Hoping for a big final, and an endless journey back home

It's preview day ahead of the semi-final between Pakistan and South Africa so the team hotel is a must-visit for journalists. Step into the lobby and you are bound to bump into players, coaches, media managers and several others associated with the tournament. Several teams were in transit today, some were arriving in Kuala Lumpur, others preparing to leave Malaysia, while a few were heading out to see the sights.

India were scheduled to visit the Petronas Towers and were milling around the lobby. They had just emerged from a tight semi-final last night and were quietly confident, awaiting the outcome of tomorrow's game. If you ask a senior cricketer, which team they'd rather face in the final, most would spout the routine "It doesn't matter as long as we play to our potential etc etc".

The India U-19 players have got on splendidly with the South Africans but most of them would rather play Pakistan in the final. The reasons are several: Pakistan are the only other unbeaten side in the tournament, an India-Pakistan final would draw sizable crowds and create atmosphere, and there's the lingering memory of the 2006 final, where Pakistan routed India for below 100.

When asked whether this Indian outfit was stronger than the side in 2006, the Pakistan coach Mansoor Rana kept a straight face and said "I can't judge, I only saw the Indian team for six overs in 2006."

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There are only three more matches left in the tournament and the race for the Man of the Tournament is hotting up. New Zealand have no more games remaining and their fast bowler Tim Southee is the leading contender with 11 points. Virat Kohli is second with nine and a game in hand. A Man-of-the-Match performance in the final will clinch it for Virat but if he doesn't win it the trophy will have to be couriered to Southee. Because New Zealand are on their way home tonight.

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West Indies and Nepal also arrived from Johor today and will contest the Plate Championship final on Saturday. From the interactions with players, West Indies weren't overly thrilled because they failed to make the Super League and have brushed away their opposition in the Plate rounds. For Nepal, however, it's a massive deal for it's their second consecutive Plate final - they beat New Zealand to win the Championship in Sri Lanka in 2006.

"We just need one more excellent performance," says Paras Khadka, who's playing his third World Cup and is among the leading wicket-takers of the tournament.

West Indies will fly out of Malaysia early morning on March 3, a day after the grand final, and Adrian Barath wasn't looking forward to the long journey back to the Caribbean. They fly from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai to London to Barbados, and then to Trinidad. He's eager to get back to playing in the Carib Cup though after missing out on the mega-bucks that Trinidad won in the Stanford 20/20.