2011 ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Thursday Updates

The West Indies vs. South Africa ICC cricket world cup 2011 match had been played with the star for South Africa Imran Tahir dazzling the crowd.  The West Indies team was all out at 222 for the match.

Tahir grabbed four wickets to lead the South Africa team to overcome the charge by West Indies.  The match ended with South Africa winning by seven wickets and had 43 balls remaning. 

The match was played at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi for this seventh match of the tournament.  The match was a group B tournament duel with South Africa winning.

Millions tune into India’s Cricket World Cup opener

The opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup on 19 February, which saw India beat Bangladesh, scored an average television rating (TVR) in India of 7.47 and peak of 12.2, according to new figures from Tam Sports (C&S4+).

The average TV rating rose slightly to 7.8 in India’s six metro areas. Bangalore leads the pack with average TVR of 9.17 for the first match followed by Mumbai (9.14 TVR), Kolkata (7.7 TVR), Delhi (7.65 TVR), Hyderabad (6.43 TVR) and Chennai (4.94 TVR).

The figures show 33 million viewers in India watched the opening match from Dhaka on Star Cricket; 28 million watched the state channel Doordarshan 1; 25 million tuned into ESPN; and 17 million to Star Sports.

Of these viewers, 12 million watched on terrestrial television, and 76 million on cable and satellite, according to Indiantelevision.com. A total of 14 million viewers watched the initial cricketing action via digital transmission on either direct to home (DTH) satellite platforms or digital cable.

Fourteen million Indian viewers also tuned into the opening ceremony of the tournament on 17 February.

Broadcast rights holder ESPN Star Sports has also announced that requests for its live streaming of the Cricket World Cup on its website had reached over 3 million in the first four days of the tournament. Of these, one million were unique video viewers.

“We are indeed delighted with the ratings,” said Sanjay Kailash, Executive Vice President – Advertising Sales & New Media, ESPN Software India. “There have been lots of discussions and comparisons with rival properties over the past few months but the opening match of the tournament has clearly proved the fact that ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is indeed the ‘The Cup That Counts’.

"In fact, the ratings of the opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup are substantially higher than the corresponding opening match of IPL 3 for starters,” he added. “And here we are talking of a larger time duration vis-à-vis a T20 match in IPL. We expect the ratings to go up even further as the Indian cricket team marches on in its quest for victory and we wish them all the best.”

The opening match between India and Bangladesh began at 2pm on Saturday 19 February, and lasted for 470 minutes. The ICC Cricket World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, runs until 2 April 2011.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: South Africa vs. West Indies, SA wins the toss and chooses to field

The two best cricketing teams in the world will come face to face in the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2011 on Thursday, February 24, 2011, when South Africa will take on West Indies. As if the stalwart status of the two teams was not enough to heighten the excitement, the virgin pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi, India, where the match is to be played, will add to the anxiety and enthusiasm.

Feroz Shah Stadium in New Delhi was banned early last year after the match between India and Sri Lanka in which players on both the sides suffered bodily harm due to excessive bounce in the pitch. After that, no One Day Internationals have been played on the grassy pitch and the last time a home match was played here was in November 2010.
Invoice

The ICC pitch analyst and consultant is in the city since a week, supervising over the pitch preparation. He will sit through the entire match and observe the performance of the pitch. Andy Atkinson, the ICC pitch analyst has not expressed any concerns over how the pitch may behave, but then even if he were concerned, he wouldn’t let his concern show or if things were not in good shape, he wouldn’t have given the nod for the match to be played here.

Coming to the today’s teams’ line up, South Africa has an edge over West Indies. Its batsmen and bowlers have better performance rate, strike rate, average and economy. Jacques Kalis, Abe De Villiers and Hashim Amla are in their best forms. This does not imply that one is to underrate the West Indies players like Shivnarayan Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo.

The spectators anticipate an exciting match and the odds for winning are very narrow for either of the teams. Talk about the Clash of the Titans!

South Africa takes 1st wicket of West Indies in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

South Africa takes 1st wicket of West Indies in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. South Africa won the toss today here in New Delhi and decided to opt for fielding. Smith justified his decision when Botha scalped Gayle's wicket on the third ball of the match and his over.

New Delhi: Delhites are fortunate to host one of the headline matches of World Cup’s first round. Firoz Shah Kotla will witness the debut of two top rated teams of world cricket. The picture perfect South Africa is all set to meet the young fighters of Caribbea.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith and his West Indies counterpart Darren Sammy have built their hopes on a host of brilliant players of the game. Being the top title favorites Proteas have a lot to cherish thanks to their ranking and game history. The hosts of last edition WC but believe in the present rather than past.

The WC records give a 50- 50 chance to both Smith and Sammy to finalize who is the real champion. South Africa can boast on their performance over West Indies in 2007 while Caribbeans cherish their spectacular victory in 2003 and 1996.

Windies had lost to the black horses back in 1992 as well as surrendered to them in 37 out of 50 ODIs. However, both captains hardly look in to the record book while each team has their own caliber to make the mega event their own.

“They have got some top notch players. On their day they can punish you really hard. One off day and your Cup dreams are over,” Smith shared his hopes about Windies having young Turks like Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Darren Sammy never looks to the score board rather than saying “All you have to do is play well. That’s the only key to success.” “Nothing less than a trophy will do for us. We are not here just to participate, we are here to win, win the title,” said Dwayne Bravo who deputes Sammy.

Your key to surviving the roads during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup

The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup is upon us! This means we'll be spending more evenings at home, our cola intake will see a rise, and if we win, which no doubt we will, it's going to send the noise pollution radar into a frenzy. So by the end of this month, we will be, in no particular order, fat, deaf and mad. No, read it like this. You will soon be sharing road space with deaf and mad people with slow reflexes.

How to counter this? Well, start with leaving really early for work. Ride/drive out at 5am. Bribe your office security chap and catch a good three hours of snooze on your office desk. If possible, don't go back home at all. Certainly avoid going shopping with your better half, because then you'll have to pretend to be deaf and mad as well. Well, mad at least. Deaf you will turn into anyway. Stay away from Indicas, or generally any cars, that have a leather ball sticker tearing the bootlid open or knocked out stumps or any such cricket-centric livery. They will be overtly charged with emotions, whether we win or lose, and will be as flexible about sharing lanes as the bark of a Banyan tree.

If you're the 'been all over the world' type, make sure you peel off all stickers of other cricket playing nations' flags from your car. You may be pelted with stones or collectively manhandled. None of which, I'm sure, you desire. Also, make sure you wear clothes as close to blue as possible. Certainly avoid green, yellow, dark green, dark blue, maroon, orange and for purely aesthetic reasons, pink.

Oh, and hopefully by the end of the tournament, exciting motorcycles like the Honda CBR 250R, the Mahindra Mojo and the Hyosungs should be amongst us. This means you'll have enough horsepower to compensate for those extra kilos you've piled on. As for me, well, Germany doesn't play cricket, so I couldn't be bothered.

Cricket Power, the official video game of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Mumbai: Cricket Power, the official video game of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is now available to audiences worldwide, just in time for the ICC World Cup season. The game is published by Karkadann Game. The game is also made available on CD especially for the Indian consumers.

Cricket Power is a browser based simulation game developed around the tenth edition of the tournament, featuring all real-life teams and favourite players participating in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The game includes an offline single player, online tournament mode, statistics tracking, challenging opponents and a myriad of other features that create a compelling and authentic gameplay experience, instantly transforming gamers from couch potatoes into heroes with the swing of a bat!

"We are all huge fans of gaming and cricket. With Cricket Power we leveraged our resources to deliver the best cricket playing experience possible online: a game that captures the unique elements of the sport itself - its physicality, technicality and skill, while creating an entertaining and immersive experience for gamers and cricket fans all over the world, said of David Ortiz, General Manager of Karkadann Games.
Securing this license to produce the online game based on the pinnacle event in the world of cricket is a strategic step in our positioning, commented Ortiz. We are also pleased with the partnership with Mindstorm, the Pakistan-based studio we chose to develop the game, concluded Ortiz.

Avis India offers ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 discounts

The Indian branch of car hire firm Avis has offered substantial discounts for customers headed to the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.

The move comes as part of the company’s campaign to promote its self-drive services. All customers renting self-drive as well as chauffeured vehicles during the ICC Cricket World Cup will receive a 20% discount on booking throughout the games.

The long-awaited event began with the opening ceremony on the 17th of February with matches commencing two days later. It will continue through the 2nd of April and will include stops in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Avis India chief executive Sunil Gupta said as he announced the promotion that cricket was like a religion in India. He added that  during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Avis wanted not only Indians to be able to take advantage of its world-class services but also people from around the world.

The company said that in addition to convenient self-drive vehicles available, Avis India offers reliable, disciplined and well-trained chauffeurs. Self-drive vehicles are available for daily, weekly and monthly rates.

Company officials said that the discount would remain available until the 3rd of April and would be applicable for bookings made via the company’s website as well as those made via its call centre.

ICC Cricket World Cup: ICC livid over ticketing fiasco

BANGALORE: The World Cup ticketing fiasco which came to light on Wednesday (February 23) has left the ICC red faced. With just 4000 tickets put on general sale by the tournament organisers.

The ICC's legal head David Becker wrote to ICC's president Sharad Pawar on behalf of the ICC's CEO Haroon Lorgat. The ICC has asked Pawar to intervene after a rush for tickets saw the ticketing site crash moments after tickets for the final were put on sale.

The BCCI appears to have reserved the bulk of the tickets at the final for their own members, leaving the ICC furious with the state of affairs. The ICC also raised questions about the tickets not having reached the fans, despite the fact that some of them had purchased tickets as long as six months ago.

In a letter dated February 23, the ICC's legal head David Backer wrote, "We have received many complaints from fans who purchased tickets but are yet to receive them despite having paid for these tickets more than six months ago. Apart from threat of claims for compensation, this is causing a significant public relations issue for the ICC."

"With the significant demand and little availability (i.e. after 20,000 reserved for MCA & 7,900 for ICC partners) there is potential for chaos & physical injury when the box office sales open. We strongly recommend the sale of tickets be cancelled & tickets sold to defined fans."

"We have not received any tickets for Wankhede Stadium. We have received numerous complaints from our commercial partners, who have paid millions of dollars to receive rights & benefits which include the timely provision of tickets and hospitality. This is placing our sound relationships at breaking point."

"ICC is being seriously challenged and is bitterly disappointed by the above state of affairs, which threaten to undermine everything that all of us have worked so hard to achieve over recent months. We will be grateful for your intervention and assurance that the above issues will be addressed as a matter of urgency."

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 : South Africa vs West Indies Preview

In what will be the first clash of the World Cup between two ‘strong’ teams, South Africa and West Indies face off at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Thursday, promising to be a mouth- watering encounter.

Both teams have their own sets of challenges coming into the tournament. South Africa will be trying out an untested spin combination in the sub- continent and also have Jacques Kallis returning from a rib injury.

For the West Indies, a change in captaincy which sees Darren Sammy leading the pack, Adrian Barath and keeper Carlton Baugh ruled out due to injury right before the World Cup, and an unsuccessful tour of Sri Lanka makes things tricky.

For the Proteas, they have a lot things going for them on paper. Their batting looks settled with skipper Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla at the top of the order. AB de Villiers has developed into a world- class middle- order batsman and their pace duo of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel can dispose of any line-up on any wicket.

However, with AB de Villiers keeping wickets, the Proteas lose their best fielder in the circle and his ability to handle the sub- continent wickets and keep against the spinners, especially new import Imran Tahir, hasn’t been tested yet. Also, lack of proven big- hitters lower down the order means the South Africans have a fairly long tail.

The West Indies, on the other hand, have a lot on their plate. Sammy was not even a certainty the ODI squad a year or so back and now finds himself leading the side at the World Cup after Chris Gayle gave up the captaincy.

They were already missing fast bowlers Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor due to injuries and two more were added to the list last week. The West Indies will rely on Gayle and Kieron Pollard for big hitting and Shivnarine Chanderpaul to anchor the innings. One of the fastest bowlers in the world, Kemar Roach will be their pace spearhead. Dwayne Bravo and Pollard will be responsible for bowling in the middle overs.

The last time the two met in a series, South Africa trounced the West Indies in their own backyard 0. So when the two teams lock horns at the Kotla on Thursday, it would be difficult to give a favourites’ tag to either team, especially since their head- tohead at the World Cup is 2- 2.

What will add to the mystique of the game is the Kotla pitch itself. This will be the first international match since the Delhi wicket International ‘ dangerous’ between November There game months matches So scores The to play this captains first possibly hope deteriorate HOPE South Smith wicket

spective perspective, But put Let’s tomorrow,” For will chances. “ Spin part have spinners off- all these best ajit. wicket was banned by the International Cricket Council for a dangerous’ track during an ODI between India and Sri Lanka in November 2009. There has been no first- class game on the wicket for three months and only a couple of Ranji matches have been played on it. There is little expectation of scores close to 300.

The weather, too, will have a role play as dew is expected during this time of the year. So the captains will be in a dilemma to bat first and bowl when the dew possibly comes in, or bowl first and hope the wicket doesn’t deteriorate later on while batting.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Media planners heave a sigh of relief

After months of comparisons and speculations between the two marquee events of the year, ICC World Cup and the Indian Premier League (IPL), the ratings for the first match of the season pronounce a visible and undeniable response to the tournament and the format.

As per data from TAM Media Research, the opening India-Bangladesh match has pulled in a gross rating of 7.47 TVR, with a peak rating of 12.2 TVR, for CS 4+ All India market.

exchange4media spoke to media planners and buyers to gauge the industry’s pulse on the first Wednesday of the tournament…

Good, Bad or Ugly?
Sudha Natrajan, recently promoted to Deputy CEO, Lintas Media Group, said that the opening numbers were encouraging and she saw the traction and momentum building up in the coming matches. “The next couple of matches will surely see a rise in viewership, especially if the Netherlands puts up a good fight against England. The matches so far, such as with Canada, have been interesting too and people are looking forward to the Pakistan and Kenya match too.”

Vidyadhar Kale, Client Leader, Maxus Mumbai, echoed the industry’s sentiment when he said that the ratings for the first match were “in sync with our estimation or expectations”. When asked if he saw the interest levels being maintained through the tournament, he replied, “With a higher number of India games, strategically scheduled over weekends, interest levels will remain and the buzz could only pick up if India goes through to the semis.”

According to Sushma Jhaveri, Senior Vice President, Carat, the ratings had delivered higher than expected numbers. Elaborating further, she said, “The match being scheduled on a Saturday, coupled with an exciting Indian innings, did the trick. Ratings will score higher for India matches, but one must not expect as much for other matches. We can expect good numbers for the next India-England match too.”

“This was a first match, and that too an India game. There were lots of expectations and it pretty much delivered as per the expected lines. Going forward, India matches are expected to perform better, and if India reach the Finals, the ratings would be all the more, however, the non-India matches would deliver fairly modest ratings,” remarked Rajneesh Chaturvedi, National Director, MEC Access.

Commenting on the occasion, Sanjay Kailash, Executive Vice President, Advertising Sales & New Media, ESPN Software India, told exchange4media, “The ratings are what we thought it would be and are in line with expectations. We strongly believe, in the coming days, interest levels and thus, TRPs will only increase. It is safe to say that India was tuned in and despite all the talk about ODIs having died as a format and it being an eight-hour show, the numbers prove that India watched the World Cup.”

With the feelers now out and the response positive so far, one can only wait and see how deep into the tournament the interest levels last.

World cup tickets up for grabs through lottery system

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

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

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

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

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

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

World Cup Match 6: Pakistan power to easy win against Kenya

It was half-centuries galore from the Pakistani top order as they crushed Kenya by 205 runs in their ICC Cricket World Cup opener at Hambantota in Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Pakistan, a true dark horse at this year's event, recovered from a disappointing start to reach to reach a strong score of 317 on the back of fifties from both the Akmal brothers and sometime skippers Younus Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq. They then backed up their batting effort with an efficient performance in the field to knock Kenya over for just 112 runs in 33.1 overs. Skipper Shahid Afridi led the way on the field picking up 5-16 to lead the rout.

Winning the toss and batting first, Pakistan started slowly as their openers struggled to come to terms with the pace of the track at Hambantota. Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shahzad fell cheaply after spending a fair bit of time at the crease and Pakistan were struggling at 12 for 2 after 7 overs. A much needed partnership came with Kamran Akmal and Younus Khan putting together 98 runs for the 3^rd wicket before the former was stumped for 55 off the bowling of left arm spinner Shem Ngoche.

Misbah-ul-Haq joined Younus in the middle and opened his account hitting a six straight down the ground. Younus and Misbah added 55 runs together before Younus was trapped leg before. The former skipper made an even 50 runs, doing a lot of running on the big Hambantota ground with boundaries not so easy to come by. He referred his dismissal to the third umpire for review, but the decision was upheld.

Umar Akmal came in next and looked his natural self, attacking the Kenyan bowling right away. Misbah and Umar brought up their fifties in a partnership of 118 runs lasting till the 47^th over. Pakistan finished for 317 in the end losing seven wickets with Umar Akmal top scoring with 71.

The Batting Powerplay proved to be vital for Pakistan in taking their total above 300 as they picked up 71 runs during those 5 overs. The Kenyans looked exhausted as the innings drew to a close, conceding lots of extras including 37 wides, a new record.

Kenya started cautiously with both openers Maurice Ouma and Seren Waters defending early on. Shoaib Akhtar was on target from the first ball he bowled, conceding just 10 runs in his 4 overs and beating the bat on several occasions.

The opening stand of 37 was Kenya's best of the innings, and was cut short when Waters (17 from 31b) was brilliantly run out by a direct hit from Umar Akmal. Ouma fell shortly after for 16 with Umar Gul picking up his first wicket.

Steve Tikolo and Collins Obuya tried to build another partnership but Shahid Afridi bowled a charging Tikolo in the 23^rd over. After that the wickets just kept falling with Obuya scoring freely from the other end. The veteran once-upon-a-time-leg-spinner smashed three huge sixes in his innings of 47 which finally ended when he was caught in the deep off the bowling of Shahid Afridi, becoming the skipper's fifth scalp.

Umar Gul came back to finish things off with Pakistan just one wicket away from victory and bowled Ngoche with the first ball of his new spell as Kenya were knocked over for just 112. It was another poor display from the Kenyans with the bat, and their lack of skill against quality bowling resulted in another huge loss for them today. For Pakistan though, it was the perfect game to kick-start their tournament, with most of their batsmen taking advantage of the opportunity to bat themselves into some form, and then the bowlers doing the business when asked.

The only areas of concern for the Asian giants will be the ideal mix of their side with Abdul Razzaq proving a touch expensive early on in his spell and the opening batsmen not getting their act together at all. They have little time to iron out those flaws as they take on Sri Lanka in a huge game at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday.

Kenya's tough start to the tournament continues on the 1st of March as they face a third consecutive test playing nation when they too take on co-hosts Sri Lanka at the same venue.

Teams:

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

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

Mini Scorecard

Pakistan 317/7 in 50 overs (6.34 runs per over)

U Akmal 71(52) T Odoyo 3-41

Misbah-ul-Haq 65(69) S Tikolo 1-44

Kenya 112 all out in 33.1 overs (3.38 runs per over)

C Obuya 47(58) S Afridi 5-16

S Waters 17(31) U Gul 2-12

Cricket World Cup : Pakistan crush Kenya by 205 runs

HAMBANTOTA: Pakistan have a reputation of blowing hot and cold on the cricket field. Well, on Wednesday, in their first match of the 2011 World Cup at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium here, they were sizzling hot as they thumped Kenya by 205 runs to send out a serious warning to their rivals.

Their star players all came to the party with the bat, helping them post a mammoth 317 for 7 after Shahid Afridi elected to bat. The Kenyans in reply put up another embarrassing batting display and were bowled out for 112 in just 33.1 overs thereby making Steve Tikolo's plea for his boys to be given more time in the elite league appear very hollow. Their cluelessness against spin, particularly Afridi, was a sorry sight to see. The Pakistan skipper capitalized on the lack of footwork from the Kenyan batsmen and picked up 5 for 16, his third five for in ODIs and his second against Kenya.

Earlier, at 12 for 2 in 6.5 overs, memories of Ireland and St Patrick's Day at the Sabina Park in Kingston in 2007 must have come flooding back to Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi. But then the in-form Younis Khan, a red-hot Misbah-Ul-Haq and the dynamism of the Akmal brothers saw them sail through. The crème-de-la crème of the Pakistan batting line-up posted attractive half centuries as they dismantled the Kenyan bowling, that gave 37 wide balls, a World Cup record.

Younis (50, 67 balls, 2 x4) and wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal 55 (67 balls, 5x4) ensured that there were no after-effects of the early loss of openers Mohd Hafeez and Ahmed Shahzad. Kamran, who batted at No.3 was the more aggressive partner as he ensured that the first Powerplay wasn't wasted and played some bold strokes over the infield. Younis was the silent partner. He played the drives to long on and long off to collect singles, the little dabs to third man and fine leg and the odd big shot to quietly notch up 50. Kamran succumbed to his old weakness of losing concentration when in full swing and attempted a wild slog off left-arm-spinner Shem Ngoche, who varied his flight beautifully to leave the batsman stranded.

Younis too couldn't carry on after his half century as he was trapped lbw by Tikolo. Perhaps, it was a blessing in disguise for Pakistan to lose Younis at that time as he was getting tired and it brought to the crease the mighty talented Umar Akmal 71 (52 balls, 8x4, 1x6).

Is there any stroke this kid can't play? The mow over mid-wicket, the inside-out lofted stroke over cover, the scoop over short-fine leg and violent square cuts that would leave the point fielder terrified! He plays every shot at will and at times it seems he has three strokes for every ball.

The perfect foil for Umar was Misbah. He ran brilliantly between wickets and more importantly recognised that Umar was middling everything. Misbah and Umar added 118 runs for the fifth wicket in just 80 balls and Pakistan just exploded in the third powerplay which saw them plunder 70 runs for the loss of Misbah's wicket for 65 (69 balls, 1x4, 2x6). Umar followed him to the pavilion soon, but by then the team had taken giant steps to a 300-plus total and a potentially huge victory. The way the Kenyans batted, even a 100 runs less would have sufficed.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - Day 6: Preview & Prediction

Trivandrum: When South Africa and West Indies clash in a Group B clash on Day 6, the spotlight might well drift away from the players. The eternal chokers in world cricket cross swords with the unpredictable Carribean Kings in what should be the first real tough match to predict in the tournament. And for once the spotlight might not be as much on the players as it is on how the pitch performs.

The pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi has been under the scanner for the last year or so, ever since the December 2009 ODI between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned as a result of unfit pitch.

‘Unfit and a disgrace to the sport’, was how many sections of the media portrayed the track after that match, and since then the ICC has been keeping a close eye on the re-laying of the turf at the Kotla. While a few domestic games and T20s have been played at this venue, the results have been mixed.


With Hashim Amla proving himself as a class opener even in ODI cricket, and with AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith and JP Duminy in imperious form, the Proteas have a quality batting line-up that will send shudders down the spines of the best bowling attacks in the world. Faf du Plessis, even though he only made his debut during the India series, has loads of experience under his belt in domestic cricket and Colin Ingram is an exciting prospect.

In the bowling department, Dale Steyn is the premier fast bowler in the world by a distance and is backed up well by Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. And the crucial thing about this particular South African outfit is that for the first time, they have a few quality spinners in their ranks. Johan Botha the vice-captain and Robin Peterson have been around for a while and are handy spinners as well as decent bats lower down the order.

But the real dark horse could be Imran Tahir, the former Pakistan A player, who comes into this tournament for his adopted nation as a real unknown. It will be interesting to see how and when Tahir is employed by Smith and whether the legbreak bowler can make use of the opportunities thrown his way.

With this side, South Africa will once and for all look to dispel the chokers tag. With 11 players of this side making their Cup debut, the ghosts of the previous tournaments should not hang heavily on the exuberant new crop.

Coming to the Windies, Chris Gayle will hold most of their fortunes, even though the side led by Darren Sammy has other potential match-winners in their ranks. All-rounder Dwayne Bravo, with his experience of subcontinent conditions during his stint with the Mumbai Indians, will be a crucial figure. But also to watch out for will be his younger half-brother, Darren, a stylish left-hander, who has already drawn comparisons with Brian Lara, and happens to be his first cousin.

The Windies batting is packed with powerful hitters and Keiron Pollard is a name familiar to all IPL followers. This six-hitting machine will be part of a middle-order that will feature the two Bravos, Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and the captain Sammy. However, the injury-forced ouster of in-form opener Adrian Barath and first-choice keeper Carlton Baugh, will be a blow for the side and may force Chanderpaul to open the innings with Gayle.

The bowling is heavily reliant on pace with Kemar Raoch and Ravi Rampaul leading the attack backed up by medium-pacers Bravo and Sammy. It will be a close tussle between Suleimann Benn and Nikita Miller for the lone spinner slot.

The match can swing either way and a lot could depend on the toss. Dew might be a factor later on in the second innings but then under lights, the fast bowlers will find some swing with the new ball. So winning the toss might in many ways be a double-edged sword as the conditions can play havoc.

But overall, South Africa should be able to hold off the Windies but the volatile nature of Gayle, Pollard and co, makes them a deadly opposition. It just takes one of them to click and the momentum can soon swing in a matter of minutes.

Prediction: Proteas to win a close encounter.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, how South Africa will fare against West Indies

New Delhi: A win for West Indies is so illusive for the last few months that it will not be easy to see a win on Thursday when they take on South Africa at Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi. Still, since a world cup is a world cup match South Africa wont be in a mood to let up as one loss may affect in the tight situation.

Both teams are to play their inaugural match and must be keen to put their best. West Indies lost miserably by 0-5 to South Africa when they last faced each other in 2010. They lost to Sri Lanka 0-3 just before of the tournament but the West Indians would try their best to forget these losses.

Defeats are not the only thing they will have to put behind. Controversies over central contract and the skipper Darren Sammy not being the best player of the team are other things to forget and forge ahead.

West Indies have still brilliant individuals but their performance as a team is pathetic. Chris Gayle is such a destructive batsman that he can easily take the game away from any opponent. Kieron Pollard's hard hitting can demolish any attack. Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnaraine Chanderpaul are experienced enough to dig out the team from any position. The Bravo brothers-Dwayne and Darren are also highly rated. The question is when they will click as a team. A Pakistan like problem? Probably.

On the other hand anybody can easily say that apart from complacency, South Africa has everything in their fever. Hashim Amla is tremendous form. Jaques Kallis starred in South Africa's 3-2 series win over India. A B de Villiers and JP Duminy can easily steady the innings. And who can question the ability and form of the skipper Graeme Smith who most probably is playing the last ODI tournament.

Dayle Styen. Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe can easily test the fragile batting line up of West Indies.

At the end one quote. According to Chris Gayle 'All teams are beatable'. One only needs to get a sniff and capitalize on it.

Ricky Ponting admonished by ICC for damaging TV after World Cup game

The Australia captain, Ricky Ponting, has been reprimanded by the International Cricket Council after damaging a television set in the team dressing room following his dismissal against Zimbabwe on Monday.

Ponting was charged with a level one breach of the ICC code of conduct under clause 2.1.2, which covers "abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an international match".

He accepted the charge and the sanction issued by the match referee, Roshan Mahanama, negating the need for a formal hearing.

The ICC settled for the low-level charge and minimum sanction – level one offences can carry punishments up to a fine of 50% of the player's match fee – after accepting that the damage was accidental.

Their statement noted that "the damage occurred when he threw down a piece of equipment which bounced off his kit bag and hit the corner of the television".

Mahanama added: "Ricky knows that his action was in breach of the code, involving a brief moment of frustration. That said, it was clear that the damage he caused was purely accidental and without malice, he apologised shortly after the incident at the ground and immediately agreed to pay for the damage."

HIV positive kids get to play cricket with South Africa's World Cup team

A group of 10 HIV positive children played cricket with South Africa's World Cup team during a practice session on Tuesday.

The event at New Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla ground was part of an initiative by the International Cricket Council with UNICEF and UNAIDS called 'Think Wise'.

"The idea is to create awareness about HIV and to get rid of the stigma attached to it," ICC representative Jon Long said.

The youngsters batted, bowled and fielded on the field where South Africa will play West Indies in both teams' first World Cup match in Group B on Thursday.

The ICC has organized such sessions at previous international events, with a similar one being held during the World Twenty20 championship in the West Indies last year.

Bangladesh gets a cricketing cracker

She may have set the stage on fire with her presence in the opening night of the the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 but Nawsheen Nahreen Mou is at ease with her glamour. The Bangladeshi beauty is quite the celebrity in the country - her shows attract viewers by the thousands and her charm have besotted an entire generation. The 27-year-old stunner left a massive impression on international fans and journalists in Dhaka Thursday evening.

A huge roar engulfed the Bangabandhu Stadium as Nawsheen walked up to the stage, wired up and looking the quitnessential Bengali beauty, in her role as a presenter for a part of the glittering evening show. She carried herself with an easy elegance that enchanted a bewitched city. It was not just about the moment or the enormity of an ICC CWC evening that brought out the best in the seasoned TV professional - it was her sheer love for the game, as the lady herself later revealed.

"I have loved cricket since I was a child and I was thrilled to be part of the opening ceremony. I remember watching Mandira Bedi on TV and admiring her grace and presence. That was it - I knew I wanted do something similar in Bangladesh.

"When the ICC CWC opportunity my came way, I just lapped it up," Nawsheen told ESPNSTAR.com.

The doe-eyed Bengali glam symbol hopes her efforts during the opening ceremony would have been noticed by people who mattered, people who could pave a way for her dream to come true one day.

"I know I can present cricket ob TV- I have wanted to do that for some time. A woman getting involved with cricket in Bangladesh will be a big deal. It would be great to do some on-ground reporting and host some shows on TV. If I get a chance, I would love to take it," Nawhseen said in a tone as confident as her stature in Bangladesh demands.

Women presenters in cricket have successfully introduced glamour and grace in a male-dominated game. Most have done that rather well- Ruby Bhati, Mandira Bedi and Mayanti Langer have carved a niche for themselves. Nawsheen wants to achieve what they did but in her own way.

"I don't mind bringing glamour to the table. It is very subjective in different countries. Some aspects of dressing may be normal in India but not in Bangladesh. I have stuck to my style and people love me here for what I am, " Nawseen said.

What matters to actor-presenter is her ability to communicate to the viewers. Nawsheen does not want to be a mere blonde in front of the camera- she is willing to learn and improve on her cricketing knowledge. She realises people want to hear her talk sense about the game and not just see a pretty face on TV.

"People should judge me by how I speak on TV, not by what I wear. Nobody would want to see me if I don't know my stuff. There are certain clothers I just cannot wear- my glamour is inside me, it is what I am and who I am," Nawsheen stressed.

The lady, who seems steadfast in her quest for job as a cricket presenter nurtures a dream for her four-year old son, Ehan Salman: "I want him to be a cricketer. In fact, I won't mind if my son plays cricket instead of studying. My brother played cricket but had to shift focus because of a busy academic career. I hope my son does get to play cricket for Bangladesh," Nawseeh said, sounding more determined than her own ambitions.

Ehan, by the way, loves going by the name of Ehan al-Hasan, after Bangladeshi skipper Shakib al-Hasan: "Shakib is a big hero in our country and my son is a die-hard fan. He wants to be use al-Hasan instead of the family name," Nawseen laughs as she narrates her son's cricket-obsessive behaviour.

Now that she bowled over so many fans with her charm and her smile, what about her own hearthrob? Is there a cricketer she finds irresistably hot? "Wasim Akram," pat comes the reply. "It's not just his looks I loved his height, his smile and the attitude he showed on the field. It was a pleasure to see him run in and bowl those yorkers and swing the ball both ways- Akram was a treat to watch on the cricket field," Nawsheen added.

You cannot have enough of her and fans in Bangladesh and the rest of the sub-contient will wait with some anticipation to see Nawsheen set the TV screens afire with her presence.

Zimbabwe lose CWC opener by 91 runs

Zimbabwe lost their opening game of the 2011 World Cup by 91 runs to Australia in the 55,000-seater Sardar Patel Stadium but they caused the defending champions plenty of problems and emerged with considerably more credit than most observers thought was possible given the disparity of skill and experience between the teams.

Having restricted Australia to a modest 262-6 in fine batting conditions, Zimbabwe slumped to a disappointing 171 all out in reply but won plenty of new admirers and had much to feel satisfied about. 

Although the top order batting displayed it’s all-too-familiar fragility against fast bowling in the run chase, the bowling unit rose magnificently to the challenge of containing Ricky Ponting’s champions and their final total was both below ‘par’ for the conditions as well as general expectations.

The three front line spinners were outstanding. Ray Price shouldered the burden of opening the bowling while both he and Prosper Utseya delivered the majority of their overs during power-play situations with scant protection in the deep. Both men conceded just 43 runs from their 10 overs – there will be few better performances in the tournament from spinners against a top batting order.

Leg spinner Graeme Cremer enjoyed the comparative ‘comfort’ of bowling in the middle overs but still deserves great credit for maintaining an immaculate line during ten overs which earned him 1-41. Both Cremer and Utseya also made a significant point to the officiators of world cricket by claiming lbw wickets with the aid of the third umpire.

Time and time again in recent years Zimbabwe’s bowlers have noted with mounting frustration how international umpires are less inclined to award decisions in their favour, especially when the opposition are a major power. Despite it being the first game Zimbabwe have ever played with the use of television referrals, they trusted their instincts and had two decisions reversed in their favour.

Sri Lankan umpire Asoka de Silva and Englishmen Richard Kettleborough gave openers Brad Haddin (29) and Shane Watson (79) ‘not out’ but first Utseya and then Cremer asked for a ‘review’ and got their men.

Team management’s decision to select Reggie Chakabva as an ‘extra’ batsman instead of Shingi Masakadza as an additional bowling option meant that Elton Chigumbura had to share the fifth bowler’s allocation of 10 overs between himself and part-timers Taylor and Sean Williams. It was certainly the correct selection option – or would have been if captain Chigumbura was not so wretchedly short of form and confidence with the ball at the moment.

Chigumbura’s only two overs cost 18 runs while Taylor, who conceded 12 in his first, bowled three overs for 23. Their five overs for 41 gave the otherwise bogged down Aussies the room for manoeuvre and escape they desperately needed.

So it will fall to another team to end Australia’s 12-year, 30-match unbeaten run at the World Cup while Zimbabwe travel to Nagpur where they will be strong favourites to beat minnows Canada in their second match on February 28.

Pak keen to start with a bang against Kenya

Keen to re-establish their reputation dented by the spot-fixing scandal, unpredictable Pakistan will look to launch their cricket World Cup campaign on a rousing note when they take on minnows on Wednesday. Having suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Ireland, which eventually resulted in
their first round ouster the 2007 edition, Pakistan would be wary of taking their opponents lightly this time around.

In fact, captain Shahid Afridi has already warned his team to take every opponent seriously.

"There have been so many upsets in the World Cup in the past, like the one against Ireland four years ago. So we have that in mind and we will be on our toes in every match, be it Kenya or Sri Lanka," said Afridi.

Going into the match, Pakistan would take heart from their recent 3-2 ODI series victory over New Zealand in New Zealand just before the World Cup.

And even though they had mixed fortunes in the their two warm-up games -- a win against Bangladesh and a defeat against England, Pakistan are well aware that if they play as a unit, they have enough firepower to go a long distance in the tournament.

Pakistan's batting consisting of the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, former captain Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Akmal brothers -- Kamran and Umar, has the reputation of creating quite a flutter in the opposition camp.

In the absence of their banned opener Salman Butt, Pakistan would be banking on Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad in the opening slot, followed by the more experienced middle-order.

Veteran Younis Khan is expected to bring in stability with all his experience of playing international cricket, followed by Test skipper and in-form Misbah and the two Akmals.

And with captain Shahid Afridi and allrounder Abdul Razzaq coming down the order, Pakistan should not have any trouble blowing the Kenyans away in their inaugural match.

As far as bowling department is concerned, Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul would be looking to go for the kill from the very first ball. This match will also give both the pacemen an opportunity to get back to their peak form.

Even Saeed Ajmal would get a chance to experiment with his doosra before his team face bigger names during the course of the tournament. Allrounder Afridi's fast-wrist spin is also expected to come in handy against the African nation.

Source:hindustantimes.com