Practice ties at Wankhede after green signal from ICC: Rajput

MUMBAI: Mumbai Cricket Association is awaiting a go-ahead from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to conduct practice matches at the refurbished Wankhede Stadium, which is to host three World Cup ties, including the final on April 2.

"We are waiting for ICC's pitch consultant Andy Atkinson, who is here, to give us the go-ahead for conducting a few practice matches at the Wankhede Stadium," MCA's joint secretary Lalchand Rajput on Thursday.

Though Rajput did not confirm, other sources said the matches would be held only after February 20.

Rajput also said the MCA has already written to the municipal authorities, public works department and the fire brigade for clearance and was awaiting the replies.

Wankhede Stadium's refurbishment started in mid 2008. Meanwhile, MCA has decided to keep aside the same number of tickets to be sold to the public during the World Cup as has been the practice for international matches in the past, though the capacity of the stadium has been considerably reduced.

"The capacity of the Wankhede Stadium, after its renovation and installation of bucket seats, has come down from around 38,000-40,000 to 31,000. But we have not reduced the number of tickets to be sold to the public which would be the same as before - 4,500," said the cricketer-turned administrator.

Rajput explained that MCA, as per its rules, will have to part away with tickets to its affiliated clubs and gymkhanas as well as to the Garware Club House which had been part of it since the stadium was built in 1974.

"We have to provide tickets to the 350 clubs and gymkhanas affiliated to us, as well as to the Garware Club, but we have proportionately reduced the number of tickets to them as the capacity of the stadium has been reduced," said the former India and Mumbai opening batsman.

"We have also told the clubs and gymkhanas that they will have to buy tickets for all three matches being hosted by us (two league matches in March and final on April 2) or they would not get any ticket," he said.

New Zealand would take on Canada on March 13 which will be followed by the second World Cup league fixture at the Wankhede between the Kiwis and Sri Lanka on March 18 and the summit clash.

For clubs and gymkhanas affiliated to MCA, the number of tickets they could buy would come down to 17 or 18 from the earlier 27 and there would be reduced number of tickets on offer to Garware club too from the earlier figure of 6,000 seats.

Asked whether the clubs agreed to this, Rajput said, "They have to. There is no other choice because the capacity of the stadium has been reduced. We also have to give away 8000 tickets to the ICC," he said.

The cheapest ticket for the league ties (in the east stand) would cost around Rs 250, while the north stand tickets would cost Rs 500 and the gymkhana stand tickets would be priced at Rs 1000," said Rajput, adding that the marquee tickets for a seat in the hospitality boxes would cost a whopping Rs 37,500 each.

"There would be 2000 marquee tickets on sale and the cost of the tickets includes Rs 500 as entertainment tax," he said.

India's World Cup preparations raise unhappy memory

New Delhi: Preparations for the upcoming cricket World Cup have revived unhappy memories in India of the chaos that accompanied the build-up to last year's Commonwealth Games.

While the reputation of the Commonwealth Games was partially salvaged by some frantic last-minute repairs, the slow pace of renovations had already cost this month's World Cup one of its most anticipated occasions - an India match at Calcutta's Eden Gardens ground.

Where India always beats Pakistan

The venue had been earmarked to host the India-England group-stage game but that had been reallocated because Eden Gardens was deemed to be not ready.

Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium was also in doubt as a World Cup venue due to behind-schedule renovations while a poor quality pitch at New Delhi's Kotla ground had also threatened its involvement, but both were finally given the green light to host games.

Hundreds of workers were assigned to Eden Gardens to hasten renovations but a visiting International Cricket Council inspection team ruled the stadium would not be ready for its first match on Feb. 27.

India offspinner Harbhajan Singh, who took a hat-trick in a Test against Australia at Eden Gardens in 2001, said the hosts will miss the special atmosphere of playing at the 65,000-capacity ground.

"Not playing at the Eden Gardens will be a big disappointment for us,'' said Harbhajan. "It is our main ground and we have several good memories of the venue."

It was even more of a disappointment to former ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya, whose Cricket Association of Bengal is responsible for organizing matches at the venue.

"It comes as a shock because when the ICC inspection team was here, we were given to understand that they were happy with the progress of the work and had suggested only a few minor modifications," said Dalmiya, who was one of the main organizers of the 1996 World Cup.

Dalmiya met several high-profile politicians in a bid to grant the ground a reprieve, but the decision was largely out of the hands of local officials, as the World Cup was being organized by the ICC, not the local associations which ran the 1987 and 1996 World Cups in India.

Protesters in Calcutta alleged politics in the whole affair as Dalmiya and current ICC president Sharad Pawar were known to be bitter rivals in the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Former India football captain Chuni Goswami, who was also a first-class cricketer for Bengal, was among those who saw the embarrassment coming.

"I was disappointed that the match was taken away from the Eden Gardens, but it is not exactly unexpected. The authorities became overconfident to do everything at a time when they should have done it in parts. Things could have been different had the CAB planned their work better," he said.

It was a bitter blow for fans in Calcutta, which hosted the 1987 World Cup final when India began to emerge as a power in the game _ both on the field after winning the 1983 edition and as the sport's commercial hub.

Eden Gardens was a forgettable host in the 1996 World Cup, by which time the sport's power base had firmly moved toward the subcontinent amid an eruption of sponsorship funds.

This time around, India is firmly entrenched as the financial powerhouse driving the game, and the administrative failures are bound to be all the more glaring.

Though security is always a concern for any major sports event, India has long experience in handling any threats, via high-profile targets like the Indian Premier League and Champions League in recent years.

Managing the crowds might prove to be a handful though, with a reminder of the difficulties coming during World Cup ticket sales in Chennai, when a wall collapsed during a crush and two people suffered minor injuries.

While venues should be packed for India matches, organizers face a challenge filling the stands in Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore, Mohali, Nagpur and Ahmedabad for non-India matches.

"We have directed all the state associations to throw the gates open to the school children to enjoy a good day out," tournament director Ratnakar Shetty told Cricinfo. "The tickets have been very reasonably priced too."

The group stage of the 14-team tournament reverts back to the format used in 1996, which will reduce the risk of the big teams making early exits, but at the cost of lack of suspense before the knockout stages begin.

World Cup cartoons

"Economically, we all know that India is the financial powerhouse of cricket," Ratnakar said. "The exit of India and Pakistan from the 2007 World Cup was a disaster for the tournament. The sponsors, broadcasters, tour operators, West Indies board - all lost a lot of money."

This time, a total of $250 million is reported to have been spent on sponsorship rights and advertising during this tournament, with the bulk of the money coming from Indian companies or the Indian arms of international companies.

The four main sponsors of the tournament are Pepsico, LG Electronics, Hero Honda Motors and Reliance Communications, while Castrol, Reebok India, Emirates, Yahoo and Moneygram are the main associate sponsors.

ICC World Cup 2011-Prediction For India

India goes into this tournament as favorite and with good reason. The side possesses quality throughout and there is no shortage of experience and exuberance. With the side playing most of its fixtures in front of lively home crowds, it could benefit from the mystical ‘12th man’ factor in the stands, too. Drawn in Group B With South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands, India has a real chance of winning the group and thus ensuring a more straightforward quarter final draw, perhaps against New Zealand. A game against Pakistan would be an awesome spectacle for home fans and neutrals alike, though.

With expectation, however, comes pressure. If India fails to perform early on in the tournament the partisan Indian crowds could turn on the side, resulting in the magnification of any cracks that appear. With the experience in the side this shouldn’t happen, but pressure and expectation can do funny things.

Ably led by MS Dhoni, India also has the luxury of players such as Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Singhs Harbhajan and Yuvraj and Zaheer Khan. Yusuf Pathan also possesses a destructive streak that can take games out of reach of the opposition and make the unwinnable winnable.

If India wins its group, it appears set to face Sri Lanka in the semis – no easy task, especially as the fixture would likely be in Colombo. The toss will be crucial as neither side would want to be batting under lights. That said, this India side, fresh from defeat in the ODI series in South Africa, will be confident of coping with any conditions and has the players to do so. This is an entirely different proposition to playing in South Africa. The prospect of a final in Mumbai will doubtless drive the side on. For us, this will be the winning team.

Key Player – Sachin Tendulkar. The Little Master sees the World Cup as being the trophy that would put the icing on the cake of his fine career. His very presence inspires those around him and he is a totemic figure in Indian cricket. If he fires, so will the Indian team. A final in his home city of Mumbai is the perfect inspiration for Tendulkar, if he needs any more inspiration, that is.

Strength – There is a lot in India’s favour; home crowds, explosive batting and canny bowlers. The side has good openers, a strong middle order and tight bowling in Khan and Harbhajan.

Weakness – For all the strength, India has a knack of losing of its way at crucial times. If the pressure mounts in front of expectant fans, some of the younger elements will need the experienced heads to see them through. If players like Sehwag and Tendulkar can be removed cheaply, India could be pulled apart.

Betting – 3/1. Favourites on merit, these are hardly tempting odds and there is perhaps better value elsewhere. Sehwag and Tendulkar are both 14/1 to top score in the tournament and India should be involved long enough to give them sufficient opportunity to fill their boots.

Agree with what we’ve got to say? How do you feel India will fare at the World Cup?

ICC World Cup 2011: Review Team Pakistan

WELL TO start of with it is actually quite absurd that a sub-continent team playing in sub-continent won't have that much pressure to perform. The reasons are obvious, ravaged by spot fixing scandals and infighting, the Pakistan cricket fraternity is on a recovery mode. And no one really expects them to give that much of a fight. With Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amer suspended, the first choice bowling attack of Pakistan is gone. With the captaincy issue yet to be resolved, the team morale won't be that high. But still a sub-continent team in sub-continent cannot be ignored.
THE SQUAD
Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Umer Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Umer Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shehzad.
THE YOUNG BLOOD
Out of the 15 chosen, 8 are those who have never been part of an event of this importance. Clearly the Pakistan selectors did not have an option and leaving out Imran Nazir reaffirms the fact that they wanted to start afresh. If we start taking the replacements for the suspended tainted trio, Ahmed Shehzad is in for Butt and Shehzad is clearly a fire brand if there was any.
He has a distinction of playing at the highest level and then going back to represent Pakistan in the Under 19 World cup. He only has one gear and that is to clear the in-field any how, he is not afraid to take on the fastest of the bowlers and even on bouncy wickets he has played some magnificent  shots on the rise. He won’t get that pace in sub-continent and moreover his 7 match experience might not be enough.
Umar Akmal, a prodigy in the making, probably a complete batsmen Pakistan have produced after the era of Saeed Anwar. Though Younis Khan is probably the best Pakistan has got at the moment. This would be the make or break tournament for Umar. And to utilise his complete ability he must be slotted at No.3 nothing below that.
Wahab Riaz, is the replacement for Mohhammed Asif and to be fair on him he is a decent catch from the bowling factory. He has not exactly filled in the shoes of Asif but his approach ahs been commendable and as with Umar it would be make or break trip that he would be making to India.
THE WORRIES
One the other hand there is Mohammed Hafeez, Pakistan selectors does seem to have a blind faith on this chap. With an average of 22 in 62 ODIs, how the hell he made it to the squad, only reason I can think of is, he is not swashbuckling as Shehzad so they assumed he would be the calmer and wiser partner.
Mohammed Amer could have been the potent weapon for Pakistan instead they had to content themselves with the old potent weapons, Shohib Akhtar. As an old war veteran, it is not his pace or form which has made him survive this long, it’s probably his never say die attitude. And this never “say die attitude” unfortunately looks good on paper or say a blog only.
Being hit for an economy of more than 8 and again coming back to bowl the full quota of overs to end up with run rate of 7 does not fit the bill for never say die attitude. That plainly is poor bowling but Pakistan selectors as I mentioned earlier tend to assume a lot of things.
Kamran Akmal, putting Kamran in the slot is just because of the poor form he is in; he tried his hands as an opener then at number 3 with no effect. In recent times, he has been very successful in the sub-continent primarily against India and his being in form would be of prime importance. He is more like Suresh Raina of Pakistan, unpredictable yet assuring figure.
Inspirational Misbah Ul Haq, is a player of calibre but I doubt his big match playing credentials.
Abdul Razzak is more of confusion; unpredictability has hovered all around his cricketing career. Not as strong a bowler he used to be but he is the variation guy of the team. He can pack a punch and on a given day could be more barbaric than Yusuf Pathan, but its all about him clicking or not. Not exactly a worry but wont put him in chances section as well.
CHANCES
Here chances have to be read as Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi. Gul is the strike bowler, best exponent of death bowling and Shahid Afridi along with Saeed Ajmal, I think is the best spinning duo in the world cup. Classic ODI spinners, with one having the knack of picking up wickets and other choking down the batsmen.
Younis Khan just cannot afford to have a bad day at the office as he would be the spine of Pakistani batting attack.
Semi-final could be the maximum they could reach but again unpredictability is what Pakistan cricket lives with.

Cricket World Cup countdown: Firsts in record book

THE TENTH edition of mega cricketing event ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is going to start from February 19 at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. Defending champion Australia and thirteen other nations will play a total of 49 matches at 13 venues during the 43 days long event.

A ten year old elephant, Stumpy is the official mascot of the 2011 Cricket World Cup. The winner and the runner-up teams of this mega event will get a total prize money of US$ 3 million and US$ 1.5 million respectively. ESPN Star Sports and Star Cricket would broadcast ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 across the globe.
Here are some interesting and unique facts of the first World Cup Cricket, which was held from  June  7 to June 21, 1975 in England.

First ever world cup match captains: Mike Denness (England) and S. Venkataraghavan (India)

First cricketer who scored a 100 in a world cup match: Dennis Amis (England) 137 runs against India

First cricketer who scored 150 in a world cup match: Glenn Turner (New Zealand) 171 runs (not out) against East Africa

First cricketer who scored a 50 in a world cup match: Keith Fletcher (England) 68 runs against India

First cricketer who hit a six in a world cup match: Keith Fletcher (England) against India

First cricketer who played full sixty overs in a world cup match: Sunil Gavaskar (India) against England at Lord's, London

First cricketer who scored a 100 in a world cup final: Clive Lloyd (West Indies)

First cricketer to claim a wicket in a world cup match: Mohinder Amarnath (India) of John Jameson (England)

First bowler who claimed 5 wickets in a world cup match: Dennis Lillee (Australia) against Pakistan

First bowler who claimed 5 wickets in a world cup final: Gary Gilmour (Australia)

First bowler who bowled a batsman in a world cup match: Madan Lal (India) bowled Dennis Amis (England)

First cricketer who was run-out in a world cup match: Ramesh Sethi (East Africa)

First wicket-keeper who picked a catch in a world cup match: Alan Knott (England) of Anshuman Gaekwad (India)

First wicket-keeper who stumped a batsman in a world cup match: Ken Wadsworth (New Zealand) stumped Frasat Ali (East Africa)

First cricketer to take a catch in a world cup match: S. Venkataraghavan (India) caught John Jameson (England)

First team which won by the margin of 200 runs in a world cup match: England against India at Lord's, London

First team which won by 10 wickets in a world cup match: India won against East Africa at Headingley, Leeds

First team which scored 300 runs in a world cup match: England against India at Lord's, London

First team which scored below 100 in a world cup match: Sri Lanka against West Indies at Old Trafford, Manchester

First cricketer who won Man-of-the-match in a world cup match: Dennis Amis (England)

First cricketer who won Man-of-the-match in a world cup final: Clive Lloyd (West Indies)

First umpires to officiate a world cup match: David Constant and John Langridge of England.