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.”
Tweets @dawn_com
I believe, Indian cricket fans have since long come out of the paronia of an India Pakistan clash that existed during Sharjah days.Predominantly, game is taken at its face value and a good performance by Sachin or Afridi,Zaheer or Umar Gul gets the same applause and admiration.I personally wanted an India Pakistan final but semifinal is going to be equally exhilirating.I am going to root for India but if Pakistan comes on top,I will wish for them to lift the cup
You are correct !!! after all India & Pakistan are Real brothers.We love Sachin,& Aktar in same spirit
I like your comments a real sportsman sprit in the end, let’s see how it unfolds on actual day good luck.
Heartening to read your comment !
there was a joke in an indian news paper today.
“India played semifinals against Australia two days ago. India is going to play final in Mohali against Pakistan on March 30th and India might play quarter final to lift the cup on April 2nd.”
Great joke – I fully agree with the sentiment. For India as well as for Pakistan, the semi is the final – the rest unimportant by comparison.
Just wish all the BEST TO my PAKISTANI Team to WIN WC 2011, Pakistan Rocks
WOW! Lot of feedbacks. thats what the corporate world want from us. game is just game ,thats all. Dont give tooooooooooo much importance to that. this also like a ordinary game. do not put more presure on both side players.Do not waste our valuable time to think too much about cricket. it also a game like other games.
Pakistan should treat India with their own medicine. Remember Bangalore Test?? Pakistan trapped them with two spinners Tauseef and Iqbal Qasim on a spinning track. If India prepare spin track, treat them with Abdul Rehman and Saeed Ajmal.
India is well prepared to face any Bowling attack be it pace, spin swing, reverse swing blah blah.. Result will be the same 300+ atleast. Where as Pakistan didnt score 300+ even against minnows. India will win this match. I am expecting tough fight from Pak. (Dont want Srilanka-Eng scenario)
Abdul Rahman??
We dont even consider him as a 1/4 bolwer.
And Afridi is only good against Kenyas and Canadas
How many wickets he got against Aussies and NZ?? 1 each?
Mohali is not know for it spin track friend. It is know for it’s seam track. Any way I am Indian but still belives that PAK may be win the match. My all predictions are wrong in this world cup.
Come Pakistan brother, work hard and win. You have no alternative.
Good Luck!
I am looking for a day when India and Pakistan merge again to become one country and form…….
1. A united best cricket team in the world.
2. A strong Defence force
3. A space program which will overtake NASA. Send man to mars
4. A team of scientists who revolutionise Agriculture to maximum produce
5. A strong economy so that Rs. 1 = $46
6. A country which becomes a model for communal harmony
And so on……………………………
Perfect, if India & Pak united therewill be a change that change will change the entire world. A proud Indian
Our thoughts are same.India & Pakistan should merge.
haha next to impossible!
Nagaraj:
Thanks for good sentiment. We can (both) achieve all of the aforementioned objectives wihile we still remains within our boundaries. Anyway, you are a decent person.
When hearts are healed, borders will be swept away.
Keep on dreaming.
Good fences make good neighbors. Please come out of this illusion of merging again. We are two nations… just need to mend the relations, settle the disputes, make the borders softer like EU and we can still achieve the goals you mentioed. Insane spending on weapens and hysteria of war from both side must end. Peace
its my dream..
dear bloggers,please advice your near and dear ones(from both sides of border) to avoid those suffering from high bloodpressure and heart problems……u know why!!!!
I think Pakistan can win only iff they score 500 runs ..
Pakistan can win if they play first and make 260 runs…All the best to Pakistan team!
Yeah? I remember SA winning by scoring a mere 300, not so long ago!!!!
Indians will be facing a tough bowling side with lot of variety. Unfortunately due to self impose boycott Indians are not aware of the strength of current team. They will be eliminated by this very mistake.
Let the best played team lift the cup . lets show good sportsmanship .
Afridi says he will not let any Indian player to make a big score and Sachin will not get his 100th ton in this world cup. What an immatured and childish statement for a captain.
Any way best of luck for both teams.
Tendulkar Scored 98 in 2003 world cup. He can score 100th ton as well as get INDIA into finals comfortably. In last week Aus were playing mind games now pakistanis. Result will be the same.
James, what is childish in that, it’s the most important thing as he comes as opener if an opener make a century then it’s almost all over the game take the opponent to near to defeat….So he said rightly and he is the man Indian feel close to make a century everytime he plays and i feel it’s important what our captain said….maybe it feel childish to you, but in first 15 overs we need to make a balance of match only if we take their first 3 wickets within first 15 overs of powerplays….All the best to Pakistan team. Pakistan Zindabad.
Yes ..Afridi is not bothered whether he wins ..He has fixed with the bookies not to let any Indians score 100 and also not Sachin score 100 ..as long as he is able to fulfill that deal , He seems to be not bothered whether his team wins ..MIND you , in Ind vs. Australia , Ponting scored a 100 and none of the Indians scored a 100 but who WON
Afiridi says that he won’t allow Tendulkar to score his 100th ton in this World cup. All the indian supporters should thank Afridi. Becoz India is not playing well whever sachin scores 100 in this world cup, tie against england and a loss against south africa.
I am sorry how is this is a childish statement. Ricky Ponting made a similar statement about Tendulkar so why interpret it differently in Afridi’s case
On what basis is this childish and immatured? What if he does exactly what he says? will it be childesh and immatured then?
what if he doesn’t, It will be more emarrasing for him.
Insha Allah Jeet Bharat ki hogi
Inshallah Pakistan will win.
Boom Boom Afridi is looking extremely energetic and is at the top of his form in this tournament.
Whaereas India and dhoni are under great pressure. And ‘Where there’s pressure there is no luck’.
World Cricket is at an all-time high with the best World Cup promising one of the most pulsating finish to a “special event” whoch will be remmebered for times to come. Unfortunately, pakistan – the pariahs of ball-tampering and match-fixing fame are here to stake their claim over the most prized possession in world cricket today. With news that the extra-ordinarily strong Indian Team is favourites to win this contest what is the guaratnee that some Paki cricketer worth his salt will NOT fall prey to match-fixing this time round. What is the guarantee that the impoverished pakistani cricketers will not indulge in match-fixing again, ball tampaering again and resort to every unscruplous move to try and win this uneven contest ??????
Hope this will end up in a nailbiting finish and not a damp squib like the Windies match against the Pakistan. That lookedlike a amatch between esablished side and a local team out for some practice match or for that matter the mach between the Real Giants Srilanka and the gully team called England.
The real matches till now in the competition are India Vs Austarlai, Pakistan Vs Austarlia, Pakistan Vs New Zealand, New Zealand Vs SA, SA Vs India and ofcource the top match being India Vs England. Hope this one at Mohali equals all this but with a result please.
Remember no matter waht happes the Real Team to watch out for is SRI LANKA .
pakistan must open with Shahid Afridi and add atleast 60-70 runs in first 10 overs,then midder order should carry on, and later Abdur razzakh must finish the game. its no point Afridi coming late down the order and going with one 4.
You are dreaming dude !!! Given his form Afridi should be the last man to come out to bat..
We Indians are very professional and including in cricket its the pakistani’s who become jingoistic and vocal abusive which is quite similar to the australian mentality there is no doubt Dhoni’s men will play hard and if India bats 1st expect a 300 plus scoreline the god of cricket Sachin Tendulkar will have his eye on 100 th Century it depends whether he saves it for pakistan or the finals its his call but India will beat Pakistan convincingly there is no doubt in my mind.
look at ur cricket history buddy and you will know who became “jingoistic” in the past !!!
Well,
India is No 1 in ICC test ratings and no. 2 in ODI . what possition does pakistan stands for?
I have witnessed a few times Indian crowd obstructing the match and burning fires in the stands just because their team was loosing. In fact that had to give up a match due to the crowd’s indecency. Doesnt seem very professional to me.
Oh yeah India could not even defend 13 runs in an over in their match against South Africa and it was South African tail enders who took the match away from India. Seems to me you should have more than a doubt.
And mentality! well dont get me started on that
Haar aur jeet ka khell hai jo bhi jeete congratulation to both teams
This the mother no no no…..its the father of all world cup games. Wish Pakistan will win but its the tough match.A team win which has bare all the mental & physical stress. So good Luck both the teams.
not this time
I think this is the closest Pak can wish for a home ground.
I believe it will be some superior Pak bowling versus Indian batting. However, batsmen from Pak and bowlers from India may switch that since its an unpredictable game of cricket. As an Indian fan, I feel India seems better on paper but Pak indeed have the momentum which should see them through!
Let the best team and cricket win and lets not forget to support Sri Lanka so that at least the world cup returns to SE Asia
Been to Hussainiwala border retreat, have seen the people from both side of borders rooting … the charged up atmosphere .. and we are going to have a similar feeling on 30th march .
I firmly believe even the Pakistani brothers would have preferred and loved to face India in semifinal( just for the sake of passion a Indo pak match generates) … Just imagine the atmosphere when both the teams will be playing and the tension! it will be awesome.. want to see a free flow exchange in Punjabi between shahid and harbhajan….
Just one hope .. the game of CRICKET should be the ultimate winner! May the team that plays better on the day wins!
P.S. : As a proud Indian Punjabi!!! , I am rooting for INDIA
It is heartening to see Sahil’s message. It proves that Shoib Malik’s (earlier Imran Khan’s) statement claiming all Muslims of the world pray for Pakistan’s win is baseless.
Pakistani fans are waiting anxiously for this match to win. However, I don’t think Afridi can speak Punjabi…..rather it can be Umar Akmal to have chitchat with harbhajan.
Both teams are in good form and both are spirited to win. The chances to win semi final is for that team only which can handle pressure smoothly.I hope and pray PAKISTAN win this semi and we need shoaib akthar back in team he will be the key player. GAME is ON….!!!!!!
There is an old Chinese proverb ” same bed different dreams” We, Pakistanis and Indians are the same people, the same family, just slightly different thinking in a small aspect of our lives. Let us never forget that.
Now to the game. It will be a fantastic tussle, and over a billion people will support one team or the other. For eight hours I shall root for Pakistan. If we lose, I shall root for India to win the cup. I wish with all my heart that these two teams were playing the final, and the result?…….. A TIE !!
Both teams would have been declared joint winners. This would have done wonders for the two nations in bringing them closer, something we can’t seem to have achieved in 60 years. Why is it that we treat each other as family when living abroad, but not when were are in our own countries?.
So let the game begin, and let them come out punching hard for the day. Yes, there will be joy and there will be sorrow , and in the end, let us celebrate the wonderful game of cricket.
The preasure will be all on India, as we are the underdogs, and my gut tells me Pakistan will win.
On the other hand, if I was Indian, that same gut would have told me, India will win.
Ah, the joy of cricket!!!
Rizwanbhai,
So well said. I too live in USA and reciprocate your feeling. It is good we root for our national teams but let us also remember 64 years ago people of both countries would have rooted for the same team.
Well said, Rizwan.
The game of Cricket is a game afterall, but going by the past record of the matches being playd at Mohali, India certainly has better chances of victory. India’s batting line propelled by Sachin, Virender, Yuvraj and Raina etc. India will have surely an upper hand in crushing Pakistan and making its way to the Final. Even Sania Mirja has quoted yesterday that India is going to WIN this match on 30th instant. Let us hope, it goes like this.
– R.D. Bhardwaj, New Delhi
but not at this time u will be frustrate
Its , time to “choke” india’s WC winning streak against Pakistan.
My full support to Green Shirts………..ISA
with afridi there and his grand wicket taking, one may vote for pakistan. but india does have sachin yuvraj and zaheer khan. hazardous to make a guess. but i am sure this blog will certainly havemore than thousand comments and will unseat sania mirza sohaib malik blog at present No. 1.