SF1: Colombo Constriction

Q Part:

AdarshB, Guru, Raghav and Sharath got the right answer which is:

Common Man cartoon (Image 1) drawn by RK Laxman (Image 4) which was chosen as the mascot of Air Deccan by its founder GR Gopinath (Image 3); Air Deccan was later acquired by Kingfisher Airlines CMD Vijay Mallya (Image 2). 

Whose voice is this?

I am sure you will enjoy the joke though!.

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Indeed, it turned out to be a cracker; only problem was that the Sri Lankan bowlers poured lots of water on them to make them never go!

The only fire-works that was of any note was the one that woke Aleem Dar up just when SL was three runs away from victory. They told us during umpiring courses that the umpire invariably should call 'dead ball' for any other unforeseen situations - and the example that was used was always, what if fireworks go off suddenly! How very true!

Sri Lanka somehow has turned into this formidable unit now - and this happens around the world cups. They might lose all the inane bilaterals etc., but come WC they are always on the boil! Great team!!

The way Malinga came back to bowl those yorkers at will was a sight to behold.

A word of praise to the kiwis is due: They fought hard; introduced the mandatory flutter into the opposition camp. But SL was way too powerful for them. But the New Zealanders can hold their heads high and walk into the sun-set knowing that they have shown the 'Kiwi Spirit'. So much for all those people who ridiculed the team on their 'sheep'ishness! 

Form points to Sri Lanka lifting the cup and making it a fitting farewell to Murali. 

Let us see!

No, my keyboard is refusing to type anything about the second semi. Can somebody wake me up on Thursday morning? I want to do a mini-rip-van-winkle :-)

Side note: Bumble, after a particularly crazy period of Sri Lanka batting, when they lost four wickets, said: "The fat lady started to sing; but she decided to sit down and take some rest!" Cute, ain't he?

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B Part:

Status:

Please note the timings for the next game on Wednesday - Semi-final #2:

India v Pakistan 16:25 hours SGT Wednesday

(Remember: SF guesses cost 4 bucks)

Go ahead and open your purses for the B Part!!

Answers and guesses to the usual place. 

(The usual place is my email address, which you can find along with the ranges etc., at http://sribees.blogspot.com/2011/02/world-cup-here-we-come.html)

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Time for no Semi Measures!

Even Income-tax officers are appearing on TV (at least their voices) and confirming that the game on Wednesday is fixed!

Sangakkara is asking his players to keep cool - as if they aren't. In the heat of Ind v Pak, the SL v NZL game is completely under-rated and under-estimated.

Something tells me that tomorrow's game will be a cracker and the one on Wednesday will be a damp squib.

Talking of damp squibs, will Shoaib be in the final XI? Can Pakistan afford a d.s in their team? Heard that he used a number of unparliamentary expressions at Kamran Akmal (and therefore fined and dropped) after that gloved-gentleman dropped Ross Taylor so many times that even the CRAYs are finding it difficult to count them! Can't fault Akthar though!

And the comedy of the day was the Internal minister of Pakistan warning his players not to 'fix' the game and that he is watching. AAAAArrrrgggghhhh! Very motivating.

Q Part:

Simple question.

Connect the four..

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B Part:

Please note the timings for the next game on Tuesday - Semi-final #1:

Sri Lanka v New Zealand 16:25 hours SGT Tuesday

(Remember: SF guesses cost 4 bucks)

Go ahead and open your purses for the B Part!!

Answers and guesses to the usual place. 

(The usual place is my email address, which you can find along with the ranges etc., at http://sribees.blogspot.com/2011/02/world-cup-here-we-come.html)

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Day 34: QF4 - The True England Emerges!

It had to happen.

The lucky well threatened to run dry for England throughout and it finally showed its parched throat today in the Premadasa Cauldron.

Actually, the luck did run well at least in the first half of the match, that Trott and Morgan had so many lives, they almost grew whiskers and started meowing! 

Then Tremlett decided that he will return the favour by either shying away from the 'tracer bullets' or ended up feigning...

Sri Lanka were obviously nervous - but the quality of their bowling in their own backyard, was too good for England to handle.

Did you hear that useless(!?) trivia - Tharanga and Dilshan have put together more than 700 runs in this WC i.e. 100+ ever inning. Mummmmy, boo hoo!

Already wags are pointing out that it will be a Ind v Srl finals... except that there is a small matter of Pakistan in between for the blue-bleeders and the finals. No, I do not want to say that it will be a grudge match between the greens and the all-blacks :-|

Q Part:

Those flowers are the national flowers of South Africa, Australia, Pakistan and England - namely, King Protea, Golden Wattle, Poet's Jasmine and Tudor Rose respectively. 

And the players are: Jack Hobbs, Billy Murdoch, Hanif Mohammad and Mike Proctor. Go match!

Guru, AdarshB, Raghav and Sharath gave the right answers. Good work, fellas!

Guru gave the additional trivia that Billy Murdoch was the first Aussie captain to have lost the Ashes twice (we know who the latest one is!). If I remember correctly, Billy also scored the first double century in tests. 

No Quiz Question Today

Will send one on the eve of SF1.

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B Part:

Here is the BQ status after all the QFs are done. Pls note the status also includes the effect of your semi-finals line-up guesses.

Please note the timings for the next game on Tuesday - Semi-final #1:

Sri Lanka v New Zealand 16:25 hours SGT Tuesday

(Remember: SF guesses cost 4 bucks)

Go ahead and open your purses for the B Part!!

Answers and guesses to the usual place. 

(The usual place is my email address, which you can find along with the ranges etc., at http://sribees.blogspot.com/2011/02/world-cup-here-we-come.html)

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