2011 World Cup Team Profile - Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe will start their World Cup campaign against Australia in Ahmedabad on February 21 under the leadership of Elton Chigumbura, with a very young side.
With input from West Indies legend Brian Lara and former Zimbabwe opening batsman Grant Flower’s vast experience as batting coach, they could unsettle someone’s applecart in the league stages.
The batting is likely to be opened by the experienced Brendon Taylor with Regis Chakabva, skipper Elton Chigumbura and the hugely talented Charles Coventry, taking up middle-order positions.
Left-handed batsman Sean Williams is likely to bat in the crucial number three slots. Hampshire's high scoring all-rounder, Sean Ervine lends flexibility to the line-up with useful ability with the ball and can be shifted up and down the batting order, depending on the situation.
The bowling options are likely to see a toss-up among four specialist spinners in Ray Price, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer and Greg Lamb, as they look forward to exploit the spin-friendly conditions in the subcontinent.
Moreover, the fast bowling unit has Chris Mpofu and tall right-arm seamer Ed Rainsford, one of the quickest bowlers in Zimbabwe, could also get an opportunity.
Zimbabwe World Cup squad: Elton Chigimbura (captain), Regis Chakabva, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Sean Ervine, Greg Lamb, Shingirai Masakadza, Chris Mpofu, Ray Price, Ed Rainsford, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams
Players to watch out for
The 28-year-old Sean Ervine could be the surprise package, having last played a World Cup match in 2003. He could keep the Zimbabwe team afloat with purposeful batting and useful medium pace bowling. He can be destructive and can clear the field to accelerate the scoring rate. A vastly improved cricketer in the last few years. 
The right-handed opening batsman Brendan Taylor had an impressive series against South Africa averaging 91 with the bat in a recent three-match series, which includes an unbeaten 145 against a potent Proteas attack. His role is vital as one of the most experienced batsman with 3242 runs at the top of the order, as he would like to bat most of the overs in the games.
Former skipper Tatenda Taibu’s never die attitude coupled with his experience and runs 2812 runs could prove to be a decisive factor .He can play the big shots, with an inclination of long on and mid wicket region. His agility and presence of mind are other factors, which could influence a wicket of the opposition batsman.
Fixtures

21 February - (D/N) Australia v Zimbabwe, Ahmedabad 2.30pm India, 9am GMT
28 February - Zimbabwe v Canada Nagpur 9.30am India, 4am GMT
4 March - New Zealand v Zimbabwe Ahmedabad 9.30am India, 4am GMT
10 March - (D/N) Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe Pallekele2.30pm India, 9am GMT
14 March - (D/N) Pakistan v Zimbabwe Pallekele2.30pm India, 9am GMT
20 March - Zimbabwe v Kenya Kolkata 9.30am India, 4am GMT

Team India World Cup Selection on January 17

The selection committee is to pick the World Cup squad on the 17th January at Chennai,Indian team Cricket Board source told PTI today. The selection panel, with Krishnamachari Srikkanth at the helm, has picked a preliminary squad of thirty members for the mega event, and the list would be pruned to the required number as per ICC regulations for the tournament.

The list of probables already picked by the selectors is as follows:

M S Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar,Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina,Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, S Sreesanth, MunafPatel, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, M Vijay, Rohit Sharma,Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Sourav Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan,Parthiv Patel, R Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha, Dinesh Karthik,Shikhar Dhawan, Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla, Cheteshwar Pujara,Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar.

The World Cup is to be held in India, Sri Lanka andBangladesh from February 19-April 2. India are placed in GroupB in the preliminary phase along with co-hosts Bangladesh,England, South Africa, West Indies, Ireland and Netherlands.

Aussies Peacer Clint Mckay Out of World Cup

The Australian cricket world is suffering from their bad time as they performed very badly in the recent Ashes Series and now there young players are getting injured before the World Cup 2011. Aus pacer McKay out of ICC World Cup reckoning Melbourne, Australia fast bowling stock has taken another significant blow before next month’s World Cup in the subcontinent with paceman Clint Mckay being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot.

Mckay, the current world No 1side in ODIs will now go to the World Cup without two of its top three wicket-takers for the past year with other being Ryan Harris, who is nursing a stress fracture in his foot that emerged during the Boxing Day Test.

Big Bazaar expects 10 pc growth during Cricket World Cup

With sportswear segment witnessing an upward swing in the country, the flagship hypermarket retail chain of Future Group , Big Bazaar, is expecting a 10 per cent growth in sales from its fashion wear during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, a top company official said.

Big Bazaar has bagged the licence from ICC to be the authorised retailer of special merchandise for the World Cup 2011.

"We are delighted to be the authorised retailer for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 merchandise. Through our vast merchandise offerings in apparel, home and personal care, we attempt to cement a strong relationship with our customers by enabling them to express their appreciation and cheer for cricket by sporting the fan look," Big Bazaar's Joint CEO, Sanjeev Agarwal, told PTI here.

The specially designed cricket merchandise for men, ladies and kids have been priced in a range of Rs 199 to Rs 449. The range includes sports tees, active dry tees, track pants, shorts, sweatshirt, caps, head bands amongst others.

Besides, there is a graphic range of products built around cricket-inspired messages Agarwal said, adding that the third range is the soft toy called Stumpy, the official mascot of the ICC CWC 2011.

Cricket World Cup merchandise goes on sale

Dubai, Jan 10 (IBNS) Supporters following the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and general cricket fans around the globe can now ensure they look the part following the launch of the official tournament online store. The site, which is being managed by international brand management company IVS Group Ltd, will offer a wide range of official merchandise, including T-shirts, polos, caps, key-rings, mini-bats and horns as well as a range of products for children centred around the event mascot, Stumpy.

Visitors to www.icconlinestore.com can shop for official merchandise by product, by team or by range and purchasing is convenient, safe and secure with Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Laser, Maestro and Solo all accepted methods of payment.

Managing Director of IVS Group Ash Kapoor said: “We are proud to be working with such a prestigious international event as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. It is the third biggest sporting event in the world and we are honoured to be providing the merchandising services this time just as we did at the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009 and 2010.”

The licensing and merchandise for the tournament is facilitated and managed by Licensing In Motion (LIM), the ICC’s global licensing and merchandising partner, and the online store can be found at www.icconlinestore.com with a worldwide delivery service provided.

In addition, IVS Group will also manage the official onsite event sales and will be present at all 13 venues of the ICC 2011 Cricket World Cup across Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. IVS always uses local suppliers and labour thus generating jobs within the community while minimising environmental impact.

Big Bazaar to be official World Cup 2011 merchandise dealer

As the sportswear sector of the country is experiencing a boom, Big Bazaar, the flagship hypermarket retail chain of Future Group is foreseeing a rise of around 10 percent in the sale of its fashion apparels during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

The hypermarket has been appointed to serve as the authorised dealer of special merchandise for the World Cup 2011, by the ICC.

It expressed its delight over getting the licence to serve as the authorised dealer of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 merchandise. It stated that, through the wide range of home, personal care and apparel merchandise they would try to cater and develop a strong relationship with their consumers and would help them to express their joy and admiration for the game of cricket.

The cricket merchandise particularly designed for men, women and children are available in the price range of Rs 199 to Rs 449. Various sports attire and accessories like active dry tees, shorts, sports tees, track pants, sweatshirt, head bands and caps are all included in the range.

Besides the usual sports range, a graphic range of merchandise bearing cricket-inspired messages and a soft toy range tagged as ‘Stumpy’, which is the official mascot of the ICC CWC 2011 is also on display at all the Big Bazaar outlets.

Ogilvy Mumbai Launches Campaign For ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

ICC has released one of cricket’s biggest communication campaigns across the sub-continent for Cricket World Cup 2011.

The ICC Cricket World Cup is the biggest and the most prestigious tournament in the game. To be held across India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the ICC CWC 2011 will witness 14 nations battle for cricket’s most coveted prize. Conceptualized by the ICC Marketing Team and Ogilvy Mumbai, the campaign for ICC CWC 2011 shall arguably be the biggest to promote any sporting tournament in the sub-continent.

Navin Talreja, Managing Partner, Ogilvy & Mather says, “About 1000 matches were played between the last ICC Cricket World Cup and this one. Many tournaments, many cups but a World Cup in any sport has been and will continue to be the pinnacle of achievement. The postioning line ‘The Cup That Counts’ serves as a reminder to all cricket fans of this very simple fact.”

With this in mind, a surround campaign involving not just TV, Print, Outdoor, PR but also last mile mediums such has Digital and Activation was created for India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Navin adds, “This time around we have moved away from the conventional amplification approach of the core idea across mediums. Instead the messaging strategy for different elements developed reflects different facets of “The Cup That Counts” from the point of view of the teams, players and of course the fans.”

The campaign kicked off worldwide on the 1st week of January with the launch TV commercial titled ‘Tightrope’. Abhijit Avasthi, National Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather says, “Every country, every player and every fan has only one wish – to win the race to the cup. But this is no ordinary race. Full of obstacles and surprises, to win this race, each player would need to literally walk on a tightrope. Keeping this in mind we decided to use a metaphor and depicted a tightrope race to the cup that counts”.

 

The ‘Tightrope’ commercial aptly captures the passion, celebration, competition and fun associated with the game of cricket like never seen before. Shot across the entire city of Jaipur over 5 days, the commercial ‘features’ captains from most of the playing nations and over 400 fans from various countries. Professional tightrope artists were flown in from USA and UK for the filming of this commercial.

This film has been shot by the Cannes Gold winning director Bob of Good Morning Films and the music has been composed by Dhruv Ghanekar. This launch campaign shall also be supported by print and outdoor, shot by international photographer Palani Chandramohan.

In addition, fans will also get to see another campaign featuring iconic players from the sub-continent. A series of 3 commercials starring Sachin Tendulkar, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shakib Ul Hasan respectively, this campaign plays upon a deep personal wish that these cricketing legends are fostering – to bring the cup home. These films have been directed by Piyush Raghani of Old School Films and shall go on air towards end January. This campaign too shall be supported by print and outdoor.

Additionally, cricket fans shall also enjoy the Official ICC CWC 2011 Event Theme Song titled ‘De Ghumaa Ke’ that has been released on radio channels across the country. Composed and sung by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, this song brings alive the fierce sense of competition and the desire to win. The same song shall also be adapted in local languages for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. A music video featuring Shankar Ehsaan Loy and ICC CWC 2011′s Official Mascot ‘Stumpy’ is also in the works and shall be released by end of this month.

Further, ICC shall also unleash a slew of contests and below the line initiatives to help spread the CWC 2011 buzz. Across venue cities, Official Countdown Clocks shall be placed at airports and popular malls, uniquely designed ICC CWC 2011 branded vans shall give fans a chance to share their wishes, radio stations shall run contests to help fans win tickets and much more.

As a part of ICC’s CSR and youth outreach initiative, Ogilvy also rolled out a nation-wide school contact program alongwith UNAIDS. The program reached out to 8 cities, 70 schools and above 10,000 students who got a chance to learn about AIDS awareness and also participate in an Inter School Mini Cricket World Cup Tournament.

Credits:

Client: International Cricket Council, Dubai

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Mumbai

Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & Creative Director

Abhijit Avasthi, National Creative Director

Rajiv Rao, National Creative Director

Navin Talreja, Managing Partner

Kunal Jeswani, President (OgilvyOne Worldwide)

Sukesh Kumar Nayak, Senior Creative Director

Heeral Ahkaury, Senior Creative Director

Hemal Jhaveri, Associate Creative Director

Vinit Sanghvi, Art Director

Dharam Valia, Vice President

Mudit Trivedi, Account Director

Rahul Bhambri, Account Supervisor

Sukhvinder Singh Wilkhoo, Senior Account Executive

Activation Agency: OgilvyAction, Mumbai

Digital Agency: OgilvyOne Worldwide, Mumbai

Media Agency: Maxus Global, Mumbai

Sri Lanka name 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup squad

Sri Lankan selectors have named their final 15-man squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas and Suraj Randiv are the notable absentees.

Captain of Sri Lanka's 2007 World Cup side, Mahela Jayawardena, has been named as the vice-captain.

The squad is as follows:

Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Mahela Jayawardene (vice-captain), 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.

ESPN-STAR Sports unveils grand plans for ICC World Cup Cricket 2011

ESPN-STAR Sports (ESS) has unveiled its grand plans to make the 2011 World Cup presentation truly entertaining. The 2011 edition of the iconic tournament, starting on February 19, will see many first of its kind initiatives such as ‘Live’ match coverage by 3G mobile streaming in India.

With this new initiative, fans will enjoy an unrestricted access to the biggest cricket spectacle on Internet and mobile besides television.

Another first in the series is the Decision Review System (DRS), which will be introduced for the very first time for any International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament. First time ever production of the World Cup in the High Definition (HD) format will be another landmark in cricket presentation.

To give television audiences the most riveting experience, each and every match will be covered by 27 cameras including innovative features like movable slips cameras and new low 45 degree field cameras. The production will also have a mid-wicket camera position for live running between wickets.

The pre- and post-match shows will be hosted in ESS’ signature style by iconic former players and legends of the game, while live broadcast will feature as many as 30 commentators and studio experts from leading participating countries.

“There is nothing bigger in the world of cricket than the 2011 World Cup and an event as big as this, especially when it is held in the subcontinent, evokes passion and excitement like none other,” said ESPN-STAR Sports Managing Director Manu Sawhney.

“At ESPN-STAR Sports we are committed to bring alive this passion for the game to fans all across the globe in the most engaging manner. We are therefore launching many first of its kind initiatives during this edition including a special Hindi feed for select matches, HD production and Live match coverage through 3G mobile streaming,” he added.

World Cup Cricket 2011 to start on Feb 19, here is full schedule

THE BIGGEST cricketing event, ICC World Cup Cricket 2011, which is jointly being organised by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is going to start from February 19 at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. Mega final of the biggest cricket event is scheduled to be played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2. Stumpy, an elephant is the official mascot for the Cricket World Cup 2011. Fourteen countries, which are participating in the World Cup Cricket 2011 are divided into two groups. In group 'A' including host Sri Lanka others are including Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Canada, whereas in group 'B' South Africa, West Indies, England, Netherlands and Ireland are there other then host India and Bangladesh. During the 43 days long ICC World Cup Cricket 2011, total of 49 matches will be played including semi final and final matches. Complete schedule of the 2011 Cricket World Cup are following:

Match	Date	Group	Teams	Venue
1	19 Feb	B	India vs Bangladesh	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
2	20 Feb	A	New Zealand vs Kenya	M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
3	20 Feb	A	Sri Lanka vs Canada	International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota
4	21 Feb	A	Australia vs Zimbabwe	Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
5	22 Feb	B	England vs Netherlands	Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
6	23 Feb	A	Pakistan vs Kenya	International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota
7	24 Feb	B	South Africa vs West Indies	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
8	25 Feb	A	Australia vs New Zealand	Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
9	25 Feb	B	Bangladesh vs Ireland	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
10	26 Feb	A	Sri Lanka vs Pakistan	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
11	27 Feb	B	India vs England	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
12	28 Feb	B	West Indies vs Netherlands	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
13	28 Feb	A	Zimbabwe vs Canada	Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
14	1 Mar	A	Sri Lanka vs Kenya	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
15	2 Mar	B	England vs Ireland	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
16	3 Mar	B	South Africa vs Netherlands	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
17	3 Mar	A	Pakistan vs Canada	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
18	4 Mar	A	New Zealand vs Zimbabwe	Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
19	4 Mar	B	Bangladesh vs West Indies	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
20	5 Mar	A	Sri Lanka vs Australia	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
21	6 Mar	B	India vs Ireland	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
22	6 Mar	B	England vs South Africa	M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
23	7 Mar	A	Kenya vs Canada	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
24	8 Mar	A	Pakistan vs New Zealand	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
25	9 Mar	B	India vs Netherlands	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
26	10 Mar	A	Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
27	11 Mar	B	West Indies vs Ireland	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
28	11 Mar	B	Bangladesh vs England	Chittagong Divisional Stadium, Chittagong
29	12 Mar	B	India vs South Africa	Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
30	13 Mar	A	New Zealand vs Canada	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
31	13 Mar	A	Australia vs Kenya	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
32	14 Mar	A	Pakistan vs Zimbabwe	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
33	14 Mar	B	Bangladesh vs Netherlands	Chittagong Divisional Stadium, Chittagong
34	15 Mar	B	South Africa vs Ireland	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
35	16 Mar	A	Australia vs Canada	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
36	17 Mar	B	England vs West Indies	M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
37	18 Mar	A	Sri Lanka vs New Zealand	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
38	18 Mar	B	Ireland vs Netherlands	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
39	19 Mar	A	Australia vs Pakistan	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
40	19 Mar	B	Bangladesh vs South Africa	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
41	20 Mar	A	Zimbabwe vs Kenya	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
42	20 Mar	B	India vs West Indies	M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
43	23 Mar		First Quarterfinal	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
44	24 Mar		Second Quarterfinal	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
45	25 Mar		Third Quarterfinal	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
46	26 Mar		Fourth Quarterfinal	Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
47	29 Mar		First Semifinal	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
48	30 Mar		Second Semifinal	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
49	02 Apr		Final	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai