PreMatch Interview!

After the heart-beating and pulse raising knockout rounds, KG World Cup 2005 is now moving into the semifinals where the best of the best compete with each other. Tomorrow is the first semi match between ICT and EDS-B. ICT is roaring with great pride as they have won all their matches so far whereas EDS-B is a wounded tiger who wants to forget their last match defeat and come back strong.

The stage is set with a brand new pitch and lengthy boundary lines. The groundsmen have really done a wonderful job of preparing a brand new pitch in just one week. I heard they digged up some 10 feet and have filled them up with 25 sacks of clay!! Great job!!

Both the teams were training hard today evening and I caught up with both the captains in the ground. Here's an excerpt from their interview:

Gnanasekar - EDS-B

You played brilliantly in your first match but lost out to FRM-B in the second round of the knockout match. Now, what are your views about the upcoming match?

We want to have a wonderful cricketing day.

What are your team's strengths?

We are all-round performers, we've got around 9 all-rounders.

What have you learned from your previous defeat?

It was just a bad day for us. We would like to thank FRM-B for waking us up!

Any new players in your team?

Geeth is not playing, instead Sugumar is in.

I see. Is he a batsman?

Yes, he is a powerful hitter.

How do you rake up ICT?

They are a good team to compete with.

As a captain, what do you think will help you win this tournament?

We need good concentration in the bowling area. We want to simply bowl to the sticks which will help us in a great way and our target is to bowl less than 5 extras in every match.

Any message you wish to convey to the ICT team?

Have a good day and wish you a good match irrespective of who wins/loses.

Vinith - ICT

You have never lost a match so far in this tournament and probably your team is at its best form right now. Now, what are your views about the upcoming match?

We would like to keep our winning stream going on.

What are your team's strengths?

Team work, strong batting, and average bowling.

Now you said average bowling. Bowling has been a problematic area for your, especially extras. What steps have you taken to avoid this?

There's a total change in the bowling pattern which haven't been tried out by us in the past 3 tournaments.

I see. What's so special?

It's a mixture of spin & fast bowling.

Any new players in your team?

Two players are rested and have been replaced with a batsman & an all-rounder.

How do you rake up EDS?

They are good. We need to play better than our last match.

As a captain, what do you think will help you win this tournament?

If we play in a disciplined way, we can win the tournament.

Any message you wish to convey to the EDS team?

Expect suprises!