Need A game in semis against Lanka, says Dravid

Mirpur, February 8 

Rahul Dravid, India U-19 coach, said his team will have to produce a good all-round performance to outwit Sri Lanka in the ICC World Cup semifinals tomorrow. The power-packed Indian side breezed through Group D with an all-win record against New Zealand, Nepal and Ireland, before crushing Namibia by 197 runs in the quarterfinal.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, bounced back after a 23-run defeat against Pakistan in the last Group B match to stun a strong England side by six wickets in the quarterfinal.

The in-form India are rated favourites, but Dravid refused to take victory for granted. “We know what to expect from them. They have a couple of seamers and a lot of good spinners. They bowl a lot of spin. Having said that, they also know what to expect from us,” said Dravid.

“It should be a good contest. We have been playing good cricket of late and the lead-up to the tournament was good. We need to play well, irrespective of whether we bat or bowl first. If we bring our A game to the party, we will give ourselves a good chance to win.”      

India’s batting has been led by aggressive left-handed opener Rishabh Pant, who followed an 18-ball half-century against Nepal with 111 off 96 balls in the quarterfinal. Sarfaraz Khan has shored up the middle-order with three half-centuries in four matches.

Sri Lanka coach Roger Wijesuriya said his side’s impressive win over England has left him optimistic about the semifinal. “If we play the way we did against England, there is no reason why we can’t win the semifinal.”  

WI stun Pak, enter semis      

Fatullah: Skipper Shimron Hetmyer and Tevin Imlach hit half-centuries as West Indies upset Pakistan by five wickets to cruise into the semifinals here today. Hetmyer scored 52 and Imlach made 54 to ensure a gallant 113 by Umaid Masood went in vain as West Indies surpassed Pakistan’s 227/6 with 10 overs to spare. Pakistan’s defeat prevented an all-Asian semifinals line-up. 

Brief scores: Pakistan 227/6 (U Masood 113, S Fayyaz 58*; C Holder 2/26); WI 229/5 (T Imlach 54, S Hetmyer 52*; S Gul 1/32, A Shafiq 1/35). — PTI