Pakistan Can Bring the Noise to Final Four: New York Times

By HUW RICHARDS

Published: June 17, 2009

LONDON — Of the four teams left in the World Twenty20 tournament, which starts its semifinals in England on Thursday, Pakistan represents both continuity and passion.

It stands for continuity because it is the only survivor that also reached the final four at the first World Twenty20, in South Africa in 2007.

Pakistan represents passion because, alone among the final four, it can guarantee the atmosphere that comes only when a large section of the crowd cares desperately who wins and which lends any sporting event a sense of occasion.

In many countries that support could be generated only by the host and England was eliminated Monday when it lost to West Indies. But this is Britain in the 21st century. India also draws huge support. Its fans outcheered the English when the two teams met at Lord’s in London on Sunday. But India lost that match and it too has been eliminated.

That leaves Pakistan to pull in emotionally involved fans.

The results earlier this week show that crowd support can take a team only so far, but Pakistan will need all the help it can get when it plays South Africa at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Thursday.

Each semifinal has a clear favorite.

In both of them, a team that has won all five of its games faces one that lost matches at both pool and Super Eight stages.

South Africa has been remorselessly victorious. Pakistan has won only one match out of three against test nations — its progress has been made possible by victories over Netherlands and Ireland, both on the second tier of international cricket. But its single victory over a test nation, New Zealand, was perhaps the most emphatic result of the tournament.

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