11:58 a.m. Wait, did Gilani change in the middle of the day? He wasn’t wearing a tie at the beginning.

11:55 a.m. Congrats, India. You made me waste eight and a half hours of my life, but in a weird way, it was worth it. Enjoyed the spectacle. Good luck in the final but please understand we’re all going to be supporting Sri Lanka.

11:34 a.m. Cricket was the winner today.

11:28 a.m. Spare a thought for Wahab.

11:08 a.m. Anyways, I’m done. Nothing else to add, so if it’s okay with you, I’m basically going to stop now. There’s no point describing the last rites. Thanks for reading, RTing, commenting and recommending. Much appreciated.

11:05 a.m. Razzaq bowled 2 overs today, and didn’t do jack with the bat. That’s fine, you can have a bad game. But batting where he is, and bowling at the pace that he does, ensures that he has no meaningful role in the ODI team. Maybe T20s, but not ODIs. Not in this team. If you want him, change the balance.

11:04 a.m. Also, the role of Razzaq needs to be questioned. Right now he’s playing as an “all rounder” who doesn’t bat or bowl. I mean…that’s a problem.

11:00 a.m. The only positive from today is, as I said, this is hopefully the end of Misbah’s career. I hate to say I told you so, but really, I told you so. I told people left and right that Misbah is not an international class player, that no matter his runs in NZ he was going to cost us big, and there you have it. He’s a club cricketer, not an international cricketer. Nothing wrong with that. Plenty of us couldn’t even sniff club cricket. But it’s up to the selectors to know the difference, as Dawn News would say. And remember, Mr. Fawad Alam, who makes runs, doesn’t drop catches, and can even bowl…didn’t even make it to the list of 30 PROBABLES for the World Cup. That’s sad.

10:58 a.m. So yes, those are my thoughts. I should have a wrap-up article, either on this blog or on Dawn in the next 24 hours or so.

10:55 a.m. And let’s give massive doses of credit to Dhoni. He led his team very well, he brought the changes thick and fast and didn’t let any batsmen settle, and he constantly put the pressure on Younis and Misbah with extra guys in the ring. Defending a medium-level total is not easy, and India did it super professionally.

10:51 a.m. And let’s not forget Waqar and Afridi. Outstanding job. Yes, some of their tactical decisions have been strange. But overall, I give them an 8.5/10, and I’m a tough grader. The way they unified the team was brilliant. The selection was basically spot on in every game. They dropped Shahzad at the right time — not too early, not too late. They brought in Ajmal at the right time, the knockout rounds, when it would count most. They gave us hope, and very few of us had that before this tournament started. Well, at least I didn’t have any hope. But losing to the pre-tournament favorites in the semis is not a big deal. Yes, it hurts. It hurts like hell. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal.

10:48 a.m. The difference between the sides was the catching, nothing else. Sachin was the only player on their side that made more than 38. We dropped him four times. Simple as that. We bowled absolutely magnificently. Other than Misbah and Younis, we didn’t bat terrible either. Better team won. Congratulate them, wish them luck in the final, and root for Sri Lanka.

10:47 a.m. We beat Australia’s run in World Cups. We beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. We’ve had a very good, but not excellent, tournament. We must recognize this. Our bouuyysszzz played well.

10:44 a.m. Okay, big picture time. India was the pre-tournament favorites. No credible observer had us even approaching the semi finals. We won 6 out of 7 games to get here, and even our one loss was a freak result thanks to Ross Taylor’s madness. We’ve done very, very well to get here.

10:44 a.m. There you go. Done and done.

10:41 a.m. By the way, Misbah is going to cost Umar his wicket. Just watch. Easiest prediction of all time.

10:38 a.m. I hope this match once and for all settles the Misbah “debate”.

10:38 a.m. Well played, Misbah! You’re so good at your job! You’re such a great batsman! Wow! You’re awesome!

10:33 a.m. Heh. Even in my morose mood, I can enjoy a one handed six.

10:30 a.m. 132-4 in 31 overs. Just put us out of our misery, India. Kharam kar do.

10:30 a.m. Yuvraj Singh: 6 overs 1 maiden 2 for 26. Unbelievable. Seriously.

10:26 a.m. Well, we got to 130 at 30 overs like I asked. Only problem is that both of the guys at the wicket when I made my request are now chilling.

10:25 a.m. Sorry, we’re in too bad a position for me to get excited about a six and a four. Whatever.

10:23 a.m. Bah.

10:12 a.m. I’m taking a 10 minute break from this BS.

10:09 a.m. So a wicket maiden from Yuvraj. We’re pulling a South Africa here.

10:07 a.m. And that’s that. Younis was just not up to it today. 13 off 32. Ugh. Yuvraj just squeezed him and didn’t let go, and now we’re well and truly screwed. 106-4.

10:06 a.m. Was Younis just dropped by Dhoni there? That’s what the reaction suggested.

10:05 a.m. 106-3 in 25.

10:03 a.m. I love Gullie and I love Younis, but both have had crap games today. Younis has really gotten stuck here.

10:02 a.m. Run rate required is above six by the way. 103-3 in 24. We’ve lost this match. It’s over. Put your TV off and commiserate with your friends and lovers.

10:01 a.m. Watch Misbah block, block, block; drive up the run rate required; put everyone else under pressure and then get out. Watch.

9:59 a.m. Damn. That’s a big wicket. Asad was looking SO good. But it just kept coming and didn’t turn from Yuvraj, and he had no room at the end. A nice little 30 from Asad, but the scorecard doesn’t lie: our three dismissed batsmen have gone for 19, 43 and 30. All starts. We needed a score from one of them. India in front now. 103-3 in 23.5.

9:56 a.m. The notable aspects of that over was that Asad got a couple of nice twos, giving six for the over, and secondly, Rameez Raja used the term “cool dude” on commentary in front of a television audience of a billion people. 100-2 in 23.

9:55 a.m. The jinxers are out in full force now. Bloody Mark Nicholas and Rameez.

9:53 a.m. Oooh. Close shout, Wahab had a couple just like that. Pitched outside leg though. Younis is safe, but looking increasingly scratchy. I don’t feel super confident about him, sorry to say.

9:51 a.m. Good over from Yuvraj. 94-2 after 22. Our mini-target should be 130 in 30 overs without any further loss. Get to 130-2, and we’ll take it from there.

9:50 a.m. Dangerous times, this. Ball is staying a touch low, and it’s super slow off the pitch. I hope one of these guys doesn’t lose it. India’s not giving anything away in the circle, and it may force one of these two to do something stupid.

9:48 a.m. Dicey run, but it’s all good. Four off it, 93-2 after 21. This is fine. This is fine.

9:48 a.m. Nicely bowled by Zaheer. Just keep him out, guys.

9:46 a.m. Nicely clipped by Asad for two. Have I mentioned I like him?

9:44 a.m. Dhoni REALLY likes bowling changes, eh? Zaheer is back into the attack.

9:43 a.m. Solid enough from Younis and Asad, five off the over. 89-2 after 20. The Indians here are making fun of Waz’s English. Listen you buggers. You produce a bowler half as good as King Waz and then you talk. Waz was so good that he repeatedly sold his country for money and is STILL remembered fondly by our public. Just think about that for a second.

9:39 a.m. Quiet-ish over from Harbhajan, just four off it. 84-2 after 19. These next ten overs are crucial, they really are. If we can keep them wicketless and get 45-50, I’ll be thrilled. Yuvraj into the attack.

9:36 a.m. Just three off that over, but it’s okay. These guys just need to bat and bat and bat. 15-20 overs at least.

9:35 a.m. Younis trying his best to edge it to Dhoni. Fails. For now.

9:32 a.m. 77-2 in 17, Nehra back in. Waz saying something about Nehra bowling lots of slower balls. At least three Pakistanis here remind everyone that that’s his “regular pace yaar”. Heh. The Pakistani obsession with pace, and dismissal of all quick bowlers without pace, really requires deeper sociological scholarship.

9:31 a.m. “PLENTY of batting to come for Pakistan.” Not really, Waz. Not really. These guys need to put on 160.

9:29 a.m. Heh. What an awkward looking dance down the pitch that was from Asad. Still four though.

9:28 a.m. Well running. 72-2 in 16.

9:27 a.m. And of course India have their tails up. Field up, slip in, vocal support for the bowler, and plenty in the ring. Bah.

9:22 a.m. Unbelievable. Right AS Sunny and Ravi were talking about the importance of Hafeez keeping his head, he plays an ATROCIOUS shot, trying to Misbah-paddle one from outside off. Edges through to Dhoni, and that’s a gift to Munaf and India. If we lose this match, remember that moment. Nice little 43 but could’ve been SO much more. Very poor.

9:20 a.m. “Ideally, India will want a period where they get some wickets.” Ravi really is the Indian Rameez.

9:19 a.m. Have to say, watching our spinners and now Harbhajan, it’s very strange to see Ashwin not in the Indian side. Wonder what the logic was there. Did they think Nehra was going scythe through us or something? Serious question. 70-1 after 15 for the record.

9:18 a.m. Well, not THAT much outside off. Short too. Asad spanks him for four to the cover fence.

9:17 a.m. Harbhajan is getting a LOT of turn, but his line is a bit off. He needs to start that well outside off.

9:16 a.m. Maiden over from Munaf. If I recall, that might be the first one of the match.

9:12 a.m. Four off Bhajji’s over. 63-1 after 13.

9:11 a.m. I know this sounds sacrilegious, but I’m getting kind of sleepy. I had about one hour of sleep last night.

9:09 a.m. Wow, Sanjay and Athers really laying into Munaf, his physique and his pace. Funny stuff. Anyway, it’s 59-1 after 12.

9:07 a.m. Hafeez looking good, just helping Munaf around the corner. Four to fine leg. He needs to stay there for 20-25 overs. Come on, Hafeez!

9:04 a.m. Hmmm some turn here. Did Bhajji suddenly remember that he’s a spinner? 54-1 after 11.

9:04 a.m. Heh. The Indians in the room got super excited with that almost return catch.

9:03 a.m. And Asad’s away with a single down to long on. I really like the look of him (hope I’m not jinxing him).

9:02 a.m. Harbhajan into the attack, replacing Zaheer, sorry.

9:01 a.m. Bang! Four more as Hafeez pulls Munaf in front of square. Great shot — Zaheer was in business for a bit, but it bounced just in front. 52-1 after ten, and Asad to face his first ball from Zaheer.

8:59 a.m. Dhoni’s packed the off side field here. Hafeez will have to look for more tap and runs here, the boundary’s basically impossible.

8:58 a.m. Shot, Hafeez! Just guided that through the covers, wonderful. Four more. Munaf looks peeved, not sure why. Fielder didn’t have a chance with that one.

8:57 a.m. Asad Shafiq in.

8:55 a.m. And Fakmal’s gone. Well that was predictable. Flashing at a wide one, slicing it straight to Yuvraj at backward point. Rubbish shot. 44-1 after 9 overs.

8:54 a.m. I feel like Zaheer is almost deliberately looking for the inside edge on to the stumps.

8:54 a.m. This wicket is a touch low and slow, a couple of under edges. Hafeez needs to put away the cross bat shots for a bit.

8:53 a.m. Chill maar, Hafeez, chill maar.

8:52 a.m. Zaheer back into the attack, replacing Munaf. A handsome shot by Hafeez for none first up.

8:50 a.m. Excellent cricket. I love tap and runs. Any time our team is doing that regularly, I feel good, whether it’s tests or ODIs or T20s. 43-0 after eight.

8:49 a.m. Shot, Hafeez! A touch dangerous perhaps, but he knew what he was doing, shoveling it over and past mid on for four.

8:48 a.m. By the way, now would be the time to tell Indians that their WC record over us is overrated. 1992, 1999 and 2003 weren’t knockout games, so they don’t count. And in 1996, our captain was bribed to pretend to be injured, so that doesn’t count either — if we really wanted to win, we would have, it’s just that the money was too good. So this is really the first proper WC match between Pakistan and India.

8:46 a.m. And we need less of that. Fakmal drives uppishly, and it goes between cover and mid off for four. Dangerous shot. At least it went for four. 38-0 after seven.

8:45 a.m. That’s what I’m talking about. Hafeez who’s been driving to mid off time and again this time just taps it and runs. We need more of that.

8:44 a.m. Yeh, yeh. Slightly short, slightly wide, and Hafeez upper cuts it over backward point. Four more.

8:40 a.m. And Hafeez works Nehra for a single for the only run off that over. As I said, they’ve settled, India. 29-0 after six.

8:39 a.m. India have settled here, after an uneasy start. Nehra’s hit a line too. We need to be careful here. Would like to see more singles.

8:37 a.m. So just two from Munaf’s first over, and it’s 28-0 after 5.

8:37 a.m. And now an uppish drive. Fakmal’s going to last about five more minutes. You watch.

8:36 a.m. Oooh, Fakmal almost proves me right with a ridiculous pull shot that just clears mid on for two. He needs to chill out.

8:35 a.m. Why on earth does Fakmal think he’s good enough to charge a fast bowler? Memo to Fakmal: you’re crap.

8:34 a.m. Quick change here from Dhoni, as Munaf comes in for Zaheer. First up beats Fakmal with one that bends away. Lots of movement there.

8:34 a.m. Mark Nicholas is reminding Waz of the 99 World Cup Final. Jerk.

8:33 a.m. 26-0 after four. Solid enough start. If these two just do what they’ve done so far nine more times, I’ll feel better.

8:31 a.m. DON’T RUN ON A MISFIELD. CALM DOWN. SHAANT.

8:29 a.m. Ah aha aha ah. Sachin didn’t play a single shot as sweet as that. Hafeez leans into Nehra, and pushes him for four between mid off and cover. Beautiful.

8:28 a.m. Oye! Calm down! No run outs please. 20-0 after three by the way.

8:26 a.m. Aha, lovely. Hafeez just tapped that, and it fairly raced to the midwicket fence. Gorgeous.

8:25 a.m. Nice stroke from Fakmal for three. He’s already exceeded all our expectations.

8:23 a.m. 12-0 after two. Steady, boys, steady.

8:22 a.m. Ooooh, uppish from Hafeez off his hips, but it’s two. And Mark Nicholas and Sunny are in full reverse jinxing mode.

8:21 a.m. Oh dear, that was close. Nehra brought that back in, cut Fakmal in half. Be careful, Fakmal. You have two fours but that doesn’t mean you can play.

8:20 a.m. And Hafeez is off the mark, with a steer down to third man off Nehra. We need these guys to put on 175 for me to feel comfortable.

8:18 a.m. Four more! Fakmal drives straight down the ground, giving Zaheer no respect whatsoever. Nice solid start here. 8-0 after 1.

8:17 a.m. Hmm, ball staying low there. BTW, what’s up with that little dum Zaheer has? An abomination.

8:14 a.m. And we’re off! Fakmal steers Zaheer through the covers for four. What a start! Let’s keep our head, boys.

8:09 a.m. Batsmen I have faith in: Umar Akmal, Younis. Batsmen I kinda/sorta have faith in: Hafeez, Asad, Afridi, Razzaq. Batsmen I have no faith in: Fakmal, Misbah.

7:55 a.m. Any other “normal” batting line up, and I’d back us. But we could still lose this game by 150 runs. No jokes.

7:54 a.m. India were 65-1 after 8 overs. In the next 42 overs, they made 195 for the loss of 8 wickets. Great come back from our guys.

7:50 a.m. And a fitting end to the innings, with Wahab bowling right up there, and Hafeez saving two runs at the boundary. India end up at 260-9 in their fifty overs. Stand out performers were obviously Wahab (5-46) and the spin trio of Hafeez, Afridi and Ajmal combined for 3-123 in 30 overs. Gullie was disappointing  but it’s okay, he’s a nice guy. No one really stood out for India; if any Indian fan tries to tell me Sachin played well I’m going to hit them with a bat.

7:49 a.m. Gone! A comical run out, which to be fair is on the cards at the end. Don’t know what Nehra was doing though.

7:48 a.m. Magnificent bowling from Wahab. Yorker after yorker.

7:46 a.m. Wahab is giving Gullie a lesson in how to bowl at the end here. Dot ball yorker followed up with a wild swing by Zaheer, where he gets an edge and Fakmal takes it. FIVE-FER BY WAHAB. Yes, #bringshoaibback. Hahaha. Stupid emotional Pakistani fans.

7:44 a.m. So much for the “no legside in this over” idea. Oh, Gullie. Four more. 256-7 in 49. India got 43 in their powerplay, which isn’t terrible (remember Ross Taylor) but it shouldn’t have been that many since they were so many wickets down at the start.

7:42 a.m. Better over from Gullie here, so far anyway. Even though his length is still screwed up — no yorkers, only full tosses — his line is much better. Nothing down the leg side, which is restricting India’s shot selection. And great fielding from Younis. India’s 250 is up, with 8 balls to go.

7:40 a.m. Gullie’s back since Ajmal is bowled out. First up is a yorker to Raina which he digs out, and would’ve gone for four but for Wahab’s brilliant stop at short fine. What a day Wahab’s had.

7:38 a.m. Really unlucky there. Zaheer aims for midwicket, it ends up at the backward point boundary. Four more, and India all of a sudden are up to 246-7. Two overs to go.

7:36 a.m. What’s with the wides? Ajmal bowled one, then Gullie, and now Wahab. Come on guys. DISCIPLINE.

7:35 a.m. I don’t know how to describe that shot. It’s one third baseball bunt, one third tennis volley, and one third something completely unrecognizable. Zaheer gets away with it though, gets two for his troubles.

7:34 a.m. Nice to see Wahab back into the attack. No harm in admitting that it’s not Gullie’s day. All this stuff about “confidence” is overrated. We have a match to win, we can’t cuddle Gullie right now. As cuddle-able as he is.

7:33 a.m. Three runs and a wicket off Ajmal’s powerplay over. What a guy. Genius level stuff this. 238-7 with three to go.

7:30 a.m. Aha. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Ajmal defeats — in all senses of the word — Bhajji with a doosra, who had come down and missed it all ends up. Even Fakmal can’t screw that up. 236-7 in 46.4. Big wicket, since India were just looking to get some momentum.

7:28 a.m. Ajmal continuing.

7:27 a.m. Dot ball to finish, but that was a terrible over. 14 off it. India 235-6 with four overs left. 22 have come off the two powerplay overs. That’s how quickly this game changes.

7:26 a.m. Full toss, leg stump, four. Rubbish, rubbish, rubbish.

7:25 a.m. I love Gullie with all my heart, but he has these days all too often. He’s been killed today. And he’s been quite crap in the field too.

7:23 a.m. Full toss, four. Not been Gullie’s day. Afridi may have to rethink this powerplay. Wahab has two left, might be worth bringing him back. Suddenly 275 very much back on the cards. Afridi talking to Gullie, and both look a touch disturbed.

7:22 a.m. And now the crowd’s into it. Not good signs. We need to maintain that discipline that’s had us claw back into this.

7:21 a.m. Come on, Gullie! We can’t give them these wides. Don’t throw away the hard work of the last 40 overs. Don’t do it.

7:21 a.m. Bang! Shot! Length ball from Gullie, and Raina smacks him over his head. Needs to keep his cool here, Gullie.

7:20 a.m. Ijaz Butt comes on screen. All the Pakistanis here boo.

7:19 a.m. Eight off the over, even though Ajmal bowled well (other than the wide). 221-6 in 45. No problem. Can’t let them get away here though. Can you imagine if we keep them to 250? On this wicket? Nuts.

7:18 a.m. Okay, that’s not all good. This wide business at the end is not good. Come on, Ajmal. Come on.

7:17 a.m. Bhajji sweeps Ajmal for four. First boundary in forever. It’s all good, brah.

7:17 a.m. That was NOT a dead ball. Umpire ney paisay khai hain.

7:14 a.m. Key phase now, as India take their batting powerplay. Ajmal to bowl.

7:13 a.m. Really can’t say enough about this bowling performance. Win or lose, our bowling has been brilliant. According to Cricinfo, they haven’t scored a boundary in fourteen overs. On a road of a pitch. 213-6 in 44.

7:11 a.m. Alright, Raina. What have you got? I mean, what have you really got? Could be the difference between 250 and 280.

7:08 a.m. 207-6 in 43.

7:05 a.m. Haha. Is there anything more amazing than a spin bowler making another spin bowler look absolutely foolish? Ajmal to Harbhajan is something else.

7:04 a.m. Feroze, an Aitchison boy sitting next to me, tells me Wahab apparently went to Aitchison.

7:03 a.m. Harbhajan in, and he has little idea here.

7:01 a.m. GONE! Wahab gets Dhoni plumb in front, very similar to the Sehwag dismissal. It stayed kind of low to be fair, but whatever. 205-6 in 41.4. Wahab Riaz has FOUR wickets. Not exactly bunnies either: Sehwag, Kohli, Yuvraj and Dhoni. Where is the #bringbackshoaib crowd? Where? WHERE? Can you all at least bow down and tell me I was right?

6:59 a.m. Atherton: “I’ve seen him drop easier.” Heh.

6:58 a.m. Hahahaha. Fakmal doing what Fakmal does. A touch chance, yes, but any international keeper would’ve taken it. At least it wasn’t Sachin again. Dhoni dropped on 24. Remember that moment.

6:57 a.m. Afridi bringing the changes thick and fast here. Wahab back in, replacing Afridi.

6:56 a.m. India’s run rate has dropped below five. Whatever happens in the next ten overs, let no one forget our bowling from overs 6 through 40. Superb. 203-5 in 41.

6:54 a.m. “This ten over period makes or breaks the match,” forwards Mark Nicholas. I can see what he’s saying. If we restrict them to less than 275, we’re very much in the box seat, and it’ll have a cascading effect on how we bat.

6:52 a.m. I can’t shake the feeling that India doesn’t know what to do. They’re playing a little too within themselves. Relying that heavily on the batting powerplay….I dunno, might not be smart. Anyway, expensive over from Afridi, 200-5 in 40.

6:48 a.m. 192-5 in 39. The Indian contingent here is getting testy under some sledging, and I can’t say I blame them.

6:47 a.m. Who’s advising India’s population on their eyewear?

6:45 a.m. Is it fear or respect that I still think India can get 320 here? Anyway, 189-5 in 38. Afridi fairly raced through that last over.

6:44 a.m. Raina in. A wicket here and…dare I say it? Nah. Shut up, Ahsan. Shut up.

6:42 a.m. I guess a score of 80 odd isn’t bad if you bat 8 innings. Well played, Sachin, great knock! Hahaha. Loser.

6:40 a.m. Gone! Ajmal gets Sachin! What a moment! Deserved that wicket, Ajmal! Sachin drives uppishly, and finally we take one. And it had to be Afridi with the catch. 187-5.

6:39 a.m. Ajmal replaces the magnificent Hafeez. Key spell.

6:37 a.m. Another brilliant over from Afridi. Our ODI bowling is really something else. As is our fielding actually. 185-4 in 36. We keep them under 300, after that start, after all those dropped catches, and we would’ve done fantastically well.

6:36 a.m. Forgot to mention that Afridi is back into the attack, replacing Gullie.

6:35 a.m. 182-4 in 35. The only conclusion I can reach is that (a) we’ve been bribed, or (b) we ACTUALLY believe that a Sachin hundred is bad for India.

6:34 a.m. Hahahahahahahahaha. Now Junior drops Sachin. Seven chances? FFS. Dolly at short midwicket. Hafeez is robbed. Unbelievable.

6:31 a.m. Another very solid over from Gullie. 177-4 in 34. Where oh where would India be without those first six overs?

6:28 a.m. By the way, pissing Indians off is super easy: just say something over the top about Sachin, like “this is the worst innings I’ve ever seen” or “overrated player”, and watch them leap.

6:22 a.m. Tell you what, if we win this match, we need to thank Hafeez as much as Wahab. Two runs off that over, he’s 1-29 in nine. India 173-4 in 33.

6:21 a.m. “Pakistan needs to make use of their bowling options.” Thanks, Rameez.

6:20 a.m. Phew. Good comeback from Gullie, just one run from it. 171-4 in 32. India are a little bit unsure of what to do right now, I think. I get the sense that they don’t know what’s a good score on this pitch given their position right now.

6:14 a.m. Feroze (sitting next to me) makes a great point: when you watch Hafeez bowl, you don’t get the sense he’s really bowling well. But then you look at his numbers, bowling in the middle of the innings remember, with 4 fielders in the ring on a flat pitch, and he’s always around four, four and a half. His figures today are an unreal 8 overs, 1-27. Anyway, India 170-4 in 31. Gullie back in, with the ball reversing. Important spell, this.

6:12 a.m. If Sachin makes a hundred here, he should do the dignified thing and not raise his bat.

6:11 a.m. Well it wouldn’t be a cricket match without Fakmal dropping a catch. Tough chance, but it counts. Sachin’s sixth chance. Ridiculous. Just ridiculous. Next ball’s a four. Laanat ho tum pey, Fakmal. 167-4 in 30.

6:08 a.m. Great over. Hafeez, I take back everything I said about you. I don’t remember all my insults, so it has to be a general apology. Just one run off him, 161-4 in 29. Tightening the screws here, Pakistan. Anyway, Afridi replaces Wahab.

6:07 a.m. Rameez rounding into form. He now claims that Afridi has “sculpted a new Hafeez”. You couldn’t make this stuff up.

6:05 a.m. Ten off the over, even though Wahab didn’t bowl badly. Weird. 160-4 in 28 overs.

6:05 a.m. Another misfield on the boundary. Gullie’s had a shocker today. An absolute shocker.

6:03 a.m. Rameez just called Wahab “large-hearted”. He should see a cardiologist in that case.

6:00 a.m. Hafeez bowling lovely-ly here. 150-4 in 27 and for the first time today, you can see we’re on top. After that initial Sehwag blitzkrieg, we’ve played brilliantly. Other than our fielding that is.

5:59 a.m. Dhoni edges Hafeez for four through the vacant slip. The commentators are all over Afridi for not attacking more. Can’t disagree.

5:58 a.m. The Indians, both here and in the crowd, are suddenly very quiet. Is there a greater thing on this planet than Indian silence? Seriously.

5:57 a.m. Wahab has Dhoni poking and prodding like it’s a frigging fencing tournament. He’s all over them. Great bowling, and give Afridi credit for bringing him back in. 145-4 in 26 overs.

5:55 a.m. This puts the Sachin drops in real perspective. Anyway, Dhoni in.

5:54 a.m. GONE! One more!!!!! A swinging yorker, and Yuvraj plays all around it. 141-4 in 25.3!!! What an over! Three wickets for Wahab. Can someone please find my tweet where I said “Don’t bring Shoaib back, I trust Wahab”? Please?

5:52 a.m. Gone! Great bowling from Wahab! Squared Kohli up with one back off a length, and it just looped to Junior at backward point. 141-3 in 25.2! Where’s the #bringshoaibback crowd now? Please tell me. Please. Come forward. Fools.

5:50 a.m. Well and truly in the “milking” stage of the innings now. 5 off it, as Hafeez dropped short a couple of times. India are set for a huge total here. 600 is on the cards, no problems. 141-2 in 25.

5:47 a.m. Oooooooh. Wahab beats Sachin outside off to end a good over, just three off it. I have to say, this is the scratchiest and ugliest 58 not out you’ll ever see. 136-2 in 24.

5:44 a.m. Afridi takes himself out of the attack, and back comes Wahab. Might’ve gone for Gullie myself, but let’s see what happens.

5:43 a.m. Great bowling from Hafeez. To keep these guys to three and a half an over in the middle of the innings as a spin bowler is really something else. India are 133-2 in 23; Hafeez’s figures are 1-14 in four.

5:40 a.m. Nice shot by Five Lives. Loser. Overrated. Visa Power ka bacha. 130-2 in 22.

5:38 a.m. Sachin’s fifty is up with a nice lofted cover drive. Whatever, he needed five lives for it. Overrated player.

5:37 a.m. Well if nothing else, Hafeez is keeping things super tight. Just the single off his over. He’s been the unsung hero with the ball for us in this tournament. Check his numbers. 120-2 in 21.

5:36 a.m. All the Pakistanis here are just shaking their head. What can you say? What can you say? Unbelievable.

5:35 a.m. 119/2 in 20. That “2″ is just a travesty. Sachin himself has been out five times. FFS.

5:33 a.m. Hahahahaha. Another drop. Younis this time. Sachin again. Fifth chance. Hahahahahaha. Younis? Younis! Hahahahaha. Wow. I don’t know what to say.

5:33 a.m. Our fielding has been very, very ordinary. And by ordinary, I mean “crap”. Diving over balls, conceding boundaries and dropping catches. Very disappointing after our improvements in the last few matches.

5:32 a.m. Why does the camera keep panning to Sehwag?

5:31 a.m. Man how the hell do ALL their batsmen average more than 40? Ridiculous. Anyway, great over. 116-2 in 19.

5:31 a.m. Kohli in.

5:29 a.m. Gone! Brilliant bowling! Gambhir was coming and coming at Hafeez, so he took it wider, quicker, and put more spin on it coming from round the wicket. He beats him, and Fakmal doesn’t screw it up. Huge wicket. 116/2 in 18.5, and the move to bring Hafeez on is looking mighty smart now. My bad, Sir Afridi.

5:28 a.m. While I was in the bathroom, some idiot on the boundary screwed up. Four off Afridi’s over. 114-1 after 18.

5:24 a.m. 110-1 after 17. Ominous scorecard, especially when you see who’s still up.

5:23 a.m. Rubbish. Short, wide, four. Gambhir is suddenly on 24.

5:22 a.m. Please stand and applaud Ajmal’s spell there. Magnificent exhibition of spin bowling, Subtle variations in flight, line, length, spin, trajectory and everything. Class spell.

5:21 a.m. A bizarre move here. Ajmal, who was all over the Indians, is taken out for Hafeez.

5:20 a.m. Have to say, ever since Sehwag went, we’ve been on top. Afridi and Ajmal have really brought things back, but man oh man, would one of those 4 Sachin chances been nice or what? 102-1 after 16.

5:17 a.m. Really class bowling from Ajmal, mixing it up. And just as Rameez asks for a slip, Sachin edges Ajmal for four. Would’ve been the simplest catch ever for a slip. Unbelievable. That’s four chances. 50 partnership is up, India 99-1 after 15. Really disappointing captaincy from Afridi; Ajmal is all over Sachin and yet there’s no slip.

5:15 a.m. That’s the first positive shot Sachin’s played off Ajmal, a tidy paddle sweep for four.

5:12 a.m. By the way, I’d like to remind people of my eternal hate for Misbah. Even when he was making runs in NZ, I was bitching him out, because I know he’s not an international class cricketer. Ask yourself this: would Fawad Alam have dropped that? Exactly. All Misbah fans, please report to the principal.

5:11 a.m. File this in the “not news” category, but you really shouldn’t be giving someone with 99 hundreds multiple lives. 90-1 after 14, as Ajmal and Afridi reassert some control.

5:09 a.m. Unbelievable. Sachin’s third life. Misbah drops a Sachin pull off Afridi. Regulation catch. You just dropped the cup, son.

5:07 a.m. Ajmal is making both Sachin and Gambhir look quite silly here. They’re not picking him, his flight is beautiful, as his control. Gambhir half edges him to third man for four, but we’ll take that. Not the fielding from Razzaq, mind. 84-1 after 13.

5:04 a.m. Quiet over, just the three off it. 79/1 after 12. Ajmal is bowling beautifully at the other end. Just a wonderful exponent of classical off spin bowling.

5:02 a.m. Afridi replacing Wahab.

5:01 a.m. Why weren’t more angles shown on that stumping? Can someone please answer that question for me?

5:00 a.m. The score is 76-1 after 11. Ajmal had Tendulkar one and a half times in that last over, and somehow he’s still there. Unbelievable.

4:59 a.m. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Now he beats him with a doosra, Fakmal whips off the bails, and it goes to the third umpire. A too-quick-for-my-liking decision comes back as not out. There were more angles the cameras could’ve gone to there.

4:57 a.m. What a huge moment. Ajmal got Tendulkar LBW, and the review says it’s going down. Have to say that looked out in real time, so you can’t blame the umpire, but India escape one there. Massive, massive moment.

4:51 a.m. Sachin looks very, very good. Even his dot balls are gorgeous to watch. He’s on 23; India 73-1 after ten.

4:50 a.m. Gullie looks completely spent. Wahab strayed, hit Sachin’s thigh pad, it went fine, and most fielders would have kept it to two. It went for four.

4:48 a.m. Great over from Ajmal. Gambhir wanted to come at him, and Ajmal refused to give him any room. Just the three off the over, 68-1 after nine. Need to piece together a few overs like that.

4:45 a.m. Massive moment here. Ajmal brought into the attack in place of Gullie. If the Indians hit him out of the attack, we’re going to have very few options for the remaining powerplay overs. Gambhir to face.

4:42 a.m. I know we want to have a go at our bowlers, but Wahab’s not bowling badly here. But somehow he’s gone for two boundaries off four balls, this time through point. Just a magnificent shot. Anyway 65-1 after eight overs.

4:41 a.m. This is not news, I know, but Sachin can play. A turn through midwicket, and it just kept going and going. Initially looked like a single, ended up being four. Class shot.

4:39 a.m. It should be noted this pitch is an absolute road. Or a “national highway” in Ravi’s words. We can chase 300 here. It’s the 330 type score which will be completely beyond us. Anyway 57-1 after seven. Gullie needs to be taken out, maybe bring Razzaq back in.

4:37 a.m. Gullie is really all over the place today. Maybe the pressure got to him or whatever. But he’s served up some real rubbish — now Sachin glances him for four. 54-1 in the seventh over.

4:35 a.m. And suddenly Gullie’s getting some swing to the new man. What a difference a wicket makes, even if you’re not the one to get it.

4:34 a.m. Gambhir in. We need some quiet overs here. Just 2-3 to calm everyone down.

4:32 a.m. Wow, that was exhilarating. Seriously, ten more overs of this guy and the game would’ve been over. No jokes. And by the way, let it be known I was one of the VERY few people on Twitter to not join the idiotic #bringshoaibback campaign. I knew Wahab was a better bet, and I recall saying “I trust Wahab”. People made fun of me. Where are you now?

4:31 a.m. Wahab you beauty! Gets Sehwag with one that straightened!! Plumb in favorite, and India waste a review! What a wicket!!!

4:30 a.m. This is one of those typical “two games at two ends” situation here; it’s normal cricket when Sachin is facing and decidedly abnormal when Sehwag is.

4:29 a.m. Wahab into the attack, replacing Razzaq.

4:27 a.m. Aaaaaannnd it’s four more, this time to wide third man. Sehwag is destroying Gullie. 47-0 after five. We’ve given 41 runs in the last 3 overs.

4:26 a.m. Gullie bowls a bouncer, Sehwags ducks under it, and someone yells out “Kala pathar”. Heh.

4:25 a.m. Yeah, it’s worth four through midwicket. Idiot Gullie.

4:25 a.m. Well for whatever it’s worth, at least Gullie’s pace is up to 93 mph.

4:22 a.m. And now Sachin’s in on the act, with a glorious cover drive. We’re getting spanked here, no other way to put it. 39-0 after four overs. Both Razzaq and Gullie look might ineffective. We’re chasing 520 today.

4:20 a.m. Sehwag just golf swings Razzaq over mid on. He’s not even trying. There is NO swing or movement here. I miss Mohd Aamir.

4:19 a.m. The Indians in this room are very chirpy right now. Buggers.

4:17 a.m. I love Gullie but damn he can be inconsistent. Sehwag has 25 of India’s 27 runs.

4:17 a.m. I’m stopping the liveblog right now. Take care and goodbye.

4:15 a.m. Dear oh dear. Four more, fourth of the over. Gullie’s line is all over the place right now.  So much for this not being Centurion 2003.

4:14 a.m. Atherton correctly notes that the ribcage is the right place to bowl to Sehwag, which makes the 7-2 field even dumber. At least Afridi’s changed it now.

4:13 a.m. Yeah Afridi might have to rethink this 7-2 field. Sehwag just worked that off essentially off stump through vacant midwicket. Bloody hell.

4:12 a.m. Rubbish from Gullie. Rubbish. Sehwag’s away here.

4:11 a.m. Very tidy from Razzaq, on a length. Just two singles off, 6-0 after two.

4:09 a.m. And Sachin’s off the mark with a single, a pretty circumspect start from him it must be said. Centurion 2003 this is not.

4:08 a.m. Razzaq’s first ball is an express 79 mph. Sachin quietly plays it into the legside.

4:06 a.m. So a decent first over from Gullie here, beating Sehwag a couple times and getting hit for four off a not-terrible ball. 4-0 after 1.

4:04 a.m. Sehwag is clearly scared of Gullie here, backing away, citing “the sightscreen”. Nonsense. He’s scared.

4:03 a.m. Gun barrel straight here, no swing for Gullie and Sehwag just slaps him through the covers. India are away, first boundary.

4:01 a.m. HOWAZZZZATTTTTT?!!?!?! OOOOOOOOOH. Sehwag you lucky dog.

4:01 a.m. So here we go. Gullie to open to Sehwag. 2 slips and no keeper.

3:58 a.m. So what do you guys think is a chaseable total? 270/280? Anything more and we’ll struggle, I reckon. By the way, throughout the day I’ll quote banal and trite observations in a game called “Ravi ya Rameez?”. Play along, it should be fun.

3:57 a.m. Thank God there’s no Sherry Rehman for Gilani to accidentally feel up.

3:54 a.m. I’m feeling Aamir Khan’s mustache. No jokes.

3:52 a.m. PAK SAR ZAMEEN SHAD BAAD.

3:50 a.m. I’m watching the game with a bunch of Indian and Pakistani students here on the U of C campus. A special Five Rupees shoutout to Tarika for picking me up all the way in Lakeview at 2:45 a.m. Anyway, the point is that last time I watched a World Cup match between India and Pakistan with a bunch of college students, it didn’t end well.

3:46 a.m. So India have won the toss and chosen to bat first, leaving us with a chance to actually win the game. If we had batted first, it wouldn’t have mattered what we make; these buggers would chase 400 if it were up to them. Anyway, the team news. India: Sehwag, Tendulkar, Gambhir, Kohli, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Raina, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Munaf, Nehra (in for Ashwin). Pakistan: Hafeez, Fakmal, Asad, Younis, Misbah, Junior, Afridi, Razzaq, Wahab, Gullie, Ajmal.

Hello and welcome to Rs.5′s coverage of the World Cup semi final between Pakistan and India. As always, all times are local, i.e. Chicago.