (above, centre) ahead of the in-form Yuvraj.  How do you think it will go?

Video: India vs Pakistan, Second Test, day two highlights

Video: First Test; India defeat Pakistan by six wickets

Part one here, part two after the jump

India v.s Pakistan: TEST 1 Day 5 Part 1
Uploaded by cvp2

India v.s Pakistan: TEST 1 Day 5 Part 2
Uploaded by cvp2

Classic India vs Pakistan: Cricket World Cup 1999

With the Third ODI currently underway, lets cast our eye once more back to another classic encounter.

Classic India vs Pakistan: Random woman and Zaheer Khan attempt get it on mid-match

Cricket Snapshot: I think you missed it

Younus Khan, not exactly following the coaching manual to the letter as he is bowled in Pakistan's win today.

Video: 1st ODI, India defeat Pakistan

Pakistan innings here, India's is after the jump.

Classic India vs Pakistan: Prasad vs Aamir Sohail

World Cup 1996.  Venkatesh Prasad finds the perfect riposte after Aamir Sohail lays it on a bit too thick after a boundary.  Cue about five minutes of arguing.  Twas ever thus.

Video: Why Pakistan want Shoaib back

Lest we forget, amidst all the controversy Shoaib Akhtar is a bloody good bowler...

Shoaib Akhtar returns for the 157th time

Pakistan seem to be hell bent on not learning with Shoaib. The man who has been banned more times than a punch-happy bloke from his local pub, for reasons as diverse as taking drugs to whacking his team-mates with a bat, is coming back.

The decider in the five-match one-day series against SA is upon them and, at the first sign of pressure and stress, the selectors have behaved like a dieting fat person going back to the biscuit tin:  they know they shouldn't do it; they know they will feel grubby and weak afterwards; but the short-term comfort it brings is too much to resist.

It proves the rule that any player at any level of any sport knows: if you are very talented then you can behave however you want and still be selected in the big cup game or league decider.  C'est la vie sportif! [Images: Getty]

Meanwhile, back at the Bob Woolmer case...

That's right, this is still rumbling on folks!

A Canadian pathologist has testified that there was a toxin present in Woolmer's body, but that he still believes that his death was of natural causes.  Quite how that is the case I do not know, but I'm so confused about this case, even after all this time, that my view cannot be trusted.   One thing that everyone does seem to agree on is that he wasn't strangled.

Have a read of it yourself on cricinfo and see if you can make head or tail of it. I prefer to remember Bob as the  man in the picture above.  [Image: Getty]

Performance of the Day - Cricket South Africa

Cricket is played in many of the more troubled parts of the world - England's forthcoming tour to the beautiful island of Sri Lanka is just one example.

Yesterday's horrific bombings in Karachi with their horrendous death toll has shaken all Pakistan. It would have been very easy for the touring South Africans to get on the first plane out of the country and fight any breach of contract cases from a sunbed in Cape Town.

They didn't. They stayed. They are willing to show that cricket's family can stand together and play this wonderful game anywhere there is a desire to do so. Who knows what will happen in the ferment of the next few days, but the Trumpet knows that today's decision by Cricket South Africa and its players and officials took real guts and that to do otherwise would have damaged world cricket. The Trumpet sends his condolences to the families of the dead and injured, and his heartfelt thanks to Cricket South Africa.

[The Tooting Trumpet]

Performance of the Day - Jacques Kallis

The photograph rather sums up Jacques Kallis - impenetrable, frowning, aloof, not really pleased to be there at all. Over the years, Kallis has built himself a reputation as a choker, a reluctant bowler and a selfish batsman, and there's more than a grain of truth in all those accusations.

But South Africa needed a lift after their dismal World T20 showing and the prospect of taking on Pakistan in Karachi over five hot days was unlikley to have filled the most enthusiastic cricketers with breathless anticipation. But the Saffers rolled up their sleeves, got on with the job and won today by 160 runs. To their enormous credit, there were contributions from every one of the XI, but none more so than Jacques Kallis' two centuries - a tremendous achievement away from home, well worthy of a PotD to go alongside his Man of the Match award. Moreover, it was the work of a man defiantly not sulking after the slight of being left out of his country's T20 squad.

Whilst everyone expects Tendulkar to push Lara's aggregate Test runs well beyond 12000 and then Ricky Ponting to overhaul it, Kallis is just 685 runs shy of Punter and 10 months younger. He may yet forge ahead of the Tasmanian Devil. Incredibly, Kallis also has 214 Test wickets. It's seldom pretty to watch, but the man can play.

[The Tooting Trumpet] [Image: Getty] 

Performance of the Day - Mohammad Yousuf

The Trumpet has an agnostic view about the ICL (Indian Cricket League) with its plans for non-ICC sanctioned matches: after all, it's hardly the case that cricket's ruling authorities are immaculate in their administration of the game. The Trumpet is old enough to remember the doom-mongers foretelling of the end of cricket when Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket lumbered into sight - but, from the vantage point of 2007, WSC appears one of the best things to have happened to the game.

But if there are to be reprisals against the ICL, The Trumpet doesn't mind a few ageing or fringe players being lost to Test Matches whilst compromises are hammered out, but he does quail at the prospect of the world's best players suspended from the highest form of the game. So the PotD goes to Mohammad Yousuf, who appears to have severed ties with the ICL sufficiently for him to represent Pakistan. Lest we forget, Yousuf is one of the world's greatest batsmen breaking King Viv's long-standing Test runs in a calendar year record with 1788 in 2006 and Test cricket cannot lose talents like that.

[The Tooting Trumpet] [Image:Getty]   

ICC World Twenty20 final: video highlights

ICC World Twenty20 - Villain of the day: BBC TV

It has been clear almost from its inception that the British public love T20 cricket. Lord's has been sold out for a non-ODI Final domestic match for the first time in living memory, counties were building temporary stands to cope with demand and all the marketing surveys showed that "the product worked".

The ICC Twenty20 World Championship could have gone as badly as Paul Collingwood's evening on the tiles, but once Steve Elworthy announced the ticketing policy (to ensure good to full houses) and the rain stayed off, the only question was the size of the ICC's success.

So with T20 a banker and ITV are locked into the Rugby World Cup, where was BBC TV? No live coverage (understandable with Sky in the mix) but no highlights package either? No doubt there will be suits to argue that budgets were committed etc, but The Trumpet has argued before that BBC TV hates cricket and there can be no firmer evidence of that view than its ignoring this glorious carnival for all but 15 second news clips. Resourceful fans of India and Pakistan will get to see their heroes today somehow, but like me, they'll wonder why they pay the licence fee at all.

[The Tooting Trumpet] [Image:  Getty]

ICC World Twenty20 - Hero of the Final: Everyone

Let me start by saying that seldom have I enjoyed a cricket match that I have not been physically present at as much as today's ICC Twenty20 Final. Then I must say that not choosing one individual as today's Hero is not a cop-out: it's a genuine reflection on both the match and the tournament. There were just so many contenders that it has proved impossible to pick a singe individual.

I toyed with going for the ICC - and there's a first - but they, and especially Steve Ellworthy the organiser in South Africa - have put on a top-notch show. Everyone has praised this competition: sensible ticket-pricing and allocations ensured full crowds at most matches, and the spectators were allowed to be vocal, wave flags and basically have fun. They provided great atmosphere, so maybe the fans at the grounds should be the heroes? Then there's the players. Almost without exception they entered into the spirit of the event and played with gusto and enjoyment.

Three more sets of multiples deserve mention: the commentators and guests on ball-by-ball coverage on the radio (I found myself actually enjoying Geoff Boycott who laughed with real humour a lot, rather than laughing sardonically), the writers of Over-by-over coverage on the internet - in various places - who brought wit and insight, and OBO contributors from all over the world who dedicated hours of their time to follow and send emails in to all the broadcast matches. All this added enormously to the enjoyment of following the tournament.

However, today a few players must be mentioned as Heroes. Umar Gul - the bowler of the competition and the main reason why Pakistan made the final. He ended as the leading wicket taker with 13 (ahead of Stuart Clark and Shahid Afridi both with 12).

Imran Nazir absolutely blazed the second over, attacking Sree Santh and setting up the match for nail-biting. That over went for 21!

Gautam Gambhir made 75 off 54 balls in the Indian innings - did that win the match?

R P Singh gave an outstandingly controlled show of bowling, got Gul out at the death - did he win the match?

Tanvir Sohail and Misbah put Pakistan back in the match and while 15 minutes before the end, it looked like India's game as given, we got down to the final over with India needing one wicket and Pakistan 13 to win. A Harmisonesque wide from Joginder Singh was not a good start, but then a dot ball. 12 off six balls. Misbah hit the next - a low full toss - way out of the ground. Six off four. Indian captain, the peerless Mahendra Singh Dhoni put his arm around Joginder's shoulder, whispered sweet nothings in his ear, and with the next ball, Misbah was caught by Sree Santh and it was all over.

India won by five balls and celebrations started everywhere. A cliff-hanger of a match. Cricket is the winner and the last word has to go to an Australian:

"Mate, it's been so much fun to be involved with."

Michael Slater on Test Match Special sums up these past two weeks for most of us.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

ICC World Twenty20 - Hero of the day: Mahendra Dhoni

The first semi-final today, between Pakistan and New Zealand left me somewhat cold. It was neither thrilling nor fine cricket and my heart sank as I anticipated the second. The signs were that this could also be a stroll in the park - for Australia. But fortunately this was not the case. We were treated to an exciting contest, and one worthy of a world-class semi-final.

Although Yuvraj Singh - recovered from injury - returned the best figures of the day (70 off 30 balls, making that a total in two innings of 128 off just 46 balls), my hero is India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He led his team brilliantly, never losing control and leading by example. He is called a "no-fear" cricketer, and certainly showed that this evening.

Sree Santh particularly was in belligerent mode, and might pay for that after over-appealing when hoping to get Matthew Hayden out, but in general, the team played the mood appropriately and were fierce but fair.

A mention goes to Umar Gul for his three for 15 earlier in the day, helping Pakistan to their win and ensuring a Sub-Continent Final on Monday.

And in a note for Test Match Special - please don't try to compare old Australian cricketers to classic British actors again. Ian Chappelli as the new Leslie Phillips? That just doesn't work.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]