Thursday's Cricket World Cup gossip

Indian newspapers praised the spirit in which Thursday's World Cup semi-final against bitter rivals Pakistan was played, with The Pioneer hailing the "good cricket and even better camaraderie" of the match.

But Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq was blamed by fans for his country's defeat because of his slow scoring rate, with one accusing him of "just wasting time on the pitch" as he scored a "lacklustre" 56 from 76 balls.

One India fan was so desperate to see the semi-final that he appeared in a YouTube video holding a handmade sign offering to swap his kidney for a ticket. Sanjay Kumar Sen also held a vigil outside the venue for the semi-final in Mohali after India and Pakistan secured their places in the game.

Another India fan, model Poonam Pandey, has promised to strip naked if her country wins the World Cup. "I'm confident of my body and I'm doing this to excite our boys to play better," she said. Full story: Metro

New Australia captain Michael Clarke says it won't be awkward for predecessor Ricky Ponting to continue his international career under him. But Australian fans are not so comfortable with Clarke's appointment; more than 70% of respondents to online newspaper polls do not support it.

Ladbrokes stand to lose £500,000 if India beat Sri Lanka on Saturday to win the World Cup. India are 4-6 with bookmakers to triumph in Mumbai.
Full story: Racing Post

The final overs of Sri Lanka's semi-final against New Zealand on Tuesday were played against the backdrop of a premature fireworks display. Someone lit the touchpaper for the display when Thilan Samaraweera hit what appeared to be the winning runs, only for the umpire to call a dead ball and the match continued.

India's Harbhajan Singh admitted Thursday's semi-final against Pakistan was more than just a cricket match and that he had felt the pressure of playing his country's fiercest cricketing rivals for a place in the World Cup final.

Read more at:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/9441724.stm