PhotoBlog - world-cup

Apr

2011

3:57pm, EDT

Heartbreak and wild celebration: India wins World Cup cricket title

Lakruwan Wanniarachchi / AFP - Getty Images

A dejected Sri Lankan cricket fan cries during a telecast of the Cricket World Cup final match between Sri Lanka and India, in Colombo on Saturday, April 2. India defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets to win the 2011 World Cup.

Lakruwan Wanniarachchi / AFP - Getty Images

Sri Lankan cricket fans watch on a giant screen the Cricket World Cup final match between Sri Lanka and India, in Colombo on Saturday.

Bikas Das / AP

Indian cricket fans ride on an Ambassador car as they celebrate their team's win over Sri Lanka in the Cricket World Cup in Kolkata, India, on Saturday.

Piyal Adhikary / EPA

Indian cricket supporters celebrate in Calcutta on Saturday after India beat Sri Lanka in the ICC World Cup final match.

Bikas Das / AP

Indian cricket fans celebrate their team's win over Sri Lanka in the Cricket World Cup in Kolkata on Saturday.

By Elena Grothe

Full story from NBC Sports: India wins first World Cup cricket title since '83

Mar

2011

10:04am, EDT

The other March Madness: Fans react to World Cup cricket semifinal match between India and Pakistan

Shakil Adil / AP

A Pakistani prisoner, left, poses with an Indian prisoner during the Pakistan-India cricket match shown on television in Karachi's central jail in Pakistan on Wednesday, March 30. Pakistan and India are playing the semi final of the Cricket World Cup in Mohali, India.

Mk Chaudhry / EPA

Pakistani spectators celebrate during the ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal between India and Pakistan, in Multan, Pakistan on March 30. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has invited his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani to watch the game in Mohali, India. The move came as the two countries are struggling to revive formal peace talks stalled after the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai which India claims was planned in Pakistan.

Manish Swarup / AP

Indians react as they watch the ICC World Cup cricket semifinal match between India and Pakistan, on a television set at a hair salon in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, March 30.

Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP

Indian laborers listen to a commentary of the ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal match between India and Pakistan, on a radio in Allahabad, Wednesday, March 30.

Saurabh Das / AP

Indian supporters react as Yuvraj Singh is bowled out on the very first delivery he faced as they watch India take on Pakistan in the second semifinal of the Cricket World Cup at a bar in Chandigarh, India, Wednesday, March 30.

Manish Swarup / AP

Indians react as they watch on a television set the ICC World Cup cricket semifinal match between India and Pakistan, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, March 30.

By John Makely, NBC News

Some really fun images coming in now as two nations share their passion for the game of cricket.

David Arnott posted an earlier piece on the preparations and politics behind the game here.

Also, here's a sports story about the matchup, and another story about the leaders of India and Pakistan enjoying the game together.

Two pictures, two pairs of shoes in South Africa

The AP has a story today, headlined "South Africa economic woes unfixed by Cup," that has a fair bit of nuance behind that headline:

Marius Roodt, a researcher at the South African Institute of Race Relations, recently wrote an economic analysis of this World Cup, concluding that from a purely financial standpoint it was a dubious enterprise.

However, he said that by meeting construction deadlines and providing a warm welcome to throngs of foreign visitors, the tournament provided a unique opportunity for the once-ostracized nation to "rebrand itself."

"South Africa and its taxpayers will be paying for this World Cup for decades," he wrote. "But the value of the change in perceptions of this country and the continent will have been priceless."

Read the full story here.

From the archive: At 5'5", Maradona is still larger than life

As Argentina prepares to play Germany, I'm wondering what emotional pyrotechnics may be in store from Argentine soccer coach Diego Maradona. He's always been a character, and he's been true to form in South Africa: His emotional leadership has been an exciting part of the 2010 World Cup.

For many football fans, the moment that comes to mind when Maradona's name comes up is his 1986 "Hand of God" goal against England, described and shown in detail here. I'm far more prone to think of the picture above, which does a great job of encapsulating some of the challenges Maradona has faced off of the pitch, and of the gamewinning 'Goal of the Century' from the same 1986 World Cup match against England, a video clip that sends chills up my spine every time I see it, even if I watch it ten times in quick succession: