MOHALI: Vanquished captain Shahid Afridi expects a mature reaction from fans in Pakistan when their team return after going down to India in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

“In my opinion we have played better than 2003 and 2007 when our teams were much better. Nobody was expecting anything from this team. I am proud of this team,” Afridi told reporters.

The 1992 champions have been unable to play international matches at home since the 2009 armed attack on the Sri Lanka cricketers in Lahore and the recent spot-fixing scandal has raised serious doubts about their players’ integrity.

The scandal robbed them of the services of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir and, understandably, few were prepared to bet on Pakistan winning the showpiece event for a second time.

“I think people have realised that we have put in our full effort. We have won six out of eight matches which is a big achievement,” Afridi said.

“We have confidence (in our fans). Our country has backed us so much. People who love you so much can criticise you as well. It’s not a big deal.” Afridi’s counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni recalled the fans’ ire when they stoned the cricketers’ houses after India’s first-round exit in the 2007 World Cup.

Dhoni said those were the moments when support really mattered. “We are here to entertain. We have always given our best whether it was the 2007 World Cup or the 2011,” he said. “We don’t really like losing and always give our best. We always need the support, especially when we are not doing well.

“We know when we are doing well, the whole of India is with us. But it’s moments like the 2007 World Cup when you really need the kind of support to boost the players.

“I still remember it took me over a month to get out of that kind of depression,” he said.

Apple’s iPad hit shop shelves over the weekend, so we thought we’d bring you the best cases you can currently buy — as well as some coming-soon options that might be worth holding out for.

From fashionable to functional, with a few hopefully meeting in the middle, we’re sure you’ll find a covering that caters to your taste from our hand-picked selection.

Have a browse below and let us know which case, bag, sleeve or cover might be gracing your Apple iPad in the very near future.

Available Now…

1. Blytheking’s iSocket Etsy Cases

These handmade cases re-purpose vintage material to protect your iPad with sartorial elegance, making more of a statement than anything bought in an “ordinary” store.

Cost: From $65 to $108

2. Booq Taipan Shadow 

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Booq’s Taipan Shadow messenger-style bag offers some serious padding for your precious, as well as a few extra pockets you’ll likely fill in no time. In addition to violet, there are black and gray versions too.

Cost: $69.95

3. Hard Candy Bubble Sleeve 

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Offering a molded, bubbly exterior and a soft felt interior, Hard Candy’s cool case is available in gold-green, black, and pink, and will keep your iPad zipped safely up.

Cost: $49.95

4. iLuv Flexi-Clear Case 

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If you want to make less of a statement but keep your iPad protected from scrapes and scratches, then iLuv’s clear cases could be what you’re looking for. They come bundled with a little folding stand as well.

Cost: $29.99

5. SkoobaWrap 

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Ideal if you just want some basic protection for your iPad when you’re going to sling it into your bag or backpack, the SkoobaWrap will fold over the iPad and then Velcro itself into place.

Cost: $17.95

6. Vers Wood Case for iPad

Handcrafted from hardwoods and bamboo with 4mm-thick sides for a solid feel, this Vers option offers a soft lining, but steel-reinforced strength. The design also gets a wooden prop for table top use.

Cost: $79.99

7. Belkin Vue, Max and Grip Sleeves 

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Coming soon from Belkin are not one, but three iPad sleeves offering different functionality. The Vue has a see-through pocket, the Max’s pleated design means it squishes down for easy storage, and the Grip offers a textured design for butterfingers.

Cost: $39.99 each

8. Quirky Cloak 

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A sturdy case for the iPad made from non-slip rubber, Quirky’s crowd-sourced Cloak design doubles as a stand for the new tablet that can display portrait or landscape.

Cost: $42

9. ColcaSac 

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The big selling point for the ColcaSac line of iPad cases is that they are environmentally friendly. The fleece-lined covers are perfect for the iPad owner who wants to be a friend to the planet.

Cost: $34.95

10. Ryan Frank Cork Sleeves for TAPE 

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Designer Ryan Frank has extended his cork-based range of sleeves to include one that fits the iPad. Like previous products, it will be sold through UK record label TAPE, but it has yet to go live on the site.

Cost: TBD

Bonus… 

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MusicSkins 

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If you’re a music fan, you might fancy one of MusicSkins’ newest line of decals for the back of your iPad. From The Beatles, to the Sex Pistols, via Kiss, past The Grateful Dead, right through to Rihanna and Linkin Park, there’s bound to be one for a band you’re partial to.

Cost: $19.99

Apple and Verizon Wireless offered another sweet piece of the Apple mobile pie when they announced the iPhone 4 would be coming to the Verizon network Feb. 10. But iPhone fans are already counting down the days to the usual June unveiling of the next-generation iPhone. No official details are available yet, though media reports are beginning to zero in on some of the features the new device and platform are expected to have. One item we believe you can count on as sure as the night is dark is that the next iPhone will include Near-Field Communication capabilities.

NFC is the short-range wireless communications technology that enables wireless phones to communicate with sensors in posters, signs and even point-of-sale contact terminals. In other words, such technology will make the iPhone an electronic wallet. Expect the iPhone 5 to include a chip and for iOS5 to include an NFC controller software stack homegrown and patented by Apple. But there will be more, lots more. In this slide show, eWEEK speculates on a bunch of other new features for the iPhone 5 this summer.

For those with limited needs and budget, PTCL is now offering “National Package”, a broadband DSL with 256 Kbps speed for Rs. 299 per month. With National package, you will be allowed to download 1 GB of data in one month.

Initial impression suggests that 1 GB cap with “National Package” is not going to impress customers, however, they may get fine with 256 Kbps speed.

Additional GBs are not allowed as well, which means you may face a blackout if you consume your data limit before time.

Note: Existing customer can also avail this package but they will have to pay one time charges of Rs.1500 as downgrade charges.

We had heard of upgrade charges so far, but being in Pakistan, expect any type of charges such as these downgrade charges with “National Package”. We fear someday companies might introduce “customer charges”

Below are the all PTCL Broadband packages now available for customer

• 256Kbps          @Rs 299*
• 1Mb                 @Rs 1199
• 2Mb                 @Rs 1499
• 4Mb                 @Rs 1999
• 6Mb                 @Rs 4999
• 8Mb                 @Rs 6999
• 10Mb               @Rs 9999

*Limited download with 1 Gb

DHAKA: Confident Pakistan take on the West Indies in the World Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday hoping to continue their winning run in the tournament against a side bruised by recent defeats.

The hugely talented, but unpredictable, Pakistanis have been the revelation of the tournament so far by topping Group A with five wins in six matches in the preliminary league.

The West Indies inexplicably lost their last two games against England and India from dominant positions to finish fourth in Group B with three wins, the same as Bangladesh, but with a superior run-rate.

Shahid Afridi’s Pakistan saved the best for the end when they broke three-time defending champions Australia’s unbeaten streak of 34 World Cup matches with a four-wicket win in Colombo on Saturday.

It was just the tonic Pakistan needed after being stripped of big-time cricket at home due to security concerns in their volatile nation and tainted by an unsavoury spot-fixing scandal.

The absence of former captain Salman Butt and pace spearheads Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif due to the controversy was not felt as the team rallied superbly under their inspirational captain.

Afridi is the tournament’s leading bowler with 17 wickets with his fastish leg-breaks, while seamer Umar Gul has kept the pressure on at the other end with 13 wickets.

All-rounder Afridi may have failed with the bat so far with just 65 runs in six games, but young guns Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq have shone brightly in their first World Cup.

Akmal has scored 211 runs at 52.75 and Shafiq averages 124 in the two games he has played so far, while seasoned seniors like Misbah-ul Haq and Younis Khan have lent solidity to the middle-order.

Team manager Intikhab Alam, who was coach when Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup under Imran Khan, was delighted with his side’s performance so far.

The former captain attributed the success to “self-belief, fitness and high energy levels.”

“There’s a lot of positive energy among the boys after the victory over Australia and we will take that into the quarter-finals,” Intikhab said. “We are peaking at the right time.”

The West Indies, in contrast, appear to be falling apart just when it matters most.

They were on the brink of victory against England in Chennai when, chasing a modest target of 244, they were comfortably placed at 222-6 before losing their last four wickets for three runs.

Against India on Sunday, they caved in again as eight wickets fell for 34 runs after they were 154-2 and lost by 80 runs.

The West Indies have now lost 18 successive matches against the leading nations, but Darren Sammy’s men cannot afford another defeat in the knock-out rounds.

All is, however, not over yet for the West Indies.

They return to the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka where they shot out Bangladesh for their lowest one-day total of 58 in the league to romp home by nine wickets in a match that lasted under two hours.

Batting star Chris Gayle and key fast bowler Kemar Roach are expected to be back after missing the India game, Gayle with a abdominal strain and Roach due to illness.

Sammy said he was aware of Pakistan’s threat, but remained confident his team can bounce back strongly.

“Pakistan have done well so far, but hopefully they will have their bad match against us and we will bring our A game,” he said. (AFP)