Cahill: Oz catching World Cup fever

Posted by md_zaid Wednesday, May 12, 2010 1:59 PM 0 comments
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Tim Cahill expects the FIFA World Cup™ to bring Australia to a halt next month. The inspirational Everton midfielder expects football to capture the imagination of his sport-mad nation when the global showpiece begins in South Africa.

Association football traditionally lives in the shadows of Aussie Rules and the two rugby codes Down Under, but Cahill thinks that is changing. "It is massive in Australia now," said Cahill. "For the last World Cup the nation stopped and there hasn't been a bigger event in Australia since that.

"It's massive and it is where it should be, up there fighting with the best codes and, if not, one of the leading codes. It is an honour and a privilege to play for Australia. To fly the flag for football in Australia, the kids and the people who have been dying for this for ages is a massive thing for us. To be fit and part of the squad fighting to do something special for Australia is something I have been waiting for for a long time."

It is only the third time the Socceroos have qualified for the FIFA World Cup but, having now done so in successive tournaments, Cahill believes they are ready to make their mark on the international game. Australia are now playing tougher competitive matches having moved from Oceania to the Asian confederation and most of their leading players are based in Europe.

It is massive in Australia now. For the last World Cup the nation stopped and there hasn't been a bigger event in Australia since that.Tim Cahill
"As a team we have improved one hell of a lot," said Cahill, 30, who has been one of Premier League's most influential players since moving to Goodison Park from Millwall in 2004. "The Asian group has been so difficult, playing against teams like Japan, Qatar and Bahrain - it has been as hard as when we last played Brazil. It has been really hard but the players have improved domestically playing for their clubs. They are doing better and a lot more boys are coming overseas."

Australia have been handed a tough draw in South Africa having been grouped with Germany, Serbia and Ghana. They begin their Group D campaign against Germany in Durban on 13 June and Cahill is both excited and confident.

"It is weird now we are finally there and the domestic season is over," he added. "To have the World Cup finally here is a great feeling. My first expectation would be to get through the group. After that, we saw in the last World Cup in Germany that anything can happen. It is a World Cup final every game you play, it is 90 minutes of football and whoever is better on the day wins. Everyone is starting at level par and for me the aim will be to get through the group and hopefully make a few surprises. The statistics show Germany are always there or thereabouts.

"We know how strong they are as a team, so for us it is about concentrating on our strengths and trying to break them down slowly. They are slow starters in most competitions they play so hopefully we can catch them cold. Ghana are dangerous, being one of the strongest teams in Africa and having the powerhouses of (Michael) Essien and (Stephen) Appiah and a few other Premier League players. And the dark horses would have to be Serbia, I think they are strong as well."

With a number of the squad having played and caught the eye at Germany 2006, when Australia reached the last 16 and suffered last-gasp defeat to eventual champions Italy, Cahill feels the Socceroos have vital experience on their side. He said: "It will definitely help. We get a different chance now to do it again. We are more experienced and have more game time under our belt, so maybe we can do something special."

Live - Europa League final

Posted by md_zaid 1:45 PM 0 comments
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Will Sri Lanka go for a win or will they seek to knock out India and hope Australia defeat West Indies to enter the semi-finals? That was the question that hung in the air during the chase. Sri Lanka's answer was emphatic: They first sealed India's fate by going past 143, before writing their own destiny by winning off the last delivery of the game.

Kumar Sangakkara set up the chase and Angelo Mathews took them to the final lap before Chamara Kapugedera sealed the finish in style by hitting a six off the last ball. It was that close and dramatic. The captain and the two inexperienced men he had backed heavily in the past had come through when it mattered at the big stage.

It was an awesome performance from Sri Lanka, who kept wriggling back from difficult positions. They first bounced back to restrict India, who had galloped to 90 for 1 from 10 overs, courtesy a fiery knock from Suresh Raina, to 163 before shrugging off a poor start to chase down the target in thrilling fashion.

The final nail-biting moments panned out thus: Sri Lanka needed 25 runs from eight deliveries. Vinay Kumar, who had impressed until then in his first international outing, had the ball and Kapugedera, for whom wins had proven elusive despite his efforts, was on strike. A nervy Vinay slipped a full toss on the fifth ball and Kapugedera heaved it just over the leaping fielder at the long-on boundary for a six that knocked out India. He then slammed the next delivery, a full-pitched one, over long-on to reduce the equation to 13 from the final over, bowled by Ashish Nehra.

Mathews collected a six first ball with a gorgeous on-the-up hit over long-off but Nehra hit the blockhole regularly and ran him out with a direct hit at the non-striker's end. Sri Lanka needed three from the final ball and Kapugedera carved the full delivery over the cover boundary for a stunning six. Game over.

It was a shot in the 12th over against Harbhajan Singh that turned the tide for Sangakkara and Sri Lanka. Until then, Sangakkara had chosen to move along quietly. He had chosen to rebuild after the loss of Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Sri Lanka had just reached 67 for 3 from 11 overs when he played his first shot of intent. He sashayed down the track and Harbhajan quickly shortened the length. Sangakkara didn't panic but adjusted superbly to almost nonchalantly punch-flick it over the midwicket boundary. It was the moment in the chase as Sangakkara, who had reached 17 from 18 balls until then, ended with a 33-ball 44. He slugged Yusuf Pathan for two on-side sixes in the 14th over to tilt the game Sri Lanka's way.

At this point, Sri Lanka needed 59 from 33 balls to win and a mere 39 runs to knock out India, stay in the hunt, and hope that Australia wouldn't have an off day against West Indies. Would they go for a win, or play safe? Sangakkara chose victory and fell in the process of attaining it. In the 15th over bowled by Vinay, he backed away outside leg stump and tried to smear to the off-side but was bowled by the slower one.

It was a big moment but Mathews and Kapugedera showed excellent maturity in safely negotiating the next ten deliveries to ensure there was no dramatic implosion before they went for the target. They collected ten runs from the 18th over, bowled by Nehra, and added two more fours in the next over, from Piyush Chawla prior to completing the job.

Two events summed up the day for India. MS Dhoni couldn't get his timing going and that powerful bottom-hand was rarely seen today. He accumulated 23 at almost a run-a-ball when big hits were the need of the hour. And Harbhajan, who had bowled like a dream this tournament, had a forgettable day.

A third event further marred the day for India. Dilshan, who had a nightmarish competition before today, played a momentum-grabbing cameo after the early loss of the in-form Jayawardene and Jayasuriya. He looted five boundaries from two successive overs bowled by Nehra and Harbhajan to lift Sri Lanka from a dire 6 for 2 in two overs to 32 for 2 in four.

India lost all the big moments today. They were first slowed by the slow men, Suraj Randiv and Dilshan, before the seamers led by Lasith Malinga and a surprise performer in Thissara Perera bowled superbly to suffocate them. India had moved to 119 for 2 in 14 overs and it was a decisive phase for both teams. You would have expected India to go for the broke here but it was Sri Lanka who dominated.

Thilan Thushara, who leaked 27 runs from his first two overs, bowled the 15th and 18th over and found redemption as he gave away just ten runs. It included the wickets of Raina and Yuvraj Singh, who swung the full tosses to Jayawardene at deep midwicket. There was to be no run-fest in the end as Malinga and Perera applied the squeeze. It was the beginning of the end for India.

England eye rare final

Posted by md_zaid 1:38 PM 0 comments
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Match Facts
Thursday, May 13, St Lucia
Start time 1330 (1730 GMT)

The Picture

While England have not made the final of a ICC global tournament since 2004 Sri Lanka have been beaten finalists in both last year's World Twenty20 and the 2007 World Cup.

Yet ahead of the match it's England who are the more bullish having topped their Super Eights group with three comfortable wins. They are on the verge of fulfilling their transformation that began after losing 5-1 to Australia last summer. Gone is the stuttering top order hoping to 'keep wickets in hand' and in its place is a fearless line-up led by two dashing hitters at the top and followed by the classiest middle-order pair of the tournament, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, looked unsteady to begin with but have found increasingly assurance as the tournament went on. Mahela Jayewardene's graceful striking has completely carried Sri Lanka's batting - his 292 runs are more than anyone else in the tournament and over double the next highest Sri Lankan tally of 123 from Kumar Sangakkara - but they showed they could perform without him when they beat India. Nevertheless how England's nagging fast-medium attack fare against Jayewardene could well determine the outcome of the game.

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