England beat the Netherlands by six wickets

England beat the Netherlands by six wickets in their opening Cricket World Cup match at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium here today.

Brief Scores:

The Netherlands: 292 for six in 50 overs (Ryan ten Doeschate 119, Tom Cooper 47; Graeme Swan 2/35, Stuart Broad 2/65).

England: 296 for 4 in 48.4 overs (Andrew Strauss 88, Jonathan Trott 62; Ryan ten Doeschate 2/47).

Teams:

England: Andrew Strauss (Capt), Kevin Pietersen, IJL Trott, IR Bell, PD Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior (WK), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson.

Netherlands: AN Kervezee, W Barresi†, TLW Cooper, RN ten Doeschate, B Zuiderent, TN de Grooth, PW Borren(Capt), Mudassar Bukhari, PM Seelaar, BP Loots, BA Westdijk

Afridi desperate to avoid repeat of upsets

Pakistan face Kenya in their opening World Cup match tomorrow, desperate to atone for their tragedy-hit 2007 tournament.
Four years ago, Pakistan suffered an embarrassing three-wicket defeat by Ireland and crashed out in the first round. Captain Shahid Afridi said his team will take all opponents here seriously.
“There have been so many upsets in the World Cup in the past, like the one against Ireland four years ago,” said Afridi. “So we have that in mind and we will be on our toes in every match, be it Kenya or Sri Lanka.”
Waqar staying clear of controversy
Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said that the spot-fixing scandal, which sparked lengthy bans for three players, will not haunt his embattled team at the World Cup.
“I don’t think it will haunt Pakistan at all,” said Waqar. “We all know that we have been through tough times in the recent past but that does not mean that we don’t have talent. “Despite the problems we are a good enough team to beat anybody.”
Meanwhile, Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said his team was looking forward to their first real test in the World Cup against Pakistan after crushing Canada in their opening match.
“We’re looking forward to our next match against Pakistan who are a very good side,” said Jayawardene. “Pakistan have got some great individual players and we know how dangerous they can be, so we have to prepare ourselves and go in with a very positive mindset.”

Netherlands VS England aiming to prove associates belong in World Cup

We are still waiting for a close game in the World Cup and England will be fervently hoping that this pattern remains. On Tuesday they take on the Netherlands in one of those matches that the professionals dread. Victory is expected, but never applauded. Defeat would be a calamity. The usual truism on these occasions is that the minnows have "nothing to lose" and therefore they have the luxury of a pressure-free game.

This is not quite the case on Tuesday.. There has already been much debate and considerable opposition to the fact that the next World Cup will comprise 10 teams rather than 14. The associate sides feel locked out. The Netherlands coach, Peter Drinnen, has explained their position. "The gains of playing against full members are significant. It is so important that we keep getting those opportunities as that only enhances our development and increases our progress."

To justify playing in the World Cup, however, the matches have to be competitive. So far Kenya and Canada have been thrashed so decisively that the games have offered a dreadful spectacle, albeit a brief one in Chennai where New Zealand beat Kenya with 252 balls to spare. So, curiously, there is an unusual pressure on the Netherlands for this game: to fly the flag for the little teams.

An alternative view – and apparently a minority one, which happens to be mine – is that the World Cup, a tournament whose attractions have withered over the past decade, is so diminished by so many one-sided contests that its very existence is jeopardised. Cricket cannot afford many more of these mis-matches.

The Twenty20 World Cup is a more appropriate place for associate sides to play the big boys and that is what is planned. Moreover, an arrangement that required the full member countries to play a certain number of 50-over games against associates would be a much better way of giving the minnows experience.

Andrew Strauss, speaking at the out-of-town stadium, which is expected to be very sparsely populatedfor the match, stressed that his side will give the Netherlands "due attention and respect. We will take nothing for granted".

For these games the backroom analysts earn their corn. The England players will know a bit about Ryan ten Doeschate of Essex and Alexei Kervezee of Worcestershire; Tom Cooper has one-day experience – and success for South Australia. Peter Borren and Wesley Barresi have full time contracts with the Netherlands. Otherwise, the opposition are amateurs. Those analysts may not dwell too long on the fact that the Netherlands famously defeated England at Lord's in the first match of the World Twenty20 in 2009, an outcome that is much more likely the shorter the game.

Strauss was determinedly upbeat ahead of the game, despite the recent exertions of his team. "We are very excited. The World Cup is one of those events that capture the imagination, especially in India. And arriving in a new country is a good way of refreshing."

Strauss has a new opening partner in Kevin Pietersen. "We have been thinking about that idea for a while, especially in the subcontinent," he said. "He did not need any persuading to do it; in fact he was very keen."

Another key player for England over the next six weeks should be Graeme Swann, who arrived in India on Sunday after witnessing the birth of his first child, Wilfred. "He's a bit jetlagged – and elated – and like everyone else is available for selection," said Strauss.

England are eager for the penetration that Swann might bring to the middle overs on pitches around India and Bangladesh that are bound to favour spinners. It would be very surprising if Swann were not pitched into the team straightaway for two good reasons: he needs the practice and England need his flair.

Strauss has one dilemma when selecting his best team. He must choose between the doughty Michael Yardy and the flighty Ravi Bopara. It is an interesting choice, leaving aside the different attributes of the two. Does he go for the archetypal, gritty old pro, who is solidly dependable, or the more gifted, but more wayward Bopara? It should not make much difference against the Netherlands, but it might later in the tournament.

Australia v Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe pin hopes on spin

Australia v Zimbabwe, Group A, World Cup 2011, Ahmedabad

Zimbabwe's coach, Alan Butcher, thinks it's unlikely his team will beat the defending champions on Monday. The captain of Australia, Ricky Ponting, is not expecting a surprise loss. The bookmakers have Australia as almost unbackable favourites. But somewhere in the back of the minds of this Zimbabwe group is a sliver of hope, the knowledge that upsets can happen.

And that if their three spinners can make use of an Ahmedabad pitch that could provide assistance, it might be just enough to bring Australia back down to a more even footing. Of course, everything must go right for Zimbabwe, who have not beaten Australia in an ODI since their shock win at the 1983 World Cup. Everything would also need to go wrong for Australia, who have not lost a World Cup match since 1999, back in the era of Steve Waugh and Alistair Campbell.

"The longer a winning run goes, the closer it must be to coming to an end," Butcher said on Sunday. "It may not be us that ends it but someone has got to. All we've done is tried to prepare as well as we can, on the basis that if we play as well as we can in six matches during this World Cup, we can't do any more than that. If on the way one or two of the big sides have a bad day and slip up, hopefully we will take advantage of that.

"If we play confidently, play our best cricket and Australia don't, then we may have a chance. Let's be honest, if both sides play their best cricket, it's very likely that we'll lose."

Butcher is nothing if not a realist. But the Zimbabweans have kept an eye on Australia's performance during the warm-up matches, when they struggled against top-quality spin. Ray Price, Prosper Utseya and Graeme Cremer are not quite the same as Harbhajan Singh, but spin is the strength of Zimbabwe and Australia will need to force the pace for much of their innings.

It's nearly seven years since the teams have met in a one-day international, although the Australians will remember with frustration being upset by Zimbabwe at the 2007 World Twenty20. In the past year, Zimbabwe have had ODI wins against India, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh, so they know how to beat good teams, but Ponting is confident his side will have their measure.

"We had a good team meeting last night and talked about all their players, individually, and went through batters and bowlers," Ponting said. "They've got a lot of spin options, even a couple of part-time spinners and a quality left-arm offspinner and a legspinner as well, that I wouldn't be surprised if they play.

"We've had a good look at them. We know what their strengths and weaknesses are. We've also seen their record, and their record is not that strong either, and that's against some of the smaller nations. We'd expect to play well tomorrow and hopefully get the tournament off on the right note."

And after powerful performances from India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka against weaker sides in the opening matches of the tournament, it seems likely Australia will continue the trend. Zimbabwe's most ardent fans might say that it means a surprise is due.

New Zealand Complete World Cup Rout Of Kenya

New Zealand opened their Cricket World Cup campaign by routing Kenya to pick up a one-sided ten-wicket victory in their Group A game in Chennai.

After Kenya were dismissed for a paltry 69 in 23.5 overs, New Zealand raced to 72 without loss in just eight overs to get their campaign off to a winning start.

Kenya won the toss but were quickly in trouble, losing Alex Obanda for six, although they managed to reach 40 before New Zealand's bowlers precipitated a huge collapse.

Hamish Bennett returned four for 16 by dismissing Seren Waters (16), Collins Obuya (14), Steve Tikolo (2) and Morris Ouma (1) to leave Kenya at 49 for five.

Jacob Oram then played his part, removing Jimmy Kamande and Thomas Odoyo - both for two - and after Tim Southee bowled Nehamiah Odhiambo and had James Ngoche trapped in front, both men failing to score, Oram completed figures of three for two when he had Elijah Otieno caught by Scott Styris for a duck.

Southee returned three for 13 from six overs and New Zealand were barely challenged during their run chase, scoring at nine runs per over as they finished off the job swiftly.

Martin Guptill was unbeaten on 39 in 32 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes while opening partner Brendon McCullum made 26 not out in 17 balls.

Kenya's next match is against Pakistan on 23rd February while New Zealand are next in action when they play Australia on 25th February.

Cricket World Cup 2011: Sri Lanka vs. Canada Live!

Sri Lanka vs. Canada Live: 1996 champions Sri Lanka host minnows Canada at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota for the third match of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. The newly built arena is a venue that both sides know nothing about because no one has ever played on it.

The Lions are one of the favorites to win the World Cup, but skipper Kumar Sangakkara vowed not to take the Canadians lightly. Sangakkara said: “I am sure all of them (the smaller teams) are capable of doing something special when the occasion comes. You have to be very wary of these sides and make sure you play your best when you play them.”

And according to specialist batsman Mahela Jayawardene, who will be playing in his fourth and probably his last World Cup, it would be a “big disappointment” if Sri Lanka fails to win the competition.

This will be only the second time these teams are meeting in the One Day International format. In the 2003 World Cup, the North Americans were shot out for 36. It was the shortest match played in World Cup history lasting just 23.2 overs in total with Sri Lanka winning with nine wickets in hand inside five overs.

However, the entire cricketing infrastructure in Canada has improved since then. The North Americans, who had to win a playoff against Afghanistan to reach this tournament, had a pretty decent performance against England in their second warm-up match after beating the Netherlands in their first game by four wickets.

England, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and India are the toughest teams. But we think Pakistan is really the dark horse, a team that can change the outcome of this tournament.

UPDATE:  Sri Lanka defeated Canada by 210 runs. Tillakaratne Dilshan scored 50 runs for the Lions, while Rizwan Cheema led Canada’s reply with 37.

India Vs Bangladesh - Cricket World Cup 2011

The first match of World Cup Cricket 2011 is being played between India and Bangladesh. The teams belong to group B of world cup cricket teams.

Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field first. Fielding decision was decided for taking benefit from dew while batting in headlights. Both Captains had admitted before the start of the match that the game was going to be affected due to dew in evening.

While batting first, Virendra Sehwag scored an impressive 175 runs on behalf of India. Virat Kohli was the other man to chase 3 figure of runs. Dhoni at the place of Suresh Raina chose Kohli; Kohli proved that Dhoni was correct in his decision. The Little Master, Sachin Tendulkar, lost his wicket while running with Sehwag. He made 28 runs. Gambhir scored 39 runs; Mohmudullah bowled him out. Sehwag scored 175 runs when Bangladeshi bowler bowled him out. At the end of their innings, India scored 370 runs against Bangladesh. Bangladeshi crowd could not greet their team due to the Indian domination of the match.

In reply to Indian inning, Bangladeshi bowlers took an impressive start. Sri Santh was the most expensive bowler up to the 5th over of Match. He gave 24 runs in fifth over of the Bangladeshi Inning. Bangladesh had crossed 50 run mark in first five overs of the game. Tamim Iqbal was the top scorer with a score of 70 runs. Shakib Al Hassan who scored 55 runs followed him.

How To WATCH The Cricket World Cup Online: Live Cricket Streaming

Now that we've got you all excited for the 2011 Cricket World Cup, we should probably tell you WHERE you can actually watch it.

If you're in America your options are a little limited, in that you need a satellite dish. DirectTV and Dish Network have "Cricket Ticket" packages that you can purchase for all your wicket needs. But you're not going to see it on ESPN or any other cable stations.

The rest of you will have to go online. Willow TV is the only official online broadcaster in the United States. They charge $129 for the entire Cup, but you can watch it live on any browser or mobile device.

If you're not quite ready to plunge into that, you can try to find one of many pirated streams. A simple Google search will bring up dozens, but don't pay for these, as they aren't entirely legit and will probably get shut down on a regular basis.

For more commentary, try these live blogs. (Here's an explanation of how scoring is displayed, if you're still confused.)

Failing that, you can try to find a British, Australian, Indian, Pakistani, or other South Asia-themed bar some where in your area and hope they have access to a Sky Sports or some other international channel. Hurry now and you can still catch the second-half ... sorry, second inning ... of India-Bangladesh!

Here's a list of cable and internet providers for all regions of the globe >

Here's a schedule of all the future matches  >

Sehwag Opens Cricket World Cup In Style

Picture Supplied by Action Images
Indian batsman Virender Sehwag took strike to the opening ball of the Cricket World Cup 2011 against Bangladesh, and promptly opened proceedings in style by hititng it to the boundary.

India had been put into bat by co-hosts Bangladesh but Sehwag overcame the run out of opening partner Sachin Tendulkar to register the tournament's first century, as well as hitting the tournament's first six.

Cricket World Cup: England breeze past Pakistan

England cruised to a 67-run win in their final ICC World Cup warm-up match against Pakistan in Fatullah.

Stuart Broad sparkled again, taking five wickets after Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen struck half centuries as England set Pakistan 274 for victory.
Collingwood also contributed with the ball with his three wickets helping dismiss for Pakistan for just 206.
Pakistan, who opted to rest Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi, elected to field and once again England captain Andrew Strauss fell cheaply, this time to the pace of Shoaib Akhtar.
Jonathan Trott was also dismissed in single figures however Pietersen looked solid alongside Bell.
Pietersen raced to his half century before Bell eventually departed for 39 which brought the out-of-form Collingwood to the crease.
But the Durham man appeared to find his touch, playing his way towards his half century despite the loss of Pietersen for 66.
Ravi Bopara offered good support to Collingwood with a quick-fire 35 before Matt Prior contributed with a late 24 before the tail folded with Wahab Riaz claiming three wickets.
Just as he did against Canada, Broad tore through the Pakistan top order with only Younis Khan offering any resistance.
The middle order all got starts but failed to kick on with Collingwood’s change of pace stalling a fightback.
Broad retuned to remove Khan for 80 and with his exit went Pakistan’s chance of victory, falling 67 runs short.
Collingwood admitted it was a relief to be back among the runs following his first 50 in any form of cricket for three months after the victory.
“On a personal note, it was nice to get some runs,” he afterwards. “It’s been quite a frustrating few months for me, not being able to contribute as much as I would have liked.
“Even though it was a warm-up game, I thought it was important I spent some time in the middle and tried to get that confidence going again – and thankfully, it worked out well.”
England now begin the preparations for their group opener against the Netherlands on Tuesday.

Cricket World Cup Predictions: The Leading Run-Scorer

Who will be the Leading Run-Scorer in the 2011 Cricket World Cup?

Matt Wood
In order to be the leading runscorer, a batsman must have three things going for him: a top of the order role, a successful team giving them plenty of opportunities to score and the ability to read and respond to flat subcontinental pitches. So of all the obvious candidates, that eliminates Chris Gayle. Other than that, all the usual suspects have form at being able to master lower-tempo pitches: Gambhir, Amla, Watson, the Little Master, Sangakkara and Dilshan. Dilshan’s form has been consistently excellent over the past two years so has a strong chance to carrying off top honours, while both Gambhir and his opening partner Sehwag will score heaps. Gambhir’s more circumspect and as such, probably more liable to convert his runs into big, big scores. Man-crush and all, you can bet your bottom dollar that Dave’s going to opt for one of the top two, Amla, so I’m happy to plump for another Sri Lankan: their maestro captain Kumar Sangakkara. Had he been born in any other country he’d probably receive his just due: possibly the second-best keeper/batsman ever to play the game.

WC Leading Run-Scorer Prediction: Kumar Sangakkara

Subash Jayaraman
The requirements to be a top run getter needs those of the top wicket takers (deep run, weak opposition) and in addition, someone batting at the top of the order. That puts the following on my radar: Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting, Tillekaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Hashim Amla, Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, Mohammed Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Chris Gayle, Tamim Iqbal and well of course, Sachin Tendulkar. Of these, only Sachin Tendulkar has actually accomplished the task of being the top run getter in a tournament. Twice (1996 and 2003). Sehwag, Dilshan, Tharanga, Ryder, Hafeez, Iqbal and Shehzad are very good, aggressive and explosive batsmen and can single-handedly take the game away from the opposition, but I do not think are as consistent as is required to be top run getters. That leaves us with the usual suspects. Since I already picked Muralitharan based on the “swan song” theme, let me pick Tendulkar as the top run getter as this surely is the last time he will be playing ODIs for India. Plus, there is an oddity that caught my eye. He is the top run getter every other tournament. Since he wasn’t the highest run maker in 2007, surely 2011 sets up for him.

WC Leading Run-Scorer Prediction: Sachin Tendulkar

David Siddall
One billion people in the subcontinent and probably even more elsewhere are hoping for a fairytale World Cup for the “little master” Sachin Tendulkar, the most complete one day batsmen of all time. Sachin could easily hit 3 centuries in the tournament bringing up his 100 hundreds in all formats of cricket and guide India to a famous World Cup victory. You couldn’t write the script any better. You can’t help but feel that it is even likely when you consider the Bradmanesque twilight years of his career. But another candidate likely to pile on the runs in the sub-continent is a South African in a similar rich vein of form by the name of Hashim Amla. Averaging 60 in ODIs at a strike rate of 93 and the ability to bat right through the inning (as a conversion rate of 7 hundreds and 12 fifties testifies), he can only be described as a run machine. From the turn of 2010 to the present day he’s scored 1300 runs at an average of 72 and recorded 6 centuries.

Other notable candidates can be found and are scattered throughout the meaty middle orders of India, South Africa and Sri Lanka along with the likes of in form Jonathan Trott and Shane Watson. You also have a feeling that KP decides to show up when something is actually at stake. But Hashim Amla is the one to watch in these stakes for me.

WC Leading Run-Scorer Prediction: Hashim Amla

ICC bans Salman Butt,Muhammad Asif & Muhammad Amir

The ICC tribunal has announced a sanction of ten years' of ineligibility for Salman Butt (with five years of a suspended sentence); seven years for Mohammad Asif (with two years suspended) and five years' ineligibility for Mohammad Amir.

The announcement on Saturday evening followed a day of deliberations in Doha between the three-man tribunal - comprising Michael Beloff QC, Sharad Rao and Justice Albie Sachs - and the players and their legal teams.

The tribunal released a statement after announcing the decision. The full text is reproduced below:

'The independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal which has been hearing the cases of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif under the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel had adjourned on Tuesday 11th January 2011 after a six day hearing.

'The Tribunal reconvened today for further submissions and thereafter announced the following decisions.

'The Tribunal found that the charge under Article 2.1.1 of the Code that Mr Butt agreed to bat out a maiden over in the Oval Test match played between Pakistan and England from 18 to 21 August 2010 was dismissed, whereas the charge under Article 2.4.2 that Mr Butt failed to disclose to the ICC's ACSU the approach by Mr Majeed that Mr Butt should bat a maiden over in the Oval Test was proved.

'The Tribunal found that the charges under Article 2.1.1 of the Code that (respectively) Mr Asif agreed to bowl and did bowl a deliberate no ball in the Lord's Test match played between Pakistan and England from 26 to 29 August 2010, Mr Amir agreed to bowl and did bowl two deliberate no balls in the same Test, and Mr Butt was party to the bowling of those deliberate no balls, were proved.

'We impose the following sanctions:

'On Mr Butt a sanction of ten years ineligibility, five years of which are suspended on condition that he commits no further breach of the code and that he participates under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of Anti-Corruption education.

'On Mr Asif a sanction of seven years ineligibility two years of which are suspended on condition that he commits no further breach of the code and that he participates under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of Anti-Corruption education.

'On Mr Amir sanction of five years of ineligibility.

'No further sanctions are imposed on any player and no orders are made as to costs.

'The Tribunal has recommended to the ICC certain changes to the Code with a view to providing flexibility in relation to minimum sentences in exceptional circumstances.

'The Tribunal note that it is for the ICC, whether and if so when, the fully reasoned decision in respect of the breaches of the Code and of the sanctions imposed in consequence should be published.

'It is our strong and unanimous view that it is in the interests of all concerned in the world of cricket that publication should take place as soon as possible.'

ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 Full Schedule

THE BIGGEST cricketing event, ICC World Cup Cricket 2011, which is jointly being organised by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is going to start from February 19 at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. Mega final of the biggest cricket event is scheduled to be played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2. Stumpy, an elephant is the official mascot for the Cricket World Cup 2011.

Fourteen countries, which are participating in the World Cup Cricket 2011 are divided into two groups. In group 'A' including host Sri Lanka others are including Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Canada, whereas in group 'B' South Africa, West Indies, England, Netherlands and Ireland are there other then host India and Bangladesh.

During the 43 days long ICC World Cup Cricket 2011, total of 49 matches will be played including semi final and final matches.

Complete schedule of the 2011 Cricket World Cup are following:

Match Date Group Teams Venue
1 19 Feb B India vs Bangladesh Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
2 20 Feb A New Zealand vs Kenya M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
3 20 Feb A Sri Lanka vs Canada International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota
4 21 Feb A Australia vs Zimbabwe Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
5 22 Feb B England vs Netherlands Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
6 23 Feb A Pakistan vs Kenya International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota
7 24 Feb B South Africa vs West Indies Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
8 25 Feb A Australia vs New Zealand Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
9 25 Feb B Bangladesh vs Ireland Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
10 26 Feb A Sri Lanka vs Pakistan R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
11 27 Feb B India vs England Eden Gardens, Kolkata
12 28 Feb B West Indies vs Netherlands Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
13 28 Feb A Zimbabwe vs Canada Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
14 1 Mar A Sri Lanka vs Kenya R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
15 2 Mar B England vs Ireland M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
16 3 Mar B South Africa vs Netherlands Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
17 3 Mar A Pakistan vs Canada R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
18 4 Mar A New Zealand vs Zimbabwe Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
19 4 Mar B Bangladesh vs West Indies Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
20 5 Mar A Sri Lanka vs Australia R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
21 6 Mar B India vs Ireland M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
22 6 Mar B England vs South Africa M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
23 7 Mar A Kenya vs Canada Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
24 8 Mar A Pakistan vs New Zealand Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
25 9 Mar B India vs Netherlands Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
26 10 Mar A Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
27 11 Mar B West Indies vs Ireland Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
28 11 Mar B Bangladesh vs England Chittagong Divisional Stadium, Chittagong
29 12 Mar B India vs South Africa Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
30 13 Mar A New Zealand vs Canada Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
31 13 Mar A Australia vs Kenya M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
32 14 Mar A Pakistan vs Zimbabwe Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
33 14 Mar B Bangladesh vs Netherlands Chittagong Divisional Stadium, Chittagong
34 15 Mar B South Africa vs Ireland Eden Gardens, Kolkata
35 16 Mar A Australia vs Canada M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
36 17 Mar B England vs West Indies M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
37 18 Mar A Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
38 18 Mar B Ireland vs Netherlands Eden Gardens, Kolkata
39 19 Mar A Australia vs Pakistan R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
40 19 Mar B Bangladesh vs South Africa Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
41 20 Mar A Zimbabwe vs Kenya Eden Gardens, Kolkata
42 20 Mar B India vs West Indies M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
43 23 Mar First Quarterfinal Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
44 24 Mar Second Quarterfinal R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
45 25 Mar Third Quarterfinal Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
46 26 Mar Fourth Quarterfinal Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
47 29 Mar First Semifinal R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
48 30 Mar Second Semifinal Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
49 02 Apr Final Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Shahid Afridi named World Cup 2011 captain

Shahid Afridi has been named captain of Pakistan's World Cup squad, a decision that ends weeks of uncertainty over who will lead the side in the global tournament starting later this month.

Pakistan were the only side of the 14 participating teams not to have named their captain when the World Cup squads were announced in January, fuelling debate over whether Misbah-ul-Haq, the Test captain, could take over from limited-overs leader Afridi. Misbah was named vice-captain of the World Cup squad.

Afridi has been Pakistan's ODI captain over the last year but, just before the ongoing New Zealand tour, a number of key players and team management officials raised concerns with the board over his captaincy. The development placed the board in a quandary, caught between players and the captain, ultimately compelling them to delay the announcement of a leader.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt travelled earlier this week to New Zealand, where the team has just recorded its first one-day series win in more than two years, to hold discussions with Afridi, senior players and management officials over who should lead the side.

"I had detailed discussions with team management and players in New Zealand regarding captain and vice captain," Butt said, "and am pleased to state that everyone fully endorsed these decisions."

Pakistan play the final match of their six-ODI series against New Zealand on Saturday in Auckland.

Dhaka prepares to host cricket World Cup

Bangladesh Thursday gave car owners here one week to give their old vehicles a fresh coat of paint to make them shine in time for the ICC World Cup tournament.

The car owners in Chittagong port town have to get their vehicles painted by Feb 28. Otherwise, mobile courts will take action against them from March 1.

World Cup matches will be held in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka from Feb 19 to April 2.

"Fitness certificate and route permit would be cancelled of those vehicles if found plying on the city roads after the timeline," Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain said at a meeting on 'maintaining traffic congestion and signal during the World Cup'.

As Bangladesh prepares to play host to the World Cup, State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku urged main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to cancel the strike called for Feb 7 "considering the country's image ahead of the World Cup", said Star Online, website of The Daily Star.

The coveted World Cup trophy arrived here Wednesday after making a long and spectacular journey in Sri Lanka and India.

A report from Chittagong said the host team began their practice sessions under lights after receiving consent from the International Cricket Council.

Fondly called Tigers, they have started their practice sessions at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium to get acclimatised to the conditions.

The practice sessions will help the Tigers understand the behaviour of the pitch and outfield condition and the local cricket organisers will also get a chance to test the floodlights before the first practice match between Canada and Bangladesh Feb 12.

"Pitches also have been prepared at the Women's Sporting Complex ground and MA Aziz Stadium for the teams that are participating in the World Cup for extra practice by the cricketers," said Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director and Local Organising Committee (LOC) member secretary Dewan Shafiul Arefin Tutul.