SL invites N. Zealand PM for semi-finals

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse on Sunday invited New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to witness the cricket World Cup semi-finals between the two nations on Tuesday, an official said.

Rajapakse asked Key to visit the island after the home team crushed England by 10 wickets on Saturday to reach the World Cup semi-finals that will be played at Colombo's Premadasa Stadium, spokesman Bandula Jayasekera said.

The 1996 champions will tackle New Zealand on Tuesday for a place in the finals. The Black Caps had knocked South Africa out of the World Cup by defeating them by 49 runs on Friday.

Sri Lanka will meet New Zealand for a second time in the current World Cup after their 112 run victory over the Black Caps in their Group A match at the Wankhede Stadium on March 18.

Security Tigntened for Semi Final between Pakistan and India

MOHALI: Security tigthtened at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium on Sunday as India training session ahead of the high-profile World Cup semi-final against Pakistan.

Match between the India & Pakistan on Indian soil since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, gained an added security headache Sunday when Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani confirmed he will attend Wednesday’s match.

Police were there in greater numbers in and around the ground on Sunday and there were even “media security officers” escorting reporters into the ground.

Pakistan, the 1992 champions, were put through their paces once again by coach Waqar Younis

The India squad arrived for their scheduled training session today, with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh the only notable absentee.

However, it was notable how Sachin Tendulkar, who comes into this game on the back of 99 hundreds, stood away from the fray and opted for the more traditional warm-up method of knocking in a few bats.