The reason why cricket is such a fascinating game is because no one can take this sport for granted. The two semi-finals of the T20 World Cup witnessed some superlative performances which resulted in the ouster of the pre-tournament favourites. There is no doubt that both England and Pakistan were by far the best teams in view, but now both are headed for their respective homes, thanks to some swashbuckling knocks by players who outperformed themselves while knocking out the projected winners. The games between New Zealand and England and the contest between Australia and Pakistan would remain etched in the minds of cricket lovers for a long time. Pakistan’s loss must have hurt them the most, particularly because it was probably the most balanced side, which, due to lack of big match experience, wilted under pressure from the aggressive Australians in the penultimate over. It is unfair to blame Hasan Ali for dropping the catch, which amounted to dropping the World Cup since these things are a part and parcel of any game. Shaheen Afridi, the extremely lethal bowler of this edition of the World Cup must have been shell-shocked when Matthew Wade made him look like a pedestrian bowler, smashing three consecutive sixes, thus ensuring that his side went through into the finals. Surprisingly, Pakistan Interior Minister, Sheikh Rasheed, kept himself in check and did not describe the Aussie victory as the defeat of Islam in the same manner in which he had described India’s loss as the victory of Islam. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, himself a champion cricketer in his heydays, consoled Babar Azam and his boys, while congratulating Australia for a magnificent win. New Zealand has always been the most low-profile but high performing team in world cricket since the past few years. Skippered by a calm and composed Kane Williamson, it goes about its task silently and without any fuss. The manner in which they dismantled the over-confident English side in the first semi-final was an indication of their commitment to the sport. India of course was knocked out much earlier but must have learned many lessons from its early exit. There has been speculation that all was not fine within the dressing room and the team was divided into two camps. As a cricket lover, there is a case that can be made out regarding the selection of certain players and the omission of some others. In any tournament where India has to face Pakistan, there should be more experienced people in the side. It is not easy to explain why an in form Shikhar Dhawan was not a part of the side and why R. Ashwin, despite being in the team did not play against Pakistan. A new phase for India has begun, with Rahul Dravid taking over as the head coach. Dravid is an exceptional sportsman, who is admired around the world and is certainly going to leave his stamp on the side. He is competitive and understands the nuances. One would now expect that with Sourav Ganguly as the BCCI president and Rahul Dravid as the coach, administrators should allow the game to be managed and supervised by these two legends of the game. Virat Kohli is amongst the most talented players of our time and has already left his mark. There are other gifted players such as Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and K.L. Rahul who have a lot to offer in the future as well. The selectors should pick the best players and not rely on a selection process which gives preference to any particular zone. So far as the two semi-finals were concerned, it was cricket that eventually won. The same would be the case when the final is played on Sunday in an electrifying atmosphere in Dubai.