Daily Cricket News

Ind-Pak mind games begin in Asia super show

New Delhi: India and Pakistan kicked-off the mind games ahead of their World Cup semi-final blockbuster on Sunday while New Zealand attempted to halt a three-pronged Asian assault on the title.

Pakistan, the 1992 champions, insist all the pressure will be on India in Mohali on Wednesday where the hosts' status as tournament favourites will come under scrutiny from a 30,000 crowd made up almost entirely of home support.

"If India were going to win the World Cup, this is their best chance," said Imran Khan, who captained the 1992 Pakistan title-winning team.

"I am not trying to play mind games, but the fact that they are favourites and are playing at home will means they are under more pressure.

"My advice to the Indian team is to take sleeping pills, otherwise they won't be able to sleep," added Imran in his Hindustan Times column.

Pakistan are keen to ramp up the psychological battle, fully aware of the significance of the first meeting of the two rivals on Indian soil since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

They also know that the number of Pakistan fans inside the PCA stadium will be limited to a trickle of VIPs and Pakistan Cricket Board officials.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has already made it clear that his side will target Indian superstar Sachin Tendulkar who needs one more century to complete 100 international hundreds.

"He will have to wait until after the World Cup. We will make sure no batsman plays a long innings," Afridi told Pakistan's Geo TV.

"India will have more pressure than us. With the crowd cheering every ball, they can get overwhelmed."

However, Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam, a former Test skipper and coach, has appealed for calm.

"Let it remain as cricket and don't make us feel as if we are standing on a war front," he said.

Sri Lanka will hope to make it an all-subcontinent final when they tackle New Zealand in the first semi-final in Colombo on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions, made the last four with a 10-wicket rout of England while the Black Caps defied all expectations by defeating South Africa.

New Zealand will be playing in a sixth semi-final.

"It is important to be confident but we should be realistic. New Zealand will be hungry for a place in the final and so are we," said Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara.

Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand by 112 runs in the group stages in a bad-tempered affair where former captain Mahela Jayawardene refused to walk despite claims of a clean catch by Nathan McCullum.

New Zealand's mood was not helped when the decision remianed not out even after a TV review.

England captain Andrew Strauss believes his team's five months on the road eventually undermined their World Cup hopes.

England's rollercoaster tournament ended at the hands of Sri Lanka on Saturday with Strauss insisting it was unrealistic to expect success when players are not given a rest.

After their Ashes victory, England played a seven-match one-day international series in Australia.

That was followed by a brief break at home before the World Cup campaign started in the first week of February.

"It?s a huge amount to ask players to go to Australia for three months, into the highest intensity atmosphere you can get for an English team, and then go straight into a World Cup without players spending time at home," said Strauss.