Pakistan cricket fans would love nothing more than seeing their side beat arch-rivals India at the 2003 World Cup.

But apart from the keenness shown by passionate supporters, another group in Pakistan is just as excited about Saturday's clash. The bookmakers.

In Lahore, the bookies, who suffered from bad press following their involvement in the cricket match-fixing scandal, are preparing themselves for a betting bonanza.

According to one bookmaker, the World Cup has not been a great pull for punters, although he believes that is soon to change.

"The betting market is not so hot at the moment," said bookie Ustad Shafique.

"Most of the money will be laid on during the Super Six stage."

"However, I fully expect there will be more interest shown for the match between Pakistan and India than for any other contest in the tournament. Even the people who don't follow cricket will fancy a punt on this match."

LG Electronics, a global partner of the International Cricket Council and a major sponsor of the Indian cricket team, has pledged 100 rand for every run scored by a South African player and 1,000 rand for every wicket taken by an SA bowler in the World Cup. The money goes into a trust that goes by the name of the LG Electronics Scholarship Trust.

The total money collected will go into a corpus fund managed by the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) for children to pursue their education at cricket schools in South Africa.

Max Jordaan, director of amateur cricket in SA, said from Johannesburg, "Cricket schools have a well-established cricket infrastructure and a track record for excellence in delivering players that represent their respective provinces or even the South African national team." 

A pool of 1,17,000 rand (Rs 7,02, 000) has already been collected not counting SA's performance against Canada yesterday.

There will be no change in the World Cup fixtures despite allegations that conditions favour sides batting first in day-night matches, tournament executive director Ali Bacher said.

"Definitely not," said Bacher when asked whether a change is possible.

Television commentators, including former England star Ian Botham, expressed fears that the day-night semi-final, scheduled for Durban on March 20, could reduce the game to a "lottery", with the outcome depending on which side wins the toss.

"I'm no expert on weather conditions but the locals say that a lot depends on which way the wind blows and how much humidity there is," said Bacher.

"That is part of cricket. Conditions can change, as they do in day games as well when there is early life in the pitch or cloud cover."

Statistics going back to the first one-day international in Durban in 1992-93 showed an even spread of wins for the sides batting first and second, said Bacher.

"Of 15 day-night games at Kingsmead, seven were won by the side batting first, seven by the side batting second and one was a no-result."

Glenn McGrath took 7 wickets for 15 runs as Australia crushed Namibia by 256 runs in their Group A clash at North West Stadium here to record the best bowling figures in the history of the event.

But he said he wants to go one better against Nasser Hussain's men when the two sides meet in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.

"I hope I can get eight now against England," said McGrath as he looked ahead to Sunday's match which England have to win if they are to have any hope of joining the Aussies in the Super Six stage.

"But I can't compare this with any other bowling feat of mine -- it was just my day."

"Brett Lee was pretty fired up at the other end and I got the benefit," said McGrath, whose figures took him to the top of the World Cup charts where he overtook West Indian Winston Davis's 20-year-old record of 7-51.

"Brett did all the hard work with his pace and he really shook them up with the short stuff and I knocked them over."

"My first over was a bit loose but I've been working on a new, shorter run-up, the ball is coming out of the hand well and I have got my rhythm back."

Before the World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

"I don't want to give interviews until after the tournament," he said.

His statements with the bat, however, have been loud and clear. The world's best batsman has top-scored in four of India's five matches in making 371 runs. As in the 1996 World Cup, Tendulkar is on course to top the run-making charts.

Indian fans will look to him again during Saturday's Group A clash against Pakistan at Centurion.

The 29-year-old, nearing 12,000 one-day runs and already boasting a record 34 centuries, looked subdued before the tournament, missing 11 out of India's last 14 one-day games with niggling injuries.

But he has quickly regained his touch after being restored to the top of the batting order in South Africa.

They're a group of British Asians who are following the Indian cricket team around South Africa during the World Cup and who certainly made their presence felt when Sourav Ganguly's team beat England by 82 runs on Wednesday.

"We are British Asians and we support England -- except when they are playing India," founder-member Shailen said.

"I am passionate about India and supporting cricket like an Indian."

Where the Barmy Army survives on beer, the Bharat Army thrives on tea and little sympathy.

"Nasser is an Indian, Nasser is an Indian," they chanted from the Kingsmead boundary as they reminded the England skipper of his Madras roots.

The four founder members of the Bharat Army -- the word means Indian in Hindi -- were at the ground on Wednesday and were hard to miss with their hair dyed orange, white and green with cake dye, and paraded the boundary with Indian flags, whistles and chants.

They work round-the-clock out of cars, posh apartments and even five-star hotels as India's excitement over cricket reaches fever pitch in a land where the game is almost a religion.

Mobile phones tucked between head and shoulder and fingers flying over computer keyboards, bookmakers in India's financial heart, Bombay, track the flood of bets as the national team battles it out in the World Cup in South Africa.

Although illegal in India, betting has reached unprecedented levels in Bombay since the World Cup began two weeks ago.

"The whole atmosphere is so charged," said Shridhar S. Vagal, joint commissioner of Bombay police. "It's difficult to contain (because) bookies have become highly mobile."

Betting is also rampant across the country. But in Bombay, the stakes are much higher at least 10 billion rupees ($210 million) are bet on every match, said Vagal.

Vagal estimated the city has more than 100,000 punters and more than 100 bookmakers for cricket alone.