A Day for World Cup Glory, ‘fine’ Pakistan Cricket Board, and a certified Malayali

By K.R. Nayar
From Wankhede Stadium

Mumbai. Witnessing Mumbai celebrate Holi on Tuesday was a colourful experience, but cricket fans are now gearing up to celebrate what many expect to be India’s semi-final win over England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. March is a month of celebrations like Holi, Ram Navami, Eid-al-Fitr, the Hindu New Year and also International Women’s Day. Fans are so confident of India retaining the ICC World T20 title that that they would like March 8 (the day of the final) to be added to the list of special days in March as ‘Indian cricket’s double-triumph day’. 


Toss and stock market trends

For nervous fans, it will be like an important examination day — a three-hour cardio workout. Though Mumbai is the financial capital, the importance of winning the toss will be discussed more than the stock market trends. Fans would have started to offer advice on field placing right from their homes, and also made it known that they want Abhishek Sharma, who dropped two catches in the match against the West Indies, to be dropped.

 England is good but should not perform

A semi-final is not like group stage contests or the Super Eight clashes. There is no second chance. The losing team will have to hang up their 2026 World Cup jersey and, if it is a visiting team, quickly pack up for a flight, if available, to return home. The beauty of the iconic Wankhede Stadium, from where I had reported India’s 2011 World Cup triumph, is that the Arabian Sea breeze carries the chants of the fans to the players. Most fans appreciate the England team but on one condition — they should not perform against India. The team that wins the semi-final is not just a finalist but a legend in the making. If India loses, then everything, including the sea breeze, will be blamed.

Pakistan players fined but bonus for selectors?

Reports that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to fine each of the players PKR 5 million (approximately USD 18,000) were being discussed all around while the India team was practising at the Wankhede Stadium. This board, which had already created enough news by refusing to play India, may now become the first board to convert a cricketing performance failure into a financial crime. This act could now prompt youngsters in Pakistan to think twice on whether it would be wise to take up cricket as a profession. Will the selectors who picked the players be fined or be given a bonus?

So, it is fine to take wickets and score centuries, but if one misses the semi-final, then there is a penalty! This is indeed a “fine” cricket board. Unfortunate for Sahibzada Farhan, the player who broke the record for the most runs in a T20 World Cup. Instead of being rewarded, he gets fined! He is now likely to wonder why he chose to play this game!! 

No doubt every team playing against Pakistan wanted to beat them, but they surely did not want to affect their bank balance. Through this act, the PCB has ensured that more than their score on the scoreboard, it is the statement from their bank that would hurt them the most.

 

The post on Malayli as part of the world cup winning teams

Certified Malayali from God’s Own Country needed

 After Sanju Samson ensured India’s entry into the semi-final, a post that has gone viral states that for India to win this World Cup, there must be a Malayali (Keralite) in the team. Thanks to Sunil Valson in 1983, S. Sreesanth in 2007, and Samson in 2024, this belief has found strength. It is indeed a coconut-scented theory and this aroma has spread fast. Very soon, among the checklist items to win a World Cup, a captain may have to ensure there is a certified Malayali in the team over and above the batting depth and death bowling experts.  Or perhaps God’s blessing arrives only when a player from Kerala — God’s Own Country — is in the side. So popular is this troll now that even non-Malayalis are nodding in agreement with this theory.

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