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ESPNF1, ESPN's dedicated Formula One website, is launching free iPhone, Android and Nokia mobile applications. The new apps will feature all the key content that sports fans expect from ESPNF1, including comprehensive race coverage, commentary and stats.
The ESPNF1 app is available today for iPhone (via the iTunes App Store) and will launch on Android and Nokia within the next two weeks. The app features:
• Countdown Clock - home page will feature a live countdown to the start of the next race;
• Simple navigation - easy access to key content areas via an intuitive navigation system;
• Feature content - original features including Driver Profiles, Q&A's, and opinion-based articles from ESPNF1 writers;
• Circuit Detail - After selecting a race, users can view circuit information, including a profile of each track along with historical information.
• Race updates - upcoming race calendars and exclusive news;
• Push notifications (coming soon) - fans can get alerts on upcoming key events, meaning they will receive instant alerts when new content is available
• Race Commentary - latest action on every grand prix
Tom Gleeson, vice president, digital media, ESPN International, said: "The ESPNF1 mobile app is another step in ESPN's bid to serve Formula One fans with the very best content on multiple devices."
The free ESPNF1 mobile app adds to ESPN's growing mobile media portfolio worldwide. In February, the sports media company launched new iPhone and Android mobile applications for ESPNCricinfo, in time for the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Founded in 1997 as Racing-Live, ESPNF1's content includes news, live reports from grand prix fixtures and features written by some of the sport's leading names. The site also includes in-depth statistics on every one of the 818 drivers who have driven in a race as well as in-depth information on every race since 1950.
Hindi entertainment channels have been affected by the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup, with all but one channel sliding down the TRP chart.
According to data for Week 11 of 2011, Star Plus remained to have the biggest share of the pie with 275 GRPs but down 5 points from last week. Colors was the only channel to have added 4 points this week, totaling to 235 GRPs.
ZEE TV remained third with 203 GRPs, down from 217 last week.
Sony Entertainment Television Asia regained lost ground by surpassing sister station SAB TV. The latter had been ahead of Sony TV for the past two weeks. Sony TV managed 133 GRPs (140 last week), whilst SAB TV delivered 124 GRPs (143 last week).
Imagine TV continued its downward spiral with just 69 GRPs.
The ICC Cricket World Cup is still on-air for another couple of weeks with the crucial knock-out stages and finals expected to impact the Hindi entertainment channel circle further. The Indian Premier League is also set to affect the channels, which starts next month.
The West Indian cricket team has given an excellent performance in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2011 and have secured 6 points after playing 4 matches. They have been victorious on three occasions and lost a match against the South African side. The dynamic West Indian team have the skill and the talent to go all the way in the tournament.
A discussion of their accomplishments and prospects in the forthcoming matches in the event is as follows:
The West Indians played their inaugural match at Delhi, India on 24 February against the formidable South African side and scored 222 runs before they were bowled out. Darren Bravo played a creative inning of 73 runs which gave some consolidation, as Dwayne Bravo scored 40 runs in the middle of the innings. Spinner Imran Tahir was the main weapon for the Proteas, who grabbed 4 wickets as Dale Steyn took 3 wickets.
South Africa chased the target comfortably in 42.5 overs for the loss of just 3 wickets as AB de Villiers hammered an unbeaten 107 runs.
The second match was played on the last day of February against the Netherlands at Delhi and the Caribbean’s got after the Dutch bowling by posting 330 runs on board for the loss of 8 wickets. Chris Gayle played a spectacular inning of 80 runs followed by a hurried knock of 60 runs in 59 balls by Kieron Pollard. Pieter Seelaar was the main wicket taker with 3 and Mudassar Bukhari claimed 2 wickets.
The Dutch team came out with a poor response and were bowled out at 115 runs in 31.3 overs, Tom Cooper was the only batsman who showed some resistance and remained unbeaten on 55 runs.
Kemar Roach put himself in the history books by claiming a hat-trick and folded the Netherland innings by taking 6 wickets for just 27 runs in 8.3 overs, as Sulieman Benn took 3 wickets.
The third match was played against the hosts Bangladesh on 4 March at Mirpur. They bulldozed the Bangladesh batting and bowled them out on a mere 58 runs, Junaid Siddique was the top scorer with 25 runs. Benn was the main wicket taker with 4 as Roach and Darren Sammy shared 3 wickets each.
The target was achieved comfortably by the Windies in 12.2 overs for the loss of a wicket.
The West Indians came across the proud Irish team, who had beaten the strong England side in a thriller on 2 March at Bangalore, India.
The fourth match against Ireland was played on 11 March at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali, India. The West Indies scored 275 runs in the allotted 50 overs, Devon Smith played a gutsy innings and punched 107 runs, followed by a quick fired 94 runs by Pollard off 83 balls with 5 sixes and 8 fours. Kevin O’Brien was the highest wicket taker with 4.
The Irish team came out with some resistance but were bowled out at 231 runs in 49 overs. Benn was the chief wicket taker with 4 wickets, as the captain Sammy also took 3 wickets.
The West Indies are positioned at number three in the group B standings and they have yet to play two important games in their pool. They will play against England on 17 March in Chennai, and they should come out with some positive teamwork. England will be entering in that match for their survival in the World Cup and the West Indians will have to keep up with their winning momentum.
Their last match is scheduled against one of the hosts, India, which is a very strong team at their home grounds. The West Indians have bright chances for the quarter-finals and if they manage to win, they will boost their morale and may possibly repeat the history of 1975 and 1979 by grasping the coveted trophy again.
Facts and figures relating to the Group B World Cup match between India and West Indies at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
Head-to-head record: West Indies lead 54-38 (Tied: 1; NR: 2)
In the World Cups: Tied at 3-3
In the sub-continent: West Indies lead 32-22 (NR: 1)
* The most memorable showdown between the countries was perhaps the 1983 World Cup final, where India caused a stunning upset by preventing the mighty West Indies from completing a hat-trick of wins.
* India (LWWTW) have hardly lived up to their favourite billing as they have yet to play a match where all their disciplines have clicked. In their two matches against top nations -- England and South Africa -- India wasted flying starts and lost a heap of wickets. The co-hosts were slammed by fans and pundits alike after surrendering their last nine wickets for 29 runs against South Africa.
* West Indies (LWWWL) appeared to have sealed their place in the last eight when they were cantering towards victory against England before they slipped up with the finishing line in sight, losing by 18 runs.
* India openers Virender Sehwag (327 runs) and Sachin Tendulkar (324 runs) have been very successful but the much famed middle order has not quite clicked yet, with Gautam Gambhir (197 runs) and Yuvraj Singh (171 runs) being somewhat among the runs. Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will have to decide whether to play Suresh Raina or Yusuf Pathan.
* Devon Smith (212 runs) has been the most successful West Indian batsman so far, while Kieron Pollard (178 runs) has been destructive. India need to fear the classy Darren Bravo and Chris Gayle.
* With Kemar Roach (13 wickets at economy of 3.88) and Sulieman Benn (12 wickets at economy of 4.69) in the top 10 wicket takers, along with India's Zaheer Khan (12 wickets at economy of 4.31), both teams have wicket taking abilities. India's biggest problem has been the absence of any spinner among the leading wicket takers, with Yuvraj Singh providing some respite with seven wickets but at a rather expensive economy rate of 5.09.
In the last decade, India vs West Indies contest has provided thrills galore. TOI lists three games that left a mark in the memory of cricket lovers.
Royal chase
Venue: Motera Ahmedabad | Nov 15, 2002
When Chris Gayle hit a blistering 140 in company of Ramnaresh Sarwan (99*) to take West Indies past 300-run mark, the writing was clearly on the wall for India. However, Rahul Dravid's unbeaten 109, Laxman's classy 66 and Sanjay Bangar's cameo saw India chase down the target of 325 with 14 balls to spare despite a minor collapse.
Brief Scores: West Indies 324-4 in 50 overs (C Gayle 140, R Sarwan 99*, C Hooper 36, Harbhajan 1-30, 1-49) lost to India 325-5 in 47.4 overs (R Dravid 109*, Laxman 66, S Bangar 57*, M Dillon 2-65)
Real thriller
Venue: Kingston, Jamaica | May 20, 2006
Under Rahul Dravid, the Indians were on a roll before being stopped by Brian Lara's men in Jamaica. Ramnaresh Sarwan's 98 gave Windies something to bowl at. Indian batting crumbled before Yuvraj and Raina steadied the ship. However, Dwayne Bravo broke Indian hearts castling Yuvraj with a slower one when India needed two off three balls.
Brief Scores: West Indies 198 in 50 overs (R Sarwan 98*, I Pathan 3-45, A Agarkar 2-25, R Powar 2-38) bt India 197 in 49.4 overs (Yuvraj 93, Raina 27, I Bradshaw 3-33, J Taylor 2-49, M Samuels 2-30)
The big upset
Venue: Motera, Ahmedabad | Oct 26, 2006
Tipped as favourites to lift the Champions Trophy India flattered only to deceive. Their poor run against West Indies continued. Dhoni and Dravid's knocks gave India some respectability, however, 223 wasn't enough. Gayle rocked while Chanderpaul, Sarwan and Runako Morton then guided them home.
Brief scores: India 223-9 in 50 overs (MS Dhoni 51, R Dravid 49, I Bradshaw 3-30) lost to West Indies 224-7 in 49.4 overs.
A PRE-HOLI bash is scheduled to be held this weekend on Saturday, March 19 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo between two quarter finalists from group 'A'.
Pakistan will take on defending champion Australia in the 40th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Australia and Pakistan have met 85 times in one day internationals. Australia has won 52 matches and lost 29 matches. Four matches ended without result - including one tied match. In the Cricket World Cup they have played seven matches, and the record is neck to neck - in favour of Australia by 4-3.
The Ricky Ponting-led Aussies are performing like champions in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. They are the only team who never lost a single match in the ongoing tournament.
The Australian team started their campaign with a 91-run victory against Zimbabwe and seven wickets victory against neighbour New Zealand.
In the third match, due to rain, the Australian winning streak was stopped by Sri Lanka. The match was washed away and both Australia and Sri Lanka shared one point each.
In their fourth match against Kenya, the Australian team won by 60 runs. On March 16 against Canada, the defending ICC Cricket World Cup champion won by seven wickets.
Pakistan, who was considered as an under dog before the commencement of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, won four matches and lost one against New Zealand by 110 runs.
The Shahid Afridi-led Pakistan team has won three matches in a row against Kenya, Sri Lanka and Canada by 205 runs, 11 runs and 46 runs respectively.
In their fifth group league match, Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets under the Duckworth–Lewis (D/L) method.
The Pakistan vs Australia match venue R. Premadasa Stadium is mainly known for good batting tracks. However, Muttiah Muralitharan has captured 69 wickets at this stadium. The toss will play an important role at this ground and the captain who will win the toss, is likely to bowl first.
THE MILLION-DOLLAR question is - will Bangladesh be able to qualify for the quarter finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 from group B? The answer is - definitely, it can. But whether ultimately it will be able to, is another question question though maybe not worth a million dollars.
Bangladesh will qualify only if it wins against strong opponent South Africa in its last group league match on Saturday, March 19, at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur. However, the head-to-head record between these two countries is not supporting the claim of Bangladesh about a place in the quarter finals. Co-host of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Bangladesh, had won only one ODI against South Africa in the 13 matches played between them. Bangladesh lost to India in the inaugural match of the Cricket World Cup 2011 by 87 runs and against West Indies lost by nine wickets. The Bangladeshi scored only 58 runs against the West Indies. They won against Ireland by 27 runs, and against England lost by two wickets, and against Netherlands won by six wickets. South Africans have eight points from its matches. With a seven-wicket victory against West Indies, the Proteas started their campaign in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. In the next match they beat Netherlands by 231 runs.
In their next match, England beat them by six runs in a low-scoring match. In the next two matches they won against India and Ireland by three wickets and 131 runs respectively. The Graeme Smith-led South Africans are among the top three favorite contenders for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Their batsmen Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers are in a great touch, and fast bowler Dale Styen showed his skill against Indians when he changed the direction of the match in its favour. Here are the Bangladesh and South Africa squads 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). Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Tamim Iqbal (vice capt), Imrul Kayes, Zunaed Siddique, Shahriar Nafees, Roqibul Hassan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Md Sohrawordi.
IN THE 38th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Sri Lanka will take on New Zealand for the first time at a neutral venue in the ongoing Cricket World Cup.
Both teams will meet each other at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Friday, March 18.
Since June 9, 1979, both teams have played 72 matches so far with each other, where the record is in favour of the Kiwis by 35-32. Four matches ended without result and one match was tied.
Playing in the sub-continent, the Lankans have won 15 matches and lost 5. Since the start of 2007, Sri Lanka have lost only two of nine matches played between them, and have not lost even a single match to New Zealand in their last three World Cup encounters.
Sri Lanka started ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 against Canada with a 210 runs margin victory. In the next match they lost against Pakistan by 11 runs. Lankans won by nine wickets against Kenya and against Australia their match was washed away. In the fifth match Sri Lanka routed Zimbabwe by 139 runs.
New Zealand is in full rhythm in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 under the direction of coach John Wright. They lost only one match in the group league against Australia by seven wickets. Kiwis team won two matches by 10-wicket against Kenya and Zimbabwe. They won by 110-run and 97-run against Pakistan and Canada respectively.
Among the top 10 run getters in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, three are from Sri Lanka. Tillakaratne Dilshan (283 runs), Upul Tharanga (258 runs) and Kumar Sangakkara (252 runs), and are the sixth, seventh and eight top run getters respectively.
New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor has scored the most number of sixes (12) so far in the ongoing tournament.
Here are the Sri Lanka and New Zealand squads in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:
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.
MARCH 17 is a day to remember for all the Sri Lankan cricket fans. Fifteen years back in 1996 on March 17 world cup history was created, Sri Lanka did the unthinkable in the world of cricket by defeating the Australians in the finals.
Before the commencement of the tournament no one even thought that Sri Lanka could win the trophy, but the army of Arjun Ranatunga did the unpredictable by lifting the world cup.
Their win in the finals of world cup 1996 was not a fluke, the Lankans dominated the world cup without even losing a single game in the tournament. They defeated big names such as England in quarter finals and India in semi-finals.
They took away the game from Australia with ease, Arvinda De Silva was the star performer of the final, scoring 107 runs, and also took 3 wickets and 2 catches in the first inning of the match - winning him the man of the match award.
Arjun Ranatunga made the winning run in the final with 22 balls remaining, leading to a 7-wicket win, and their first world cup championship.
SHOAIB AKHTAR, popularly known as the 'Rawalpindi Express' will retire after the world cup cricket tournament. According to Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam, the 35-year-old fast bowler has decided to hang his boots after the world cup.
Alam further added that Shoaib Akhtar will make an official statement about his retirement.
Shoaib made his debut in 1997, while playing a test match against the West Indies, and is regarded as one of the fastest bowlers ever to play the game. He took the world by storm by making every batsman to work harder to fend off his quick deliveries.
There were, and there will be fast bowlers such as Shane Bond, Brett Lee and Dale Styen, who have reached the 150 kmph landmark but no one will match the terror generated by Akhtar.
One of the most memorable moments for him in his legendary 14-year career, without any doubt, would be taking the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar on his very first balll to the little master. His toe clinching yorker took Sachin by surprise taking his middle stump and bringing immense joy to the bowler.
His fast bowling and antics on the ground will be remembered by fans across the world.
Chris Gayle savaged the England attack before being trapped leg-before for 43 off 21 balls, as the West Indies made an excellent start in pursuit of 244 to beat England in Chennai. Watch West Indies vs England Live Streaming
England started slowly as Kemar Roach and Suleiman Benn started brilliantly. Roach started the match with a maiden over. Later England openers started scoring runs. Current Score is 32/0 in 6.3 overs. Matt Prior 20 of 19 balls and Strauss 12 of 20 started hitting boundaries.
England have won the toss and elected to bat first. Darren Sammy Lost 5 tosses in a row but happy to have 4 good results. West Indies star batsman Chris Gayle is back on the squad. WI dropped Chanderpaul and Miller for the crucial match. Bishoo replaces Miller.
England also got a couple of changes because of the injuries. Shahzad, Anderson and Collingwood are not included in the final eleven. Tremlett, Tredwell and Luke Wright replaced the injured played for their virtual world cup knock out match.
Its overall good conditions to play. First 15 overs will have good impact on the game. Its time for England to show some good overall performance to enter in World cup. Lets See whether England or Both West Indies & Bangladesh will be in the next round of world cup.
Teams:
West Indies (Playing XI): Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Darren Bravo, R Sarwan, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy(c), Devon Thomas(w), Sulieman Benn, Kemar Roach, Devendra Bishoo, Andre Russell
England (Playing XI): Matt Prior(w), Andrew Strauss(c), Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Luke Wright, Eoin Morgan, Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett, James Tredwell
In the 36th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 between England and West Indies, the English captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and decided to bat first at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This match is a battle of survival for the English team, who is standing at the fifth position with five points from five matches in group 'B', in the Cricket World Cup 2011.
England captain Andrew Strauss has made three changes in the playing XI from the last match against Bangladesh in the Cricket World cup 2011. He picked fast bowler Chris Tremlett for James Anderson, all-rounder James Tredwell in place of Ajmal Shahzad and another all-rounder Luke Wright for Paul Collingwood in the must-win match.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy has made two changes in the playing XI in its fifth league match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. He preferred dashing opener Chris Gayle in place of Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Leg spinner Devendra Bishoo is making his international ODI from this match. He replaced left-arm orthodox Nikita Miller.
In the 84 encounters between England and West Indies so far, West Indies has won on 41 occasions and England has won 37 matches. However, in the World Cups and in the sub-continent, the record is in favour of England.
In the Cricket World Cup matches, England won four and lost one, whereas in the sub-continent conditions England's record is 3-1.
Given below are the playing XI of England and West Indies in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:
England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Matt Prior (wk), Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Luke Wright, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Chris Tremlett.
West Indies: Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy (capt), Andre Russell, Devon Thomas (wk), Devendra Bishoo, Sulieman Benn, Kemar Roach.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting is prepared to tolerate Shaun Tait’s waywardness if the fast bowler keeps taking wickets at the World Cup.
Tait, who now restricts himself to one-day matches after an injury-plagued career, has a ‘slingshot’ action which can be hard for batsmen to face. But he can also be way off target, too.
Tait’s career was arguably encapsulated in champions Australia’s group win over New Zealand in Nagpur where his first over-and-a-half cost 19 runs, including wides and no-balls.
However, the 28-year-old South Australia speedster then dismissed Kiwi dangerman Brendon McCullum and finished the match with figures of three wickets for 35 runs in seven overs.
“You probably do treat him a little bit differently than others because he’s an out and out wicket-taking bowler, that can deliver the unplayable ball quite a few times through his 10-over spell,” said Ponting.
“You give him a licence to run in, bowl fast and take wickets.
“The best illustration of Shaun as a bowler was in the match against New Zealand.
“I think he was halfway through his second over and he had none for 19 and in three or four overs he had something like three for 30 or whatever it was.
“That’s the sort of impact he can have on games.”
Australia, bidding for a fourth straight World Cup and fifth in all, are now the only unbeaten side at this tournament and are already through to the quarter-finals ahead of their group match against Canada on Wednesday.
They round off their Group A campaign against Pakistan in Colombo on Saturday in what is expected to be their first major test after a match against co-hosts Sri Lanka was washed out last weekend.
Ponting though insisted Australia’s focus was firmly on the present.
“We haven’t looked that far ahead. We want to win every game that we play and we want to continue to improve on each performance as we go through this tournament,” he said.
“One of our great keys to success in previous World Cups is we’ve been able to build our way up through tournaments and when the semi-finals and final have come around is generally when we’ve been playing our best cricket.”
Ponting added the Canada match represented a last chance for Australia to fine tune their plans.
“From now on, I don’t think we can afford to be experimenting too much, we have to get down to playing a brand of cricket that’s going to hold up in big games,” the star batsman explained.
The match will be held at Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore.
Canada captain Ashish Bagai has expressed hope that his team will put in their best efforts to win this match.
“We will put a good fight against Australia,” he said.
This match is very crucial for Canada as the ICC has decided to cut down the number of nations from next time.
Bagai said that his team will try to do well so that ICC gets sufficient reasons to review its decision.
On the other hand, Australia captain Ricky Ponting also appeared confident over his players to put up a good show against Canada.
Australia team:
RT Ponting, MJ Clarke, CJ Ferguson, BJ Haddin, JW Hastings, DJ Hussey, MEK Hussey, MG Johnson, JJ Krejza, B Lee, TD Paine, SPD Smith, SW Tait, SR Watson, CL White
Canada Team:
A Bagai, Rizwan Cheema, HS Baidwan, WD Balaji Rao, JM Davison, PA Desai, TG Gordon, R Gunasekera, AS Hansra, Khurram Chohan, NR Kumar, H Osinde, H Patel, ZE Surkari, K Whatham
The only time Australia played Canada in an ODI was 32 years ago at the 1979 World Cup. Under-strength as Australia were then, they still thrashed the North Americans with 34 overs to spare and have since gone on to win the world title four times. Ricky Ponting’s men are the only undefeated side left in the event and with their unbeaten World Cup streak stretching to 33 matches, another rout would appear to be on the cards.
he same fate seemed to await the other minnows in the group, Kenya, last Sunday but astonishingly, the Africans of all teams managed to find a hole or two in Australia’s armour and gave the champions plenty to think about. Rustiness certainly played a part – Australia were playing their first match in eight days and their batsmen had not got to bat for twice as long thanks to the washout against Sri Lanka – but Ponting would be none too happy with the display.
Ironically, on the same day, Canada put in a much-improved performance against New Zealand, batting out their full 50 overs en route to their highest World Cup total. If Canada manage to do a Kenya against Australia, it will certainly give stronger opponents, starting with Pakistan whom they play next, some cause for optimism and may begin to raise doubts in the minds of Australia’s usually ultra-confident team. To be sure, there was never a chance of an upset and Australia did well to reach 324 after a smaller total looked likely when they managed just 14 runs during a seven-over phase shortly after Shane Watson’s departure. However, Ponting could only make a scratchy 36 and Cameron White’s struggles continued, leaving Australia in some bother at 143 for 4. But Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey, back in the side at the expense of his brother David, put on 114 runs to ease the nerves. Clarke ticked over with minimal fuss after feeling his way in against the spinners on a surface that offered turn to maintain his World Cup average of over 100. But it was Hussey, who slipped back into his familiar role with minimum fuss, who gave Australia most hope. He didn’t drop below a run-a-ball during his stay and his quick 54 was a more valuable innings than any net session could have provided.
Ironically, it was in the field and with the ball that Australia were less than impressive. Ponting has spoken of the need for his struggling spinners Steve Smith and Jason Krejza to start picking up wickets, but in truth it was the fast bowlers who were more disappointing against Kenya. The Africans, whose batting had been woeful until Sunday, showed that the feared pace trio of Shaun Tait, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson could be blunted. An early innings slump of 46 for 3 suggested that the match was headed for a quick finish, but Collins Obuya and Tanmay Mishra provided seriously stern resistance, with Obuya missing out on a well deserved hundred. Kenya went on to record their highest World Cup total and it was only the sixth time that the champions had conceded more than 250 after batting first in a Cup game.
Canada made a similar score to Kenya’s against another Australasian side the same day and will be looking to give a good account of themselves in possibly their last World Cup match for some time. For all their batting success against New Zealand, Canada’s bowlers still went for 358 and Australia’s batsmen will want to fill their boots before the tougher games arrive. As luck would have it, skipper Ashish Bagai and Jimmy Hansra, who were among the runs on Sunday, are both struggling to get fit for Wednesday’s game against Australia. It would be fitting if John Davison were to plunder quick runs against his home country in his last game for Canada, but on current form, that doesn’t appear probable. Bangalore has proved a batting paradise so far and that seems unlikely to change.
Australia are the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far and that's unlikely to change when they go up against Canada. We will have to look elsewhere for good wagers and Michael Clarke may be the man to provide us with one.
Team news
Australia begin a schedule of three games in a week so it would be sensible for them to rest some of their more fragile players. One from Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson could sit this one out.
All-rounder John Hastings is expected to get a game to make sure each of Australia's squad is accustomed to conditions before the quarter-finals. Callum Ferguson may also get the call.
Canada's John Davison has announced that this will be his last game
before retiring. He could be moved back up to open. Against New Zealand Ashish Bagai became the third captain-wicketkeeper to score 50 on two or more occasions in the World Cup. Kumar Sangakkara and Alec Stewart are the other two.
Venue and conditions
The Chinnaswamy stadium surface in Bangalore is the best to bat on in the competition and Australia should, if they bat first, comfortably post 300 or more. The first-innings totals so far read: 338/327/207/324. Australia were responsible for the last total against
Kenya when Michael Clarke hit 93 from 80 balls.
Match odds
Not much doing here. Australia, who are 1.02, are unbeaten in 33 World Cup matches and they are not about to see that run ended. Canada, 38.00, have probably peaked and are on the downward curve. Their win over Kenya was the highlight but the 97-run hammering against New Zealand suggests they are ready for the plane home.
Top batsman - Australia
Michael Clarke (175 runs), Shane Watson (162) and Brad Haddin(149) are Australia's top batsmen in the tournament. Clarke, with ground form, may be the wager at 6.8. Clarke looks a solid bet at 2.24 for 50. Ricky Ponting, if any further evidence was needed that he is a shadow of his former self, has 76 runs from three innings. Mike Hussey made a 50 on his return to the side last time and should not be written off
at 9.00.
Top batsman - Canada
Jimmy Hansra (212 runs) and captain Bagai (186) have proved ultra reliable and there is no point looking elsewhere, even if the heart strings are tugging at you to plump for Davison. They are 6.00 and 5.00 respectively for honours.
Featured market
The top Canada bowler market is a competitive one. Medium paceman Harvir Baidwan, 4.00, has been a success story as he is joint-second in the wicket-takers list with 12 victims, while spinner Balaji Rao has nine scalps. Given Australia's weakness against spin, Rao might be the shout at 4.30.
Canada will come out and fight hard as usual but the Aussies have looked invincible throughout this tournament and this match will most likely finish quickly. Australia will look to use this match as a practice game and prepare for the quarter-finals. Date: 16th March London Start Time: 09:00
Venue and Pitch
The match will take place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The pitch in Bangalore will keep low and offer spin during the second innings, so the team that wins the toss first will look to bat first. However, Australia have batted first in most of their matches and might want to experiment with chasing before they enter the quarter-finals.
Team News
Ricky Ponting will be pleased that Michael Hussey is back in the side and scoring runs. Ponting has told the media that he wants his spinners to contribute more as Krejza and Smith have not been able to make much of an impression in the tournament so far.
Canada know that they are out of this world cup and will want to go out with a bang. They have played well in patches but realize that the Aussies are far too powerful for them.
Match Odds
Australia 1/100 are the current world cup champions and are playing extremely well. They will use this match to experiment with their bowling and batting combinations. Canada will look to fight till the very end, although it is highly unlikely that they will manage to bat out the full 50 overs against a quality seam attack.
Top Batsman
Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey 11/2 look in great nick. The main concerns for Australia will be the form of captain Ricky Ponting 7/2 and Cameron White who is fighting for his place in the side along with David Hussey.
The Australian pace attack is arguably the best in the world and the Canadian batsmen will have their hands full. Ashish Bagai 10/3 and Rizwan Cheema 11/2 will need to come good, if Canada are to put up a respectable total.
Featured Bet
The Australian pace attack have taken the majority of wickets in the tournament so far, as the spinners have been ineffective. Expect 7 out of the 10 wickets to be taken by the pacers. Canada will struggle to cross 200 and the man of the match should go to one of the Australian pacers.
Match Predictions
Australia should have a comfortable victory and will be looking to wrap up this match quickly.
Despite maintaining an unbeaten World Cup streak stretching back to 1999, Australia captain Ricky Ponting wants more from his team ahead of their match with Canada in Bangalore.
Ponting highlighted a lack of wickets from his two frontline spin bowlers as an area of concern, especially as they are set to play on some spin-friendly pitches in the latter stages of the tournament.
"I still would have liked to see them making some breakthroughs for us [against Kenya]," Ponting told www.espncricinfo.com.
"Through those middle overs in this tournament when the ball gets old, and the wicket starts to spin, we are going to need our spinners to strike for us, and that didn't happen."
Steven Smith has only managed to take one wicket so far and fellow spinner Jason Krejza has not struck since the opening match against Zimbabwe.
Ponting also took the time to praise Canadian all-rounder John Davison, who will retire from the game after the tournament.
Davison, 40, was born in Canada but spent the majority of his life in Australia and even played with Ponting in the Australian academy.
"He's obviously got some great memories now out of World Cup cricket, playing with Canada, that he probably never thought he would have," Ponting added.
"To have the fastest World Cup hundred ever at one stage is a great achievement for him."
Davison feels it will be ideal to finish his career against his adopted nation.
"It's pretty fitting that it is against Australia as I've lived all my life there," he said. "I was never quite good enough to get a game for them. It will be a great experience to play against them.
"There's some guys in the team who I've had a fair bit to do with, playing against or coaching. So it would be nice to have a good showing against them."
AUSTRALIA will look to continue its winning streak in the ICC Cricket World Cup when it faces Canada in Bangalore tonight at 7pm (AEST).
And you can catch all the action right here with live scores, online commentary and the Cricket World Cup interactive. Watch Australia vs Canada Live Here
For Australia World Cup 2011 has turned out to be an easy assignment so far as not only Kangaroos are the only team in the tournament yet to taste defeat, it also won its matches hands down.
Still, there is more than one area where they would be keen to improve and have all facets of the game in order before knockout stages of the tournament. The spin duo of Jason Krejza and Steven Smith have haven’t put pressure in the middle overs and have been scored off easilywhile fast bowlers seem to a bit rusty thanks to a long gap between the matches.
Wednesday encounter against a weaker side, Canada provides them an ideal opportunity to have all the bases covered. Australian captain Ricky Ponting has already stated that his side will be competing with Canada with full steam that doesn’t sound refreshing news for the North American side.
With former skipper and all-rounder John Davisson all set to retire from the international cricket after the Wednesday game, it should inspire Canadian side to put up a decent show to give their star player a warm send off.
Canada have strung some decent performances in the tournament by winning against Kenya and displaying a defiant batting effort against New Zealand. But in their heart of hearts they would be know that batting full quota of fifty overs against Aussie pace battery and containing strong batting line up will be a herculean task .
Bangalore pitches are full of runs and kind of batsmen Australia have and weaker bowling line up to play against, another run fest is on cards and, one fears, trouble for Canadian side.
AUSTRALIA
The defending champions have looked a unit that can have another serious crack at the trophy and have looked to get better and better by every game they have played.
Majority of their batsmen are in a good form while pace bowlers have also looked fit but there are some grey areas in the both the departments that Australian team management will be keen to rectify.
As of the skipper Ricky Ponting has, nowhere, looked near to his best batting form and hasn’t been able to convert start to a substantial score.
Cameron White who was preferred over David Hussey in the playing eleven after Michael Hussey’s arrival has hardly scored runs in the tournament so far and it would be interesting whether team persists with him or David gets a game against Canada.
Among the top teams, Australia have the weakest spin department and that is showing in the tournament as wickets have dried up in the middle overs whenever Steven Smith and Jason Krejza have come to bowl. The duo needs to step up their performance to add to their chances of going deep into the firmament.
Squad
Ricky Ponting (Capt), Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Callum Ferguson, David Hussey, Cameron White, Tim Paine (wk), Steven Smith, John Hastings, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait, Michael Hussey
Coach: Tim Neilson
CANADA
There is no denying the fact that Ireland have turned out to be the best Associate nation in the world cup but Canada have also improved after every match they featured in.
Their skipper Ashish Bagai is one hell of a wicket keeper and has been leading from the front. He has scored two successive half centuries including a match winning against Kenya while Jimmy Hansra is another batsman who has impressed by displaying a good technique coupled with patience.
But it is the batting from of John Davisson and Rizwan Cheema that has hurt Canada big time and with Davisson playing his last international match that should spur him to have some fireworks before bidding good bye.
Bowling unit has been well led by Indian born leg spinner Balaji Rao and occasional performances have come from H Baidwan and Henry Osinde.
For Canada not to get mauled at the hands of Australian team, they need tom put a good team performance and don’t get overawed by the strengths of kangaroos.
Squad
Ashish Bagai (capt/wkt), Rizwan Cheema, Harvir Baidwan, Nitish Kumar, Hiral Patel, Tyson Gordon, Henry Osinde, John Davison, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Parth Desai, Karl Whatham, Khurram Chohan, Jimmy Hansra, Zubin Surkari, Balaji Rao.
ONCE AGAIN Bangalore's M Chinnaswamy Stadium is ready to entertain cricket-loving crowds on Wednesday, March 16. In the 35th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, two group 'A' teams, defending champion Australia and minnow Canada will face each other.
The Australian team, which was not being considered as the top contenders of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 prior to the tournament, started their campaign with a 91-run victory against Zimbabwe. In the next match, they won by seven wickets against neighbour New Zealand.
The Australian winning streak stopped by rain, when their match was washed away against Sri Lanka. In their fourth match of the Cricket World Cup 2011 against Kenya, who is in the last position in their group, Australian team won by 60 runs.
Canada, one of the weakest team of the ongoing tournament, in all the five matches, chased the target, but missed the destination every time except once against Kenya. The Canadian team won against Kenya by five wickets, but lost against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and New Zealand by 210-run, 175-run, 46-run and 97 runs respectively.
In an only encounter between Australia and Canada during the 1979 Cricket World Cup at Birmingham in England on June 16, 1979, Australia won that match by seven wickets.
Here are the squads of Australia and Canada in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:
Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin (wk), John Hastings, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Tim Paine, Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Cameron White.
Canada: Ashish Bagai (capt/wk), Rizwan Cheema, Harvir Baidwan, Balaji Rao, John Davison, Parth Desai, Tyson Gordon, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Jimmy Hansra, Khurram Chohan, Nitish Kumar, Henry Osinde, Hiral Patel, Zubin Surkari, Karl Whatham, Hamza Tariq.
The World Cup is in its last week of league matches and is at the peak of excitement. We have witnessed some nail biting finishes which made our heart skip a beat or two, while others have been a complete one sided affair.
A lot has been said on whether the associate members deserve to play in World Cups, but it is these weaker teams who bring the surprise element in the tournament. Everyone enjoyed watching Kevin o'Brien score the almost unbelievable innings of 63 ball 113 against England which caused the first major 'upset' of this World Cup. While it was a big upset for England, Ireland were praised all over the cricketing world for their sheer determination in chasing down 327, the highest second innings total for a winning cause in the World Cup history, and Kevin o'Brien became an overnight hero.
Worse was yet to come for England as just nine days later, they suffered another humiliating defeat at the hands of dangerous Bangladesh by two wickets, who themselves were bowled out for just 59 runs in their previous game. Captain Shakib Al Hasan himself played a crucial role in this pride salvaging win of Bangladesh.
Another surprise came in group A, when Pakistan, who were a completely messed up team entering the tournament, not knowing who their captain would be, defeated Sri Lanka, who have one of the most balanced side, filled with big names.
We also witnessed Netherlands and Kenya giving England and Australia a run for their money, though they could not reach the finishing line
It is such games, which produce the most unexpected results that give an interesting twist to what would have been a predictable and hence boring tournament, had it not included the associate members or other weaker test playing nations a chance to participate in World Cup.
Not much was expected from these 'weaker' teams other than giving a scare to the strong opponents in a match or two, but they have certainly performed a lot better than that and are certainly making ICC rethink their plan to field only 10 teams in the next World Cup. Had Ireland not been participating, we would have missed the brutal counter attacking innings by Kevin o'Brien.
It also must not be forgotten that teams like India and Sri Lanka were once one of the weakest One Day sides. India had lost all their league matches in the 1979 World Cup and in the very next edition, they were the World Champions. No one took Sri Lanka seriously until they stunned the world by lifting the Trophy in 1996. Had Sri Lanka been discarded from World Cups, labeling them as a 'weak' team, cricket would have never seen two of its greatest players, r, Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan, cast their magic on the field. Bangladesh were criticized heavily for not raising their standard of performance, before they sent home India packing in the 2007 World Cup. Today they command equal, if not more respect from all opponents.
So, if One Day cricket, which has been under lot of scanner, has to survive and if ICC wants World Cups to be as interesting as they have been so far, associate members must be given a chance to participate so that cricket is the ultimate winner, as more and more world class players as well as teams will emerge.
Right before this ICC Cricket World Cup started, India were labelled unanimously as one of the leading favorites to win the cup by all experts. In five games they played, India have won three, tied one and lost the latest one. But more important than result, although sound cynical, they didn't satisfy the stake holders, the fans and followers of Indian cricket. Hence five games later most of these experts disagree. India are no longer a fore-runner to triumph in, according to them.
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The Pressure factor
Sports and emotion are closely coupled. That's what makes sports, well, sports. It's only fair to assume, for a country which rides in emotion the opinion fluctuates proportionally. It's fascinating for an observer to watch the nation gets high or raged based on the performance of national cricket team.
In most societies, kids, in may ways take the burden to fulfill parents' expectations. When they go to school, few parents wouldn't like them to top in the class, but some get really disappointed if they don't. Imagine the plight of a kid who did reasonably well in the exam, but still making his parents broken-hearted, sometime furious, 'coz he didn't top the exam. The pressure is simply enormous. The members of Indian team are not kids and we, the fans, are not their parents. But it's not much different either, isn't it?
I wonder which one is more dominant reason for such huge, and somewhat preposterous expectation from the Indian cricket team. The developing nation's ardent search for identity and pride in the larger world? Or the affinity and indulgence to the emotional roller-coaster, the sine qua non for a spiritual nation.
Suresh Raina’s World Cup hibernation may soon end. The middle-order batsman is almost certain to be included in the XI for India’s next match. He will replace Yusuf Pathan.
India’s next match, which is also their last league game, is against the West Indies in Chennai on March 20. There is some time left for the encounter but the thinking seems to be that the time has come for Raina to be given a chance.
Raina for Pathan is, of course, not the only change being considered. Ashish Nehra, too, will make way for another player.
It could, in all probability, be R Ashwin but a decision to that effect has not been taken with finality. Chennai being his home town, Ashwin stands a good chance. In fact, a very good chance.
Raina’s ability to bowl is also helping his cause. Like Pathan, he can bowl a bit of off-spin and is considered the right replacement for the Baroda dasher.
Pathan has been part of the starting line-up in all of India’s games so far but he has not exactly set the grounds ablaze. In five matches, he has managed 63 runs at an average of 15.75. Better things were expected of the hard-hitting all-rounder.
Meanwhile, the team reached Chennai on Monday afternoon.
Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan are expected to join the squad only on Tuesday although the team is not planning any cricketing activity till March 17. The players have been given rest for a few more days.
Before leaving for Chennai, the team held a meeting in Nagpur and did a postmortem of the close game against South Africa. It was felt that the batsmen were playing to the gallery, something that skipper MS Dhoni stated after the match in no uncertain terms.
The collapse — they lost nine wickets in nine overs, managing only 29 runs — was discussed threadbare and it was felt that the players will have to exercise restraint before going for the broke.
No one was willing to blame Nehra though.
“The final over could have gone either way. It would be unfair to put the blame on Nehra alone,” said a team source. However, it will be difficult for Nehra to retain his place in the XI.
But Munaf Patel, who too came under criticism for his wayward bowling against South Africa, is still not in the danger zone. He continues to enjoy the confidence of the team management and if India were to go with only two pacers, then Munaf will share the new ball with spearhead Zaheer Khan.
Patel managed two wickets in that encounter but went for 65 runs in his quota of 10 overs.
The meeting also discussed steps for the West Indies encounter and the mood is that of confidence and optimism. “There is no problem. We’ll be back. It was just one bad game. Everything will be alright in the next game,” the source added.
Despite the loss to South Africa, India are still atop the Group B with seven points. South Africa and West Indies, who have played one game less than India, are in second place.
West Indies take on England in Chennai on March 17 while South Africa clash with Ireland on Tuesday.
THE IRISH squad’s trip to the zoo here yesterday was cancelled due to security concerns with one wag wondering if the players or the animals were more at risk.
In the end it was probably best to stay out of the stifling afternoon heat, while the team will have enough in the way of big game hunting on their plates today where they must beat South Africa at Eden Gardens to keep their slim chances of qualification for the quarter-finals alive.
Ireland skipper William Porterfield believes the stark nature of their predicament has focused minds against a South African side who bounced back from their defeat to England by inflicting a first loss on India in Nagpur in dramatic fashion on Saturday.
“We don’t have anything to lose at the minute; there’s not going to be too many people giving us much of a chance in tomorrow’s game,” said Porterfield, who was later reprimanded for breaching the ICC code of conduct in relation to comments he made about umpire Asoka de Silva’s lbw decision against Gary Wilson in the defeat to West Indies.
“South Africa were one of the pre-tournament favourites and they’ve just beaten India in a good game of cricket as well. We’ve just got to go out there and play with freedom and attack the same areas we’ve attacked every other game. If we go out there and do that and leave everything on the pitch then we’ll be happy.”
Ireland’s preparations have been far from ideal, with South African-born all-rounder Andre Botha ruled out of today’s clash after he was taken to hospital yesterday with suspected food poisoning before being released last night. His place is likely to go to Trent Johnston who will play despite not having fully recovered from the injury to his right knee, picked up in the defeat to India.
The Railway Union player did not bowl in training yesterday in a bid to keep the swelling down around his kneecap but is expected to play through the pain barrier today, with the lure of performing at Eden Gardens set to act as a suitable balm.
He’s not the only one looking forward to stepping out at one of India’s, and indeed the world’s, most iconic cricket grounds, which has been redeveloped from its 100,000-plus capacity to a 63,000 all-seater stadium. The wicket, too, is expected to be a belter.
“Coming to India you always hear of Eden Gardens; it’s one of the big grounds, like going to England and playing at Lord’s,” admitted Porterfield. “There’s a lot of history to the ground and it’s obviously massive as well. The lads are looking forward to getting out there and we’ve obviously got two games here, so it’s pretty special.”
South Africa have doubts over key batsman AB de Villiers (thigh) and leg-spinner Imran Tahir (finger) going into the game, with coach Corrie van Zyl also insisting the Proteas will be guarding against complacency after derailing India. “I think there’s always a danger of that, but it’s how you approach that danger that’s important,” said Van Zyl, before adding to the growing compliments of Ireland’s performances in the World Cup.
“I think we are fully aware of what Ireland have done and can do so it’s important how we prepare not just from a tactical point of view but also from a mental point of view. The way they’ve played in this tournament has impressed not just us but everybody in this tournament. So we know going into tomorrow’s game we’ve got a tough opponent.”
Plenty of respect then, but Ireland know today if they are offered some of the positions to push on for victory that they enjoyed in their three Group B losses to date, they must go for the kill. The law of the jungle applies from here on in.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s summer fixture list has been boosted by and invitation to take part in a three-team ODI series in Edinburgh in July. Ireland will take on Sri Lanka on Monday, July 11th, at the Grange ground before taking on Scotland the following day. Scotland will play Sri Lanka on Wednesday, July 13th.
Commenting on the games, Ireland coach Phil Simmons said: “This is a great boost to us to face a side of the quality of Sri Lanka. Ireland need to play more one-day internationals between World Cups to give us the experience we need to perform and excel at these tournaments.”
When South Africa couldn’t win the close game against England, inauspicious tag of chokers would have dominated their minds till their game in Nagpur.
There was almost dead and out with Sachin and Sehwag literally shredding them to all parts of Nagpur but inspired spell from Dale Steyn got them back into the game by restricting India to 296 runs. Their chase had so many swings with either team giving nothing away and entered the 50th over with 13 runs needed to win. Robin Peterson’s blitz in the end sealed the close fought game for the Proteas which should certainly boost South Africa to come out of that chokers cocoon.
The current African squad on paper looks a champion material and they would want to keep the winning momentum going. For sure, the side would like to go with full strength against Ireland to score a comprehensive win and make a strong statement to the rest of the contenders as well.
Among the Associate Nations, Ireland is only team top teams are wary of largely due to their approach and attitude towards the game. They look a side which isn’t here to make number but very much serious to win cricket games no matter who they are playing against.
Their fan base is swelling by number after every game they played and showed that team has the arsenal to give any opposition run for their money.
All said and done, it will be South Africa with all the experience and class in the world they posses which will start as favourite but Ireland will surely will give more than 100% to fight it out against strong Proteas side.
Injuries to its key players and Ireland's promising displays in the tournament could make it far from a cakewalk for Graeme Smith's side as the World Cup returns to the Eden Gardens.
Star batsman AB de Villiers was uncertain as he was down with a left thigh strain while it seemed unlikely that the team management would risk leggie Imran Tahir - nursing a fractured left thumb - especially with the team slated to wrap up their group B engagements in what could prove to be a trickier tie opposite Bangladesh in Dhaka March 19.
On De Villiers, the team spokesperson said: "It is a grade 1 strain to the left quad muscle. The medical team are taking it one day at a time, he has not been ruled out."
On six points from four games, South Africa stand a good chance to finish as group leaders if they win both their matches, and that could enable them to take on the side finishing fourth from the other group in the quarter-finals.
However, South African coach Corrie Van Zyl admitted that Ireland would be tough opponents.
Corrie said he was impressed with the way the Irish have been playing in the tournament.
"Not just fielding, the way they have played this tournament, they have impressed not just us, but everybody. We have got a tough opponent tomorrow," he said.
For South Africa, who have lost only five of their last 22 ODIs since February last year, the indifferent batting form of Smith was a worrying factory, but the coach said: "The good thing for me is that Graeme's record shows that the big one is round the corner."
Ireland, on two points from four games, also have their fitness problems, with allrounder Andre Botha suffering from a stomach bug.
"We will wait and see how he fares in the morning. He's the only player who's really at the moment," said Ireland skipper William Porterfield.
Porterfield said his side would play an attacking game as they have nothing to lose.
"We don't have anything to lose tomorrow. We've just got to go out there and play with freedom and attack in the same way that we have attacked in every other game.
"If we go out and do that and leave everything on the pitch, I'll be happy," Porterfield said at the pre-match media meet at the Eden Gardens, a historic ground which hosted the 1987 World Cup and a semi-final in the 1996 edition of the mega event.
Head to head, the two teams have met twice in ODI cricket with South Africa winning both the matches. Their only meeting in the World Cup came at Providence in 2007 where South Africa won by seven wickets via the Duckworth-Lewis method.
Heavy showers in Pallekele stopped play during the first innings but the covers are now off and play will resume shortly. Both sides have been limited to 43 overs each due to the delay.
Pakistan vs Zimbabwe live cricket score video - Zim 96 for 5 in ICC World Cup 2011. Rains stopped just now and match set to begin shortly
The rain is set to play spoil sport today in Zimbabwe against Pakistan cricket match that is underway. Zimbabwe who have lost five wickets and are playing at 96 when the match was stopped due to rain mat be able to give a big fight to Shahid Afridi’s team if the D/W method comes into the use.
The run rate that is still below 3.5 runs per over may well be doubled for the Pakistani team and they may be asked to score in just over a dozen overs or so.
And by the way Pakistani batsmen, especially their openers and top order are not adept at scoring at furious pace. So there may be some sort of trouble for them as their batting has been less than predictable.
But thank God rains have stopped and the covers have been removed. The sun is shining brightly here and game should resume within half an hour and so.
But the number of overs may be reduced to 46 or forty five and if Pakistani team is not able to bowl out the Kenyan side cheaply, they may be under immense pressure today.
Earlier Bangladesh cricket team did tremendously well with both bat and ball against Netherlands when they bowled out the minnows for just 160 runs and then reached the target very comfortably.
A report on Cricinfor says, “A comfortable win for Bangladesh, and they're now on six points. The race for the quarter-finals has intensified in Group B. England face West Indies on the 17th, while Bangladesh face a tough test against South Africa in their next match. Ireland take on South Africa tomorrow, and there's India waiting to take on West Indies. If West Indies beat England in Chennai, Bangladesh are through to the next stage.”
Two group 'B' teams, South Africa and Ireland will be playing the 34th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at Kolkata's historical and the largest cricket stadium in India, Eden Gardens stadium on Tuesday, March 15.
South Africa, who has never lifted the Cricket World Cup trophy, is one of the strongest contenders in the tenth edition of the Cricket World Cup. Before the next tie against Ireland, South African morale is very high because they defeated another strong contenders of the Cricket World Cup 2011, India, by three wickets at Vidarbha Cricket Association's Jamtha Stadium in Nagpur, this Saturday. However, before the match against India, the South African lost by six runs in a low-scoring match against England. In their opening match, the Proteas beat West Indies by seven wickets and in the next match against beat Netherlands a huge margin of 231 runs. Ireland, who is now out from the race of quarter finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, have been the most impressive among the non-Test playing nations.
The Irish team made the biggest upset in the tournament after winning against the English team. They had also given a tough fight to India and West Indies before losing. South African batsman AB de Villiers is the third highest run getter in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 after Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. He scored 318 runs in four matches with two hundreds and a fifty, at an astonishing average of 106 and strike rate of 111. South African and the Irish team have met two times so far and the Africans won on both the occasions. During the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the Super Eights, South Africa won by seven wickets. Eden Gardens is likely to help batsmen as the pitch offers even bounce. The captain who will win the toss is likely to bat first at this renovated stadium. Here are the South Africa and Ireland squads 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). Ireland: William Porterfield (capt), Trent Johnston, Alex Cusack, Andre Botha, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien (wk), Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Paul Stirling, Gary Wilson (wk), George Dockrell, Boyd Rankin, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White.
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KARACHI: Pakistan are taking on Zimbabwe in an important Group A match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at Pallekele Stadium in Kandy on Monday but Men in Green have a clear advantage on the African side as far as statistics are concerned.
The two teams have played so far played 40 One Day International matches where Pakistan have won 36, Zimbabwe only two, one match ended in a tie, while another one ended with no result.
In the World Cup competitions, the two teams have so far played three matches, all of which, have been comfortably won by Pakistan while in the sub-continent Pakistan have won 15 out of their 16 meetings thus far.
Pakistan would be looking to come out of their dismal performance against New Zealand and show a champion display against Zimbabwe whose top order batsmen have started to find their feet and form.
As far as the recent form of both teams is concerned, Pakistan have lost four out of their last five matches while Zimbabwe have won only one game from their last five.
The concerning point for Zimbabwe is their middle order batting that has failed to fire in this tournament and despite their openers regained the lost touch in the match against Sri Lanka they will have play out of their skins to challenge Pakistan’s bowling attack that has a great depth.
On the flip side, Pakistan’s top order batting is in dismal shape but middle order batting has been doing all the scoring as Misbah-ul-Haq has scored 192 runs while Umar Akmal has scored 167 runs so far in the tournament. Younus Khan and Kamran Akmal have shown promise but have failed to capitalize on their good starts and one may think Zimbabwe would be the team they would like to gain their form and confidence against.
Brendan Taylor, Tatenda Taibu and Craig Ervine have done bulk of the run-scoring for Zimbabwe so far with 140, 117, and 113 runs respectively.
Pakistan’s skipper Shahid Khan Afridi has been the one bowler who has performed so far in the tournament as he leads the tournament with 15 wickets at an economy rate of only 3.36 while Chris Mpofu (6 wkts) and Ray Price (5 wkts) are leading the Zimbabwean bowling attack.
KANDY: Pakistan’s skipper Shahid Afridi has fully backed his wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal despite his notorious form behind the wickets.
Talking to newsmen here in Kandy on Sunday, Boom Boom Afridi, who is leading the tournament with 15 wickets, said that the team combination is good but unfortunately performances are not coming through which has allowed everybody to speak against the team.
Talking about Akmals, Afridi said that Umar Akmal is fully fit now and he started fielding today while his elder brother Kamran has been at the center of criticism from all corners but nobody should forget his match-winning innings for Pakistan in the past.
“Kamran himself has realized his poor performance and is going an extra yard in practicing his art in the practice sessions. He is working as hard as he can to get back his wicket-keeping form. I fully back him as my number one wicket-keeper and top order batsman and I know he will perform in the coming matches”, Afridi said.
When asked about who he will favor as title favorites, Afridi said, “All the teams have come into this tournament with full preparation and one can’t pinpoint any single team as title favorites. Whosoever performed at the given day will clinch the title”.
Talking about the frame of mind of his cricketers before the game against Zimbabwe, Boom Boom Afridi stated that they are not taking Zimbabwe very lightly and will give their best shot to defeat the Africans.
“I have no fears, we are not focussing on the match against Australia. We are going match by match and the one against Zimbabwe is very important for us We know we must win that game,” Afridi made it clear.
It is interesting to note here that the match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe can be affected by rain for half day.
ICC cricket world cup 2011: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe live score preview. If Pakistan win this match handsomely, they will regain their confidence.
Pakistan is a very difficult team to write about at the moment when they get ready to face Zimbabwe in Sri Lanka on Monday in the ICC World Cup.
Pakistan would be almost certain to get inot the last four of the tournament but it has not only beat Zimbabwe today but their own controveries and problems too.
Pakistan came in the World Cup with a lot of controversies; both within the team and outside of it. Then three successive win helped by tremendous performance by Shahid Afridi made it look quite promising. Then came the match against New Zealand and all its prestige was blown away by the super fast Ross Taylor.
Zimbabwe should not be a tough nut to crack but think of Pakistan's own 'naughty nuts'. Since Kamran Akmal is in the news more for dropping chances than grabbing those, it was reported than Shahid Afridi is mulling to play Kamran's brother Umar Akmal as wicketkeeper batsman. Then the younger brother Umar came up with some sort of pain reportedly to force the team management to keep Kamran back in team.
Truly sub continental example of 'bhai bhateejawad' or nepotism.
Now, the Pakistani team management is said to have taken this problem seriously and would not succumb under such tactics.
One may think why it is so important to discuss this 'Akmal syndrome'. Because Ian Chappell says even if Kamran would have been batting better than Sir Donald Bradman, his performance behind the stump should keep him away of the ground.
Back to Pakistan's main team. It has still to resolve the problem of openers, which have failed to provide even a single partnership nearing fifty. The batting is heavily dependent on the middle order and particulalry Younis Khan and Misbahul Haque. Not playing Kamran at the top would also require some thinking by Pakistani team management whether to replace him with a batsman or bowler. Pakistan two other explosive all round batting star Shahid Afridi and Abdurrazaq are not firing.
In the bowling department Pakistan need a lot of improvement as except for Shahid Afridi no other bowler seems to be penetrative enough. The beating Shoaib Akhtar got against Ross Taylor must have forced him to think about variations.
Zimbabwe started badly but its performance is getting better. Fielding is one department in which Zimbabwe is surely superior to Pakistan. But its bowling and batting might not be enough.
Pakistan vs. Zimbabwe
After being thrashed by New Zealand, Pakistan will look to come hard against Zimbabwe and prove to the rest of the world that they have the ability to bounce and play consistent cricket. Date: 14th March Bet on the game online:Good odds and secure betting at Bet365 London Start Time: 09:00 Venue and Pitch
The match will take place at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium in Kandy. The pitch is suited for batting and a score of around 250 is easily on the cards. The wicket will become slow and low during the second innings and scoring will get a little harder. The side that wins the toss will look to bat first. Team News
Pakistan looked completely at sea when Ross Taylor went on the rampage. They had no answers during the power-play and will be better prepared this time around. Shoaib Akhtar was limping during their last match and it remains to be seen if Captain Shahid Afridi will risk playing him in this game. Pakistan may also look to change their opening combination, as they have performed miserably.
Zimbabwe were completely outplayed by the Sri Lankans and will want to do better in this game. However, they do not have the batsmen or the bowlers to pose any sort of threat to the Pakistani’s. Match Odds Pakistan 1/8 are clear favourites and are expected to win this game. Zimbabwe will find it difficult to bat out their 50 overs as they will have to face a quality pace attack and handle the spin of Shahid Afridi, who is one of the leading wicket takers in this world cup. Top Batsman
The Pakistani openers have fallen early and as a result put pressure on the middle-order. The experienced Younis Khan 9/2 and Misbah-ul-Haq 11/2 are key players along with boom boom Afridi 11/2.
Former captain and wicket-keeper batsman Tatenda Taibu 9/2 is due for some runs and along with Brendan Taylor 11/4 will be the ones to watch out for. Featured Bet
Zimbabwe will find it difficult to last the full 50 overs and will struggle to score more than 200. Both Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul will be looking to pick up a 5 wicket haul. Place your wager here Match Predictions
Pakistan will not only want to win this match but they will want to win it comprehensively. They will win by more than 50 runs if they bat first or by more than 5 wickets if they bat second. Best Bet: Shahid Afridi 11/2
The drama surrounding the Akmal brothers becoming an unwanted off-field distraction, Pakistan would look to focus back on cricket and secure a quarterfinal berth when they take on minnows Zimbabwe in a Group A match here tomorrow.
Pakistan's unbeaten run in this edition of the mega-event was halted when New Zealand handed them a 110-run thrashing and adding to that was the woeful form of wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.
The butter-finger keeper has been a major letdown with captain Shahid Afridi admitting that the side is suffering because of Akmal but what left everyone baffled is the team management's persistent backing for the fumbling stumper.
A possible replacement behind the stumps could have been Kamran's own brother Umar but he too has, interestingly, injured himself in the practice session. It is notable that Umar had been accused of feigning injury for the sake of his brother in the past as well.
The off-field drama is, however, not much of a concern for Afridi, who said the team is capable of handling the situation and coming good on the field.
"We want to put everything behind us, the defeat and any other thing which could hurt our preparation. We are in a positive frame of mind and will play for a win," said Afridi.
The skipper was also confident about Umar, who hurt his right index finger while fielding during practice on Thursday, recovering in time for tomorrow's match.
"Umar is OK. As far as Kamran is concerned he has realised his mistakes and we have given him full confidence and at this moment he is our best option," he said.
Pakistan are third in the points table behind Sri Lanka and New Zealand with six points.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in their last game on Thursday.
The African nation, who have won just one of their four World Cup games, still have a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals provided they win their next two matches and Pakistan lose both their remaining group games.
"We'll believe that if we can play our best cricket then we can proceed but we must not repeat the mistakes of our last two matches," Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura, who will celebrate his 25th birthday tomorrow, said.
"With Afridi we have to make sure we look to play him straight. We have noticed that he's had plenty of dismissals either bowled or lbw so we must make sure we don't look to go across the line too much," he added.
There have been four World Cup matches between Pakistan and Bangladesh prior to Monday's game with Pakistan winning three of those games. One match ended in no result.
Teams (from):
Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (Captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Ahmed Shehzad, Kamran Akmal (Wicketkeeper), Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan, Saeed Ajmal and Wahab Riaz.
Zimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (Captain), Regis Chakabva, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Terry Duffin, Craig Ervine, Greg Lamb, Shingirai Masakadza, Chris Mpofu, Tinashe Panyangara, Ray Price, Vusi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu (Wicketkeeper), Brendan Taylor and Prosper Utseya. (PTI)
IN A do or die match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 for Bangladesh against Netherlands at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong, the Dutch captain Peter Borren won the toss and elected to bat first. If today, Bangladesh wins the match then they will pray for the defeat of England against West Indies as then they will secure their berth for the quarterfinals in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 from group 'B'. Bangladesh has four points from four matches, whereas England has five points from five matches. Both Bangladesh and Netherlands have made two changes in the playing XI. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan replaced Raqibul Hasan with Shahriar Nafees and Naeem Islam with left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo in a must win game against Netherlands in the Cricket World Cup 2011. Netherlands captain Peter Borren picked Atsee Buurman and offspinner Adeel Raja for Bas Zuiderant and Bradley Kruger respectively in the playing XI. Bangladesh, who has played four matches so far in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, won two against Ireland and England and lost two matches against India and West Indies. in the last match against England at the same venue, Bangladesh won by two wickets. Bangladesh and Netherlands have played one match so far with other on July 20, 2010 in Glasgow, the Dutch team won by six wickets. Here are the playing XI of Bangladesh and Netherlands in the 32nd match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Bangladesh : Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Shahriar Nafees, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain. Netherlands : Eric Szwaraczynski, Wesley Barresi (wk), Tom Cooper, Ryan ten Doeschate, Alexei Kervezee, Atsee Buurman, Tom de Grooth, Peter Borren (capt), Adeel Raja, Mudassar Bukhari, Pieter Seelaar.
The fascination for the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup continues strong as we approach the knockout stages and unsurprisingly advertisers have followed with significant spending, which is expected to cross a 2,000 crore (including both on-ground and TV sponsorships) by the time the cup ends on April 2.
This time, too, major ad spends have come from sectors such as automobile, telecom , fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and TV. According to TAM, advertising volumes in the 2007 World Cup doubled compared with 2003 with auto companies, F&B and telecom giants contributing 50 percent of the spend of around 1,200 crore.
According to market estimates, onground sponsors this year?Reliance Communications , LG India, PepsiCo , Reebok India , Hero Honda, Fly Emirates , Hyundai India , Yahoo, Hyundai, Castrol India and Money Gram International?have together shelled out an 1,200 crore for in-stadium advertising. Sony India , Hero Honda and Vodafone have spent 55 crore each for rights of on-air joint presenting sponsors.
Media planner Anita Nayyar of the MPG Group says advertisers are vying with each other to gain maximum visibility in this world cup as they expect viewership to soar. Cricket matches attracted 176 million viewers in 2010, says TAM. This number is expected to almost double this year.
Top 10 Advertisers In ICC Cricket World Cup
Rank
ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup 2003
1 Nokia Corp Hindustan Unilever
2 Pepsi Co Pepsi Co
3 Hero Honda Reliance Comm
4 Maruti Suzuki Samsung India
5 ITC Ltd Coca Cola India
6 Aditya Birla Group Hero Honda
7 Motorola Bajaj Auto Ltd
8 LG Electronics BPCL
9 Bharti Airtel BSNL
10 Hundai Motor Ltd Nestle India
Cricket is very much in the air, with the ICC World Cup getting underway in Bangladesh. And, just as for seemingly everything in life, there is an app?correction, 'are apps'?for the gentleman's game as well, designed to keep you in touch with proceedings, even if you are nowhere near a cricket stadium or even a television set. Yes, there are good old SMS alerts too?which are being offered by a number of service providers?but what makes these apps stand out is the fact that all of them are available for free of cost, and require nothing more than a decent GPRS/EDGE connection.
What's more, if you are really missing the action, there are apps that will let you have a slog of your own or bowl a few wrong 'uns without moving from your seat.
We cherry-pick seven of the best apps that will let you get your cricketing fix, whether in terms of action or information - no TV or cricket ground needed.
ESPN Cricinfo
There is a saying in online cricket circles that "if it is not in Cricinfo, it is not cricket," such is the near encyclopedic information that Cricinfo serves up to its followers. By far the most popular cricket web site in the world, it too has revamped its cricket app for both Android and iOS, with now a special section added for the World Cup. In terms of sheer information about the game, it is difficult to get any better than this with news, statistics, audio and video clips, and even push notifications about your team being built into the app. Our favourite section is the ?magazine? which contains a number of excellent?often tongue-in-cheek?articles about the game. No, it is not going to stop us from visiting the site itself time and again, but if there is one cricket app you should have on your handset, this is it.
Get it from Android Market, iTunes App Store
ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - Official
This is the official app for the 2011 World Cup for iOS and Windows Phone 7 (alas, Indian users will not be able to get that version, unless they log in with a US ID), and while it is not the most attractive around (some player profiles do not have pictures of the players), it certainly delivers in terms of information. You have everything that you would need to keep tabs on the tournament from live match coverage together with text commentary, team statistics, team standings, video clippings and tournament photographs. What however is missing in this app is the news and features section, which is going to turn away a lot of purists who want a lot more than just live match coverage. We also could see no sign of any push notifications. Still, it is pretty zippy for those seeking to grab the latest score, stats and standings.
Get it from iTunes App Store, Windows Marketplace
Yahoo! Cricket
Yahoo! Hosts the official cricket web site for the 2011 World Cup, but has opted to release a full-fledged Yahoo!Cricket app only for iOS, although there is a more limited Yahoo! Cricket Score app available for other phone users too. In terms of live match information, it is very much spot on, although it is not the fastest app in town by means. You get live coverage with text commentary (which for some reasonable is available only when you hold the phone in landscape mode), lots of pictures, and news aplenty. We however were a bit disappointed not to find statistics, records and team profiles, and are hoping that those will be added in an update. The Nokia phone version of the app is restricted just to ongoing match coverage and does not even have news. Truth be told, we expected a bit more from Yahoo!, but even in its current avatar, the app is handy for keeping track of the World Cup.
Get it from iTunes App Store (in.m.yahoo.com/cricket)
Prof Deano
Some cricket fans might wince at the sight of one of limited over crickets' legends being dressed up in a gown and scholar's cap and being made to prance in front of a blackboard, pretending to be scientific about the game. Others, however, just loveProfessor Deano (short for former Aussie ODI legend Dean Jones), with his weird statistics (there is a 13.2 per cent chance of rain interrupting the match) and forthright opinions. And all of these come to the fore in these iOS and Android apps, where he is as quirky as ever and never short of figures and decidedly eccentric logic. Will we be using this app to find out the latest score? Unlikely. But we bet we are going to be opening it several times a match just to find out what Professor Deano has to say about the proceedings and check his stats as much as we do the official ones.
Get it from Android Market, iTunes App Store
Ultimate Cricket'11 World Cup Edition
Fed up of just hearing about cricket? Want to get out and have a swing or two yourself? Well, then this is just the app for you. Based on the World Cup , Ultimate Cricket'11 lets you bat and bowl to your heart's content on your Nokia S60, Symbian ^3 or BlackBerry handset. The graphics may not be cutting-edge, but the sheer choice of shots you can play more than compensates. We would also have preferred real player names (Tindulkar, Saywag and Gambeer, anyone?), but the fact that we are getting a very decent cricket game free does tend to make up for all the deliberate typos. It?s best to play it on a phone with buttons as our experiences on the touchscreen (Nokia N8) were a bit iffy.
Get it from BlackBerry App World, Nokia Ovi Store
Stick Cricket
Cricket is a batsman's game, the pundits tell us, and one day cricket is even more so. So what better way to get a taste of the action than picking up your willow and giving the white orb a jolly good thwack? Stick Cricket lets you do just that ? it is batting at its basic best, as seen on the immensely popular StickCricket.com website. You see the ball coming, swing your bat and hope you have got your timing spot on. There are real player names, including those of some legends, and while you can have a jolly good slog by yourself, you can also play against a friend by passing your handset to them for their innings. There is no bowling, no running between the wickets, no setting the fields, just hammering the ball to all parts of the ground. The sound effects are good, the graphics are decent and although it does not really appear to be as comprehensive as most of the other cricket games out there, the sheer simplicity sucks you in. Terrific for a good adrenaline rush. It is mainly available for iOS, although there is an older version of the game called Ian Botham Stick Cricket available for Java handsets too.
Get it from iTunes App Store
Cricket Wars
This app is like playing cricket in a multiplayer online role playing game universe. You pick an avatar and the guide the person right through all the way, taking on challenges from other players in the community, playing matches, picking up gear (there is a virtual money system in the game), and attempting to move up the community rankings and building your own team. There is no ?real? action as in you are not going to be asked to swing a bat or hurl a ball in anger at any stage ? just lots and lots of decisions, each of which could have an impact on your player and team. There is plenty of information going around to help you make up your mind, from weather conditions to details of current skill levels. And you can even share your progress on Facebook . Best of all ? the game actually never really ends, you can keep playing it in an endless mode, just like a classic online role playing game. Thoroughly recommended for those who prefer using their little grey cells rather than sheer brawn on the pitch!
