ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, 2011 Cricket World Cup, World Cup Cricket live score, live cricket score, live cricket score update, cricket live score board, Cricket live scorecard, Cricket World Cup 2011, World Cup 2011, Cricket World Cup, 2011 Cricket World Cup Schedule, 2011 Cricket World Cup photos, 2011 Cricket World Cup videos, Cricket World Cup live score, world cup 2011 tickets, world cup 2011 fixtures
MOHALI: Sale of tickets for the two ICC World Cup 2011 league matches to be played at Mohali's Punjab Cricket Association Stadium will begin on Monday at various outlets in the Tricity.
Students can avail of up to 50% discount on tickets on first-come-first-served basis by producing their identity cards. For AC lounge, the price has been fixed at Rs 5,000. Pavilion terrace tickets would cost Rs 1,500 each. For North Pavilion they would be priced at Rs 1,000.
VIP block tickets would cost Rs 500 each. Chair and student block tickets would cost Rs 100 and Rs 50, respectively. Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has set up ticket counters at the stadium. Tickets would also be available at various Central Bank of India branches at Sector 70 in Mohali, Sector 10 in Panchkula and sectors 15, 22 and 32, in Chandigarh.
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Points Table is placed here. The points table for the cricket World Cup that starts from February 19 can be found here. The 14 teams belong to either Group A or to Group B and they will play against the six other opponents in their own group.
Based on the points obtained from the six games, the top four sides in each group will make it through to the quarter-finals. This will be followed by the semi-final and the final. And the points table below will be updated after every game played by the teams.
The points table will also provide you with information on the number of games that each side has played thus played, apart from the wins, losses, abandoned games and the net run-rate for the side.
Based on this, the top four will be decided. In case of two teams having the same number of points, the team with the better net-run rate will be placed higher in the table. Cricket World Cup 2011 Points Table will be updated below automatically.
Cricket World Cup Points Table 2011
Watch ICC World Cup 2011 Points Table updated automatically. ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Team Positions & Points Tally is placed below.
LUDHIANA: Cricket fever is likely to take a heavy toll on professionalism this World Cup season. Cautioning that the coming ICC World Cup is bound to hit work productivity, leading to a loss of 768 million manhours across the major cities, a study conducted by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has revealed that absenteeism is likely to be higher than 76% among Ludhiana employees and students due to post-match celebrations or lack of sleep owing to late-night games.
The study, conducted during January and early February on 500 corporate employees and students in Ludhiana, has found out that there might be a significant drop in productivity during February-March 2011 as one in five employees plan to draw time from working hours to watch the World Cup.
'The World Cup would also immensely affect studies as the games are so scheduled that they coincide with final exams,' it adds.
As many as 40% of Ludhiana respondents indicated their intention of taking at least some time off from work. Just over half of them stated that they
planned to work shorter days for much of the month-long event, with the rest indicating that they planned either to request days off using their annual leave or simply calling in sick.
'The presence of Australian, Sri Lanka, England, South Africa and Pakistan teams in the World Cup is likely to boost the level of interest in the game. The productivity slump from the event is going to continue till March,' say ASSOCHAM analysts.
The study also finds: 'Work place productivity is bound drop as several matches are to be played during office hours.'
A majority of CEO respondents of Ludhiana contended that as watching the game is a personal decision and up to the individual, it should not come at the expense of the organization.
As many as 76% of CEOs mentioned that the companies would have a tough time dealing with their employees during such days. 'Most of the staff, even the managers, leave early to catch the match as cricket and sporting websites are blocked from their corporate networks. Employees may keep track of the scores over SMS or mobile internet but working hours are seldom completely used,' finds the study.
However, 46% of senior officers of Punjab said, 'This occasion could be ideally used as a team building and morale-boosting exercises. Companies must allow flexi hours at work, at least for the duration of World Cup. They can have TVs at work place, especially in boardroom and at workshops for employees to watch specific matches and set daily or weekly measurable milestones for employees who can take time off to watch matches once objectives are met.'
Real Picture
When asked about plans to take time off from work for the World Cup, this is what Ludhianvis had to say...
45% | Will request days off using annual leave
12% | Will not take full day off but work shorter days
30% | Will not take any time off work
Damage control: What employers can do to minimize negative impact
Have TVs at work place, especially boardroom
Encourage teamwork
Encourage business meetings via tele conferencing
Policy on frequency & conditions of WC-related absence
Develop a match roaster for popular games
Use this as team building and morale-boosting exercise
Unconvincing England edged past lowly Canada by just 16 runs in their first ICC World Cup warm-up match in Fatullah.
Stuart Broad took 5-37 on his return from injury to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as Rizman Cheema’s 93 took Canada to within sight of England’s 243.
Matt Prior rescued the England innings with 78 alongside Jonathan Trott, who passed 50, as England’s other batsman failed to fire in what was a stuttering start to their World Cup campaign.
After electing to bat, skipper Andrew Strauss was caught behind for just 1 before surprise opening partner Kevin Pietersen and Trott took the score to 50.
But Pietersen went immediately after and his dismissal sparked a worrying middle order collapse as both Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood fell in single figures.
Prior’s arrival at the crease alongside Trott temporarily steadied the ship. Their partnership reached 54 when Trott was caught, triggering another flurry of wickets as Sussex pair Michael Yardy and Luke Wright fell in quick succession to Henry Osinde.
However, Broad was on hand to offer some much-needed support to Prior and the pair put on what proved to be a vital 51-run stand.
James Tredwell and Ajmal Shahzad provided some momentum in the final overs as both reached double figures before England lost their last wicket in the final over.
Broad and Shahzad then tore through Canada’s top order to leave them reeling at 28-5, but Cheema began his demolition of the English attack with steady help from his fellow lower order.
He peppered the boundary with 10 fours and 5 sixes to fire Canada to 156 before Broad returned to remove him.
But Khurram Chohan, Hiral Patel and Harvir Baidwan calmly took Canada ever closer to the target before Broad struck again to take the final wicket of Chohan for 44 and spare Engand’s blushes.
England face Pakistan on Friday in their final warm-up match before their tournament-opener against the Netherlands on Tuesday.
India vs New Zealand (IND vs NZ) live match was kicked off on 16th February at Chidambram stadium, Chepak, Chennai at 9.00 GMT and 14.30 IST.
India decided play with their main weapons in the last warm up game against New Zealand. New Zealand won their first warm up match against Ireland looking for much better performance.
India won the toss and went in to bat first. Sachin Tendulkar (17 and Virender Sehwag (23) has opened the innings for India. They both look very comfortable until they were dismissed. Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kholi have put on hundred run partnership which. Virat Kholi (55 looses his concentration after scoring half century and went back to pavilion. Gautam Gambhir is going on very strongly and looking for ton.
Indian batting Gautam Gambhir (89) and MS Dhoni (22) are on the crease.
New Zealand bowlers have bowled really well in the initial stage and picked two important wickets of Sehwag and Sachin. It is proving that not having regular spinner Daniel Vettori have effected their bowling performance.
New Zealand bowling attack, Jacob Oram has taken two wickets and Tim Southee has got one wicket.
India Team: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kholi, MS Dhoni (c/wk),Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, R Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, S Sreesanth, Zaheer Khan.
New Zealand Team: Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum (wk), Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor (c), James Franklin, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Hamish Bennett, L Woodcock, Tim Southee, Jamie How, Kane Williamson, Daniel Vettori.
The all time awaited ICC World Cup is just around the corner and the host countries are fully prepared. ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony is scheduled to be held on 17th, 2010 at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka at 8:00 pm local time.
The Opening ceremony is believed to be one of the biggest events. Many famous artists, singers, actors from east and west will perform to entertain largest number of fans. B-town actor Salman Khan will also shake his legs at the opening ceremony along with various Bangladeshi stars, Great Canadian singer Bryan Adams and many other artists.
Bangladesh is first time co-hosting a cricket world cup. To make the ceremony more enjoyable and successful the Bangladesh Government has declared a public holiday on 17th February from 2 pm.
Cricket lovers from all across the globe have lot of expectations from the ICC World Cup 2011 and they are hopeful this event would be something to keep in mind.
Various TV channels like ESPN, STAR CRICKET will televise this opening show live from Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka. All the tickets of the ICC world cup cricket opening ceremony have been sold.
In addition to the opening ceremony, Bangladesh is going to host eight World Cup matches, four matches including two quarterfinals at the same venue as the opening ceremony and two group matches at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.
The first match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 tournament will kick off on 19th February, 2011 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. The final match will be held on 2nd April, 2011 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India.
Australia and South Africa face each other in the warm game before the Cricket world Cup 2011 at the M Chinnaswami Stadium in Bangalore on Feb 16, 2011.
Watch live score, streaming and highlights of the match. The highlights videos will be uploaded here after the match is over.
Both these teams are the favorites to win the World Cup 2011. Australia are in good form after beating England by a huge margin of 6-1 in the recently concluded ODI series in Australia, while South Africa beat India in the ODI series at South Africa.
Australia is in Group A which also has Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya.
South Africa are in Group B with India, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands.
It’s about time we had some good news associated with the ICC World Cup 2011. Mindstorm Studios, a Pakistani games development company, announced today that it has successfully developed the “Official Game” for the ICC 2011 Cricket World Cup, an event followed religiously by over a billion fans around the globe. This is an unprecedented move in Pakistan’s software industry by a self-funded startup; Mindstorm have managed to indigenously design, develop, and deliver an officially licensed title over all leading global game development companies. “We are extremely excited about creating the official title for ICC’s Cricket World Cup 2011” said Babar Ahmed, CEO Mindstorm Studios. “Cricket has long been a subject closely linked to our organization and we are thrilled to take it to the next level and be a source of pride for our nation on the digital front.” The game, “Cricket Power” (www.cricketpower.com), is the most advanced 3D browser cricket game developed to date. It features all 14 official teams along with official players, stadiums and kits, and is played directly in the browser. The game is powered by a superior cricket engine at its core, coupled with a pick-up-and-play interface to appeal to casual and core gamers alike. This is the second time the company has made waves in the Pakistani gaming industry. Many of you will remember that their previous hit title ‘Cricket Revolution’ which won the P@SHA ICT Awards in 2009 and went on to win the Silver at APICTA in Melbourne. Mindstorm Studios has raised the bar in Pakistan’s game development industry with the launch of Cricket Power. The game is being published by Karkadann Games, an Abu Dhabi Media Company subsidiary, and is currently available at www.cricketpower.com. So what is the big deal, you might ask? The big deal is that Mindstorm Studios is a young startup company from Pakistan. All the software professionals, coders, designers and the management are Pakistanis. It has received no outside funding. The team is self-taught. It has managed to cross all hurdles, conquer all challenges and emerge as a champion. Image has not stopped Mindstorm Studios from achieving their potential, from reaching their goal. It should give other young people in Pakistan hope and confidence that all one needs to do to succeed is have a dream and a plan, and to do whatever one can to execute the plan professionally and not let perceived and real challenges stand in the way. I for one take great pride in the achievements of this amazing company and I look forward to watching their growth and the continued innovation that I am sure will emerge from their studios. Let us ensure that we celebrate their achievement by posting the news on all our Facebook pages, on our blogs, on Twitter and on as many news sites as possible. Let’s unite in recognizing the brilliant work done by a team from amongst us.
England have been handed a World Cup dilemma with the news that Eoin Morgan could be back from a fractured finger sooner than expected.
Morgan was replaced in the squad last week with Ravi Bopara after sustaining the injury playing in England’s one-day series against Australia.
However the Irishman, who played for the country of his birth four years ago in the West Indies, tweeted earlier today that he no longer required surgery, making a quick return to cricket a possibility.
"Some good news this morning,"he said ontwitter."No need for an op. Pretty much healed. Will be back sooner than expected."
The 24-year-old has been his side’s most successful batsman over the last 18 months and his absence would hit the three-time finalists hard.
Team-mate Ian Bell, was full of praise for the Dublin-born player as he prepared for Wednesday’s warm-up game against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
"I'm sure he'll be as eager as anyone to be playing cricket,"Bell told reporters."He's a massive part of our one-day side, and it's disappointing not to have him here.
"I'm lucky enough that I don't have to make those decisions (whether England could have brought Morgan and hoped for the best). When he's on the field, he's been a match-winner for us over the last 12 to 18 months.
"It's sad for him not to be here, but I'm sure he's got a big future with England. He'll be back."
England are slated to play their second and final warm-up against Pakistan in Dhaka on Friday before travelling to India for their first World Cup fixture against the Netherlands in Nagpur on February 22.
England are placed in Group B alongside India, South Africa, the West Indies, the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Ireland, with the top four making it to the quarterfinals.
The world’s cricket chiefs believe that it’s “The Cup that Counts.” But sceptics argue that with the racy Twenty20 format picking up fast, the 50-over World Cup is becoming more and more irrelevant.
Whatever stands true, one thing’s for sure: from February 19 to April 2, billions of cricket fans around the globe will be glued to their television screens to watch World Cup 2011, to be played in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.
Much has happened since the last World Cup was held in the Caribbean in 2007. That event turned out to be quite a flop due to a myriad of reasons. Firstly, top draws Pakistan and India crashed out of the tournament a little too early. The format was too long and exhaustive while the Australia-Sri Lanka finale in Bridgetown, Barbados, turned out to be a farce due to umpire blunders. The 2007 World Cup was soon followed by the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 Championship in South Africa. Unlike the long, boring World Cup in the Caribbean, this new tournament turned out to be an instant success with cricket viewers all over the world. The 20-over format guaranteed action-packed matches while a nerve-wracking Pakistan-India title clash turned out to be the perfect icing on the cake.
Since then, two more editions of the ICC World Twenty20 have taken place in England (2009) and the West Indies (2010) – and both of them were successful events. That’s not all. A money-spinning Twenty20 league blessed by Bollywood glamour and cricketing firepower is also threatening to upset the applecart of One-Day cricket. The Indian Premier League (IPL), with its truckloads of dollars, has lured several top-notch cricketers. Some have even prematurely ended their international careers to fully focus on the Twenty20 spectacle.
In recent years, the debate over whether the Twenty20 format will replace 50-over matches has really caught up. Much will depend on the success of World Cup 2011. The International Cricket Council (ICC) believes that the fact that players will be representing their countries in the World Cup makes it the event that really matters. But the ICC knows that this factor alone cannot guarantee the success of this 43-day tournament. That’s precisely the reason why the event’s format has been altered with lesser teams and fewer days. The prize money has also been raised. Just months after World Cup 2007, the four host nations (Pakistan was one of the hosts at that time) mutually agreed to revise the format of the 2011 edition. It’s identical to the format of the 1996 World Cup, but with the addition of two more teams. In 1996, a total of 12 teams featured in the World Cup.
The first round of the 2011 tournament will be a round-robin league for which the 14 teams have been divided into two groups of seven teams each. The seven teams play each other once with the top four from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals. Unlike the 2007 World Cup, this format ensures that each team gets to play a minimum of six matches even if they are ruled out of the tournament due to early defeats.
The 2011 World Cup champions will walk away with a prize purse of US$3 million with the runners-up getting US$1.5 million as the ICC has decided to double the total allocation for the coveted tournament to US$10 million.
The new format has its critics. Some experts fear that most of the qualifying round matches that will run from February 19 to March 20 will be one-sided affairs. Quite likely to be true as top teams like defending champions Australia, England, India and South Africa will be playing against cricketing minnows like Canada, Netherlands, Ireland and Kenya during the round-robin. Unless there are a few mega upsets, the quarter-final line-up will be like this: Pool A – Sri Lanka, Australia, Pakistan and New Zealand. Pool B – India, South Africa, England and West Indies.
Of the other six teams, the only side with any realistic chances of making the cut for the last-eight is Bangladesh. The World Cup co-hosts will have the home advantage and can get through to the knockout stage at the expense of West Indies, who may be vulnerable. The World Cup, in effect, will start from March 23 when the quarter-finals get underway. This means that the team that manages to conserve its energy during the qualifying rounds and can peak at the right time – during the last 11 days of the tournament – will have the best chances of winning the Cup.
Making predictions about World Cup matches is always a risky business. But Newsline decided to stick its neck out and pick out the six best teams that could walk away with the Cup.
India
As one of the World Cup co-hosts with a lion’s share of the matches including the finale, India has the home advantage. But that is never really enough for a team to go all the way and India won’t solely be relying on it either. Normally, it’s the bowlers who win cricket matches but India has the sort of batting firepower that it can even live with mediocre showing from its bowling attack. With Sachin Tendulkar at the top, India has a number of master blasters like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan. They have reliability in the middle-order too, thanks to Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.
India is also brimming with spinning options for a tournament that might well be decided by spinners. They have selected three specialist spinners in the 15-man squad: Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin and Piyush Chawla. And then three more – Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan – will provide the team with good part-time options.
Pakistan
Even some of Pakistan’s most ardent supporters would find it funny to see their team included among the title favourites. After all, Pakistan has been in a major turmoil for months. Their team is far from ideal for a major assignment like the World Cup and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) added to the team’s woes by delaying naming the captain till the last moment.
But like cornered tigers, Pakistan has the tendency of becoming lethal when under pressure. Very few people gave Pakistan much of a chance when they won the World Cup in 1992 and not many believed that they would do well in 1999 when the Greenshirts featured in the final. More recently, Pakistan stunned the cricket world by winning the ICC World Twenty20 championship in England in 2009 against all odds.
What Pakistan needs is team spirit. They have match-winners like Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq, but only by playing as a well-oiled unit can the Pakistanis prove wrong the experts who are predicting a semi-final line-up comprising India, England, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Pakistan’s most potent weapon will be their spinners. They have a lot of variety with specialist spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman. Afridi is a world class leg-spinner when it comes to limited-overs cricket. They also have Mohammad Hafeez. In batting, Pakistan should get some good starts from Hafeez and Kamran Akmal at the top, with Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq providing stability to the middle-order. The big hitting trio of Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and Umar Akmal can lift the run-rate in the final stages of the innings, especially in the powerplay overs.
In Umar Gul, they have a quality bowler in the pace attack that includes Shoaib Akhtar, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir and Razzaq. On paper, they look good. But Pakistan will have to transform their potential into solid performances to shine in the World Cup.
Sri Lanka
The 2007 finalists will certainly be fancying their chances of regaining the World Cup. They’ve won it in 1996 and are perfectly placed to repeat that feat this year. Sri Lanka is a top-flight team with several quality batsmen and a number of wicket-taking bowlers. In Tillakaratne Dilshan they have an ideal opener and then there are world class batters like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.
Muttiah Muralitharan together with Ajantha Mendis forms a lethal spin partnership while Lasith Malinga has the pace and sting to floor any batting line-up on his day. Sri Lanka will try to make full use of the home conditions and look set to reach at least the last-four stage of the tournament.
England
England will go into the World Cup confident that they can finally win the coveted title. They are the form team, having won the ICC World Twenty20 crown in the Caribbean last year and, more importantly, the Ashes in Australia. They have a balanced One-Day squad with most of the batters like skipper Andrew Strauss, Jonathon Trott and Kevin Pietersen in good form. Their pace attack is good and the presence of a world class spinner – Graeme Swann – is certainly going to be an added advantage for the English side.
South Africa
Apart from the fact that they are labelled as ‘perennial chokers’ when it comes to a World Cup, everything is going right for the Proteas. They will go into the World Cup having beaten title favourites India in a keenly fought One-Day series at home. They have a perfect combination of just the right sort of batsmen – the ones who can bat as the situation demands. Jaques Kallis and skipper Graeme Smith bring loads of experience to the batting. Hashim Amla is in the form of his life while AB de Villiers and JP Duminy are all accomplished batsmen.
The bowling arsenal looks potent too with the pace of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Imran Tahir, the uncapped, Pakistan-born spinner, could be a surprise package.
Australia
The Aussies seemed down and out when they crashed to an embarrassing Ashes defeat late last year. Many thought their time was up and that after winning three World Cup crowns in a row, Australia will finally fail to retain the title this year. But by trouncing England in their One-Day series soon after the Ashes debacle, Australia has made it clear that they are very much in contention to defend the World Cup in the subcontinent. Australia is a team for the big occasion. They have the last three World Cups to their name. Their key men will be skipper Rickey Ponting and all-rounder Shane Watson. Ponting has a point to prove after leading the Aussies to an embarrassing Ashes defeat against England at home. Watson sees himself as one of the world’s best all-rounders and would certainly want to prove so at the World Cup.
THE INTERNATIONAL Cricket Cutie Award (ICC) is the new buzz for some cricket fans and for some it is not a new award. In the last version of World Cup it was introduced by the world’s top cricketers and in the inaugural it was named as Stick Cricket ICC (International Cricket Cutie) Trophy.
This trophy coincides with the ICC (International Cricket Council) Champions Trophy which will be held in India, Sri-Lanka and Bangladesh this month. More than fifty thousand cricket fans and users of internet phenomenon Stick Cricket the world's most popular online Cricket game will judge the world's top cricket cuties.
Last time, during the World Cup in 2007, the winner of the Stick Cricket ICC Trophy was bagged by supermodel Minki van der Westhuizen, who recently split from South African cricket captain Graeme Smith in a poll by Stick Cricket website.
Cricketing Wives and Girlfriends (WAGS) may not have as high a profile as their glitzier football counterparts, but the game boasts its fair share of beauty. Cricket is game of gentleman, but it get huge attraction from supermodels, actresses etc. Cricketers attract a finer class of WAG. If they are treated like demi-gods, their WAGS also consider not less than goddesses. Fans mostly vote for a sleek, hot cutie with a successful career to boot.
This time hot contenders are TV star Kacey Barnfield, girlfriend of England pace ace Stuart Broad, current leading British WAG Chantal Bastock, English batsman Ian Bell’s girlfriend, Indian Captain MS Dhoni’s wife Sakshi Singh Rawat and Jessica Taylor better half of Kevin Pietersen, English Player.
Kacey Barnfield is a star in her own right and surely gives tough ride to other WAGS. Besides featuring in the hit England TV sitcom, Inbetweeners, Barnfield is set to feature in the upcoming horror flick Lake Placid 3.
Jessica Taylor is an elegant 30-year-old pop singer and lingerie model is married to English player Kevin Pietersen. Liberty X singer is cheering on star hubby Kevin Pietersen. Taylor has put her singing career on hold to be able to accompany Pietersen on tours and look after their son Dylan who was born in May last year.
Lady Dhoni is 24-year-old wife of Indian captain Mahendar Singh Dhoni, with bloggers popping her as one of the WAG to watch out for. She is a one of the hottest Indian WAGs and has been basking in stardom since her marriage with Indian captain. Now, Indian contingent has someone upping the glam quotient exponentially, just as football WAGs do, on the global game scene. She can really makes heads turn but still have to long way to go.
Let see who will get title of the International Cricket Cutie (ICC).
THREE VERY important warm-up matches are scheduled to be held in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on Tuesday, February 15. Australia vs South Africa, Bangladesh vs Pakistan and Sri Lanka vs West Indies matches will be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur and R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo respectively.
In their first warm-up match the South Africans defeated another African country Zimbabwe by 8 wickets with 159 balls remaining at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. In an another warm-up match on Sunday February 13 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, Australia lost to India by 38 runs in a very close match.
According to the Cricket World Cup record book, since 1999 Kangaroos have won all the World Cup matches against the Proteas. During the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in Caribbean island, Australia beat South Africa by 83 runs in the final Group A match. Both South Africa and Australia once again met in the second Semi-Final match in the World Cup at the Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, where Australia beat South Africa by 7 wickets.
In the ninth warm-up match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on February 15, two south Asian countries Pakistan and Bangladesh will meet at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur. Bangladesh in its first warm-up match on Saturday February 12, beat Canada in a one-sided match by 9 wickets with 184 balls remaining. Pakistan will be playing their first warm-up match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
The 11th warm-up match scheduled in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will be played between Sri Lanka and West Indies. Both Sri Lanka and West Indies had won their first warm-up match against Netherlands and Kenya respectively. In the just concluded series between these two countries, Sri Lanka won the series of three matches by 2-0. One match was abandoned due to rain.
The 2011 World is just round the corner as the Warm up matches are started. The clash of top side of Cricket takes a new role in this World. It will be the last opportunity for some fine legend of Cricket to get their team into the Champion Crown. It will be a battle to top teams as well as Players.
The top five names of World Cricket will clash with other for the World Cup title. It will be Sachin Tendulkar, Jacueques Kallis, Shahid Afridi, Chris Gayle, Ricky Pointing These are the top five batsman of World Cricket. There will be lot of pressure on their mind in this World Cup. This will be the last World Cup of these players and they will try their best for the World Cup crown. It might good to see who will do better in this big event. They all are in good touch but The Little master Tendulkar will be up against these entire names. He had a dream run in 2010. Tendulkar is the key player and his performance will decide team India way in the World Cup.
The Australia Captain Ricky Pointing had a tough time in the recent days. He was out of form and not getting runs in any format. Now he is back in the team for his final test in this World Cup. it will be interesting to see how will Australia team defend their champion tag in this Cricket World Cup.
The West Indies Chris Gayle and Pakistan Shahid Afridi is the most destructive batsmen in the World. They always played attacking cricket in all the format of the game. It is a interesting factor that how will Afridi handle the pressure of World Cup because he is the new Captain of Pakistan team. On the other hand Gayle role in the West Indies team is a hard hitter of Cricket balls. if Gayle get going in this World Cup the West Indies team run will be easy in this big tournament.
The explosive Indian opening batsman, Virender Sehwag, commented on Friday that he planned to stay at the wicket throughout the innings of the upcoming ICC World Cup 2011. These comments came as a warning to the opposition bowlers that he is in great form and that they should be careful while bowling to him.
Sehwag is the kind of batsman who can destroy any opposition with his brilliant strokes to give his team a flying start. He has scored 7380 runs in 228 matches with 13 hundreds under his belt. Even with such a brilliant record, Sehwag has never managed to play the entire 50 overs of an innings. The longest he has been able to last at the crease is around 43 overs.
In the upcoming ICC World Cup 2011, Sehwag will definitely try to achieve the milestone of being unbeaten in 50 overs. He added that he has been trying this for 10 years but has remained unsuccessful until now.
The dynamic opener said that he never felt any pressure as his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten have always backed him to play in any style that he wants. Sehwag has always been allowed to play his shots freely and maintain his exciting natural style of play.
The main role of Sehwag is to enter the wicket and blast as many shots as possible to provide his team a confident start. He commented that if he smashes 20 off 10 or 100 off 70 or 80, then he is satisfied that he has done his job for the team.
India is still haunted by bad memories of being bumped out of the first round of the 2007 World Cup, when they were defeated by five wickets against Bangladesh. The team are now waiting impatiently for their first match against the same country to take their revenge.
Sehwag has said that the team are now charged up and waiting for the match enthusiastically against Bangladesh and that they will perform exceptionally well against them in this World Cup.
India is blessed to have a handy player like Sehwag in their team. India will benefit immensely from his aggressive batting and his clever right-arm off-spin bowling. Sehwag has taken an impressive 92 wickets in One Day Internationals. Recently, Sehwag was left out of the team with a shoulder injury during the ODI series against the Proteas. However, he is hopeful to work on his fitness and make an explosive come-back for the team.
India is placed in Group B of the upcoming World Cup, which includes Ireland, Netherlands South Africa, England and the West Indies. The team that wins three matches will qualify for the knock-out round.
It will be exciting to see how Sehwag will perform during the upcoming World Cup, as the hopes of millions of Indian cricket fans are riding on his shoulders.
Kevin Pietersen to retire from ODIs after ICC World Cup 2011
England’s prolific middle-order batsman Kevin Pietersen is planning to bid farewell to the 50-over format of the game after the ICC World Cup 2011, which is set to begin from the 19th of February, jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
According to reports, the batsman wants to concentrate on Test and Twenty20 cricket, which includes the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Pietersen was with the team during the hectic Australian tour that spanned over nearly three months. The English team then returned home only for three days and flew out to Bangladesh to begin preparing for the World Cup on 12th February.
Pietersen wants to spend more time with his nine-month-old son and wife but has realised that this will not be possible unless he quits the fifty-over game. It will however, have a significant impact on his pay because of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) clauses of loyalty and pension provision.
Pietersen has become a significant part of the English outfit and the board will not be pleased with his decision. He is believed to be a specialist One-Day player and finding his replacement will not be easy for England.
Pietersen was part of the English team that defeated the Aussies in Australia after 24 years in the Ashes series. Pietersen played a vital role in the middle order during the Ashes which helped the tourists retain the urn.
However, he will be making the decision final after thoroughly considering all options. With the presence of a lucrative league like the IPL and the growing number of Twenty20 tournaments, it is likely that he will find enough financial avenues to decide to quit ODIs.
He has had an impressive record in the subcontinent and his input will be pivotal for England if they are to win the World Cup in the subcontinent. With Paul Collingwood still struggling to find form, it will be Pietersen’s responsibility to carry the middle-order batting line-up for England. He may also come in handy with the ball, should the skipper Andrew Strauss choose to give him a couple of overs to bowl during the World Cup.
The 10th ICC World Cup (2011), which is scheduled to kickstart on February 17 at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka and to be held across Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, will witness 14 nations fighting for cricket's most prestigious prize. The host countries - Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka - are now busy in giving a facelift to the tournament venues. But this mega event is especially significant for Bangladesh. This is the first time the country is going to co-host the cricket World Cup.The spot-light is on and millions are waiting for the big moment. The cities, Dhaka and Chittagong, which are the venues of the eight games including two quarter-finals, are getting renovated.
Holding of such important matches, after the knock-out World Cup in 1998, is really rare in the history of Bangladesh. At the same time, successful holding of the matches is a big challenge for the country. Any disturbance will simply be a matter of disgrace. The authority has taken a well thought-out decision of freeing Dhaka city's major areas from beggars and hawkers as the presence of those floating people may give the foreigners a bad image regarding the country's socio-economic condition. These types of measures were also taken in the past but due to rehabilitation problems all the attempts ended in smoke. Besides freeing from floating people, smooth traffic has to be ensured.
Cricket, being a funny game, today is not only a game but also a brand and this is a rare opportunity of branding the nation by portraying it positively. Thousands of foreigners are expected to come in Bangladesh and this may brand the country as a tourism destination to the world's community.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh squad has been announced after a drama over exclusion of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. No doubt about that 100 per cent fit Mashrafee, who can add some runs quickly as a tail order, is the best fast bowler in the country. But in a tournament like World Cup, taking any risk could be very costly. Probably, excluding Mashrafe, the selectors have taken the right decision. Beating New Zealand fair and square in ODI series, Bangladesh team is in a good shape. Again, the advantage of home ground with so many supporters would boost the confidence level of the tigers.
Many times the weakness in batting, which is heavily dependent on Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, has been clearly noticed. Mohammad Ashraful, the youngest cricketer to score a century in debut Test, is the anchor of many superb victories such as against Australia, South Africa etc. He needs to check his extravagant shots. At least some runs are needed on the board to defend by the bowlers. Bangladeshi team will certainly miss the experience of Mashrafe, country's leading fast bowler, who'll be missing the World Cup due to injury. Even though the team has a good quality spin bowling attack, it lacks a class fast bowler. Bangladeshi spin bowling attack can be marked as one of the best in its own conditions. Razzak along with Shakib, the leading wicket taker in ODI in the season, has proved it many times and can beat the bats of the best players again in home conditions.
Till now, Bangladesh has always been under-rated in the cricket world but this time, especially being in good form, it can surely turn the things around. They have shown, many a time that they are capable of winning matches against the best of the world. If Kenya, being a non-Test playing nation, could make it to the semi-finals, the tigers can do the very best especially in front of so many supporters. For that, all the cylinders have to be burnt together. Let's wait and hope for the best.
DHAKA: Pakistan’s One Day International captain, Shahid Khan Afridi, started a psychological campaign against the teams participating in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on Saturday claiming Pakistan is the most dangerous team in the competition.
Afridi upbeat on his team's World Cup chances. Courtesy: Getty Images
Addressing a press conference after landing in Bangladesh city of Mirpur, Boom Boom Afridi said, “We all know how important the competition is for my country. This is a message for the other teams: No one can underestimate us. And when I said dangerous, [I meant] don’t underestimate the Pakistan team. We are with a very good bunch of youngsters and experienced players. It is good to see Kamran Akmal back in the team, Misbah-ul-Haq too is in good form and so is Younus Khan. We also have two genuine spinners and a fast bowler like Shoaib Akhtar.”
Admitting to have been disturbed by a spate of controversies in the recent past, Afridi said, “I think we’re really going through a very tough situation. But I am very happy because we are trying to rebuild the team and keep the morale high. I am confident the team is in very good shape now. We all know how important the World Cup is for us and for our country. The message for other teams is that no one should underestimate us.”
Pakistan are placed in Group A with Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Canada and will play two warm-up matches, one against Bangladesh on Feb 15 and the other against England on Feb 18 both in Dhaka.
Afridi and his men train hard ahead of World Cup. Courtesy: Reuters
The Afridi-led Pakistan will kick-start their World Cup campaign with a match against Kenya in the Sri Lankan town of Hambantota on February 23.
Pakistan’s media has recently been reporting news of rifts in the team but Boom Boom Afridi dispelled all the reports saying, “They feel hungry to win a big event and want to play good cricket and the recent wins in New Zealand had bolstered the team’s morale.”
2011 ICC World Cup - Pakistan Captain's Press Conference. Courtesy: Getty Images
“Fans would see a vastly improved Pakistan in the World Cup. Inshallah (God willing), we will achieve our goal,” Afridi said.
Afridi also put his hand right on the pulse of the cricket-mad Indo-Pak fans when he said he wanted to see Pakistan and India playing in the final of the world cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2.
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.
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.
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?
India
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
England
South Africa
Australia
