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
It’s only a game, the excitement is out of all proportion. A month back, I would have thought that India would easily beat Pakistan, but the Pakistani team has done really well in the World Cup. We could have a very close match at Mohali. Perhaps, the winner will be decided by the wicket and conditions, or by a moment of magic or madness from one of the players or teams. Having said so, if I had to choose one side, I would still think that India looks to have an edge.
Off the field, politics and diplomacy. Will there be a breakthrough? Both the governments, especially the Pakistani government, are too weak to make a decisive breakthrough. Every peace movement has been scuttled by powerful vested interests – Kargil in 1999, Mumbai in 2008. All it takes is a bomb explosion to sink all the good work. Peace will take a long time coming. But congrats and best wishes to Dr Manmohan Singh and PPP for their good intentions. May they achieve the impossible!
I do care who wins – Pakistan. Lets pray for their victory in full force and they play with equally the same force. After that I dont care who wins!!!!
Living in US I follow Cricket as a sport to enjoy regardless of who is playing; but that said my heart is always cheering for Pakistan
India will win handsomely…..no doubt on that score….:)
One thing is for sure…this is gonna be the match of the century…..and off course India shall win handsomely….sorry pak…:)
All my good wishes are with the Indian team. They are a strong side and can take on any good team on any given day. Bring it on Pakistan !
Cheers from Melbourne, Australia
Being a person of prepartition, and lover of cricket with my uncle used to watch cricket match between gov’t college lahore and Islamia college lahore, semifinal betwen India and pakistan has reminded me of those days,The atmosphere used to be as it is now , muslims used toraise slogans for islamia college while hindus for gov’t college,tensions used to be high but after the match every thing used to be normal, after partition Mian Saeed ,was appointed captain of Pakistan , that time Pakistan was not granted test status by ICC to pakistan, west indies tour was unofficial . In west indies side thast time famous 3 ws wereplaying , with fast bowelers name Hall and Griffth, Pakistan team was litterly thrashed by west indies ,as Pakistani’s hate to be defeated , Mian Saeed , was replaced by A.H. kardar , one of the best captain, all rounder and great adminstrator, he selected new team consisting of yng and old cricketrs and drew remaing matches.after partition, Indian cricket team arrived in Lahore , under the captaincy of Lala Amrnath,indian team had great players like spinner Guptay , Mankand , wicket keeper Tamhanay,umbrigor and others, Kardar had selected maksood Ahmed fazal mahood , khan Mohammad , Imtiaz , Nazaar shujud din. and others , match was played in Bagh-jinnah and it was jampacked , it was great match in which Maqsood Ahmed got out on 99, boweled by Guptay stumped by wicket keeper Tamahnay, I have previllage of watching from first captain of pakistan upto Afridi, always atmosphere is as electrifying as it is now ,match betwen india pakistan , will always crreate same atmosphere always, We have to see how Afridi handles this situation, he must remain cool and confident ,and all players should do their job well, i have watched Kardar , he used to remain confident until last ball. we should be confident too
” The Big team is one that click at the Right time. See the previous matches, Pak has the strongest bowling attack in the world and we’ll not let Indian batsmen to stand on crease.” We Love Pak Cricket, We are with you my Lions !
stop to think that pakistan wiil win…. and think that 2003 world cup match between India and Pakistan….
Still Pak have no a century player…beware of Sachin and Sehvag…..
We in indian occupied kashmir waiting for this match anxiously and hoping that pak’s bowlig wil vanish the indian bat. Pak have to won for us
I know that most people would say that pakistan should bat first and make use of the weak indian bowling attack and put up a total around 270/280+. I on the other hand think that pakistan should bowl first as their bowling is their strength and restrict indians to a 180/200 total with umar gul claiming 4/5 wickets for 28 runs and the rest of the bowlers picking up 1 wicket each.
The Clash of the Titans. Winning seems bigger then lifting the world cup, hinted by Dhoni. Mohali been unfavorable to India when it comes to a match against Pakistan. Last match played here between the two, was won by Pakistan where they chased a target of 300-plus. But the world cup history favors India. One thing is for sure, the end will make the cricket lovers happy.
Gentlemen please treat this as a game only and do not get trapped by immatured media of Indian and Pak side. Lets watch the match as cricket lover. All the Best to Pak and India teams.
It is a game not war.let both plays good criket & people enjoy it well.
India will win, just now I did Head & Tail.
As a indian i wish indian team should win.
Indian cricket has improved a lot and we have close to 5 to 6 players who can individually bring victory for the team. Viru & Sachin are in excellent form; Gambhir scored runs, Kohli and then Yuvraj. Zaheer is splendid form. I would favour India 60% and Pak 30% and tie 10%
Have been reading various comments 2day and whats comical is there in Pak ppl are talking abt talks of match fix & pak is paid to lose , here in india just saw a TV (yes TV) report claiming match is fixed and india is going to lose!! The first ? which comes to my mind is “Hey!! could this b true” but i guess we will never know , anyways its clear as an Indian i will want india to win & take pleasure in pak losing any match and i guess it the same if u r a paki.
I don’t know which country is going to win but i just want Cricket to win!!
It always been fun the matches between Pakistan and India…there is no doubt they both are very strong teams specially in this world cup, but not to forget that Cricket is by chance game.
Pakistan team must let Shiob Akhtar to play in semi final, as he already proof his best in this world cup.
As Imran Khan said that it would be Pressure on India, because of home ground, but remember the crowd motivate too.
“Can any one tell me about Mohali pitch”?
well i dont care who wins tommorow,,, but the cup ultimately must goes to an asian team.
I am an Indian living in UK. Whoever wins in the Ind Vs Pak semi-final match, I would say it say it is my brothers who won the match. For the sake of the kind of momentum the Pakistan cricket team got when the won theT20 with Afridi’s heroics, I hope Afridi will do it again this time. We actually enjoy his boom boom batting than the bowling. If Pak wins, it will help rebuild the cricket in Pakistan to its pre millennium level. Good luck to Pak team. But at the end, my heart beats for India. I can’t help.
Firstly, it is wonderful to see 3 teams from the sub-continent in the semis demonstrating this region’s dominance and excellence.
India has a very good track record while the Pakistan team is rising out of the ashes and steaming forward for glory.
It would be excellent if have Shoaib Akhtar in the team as that will boost Pakistan’s performance by stopping India from taking runs.
It is all about planning, discipline and strategy. It behooves Pakistan to display their high moral fiber by exhibiting sportsmanship and respect for the other team. It will be a sad day if there is loss of nerves or unncessary badmouthing the other team. May Pakistan win on that day!
India is a Great Nation, but India’s cricket setup commercialised now a days, but not fully. India is a strong and diverstified democratic country and it’s cricket administrators are also elected through ballots only. We are sure, the commercialised cricketing era will end and the next generation of cricket adminisatration will will put the game on top than money.
Regarding the Mohali Semi, I party for my National Team’s win, JAI HIND
I am a Pakistani living in Germany and I’m dying to watch ‘The Match’ together with my Indian friends here. I have always loved to share and celebrate our similarities; let it be music, culture, food or even crazy politics and corruption, and now thanks to cricket- we have another great opportunity to celebrate together!