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ADELAIDE: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq insisted Sunday there was no reason why his team could not be crowned World Cup champions after they saw off Ireland by seven wickets to qualify for the quarter-finals.
After losing their opening games to India and the West Indies, the Pakistanis have now won four on the trot -- including victory over highly-fancied South Africa -- and will face Australia for a semi-final place.
“Of course we can win the World Cup. We have the momentum. The bowling is doing really well, the batting is beginning to do its part. On the day anything can happen,” said Misbah.
“This was a pressure game -- more pressure than a quarter-final,” he added after his side impressed with bat and ball in Adelaide.
Sarfraz Ahmed made an undefeated 101 -- Pakistan's first century of this World Cup -- to see his team home, with fellow opener Ahmed Shehzad adding 63 in a first-wicket stand of 120.
“Sarfraz's was a brilliant knock and much-needed. I am very happy how he went on and stayed there till the end,” added Misbah whose side will return to the Adelaide Oval to face Australia on Friday.
Ireland finished on six points -- the same as the West Indies -- but missed out on a quarter-final place because of an inferior net run-rate.
Skipper William Porterfield hit 107 but no other Ireland batsman made more than Gary Wilson's 29.
“It is nice to get some runs but never nice to be on the losing side. We are disappointed not to have got more runs but they bowled well,” said Porterfield.
“It is disappointing to go out on net run-rate but the way we started is good and we continued well with the batters stepping up and getting runs,” the opener added.
“We have shown -- as have all the Associates (non-Test nations) -- that we deserve to be here.”
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Quarter-finals:
Wed 18 March – QF3 - Sri Lanka (A3) v South Africa (B2), Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)
Thu 19 March – QF4 - Bangladesh (A4) v India (B1), Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
Fri 20 March – QF2 - Australia (A2) v Pakistan (B3), Adelaide Oval
Sat 21 March – QF1 - New Zealand (A1) v West Indies (B4), Wellington Regional Stadium
Read more
On DawnNews
Comments (97) Closed
Mar 15, 2015 06:06pm
All the best...
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Mar 15, 2015 06:07pm
Pakistan can beat Australia only if Umer Akmal does not bat. Everyone knows the reason. If I write the reason Dawn will not publish my comment.
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Mar 15, 2015 06:22pm
@Capt C M Khan PLease tell us the reason, now that Dawn has published your comment.
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Mar 15, 2015 06:41pm
Even if you beat the Aussies there is just one tiny little roadblock... India! ;)
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Mar 15, 2015 06:43pm
Australia has a 51 and Pakistan 49% chance to win. It mostly depends upon the fitness of our ace speedster Irfan.
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Mar 15, 2015 06:43pm
Congratulations Pak cricket team. Practice, practice and practice. Go get them Shaheens. Make Pakistanis proud of your performance. Good Luck.
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Mar 15, 2015 06:53pm
@Ero "Even if you beat the Aussies there is just one tiny little roadblock... India! ;)" No problem. That's too tiny to worry about.
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Mar 15, 2015 07:04pm
Momentum definitely...and team with motivation and self belief will win!
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Mar 15, 2015 07:09pm
A question comes to mind. Why is the PCB keeping up with Akmal and Co?
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Mar 15, 2015 07:13pm
@Imran Lol. Yeah, we have seen how tiny it was in the past world cups!!!
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Mar 15, 2015 07:14pm
what ever India can do, Pakistan can do better.Good luck to both teams.
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Mar 15, 2015 07:15pm
@Capt C M Khan
Pakistan will surely beat Australia.
Stop!!!!!!!!!!!!your...............
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Mar 15, 2015 07:15pm
Best of luck.. Our duas are with you..
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Mar 15, 2015 07:22pm
@Imran May Australia lose to Pakistan in quarter-final. India will be honoured to make it 7-0 if offered a chance by Australia. Smashing TV sets won't let you win matches. It requires skills and performance. Someone has tell Pakistan fians that there is a difference between Ireland and India.
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Mar 15, 2015 07:25pm
It's upto Australia if they allow Pakistan to play with India in semi final.
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Mar 15, 2015 07:32pm
@Pravin Yes there is a different. Irish can fight. haha.
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Mar 15, 2015 07:41pm
@Asad And India does does not give chance to fight. It's always one sided.
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Mar 15, 2015 07:41pm
@Ero only problem for India is that they are one game away from being knocked out.I have booked return ticket for India after Bangladesh game.One of major upset of tournament,quite honestly not upset because India is Number 07 team in World Test cricket and Bangladesh is Number 08.So it is game between minnows of World Test cricket.
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Mar 15, 2015 07:42pm
@Pravin India is not going to be in semi final because Bangladesh has booked that place and India have booked there flight for back home.
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Mar 15, 2015 07:42pm
The winner of the world cup will be australia I feel ultimately.
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Mar 15, 2015 07:47pm
@Capt C M Khan Is this kind of comment needed when the way Pakistan team is playing?
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Mar 15, 2015 07:49pm
The next match will be the true test , so far the only A rated team we have beaten is South africa
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Mar 15, 2015 07:54pm
** Just focus on current more than upcoming
** Aggressive n attacking other player statements in press conference.
** 5 overs, check where they bowl average balls also previous record.
chances of batting wicket of oval.warner,starck,johnson n maxwell.good bowling attack,chase 199+50,target249-49
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Mar 15, 2015 07:54pm
I sense (may be a wish) it will be India vs Pakistan Final on 29th March, 2015. Cannot figure it out for now the outcome of Australia vs Pakistan and New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka at this time, hence the hazy picture.
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Mar 15, 2015 07:57pm
Correction -India or Pakistan will be in Final (that is my wish). Not that India vs Pakistan.
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Mar 15, 2015 07:59pm
Pakistan can beat Australia, If they give chance to spinners as they are not good at playing spinner recently said by Imran Khan.
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Mar 15, 2015 08:01pm
Practically it would be very difficult for Pakistan to beat Aussies.Until you plays exceptionally well,u r nt going to win!!!!(ground fielding)
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Mar 15, 2015 08:06pm
@Imran Defeating Australia is going to be the biggest hurdle for Pakistan! They are not Ireland...
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Mar 15, 2015 08:09pm
@Sarah Do you really follow Cricket? This is ODI World Cup! Don't talk about Test Cricket right now... I am worried if you will talk about Gully Cricket after some time!
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Mar 15, 2015 08:14pm
you lead by example cap thats why you have the teams respect and loyalty under your leadership we will win IA.
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Mar 15, 2015 08:19pm
The so called momentum would come to an abrupt end on 20th when pakistan take on Australia..
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Mar 15, 2015 08:29pm
Ok friends. For a moment pause the schadenfreude and appreciate that out of 8 QFs 4 are South Asian teams. All our teams, except the spirited Afghans( who qualified for the first time, which itself is a huge achievement) are in the QFs in Aus-NZ. We have done well folks. Let's appreciate it.
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Mar 15, 2015 08:32pm
Ok so Pakistan makes quarter finals by beating 3 minnow teams and south africa (thanks to D/L and rain which helped Pakistani bowlers ) and they think they are good enough to beat the Aussies and win the cup?
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Mar 15, 2015 08:33pm
@Pravin : You're talking as if India is already in semis. There's Bangladesh in the quarter final as well and I wouldn't take them lightly at all.
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Mar 15, 2015 08:34pm
And had Pakistan been knocked out, there will be a long list of excuses here saying how the matches were fixed and the whole world is always planning things against Pakistan. Lol.
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Mar 15, 2015 08:35pm
Ireland must be rewarded by making them full member of ICC.
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Mar 15, 2015 08:36pm
Why Pakistan should win this cup ? With no infrastructre in placed in the country and by design NO international team visits.... this will be a strong message to the wolrd... please help and trust us. Invest in PAKISTAN is worth of a try. Our top class players are crown jewels. INVEST IN PAKISTAN.
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Mar 15, 2015 08:38pm
In case we beat Australia in Quarter finals, we ll have to face India in semi finals. And our team doesn't has enough confidence to beat India in World cup. Two defeats from India in the same tournament would be much embarrassing for us as a nation.
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Mar 15, 2015 08:44pm
@ram wait for it mister .... wait for it
you don know wats happening
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Mar 15, 2015 08:47pm
I will be very happy, if Pakistan will beat Australia in QF, only 10 % chance. Because, then it will be very easy for India to beat pakistan in SF. And can safely say that India will be one of the finalists....Cheers....
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Mar 15, 2015 08:49pm
@Sarah.... Grow up. Didi....
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Mar 15, 2015 08:50pm
@Syed not possible coz if paki win they have to face India in SF.
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Mar 15, 2015 08:58pm
next game will be true test of whether pakistan have momentum or talent. I highly doubt they have either. Its just that world cup format is bit misleading in the sense that you can win lot of games against easy opponents and get false sense of hope.
Same applies to srilanka who have been beaten comprehensively in both games that were of any significance but still seem to be on bit of a roll.
Even though SL have 50-50 chance against SA, Pak has only 0.5% to win in quarters.
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Mar 15, 2015 08:59pm
Congrats Pakistan ... thats a commandable recovery ..... i was confident that Pak will make it to the knockouts ..... looking forward for a Semi Match .... India Vs Pak ... yet again ..... lets hope for that .....
Ultimately its a game ... one has to win and one has to lose ... lets hope for a match which will give bone shaking thrill to all .....
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Mar 15, 2015 09:02pm
Hmmm.....let's see. Pakistan has won 4 on the trot. No doubt, a good performance. However, only one of the 4 teams that they beat was an unexpected result (SA). The rest were minnows, whom you would back Pakistan to win against, 9 times out of 10.
I hope that these results do not end up creating high expectations, only to be dashed. Australia is a few leagues beyond the teams that Pakistan has beaten. They need to play better than they did against SA to have any chance at all. I am not saying it's impossible, but it is improbable. Don't expect too much!
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Mar 15, 2015 09:03pm
I Want to See Ireland More Match ,Ireland Should Win
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Mar 15, 2015 09:11pm
If Dawn readers are this emotional and irrational then I do not know about the common men on the street. This is the end of the road for Pakistan in this world cup. Be ready for a heavy defeat by Australia.
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Mar 15, 2015 09:15pm
@Sarah
plz wait for a few days. u will get to know who returns and who doesn't..
but ensure that pak fans do not break TV sets or target the homes of their players..
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Mar 15, 2015 09:15pm
What if, Pakistan v India final!! It would be the best outcome for cricket fans of all hues!
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Mar 15, 2015 09:15pm
@Vijay yes
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Mar 15, 2015 09:41pm
@Pravin , everybody knows the difference, they are all joking, do not take it so hard just a game, take a chill pill, sit back and enjoy.
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Mar 15, 2015 09:50pm
@Sarah being patriotic is good but being over confident I'd like posting too many mauka mauka revenge ads and losing miserably
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Mar 15, 2015 10:18pm
Haha .. he means all the way back to Pakistan on a flight ... good one Misbah ... good one o' old man ...
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Mar 15, 2015 10:52pm
Overconfidence and arrogance has always let Pakistan down. It's time Misbah should stay focused only on the next game. Do not underestimate your opponents. Improve the fielding and right team selection is also important. Not playing Yasir Shah against West Indies and Ireland was a mistake.
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Mar 15, 2015 11:04pm
very nice
love quotes
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Mar 15, 2015 11:15pm
Boys beat Ozie n lets have roll in semi's ... better should go to final :)
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Mar 15, 2015 11:29pm
@Ali
Instead of thinking these kinds of things,wish the team best of luck.
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Mar 15, 2015 11:51pm
Good luck Pakistan. This is your mauka :P
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Mar 16, 2015 12:04am
Talking himself up again. Let us wait & see.
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Mar 16, 2015 12:07am
@Sarah And where do you think we are? Right at the bottom?
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Mar 16, 2015 12:43am
@Vish1 India couldn't win a single damn thing despite of being in Australia for over a quarter of a year before the start of world cup. you guys are already the world champs in bragging. trust me, now that Pakistan is fully acclimatized, you guys wont like to face them in semis.
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Mar 16, 2015 01:10am
@Z Khan
For India to beat Pakistan in SF and make it 7-0, u will have to first defeat Australia which u guys can't even dream of with such a mediocre team...
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Mar 16, 2015 01:42am
This match was played in Coach Woolmer's memory and the World Cup Pakistani cricket team honored him profusely with a momentous win over Ireland... so one can be sure Coach Woolmer's family and his spirit are rejoicing : ))
Sarfaraz Ahmed Pakistan ko "kabhi dokha nahi dega"!!! GO TEAM PAKISTAN and show the Aussies how we roll ---> to a grand, glorious victory IA!
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Mar 16, 2015 01:54am
Shahbash Pak Team. Come on ground with confidence, Trust in God, united & Ur capability of performance , U will Inshah Allah win all coming matches. No matters which is the opponent team.
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Mar 16, 2015 02:17am
Yes, you definitely have the potential...all the best. Let's go Green Shirts!
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Mar 16, 2015 02:25am
Congratulations Pakistan! You all deserve to be in q/f. Unfortunately Saeed Ajmal, Hafeez, speedster Muhammad n SButt are not in team otherwise this cud have been a world class team. The match against Australians looks the last of Pakistan according to me. Australian attack is too good for Pakistan except Misbah, Umer n Younis khan there is no batting skill which can handle Ausies. India has a good chance against Bangladesh. It will be to my surprise if Pakistan or Bangladeshis win. In other two q/fs I will bet my money on South africa n New Zealand. Let's see. Cricket can prove everything wrong.
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Mar 16, 2015 03:38am
The outcome of the game will be mostly dependent the following factors:
1. The toss.
2. How Pakistan handle Faulkner and Maxwell.I say this because I foresee Pakistan running through Australian top order. I only see resistance coming from these two players.
3. How well Umar A, Shehzad, Sarfraz and Afridi bat.
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Mar 16, 2015 04:29am
I am an Ind residing in Sydney, a regular fan of Dawn and its articles. @Pravin that was completely out of order. Don't we all miss our both nations not playing enough. Good luck to all.
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Mar 16, 2015 04:37am
@Ero to be too agront .... you know Pakistan more then anyone else we can beat even on last ball .......you only have to look at the over all record .... you are lucky that you did not play Pakistan when they were at their peak otherwise it would have looked even worse ... i am more then happy to see Pak india in semi
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Mar 16, 2015 04:38am
@Pravin we 22 ahead of you mate ..... dont forget 6's
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Mar 16, 2015 04:42am
Congratulations, Pakistan! Misbah, now you have the real test. You have to simply beat Australia, India and South Africa/New Zealand. Road ahead is clear but against the heavy odds. The trophy is yours if you have the guts to play to their level and win them all!
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Mar 16, 2015 04:58am
@Ero Yep, "tiny" is correct
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Mar 16, 2015 05:12am
@Ero
The Roadblock will be removed!
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Mar 16, 2015 05:14am
@Vish1
You are talking about Pakistan
InshaAllah, mark my words, we will defeat Australia.
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Mar 16, 2015 05:16am
@Z Khan
Agreed. So true.
InshaAllah, we will beat any time now.
Cup is ours.
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Mar 16, 2015 06:15am
Playing Sarfaraz instead of Nasir paid off big time for pakistan.
Can we not start a petition for a thorough judicial enquiry on the
matter of playing Nasir in the first three games. I am sure a lot
would be unearthed behind the cricketing controversy . . . . . .
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Mar 16, 2015 06:31am
@Z Khan we are eager to face you in semis........ just make it up till that spot....... and again mauka mauka
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Mar 16, 2015 07:09am
In all world cup events, where Pakistan lost the initial matches,it certainly reached the finals - Highly unpredictable team - Their bowlers are capable of doing anything -
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Mar 16, 2015 07:36am
@Sarah
Pakistan was beaten twice but you people are dreaming that it will win the WC . Indian is an unbeaten team but will lose to Bangladesh ? You should go back to school and take some Math classes
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Mar 16, 2015 07:59am
The amount of Indian trolling here is getting beyond comprehension.
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Mar 16, 2015 08:28am
Only way to go all the way is attacking cricket. The way the bowlers are bowling ,setup attacking field and take the chances . Whether it be Australia or India , if they play positive cricket they will win the cup. Irfan/Rahat/ Wahab the trio of leftys are all wicket taking bowlers. Australia will try to dominate and play attacking which shouldn't put misbah in defensive mode. Otherwise we might be looking at a score of 350-400 to chase which is impossible .
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Mar 16, 2015 08:32am
@Vijay . Yes we do. And , Insha Allah we will.
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Mar 16, 2015 08:35am
@ankit . There is a thing called self believe and once you have it along with perseverance, you can achieve anything. See you all in the finals. Insha Allah
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Mar 16, 2015 08:39am
@Hummm . How about the other way around we beat you guys in the semi and lift the cup in the final? Insha Allah
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Mar 16, 2015 08:41am
@Veer I like your positive attitude and really respect your feelings. Hello form your neighbor.
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Mar 16, 2015 08:51am
May all you guys in green go out and win all your up-coming matches and make your nation proud. Insha Allah. All of us Pakistanis around the world are praying for your success. Pakistan Zindabad
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Mar 16, 2015 09:20am
@Ravi new Zealand or may be pak
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Mar 16, 2015 09:58am
We have to play Yasir Shah as we have no other quality spinner. Afridi failed to take any wicket in most matches especially against quality teams. Playing Yasir against India was akin to jeopardizing his career for ever. Even a common man knows that India and Sri Lanka can play spinners but Yasir was not given chance against the teams vulnerable to spinners. If and when we play against India the selectors would bring in Yasir again!
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Mar 16, 2015 10:12am
I am from Pakistan and support Pakistan. Just couple of weeks back, we seriously thought Pakistan cannot even qualify due to thousands of reasons that was expressed in this same newspaper columns. Now, that we have qualified, we wish to beat everyone!! OK, lets be realistic. Pakistan playing QF is a bonus considering the obstacles which kept happening even before the team left for Australia (issues related to Saeed Ajmal, Junaid, Hafeez, Moin, Sarfraz, etc). Now, there are only 2 things which is in favor of Pakistan at the moment. The bowling and the momentum. Our bowlers are performing amazingly. The momentum of win created can bulldoze any team at the moment. But, remember, we are the most unpredictable team historically. So, lets stay humble and wish our team good luck!!
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Mar 16, 2015 10:46am
Australia and New Zeland will not be champion of this world cup. The champion will be among India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and South Africa.
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Mar 16, 2015 10:46am
Dawn please publish this....please
My heart says Australia should win but brain says Pakistan should win....
Reason for first...As an Indian Muslim I would never want Pakistan to win.
Reason for second...India would find Pakistan much easier to beat in Semis than Australia.
I am not sure whether to follow my heart or my brain....some one please help.
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Mar 16, 2015 10:49am
Sarfaraz is proving that one man can change the luck. We need this kind of luck changer in democratic politics to switch the luck of poor masses. If Sarfaraz can not make a party, he can show the right path to corrupt leaders. No one should defame the Pakistani passport. Make Pakistan a super power and successful country, but catch and non stop catch of black sheep.
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Mar 16, 2015 11:05am
Guys! Good Job MashaAlllah! you played well as a unit and our prayers are always with you. That is most important. We are glad that with all the issues faced by our team we are still able to reach QF. Just take one game at a time as you have done so far, think of defeating AUS and work on it. There is some time to prepare yourself, learn their weakness and plan your strategy. All the Best!
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Mar 16, 2015 11:45am
We have the momentum to go all the way home after the QF
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Mar 16, 2015 11:55am
A quarter final win against Australia will mean a Pakistan India semifinal. WOw!
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Mar 16, 2015 01:20pm
People waiting for Afridi to come good and use stats like 1/12 matches he has a MoM award. The WC will finish before the winner has played 12 matches. Apart from Sydney I don't think spinners will play a decisive role in this WC. His avg of about 124 with 2 wickets in this tournament means he is bowling more to restrict batsmen than get them out. If however Lala shines as a batsman against Australia in Adelaide then all the stats means nothing. If Pakistan bat first they need to at least match the avg score batting first in this WC, which is 286, compared to the 2011 WC avg of 244.
Pakistan need to be positive in all aspects in their QF clash, and hold catches otherwise better pack up their bags for the flight home.
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Mar 17, 2015 01:02am
@Amir Thanks bro ....
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