ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Security Precautions and Sena Disruptions

 

Should you feel secure at the 2011 ICC ODI World Cup?

Indian authorities feel that you should.

Mumbai police have put in place extraordinary precautions to ensure that there are no disruptions or sabotage of the premier event.

The World Cup final will see snipers positioned on the terraces of the buildings surroundingWankhede stadium.

This is a first.It is an outcome of the 2008 terror attacks in the heart of South Mumbai.

Policemen will be equipped with Special Voice Ducers (SVD)—for effective communication in the midst of high levels of noise.

Plainclothes cops will monitor conversations and movement within the stadium.

All the elaborate arrangements could come to nought if the Pakistani cricket team makes the finals. The Shiv Sena, a militant Hindu party, have hinted at disrupting the final— in the event.

Senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Manohar Joshi said: “Shiv Sena chief  Bal Thackeray will take a call on whether they should be allowed to play in Mumbai.”

The Sena has opposed cricketing action featuring India’s north-west neighbour before.

In 1991, activists dug up the Wankhede pitch two days before a match against Pakistan.

In January 1999, the Ferozeshah Kotla ground was dug up before an India-Pakistan tie.

Mumbai will host three World Cup ties:

March 13: Canada versus New Zealand

March 18: Sri Lanka versus New Zealand

April 2: The World Cup Final.

Quote of the day: 
I’m sick of following my dreams. I’m just going to ask them where they’re going and hook up with them later. – Mitch Hedberg

Grand opening ceremony launches cricket World Cup

Rock star Bryan Adams provided the sparks as a dazzling opening ceremony, showcasing a vibrant blend of sub-continental traditions and modernity, on Thursday launched the 10th edition of the cricket World Cup, setting the stage for 43 days of high-voltage cricketing extravaganza. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the event open amid thundering cheers from a packed crowd at the renovated Bangabandhu stadium, marking the return of the showpiece event to the sub-continent after a gap of 15 years.

The evening sky lit up with spectacular fireworks as the high-profile 14-team competition was declared open in front of
a host of dignitaries and top ICC and Cricket Board officials.

Captains of all the 14 participating nations got an unforgettable ride on tri-cycles while music, folk songs and dances, breath-taking fireworks and the collective enthusiasm of the Bangladeshi capital ushered in the event in a two-hour
spectacle.

Bryan Adams' mesmerising act was the highlight of the show that also had Indian musicians Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy belting
out the World Cup theme song 'De Ghuma Ke' composed by the trio.

Indian playback singer Sonu Nigam and top Bangladeshi vocalists -- Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin and Mumtaz -- also crooned in front of a capacity crowd which was treated to a musical extravaganza in three languages -- English, Hindi and Bangla.

Singer Ebrar Tipu and others set the tone for the evening as he arrived in a bedecked car to sing the welcome song, "O
Prithibi, Ebar Eshey Banglake Nao Chiney…" (Hey world, come and know Bangladesh).

All the 14 captains came into the arena on decorated rickshaws with Australian captain Ricky Ponting coming in first followed by the other captains.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni drew a loud applause while the biggest cheer was reserved for host captain Shakib Al Hasan as he waved to the crowd.

After all the captains assembled on the specially erected dias, Indian singer Sonu Nigam then rendered the "Spirit of Cricket' song.

After the speeches by top officials, including ICC President Sharad Pawar who spoke a few lines in Bangla, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the event open, setting the stage for Adams and other celebrated artistes to enthrall the audience.

A breath-taking aerial cricket match, played horizontally on a building, kept the spectators spellbound.

Nearly 2,100 school and college students and 350 members of the Armed Forces presented a cultural programme depicting the glorious Language Movement, War of Liberation, Bangladesh’s founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's historic March 7 speech, Bangla New Year and traditional dance of the indigenous communities.

Adams then took centrestage with some of his all-time hits like "Lets make it a night to remember", "Summer of '69", and "18 till I die" among others.

Barely 10 years after being given the Test status, it was a giant leap for Bangladesh as a nation as the minnows, known to pull off stunning wins in big events, hosted perhaps the biggest sporting show so far in their history.

Two days later, Bangladesh and co-hosts India will clash in the inaugural game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur to herald the beginning of 43 days of action spread across 13 venues in three countries.

The other host country, Sri Lanka start off their campaign against lowly Canada in a Group A encounter in Colombo on Sunday.

The sub-continent had its first date with the World Cup when India and Pakistan hosted it in 1987 before Sri Lanka joined them in 1996.

Sub-continent, for all practical purposes, is the nerve centre of the game now, though 1992 champions Pakistan could not be one of the co-hosts due to the terror attacks that targetted touring Sri Lankan cricketers in 2009. But Bangladesh will be having one big party in their silver jubilee year of initiation into one-day cricket.

The tenth edition of cricket's quadrennial showpiece, featuring 14 teams and 49 matches -- 29 in India, a dozen in Sri Lanka and eight in Bangladesh -- was not devoid of controversies.

It had a nightmare of an initial road as Pakistan was stripped of the right to host 14 matches due to the volatile condition in the country though the country will get its share of revenue even without holding games.

There were minor hiccups even after that when Kolkata's historic Eden Gardens lost the hosting rights for the February 27 India-England clash after the ICC found the venue ill-prepared.

With any marquee match involving India not scheduled in the Eden after the ICC shifted teh India-England match to Bangalore, cricket lovers will not see the stadium at its magnificent best as not many can be expected in the one lakh-capacity venue for non-India match.

On current form and considering the conditions, India have been billed favourites by cricket experts and it would be a huge celebration for Indian fans if Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men lift the trophy on April 2 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

It would add to India's muscle-flexing power as cricket's financial centre.

A World Cup win by India will also ensure the iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar the only success that has eluded him in his illustrious over-two-decade-long international career, besides India bringing home the trophy after 28 years.

ICC Cricket World Cup: Pakistani startup develops official World Cup video game

KARACHI: Pakistan may have lost the opportunity to host the International Cricket Council World Cup this year but it has found a way to stay in the game, literally. A Pakistani company has received the exclusive rights to develop the official game for the sporting event.

On February 15 it was announced that a local game developer, MindStorm Studios, has already developed the official game for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The game is available at www.cricketpower.com.

This is the first time a Pakistani game developer has managed to get the licence, beating out leading global game development companies such as Codemasters and EA Sports to design, develop, and deliver the game.

“We are extremely excited about developing the official game for ICC’s Cricket World Cup 2011,” said CEO Mindstorm Studios Babar Ahmed. “Cricket has long been a subject closely linked to our organisation and we are thrilled to take it to the next level,” he said.

While most games are released for personal computers and gaming consoles, this year’s official ICC game will only be available in internet browsers.

The company claims that it will be the most advanced 3D browser cricket game developed to date. Allaying fears of issues due to slow internet connections, Ahmed said that the game will have an online downloadable client that will work well on even slow broadband connections.

Official licencing removes the need for re-naming of players which is generally seen in non-licenced sports games.

An avid cricket gamer, Muhammad Umar, said “There are licencing issues with some games because they do weird stuff to player names like Shoaib Akhtar is renamed Shadid Akhtari and Shahid Afridi becomes Shared Afra.”

Earlier, it was rumoured that Codemasters, the oldest British video game developers, will be releasing the official ICC cricket world cup 2011 game for personal computers, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Codemasters developed International Cricket 2010 and is a veritable behemoth in the gaming field.

Codemasters and EA Sports have traditionally dominated cricket games. However, EA’s last cricket game was in 2007 while International Cricket 2010 was only available on consoles, not personal computers.

Considering the excitement developed by the Codemasters rumour, Mindstorm Studios, the Pakistani game developers have a very impressive set of boots to fill.

Cricket T20 tournaments have made cricket a cash cow. According to a report by the  Business Standard, the brand manager of Mumbai-based Games2Win said that there are six million online gamers from India alone.

Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony about to begin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IPL bigger bet than ICC Cricket World Cup?

MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) appears to be bigger bet than the World Cup for the Indian cricket board (BCCI) if insurance figures are taken as indicators. The BCCI has sought an event cancellation cover of nearly Rs 750 crore for the fourth edition of the IPL - almost Rs 200 crore more than what it has been trying to seek for the World Cup matches to be played in India.

According to sources, the board has floated inquires with brokers for event cancellation cover of Rs 754 crore. This will include media rights for Indian territory worth Rs 490 crore, media rights for overseas for Rs 50 crore, 194 crore towards protection of sponsorship fee and another Rs 10 crore toward any other contingency . This policy will shield BCCI against losses that arise due to cancellation of match due to terror-related incident. Even the matches that need to be called off due to adverse weather will be covered under this policy.

The board is also seeking a public liability cover worth Rs 100 crore. This covers can be invoked if there is any injury to spectators due to stampede or any other accident on match days. A total of 74 matches featuring 10 teams will be played in IPL 4. The Rs 750 crore cover is for all the matches, including the semifinals and final. All matches will have insurance cover of almost equivalent amount.

Interestingly, the coverage sought for World Cup is relatively smaller. A BCCI official said that the two tournaments cannot be compared. "It is like comparing apples with oranges. In IPL, all the 8 participating teams are competitive."
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Bryan Adams to perform at Cricket World Cup opening ceremony

MUMBAI: Bryan Adams will be the only western artist to perform at the Opening Ceremonies for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, which ESPN will broadcast to a TV audience of 200 million people. The February 17 performance will fall near the end of Adams' tour of India that begins on February 11 in Pune.  Also on the itinerary will be Bangalore, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai – the city of his first concert in India in January 1994 on the cricket grounds in Brabourne Stadium.

Canada is one of 14 qualifying countries taking part in the World Cup which begins on 19 February.   Adams will remain one more day in Dhaka for a special acoustic concert featuring songs from his current CD Bare Bones, before finishing up this leg of the tour in Kathmandu, Nepal.