ESPNF1 to launch mobile applications on iPhone, Android and Nokia

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. 

India ratings: Channels affected by Cricket World Cup

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 Indies: Up for the Cup - ICC World Cup 2011 Preview

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.

India vs West Indies STATBOX : ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

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.

India vs West Indies: Big high & the losses that hurt

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.

Preview: Pakistan vs Australia ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 match

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.

Preview: Bangladesh vs South Africa ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 match

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.

Preview: Sri Lanka vs New Zealand ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 match

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:

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), Mahela Jayawardene (vice capt), 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.

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.

15 years back, on this day Sri Lanka became world champion

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, the Rawalpindi Express, to retire after WC

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.

Gayle falls after blistering start

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 Vs West Indies live Match Updates

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

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 match England vs West Indies Live Streaming

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.

England vs West Indies, Live Score

Watch England Vs West Indies Live Streaming

Cricket World Cup match Australia vs Canada Live Streaming Free Online

Australia vs Canada Live Watch Here

ICC World Cup: Australia v Canada Preview

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.

Canada vs Australia: World Cup Match Preview

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

Australia look to get it all right v Canada

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.

Cricket World Cup Betting: Australia v Canada

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.

Australia vs. Canada – 2011 Cricket World Cup Live Betting Preview

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.

Best Bet: Brett Lee 5/2