Update: Dawn.com invites its readers to be a part of its first ever Global Blog and share their experiences by blogging in real time.
No matter where you are, just as long as you’re tuned in to the live coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 India vs Pakistan semi-final, here is your chance to provide your analysis, set the field, live commentate, share pictures and videos, predict the outcome of the match and have your say as Pakistan takes on India in what promises to be a cracking showdown.
For details visit Live: Pakistan vs India
The prospect itself is so hot that it does not require you to employ the art of phrasing and utilise your gift of gab in order to have your say, but have your say you must because its Pakistan versus India and the cricket fever doesn’t get any hotter than this! This is exactly why we at dawn.com would like to invite you to have your say and let it out your way regarding the biggest event, need I say, bigger than the World Cup final that the cricket crazy world is about to witness.
You can send us your critical analysis in the form of a blog post (blog@dawn.com) or shout out in a comment. You can also tweet at us @dawn_com or leave your comments on our Facebook page and we will feature it here along with all the other contributions from our readers. We’ll be challenging our own producers to come up with interesting content on the epic event to be held in the near future but we want you to have your say as well. Compose a song, make a webcam video cheering your team, or send us an audio visual slideshow! Do something and we’ll put it up for the world to see.
The internet has become an intense driving force in modern times as recent events have shown. Fuelled by the voices of the online population, this time around Pakistan vs India is bigger than ever! So, don’t miss out on this opportunity to have your say, your way, and let it rip. However, we do advise you, for the sake of “good sportsmanship” to refrain from the “free and frank exchanges of views on female relatives” which has always been an essential part of the India-Pakistan rivalry, as alluded to by Cricinfo.
P.S. Our friends from across the border are equal contributors to debates on our website, so let us be insightful towards content vouching India triumphing over Pakistan and not forget that as fans, what we’re really celebrating is the spirit of cricket.
P.P.S. The winner of this competition (it’s not really a competition, it’s just an opportunity for you to rant out whichever way you want) will get the chance to watch the Pakistan vs India Semi-Final of the ICC World Cup 2011 live on our competitor’s television channel!
The views expressed by the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
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Featured Comments
Taimur Sikander says, “This is what Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik had to say about the Pakistan-India semi-final on March 30: “I had given a warning yesterday (Sunday) that there should be no match fixing. This time I am watching it very closely. If any such thing happens, we will take action,” Malik told reporters in Karachi Monday.
“They should continue the practice and go to bed early, rise up according to their schedule and dedicate themselves to the game for Pakistan,” he added.
Mr Malik, we are also watching you very closely. Go to bed early, eat your cereal and focus on your job.
We’re sure it must be a tough job, picking out the right tie and handkerchief combination.
It is understood that you have since called and apologised to Pakistan’s captain, Shahid Afridi about your earlier remarks.
“A section of (the) press has twisted my statement out of context, and wrongly projected my words,” Malik posted on Twitter, Monday night.
You know what they say about those who speak too much…
P.S. The people do in fact trust the players more than they trust you, as is being said by many a Pakistani politician.”
Shagufta Naaz sent us a short piece titled “War Games”:
“‘Pakistan and India go to war in the semi-final’ screams the headline of a leading Urdu daily (incidentally, one of the same group that has been shouting itself hoarse in the pursuit of Hope for Peace). “It’s war!” say my friends as they gear up in green T-shirts (the price of which keeps rising as the date of the match draws closer). “It’s war!” state all the commentators, analysts and of course, the ubiquitous morning show hosts. Oh yes, a match between India and Pakistan can never be just that: a game between two teams; thanks to over 60 years of a very complex, painful history, any meeting in the ground is seen as yet another encounter with the enemy. It’s not just cricket, it’s war.
Excuse me, but am I the only one who finds this casual use of the ‘W’ word distasteful? Yes, winning against India is a matter of pride and honour (or so they say), more so even than winning against the Aussies, even though it was an Australian who called our captain ‘idiotic.’ What would our reaction have been if an Indian had said that I wonder?
But to come back to the impending semi-final, feelings are running high on both sides of the border — and even further ashore. Students studying abroad report that fights between Pakistani and Indian students erupt daily on campuses, even before the two sides have come together in the ground. These are kids, many of whom may not even have seen their ‘homeland.’ Certainly none of them lived through the horrors of Partition, the trials of the ’65 and ’71 wars or perhaps even the tense days of Kargil. So where is all this anger coming from?
Perhaps all Pakistanis are born with an anti-India gene; perhaps Indians too have an anti-Pakistan gene; and perhaps venting this anger at a cricket match is better than taking it out in a more deadly manner. But just for the record — war is about death, destruction and unimaginable misery. A cricket match is about fun, excitement and, if we’re lucky, a reason to celebrate. Let’s try to keep the difference clear.”
Comments on Facebook
Chinmay Sharma says, “Many ppl have said that this is just a game but lets be reasonable it is actually a war on sports field. India and Pakistan are playing after 4 years. It doesn’t mean that ppl will kill each other but its a kind of satisfying frustration of an uneasy relationship like tom and jerry. So far but so close.”
Muhammad Hasan says, “Clash of rivals, but with manners and ethics. 
bats not guns, balls not artilary crackers.”
Raahil Faraaz says, “There is huge excitement over the match and we are all looking forward to a great game of cricket that will be a victory for sport. It gives me great pleasure to invite all pakistani to visit Mohali and join us and the millions of fans from our two countries to watch the match.”
Zia Ullah Akhunzada says, “It ll be more than a cricket match.Pressure will be on both teams.A great chance for Pakistan to take the 1996 revenge.”
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It is very heartening to read the comments here.
I do hope that enlightened citizens on both sides push their respective govts towards peace. let this match be the starting point for a thaw in relations.
Pak has not yet played any strong batting line up like India. Even sri Lanka which has good batting line up beaten Pak in their league matches. It will be atest between Pak’s bowling and India’s batting.
If india bats first then 300+ score is far from reach from pak players. But if Pak bats first then don’t let them score more tahn 225-230. It will be a true match for skills of all manners like batting, bowling, fielding, managing pressure and playing like gentleman.
I am eagelry waiting for Shahid Afridi wo watch as he is not a gentelman player.
I wish good luck to both the teams but pray for India to win.
Go India Go!!
With shewag every six ,there is a little risk.
With sachin every four , yeh dil manga more.
With Ghambhir every run, there is a little fun.
With yuvraj every catch tere is a twist im a match.
With Pathan’s every shot there is a fear that he may be caught.
With Dhoni’s every centuary india hopes for victory.
With harbajan’s every wide , doni had to move aside.
With zaheer every wicket , we call the game is cricket.
And India’s every victory they create a history.
So win this cup and create a history.
Let the cricket match be a sporting event alone and not anything else. At the end, my wishes for the best team to win. As an Indian, I am definitely going to support my home team vociferously. But, should Pakistan go on and win the match, I would be very happy for them. The reason being, despite the political turmoil and unrest created due to some antisocial elements in Pak, they have managed to but everything behind and go so far in the tournament. And I will also support them in the final’s too whichever team they face.
I hope the crowd watching the match at Mohali exhibits the same spirit and lauds the victors. At the end of the day, we are all common people breathing the same air and yearning for peace and harmony. We cannot exhibit the hostility the politicians of the two countries display.
Pakistan and India should both show dignity and respect for each other, no matter who wins.
Against hoards of Indian cricket lovers and Pakistani cricket lovers there are but a handful of cricket overs in both countries
Love my India!
Firstly congrats to both the teams for making it to Semi-Finals. I am from India so obvious my prayers are for Indian Team. I would love to see people from Pakistan visiting India for the match. Dearest Brothers and Sisters we welcome you with open heart and lot of emotions, be our guest and enjoy indian hospitality. Don’t know when that day will come when we will hold hands and walk peacefully with a smile on our face.
Baba:
Thanks for very good sentiments. Good watching cricket.
Dear baba,
Lovely post, this is what we need between our people… we need to hold hands and walk together but on the other hand if we do that than the intensity of Pak vs Ind match will drop….
I honestly believe that Indian team is very strong than pak. Less than 10% chance for pak to win this game.
Match will be dull. No excitement. Easy exit for Pak.
Even Waqar & Akram( Great legend of cricket) could never win world cup match against India then Afridi & its company has no class against this team.
Dude,
Don’t forget how many matches India have lost to Pak with Waqar & Akram. They were tired of beating India at one stage. And as long as WC matches are concerned believe me history wont repeat itself this time.
You should’nt miss the match. There is lot of excitement coming for u.
I disagree with you that indian team is stronger than pakistani team. In my opinion the teams are equally balanced and it will be a close contest….. it will be a test of both contrasting teams…. one with strongest batting line up and the other with strongest bowling line up…. we need to be realistic… lets face the truth, sehwag, tendulkar, gambhir, kohli, dhoni, yuvraj and raina all these players are match winners, they can hti any bowler on earth and play big innings on the other hand pakistani bowling attack consist of Gul, Akhtar (if he play), saeed ajmal, razzaq, hafiz, afridi…. each bowler offers unique challenges to opposition and capable of taking any batsmen wicket…. in terms of fielding, india is a better team………..
Don’t forget that South Africa was also very strong before the quarter final but truth is that they exit out from world cup. So same thing can happen with India or Pakistan. The team, who will perform well on that day, will win. Also in some matches in worldcup, indian batting was almost near collasped. Same thing happend with the Pakistan also. So claiming that India will win is not a very strong statement or Sixth Sense.
Pakistan team going in the World Cup were not favorites! So for Pakistan fans, playing the semi’s and finishing numero uno in the group (with SL and Aus in the same group) should be pretty gratifying!!
Coming back to your comment, Pakistan needs 11 good deliveries and the young and exiting side has not too much to lose as they have accomplished a lot and leaned a lot in the last year!!
India on the other hand will have a lot of pressure being one of the best sides in the world and playing at home in front of thousands who EXEPCT them to win.
How can you say that? Didn’t India lose more games than Pakistan? You have to note that India always loses wickets at crunch time.Pakistan will be victors and meet Sri Lanka for the FINAL
No sir….
India and pakistan have lost one game each till now..It is just that India has one tie against england and you do not…
Well first of all something that should be said before coming in to the match..its great to see that comments being post here are so warmth and filled with Love also what i can see is a sense of responsibility (Unlike i usually see on you tube …lol)
Anyways Big Match coming up on Wednesday…being an Indian i want them to win but i know Pakistan very much capable to upset us.
Anyways whoever wins its cricket that should be cheered and i do hope that we get to see a Nail bitter this time after all its the ‘Mother of all the Matches’
@Rohit Raul: Please keep your promise! I’ll be waiting for the ladoos and sweets you will send at my home address til next week!
I like the attitudfe of Pak team .. no fear
well this is not the first time we Pakistani have taken on a oppostino 10 times bigge rn then us
we have done that with help a;mighty in and past and insha Allah we will do it agin
While talking to the media, Imran Khan said that the semi-final match between India and Pakistan is bigger than the final of the World Cup. The sight at the stadium will be very emotional as an old rivalry will be awakened.
Imran Khan has predicted that that Pakistan will play Sri Lanka in the in the final of the World Cup. He also dismissed Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s statement that they will keep a close eye on match fixing. Imran Khan added that no one can think of fixing the match between Pakistan and India.
On the other hand, former Indian Captain Kapil Dev said that the Pakistani Squad will be performing at their best under the leadership of Shahid Afridi.
I think your quote is wrong . Indian express has this quote from Imran . ” India has the best chance to win the cup ” . So he was not just talking about the semi final
Indian Prime Minister is very sincere to relation with Pakistan. Gilani also sowed maturity accepting the invitation of India. Sports always brings closer the countries. Definatly this match will improve the relation between India and Pakistan. My best wishes.
This would be interesting. Don’t bother about win or loss. I know passions would be running high. Lets just hope that we get to see some interesting moments and a nail biting finish. That would be complete PAISA VASOOL.
Game of cricket has brought excitement and joy for two countries, sport brings people together, Best of luck to both teams!!
Game of cricket has brought lot of excitement and joy for two countries, sport brings people together,Best of luck to both teams!!
It is very tough to beat India in India in a crunch match but I trust that by the grace of Almighty Allah and duas from the nation wil bring this triumph like 1992 world cup.
pakistan should not send such small inexperienced child team to indian soil and they might be scared by looking sachin and viru in opening batting. i dont know wht is going to happen with umargul…….may god save him from sachin and virus blast in opening spell…….
Let the sport competitions be fierce, but the comments should not be sarcastic. The two countries have a large deficit of trust in Governments, but the people to people trust exists, irrespective of fanaticism. Let the best team win and all Indians and Pakistanis will applaud..
We should encourage our shaheen’s instead discouraging by such comments. In my opinion young guns are more usefull because they got courage and passion which is necessary to defeat rival in WAR. Umar Gul is going to rockkk INSHALLAH.
as people are commenting here on paakistani media by indians , this show that common man in india yet not hate to common pakastani, we want peace in our neighbour, as they are our brothers
Well said brother. I suppose every common man has that love more than the hatredness. I was deeply awful when PAK flooded last year. We got few common enemies with no other job than spoiling this relation. May Insha Allah bless them to love peace. Jai Hind!
I am there with you ma bro…long live peace bw india and pakistan…
Yes to the peace between India and Pakistan ……………. Pakistan Zindabad
Its only the politicians who spread hatered and force us into WAR. Common man of both sides love each other as were a single country few years back. These politicians for their own selfish sake, have created boundries.
Some of the comments are emotional and reflect a great deal of inspirations which SHOULD be the value of sub continent. unfortunately the things had not been that way in past. But I hope that all such sentiments from both sides can one day win. No matter if it is a semi-final of world cup or a long-lasting peace-filled future of the region.
All the best to not only the players of the two teams but to both the nations as well.
Let the better team win.
It is a game and as an Indian I want India to win but would not be disappointed even if we lose, but take the finish to the proverbial wire.
Of course, both teams are good but it will be also a battle of nerves.
The only sour point is the involvement of the two PM’s. They have shifted the focus from the game. I wish Man Mohan Singh had not extended the invitation and PM Gilani had politely declined saying let the boys play and lets watch them on our respective TV screens.
The general public who want to watch the match at the venue in Mohali ( both Indians and our guests from Pak ) are going to have a harrowing time with the security checks etc and agencies of both the countries are going to be at their nerve’s end. What for???
I live in Punjab (India) and never have an ill will for my neighbor country … I grown up watching Pakistani TV program on PTV when signal reception was good in India (I think now it blocked).
Both team playing and wishing all the best to both . Hope they play a very good game !!!
Not very much cricket crazy fan (my 1st love football) but don’t want to miss Semi final match…
Let hope this match ends the annoyance between both countries and start a new league of Peace !!!
All the best to India and Pakistan …
I firmly beleive this’s Sachin’s Cup.
One great feet missed by the Master till now. I sincerely hope GOD who given him all success in this gentlemen game, also bless him to lift this wonderful cup for one last time. Hope every Pakistani agrees this statement if Pakistan unfortunately happen to lose. Sachin is beyond the country and relegion. One great soul played the game on to its merits and never been in controversies.
On pak side, I shall equate Saeed Anwar for this simillar gentleman spirit and being loved by everyone. I was in chidamabram stadium, chennai when that historical 194 was made. I stood(one among) and applauded the great achievement created by a wonderful human. I don’t think it would have been same if it was any other pak batsmen. Both played the game hard and their performance let the talk.
So, let’s stop all nonsense and praise both teams for having reached semi and pray for their success. Awaiting for an exciting cricket. Jai Hind!
All i wanna say about pakistan cricket team is
TUM JEETO YA HAARO , SUNOO HUMIEN TUM SE PYAR HAI..!!
(Whether you Win Or Lose.. Listen WE LOVE YOU)