Sri Lanka vs Kenya Cricket World Cup 2011: Preview

On March 1 at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, host Sri Lanka will take on Kenya in a group 'A' match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Both Sri Lanka and Kenya will play their third match in the ongoing mega event of cricket.
ICC World Cup 2007 finalist, Sri Lanka, started the tenth edition of Cricket World Cup in style. In the first match against minnow Canada, the host team won by 210 runs. But in the next match against Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday, Sri Lanka lost by 11 runs.
Kenya, the semi-finalist of 2003 Cricket World Cup, which was jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya, lost their both of the opening matches. Their team lost their first match against New Zealand by 10 wickets and in the next match against Pakistan, they lost by a huge margin of by 205 runs. Now, from this stage it is very difficult for this African country to move ahead in the next round.
Sri Lanka and Kenya have played five matches with other, out of which the Lankan team has won four times and the Kenyan team one time. In the Cricket World Cup, record is in favour of Sri Lanka by 2-1.
In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 match against Kenya, Sri Lankan key bowler Lasith Malinga may again watch the game from the dressing room. Malinga, who is suffering from back strain, is still not fit.

The Sri Lankan captain may pick an one all-rounder in place of a bowler in the playing XI. In the last game, the pitch of at the Premadasa Stadium did not provide much support for bowlers.
Given below are the squads of Sri Lanka and Kenya in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath.
Kenya: Jimmy Kamande (capt), Seren Waters, AlexObanda, David Obuya (wk), Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Tanmay Mishra, Rakep Patel, Morris Ouma (wk), Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Peter Ongondo, Shem Ngoche, James Ngoche.

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Zimbabwe vs Canada ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Live score Card

ON THE tenth day of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, two matches are in the schedule. First match between two minnows of Group 'A' Zimbabwe and Canada is in progress, whereas the second match between two Group 'B' teams West Indies vs Netherlands will start from 2:30 pm.

Earlier in the morning, Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura won the toss and decided to bat first at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in orange city Nagpur against Canada in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Zimbabwe lost their first wicket in the first ball of the game. Canadian bowler Khurram Chohan departed opener Brendan Taylor. Batting team lost their second wicket as opener Charles Coventry in the fourth over of the play.

Zimbabwean wicket keeper batsman Tatenda Taibu completed his second world cup fifty in 45 deliveries with eight boundaries. Whereas, Craig Ervine completed his maiden world cup fifty in 55 balls with four boundaries and a six.
Zimbabwe team lost their first match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 against Australia by 91 runs whereas Canada lost their opening match to Sri Lanka in a one sided game by 210 runs.

Here is the playing XI of Zimbabwe and Canada for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:

Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor, Charles Coventry, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Craig Ervine, Elton Chigumbura (capt), Sean Williams, Gregory Lamb, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer, Christopher Mpofu and Raymond Price.

Canada: Nitish Kumar, John Davison, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Ashish Bagai (capt/wk), Jimmy Hansra, Zubin Surkari, Tyson Gordon, Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan, Harvir Baidwan and Balaji Rao.

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Indian cricket team should correct national anthem 'stance

AT THE India-England One day International at Namma Bengaluru on Sunday, 27th Feb 2011, I observed that duirng the playing of the National Anthem most of our Indian players were standing in an "at ease" postion, although as per the Indian Government Code of Conduct, it is very clear that at the time of playing of National Anthem, we have to stand in an "attention" position. 

Each Indian player seemed to be adopting his own convenient stance, unlike the English team, in which everyone had one identical stance. In fact, this is an elementary thing taught to us in school. 

I hope this message is conveyed to all the players and they make correct this immediately. 

The Youngistan of India, love to emulate cricketers, so it is important that these cricketers convey the right message, in the right way, otherwise the youngsters will start emulating the wrong stance displayed by the cricketers.

Indeed, most people in the country promptly stand to attention whenever the National Anthem is played - be it at home, movie hall, stadium or any other public place. Perhaps it is those who occupy positions of infulence who are watched to see if they are following any rules of conduct - in this case the National Anthem.

The next logical question - whom do we complain? To the foreign coach Gary Kirsten,  Dhoni, the chief of slectors, or BCCI. Maybe, as usual, Dhoni can take the lead, as he always does, to take this bull by the horns, and make it stand to 'attention'.

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West Indies vs Netherlands ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

IN THE 13th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 between West Indies and Netherlands at Delhi's historical Feroz Shah Kotla ground, the Dutch captain Peter Borren won the toss and elected to field first. Both teams from group 'B' began their ICC World Cup 2011 campaigns with defeats.

Netherlands have made no changes in the playing XI from the last match against England, whereas the Caribbean team made one change. Nikita Miler came in place of Dwayne Bravo, who was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury.

West Indies lost their opening match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at the same venue against South Africans by seven wickets. After batting first the Caribbean team were all out for 222 runs in 47.3 overs. Darren Bravo was the top scorer for his side.

The Dutch team started their Cricket World Cup 2011 against England with style. Their batsman Ryan ten Doeschate scored 119 runs off 110 balls. In the allotted 50 overs, Netherlands scored 292 runs for the lost of six wickets. However, they lost but they fought till the end of the match.

In the last meeting in Dublin in 2007 between West Indies and Netherlands, the Caribbean team defeated Dutch team by 10 wickets.

Here is the playing XI of West Indies and Netherlands for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:

West Indies: Darren Sammy (Capt), Chris Gayle, Nikita Miler, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Sulieman Benn, Kemar Roach, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Devon Thomas (wk).

Netherlands: Peter Borren (Capt), Alexei Kervezee, Wesley Baressi (wk), Tom Cooper, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Bas Zuiderent, Tom de Grooth, Mudassar Bukhari, Pieter Seelaar, Bernard Loots, Berend Westdijk.

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Bangladesh vs Ireland ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

IN THE ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, co-hosts Bangladesh will take on Ireland in the ninth match of the event at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and elected to bat first, while keeping in mind the dew factor.

Bangladesh, who is playing their second match in the ICC World Cup 2011, has made one change in playing XI from the first match against India. All-rounder Mahmudullah was replaced by middle order batsman Mohammad Ashraful so as to make their batting attack stronger.

In the inaugural match of the Cricket World Cup on February 19 against India, Bangladesh lost by 87 runs. However, Bangladeshi players resisted Indian bowling attack and scored 283 runs for the lost of nine wickets in 50 overs.

Ireland starts their Cricket World Cup 2011 campaign with this match. Prior to the ICC World Cup, Ireland lost one match against New Zealand and won one against Zimbabwe in the warm-up matches.

Bangladesh and Ireland have played six ODIs against one another, where Bangladesh won four matches and Ireland two. In the 2007 World Cup in West Indies, Ireland had defeated Bangladesh by 74 runs in the Super Eights stage.

Here is the playing XI of Bangladesh and Ireland for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Raqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain.

Ireland: William Porterfield (capt), Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Niall O'Brien (wk), Andrew White, Kevin O'Brien, Andre Botha, John Mooney, Trent Johnston, George Dockrell, Boyd Rankin.

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Ind vs Eng; Pak vs SL: The real battle for ICC WC begins

FIVE DAYS have passed since the start of ICC World Cup but nothing interesting has happened except some huge scores by the top teams and big defeats for the minnows. No drama nor any shocking result has taken place.

Should the weaker teams be given a chance to play in the World Cup as they are unable to make any difference? All the top teams who were expected to win their respective matches have showed that they are well prepared for this tournament. So a lot of entertainment is guaranteed as the tournament progresses.

Teams such as Bangladesh and Netherlands have given a courageous fight but that was not enough for a win.

In the first match, Indian batsmen hammered the Bangla bowlers and scored a huge total of 370. It looked like the batting order of Bangladesh will collapse under the pressure of such a massive score, and it will be a cake walk for Indian bowlers. But the Bangla batsmen, in reply, gave their best to entertain the crowd.

The crow also supported the home team as they batted fearlessly. The same approach was shown by the Netherlands against England. The way these two teams are playing makes the competition tougher for the seventh and the eight place for the quarterfinals.

The real battle will begin after South Africa plays against the West Indies. It will be followed by some interesting matches, which will make it interesting for ricket fans. This weekend promises to deliver full excitement. On February 25, defending champion Australia will face New Zealand at Nagpur while the co-hosts Sri Lanka will fight against Pakistan on February 26 at Colombo.

The big match is on Sunday when England will play against the hosts, and favourites India play England at Bengaluru. This match will be the most awaited match in the first week of the world cup and it guarantees lost of thrills and spills.

The empty stands, which is  worrying the organising committee, are likely to be packed on Saturday and Sunday as the home team will be playing.

Australia is the favourites in the match against New Zealand as they are the better side among the two. But with the likes of Styris, Mccullam and Vettori, the Kiwis can surprise the world champions any time. The middle order will be a worry for Ponting, while Vettori will be busy thinking about the strategy to be adopted against the Aussie bowling attack consisting of Lee, Tait and Johnson.  

This speed trio is capable of breaking any batting order in the world. Kreja will be watched closely as he can be the danger man. The Sri Lanka-Pakistan should be a good contest as well as both teams are almost on the same keel though Sri Lanka may have an upper hand. Both teams have won their first match and will be ready for this crucial game. New talent players such as Umar Akmal and Perrera are likley to attract the spotlight.

In the match between India and England, Indians are the clear favourite. The pressure of playing at home can affect the Indian team in both ways. The young brigade of Dhoni along with the experienced campaigner Tendulkar will set the ground on fire when they enter the Chinnaswami stadium. England will have to deal will the crazy Indian crowd and will have to really play well to shut them up. If they succeed in doing so then their world cup campaign will be little easier.

So get ready for some great action on this weekend as the world cup progresses into the second week. Here we go!!

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Australia vs New Zealand ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

IN THE eight match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 between Australia and New Zealand at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in orange city Nagpur, Australian captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and decided to bowl first on a cloudy morning.
Yesterday in Nagpur, there was some rain which could have motivated Ponting to bowl first. However the wicket of VCA Nagpur is dry and there is little grass on the pitcy. However, the fast bowlers might get some assistance in the morning.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has made no changes in his team from the last match against Zimbabwe. The Aussie team defeated Zimbabwe by 91 runs in their opening match at Motera, Ahmedabad on Monday.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has made one change from the last match against Kenya. The Kiwis included Right-hand batsman Jamie How in place of all-rounder Jacob Oram in this very important match against Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. New Zealand won their first match against Kenya by 10 wickets in just eight overs.
In the last three ICC Cricket World Cups matches played between tthe wo countries, Australia has won on two occasions, whereas New Zealand won a match in 1999. In the 2007 World Cup in West Indies, the Aussie team defeated the Kiwis by a huge margin of 215 runs.
Here is the playing XI of South Africa and West Indies for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:
Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Michael Clarke, David Hussey, Cameron White, Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Jason Krejza, Shaun Tait.
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Brendon McCullum (wk), Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, James Franklin, Scott Styris, Jamie How, Nathan McCullum, Tim Southee, Hamish Bennett.

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Australia vs New Zealand Cricket World Cup 2011 match preview

ONCE AGAIN orange city Nagpur is ready to host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 match on Friday. Two group 'A' teams, Australia and New Zealand will play their second match in this tournament at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.
In their opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on Sunday in Chennai, New Zealand had thrashed Kenya by 10 wickets and that too in just eight overs. Defending champion Australia also continued their winning march in the World Cup as they won a match at Motera, Ahmedabad on Monday. The Aussie team defeated Zimbabwe by 91 runs in their opening match.
VCA ground in Nagpur is a paradise for the batsmen. In the last match, at the same venue on Tuesday, Netherlands scored 292 runs but England won the match by six wickets. In the warm-up match here, Kiwis scored 311 runs against Ireland and won by 32 runs.
The Aussie batting is mainly dependent on opener Shane Watson, captain Ricky Ponting and his deputy Michael Clarke. David Hussey and Cameron White can score quick runs during the slog overs. Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee are the key bowlers for their team.
From last eight months, New Zealand is not playing good cricket. They have lost to Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in their last three ODI matches. Kiwi batsmen Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor and Scott Styris are the key players.
In the last three ICC Cricket World Cups matches played between two countries, Australia has won on two occasions, whereas New Zealand won once in 1999. In the 2007 World Cup in West Indies, Ricky Ponting and his team defeated the Kiwis by a huge margin of 215 runs.
Here are the ICC Cricket World Cup squads of Australia and New Zealand.
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Hamish Bennett, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum (wk), Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock.
Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke (vice capt), Doug Bollinger, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin (wk), John Hastings, David Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Jason Krejza, Tim Paine (wk), Steve Smith, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

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South Africa vs West Indies ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

ON THE green surface of Delhi's historical Ferozeshah Kotla stadium this afternoon, South African captain Graeme Smith won the toss and decided to ball first in the seventh match of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Both the group 'B' teams, South Africa and West Indies start their ICC Cricket World cup 2011 campaign with this match. Winning the toss could prove very important on this pitch because the outfield is likely to be slowed in the second session because of fog and moisture in the air.
South African captain Graeme Smith has preferred to play with two seamers Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and three specialist spinners Johan Botha, Robin Peterson and debutant Imran Tahir in his playing XI. West Indies is playing with one specialist spinner Sulieman Benn in their playing XI.
Before the Cricket World Cup, South Africa won both the warm-up matches in grand style. South African team registered their first victory in the warm-up match against Zimbabwe by eight wickets with 159 balls remaining and in the second warm-up match they beat Australia by seven wickets. Whereas, West Indies won one warm-up match against Kenya by 61 runs and lost to Sri Lanka by four wickets in the second warm-up match.
South Africa and West Indies are meeting for the fifth times in the Cricket World Cup. Both the teams have won two times each, and interestingly, all four matches have been won by the team batting first.

Here is the playing XI of South Africa and West Indies for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:
South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers (wk), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (Capt), Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Sulieman Benn, Kemar Roach, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Devon Thomas (wk).

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South Africa vs West Indies Cricket World Cup 2011 Preview

NEW DELHI is ready to welcome guests from South Africa and West Indies for the seventh match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, which will be played at Delhi's historical Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Thursday, February 24. Both South Africa and West Indies, who feature in the group 'B' teams, will start their ICC Cricket World cup 2011 campaign with this match.

South Africa, one of the strongest contenders of the world's biggest cricketing event, have never won tournament. Whereas, West Indies lifted the Cricket World Cup trophy last time 32 years back in the 1979 World Cup.

In the 50 ODIs played between South Africa and West Indies, the Proteas have won 37 times and the Caribbeans tasted victory 12 times. Both the teams had met four times in the Cricket World Cup and won two times each, and interestingly, all four matches have been won by the team batting first.

South African captain Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis and Jacques Kallis can change the match any time in their favour. In the bowling department Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe can destroy any batting line-up. South Africans are equally balanced in the fielding department. In the last five matches, the Proteas have won four matches and lost one against India.

Prior to the Cricket World Cup 2011, West Indies won one warm-up match against Kenya by 61 runs and lost to Sri Lanka by four wickets in the second warm-up match. The West Indian batting mainly depends on Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul. However, Darren Bravo and Kieron Pollard are very useful players for the side.

Here is the squad of South Africa and West Indies for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:

South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers (wk), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne van Wyk (wk).

West Indies: Darren Sammy (Capt), Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Andre Rusell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kirk Edwards, Devon Thomas (wk).

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Cricket World cup tickets up for grabs through lottery system

THE RUSH for getting tickets for the final match of the ongoing ICC cricket world cup 2011 ended on a sour note when the official ticket website crashed due to heavy traffic.

The sale of world cup tickets for the final match, which was to start at 19:30 GMT on Tuesday, February 22 did not go as scheduled as the website could not handle the amount of traffic trying to visit the site. 

Due to the heavy rush of online traffic, servers could not handle the load and eventually crashed hours before the scheduled opening.

However, as per latest reports, it is being expected that tickets will now be available via a lottery system. In order to claim world cup tickets, the visitor will have to visit the website and record their names in an online ballot box on the tournament's official ticketing website. The lottery is will take place once the period for registration is complete.

The ICC world cup 2011 final will be held at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, which has a strength of accommodating 33,000 spectators. During initial bookings, 4,000 cricket world cup tickets were made available for the public out of which 1,000 world cup tickets can be purchased online and the remaining 3,000 world cup tickets are reserved for people who queue up at the stadium box offices.

The rest of the world cup tickets have been distributed amongst the clubs associated with the Mumbai Cricket Association and the International Cricket Council (ICC).

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Pakistan vs Kenya ICC World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

IN THE sixth match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 between Pakistan vs Kenya at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota, Sri Lanka this afternoon, Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi won the toss and decided to bat first at the typical subcontinental batting track.

In the fourth match of group 'A', Pakistan is starting its ICC World cup 2011 campaign, whereas Kenya lost to New Zealand in its first encounter in the ongoing Cricket World Cup by 10 wickets just in eight overs in Chennai on Sunday. The Kenyan team scored only 69 runs in 23.5 overs. Pakistan and Kenya are meeting for the first time in any of the World Cup tournaments.

Prior to the start of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Pakistani team won one warm-up match against Bangladesh while it lost the other warm-up match against England.

Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi opted for two pacers in his playing XI including Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul whereas all-rounder Abdul Razzaq is also in the playing squad. Kenyan team have made one change from their last match against New Zealand. All-rounder Tanmay Mishra has been inducted in place of Alex Obanda.

Given below is the list of the playing XI in Pakistan and Kenya in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Ahmed Shehzad.

Kenya: Jimmy Kamande (capt), Seren Waters, Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Tanmay Mishra, Rakep Patel, Morris Ouma (wk), Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno and Shem Ngoche.

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India gets ready for the English challenge

AFTER STARTING mission world cup in style by defeating Bangladesh, Team India has arrived in Bengaluru for their second match against England. The match is scheduled for February 27 at Chinnaswami stadium in Bengaluru. With a comfortable win against the co-hosts Bangladesh, Dhoni’s men will be high in confidence. The time gap between the two matches will help Indian players to rest and stay fit.

In the first match, Indian batsmen showed their power as they ruthlessly crushed the Bangladeshi bowlers. Sehwag and Kohli scored runs according to their reputation while Gambhir and Sachin looked in good touch before they got out. Although Sehwag's duration on the crease differed from that of his usual innings, his strategy of scoring singles and rotating strikes in the middle overs worked wonders for the team.

After getting the century, Sehwag again changed the gears and attacked. By this innings he proved that he can occupy the crease for a longer period of time. The best thing about a batsman like Sehwag is that as long as he is in the middle the runs keep flowing. Kohli through his hundred strengthened his position in the team which is not a good sign for Raina. Kohli’s batting was a treat to watch out for as some of his shots were outstanding. The worry India would have is that its current out of form batsman Yuvraj Singh wasn't tested.

England has a good bowling attack which will test the abilities of Indian batsman. Anderson can swing the ball and create problems for batsmen. Stuart Broad’s five wicket haul in the practice match is sufficient to speak masses about his skill. Graeme Swann has emerged as a fine spinner and will benefit from the pictches owing to the sub continent's cliamtic conditions.

A billion eyes will be closely watching Tendulkar's game. Kohli may get a lot of support at the Chinnaswami stadium as this is his second home ground. He knows the pitch better as he has the experience of playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore here. The key will be batting in the middle overs. Slower bowlers will be operating in these overs.

Although India won the match, one cannot ignore the fact that Bangladesh scored 283 runs in 50 overs. Bangladeshi batsmen highlighted the limitations of Indian bowlers. Zaheer failed to give early brake troughs but eventually bowled well.

Harbhajan was crafty and exploited the conditions well. Sreesanth was the biggest disappointment. With his skills Sreesanth should be a good option for any captain but his inability to control his bowling and his impatience makes him the weakest part of the bowling attack. If Sreesanth fails to improve then he may have sit outside. One thing which he has to understand is that temperament works more than talent in big matches.

Munaf Patel, the surprise package in the Indian squad is improving day by day as he bowled really well in the match to finish with 4 wickets. Munaf showed how to bowl on flat tracks. Speed doesn’t matter for him as he is now concerned more about his line and length. England has quality batsmen in the form of Strauss and Peterson.

Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell can change the game. Matt Prior, who has the ability of adding depth to the batting can prove to be dangerous. If Zaheer is able to get some early wickets then the middle order will be exposed. Harbhajan will have an important job as the English batsmen struggle against spin. It will be interesting to see how Kevin Pietersen handles Harbhajan. However. fielding still needs to be improved if Indians want to lift the trophy.

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Pakistan to take on Kenya in ICC World Cup Group 'A' match

IN THE sixth match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on Wednesday, February 23 at Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota, Pakistan will take on Kenya in the group 'A' match.

The two teams have never played in any of the World Cup tournaments but Pakistan has won five ODI matches against Kenya on other occasions.

In an earlier match, New Zealand vanquished them by 10 wickets just in eight overs. After batting first, Kenya scored only 69 runs in 23.5 overs. Only three Kenyan batsmen were able to score in double figures.

Pakistan, the winner of the World Cup in 1992, prior to the start of world cup,  won one warm-up match against Bangladesh while it lost the other warm-up match against England.

The Pakistani team is the most unpredictable team in the World Cup 2011. However, Pakistan's road to the quarterfinals is not very difficult because they will have to play against some weaker teams likes Kenya, Zimbabwe and Canada.

The team boasts of a number of talented youngsters as well as experienced players, who have the capacity to destroy any bowling attack as well as any batting line-up.

Given below is the probable Pakistan and Kenya squads for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shehzad.

Kenya: Jimmy Kamande (capt), Seren Waters, AlexObanda, David Obuya (wk), Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, TanmayMishra, Rakep Patel, Morris Ouma, Thomas Odoyo, NehemiahOdhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Peter Ongondo, Shem Ngoche, JamesNgoche.

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England Vs Netherlands ICC World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

IN A group 'B' match between England and Netherlands in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in orange city Nagpur, the Dutch captain Peter Borren won the toss and elected to bat first.
The English team has made one change in their playing XI from their last warm-up match against Pakistan. Right-arm off break bowler Graeme Swann secured his berth in playing XI in place of left-arm orthodox bowler Michael Yardy.
In the warm-up matches before the start of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the English team won their both matches against Canada and Pakistan, whereas Netherlands had lost one match against Sri Lanka while it won the match against Kenya.
Netherlands openers Wesley Baressi (wk) and Alexei Kervezee started their inning on a positive note at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium ground in their opening match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
England and Netherlands playing XI in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
England playing XI:
Andrew Strauss (capt), Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson
Netherlands playing XI:
Peter Borren (Capt), Alexei Kervezee, Wesley Baressi (wk), Tom Cooper, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Bas Zuiderent, Tom de Grooth, Mudassar Bukhari, Pieter Seelaar, Bernard Loots, Berend Westdijk.

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Indian batting on top against Bangladesh, bowlers must wake up

IN THE opening match of the ICC World Cup 2011 India defeated co-hosts Bangladesh in style. All this action took place at Mirpur’s Sher- e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday. While hosts Bangladesh wanted to win the match, India wanted to avenge their defeat in the 2007 World Cup, where they were defeated quite badly.

The early exit of Sachin Tendulkar in the match came as a blow for the team, which batted first. However,swashbuckling Indian opener, Virender Sehwag took the Bangladeshi bowlers to the cleaners and scored his 14th ODI century, off just 94 balls. His next 50 runs came off just 30 balls. Together with his teammate Virat Kohli, who completed his ton in just 83 balls, Sehwag was able to script a magnificent win for India.

On the bowling side too, there were both pros and cons. Medium pacer Munaf Patel took four wickets by giving away just 48 runs in 10 overs but pacer Sreesanth was wayward giving away 53 runs in just five overs. With Munaf’s bowling, India was taken a step closer towards a predictable yet patchy victory.

It was also a day of setting up of new records. Virender Sehwag’s 175 runs became the highest individual score for the opening match of the World Cup, beating New Zealand legend Glenn Turner’s record of 171 in 1975 opener. India’s 370 mark also became the highest score for the opening match of World Cup beating England’s 334 in the 1975 edition. Sehwag’s score of 175 is also his personal highest breaking his earlier record of 146.

He also equaled Kapil Dev’s knock of 175 not out in 1983 World Cup match against Zimbabwe. This 32 year old, Indian opener smashed 14 boundaries and hammered five sixes in his knock of 175 runs. Though he was successful in breaking many records but couldn’t break record of highest score by an Indian by Saurav Ganguly which is 183 runs and also the highest ever World Cup score of 188 by Gary Kirsten- now the Indian coach.

His teammate Virat Kohli too scored his fifth one day ton and became a part of the group of cricketers, who have scored a hundred on the World Cup debut. At a fast rate of 8.4 runs per over, he and his partner Sehwag yielded 203 runs for the third wicket partnership. The partnership was also the fifth double century partnership for India in the World Cup with Sehwag featuring in all of them.

On the other hand, Bangladesh batsman also challeneged India belligerently. By the end of the first power play they were at a score of 68 runs for the loss of one wicket, with the first 50 runs coming off just less than five overs. Imrul Kayes scored 34 runs out off 29 balls. Captain Shakib-Al-Hassan scored a magnificent 55 runs off just 50 balls and the opener, Tamim Iqbal scored 70 runs out off 86 balls.

Read More on>>>  ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Cricket World Cup Schedule, Cricket Live Score, Cricket World Cup Points Table

England Vs Netherlands World Cup 2011 Group 'B' match today

THE ORANGE city of Nagpur is ready to welcome two group 'B' teams England and Netherlands for their opening match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday, February 22 for a day-night affair. During the last encounter between these two teams in the ICC T20 World Cup at Lord's in June 2009, Netherlands had overpowered England by four wickets.

In the warm-up matches before the start of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the English team won their both matches against Canada and Pakistan, whereas Netherlands lost one match against Sri Lanka while it won the match against Kenya.

Team England, which lost the ODI series against Australia by 1-6 just before the World Cup, have changed their batting strategy for this elite tournament. Andrew Strauss has promoted his star batsman Kevin Pietersen to the top of the England order. Pietersen emerged as the top-scorer for his team against Pakistan in the warm-up match with useful 66 runs.

England's sensational pacer Stuart Broad is in top form and claimed a number of wickets in the warm up matches just before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Given below is the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 squad for England and Netherlands.

England World Cup Squad:

Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior (wk), Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy.

Netherlands World Cup squad:

Peter Borren (Capt), Wesley Baressi (wk), Mudassar Bukhari, Atse Buurman Tom Cooper, Tom de Grooth, Alexei Kervezee, Bradley Kruger, Bernard Loots, Adeel Raja, Pieter Seelaar, Eric Swarczynski, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Berend Westdijk, Bas Zuiderent.

Read More On>>> Cricket World Cup Schedule, Cricket World Cup Points Table, Cricket Live Score

Australia Vs Zimbabwe ICC World Cup Match, live score

THE AUSTRALIA Vs Zimbabwe match has started at the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera, Ahmedabad today afternoon with Australia winning the toss and electing to bat first. Shane Watson and Brad Haddin opened the inning with Zimbabwe opting to start the attack with a fast bowler and a spinner combination.

In 8.2 overs, Australia had made 25 runs with the loss of no wicket.

The match is taking place on a pitch, where chief curator Dhiraj Parsana said that ball will not do much, but added that dew could play a part in the game as it is a day and night match.

Zimbabwe has not beaten the Aussies in the World Cup since their first ever match in 1983.

Defending champion Australia has been on a roll and has remained undefeated in 29 matches in a row at the World Cup.  Australian team nicknamed ‘Kangaroos’ recently won the home series against England 6-1.

In comparison,  the Zimbabwean team is still struggling to come up as a unit and it will take more than an ordinary effort to face the Aussie challenge today. But in cricket one can't discount the possibility of a surprise as no match is decided till the last ball is bowled.

Team Australia: Ricky Ponting (Captain), Doug Bollinger, John Hastings, David Hussey,  Mitchell Johnson, Tim Paine, Shaun Tait, Cameron White , Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Steven Smith and  Shane Watson 

Team Zimbabwe : Elton Chigumbura (captain), Regis Chakabva, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Sean Ervine, Gregory Lamb, Shingirai Masakadza, Christopher Mpofu, Raymond Price, Edward Rainsford, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams.

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Cricket World Cup Live: Kohli slams fifty after Sehwag's ton

NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli hit his 13th half-century after Virender Sehwag's 14th century as India dominated the proceedings against Bangladesh in the 2011 World Cup opener at the Shere Bangla stadium.

ICC Cricket World Cup Live Scorecard

Kohli reached the milestone off 46 deliveries with the help of five fours.

Sehwag slammed nine fours and a big six in his 94-ball century.

Bangladesh spinner Mahmudullah clean bowled Gautam Gambhir (39) in the 24th over to break the dangerous looking second wicket partnership.

Sehwag and Gambhir continued India charge after losing Sachin Tendulkar to a freak run out and added 83-run partnership for the second wicket.

Gambhir slammed three fours in his 39-ball innings in the match.

Sehwag completed his 37th one-day fifty with a big six as he raced to half-century in just 45 balls.

A horrible mix-up with Sehwag ended Tendulkar's (28) stay on crease. Sachin was run out by Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan in the eleventh over. The master blaster hit four boundaries in his 29-ball innings.

Put in to bat first, India openers added run-a-ball 69 runs partnership at Shere Bangla National stadium.

The dashing openers took India's score to 50 in just 8.5 overs, when Tendulkar slammed his fourth boundary of the innings.

Earlier, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and decided to field against co-hosts India in the tournament-opener on Saturday.

Dhoni and his men are eager to settle the score after Bangladesh stunned them in 2007 and kick start their campaign on a positive note at the Shere Bangla National stadium.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, have so far been content with an odd upset and have been generally looked upon as underachievers but the tigers look to shrug off that tag when they lock horns with India at home.

Though they have just five victories from 20 World Cup matches to show, Bangladesh has the distinction of beating Pakistan on debut during the 1999 edition and ousting India and defeating South Africa four years ago.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, S Sreesanth.

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (C), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Raqibul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam.

Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)
TV umpire: Billy Doctrove (WIS)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)

Pitch conditions: A hard wicket that is expected to help the slow bowlers in the later stages of the game. The team bowling second could find the ball difficult to grip if late evening dew arrives as predicted.

ICC Cricket World Cup: India off to a flying start

Openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag give India a smashing start during the World Cup opener on Saturday at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. Earlier, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and elected to bowl against India. For India, pacer Ashish Nehra will not play in the Group B encounter due to a back injury.

The others who have failed to make the final playing XI for India are spinners R Ashwin and Piyush Chawla and batsman Suresh Raina.

In Bangladesh team, veteran batsman Mohammad Ashraful has been left out.

The Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c&wk), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel.

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Mushfiqur Rahim, Raqibul Hasan, Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain.

ICC WC 2011: Eng beat Pak in warm-up; India vs Bang today

TEAM INDIA will take on co-host Bangladesh today at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur in the inaugural match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. A day before team India opens ICC World Cup 2011 against Bangladesh, left arm pacer Ashish Nehra was ruled out with a sore back. However, Indian team manager Ranjib Biswal denied reports regarding Ashish Nehra's fitness problems.

The Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium pitch is likely to help spinners. In the warm-up match between Bangladesh and Pakistan at the same venue, the pitch had turn for the spinners. Toss will also play a very important role for both captains because of the dew factor. The team defending a target under floodlights, will face certain difficulties because of a wet outfield. It is most likely that Dhoni will include two specialist spinners in the playing eleven in the opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

In the last warm-up match before the start of World Cup England beat Pakistan by 67 runs at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah. After batting first, the English team were all out for 273 runs in 49.4 overs. Kevin Pietersen and Collingwood scored 66 and 65 runs respectively.

In reply, the Pakistan team were all out for 206 runs in 46.1 overs. England's pacer Stuart Broad picked five wickets in the warm-up match. Broad's figures were 8.1-1- 25-5. Earlier, Broad took five wickets against Canada in the first warm-up match of England. Younis Khan was the highest run-getter for Pakistan, adn scored 80 runs.

Inaugural India vs Bangladesh tie promises to be a cracker in ICC Cricket World Cup

IN THE inaugural match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, team India will play against co-host Bangladesh at Sher-e Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on Saturday, February 19. This match can be seen as the match of revenge for Team India. In ICC World Cup 2007 in the West Indies, India lost to Bangladesh by five wickets in their opening tie.
India, who are amongst the strongest contenders for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, have won both their warm-up matches. India won the first warm-up match against Australia by 38 runs and in the second match against New Zealand at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai it won by 117 runs.
In the first match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 between India and Bangladesh, the Indian team will most likely comprise of seven batsmen and four bowlers including two spinners. Batting maestro, Sachin Tendulkar is playing his record sixth World Cup. Virat Kohli, who is performing consistently can be the key player for Indian team. In the bowling department, all eyes will be on Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan. Toss will also play a very important for both captains.
Indian team probables for the first match in the ICC World Cup 2011 against Bangladesh include MS Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel.
The India and Bangladesh inaugural match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will start from 02:00 PM IST, and will be telecast live on ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket channels.

India vs Bangladesh World Cup 2011, Cricket live score, streaming and highlights

Just a few hours for the Cricket World Cup 2011 to begin. India take on Bangladesh in the first game of the World Cup 2011, the two teams will play the ODI at Mirpur in Bangladesh on February 19 and it will be a day-night encounter, the game will begin in five hours from now at 2.30 pm local time, 9 GMT.
India will go into the game knowing that the last time they had played Bangladesh, they had been bundled out for 191 and lost the game.
This time around, the side will look to bat much better than what they had last time and try to rout the home team.
Click to see  ICC Cricket World Cup, India vs Bangladesh

Enthusiastic Bangladesh gives gala opening of ICC World Cup

BANGLADESH HAS proved to be a perfect host by giving impressive gala opening to ICC Cricket World cup. The ceremony was attended by an estimated 25,000 fans who were seen partying away partying away to their own rhythm of vuvuzelas, carrying Bangladesh flags about measuring upto 50 feet in length as soon as the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the games open.

The opening ceremony started with speeches of ICC officials and ICC President Sharad Pawar left the spectators spellbounded when he opened the his speech in Bangla.

‘The people were present in such huge numbers, we have never seen like this in other opening ceremony’ said one sport journalist who was present at the time of the ceremony.

The opening ceremony marked the presence of 2100 school and college students and 350 members from the armed forces who depicted key movements that took place in Bangladesh since its creation apart from Bangladesh's founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's historic March 7 speech.

The pyrotechnic show inside the stadium was one of the major attractions apart from the presence of Canadian rockstar Bryan Adams. The Grammy award winner crooned his popular songs like "Lets make it a night to remember", "Summer of '69", and "18 till I die" among others apart from south Asian singers like Sonu Nigam, Bangladeshi vocalists Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin and Mumtaz.

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Pak Vs England World Cup warm-up match today, live score card

IN THE last warm-up match before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Pakistan will take on England at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah in Bangladesh this afternoon. In their first warm-up matches, both Pakistan and England won their ties against Bangladesh and Canada respectively.
In the first warm-up match against Bangladesh, Pakistan won by a huge margin of 89 runs on Tuesday, February 15. With the help of brilliant hundreds by opener Ahmed Shehzad and middle-order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan scored 285 runs for the loss of nine wickets. In reply Bangladesh were all out for 196 runs in 41.4 overs. Pak all-rounder Abdul Razzaq claimed three wickets, just for 31 runs.
In another warm-up match between England and Canada at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah, England won the match by 16 runs. The English team was all-out for 243 runs against one of the weakest teams in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. In reply, after the top-order collapse, Canada's Rizwan Cheema gave a massive scare to the English team as he scored 93 runs in 71 balls with 10 fours and five sixes. England's pacer Stuart Broad picked five Canadian wickets at the cost of 37 runs in 8.1 overs.
Live score of the last warm-up match between Pakistan and England will be available here.

Check Out >> Live Scoreboard, Opening Ceremony Pictures

ICC World Cup 2011 opens up with glitzy opening ceremony

BANGLADESHI PRIME Minister Sheikh Hasina declared open the 43-day long extravaganza ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in a glitzy opening ceremony at Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday, February 17. The ceremony was attended by around 25,000 spectators.

International Cricket Council (ICC) President Sharad Pawar, ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat were also present at the stadium. The opening ceremony was jointly organised by the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

The 135-minute long opening ceremony began at Bangabandhu Stadium with the Bangladesh national anthem "Amar Sonar Bangla" composed by famous poet and nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Captains of all the fourteen participating nations entered the stadium in colourful rickshaws during the grand opening ceremony of the tenth edition of ICC World Cup 2011.

The opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 featured a laser show, fireworks display and cultural performances.

Canadian singer and Grammy award winner Bryan Adams rocked the show with his hits including "Lets make it a night to remember", "Summer of 69" and "18 till I die" among others. Indian music director trio Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy performed on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 official song, "De Ghumaa Ke" in three languages viz Hindi, Sinhalese and Bangla.

Indian playback singer Sonu Nigam, Bangladeshi singer Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin, Momtaz Begum and Sri Lankan singers also enthralled the spectators at Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka as well as millions of viewers on television screens. More then  2,000 school and college students of Bangladesh also performed during the grand opening ceremony of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Check Out >> Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony, Opening Ceremony Pictures

Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony about to begin

Finally, it is time for what the cricket world has been waiting for - the 10th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup to be staged in the sub-continent. Touted as the biggest and the most extravagant event in the cricketing history, the World cup will open in Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka in a two-hour long opening ceremony that promises fanfare and glitterati.

The grand opening ceremony on Thursday, February 17, 2011 will mark the coveted event’s return to the sub-continent after a span of 15 years. This time the cup is being co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

This is the third time that the world cup is being staged in the sub-continent - the first instance was in 1987 when India and Pakistan came together to host the event out of England. Once again in 1996, India and Pakistan, joined by Sri Lanka, hosted the event successfully.

The current edition will feature 14 teams and 49 matches spread across 13 venues in the three host countries. 29 matches will be played in India along with the final on April 2nd, whereas 12 matches will be played in Sri Lanka and the remaining eight in Bangladesh.

With the inauguration ceremony scheduled in Dhaka, the capital city is geared up to take the centre stage with a two-hour spectacle of song, dance and laser shows at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. To spruce up the occasion, internationally-acclaimed rock star Bryan Adams will perform at the stadium.

India, the power house of world cricket, as far as revenue generation and standing is concerned, is being considered as one of the favourites to win the cup.

From the time the first match is played between co-hosts Bangladesh and India, till the final on April 2nd at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, it will be celebration time for cricket fans in the Indian sub-continent.

This world cup is special in one other aspect that many greats of the game unlikely to be seen playing a world cup again, as they are in the twilight of their careers.

The list of stalwarts playing their last world cup includes Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Muttiah Murlitharan, Paul Collingwood, Shivnarayan Chanderpaul, etc.

However, one man who is going to hog the limelight is none other than our very own Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - one of the greatest batsmen of the world. Having broken the cricketing records of all hues- the world cup is the only alluding achievement that the little master does not have. His fans in India and across the globe would be hoping that his desire comes true this time.

What a fitting send off will it be for the master blaster if Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men lift the trophy at Wankhede Stadium. However, till that happens, the cricket fans are going to have a blast with the teams fighting it out for the coveted trophy.

ICC World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony to dazzle all

The BANGABANDHU NATIONAL Stadium in Dhaka is all set for the grand opening ceremony of the tenth edition of ICC Cricket World Cup on February 17. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will officially declare open the biggest sporting extravaganza of the year, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at 6:00 PM local time.
Apart from Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, ICC President Sharad Pawar, officials of the ICC governing body, members and presidents of various cricket boards and the 14 participating teams will be present at the stadium.

The opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will feature fireworks display and cultural performances by renowned Indian, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi artists. Indian singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan along with Ehsaan and Loy will perform the official song for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 "De Ghumaa Ke" in three languages on this occasion.
Famous Canadian singer Bryan Adams is scheduled to  perform in the opening ceremony of the tournament. Indian playback singers such as Sonu Nigam, Bangladeshi singer Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin and folk singer Momtaz Begum, and Sri Lankan pop singers Baithya, Santhusth and Iraj are among the list of performers, who will rock the opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
The opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will be telecast live on ESPN STAR Sports' bouquet of networks including ESPN, STAR Sports and STAR Cricket.

S Africa, Lanka win warm-up matches, India Vs Kiwis match today

IN THE 13th warm-up match before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, India will take on New Zealand at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai this afternoon. Meanwhile, at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah warm-up match between England vs Canada match has started. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, England had lost their three wickets for 64 runs in 15 overs.
Earlier on Tuesday at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, South Africa won by seven wickets against Australia. After batting first team Australia were all-out for 217 runs in 47.1 overs. For the Australian side captain Ricky Ponting and his deputy Michael Clarke both score fifties. South African fast bowler Dale Steyn and spinner Robin Peterson picked three wickets each.
In reply, South Africans chased the target in 44.2 overs with the help of captain Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla fifties. The opening pair took South Africa to 131 before Smith left the crease. Defending world champion Australia has lost both warm-up matches before ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
In an another warm-up match on Tuesday, Sri Lanka won by 4 wickets against West Indies at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. In the allotted 50 overs, West Indies were all-out for 281 runs. Sri Lanka won the match in 47.3 overs with four wickets in hand. World Cup co-host Sri Lanka has won both the warm-up matches before ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
In a warm-up match between south Asian nations, Pakistan and Bangladesh at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Pakistan won the match by 89 runs. After batting first, Pakistan set the target of 286 runs for Bangladesh with the help of brilliant hundreds of opener Ahmed Shehzad and middle-order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq.
In another warm-up match on Tuesday, Ireland won by 4 wickets against Zimbabwe and Netherlands won by 2 wickets against Kenya.

Check Here >> ICC Cricket World Cup Schedule, Live Cricket Score

Countdown begins for the ICC World Cup opening ceremony

FOR CRICKET fans final hours of the countdown has begun for the much awaited opening ceremony of ICC World Cup which will be held in Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on February 17. The ceremony will be telecast live across 220 countries on major sports channels.

For the opening ceremony, the entire city has been decked up and the government has already declared February 17 as a public holiday from 2 pm onwards. The excitement can be felt in the air as it is the first time ever that Bangladesh will be co-hosting an international event along with Sri Lanka and India.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the ceremony which will include 14 nations vying for the top spot lasting for 42 days. The ceremony is scheduled to last for 135 hours. Bangladesh will also host eight world cup matches including two quarterfinals, six in Dhaka and two in the port city of Chittagong.

The cricket stadium in Dhaka will have a performance by Bryan Adams from Canada, which will be his first time ever in Bangladesh. He is the only western artist, who will perform at the grand opening on the evergreen song ‘Summer of 69’ that will make this event an unforgettable experience.

Others who are going to perform include Indian musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, who will croon the official song of the ICC World Cup 2011, 'De Ghuma Ke', Runa Laila, Bhappi Lahri, Usha Uthup, and Sonu Nigam. The tickets for ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 opening ceremony will be available from February, 13,  2011 in Dhaka Bank at price ranges from 1000 to 35000 taka.

Price of Tickets :

1. Normal Local Gallery : 1000 taka.
2. International Gallery : 10000 taka.
3. Grand tickets : 20000 taka.
4. Hospitality Box tickets : 35000 taka.

The total number of audience expected to witness the World Cup Opening Ceremony Event Live at the Bangabandhu Stadium currently stands at 40,000. At the moment, the Bangladeshi capital is the focal centre of the entire cricketing world.

Wizcraft International Entertainment which had managed Commonwealth Games 2010 opening and closing ceremonies is an integral part of core team that has developed the concept for opening ceremony along with the organising committee.

Check out >> Cricket World Cup Schedule, World Cup 2011 Match Results

India Vs New Zealand ICC World Cup 2011 warm-up match on Feb 16

IN THEIR second warm-up match before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, team India will take on New Zealand at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, February 16. Both India and New Zealand have won their first warm-up match against Australia and Ireland respectively.
On Sunday, team India had won against Australia in their first warm-up match by 38 runs at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. After batting first, India scored 214 runs in 44.3 overs. At one stage Indians had lost their eight wickets for 128 runs. For the ninth wicket, Yusuf Pathan and R. Ashwin added 49 runs and for the last wicket Ashwin and Nehra added 27 runs. Virender Sehwag was the top scorer, he scored 54 runs.
In reply, Australia were 118/2 at one stage, but the Indian spinners, Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan Singh clinched victory from the jaw of defeat. They shared seven Australians wicket costing mere 46 runs. Ricky Ponting and his team were all-out for 176 runs.
In an another warm-up match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, New Zealand beat Ireland by 32 runs at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur on February 12. New Zealand scored 311/6 in 50 overs with the help of opener Martin Guptill's hundred. Guptill struck 12 fours and three sixes in his 130 runs inning. In reply Ireland were all-out for 279 runs in 49th over. Captain William Porterfield was the leading run getter for his side, scored 72 runs in 74 deliveries.
In the last ODI series between India and New Zealand in November - December 2010, India sweeped the series of five matches 5-0.
India and New Zealand's warm-up match on February 16 in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai will start from 02:30 PM IST and will be telecast live on ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket.

Find More On >> Cricket World Cup Schedule, ICC Cricket World Cup News

Has Mahendra Singh Dhoni breached ambush marketing clause?

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has attracted the eyeballs that he would rather not. His recent endorsement of an electronic product seems to have caused a flutter that he could have done well without.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has dashed off a letter pointing out that a recent commercial Dhoni had featured in could be in breach of its ambush marketing laws.

According to sources, the ICC has written to chief executives of all the national boards reminding them of the need for strict adherence to the ambush marketing clause after the publication of the Dhoni’s commercial in a leading national daily.

The exact content of the letter was not known but the Board of Control for Cricket in India is believed to have been told that the Dhoni commercial constituted breach.

BCCI secretary N Srinivasan could not be immediately reached for comment but a Board official said the Indian players would be cautioned to ensure that
such things do not recur. So far, no instruction seems to have gone to the Indian skipper.

Team manager Ranjib Biswal has denied receiving any instruction from the BCCI. “We’re not aware of any thing,” Biswal said. Team India reached Chennai on Monday evening. In the advertisement, Dhoni was seen
endorsing a product that is a competition to an official sponsor of the World Cup.

As per the ambush marketing rules, that is not permitted from seven days prior to the start of the championship.

But Dhoni’s managers claim that all things were kept in mind before the shoot was done. “We have paid attention to every minute detail in the ICC guidelines. The colour of Dhoni’s clothing was changed and a re-shoot was done to ensure that no clause was breached,” said a manager of India captain.

When contacted, an ICC spokesman declined comment on the issue. Dhoni had held a long meeting with the top brass of the BCCI recently on the issues of commercials and endorsements. The India skipper was on teleconference with the BCCI officials when four India players, including Sachin Tendulkar, called on them in Mumbai on February 4.

However, sources say the discussion at the meeting was more on the players’ endorsements of their Indian Premier League (IPL) teams rather than on the World Cup related issues. “The meeting was not about these ambush marketing clauses surely. The discussion was on something else,” said a Board source.

Read More >> ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, ICC Cricket World Cup

Sachin, Laxman win ESPN Cricinfo Awards 2010

INDIAN BATTING star VVS Laxman has won the Test batsman award in the fourth annual ESPN cricinfo Awards for his 96 runs match winning inning in the second cricket Test between India and South Africa at Durban, December last year. India had won the Durban test by 87 runs and Laxman, who is popularly known as very very special, was announced the man-of-the-match.

The fourth annual ESPN cricinfo Awards were announced on Monday in Bangalore.

South African pacer Dale Steyn won the Test bowler award for his match winning spell of seven wickets at the cost of 51 runs in 16.4 overs in the first inning of the first test between India and visitors South Africa in Nagpur in February, 2010. South Africa won the test by an innings and six runs.

Sachin Tendulkar, the only cricketer who scored double hundred in One Day International in Gwalior last year, won the ESPN cricinfo one-day batsman award for his unforgettable inning in Gwalior. Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has already scored 17,629 runs in 444 ODIs with 46 hundreds.

Pakistani pacer Umer Gul was conferred with one-day bowler award in the ESPN cricinfo Awards 2010 in Bangalore on Monday. Gul won the award for his 6-42 spell at The Oval against England in September 2010.

Australian batsman Michael Hussey, who is not in the Australian ICC Cricket World Cup squad due to injury won the prestigious ESPN cricinfo Awards for his 60 run inning in the World T20 semi-final against Pakistan, whereas New Zealand's medium-pacer Tim Southee won the T20 bowling award for his five wickets haul including a hat-trick against Pakistan in December, 2010.

Related News on >> ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Cricket World Cup

Strauss clears up Kevin Pietersen retirement rumours

England captain Andrew Strauss is reassured by Kevin Pietersen's denial that he plans to retire from ODI cricket.30-year-old Pietersen was moved to clarify his intention to continue playing 50-over cricket, come what may for England in the Cricket World Cup, after press reports claimed he would soon be limiting himself to the Test and Twenty20 formats.

On England's arrival in Dhaka on Sunday for two warm-up matches before the sub-Continental tournament gets under way in earnest, Strauss repeated: "Kevin has denied those rumours."

"You can understand a situation where players, at the back-end of their career, need to manage their workload and might decide one form of the game is more appropriate for them to keep playing than all of them.
"We've seen Brett Lee do it; Murali's [Muttiah Muralitharan] doing it now - so there is a lot of precedent there - but that's more playing the short form of the game."

Strauss himself played only four Twenty20 internationals before deciding for himself, at the age of 32, that he did not warrant a place in the 'sprint' line-up.
"It's an ongoing saga with international cricketers," he said."There are heavy schedules, and people need to manage their bodies in the latter part of their careers.

"It's something players individually have to think about."England's World Twenty20-winning captain Paul Collingwood, part of the squad hoping to help Strauss add the 50-over crown for good measure, retired from Test cricket last month.

The all-rounder did so on the back of a run of poor batting form.
But Strauss said: "Paul Collingwood's greatest strength is that he contributes all over the park."His bowling has been very effective, probably a lot more than people would have thought in Australia, and he is the sort of bowler who should do well out here."He is an unbelievable fielder as well.

"That's what he brings to the party, and why he's such an invaluable member of our side."I think he'll come back into form with the bat as well. He's too good a player not to - and if he does so, he could have a dramatic impact on our chances in the Cricket World Cup."

England will need Collingwood at his best, in the absence of Eoin Morgan with a finger injury - and Strauss did not seek yesterday to gloss over how badly the Irishman may be missed."We're very disappointed not to have Eoin Morgan. He's been one of the stand-out performers for us in one-day cricket recently.

"But we're going to have to make do without him. We've got some good back-up - Ravi Bopara is coming into the side, having had a lot of success in Indian conditions before at the IPL, and we are hoping he can fill Morgan's boots adequately."

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ICC World Cup 2011: Australia to take on SA in warm up match

THREE VERY important warm-up matches are scheduled to be held in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on Tuesday, February 15. Australia vs South Africa, Bangladesh vs Pakistan and Sri Lanka vs West Indies matches will be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur and R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo respectively.
In their first warm-up match the South Africans defeated another African country Zimbabwe by 8 wickets with 159 balls remaining at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. In an another warm-up match on Sunday February 13 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, Australia lost to India by 38 runs in a very close match.
According to the Cricket World Cup record book, since 1999 Kangaroos have won all the Cricket World Cup matches against the Proteas. During the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in Caribbean island, Australia beat South Africa by 83 runs in the final Group A match. Both South Africa and Australia once again met in the second Semi-Final match in the Cricket World Cup at the Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, where Australia beat South Africa by 7 wickets.
In the ninth warm-up match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on February 15, two south Asian countries Pakistan and Bangladesh will meet at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur. Bangladesh in its first warm-up match on Saturday February 12, beat Canada in a one-sided match by 9 wickets with 184 balls remaining. Pakistan will be playing their first warm-up match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
The 11th warm-up match scheduled in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will be played between Sri Lanka and West Indies. Both Sri Lanka and West Indies had won their first warm-up match against Netherlands and Kenya respectively. In the just concluded series between these two countries, Sri Lanka won the series of three matches by 2-0. One match was abandoned due to rain.

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Sachin Tendulkar: A flashback

SACHIN TENDULKAR, the pride of the nation debuted at the age of 16 in Karachi against Pakistan. At this young age, he impressed one and all with his great attitude and approach, though he did not manage to score too many runs.

His hard work and dedication towards the game proved that everything is possible, if we have faith in ourselves. The most celebrated cricketer of the modern era has amassed 32,331 international runs and scored 97 centuries, making him the most prolific run-getter in both Test and one-day cricket.

Sachin’s tour of England in 1990 was very special to him, because he scored his first test century at Old Trafford. Tendulkar further enhanced his transformation into world class batsman during the 1991-1992 tour of Australia that included an unbeaten 148 in Sydney. The great Shane Warne too made his debut in the match, where opposing bowler Mery Hughes told captain Allan Border, “This little guy’s going to get more runs than you, AB,”. Mery Hughes' statement became a reality.

Today that ‘Little Guy’ is the heartbeat of millions of people. 2008 was the most memorable year for Sachin Tendulkar as he surpassed Brian Lara’s record for the most runs in Test Cricket in October 2008 by amassing more than 12,000 Test runs. He also holds records for the first player to score 10,000 runs in one-day internationals.

Besides from Test and ODI, he is now an icon player in the Mumbai Indians Team of IPL and left his mark in Twenty20 version of cricket too.

Recognition also came through other quarters, Madame Tussauds came out with a wax replica of this legend, he was the first sportsperson whose statue was there.

But the only thing missing in his career is a Cricket World Cup trophy. During his five previous World Cups since 1992, India reached the semifinal at home in 1996 and finished runners-up in 2003 in South Africa.

We all hope this Cricket World Cup will be the best in India’s cricket history and also great and unforgettable achievement of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar's career.

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ICC World Cup 2011: The International Cricket Cutie Awards

THE INTERNATIONAL Cricket Cutie Award (ICC) is the new buzz for some cricket fans and for some it is not a new award. In the last version of World Cup it was introduced by the world’s top cricketers and in the inaugural it was named as Stick Cricket ICC (International Cricket Cutie) Trophy.

This trophy coincides with the ICC (International Cricket Council) Champions Trophy which will be held in India, Sri-Lanka and Bangladesh this month. More than fifty thousand cricket fans and users of internet phenomenon Stick Cricket the world's most popular online Cricket game will judge the world's top cricket cuties.

Last time, during the World Cup in 2007, the winner of the Stick Cricket ICC Trophy was bagged by supermodel Minki van der Westhuizen, who recently split from South African cricket captain Graeme Smith in a poll by Stick Cricket website.

Cricketing Wives and Girlfriends (WAGS) may not have as high a profile as their glitzier football counterparts, but the game boasts its fair share of beauty. Cricket is game of gentleman, but it get huge attraction from supermodels, actresses etc. Cricketers attract a finer class of WAG. If they are treated like demi-gods, their WAGS also consider not less than goddesses. Fans mostly vote for a sleek, hot cutie with a successful career to boot.

This time hot contenders are TV star Kacey Barnfield, girlfriend of England pace ace Stuart Broad, current leading British WAG Chantal Bastock, English batsman Ian Bell’s girlfriend, Indian Captain MS Dhoni’s wife Sakshi Singh Rawat and Jessica Taylor better half of Kevin Pietersen, English Player.

Kacey Barnfield is a star in her own right and surely gives tough ride to other WAGS. Besides featuring in the hit England TV sitcom, Inbetweeners, Barnfield is set to feature in the upcoming horror flick Lake Placid 3.

Jessica Taylor is an elegant 30-year-old pop singer and lingerie model is married to English player Kevin Pietersen. Liberty X singer is cheering on star hubby Kevin Pietersen. Taylor has put her singing career on hold to be able to accompany Pietersen on tours and look after their son Dylan who was born in May last year.

Lady Dhoni is 24-year-old wife of Indian captain Mahendar Singh Dhoni, with bloggers popping her as one of the WAG to watch out for. She is a one of the hottest Indian WAGs and has been basking in stardom since her marriage with Indian captain. Now, Indian contingent has someone upping the glam quotient exponentially, just as football WAGs do, on the global game scene. She can really makes heads turn but still have to long way to go.

Let see who will get title of the International Cricket Cutie (ICC).

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