At 2:30 local time in Mohali, a city in the Punjab region of India, cricket powerhouses India and Pakistan will meet in the second semifinal of the 2011 Cricket World Cup. For any follower of cricket, this is certainly not new news. India and Pakistan have a history of conflict, but with a new session of peace talks commencing yesterday in New Delhi and the fact that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan’s Yousef Raza Gilani will be watching the historical match together, residents of each country have much to be hopeful for.
Both countries are buzzing with anticipation, and television executives in the region are already predicting record audiences to tune into the event – some expecting up to 800 million Indians alone. Many are hoping that this event will help unite the two countries in the spirit of competition and help aid the current peace talks, which have been described as “positive” as of yet.
There is no clear favorite heading in to Wednesday’s match, as India is the number two seed of the tournament and Pakistan is ranked third. Both India and Pakistan played close matches in the quarterfinal rounds against Australia and the West Indies, respectively, and historically the teams have been well-matched, and have each taken home one World Cup Championship.
The match will take place at India’s Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in front of a crowd of close to 45,000 tomorrow at 2:30 local time, or 5 AM EST. Now is as good a time as ever to call your family and friends in India or Pakistan and see what they’re doing for the big match. Thankfully, StanaCard is currently offering up to 40% off when calling India and Pakistan! Also, when you tell a friend about this great deal, both you and your friend can get up to $10 free when he opens an account!
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