Both sides will be bringing back rested stars and keen to see where there team is

Both sides will be bringing back rested stars and keen to see where there team is at for the knockout stages of the tournament, whilst a win will send a psychological blow to there rivals and also gaining those all important bragging writes.This match is going to be close but India has to be close favorites with such awesome hitting power in their top seven.Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina both hit centuries as India posted 374-4 against HK, with the explosive Yuvraj Singh rested and all rounder Irfan Pathan nursing a side strain. If Pathan returns he should bolster the bowling attack, along with teenager, Ishant Sharma. Add that to the young and old spin pair of Piyush Chawla and Virender Sehwag, seamer, Praveen Kumar and India are going to be very difficult to beat.That said this match is going to be played on Pakistani soil and Pakistan hosts a team of match winners; the question is whether they’ll turn up.Shahid Afridi can hit the ball further and harder than anyone on his day, Misbah-ul-Haq is one of the leading run scorers in limited overs cricket and Sohail Tanvir was one the best bowlers of the IPL. Salman Butt also averages over 50 against India and Mohammad Yousef and Younis Khan know the right way to hold a bat.The winner of this match will play Bangladesh and the loser Sri Lanka. That is unless UAE finds a way of getting Sangakkara et al out cheaply, as Sri Lanka comfortably beat Bangladesh by 131 runs, with Sangakkara raching three figures, with an impressive cast including Sanath Jayasuriya (72) and Chamara Kapugedera (74).If Bangladesh is going to win then the top order has to get runs on the board for their bowlers to bowl at, however they’ve proved in the past they are more than capable of pulling off an upset.The smart money has got to be on a India – Sri Lanka final, but as the series between England and New Zealand has shown the 50 over game is far from dead and anything can happen..

As reported by ESPN , pending physicals, the Indiana Pacers have agreed to trade six time All-Star forward/center Jermaine O’Neal to the Toronto Raptors for guard T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic, and the 17th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.If this deal goes through, this could put Toronto in a position to not only have a very good regular season, but playoff run as well. O’Neal has been ridden with injuries the last few seasons and has not been the same since the infamous “Malice at the Palace” Pacers-Pistons brawl in 2004.Toronto is taking a big gamble on a once-prominent player that averaged 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds last season, after averaging 19.4 points and 9.6 rebounds in 2006-07.The reason for the decrease in production was a torn meniscus cartilage in his left knee that occurred in April 2007, which did not properly heal into this past season, resulting in O’Neal missing forty games out of the eighty-two played.Not to be outdone, the Pacers are taking a considerable gamble with T.J Ford, who has his own well documented history of injuries. One of those injuries resulted in Ford missing the entire 2004-05 season after a collision with Mark Madsen in February 2004 damaged his spinal cord.The benefit the Indiana Pacers have over the Raptors is that T.J. Ford is only twenty-five years old, while the soon to be traded O’Neal is close to thirty, with the strong possibility of his best playing days being behind him. The Pacers are only going to get younger with the 11th and 17th picks in this year’s draft.The Raptors luckily are not at a loss at the point guard position with Jose Calderon becoming the projected starter. The Raptors may not have a pick in this year’s draft, but if O’Neal is healthy and productive, the combination of him and All-Star forward Chris Bosh could be lethal.The Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers both felt the need to make this trade in order to get to that next level.

For the Raptors, O’Neal may be the piece of the puzzle that allows the team to contend with the Celtics for the Atlantic Division and dare I say, the Eastern Conference.For the Indiana Pacers, they are hoping to go back to being a respectable, competitive franchise and finally recover from the “Malice at the Palace.”This trade is a tremendous risk for both franchises, but in the eyes of their respective executives, this is a deal that had to be done. Only time will tell if this trade is truly the change of pace both teams were looking for.. There is a fantasy football league that I run on ESPN is called the MFL (Mike’s Football League). Currently, I am looking for an owner to fill a team in this exciting keeper league. If you are interested, please e-mail .

Even if you don’t decide to fill this opening, I am going to open up the Disney College Program Fall 2008 League up to anyone to join, if I do not get that league filled by July 15.The team is located: MFL is part of the Beat Mike Network.. Here is what Pierre LeBrun of Sportsnet.ca is predicting some of the big name UFAs might land:Ryan Malone, 28, Pittsburgh Penguins: A rugged two-way winger who scores clutch goals and protects his teammates, I just love this guy But I suspect a team is going to overpay next week He’s a terrific $3-million player. He may get as much as $5 million on the open market and keep your eye on the Columbus Blue Jackets.Wade Redden, 31, Ottawa Senators: This is a guy I would defintely target if I were an NHL GM. His stock took a bit of a hit last season but I guarantee he will come back strong next season.

“He’s one of the smartest defencemen in the NHL,” one NHL GM told me at the entry draft. Columbus and Carolina will be among the many teams I predict will try and sign him but also keep an eye on San Jose if the Sharks lose Campbell.Not a lot of surprise there.Something else also hit me like a ton of bricks this afternoon. With Wellwood getting picked up in Vancouver does that spell the definite end to Brendan Morrison’s time as a Canuck?He may also be a target of the Jackets if he is allowed to hit the market. I 1/2 combo of Umberger/Morrison wouldn’t be the sexiest of names up the middle of a lineup but it would certainly give us two capable guys. Then if a guy like Brassard is ready one can shuffle to a wing or 3rd line center.Morrison also wouldn’t break the bank which would leave plenty of left over dough to address other holes.Something to think about.Of course we also can’t rule out trade possibilities – I’m still drooling af the thought of Umberger/Vermette/Brassard down the middle.Over the next or two I’ll post my rankings from highest to lowest in terms of free agents the Jackets would most like to acquire.-LTL. How many of you would think it would be cool to run a NFL Pro Pick’em league from the Bleacher Report? I would like to announce that the Beat Mike Network will have weekly articles during the 2008 NFL season and you can match wits with the network’s president, Mike DiMauro.Beat Mike Network was formed back in 1999 as a free pro pick’em game and since then, it has grown to include Fantasy Football, NASCAR, Baseball, College Football Pick’em and more. The games are free to play. DiMauro believes that money should not be involved in any fantasy sports that he runs.If you are interested in playing Beat Mike this fall, please e-mail ..