CWC 2011 50-day countdown celebrations in Cape Town

Cricket fans flocked to the picturesque and world famous V and A Waterfront in Cape Town on Friday evening to celebrate 50 days to go before the start of the game's flagship event, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The tournament begins in Mirpur, Dhaka, on 19 February with the much-anticipated opener between co-hosts Bangladesh and India. Joining the many followers of the game in Cape Town were Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat and South Africa and India captains, Graeme Smith and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The full version of the official promotional film for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 was also revealed at the press conference. This promotional film will be part of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 television marketing campaign that will go on air this month. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 trophy was later displayed at the function which concluded shortly after midnight with a spectacular fireworks display. The celebrations will continue today (Saturday) at the V and A Waterfront Shopping Centre with the fans having an opportunity to be photographed with The Cup that Counts.

Ms Zille, in her welcome address, said: "2010 will always be remembered as the year of a successful and exciting FIFA World Cup in South Africa. It is a fitting way to conclude 2010 by welcoming the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy to Cape Town." Mr Lorgat said he was delighted to see so much interest and excitement building up amongst the players and followers of the game. "With 50 days to go before cricket's flagship event starts, key players are starting to think and talk a lot more about the World Cup" "The players will soon start with their World Cup focus and preparation and the related anticipation across the world will escalate with each passing day."

With the three host nations busy with extensive preparation and recognizing that a few venues were behind schedule, Mr Lorgat urged everyone to continue with the hard work required to successfully stage a world-class event. "We must do our utmost to complete all the necessary work to deliver another memorable event," said Mr Lorgat. He also thanked the host countries and the ICC's commercial partners for their excellent work to date. South Africa captain Graeme Smith, whose side opens its campaign against two-time winner West Indies in New Delhi on 24 February, shared his excitement when he said: "I can't believe that the World Cup is only 50 days away! The spectacular way that 50 days to the World Cup was marked is a pointer to the magnitude of the event.

"As a unit, we are looking to make sure we head into the showpiece with the best preparation possible. "The five-match ODI series against India starting on 12 January will be our last chance to make sure we are fully prepared and we hope to bring home the silverware." India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he can feel the World Cup buzz around him. "With just 50 days remaining before we launch our campaign to win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, I can clearly feel and sense the tremendous excitement which is gripping the cricket fraternity," he said.

"It is not a surprise to me as it doesn't get any bigger than the World Cup. It is the ultimate dream of every cricketer to represent his country in this competition and win the glittering trophy at least once in his career. "Every one of us in the India dressing room wants to lift that cup, not only for ourselves, but also for the billions of fans supporting us around the globe. It will require a lot of hard work, self belief and also a positive approach which Team India is capable of displaying at the highest level."

Commenting on his side's preparations for the World Cup, Dhoni said: "I'm happy with our preparations so far as we have gelled well, we have backed each other all the way and have played some excellent cricket lately. But we are also aware that we need to peak at the right time and maintain a winning momentum as the competition will be tough and every team will enter the event fancying its chances.

"Each team and match will bring a fresh challenge and we will have to play to our potential every time we take the field." The charismatic India captain urged the spectators to play their part in making the event the most successful ever. He said: "I also take this opportunity to urge the India public and spectators to support the tournament and all the teams taking part in it. I would love to see every stadium packed to capacity even when we are not playing. "With billions of eyes following the World Cup on television, this would be another great opportunity for us to showcase our love and passion for this great sport. Let us all unite and make the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in the subcontinent the best ever."

ICC Annual Award Nominations

The ICC’s prestigious sixth annual awards appear to have run into a controversy with several high-profile figures from South Africa criticizing the final selection process for not including even a single South African player. The ICC Awards ceremony is now in its sixth year and this year it will be held in Johannesburg to coincide with the ICC Champions Trophy. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007) and Dubai (2008).

Majola, the South Africas national cricket board chief executive questioned the credibility of the awards and said it appeared to him that the only way to get on the shortlist was to play the Ashes.

One can raise various questions on the selection. How Graham Onions featured in the Emerging player of the year list? Before being short listed, he has played hardly 5 or 10 tests and do not have nothing great like Parnell or Duminy in him. Same applies for Ryder. They had done nothing outside their home conditions. It seems that the countries which do not play cricket in the latter part of the year will be totally forgotten.

Selection Criteria:

An ICC spokesperson said that the awards nomination “is a completely independent process in which the ICC has no says whatsoever”. The long list of nominations for the individual awards was prepared by a five-member ICC panel headed by Clive Lloyd, the ICC’s cricket committee chairman, and including Anil Kumble, Mudassar Nazar, Bob Taylor and Stephen Fleming. This list was then sent to the ICC’s independent panel of 25 members (including two South Africans) for selection of four players for each category.

Nomination is based on the period between August 13, 2008 and August 24 2009, the ICC Awards 2009 take into account performances by players and officials in that period for the game. That period includes such high-profile events as the ICC World Twenty20 in England, the ICC Women’s World Cup in Australia and the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in South Africa, as well as several bilateral Test and ODI series. While the shortlist was announced, the category winners will be known only on awards night. The votes have already been collated by Ernst and Young, who acted as independent auditors.

Highlights of ICC Awards:

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and opener Gautam Gambhir got twin nominations, while Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag were shortlisted for the ODI Player of the Year.

Gambhir, Dhoni, Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Strauss have been short-listed for the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for Cricketer of the Year.

In addition, Gambhir, Johnson and Strauss were also short-listed for the Test Player of the Year alongside Sri Lanka’s Thilan Samaraweera. Dhoni is also in contention to retain the ODI Player of the Year award he won last year as he is short-listed in that category with team-mates Yuvraj and Sehwag as well as West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

This year’s awards include eight individual prizes and also feature the selection of the Test and ODI Teams of the Year and the award to the side that has adhered most to the Spirit of Cricket. The nominees for the Women’s Cricketer of the Year are last year’s winner England captain Charlotte Edwards along with team-mate Claire Taylor and Australia’s Shelley Nitschke. The Emerging Player of the Year nominees short-list features two Australians, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle, as well as Jesse Ryder of New Zealand and England’s Graham Onions. The Umpire of the Year award was voted on by the captains and the match referees based on the umpires’ performance statistics.

ICC Awards 2009 – short lists of nominees:

Cricketer of the Year:

1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind)
2. Gautam Gambhir (Ind)
3. Mitchell Johnson (Aus)
4. Andrew Strauss (Eng)

2.Test Player of the Year:

1. Gautam Gambhir (Ind)
2. Mitchell Johnson (Aus)
3. Thilan Samaraweera (SL)
4. Andrew Strauss (Eng)

3. ODI Player of the Year:

1. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI)
2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind)
3. Virender Sehwag (Ind)
4. Yuvraj Singh (Ind)

4. Emerging Player:
1. Ben Hilfenhaus (Aus)
2. Graham Onions (Eng)
3. Jesse Ryder (NZ)
4. Peter Siddle (Aus)

5. Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year:

1. Rizwan Cheema (Can)
2. Ryan ten Doeschate (Ned)
3. William Porterfield (Ire)
4. Edgar Schiferli (Ned)

6. Twenty20 International Performance of the Year:

1. Shahid Afridi (Pak) for 51 runs and taking 2-16 against South Africa
2. Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) for scoring 96* against West Indies
3. Chris Gayle (WI) for scoring 88 against Australia
4. Umar Gul (Pak) for taking 5-6 against New Zealand

7. Women’s Cricketer of the Year:

1. Charlotte Edwards (Eng)
2. Shelley Nitschke (Aus)
3. Claire Taylor (Eng)

8. Umpire of the Year:

1. Aleem Dar
2. Tony Hill
3. Asad Rauf
4. Simon Taufel

9. Spirit of Cricket:

1. Australia
2. England
3. New Zealand
4. Sri Lanka

Tendulkar and Kallis share number-one batting spot

India batsman Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis of South Africa have jointly claimed the coveted number-one position in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen after stellar performances in the Cape Town Test which finished on Thursday. Tendulkar, who scored 146 and 14 not out, has gained one place while Kallis has been rewarded with a jump of four places for his performances of 161 and 109 not out .that earned him the man of the series and match of the match awards, to leapfrog Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara. Both the batsmen now sit on 883 ratings points, just one ahead of Sangakkara.

Tendulkar, who won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year Award 2010 at the LG ICC Awards in Bengaluru in October last year, last claimed the number-one spot on 14 October 2010 after his magnificent 214 and 53 not out against Australia also in Bengaluru. It is the 10th time that Tendulkar has claimed the number-one ranking which he first achieved in his 33rd Test in November 1994 against the West Indies in Mumbai. Kallis last surged to the top of the batting table in October 2005 after the Sydney Test against Australia while he first topped the chart after the Newlands Test against England in January 2005. He earned 77 ratings points from the series against India in which he scored 498 runs.

Also charging up the batting table are left-handed openers Alastair Cook of England and Gautam Gambhir of India. Cook, who scored a match-winning 189 in Sydney, has vaulted eight places to fifth spot. Cook had entered the Ashes in 30th position on 628 ratings point and ended the series with a career-best rating of 803 – thanks to his series aggregate of 766 runs which earned him the man of the series award. Gambhir has broken into the top 20 and he now sits in 15th position after his scores of 93 and 64 have helped him jump seven places in the latest rankings which were released on Friday. England's Ian Bell and Matt Prior have also improved their rankings after hitting centuries in England's an innings and 83 runs victory in Sydney. Bell has moved up five places to 22nd position while Prior is now in 29th position after gaining six places.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, South Africa's Dale Steyn continues to lead the pack. He is now on 899 ratings points after earning two ratings points and will now have to wait until the next Test series against Australia in September-October before he takes a shot at the 900-point mark threshold. Bowlers making upward movements include James Anderson in third (up by one place), Ishant Sharma in 15th (up by one place), S.Sreesanth in 22nd (up by four places), Ben Hilfenhaus in 24th (up by two places), Shane Watson in 32nd (up by one place) and Tim Bresnan in 36th (up by five places). There is no change in the top five of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders with Kallis leading Daniel Vettori of New Zealand by a distance.

ICC Cricket World Cup Squads

14 nations will be participating in the 10th ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011. But for Pakistan and Netherlands, all the other teams have announced their preliminary squads that will later be pruned to 15 members. Take a look.

 

Group A

Australia

Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Doug Bollinger, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, John Hastings, Nathan Hauritz, Brad Hodge, James Hopes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Steve O'Keefe, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White

New Zealand

Brent Arnel, Hamish Bennett, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Ian Butler Grant Elliott, Daniel Flynn, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, James Franklin, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Peter McGlashan, Andy McKay, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Shanan Stewart, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock, Reece Young

Pakistan

Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shahzad, Nasir Jamshed, Umar Akmal, Younus Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Sohail Tanvir, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Tanvir Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Abdul Rehman, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Salman Ahmed, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Taufiq Umar, Zulfiqar Babar, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Yasir Arafat, Yasir Shah, Aizaz Cheema, Naved Yasin and Asad Ali.

Sri Lanka

Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Dinesh Chandimal, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Farveez Maharoof, Jeevan Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Malinga Bandara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Dammika Prasad, Chaminda Vaas, Chanaka Welegedara, Nuwan Pradeep, Thilan Thushara

Zimbabwe

Elton Chigumbura, Regis Chakabva, Chamu Chibhabha, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Keith Dabengwa, Terry Duffin, Craig Ervine, Sean Ervine, Greg Lamb, Timycen Maruma, Tino Mawoyo, Hamilton Masakadza, Shingirai Masakadza, Keegan Meth, Chris Mpofu, Tawanda Mupariwa, Natsai Mushangwe, Forster Mutizwa, Njabulo Ncube, Ian Nicolson, Tinashe Panyangara, Ray Price, Ed Rainsford, Vusi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams

Canada

Ashish Bagai (capt), Waleed Ahmad, Manny Aulakh, Akshay Bagai, Harvir Baidwan, Trevin Bastiampillai, Umar Bhatti, Grant Broadhurst, Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan, John Davison, Parth Desai, Jeremy Gordon, Tyson Gordon, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Amabhir Hansra, Sandeep Jyoti, Nitish Kumar, Usman Limbada, Henry Osinde, Hiral Patel, Cecil Pervez, Balaji Rao, Manrick Singh, Junaid Siddiqui, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Zubin Surkari, Hamza Tariq, Karl Whatham, Zameer Zaheer

Kenya

Ragheb Aga, Duncan Allan, Runish Gudhka, Jimmy Kamande, Irfan Karim, Karan Kaul, Irfan Karim, Peter Kituku, Alfred Luseno, Tanmay Mishra, James Ngoche, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, David Obuya, Collins Obuya, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Nelson Odhiambo, Thomas Odoyo, Lucas Oluoch, Peter Ongondo, Joseph Onyango, Lameck Onyango, Elijah Otieno, Morris Ouma, Kennedy Owino, Rakep Patel, Vinit Shikotra, Steve Tikolo, Hiren Varaiya, Seren Waters, Dominic Wesonga

 

Group B

India

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, M Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Saurabh Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Parthiv Patel, R Ashwin, Wriddhimaan Saha, Dinesh Karthik, Shikhar Dhawan, Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla, Cheteshwar Pujara, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar

South Africa

Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Alviro Peterson, Loots Bosman, Jacques Rudolph, Morne van Wyk, Jonathan Vandiar, JP Duminy, David Miller, Colin Ingram, Albie Morkel, Robin Peterson, Mark Boucher, Thami Tsolekile, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Johan Botha, Ryan McLaren, Charl Langeveldt, Rusty Theron, Ethy Mbhalati, Roelef van der Merwe, Johan van der Wath

Bangladesh

Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Roqibul Hassan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Nazmul Hossain, Naeem Islam, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Abdur Razzak, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Shahriar Nafees, Nazimuddin, Shamsur Rahman, Jahirul Islam, Sahagir Hossain, Syed Rasel, Shahadat Hossain, Mahbubul Alam, Dolar Mahmud, Mithun Ali, Nasir Hossain, Shuvogoto Chowdhury, Shabbir Rahman, Alok Kapali, Enamul Haque Jr.

West Indies

Lionel Baker, Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh Jr, Sulieman Benn, Dave Bernard Jr, Tino Best, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kirk Edwards, Chris Gayle, Ryan Hinds, Jason Holder, Anthony Martin, Nikita Miller, Nelon Pascal, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shane Shillingford, Devon Smith, Gavin Tonge, Devon Thomas.

England

Andrew Strauss, James Adams, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara , Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Steven Davies, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, James Hildreth, Craig Kieswetter, Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Matt Prior, Adil Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad, Darren Stevens, Graeme Swann , James Tredwell, Chris Tremlett, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy

Ireland

William Porterfield, Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Phil Eaglestone, Allan Eastwood, James Hall, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, Rory McCann, John Mooney, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, Andrew Poynter, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Regan West, Gary Wilson, Andrew White, Craig Young.

Netherlands

Peter Borren, Wesley Baressi, Mudassar Bukhari, Atse Buurman Tom Cooper, Tom de Grooth, Alexei Kervezee, Bradley Kruger, Bernard Loots, Adeel Raja, Pieter Seelaar, Eric Swarczynski, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Berend Westdijk, Bas Zuiderent, Tom Heggleman, Andrew Hoogstraten, Muhammad Kashif

Source: India Syndicate

India announce 30-man Squad for ICC Cricket World Cup; Superstars all in

The All India Senior Selection Committee met in Mumbai today to pick the thirty probables for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. There were no real surprises in the 30 member squad, with the only noteworthy exclusion being former Indian allrounder Irfan Pathan. The selectors have till 19th January to trim the squad to 15, and that will undoubtedly be a much tougher challenge.

The 30-member shortlist includes 12 batsmen which will probably be cut down to half, with most of the team pretty much picking itself. Players like Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina are only likely to lose their places to injury at such a late stage.

There are 4 wicketkeepers in the preliminary squad, with Parthiv Patel, Wriddhiman Saha and Dinesh Karthik joining the skipper MS Dhoni. Karthik's inclusion is a bit of a surprise after he was overlooked for the home series against New Zealand last month. Chances are that if India does decide to go with two keepers, Parthiv Patel will get the nod as Dhoni's deputy.

Only two allrounders have been selected in the preliminary squad, and Yusuf Pathan after his belligerent century against New Zealand would be the firm favourite to make the World Cup squad. Ravindra Jadeja though could still sneak in as a bowling allrounder.

There are 5 specialist spinners and 7 medium pacers in the bowling unit. India are likely to pick at most 2 spinners - Harbhajan Singh and R Ashwin - the leading candidates. There could be 4-5 seam options, with Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel the only two bowlers almost certain of a spot, injury permitting. The other places could well depend on how the players perform in the run up to the World Cup, and the composition of the final 15.

The list of probables is as follows:·

Batsmen: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Sourav Tiwary, M Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan.

Wicketkeepers: MS Dhoni, Parthiv Patel, Wriddhiman Saha, Dinesh Karthik.

Spinners: Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla, Pragyan Ojha.

Medium pacers: Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar.

Allrounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan.

England name preliminary squad for 2011 Cricket World Cup

England have unravelled their preliminary 30-member squad a day before the December 19 deadline set by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The deadline is December 19 for all participating teams except Pakistan, what with the troubled Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) struggling with match- and spot-fixing scandals that have forced them to delay their squad announcement. The ICC has given the PCB till January 5 to announce the Pakistan squad.

The English squad consists mostly of national players who have impressed in the T20 and ODI formats as well as done well in domestic competitions in England. "We have selected a squad of players with a strong track record in limited-overs cricket either for England or in the domestic game,” said national selector Geoff Miller. “Recent series have shown we have made progress in one-day cricket and we will be looking to continue this form during next year's World Cup and challenge for another global title."

The squad also includes Matthew Prior and Alastair Cook, who are not part of England’s current ODI team and will not be taking part in the limited-overs series in Australia that will follow the current Ashes series after it concludes at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 6. That seven-match ODI series will end on February 6 at the WACA Ground, mere days before the start of the World Cup, by when England’s final 15 for the tournament will have already been named. The injured Stuart Broad has also been named in the 30-man squad despite being ruled out of the rest of England’s tour of Australia.

James Adams, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, James Hildreth, Michael Lumb and Darren Stevens, all of whom are yet to be given a run at the ODI stage, have also been named but are unlikely to be included in the final team. Lumb and Craig Kieswetter, who have both of late been labelled T20 specialists only, have also been included in the 30-man squad.

A surprise call-up has been Samit Patel, the all-rounder from Nottinghamshire who played well for England in the few opportunities he got but failed to cement his place due to fitness troubles. Many believe that Patel does not have the requisite attitude towards the game, despite his obvious talent. But Miller had words of encouragement for the overweight cricketer.

"Samit Patel has also been included in this preliminary squad and - along with every other player named - will be required to meet individual fitness criteria before the squad is finalised," said Miller. "There is still some time to pass before the final squad is selected so all 30 players have sufficient time to press for selection."

Another surprise recall, along with Patel, is fast bowler Liam Plunkett, whose career tapered off after an impressive debut in the 2005 series against Pakistan.

England has yet to win the most coveted prize in ODI cricket, despite making it to three finals.

The 30-man squad announced for England is as follows:

Andrew Strauss (Middlesex, capt), James Adams (Hampshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Alastair Cook (Essex), Steven Davies (Surrey), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), James Hildreth (Somerset), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Michael Lumb (Hampshire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Liam Plunkett (Durham), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Chris Tremlett (Surrey), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex), Michael Yardy (Sussex)

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to see 50 per cent increase in ad rate over last season

ESS lines up special Hindi feed for select matches, HD production and live match coverage through 3G mobile streaming for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. With the 2011 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup taking place in India, the TV ad rates for the game have gone up by at least 50 per cent over what it had commanded in its last season. An increase in television viewership fragmentation and the year-on-year inflation in media ad rates (approximately 12 per cent in print and TV) are the influencers that have caused the augmentation in the pricing, media pundits state.

A top media executive says on conditions of anonymity, "The channel is commanding Rs 4-5 lakh per 10 seconds, while the sponsors are paying about Rs 3.5 lakh. This is a large increase over what the tournament had witnessed in the last season." For the record, ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 was the ninth edition of the tournament and took place in the West Indies on March 13-April 28, 2007. SET Max was the official broadcaster in India. On the viewership front, ESPN-STAR Sports (ESS), the official broadcaster, has already syndicated the rights of the tournament to more than 200 territories so far, in a bid to reach out to at least a billion viewers.

In India, media observers believe that if India continues to remain in its current fine form, thereby increasing the audience expectations about winning the World Cup, the viewership of the tournament could bring in as much eyeballs as the peak viewership figures of the last IPL. Additionally, ESS has also lined up mega plans for the ICC Cricket World Cup in a bid to present it in an entertaining and engaging manner to garner maximum viewership.

Shot in high definition (HD) format, the 2011 edition of the tournament will introduce live match coverage by 3G mobile streaming in India. The matches will be covered by 27 cameras, including innovative features such as movable slip cameras and new low 45 degree field cameras. The production will also have a mid-wicket camera position for live running between wickets.

Manu Sawhney, managing director, ESPN-STAR Sports, states in an official communiqué, "At ESPN-STAR Sports, we are launching many first of its kind initiatives during this edition, including a special Hindi feed for select matches, HD production and live match coverage through 3G mobile streaming." Meanwhile, ESS' bouquet of networks, including ESPN-STAR Sports and STAR Cricket, will telecast all the 49 matches of the ICC World Cup 2011, starting February 19, 2011. In addition, 37 matches will be simultaneously telecast in Hindi on STAR Sports.

With an eye to reach out to a billion viewers, ESS has already syndicated the rights of the tournament to more than 200 territories so far. Sawhney says, "In India, we have had a very positive response for this marquee property as advertisers fully realise the significance of the event and its traction amongst fans in the subcontinent. Sponsors such as Sony, Pepsi, Maruti Suzuki, CEAT, Phillips, Nokia and others have already come on board and we are in discussions with many others." On the marketing front, ESPN-STAR Sports is working closely with ICC for the creative execution and media implementation of the communication campaign, 'The Cup That Counts'.

"The high decibel 360 degree campaign involves key players from the three host nations and will be breaking in Indian media very soon," Sawhney says. As far as programming is concerned, the channel has lined up 2500 hours of lead up programming and 150 hours of original content, in addition to the highlights package. The lead up programming will come under various titles, including 'Versus', 'World Cup Upsets', 'Epic Encounters', 'Advantage Australia', 'Gameplan' and 'Road to the Final'. ESS is also showcasing highlights of all the earlier editions of the World Cup ('75, '79, '83, '87, '92, '96, '99, 2003 and 2007).

Also, the production effort will see ESPN-STAR Sports deploying six OB units - one each in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and four in India - with a production crew of more than 350 on board. The production task will involve taking more than 2000 domestic flights, along with 350 international ones. More than 13,000 room nights will be consumed by the sports broadcaster's crew while covering the mega event.