India-Pakistan cricket game generates top dollars

Cricket might already be immensely popular in India but this time around, the general interest is even higher than normal — and so are the ad rates, according to industry sources.

Reuters
Fans of India pose in T-shirts with the faces of Indian players before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 semifinal match between India and Pakistan in Mohali March 30, 2011.

The governments of the two nuclear rivals have even used the occasion to rekindle peace talks for the first time since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. It’s only the fifth World Cup meeting between the two since the International Cricket Council launched it in 1972, the last time being in 2007.

“There’s always an increase during the cricket season, even more so for the World Cup,” says Amit Ahire, a media-and-entertainment analyst with Alchemy Share & Stock Brokers. “But this time, with India moving to the semifinal and playing Pakistan, there’s been an even sharper increase in rates for ads for Wednesday’s game.”

ESPN Star Sports, which bought the official broadcasting rights from ICC for close to $2 billion, has hiked its rates for 10-second ads in Wednesday’s game more than fivefold to between 1.8 million rupees and 2 million rupees ($40,000 to $45,000), according to ad-industry sources.

“It’s the highest it’s ever been in my career,” said Jai Lala, principal partner, at Mindshare Advertising, who’s been in the Indian ad business for 15 years.

Soccer game lifts Japan's spirits

Japan's national soccer team faced off against current and former stars of the country's professional soccer league in a charity match. It was the first event to capture national interest since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

ESPN Star Sports is a joint venture of Walt Disney Co. /quotes/comstock/13*!dis/quotes/nls/dis (DIS 43.09, -0.26, -0.60%)  unit ESPN and News Corp.’s /quotes/comstock/15*!nws/quotes/nls/nws (NWS 18.62, +0.06, +0.32%)  Star TV, which broadcasts throughout Asia.

ESPN Star Sports owns rights to broadcast in about 220 countries.

MarketWatch, along with Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal, are owned by News Corp.

The official sponsors of the World Cup that have already paid top dollars for their sponsorship are likely to be fairly happy about the turn of events in the tournament.

They include India’s Reliance Communications /quotes/comstock/29m!e:herohonda.eq (IN:500182 1,598, +11.45, +0.72%) and Hero Honda Motors Ltd. /quotes/comstock/29m!e:herohonda.eq (IN:500182 1,598, +11.45, +0.72%) , as well as PepsiCo Inc. /quotes/comstock/13*!pep/quotes/nls/pep (PEP 64.41, -0.64, -0.98%) and Yahoo Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!yhoo/quotes/nls/yhoo (YHOO 16.68, -0.06, -0.36%)

They also include mobile companies such as the U.K.’s Vodafone Group PLC /quotes/comstock/15*!vod/quotes/nls/vod (VOD 28.75, -0.45, -1.54%)   /quotes/comstock/23s!a:vod (UK:VOD 177.10, +0.55, +0.31%)  , which is trying to make a big push in the Indian market.

Television-audience ratings suggest viewership will be much higher than in any of the games in the tournament so far, with all the games where India played seeing higher interest than others, according to Indian TV-rating firm TAM.

In India, cricket already leads television ratings hands down and it has been on the rise for a number of years. In 2010, there were about 176 million viewers, triple the 57 million of 2003.

ICC World Cup 2011: India enters World Cup final after eight years

India on Wednesday entered the cricket World Cup final after eight years, beating Pakistan by 29 runs in a closely contested semifinal that could have gone either way.

Electing to bat after winning the toss, India set Pakistan a 261-run target and then bowled out their opponents for 231.

India, who now play Sri Lanka at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, will have a second shot at winning the World Cup which they first lifted 28 years ago in 1983.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: India Beat Pakistan to Reach Home Final

India squeezed past their cricketing rivals, Pakistan, in the Semi Final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on Wednesday 30th March 2011 at Mohali, India.

Despite being held to what looked like a slightly low 260 for 9 from their 50 Overs, India picked up vital wickets at vital moments, holding Pakistan to 231 All Out from 49.5 Overs, meaning that India won by 29 runs.

India will, as so often in the past, thank their match-best innings of Sachin Tendulkar (85) though Pakistan will, rightly, point to the fact that the mercurial batsman was dropped on many occasions during his innings.

Pakistan’s catching was, in truth, quite dreadful, as chances were dropped throughout India’s innings. An excellent performance from Riaz with the ball saw him pick up 5 wickets for 46 runs from his 10 overs, and some tight lines bowled by Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez restricted Tendulkar to fewer runs than he might usually expect to pick up.

Gul, who, up until today, had been one of Pakistan’s best bowlers, had a distinctly below-par afternoon with the ball, as he went for 69 runs from 8 overs, without picking up a wicket, on a day when a better performance was required.

India’s batsmen handled Afridi better than any side to date – the Pakistan captain failed to pick up a single wicket, and went for 46 runs from his 10 relatively tight overs.

But it was with the bat that Pakistan failed to capitalise, on a reasonable track, as they never got up to the just over 5 runs per over run rate required at any point in their innings. The pitch did appear to slow throughout the course of the match, however.

Misbah-ul-Haq (56) top scored for Pakistan, but was far too slow to add runs during the middle of the innings as he looked to steady the ship while the rest of the batsmen came and went. Afridi, speaking after the match, lamented his side’s inability to build a partnership during this phase – when a good innings from two batsmen would have been enough to see them home.

Each of the Indian bowlers contributed vital wickets – Harbijan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Patel and Nehra each took two wickets, and Zaheer Khan also contributed 2 wickets, if a little expensive, in going for 58 runs from 9.5 overs: Zaheer’s main contribution was the important dismissal of opener Kamran Akmal (19), but he took the opening and finishing wicket today.

India picked up regular wickets, but it was the quick-fire brace of wickets taken by Yuvraj Singh, who bowled out number three, Shafiq (30) before having number four, Younus Khan (13) caught Raina, taking the score from 103 for 2 to 106 for 4, that did most of the damage to Pakistan’s innings. They never really recovered from these blows.

When wickets came for India, they came in little clusters, and when captain Shahid Afridi (19) became Harbhajan Singh’s second wicket in a short space of time, at 184 for 8, the writing appeared to be on the wall.

Despite a late couple of big hits from Misbah-ul-Haq (56), the damage had been done: Pakistan soon found the score required passing the 4 and then the 6 runs per ball mark at the end of the match, before Misbah hit the ball to Kohli from the bowling of Zaheer Khan to mark the end of the match with one ball remaining.

Tendulkar was named man of the match for his batting performance.

India will become the second side to play a home ICC Cricket World Cup Final, when they take on Sri Lanka in Mumbai on 2 April – where a seat in the relatively small stadium at Wankhede will be the hottest ticket in town.

Pakistan v India – ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Semi Final Scorecard

India 1st Innings			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Sehwag	lbw	b Riaz	38	25	9	0
Tendulkar	c Shahid Afridi	b Saeed Ajmal	85	115	11	0
Gambhir	st K Akmal	b Mohammad Hafeez	27	32	2	0
Kohli	c U Akmal	b Riaz	9	21	0	0
Yuvraj Singh		b Riaz	0	1	0	0
Dhoni	lbw	b Riaz	25	42	2	0
Raina	not out		36	39	3	0
Harbhajan Singh	st K Akmal	b Saeed Ajmal	12	15	2	0
Z Khan	c K Akmal	b Riaz	9	10	1	0
Nehra	run out (K Akmal)		1	2	0	0
Patel	not out		0	0	0	0
Extras		2nb 8w 8lb	18
Total		for 9	260	(50.0 ovs)

-

Pakistan Bowlers	O	M	R	W
Gul	8	0	69	0
Razzaq	2	0	14	0
Riaz	10	0	46	5
Saeed Ajmal	10	0	44	2
Shahid Afridi	10	0	45	0
Mohammad Hafeez	10	0	34	1

-

Pakistan 1st Innings			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
K Akmal	c Yuvraj Singh	b Z Khan	19	21	3	0
Mohammad Hafeez	c Dhoni	b Patel	43	59	7	0
Shafiq		b Yuvraj Singh	30	39	2	0
Younus Khan	c Raina	b Yuvraj Singh	13	32	0	0
Misbah-ul-Haq	c Kohli	b Z Khan	56	76	5	1
U Akmal		b Harbhajan Singh	29	24	1	2
Razzaq		b Patel	3	9	0	0
Shahid Afridi	c Sehwag	b Harbhajan Singh	19	17	1	0
Riaz	c Tendulkar	b Nehra	8	14	1	0
Gul	lbw	b Nehra	2	3	0	0
Saeed Ajmal	not out		1	5	0	0
Extras		8w	8
Total		all out	231	(49.5 ovs)

-

India Bowlers	O	M	R	W
Z Khan	9.5	0	58	2
Nehra	10	0	33	2
Patel	10	1	40	2
Harbhajan Singh	10	0	43	2
Yuvraj Singh	10	1	57	2

-

India won by 29 runs.

India beat Pakistan to reach World Cup final

India beat Pakistan by 29 runs on Wednesday to set-up a World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Saturday.

Pakistan, chasing 261 for victory, were dismissed for 231 in the face of a disciplined effort by India under the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium floodlights.

India's 260 for nine, after winning the toss, was built around Sachin Tendulkar's 85.

But they might have made considerably less had not the 'Little Master' been dropped four times in an innings that still left him one short of a hundred international hundreds.

Left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz led Pakistan's attack with career-best figures of five for 46.

India's victory meant they'd won all five of their World Cup matches against arch-rivals Pakistan and kept alive the 37-year-old Tendulkar's dream of lifting the trophy for the first time in his illustrious career.

Brief scores

India 260-9 (Sachin Tendulkar 85; Wahab Riaz 5-46) v Pakistan 231 all out in 49.5 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 56, Mohammad Hafeez 43)

India won by 29 runs

India beat Pakistan by 29 Runs enter to Final

India kept their unbeaten World Cup record against Pakistan intact as they beat the arch rivals by 29 runs in the second semifinal here on Wednesday.

Harbhajan Singh gave India the much-needed wicket of Umar Akmal when he ended the youngster's 29-run cameo by bowling him off the first ball after the drinks break in the second semifinal of the World Cup here on Saturday.

MS Dhoni's tactic to chop and change his bowlers worked to India's advantage when the left-arme struck a double blow to first castle Asad Shafiq and then invited a mistimed drive from Younis Khan to put India on top in the second semifinal of the World Cup here on Saturday.

Some tight overs by Indian bowlers led to the wicket of Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez who played a loose shot to give Munaf Patel his first wicket of the innings in the second semifinal of the World Cup here on Saturday.

Pakistan openers got their team off to a comfortable start of 44 runs but Zaheer Khan struck just just when India needed him to, when he removed Kamran Akmal in the second semifinal of the World Cup here on Saturday.

Earlier, Pakistan openers Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez looked in no trouble whatsoever as MS Dhoni chose to open the bowling with Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra to defend a competitive 260.

Wahab Riaz returned for his final spell of the innings and struck right away to take his fourth and the Indian innings' sixth wicket to put his team on top in the World Cup semifinal here on Wednesday.

Sachin Tendulkar's perhaps most charmed innings in one-day internationals was ended by Saeed Ajmal who had the Indian maestro caught in the covers to give Pakistan an upper hand as the Inidian innings entered the last 10 overs in the World Cup semifinal here on Wednesday.

Wahab Riaz broke the back of Indian middle order when he sent back Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh off successive deliveries to bring Pakistan right back in the World Cup semifinal here on Wednesday.

Earlier, Sehwag got India off to a rampant start against Pakistan as he hit Umar Gul for five boundaries in the pacer's second over and also brought up his 1000 runs against Pakistan.

Sachin Tendulkar survived two close calls off consecutive Saeed Ajmal deliveries as the DRS and third-umpire came to India's rescue to give Tendulkar not out on lbw and stumping appeals respectively here in the World Cup semifinal on Wednesday.

Earlier, Sehwag got India off to a rampant start against Pakistan as he hit Umar Gul for five boundaries in the pacer's second over and also brought up his 1000 runs against Pakistan.

But Shahid Afridi's decision to bring on left-armer Wahab Riaz into the attack brought immediate result as the quickie took out a dangerous Sehwag after the Indian opener had made a brisk 38 runs of 25 balls.

Sehwag immediately called for a review of Simon Taufel's decision, but it remained unsuccessful.

On the other end, Sachin looked pretty assured and took India to 73/1 in 10 overs, after which two deliveries stopped India's heart.

Earlier, the most awaited match of the 2011 World Cup got underway here in the northern Indian city of Mohali with a loud cheer receving the two captains for the toss that MS Dhoni won and decided to bat.

India has dropped Ashwin and pacer, Ashish Nehra is back in team. Pakistan has no changes in the team.

 

Afridi said that this is his biggest game as captain and Pakistan are playing an unchanged team, which means they might have seen the last of Shoiab Akhtar.

 

Dhoni said after the change in team that it was because he wanted to have more options to work with.

 

In the World Cup games, both India and Pakistan has met 4 times and India has won all the four matches.

 

In Mohali, both met each other 2 times and Pakistan won both the times. Both played 115 matches, out of which Pakistan has won 69 matches while India has won 46 matches.

 

 India Playing XI: V Sehwag, S Tendulkar, V Kohli, S Raina, G Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, A Nehra, M Patel.

Pakistan Playing XI: Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul

India win battle with Pakistan to set up World Cup showdown against Sri Lanka

India beat bitter rivals Pakistan by 29 runs to set up a World Cup final showdown against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Sachin Tendulkar was dropped four times and still fell 15 runs short of becoming the first man in cricket history to make 100 international hundreds as India made 260-9 in their 50 overs.

And Pakistan quickly fell behind the asking rate despite a half-century from Misbah-ul-Haq and were eventually bowled out for 231.

More to follow

Rub of the green: Tendulkar was dropped three times on the way to his 85 against Pakistan

Just not enough: Wahab Riaz was in fine form with figures of five for 46 but he still ended up on the losing side

Crowd-pleaser: Fans cheer as Virender Sehwag gets India off to a flying start against Pakistan in Mohali

Pakistan lose Six wickets for 163 runs in World Cup semi-final

Mohali: Chasing India's total of 260 for 9, Pakistan has lost four wickets for 107 runs in the second semi-final at the Punjab Cricket Association ground in Mohali. They need another 154 runs in the remaining 23 overs with six wickets in hand.

In pictures: All the action at ICC World Cup

Indian pacer Zaheer Khan ended the 44 runs opening partnership when had Kamran Akmal caught by Yuvraj Singh at point while going for a square drive. Mohammad Hafeez, who had started to stroke nicely went for an uncalled for paddle sweep off Munaf Patel and edged to wicketkeeper Dhoni for 43 runs.

Yuvraj Singh, the man with the golden arm provided another breakthrough after Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq had put on 33 runs in 8.2 overs. Shafiq, going for a cut off the backfoot missed the straight delivery from him to be bowled for 30 runs. Singh also went on to pick the prize wicket of experienced Younis Khan for 13, caught by a leaping Suresh Raina at cover.

Earlier, Pakistan left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz produced a fine spell of 5 for 46 as India went to post a challenging 260  for 9 in the second World Cup semifinal at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium in Mohali.

India’s master blaster Sachin Tendulkar cracked a fine 85 runs off 115 balls studded with 11 boundaries.

From a healthy 116 for 1, India slipped to 187 for 5 with Riaz kept striking repeatedly. Tendulkar went on to crack  his 95th One-day half century and 15th in World Cup as Riaz struck two vital blows picking the wickets of Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh off successive balls.

Earlier, Tendulkar had become the first player to score more than 400 runs thrice in World Cup breaking Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting’s record of scoring over 400 runs twice in the World Cup. Virender Sehwag, when he cracked the first boundary off Umar’s Gul third ball of the first over completed 1,000 One-day international runs against Pakistan. He played some delectable shots and put on 48 runs with Sachin Tendulkar in 5.5 overs.

Wahab Riaz trapped Sehwag with a delivery that skidded to win a leg before decision. Sehwag had hit nine boundaries during his knock of 38 runs.

In the 11th over, Tendulkar survived two close calls. First he was given out leg before Ian Gould of a delivery from Saeed Ajmal. On review it was proved that the ball was missing the leg stump. Tendulkar was on 23. The very next ball he almost got stumped but replays showed he hadn’t lifted his feet.

However, Gautam Gambhir wasn’t lucky like Tendulkar.  At his score on 27 he was beaten by the flight of Mohammad Hafeez and got stumped by Kamran Akmal.

Gambhir and Tendulkar had put on 68 runs in 13 overs. Tendulkar got a lucky escape at his score on 45 when he was dropped by Younis Khan off Shahid Afridi. Indian score was 118 for 2 at that time.

Wahab Riaz took two vital wickets of Kohli, who was caught at backward point by Umar Akmal while Yuvraj Singh was clean bowled first ball to give him a hat-trick chance.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni prevented him from getting a hat-trick. Tendulkar continued to bat without being affected. At his score on 81, Tendulkar’s attempted pull shot in the air was dropped by Umar Akmal at wide mid-wicket. He went on to add only four more runs.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi, who was upset with the earlier dropped catch, held on to a powerful shot from Tendulkar at short extra cover off Saeed Ajmal. Tendulkar and Dhoni had put on 46 runs in 11.3 overs.

Dhoni on 24 became the seventh batsman to score 1,000 runs against Pakistan in One-day matches. One run later he was trapped leg before by Riaz. Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh put on 31 runs for the seventh wicket. After Harbhajan’s exit, Raina remained unbeaten on 36 to ensure India cross the 250 runs mark.

Riaz bowling the last over picked the wicket of Zaheer Khan to pick his fifth wicket.

Clash of the Titans

The India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final clash is being hailed as the mother of all cricket battles. It is a battle which has brought the two nations to a standstill. Both teams are so evenly balanced that the game is expected to be close.

India won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium in Mohali. They left out spinner R. Ashwin and brought in pacer Ashish Nehra. Pakistan is feilding an unchanged team from their last match.

Many here believe that the match will be a thriller, so much so that it could even make the legendary suspense movie maker Alfred Hitchcock proud.

The drama around this match is unprecedented, with politicians jumping into the fray to capitalise on its glamour — prime ministers of both nations are expected to watch the action live.

PMs meet for 'cricket diplomacy'

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday to watch the cricket World Cup semi-final between their two countries.

The two men were seated in the VIP box for the national anthems before heading on to the pitch at the Mohali stadium in northwest India to shake hands with players from both sides.

THE PLAYERS

India: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra.

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi (captain), Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal.

OFFICIALS

Umpires: Ian Gould, England, and Simon Taufel, Australia.
TV umpire: Billy Bowden, New Zealand, Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle, Sri Lanka.

Cricket World Cup 2011, India Vs. Pakistan: The Most Important Game You Don't Know About

The national pride of 1.4 billion people is currently on the line as India faces off against arch-rivals Pakistan in the semi-finals of the 2011 Cricket World Cup. (You can follow along online here.) Like its counterpart in soccer, the Cricket World Cup is held once every four years (the holders, Australia, were knocked out by India in the last round), so the chance to advance to the finals doesn't come around very often. A World Cup semi-final would be important enough without it being India vs. Pakistan, but those two countries being involved just takes the game to new heights. Consider the following:

• Cricket is the main sport of both countries, meaning that the natural expression for the political problems between both sides are being taken out on the wicket. The cricketing rivalry between India and Pakistan is insane (think Yankees-Red Sox with 100x the fans and all of the crazy). The last time these sides met, there was nearly a brawl on the field.
• One-day internationals (ODIs) aren't crazy-long. Test cricket can last for days, with subtle strategies which cricket enthusiasts find interesting but that drive everyone else to drink. Short-form cricket involves seeing the ball and hitting it very hard. All the time.
• Pakistan was originally set to co-host the 2011 World Cup with India, but after terrorist attacks on foreign cricket teams touring the country in 2009 lost out to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This cost Pakistan a lot of money, and although the reasons for doing it were fairly obvious, fans still aren't particularly pleased about losing the chance to have World Cup games in their back yard. Oh, and the game itself? It's being held in India.
• Both teams are very good. India is ranked second in the world in one-day international cricket, while Pakistan is fifth. Amazingly, neither team even made it out of the knockout rounds in the 2007 World Cup, but each team has lost a final within the past twelve years. However, despite being one of the stronger sides in the world and having a winning record against India overall, Pakistan are 0-4 all time against India in the World Cup.
• Sachin Tendulkar plays for India. Tendulkar, now 37, is widely considered to be one of the best players ever to grace the field and holds most of international cricket's batting records. Many might not be familiar with the idea of cricketers as world superstars, but check out this quote: "I have seen God. He bats at no. 4 in India in Tests". From a fan, that would be kind of cool, but it comes from Matthew Hayden, one of Australia's top batsmen over the past two decades.
• Did I mention the over 100 million fans who are watching the game right now?

Although the match started early this morning, it's barely halfway over, with India holding a commanding lead over Pakistan. That Tendulkar guy did the business too, knocking 86 runs during his stand, and it looks like he's put the hosts on course for victory, unless Pakistan can come up with something spectacular, which frankly happens a lot in these matches.

ICC Cricket World Cup India vs Pakistan game tension too much, even for PMs

The tension was too much even for the prime ministers of Pakistan and India. Midway through Wednesday's blockbuster World Cup semifinal, the premiers slipped away for a rest.

The break was actually pre-planned, but it must have been welcome as Pakistan's bowlers restricted India to a competitive but reachable 260 for nine.

Indian premier Manmohan Singh and Pakistan counterpart Yousuf Gilani returned as planned at 7pm local time to witness Pakistan's chase at a ground packed to its 28,000 capacity almost exclusively with anxious India fans.

The carnival atmosphere which had greeted Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag as they strode out to open the batting for India had long since given way to an air of edginess.

Tendulkar, seeking his 100th international century, and Sehwag were greeted by a tumultuous roar as they walked out at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium.

Watching them was a host of Bollywood superstars, dignitaries and high-ranking politicians — including the Prime Ministers of both countries in what is being seen as a possible first step toward improved diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan.

Singh and Gilani were warmly cheered by the crowd as they arrived on the pitch following the national anthems. Singh shook hands with the Pakistan players before Gilani, while the roles were reversed as the pair met the India team.

A group of fans held up a banner featuring both the Indian and Pakistan flags on either side of the printed words "Friends Forever."

With the two premiers in attendance, security was inevitably tighter than at any other match. Roads around the fortified stadium were closed, and anyone entering the ground had to negotiate several checks, with bags being meticulously searched for any dangerous or suspicious objects.

Police and soldiers on foot, on horse back and armored vehicles patrolled outside the stadium, where a crush of fans had gathered.

The match had been sold out for more than a week but that didn't stop people queuing at the ticket office in the days leading up to the game, hoping that more seats might be released. On the black market, tickets reportedly fetched up to 100 times their face value.

Those who weren't fortunate enough to get their hands on a ticket watched on big screens set up around nearby Chandigarh, which came to a standstill for the game.

Police also relaxed a ruling banning people living near the ground from climbing on their roofs to get a birds-eye view.

Businesses across the country shut down for the afternoon — in the knowledge that productivity would undoubtedly drop to zero anyway.

The government decreed a half day in Pakistan, meaning work stopped at noon so that people could watch the match.

The sporting rivalry between the nations is as intense as any, but the match took on an added political significance when Gilani accepted Singh's invitation to watch with him.

"I am going there to show solidarity with our team, with their team and to promote cricket," Gilani said.

While the premiers headed to their VIP box, the sellout crowd had their eyes trained on the pitch, most of those eagerly hoping national sporting icon Tendulkar could score a century. There were small pockets of Pakistan fans waving the green and white flag, but they were almost invisible in a sea of Indian supporters.

Tendulkar, whose face adorns posters across the city, was dismissed for 85 after surviving a series of close calls, including four dropped catches.

The crowd fell silent before cheering the world's greatest batsmen from the pitch, but Indian wickets kept falling to leave Pakistan within reach of an upset over its fiercest rival.

The innings break — a chance for the fans to catch their breath — was welcomed not just in the stadium. At Chandigarh, streets that had been quiet during the Indian innings were suddenly teaming with people and bustling with activity at the break between innings.

As the Pakistan reply started, the streets emptied again as people headed back indoors to watch the match.

Pakistan 142/5 off 33 overs chasing 261 vs India

MOHALI: Pakistan made a brisk start to reach 52 for one from 10 overs in pursuit of India's 260 for nine in their World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Left-arm pace bowler Wahab Riaz took 5-46 while Sachin Tendulkar, one short of an unprecedented 100 international centuries, was dropped four times on his way to 85. Pakistan dropped two other catches.

The winners will face Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai on Saturday.

* Kamran Akmal struck two confident boundaries off Zaheer Khan's opening over. Zaheer, India's best bowler, was taken off after two overs in which he was unable to get any swing with the new ball. He was replaced by Munaf Patel, who bowled an accurate opening over, but then conceded boundaries in one over from Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez. Zaheer returned in the ninth over and broke through immediately getting Akmal (19) caught at point by Yuvraj Singh. 52/1 off 10 overs

* Virender Sehwag received a deafening ovation when he drove the third ball of the match from Umar Gul to the cover boundary.

He helped himself to a further three fours through an unprotected leg-side and two through the off in Gul's next over followed by a further brace in the hapless paceman's third.

Riaz replaced Abdul Razzaq at the other end and was immediately successful when Sehwag played across his fifth ball and was given out lbw. 49/1 off six overs

* Tendulkar played two exquisite shots off Riaz, turning his wrists late to steer the ball through the leg-side for four then dipping low to carve another boundary through the covers.

With left-hander Gautam Gambhir at the crease, off-spinner Saeed Ajmal was introduced to the attack in the ninth over. 73/1 off 10 overs

* Tendulkar survived appeals off consecutive balls from Ajmal which temporarily silenced the crowd. He was given out lbw for 23 by Ian Gould but appealed against the decision and won a reprieve when the television replay showed the ball would have missed the leg-stump.

Pakistan appealed for a stumping off the next ball and Tendulkar was again reprieved when the replay showed his back foot was grounded. Tendulkar's charmed life continued wheh he was dropped on 27 off Shahid Afridi by Misbah-ul-Haq at mid-wicket mistiming a pull. 99/1 off 15 overs

* Pakistan's luck appeared to turn when off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez lured Gautam Gambhir (27) out of his crease and Kamran Akmal completed the stumping. He added had 68 runs from 66 balls with Tendulkar. But Tendulkar was then dropped on 45 by Pakistan's safest catcher Younus Khan in the covers off the unfortunate Afridi. Tendulkar added to the Pakistan captain's chagrin by driving Afridi over cover to bring up his half-century from 67 balls. 141/2 off 25 overs

* Riaz, brought back into the attack, immediately began to reverse swing the old ball and was rewarded with the wickets of Virat Koli (9) , who lobbed a catch into the covers. Yuvraj, who had averaged 113.66 previously in the tournament, was bowled next ball by a magnificent yorker. 168/4 off 30 overs

* Afridi recalled Gul, whose first four overs had cost 41 runs, to see if he could emulate Riaz and reverse the ball. Tendulkar received two further lives when he was dropped by Kamran Akmal on 70, a difficult chance behind the stumps, again off Afridi. Akmal's brother Umal then dropped Tendulkar on 81 off Hafeez at wide mid-wicket. Tendulkar's luck finally ran out when Afridi held a fierce drive at short-cover off Ajmal after he had scored 85. 200/5 off 40 overs

* Dhoni struggled to get bat to ball as the Indian run rate slipped further. He tried to clip Riaz off his legs but missed a ball which was heading straight for the stumps A series of full tosses from Gul, who had a day to forget, helped India accrue some invaluable late runs, mostly to Suresh Raina who finished on 36 not out from 39 balls. 260/9 off 50 overs

Watch India vs Pakistan Live Stream (30.03.2011) ~ ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 | Semi - Final

This is the second semi-final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. In World Cup history India win maximum match last eight years against Pakistan. On the other hand, Pakistan now in from and they will not compromise. Obviously, Pakistan vs India match always have some extra pressure and thats why i hope people will enjoy this exclusive cricket match. However, the pre match situation i think you will enjoy it. If you want to enjoy India vs Pakistan live stream coverage just stay with us. Live streaming link of Pakistan vs India match will be available here just from toss. Live

World Cup fever grips radio , BIG FM to air ‘Bollywood Ka World Cup’

92.7 Big FM, the official radio partner for ICC World Cup 2011 gears up for the finale of their most exhilarating game ‘TVS Tyres Bollywood ka World Cup’, an action packed property that brought together the two biggest passions of the country – Bollywood and Cricket. Listeners of 92.7 BIG FM got a chance to be a part of their favourite Bollywood superstars’ team and play the game of cricket on air. One over = 6 questions about a celeb, the one with maximum right answers wins.

After enthralling the 2.6 lac registered listeners and 8500 participants on-air, the game reaches it’s finale, where arch rivals, the Badshah of Bollywood – SRK will battle it out against the heartthrob of bollywood Sallu and the sensational Katz will pitch against the queen of hearts – PC Choppers. The finale will take the pitch of the most sensational game on radio to a new level. And the occasion couldn’t be better, as the Indian team takes on it’s arch rivals Pakistan today!

Registered users will play for the pride of their favorite stars, to once and for all conclude ‘who’s the number uno of bollywood’, for the love of the game – cricket, but most importantly, for the tickets of the ICC World Cup finale.

Commenting on this development, Soumen G Choudhury, Business Head, 92.7 BIG FM. commented, “At 92.7 BIG FM, we are proud to bring the two largest passions of our listeners - Bollywood and Cricket together with our programming ‘TVS Tyres Bollywood Ka World Cup’. The game saw overwhelming response from across 45 stations of 92.7 BIG FM where over 2.6 lac people registered and over 8500 lucky listeners were selected to play the game on air. The radio cricket now enters finale with the top Bollywood teams fighting against each other to attain the number one position. We thank our partners TVS Tyres on being a part of this exciting venture and we hope that the finalists will fight not only for the love of their Bollywood biggies but also for the love of the game, Cricket!”

India vs Pakistan: Afridi and co needs 261 runs to win Mohali battle

MOHALI: Pakistan’s young left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz recorded the best day in his brief cricket career in the semi-final clash of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 against India at Mohali on Wednesday when he stunned India with five wickets, who failed to take full advantage of Sehwag and Sachin’s heroics.

Star of the Show: Wahab Riaz. Courtesy: Getty Images

Virender Sehwag gave India a flying start and Sachin Tendulkar kept the momentum after losing his opening partner and it all looked one way traffic at the halfway stage of the innings with India comfortably placed at 141 runs for two wickets from 25 overs.

Indian fans stunned. Courtesy: AP PHOTO

Umar Gul had went for too many while Abdul Razzaq never looked impressive with the ball, leaving skipper Shahid Afridi to turn to young Wahab, who got rid of Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh on successive deliveries leaving India rocked at 141 for four.

Indian and Pakistani Premiers. Courtesy: Getty Images

Wahab hadn’t finished it as yet as he continued to bowl at probing areas and got rid of Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India looked down the battle.

That’s where Suresh Raina took things under his control and battled it out till the final over as India managed to reach 260 runs for the loss of nine wickets from 50 overs.

Pakistan team celebrate Sachin's dismissal. Courtesy: Getty Images

Star of the show was of course Wahab Riaz who recorded his first ODI career five-wicket haul as he captured five wickets for just46 runs from his 1o overs. Umar Gul was totally out of sorts today as he went for 69 runs from eight overs. Saeed Ajmal grabbed two wickets for 44 runs. Skipper Afridi remained wicketless but two catches of Sachin Tendulkar were dropped off his bowling.

Pakistan Cricket Fans. Courtesy: AP PHOTO

As 253 runs is the average first innings total in the day and night matches at Punjab Cricket Stadium at Mohali and India have scored 260 runs. Now it’s up to Pakistan top order batsmen to get these runs which is not a stiff target by any means.

Pakistan 106/4 off 25 overs chasing 261 vs India

Pakistan made a brisk start to reach 52 for one from 10 overs in pursuit of India's 260 for nine in their World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Left-arm pace bowler Wahab Riaz took 5-46 while Sachin Tendulkar, one short of an unprecedented 100 international centuries, was dropped four times on his way to 85. Pakistan dropped two other catches.

The winners will face Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai on Saturday.

* Kamran Akmal struck two confident boundaries off Zaheer Khan's opening over. Zaheer, India's best bowler, was taken off after two overs in which he was unable to get any swing with the new ball. He was replaced by Munaf Patel, who bowled an accurate opening over, but then conceded boundaries in one over from Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez. Zaheer returned in the ninth over and broke through immediately getting Akmal (19) caught at point by Yuvraj Singh. 52/1 off 10 overs

* Virender Sehwag received a deafening ovation when he drove the third ball of the match from Umar Gul to the cover boundary.

He helped himself to a further three fours through an unprotected leg-side and two through the off in Gul's next over followed by a further brace in the hapless paceman's third.

Riaz replaced Abdul Razzaq at the other end and was immediately successful when Sehwag played across his fifth ball and was given out lbw. 49/1 off six overs

* Tendulkar played two exquisite shots off Riaz, turning his wrists late to steer the ball through the leg-side for four then dipping low to carve another boundary through the covers.

With left-hander Gautam Gambhir at the crease, off-spinner Saeed Ajmal was introduced to the attack in the ninth over. 73/1 off 10 overs

* Tendulkar survived appeals off consecutive balls from Ajmal which temporarily silenced the crowd. He was given out lbw for 23 by Ian Gould but appealed against the decision and won a reprieve when the television replay showed the ball would have missed the leg-stump.

Pakistan appealed for a stumping off the next ball and Tendulkar was again reprieved when the replay showed his back foot was grounded. Tendulkar's charmed life continued wheh he was dropped on 27 off Shahid Afridi by Misbah-ul-Haq at mid-wicket mistiming a pull. 99/1 off 15 overs

* Pakistan's luck appeared to turn when off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez lured Gautam Gambhir (27) out of his crease and Kamran Akmal completed the stumping. He added had 68 runs from 66 balls with Tendulkar. But Tendulkar was then dropped on 45 by Pakistan's safest catcher Younus Khan in the covers off the unfortunate Afridi. Tendulkar added to the Pakistan captain's chagrin by driving Afridi over cover to bring up his half-century from 67 balls. 141/2 off 25 overs

* Riaz, brought back into the attack, immediately began to reverse swing the old ball and was rewarded with the wickets of Virat Koli (9) , who lobbed a catch into the covers. Yuvraj, who had averaged 113.66 previously in the tournament, was bowled next ball by a magnificent yorker. 168/4 off 30 overs

* Afridi recalled Gul, whose first four overs had cost 41 runs, to see if he could emulate Riaz and reverse the ball. Tendulkar received two further lives when he was dropped by Kamran Akmal on 70, a difficult chance behind the stumps, again off Afridi. Akmal's brother Umal then dropped Tendulkar on 81 off Hafeez at wide mid-wicket. Tendulkar's luck finally ran out when Afridi held a fierce drive at short-cover off Ajmal after he had scored 85. 200/5 off 40 overs

* Dhoni struggled to get bat to ball as the Indian run rate slipped further. He tried to clip Riaz off his legs but missed a ball which was heading straight for the stumps A series of full tosses from Gul, who had a day to forget, helped India accrue some invaluable late runs, mostly to Suresh Raina who finished on 36 not out from 39 balls. 260/9 off 50 overs

India races to big lead over Pakistan at cricket’s World Cup

MOHALI, India — Sachin Tendulkar’s chancy 85 powered India to 260-9 against a Pakistan side which seemed overwhelmed by the hype built around Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final and the ‘cricket diplomacy’ surrounding it.

Sitting in the VIP box, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani watched on as Tendulkar enjoyed a series of let-offs.

Playing in his sixth World Cup, Tendulkar had an lbw decision overturned on appeal, was dropped by Misbah-ul-Haq, Younus Khan and Umar Akmal, while stumper Kamran Akmal also missed a half-chance.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi, also the hapless bowler on three of those four occasions, could only hold his head in dismay as his team mates squandered opportunity after opportunity to cut short Tendulkar’s 115-ball stay that had 11 fours in it.

On a belter of a wicket at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had little hesitation in opting to bat first and he must have felt vindicated when Virender Sehwag (38) tore into the Pakistani attack.

The right-hander smashed five fours to milk 21 runs off Umar Gul’s second over, thus blunting Pakistan’s pace spearhead but India could not make the most of the flying start.

Wahab Riaz (5-46) trapped the opener leg before in the sixth over to end the 48-run opening stand and soon the boundary flow dried up.

The 68-run second wicket partnership between Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir (27) consolidated India’s position but it was not without toil.

Mohammad Hafeez ended the blossoming partnership by removing Gambhir and Riaz returned to claim Virat Kohli (9) and the in-form Yuvraj Singh with successive deliveries to reduce the co-hosts, cruising merrily at 116-1 at one stage, to 141-4.

Suresh Raina’s (36 not out) middle order cameo took India past the 250-mark.

India could have been in a bigger hole but Misbah dropped Tendulkar at mid-wicket, Younus grassed one at cover and Umar Akmal showed the same sloppiness, spilling one at mid-wicket.

Earlier in his innings, Tendulkar used a review to successfully overturn an lbw decision that had gone against him.

Just when it seemed nothing can stop the 37-year-old prolific run-getter from scoring his 100th international century, Afridi caught the Indian off Saeed Ajmal’s bowling, keeping his pre-match promise to deny Tendulkar the milestone.

Hotels to show India-Pakistan match on big screens

The commercial city is all set for the Wednesday's World Cup semi-finals between India and Pakistan. Several hotels will entertain their guests with the match on big LCD screens.

A businessman who rents out LCD screens said all the screens have been booked in advance. "At least six big hotels in the city have made arrangements to show the match live," he added.

Rahul Dev Banarjee, manager of a hotel on Gokul Road here, said they have put up two screens, one each in banquet hall and poolside, in the hotel. The hotel, which charges an entry fee of Rs 350, will treat them to a lavishly spread dinner. "We are expecting around 250 guests on the D-Day," he added.

Chandrashekar, manager of another hotel located near Court Circle, said they have put up two big screens, one each in garden and restaurant.

Police commissioner K Ramachandra Rao said special squads have been formed to to maintain law and order and to check illegal activities during the match.

ICC Cricket World Cup Live India vs Pakistan: Pakistan begin on a firm footing

Pakistan begin their chase well after bowling out India for 260 in the semi final match of the World Cup at Mohali. Both Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez negotiate the opening ten overs without taking many chances and are able to stay above the net required run rate.

The duo both struck boundaries in tandem to blunt India’s pace attack led by Zaheer Khan. Indian skipper has already brought in the other seamers in Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra and despite a few close calls, the openers have largely been unfazed in playing their strokes.

India's Innings

It was a 300-plus wicket. India, however would be satisfied with the 260 runs that it managed in the crucial semi final match at Mohali. This after Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz struck terror in the middle-order to end the innings with five wickets.

Sachin Tendulkar top-scored for the hosts with 85 after Virender Sehwag gave his team an aggressive start. He looked in fine touch but was eventually removed by Riaz who found his legs in front of the stumps. Tendulkar though kept his composure and struck together a decent partnership of 60 with Gautam Gambhir.
Riaz though came back with a vengeance and despite several dropped catches of Tendulkar, he ensured no other batsman settled in to script a twist in the bowling dominated tale.

Though the average score batting first in a day and night match here is 254, Indians would need their strategy of playing an extra seamer to pay dividends once Pakistan begin their chase.

India bat against Pakistan in W. Cup semis

India made one change from the side that beat champions Australia by five wickets in the quarter-finals, with left-arm quick Ashish Nehra replacing off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as the hosts opted for a three-man pace attack.

Pakistan, who thrashed the West Indies by 10 wickets in their last eight clash, were unchanged and that meant there was no recall for erratic fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.

India batting great Sachin Tendulkar came into this match needing just one more century to become the first man to score a hundred international hundreds.

The 37-year-old has 51 Test centuries and 48 one-day international tons to his credit.

India have won all four previous World Cup matches between the arch-rivals.

The winners of this encounter will face Sri Lanka, who beat New Zealand by five wickets in Colombo on Tuesday, in Saturday's final in Mumbai.

All three remaining teams in the tournament have won the World Cup once, with India triumphing in 1983, Pakistan in 1992 and Sri Lanka in 1996.

India: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt/wkt), Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wkt), Asad Shafiq, Younus Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi (capt), Abdul Razzaq, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal

Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG)

TV umpire: Billy Bowden (NZL)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)

Pitch conditions: Renowned as a good batting surface, it usually also has plenty of pace and bounce for fast bowlers too.

ICC Cricket World Cup: Tendulkar's chancy knock powers India to 260-9

Sachin Tendulkar's chancy 85 powered India to 260-9 against a Pakistan side which seemed overwhelmed by the hype built around Wednesday's World Cup semi-final and the 'cricket diplomacy' surrounding it.

Sitting in the VIP box, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani watched on as Tendulkar enjoyed a series of let-offs.

Playing in his sixth World Cup, Tendulkar had an lbw decision overturned on appeal, was dropped by Misbah-ul-Haq, Younus Khan and Umar Akmal, while stumper Kamran Akmal also missed a half-chance.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi, also the hapless bowler on three of those four occasions, could only hold his head in dismay as his team mates squandered opportunity after opportunity to cut short Tendulkar's 115-ball stay that had 11 fours in it.

On a belter of a wicket at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had little hesitation in opting to bat first and he must have felt vindicated when Virender Sehwag (38) tore into the Pakistani attack.

The right-hander smashed five fours to milk 21 runs off Umar Gul's second over, thus blunting Pakistan's pace spearhead but India could not make the most of the flying start.

Wahab Riaz (5-46) trapped the opener leg before in the sixth over to end the 48-run opening stand and soon the boundary flow dried up.

The 68-run second wicket partnership between Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir (27) consolidated India's position but it was not without toil.

Mohammad Hafeez ended the blossoming partnership by removing Gambhir and Riaz returned to claim Virat Kohli (9) and the in-form Yuvraj Singh with successive deliveries to reduce the co-hosts, cruising merrily at 116-1 at one stage, to 141-4.

Suresh Raina's (36 not out) middle order cameo took India past the 250-mark.

India could have been in a bigger hole but Misbah dropped Tendulkar at mid-wicket, Younus grassed one at cover and Umar Akmal showed the same sloppiness, spilling one at mid-wicket.

Earlier in his innings, Tendulkar used a review to successfully overturn an lbw decision that had gone against him.

Just when it seemed nothing can stop the 37-year-old prolific run-getter from scoring his 100th international century, Afridi caught the Indian off Saeed Ajmal's bowling, keeping his pre-match promise to deny Tendulkar the milestone.

ICC Cricket World Cup ad rates soar before India vs Pakistan match

Tickets for the India vs Pakistan World Cup semifinal match in Mohali are not the only thing being sold at an inflated rate.
Media agencies say broadcaster ESPN Star is demanding between Rs 15 lakh to Rs 18 lakh per 10 seconds. It's a huge jump from the Rs 3.5 lakh for 10 seconds it charged at the league level. While some doubt whether ESPN Star will get what it wants, others are certain advertisers will pay up.
"India-England match was about 12 to 13 ...and it's India-Pakistan, it's semifinal, it's knock out...so between 15 and 20, if it is a good contest, is a safe bet," said MEC India MD T Gangadhar about the Television Rating Points.

So far, the tournament has delivered. The six India league matches did average ratings of 9.51, while non-India matches averaged close to 1.5 TRPs.

Broadcast sponsor Vodafone says response to live match coverage on mobiles has been 5 times higher than what the IPL garnered last year. Ground sponsor LG has received 50,000 applications for its cheer-leading squad. But will these guys buy more air-time?

"As an advertising platform the world cup rating for me would be, 5 or 5 and a half on 10, but as a sponsorship platform it is far more valuable to us," said LG India CMO LK Gupta.

"We could promote things differently if India gets into the finals and ride on the sentiment that Indians will have. After all, more than 50 million Indians were watching the India-England match. I am sure that the number will be higher when we go along. Unlikely though that we will buy more air time," said Vodafone Brand Communication VP Anuradha Agarwal.

The 42 league matches reached over 175 million households in the country, which is 48 per cent more than the previous world cup, and 30 per cent higher than IPL-3.

Media planners say available inventory for the finals will be sold only after the two finalists are penciled in. And if India is one of them, spot rates will go through the roof.