Bangladesh have won the toss and elected to field

Teams:
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Imrul Kayes, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Shakib Al Hasan(c), Raqibul Hasan, Mahmudullah, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam

India (Playing XI): Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(w/c), Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, S Sreesanth

Bangladesh have won the toss and elected to field
Dhoni: We would have liked to bowl as well, dew will be a major factor in this part of the world. In the last few games we had to travel a lot, the boys are at their best, the loss against Bangladesh in the previous WC will be in the back our minds and we won't repeat the same mistake. Chawla, Ashwin, Raina and one more fellow (Dhoni forgot the name) is not playing. India are going in with 3 seamers.

Shakib: We would like to bowl first, the dew factor may come into play. Hopefully we will cope with the pressure, we have played around 35 games here and the boys can step up and perform. The players have been working hard, the cricket board has been very helpful. We have had a couple of good series before this. Ashraful is not playing, we will be happy to chase anything
below 260.

Most Runs scored in World Cups

Most Runs scored in World Cups:

Player Mat Run
Sachin Tendulkar 36 1796
Ricky Ponting 39 1537
Brian Lara 34 1225
Sanath Jayasuriya 37 1165
Adam Gilchrist 31 1085

Lee defends pace-dominated attack for World Cup

AHMEDABAD: Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee has no doubt that their fast bowlers would be effective even on spin-friendly sub-continent pitches during the World Cup, starting Saturday.

Australian attack is packed with fast bowlers and features just one frontline spinner in Jason Krejza.

Lee does not see a problem in adjusting to the sub-continent conditions.

"For pace bowling you got to get the ball in the right spot. I think that the way we bowled in the Champions Trophy, with lot of pace bowlers, we actually won that competition. Specially playing slow wickets like in Delhi, it tends to suit our pace attack," Lee told media persons.

"I don't see any problem with the pace side which we have got and playing at the slow wickets. As at the end of the day the ball is still coming at 150 kmph through the air.

"Pitch is massive part of the equation. But if you got bowler like Shaun Tait bowling around 160 kmph at the toes of the batsmen, it does not matter where you are playing. The ball is still going to hit the batsmen on the full," he said.

Lee said they are trying to create an environment, where each bowler backs each other in the team.

Lee said they had a great spinner in Krejza and there was David Hussey and vice-captain Michael Clarke who could bowl spin.

"With Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson, Doug Bollinger and me we have a very strong pace attack," he added.

"I am sure with the depth of the players that we have got and their talent we are playing the right kind of cricket. We have to learn how to play spin and learn how to bowl under these conditions," he said.

Lee said he got to learn a lot from the two warm-up games against India and South Africa.

"While playing against India and South Africa we learnt a lot. We have seen what they have got in attack, both pace and spin. Also in batting. Though Sachin did not bat well we have some plans for him too," he said, adding that he was happy with his performance during the practice matches.

Talking about his injury, which kept him in and out of the national side, Lee said that it was a difficult time for him to get back.

"It has been a long road back. It's been 15 months away from the game. Lot of players expect me to get back and play cricket. I am proud that I could survive the adversity to a certain extent, and get back to cricket," he said.

TOI

India's knock-out punch: All matches at home

MIRPUR: Setting to rest all speculations, Haroon Lorgat, the CEO of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday made it clear that World Cup 2011 co-hosts, India would play their knock-out matches at home if they qualify for the quarterfinals.

Lorgat further specified that should two host nations come up against each other, the side placed higher in the pre-tournament seeding will get preference, which means India will play all its knock-out ties on home soil if they get past the preliminary stage. So will Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, unless they come up against India.

This effectively means the original schedule, according to which the specific World Cup quarterfinal matches were marked, will be changed depending on where the hosts finish. As per the schedule, the quarter-final matches are as follows: A1 v B4 (Mirpur), A2 v B3 (Ahmedabad), A3 v B2 (Mirpur) and A4 v B1 (Colombo).

But now, as per the decision, India will play their quarterfinal in Ahmedabad, irrespective of where they finish in Group B. The March 24 quarterfinal is between third-placed team in group B and the second team in group A.

So if India finish second, they will take on the third-placed team from Group A. But even if Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men do not finish third in Group B, they will still play in Ahmedabad against a side which will not know their venue till the last league match ends on March 20.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will play their final-eight match in Colombo on March 26, unless they face India. In such a scenario, India will get pre-tournament seeding preference and will play in Ahmedabad.

Similarly, Bangladesh will play their quarterfinal match at Dhaka on either March 23 or March 25 — first if they qualify, and secondly if they are not drawn up against either India or Sri Lanka.

ICC's host country rule will also hold good for the semifinal clashes in Colombo and Mohali on March 29 and 30 respectively.
Meanwhile, talking about ICC's decision to tinker with the format in 2015 edition of the World Cup, Lorgat said that the lower-ranked sides won't be a part of the 50-over game in future as it demanded more skills from the players.

Lorgat said the ICC has decided to cut down the number of teams in the 50-over World Cup to 10 from the current 14 and make the World Twenty20 tournament an affair involving 16 sides instead of 12.

"We have felt in the past few years that Twenty20 is the best format to develop the game world-wide and it provides a better environment for competition," Lorgat said. "The 50-over format is more skill-based and suitable for the top teams," he added. Lorgat also felt the World Cup had become too long in recent editions. "The previous event was longer than was perhaps comfortable," he said about the 2007 edition in the Caribbean, which featured 16 teams.

"We have shed some days in this particular event. In a 14-team format, this was the most compact way we could produce the event. Regardless of T20 cricket, World Cup is our flagship tournament. We want to ensure that all three formats survive," said Lorgat, who also confirmed that the format in this edition was made to help top teams come through the group stage.

TOI

Barath, Baugh out of World Cup

New Delhi, Feb 18 (AFP): Exciting opener Adrian Barath and wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh were on Friday ruled out of the World Cup with injuries, dealing a fresh blow to the West Indies ahead of the mega event.

"Medical specialists have determined that in both cases the players will not be able to resume training for two to three weeks," the West Indies Cricket Board said in a press release.

Kirk Edwards, the uncapped batsman from Barbados, and Antigua wicket-keeper Devon Thomas were named as replacements, subject to approval by the International Cricket Council.

Baugh retired out on 29 during a warm-up match with Sri Lanka earlier this week, leaving Darren Bravo to keep wicket. Barath, 20, did not take any part in that game.

Barath, considered to be one of the most promising young batting talents in the Caribbean, had hit a a fine 113 in a recent one-day international against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

West Indies, placed in Group B, begin their World Cup against South Africa in New Delhi on February 24.

Weak teams not suited for 50-over format: ICC

Dhaka, Feb 18 (AP): ICC chief Haroon Lorgat defended on Friday the ruling body's decision to cut the number of World Cup teams from 14 to 10 in the 2015 edition, saying smaller countries would do better in a less-skillful Twenty20 format.

The International Cricket Council, which decided on the team reduction last year, has faced criticism for a move which is set to exclude the likes of non-Test playing nations Kenya, Ireland and Netherlands from the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.

ICC chief executive Lorgat told a news conference that 50-over cricket was "more skill-based" and that the world body wanted to spread the game through the Twenty20 format instead.

"We felt in the past few years that Twenty20 is the format best disposed to develop the game and provides a better environment for competition," Lorgat said.

"Twenty20 is the format needed to develop the game and we plan to increase that (World Championship) to 16 teams."

The 2011 World Cup, which opens on Saturday in Dhaka with Bangladesh's game against fellow co-host India and closes on April 2, is a 14-team event.

The ICC maintains that countries like Kenya, Ireland and Netherlands will have a chance to qualify for 2015, though that process is only likely to be decided in April.

Lorgat's comments came a day after Cricket Kenya chief executive Tom Sears criticized the ICC for having a 10-country tournament in 2015.

Sears told The Associated Press in a phone interview that a reduced tournament was "a farce" and that smaller countries "need to play at World Cups to improve."

Separately, Lorgat also felt the World Cup had become too long in recent editions.

"The previous event was longer than was perhaps comfortable," he said about the 2007 edition in the Caribbean, which featured 16 teams.

"We have shed some days in this particular event. In a 14-team format, this was the most compact way we could produce the event. Regardless of T20 cricket, World Cup is our flagship tournament. We want to ensure that all three formats survive," said Lorgat, who also confirmed that the format in this edition was made to help top teams come through the group stage.

"You can't predict competition, but this tournament gives a chance for best teams to qualify for the knockout stage," said Lorgat.

India and Pakistan both failed to make it to the knockout phase at the 2007 event, which used a different format to this year's edition.

I changed my game after being dropped in 2007: Sehwag

Mumbai, Feb 18 (PTI): Indian opener Virender Sehwag has conceded that his axing from the Indian team four years ago forced him to look inwards and make changes in his game which eventually paid him rich dividends.

"When I got dropped from the team in 2007, nobody expected the selectors to drop me but they did because of poor form. That's when I changed my game both in terms of thinking and playing style. I started thinking on how to make my way back into the team," Sehwag was quoted as saying in a media release.

The swashbuckling batsman, who very nearly scored a Test triple ton in a single day's play after his comeback, was responding to a query about 'Change the Game moment' in his career as part of soft drinks major Pepsi's World Cup campaign.

"I got a chance and that's when I proved myself again; I saved a Test match for India when I scored 150 not out in Adelaide against Australia."

"I had just scored 20 runs in 2 hours...can you imagine Sehwag scoring 20 runs in two hours? That was not how I played, but I changed my game just to save the Test match," he pointed out.

Sehwag, who was dropped in early 2007 from the ODI squad and later from the Test team too before storming his way back into the team, mentions improvisation as the key to his altered game.

"Change The Game for me is the self belief and self confidence that pushes one beyond the limitations. To change the game, one has to think beyond the limitations and improvise."

"I have that confidence and the self belief that I can do whatever is needed to be done and change the game on the field, especially in the crunch situations," according to Sehwag.

The upper cut or "upar" cut, the slash that sends the ball over the slip cordon to the third man region, has been mentioned as by Sehwag as one of the game changing shots though he had not practised it in the nets.

"There are things that come naturally to you and the Upar Cut is one of them. I never practised this shot in the nets and have always gone with natural instincts while hitting the ball."

"With the Upper Cut, I could easily hit third man six off a fast ball that would surprise the bowlers. Since, it came to me naturally, that made it easier for me to perfect it. I always try to think beyond the limits and the Upar Cut, especially has been a true game changer for me".

The India opener has also recalled the Chennai Test match against England when his pyrotechnics when chasing an imposing total of close to 400 helped India rocket off.

"I remember once we were chasing around 387 runs against England and I scored a quick-fire 85 off just 50 odd balls. Those quick runs particularly changed the game in favour of our team. And eventually we had to chase less than 200 runs on the last day of the Test match with six-seven wickets still in hand."

Sehwag, in fact, made 83 off only 68 balls with 4 sixes and 11 fours before Sachin Tendulkar scored a brilliant, unbeaten 103 and Yuvraj Singh got 85 not out that piloted India to a six-wicket victory on the final day of the first match of the two-Test series in December, 2008.

He mentions captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Tendulkar among the game changers he admires.

"M S Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir are few players who change the game beyond the ordinary. Their thinking on and off the field helps achieve success and also excel in any format of the game".

Sachin not allowed to build gym in house

MUMBAI: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar's dream of having a gymnasium at his new under-construction home in Bandra has been "clean bowled" by the Maharashtra government. ( Read: Sachin Tendulkar bats for home gym, eyes state sop )

The architectural firm, in charge of Tendulkar's house, had requested the Urban Development Department (UDD) to allow the construction of the gym free of Floor Space Index (FSI) on the top floor of the four-storey building at Perry Cross Road.

However, the UDD is not in favour of the proposal as the FSI approved for the 8,998 sq ft plot is one, which means the constructed area cannot exceed the plot area. FSI is the ratio between the built-up area and the plot area.

"The construction has already consumed its full FSI and it also falls under CRZ rule 1967 of zone II, since the house was purchased in 2008," a source from the UDD said.

Also under the Development Control (DC) rules, only the cooperative societies are given additional FSI for a gymnasium but this is an individual's property and hence it is not possible to permit more FSI, the source said.

The UDD has moved the file of the request, with negative remarks, to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is also the minister of the Department, for a final decision.

Tendulkar's grand house will have a huge parking area, spacious guest rooms and a swimming pool on the top floor.

After reconstruction, it will have 10 rooms. The ground floor will have three rooms plus parking facilities, the first floor will have two large guest rooms, the bedroom and the children's rooms will be on the second and third floors respectively, while the fourth floor will boast of a swimming pool.

The house, which was built in 1920 and owned a Parsi family, was purchased by Tendulkar for Rs 39 crore in 2008.

TOI

ICC insists on elite World Cup in future

DHAKA: The International Cricket Council on Friday backed their decision to restrict the next World Cup to 10 top teams, saying minnows were better suited playing the Twenty20 format.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the World Twenty20 will be increased to 16 teams instead of 12, while the 50-over World Cup will be trimmed down to 10 from the current 14.

"We have felt in the past few years that Twenty20 is the best format to develop the game world-wide and it provides a better environment for competition," Lorgat said.

"The 50-over format is more skill-based and suitable for the top teams."

Lorgat's views, ahead of the 50-over World Cup starting on Saturday, is bound to further anger the minnows, who believe they are being muscled out in favour of the Test-playing nations.

Cricket Kenya chief executive Tom Sears said on Thursday the ICC will not be acting in the interests of the game if the smaller teams were locked out of the next World Cup.

"If we have to improve on the standards, there is no point of denying us the opportunity of competing at the top level," Sears said.

"We had a meeting with the other associate countries during the World Cup training camp in Dubai last week, and we plan to raise the matter again at the World Cup.

"We are disturbed about the whole issue," he added.

In an interview with the Wisden Cricketer magazine, Sears termed the decision as "scandalous and bloody ridiculous".

"I've no desire to be diplomatic... Not to let anyone else in is scandalous. It's all about money, power and votes - and that's not good for cricket," he said.

Former Kenyan captain Steve Tikolo and batsman Collins Obuya have also voiced their concern, saying the World Cup remained vital for the development of associate nation cricket.

While there have been some hugely lop-sided contests down the years, there have also been some memorable "giantkillings".

Kenya became the first non-Test playing team to reach the semifinals in 2003, and Ireland produced their biggest upset over Pakistan in the 2007 tournament in the West Indies.

Ironically, a poll on the ICC's website showed 73 percent in favour of a 16-team World Cup in 2015 with only nine percent supporting a 10-team competition.

The ICC has already said that it has not been decided which 10 teams will take part in the 2015 World Cup, since the qualifying procedure had yet to be finalised.

TOI

This Indian team is better than 2003: Kumble

NEW DELHI: Former India captain Anil Kumble feels that the current crop is better than the team which made the final of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.

The legendary leg-spinner, who featured in just two group matches against Australia and Pakistan in South Africa, feels the team captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni is more balanced than the 2003 team, which was led by Sourav Ganguly.

"Overall, in terms of balance and conditions here, this is the better side (than 2003). If you look at the track record of this team, in the last one-and-half year or so they have done exceptionally well, especially at home. They have all the elements that a great one-day side needs," Kumble was quoted as saying by a TV channel.

Kumble, who is now the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), also pointed out that two seamers Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan, who were part of the team in 2003, have cut down on their pace.

"It is a better team overall than 2003, but if you go back to 2003 then Ashish and Zaheer and all these bowlers were younger and were bowling at the speed of 140 which does not happen now. But what has impressed me most is how they have won in losing situations. In South Africa, Munaf Patel won one match, Yusuf Pathan won a game, so it's not a one-man team at all," Kumble said.

"Whenever you embark on a World Cup tour the same 15 never play the next edition. It has never happened. So all the 15 members think this is their best chance and as a team you have an opportunity to create history."

India play Bangladesh in the tournament opener in the latter's backyard in Dhaka on Saturday. Kumble is excited about India's neighbours co-hosting their first ever World Cup.

"It is brilliant for Bangladesh. The first major event they hosted was ICC knockout in 1999. This is a great moment for Bangladesh to host the Cup and have the opening ceremony there," he said.

TOI

India seek revenge against Bangladesh in World Cup opener

MIRPUR (Bangladesh): Title aspirants India will have revenge on their minds when they launch their 2011 cricket World Cup campaign against co-hosts Bangladesh in the tournament-opener on Saturday, fully aware that any slip-up could prove costly.

Minnows Bangladesh had ensured India's early exit in the first round of the 2007 edition at the Caribbeans and Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men will be eager to settle the score and kick start their campaign on a positive note at the Shere Bangla National stadium.

Tipped as one of the favourites, the current world number two side, boasts off an exceptionally balanced team, but such a pool of talented players will also pose a few selection questions for skipper Dhoni.

Dhoni though seems to have sorted out his problem of plenty in the batting department when he tipped Virat Kohli ahead of Suresh Raina after their second warm-up match against New Zealand.

"The number four slot is very important for us. Right now it is a slot war. It is the number four slot where Kohli needs to bat with Gautam Gambhir at number three," Dhoni said.

"Kohli is sort of a player who likes to spend little bit of time early and then go after the bowlers. Still, there is a bit of chance where Virat may get an edge over (Suresh) Raina seeing the current form he is in," he added.

Dhoni also hinted that he would stand by Yuvraj Singh as his ability to spin the ball away makes him an asset to the team even though currently he is a bit short of runs.

"We are playing with four bowlers. A part-time spinner is really important especially if it is a left-arm away going spinner. That's the one big advantage he (Yuvraj) has got over others," Dhoni said.

The explosive batting line-up will be marshalled by Sachin Tendulkar, who would be participating in his sixth World Cup this time around and the senior batsmen will look to give India a flying start with Virender Sehwag.

Gautam Gambhir will be next, while the middle-order also looks rock solid with Kohli, Dhoni, Yuvraj and Yusuf Pathan -- all capable of playing big-shots and also rotating the strike.

In their second and last warm-up game, India scored a mammoth 360 against New Zealand and it will give a lot of confidence to the batsmen, especially skipper Dhoni and Gambhir, who hit an unbeaten 108 and 89 respectively.

Kohli and Raina also cracked half-centuries against New Zealand and Dhoni would be hoping his boys continue the good work.

In the bowling department, Dhoni will have to pick his options carefully since India is going with a four-pronged attack.

Indian spinners Harbhajan Singh and surprise inclusion Piyush Chawla have taken five and six wickets in the last two warm-up games. Even R Ashwin and part-time spinner Yuvraj scalped two and three wickets respectively.

In contrast, the pacers have struggled with Ashish Nehra claiming two and Praveen Kumar's replacement S Sreesanth taking one wicket, while Munaf Patel remaining wicketless in the warm-up matches.

But with pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, who didn't feature in the two warm-up ties because of a minor niggle, returning to action on Saturday, a much better performance can be expected from the seamers.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, have so far been content with an odd upset and have been generally looked upon as underachievers but the tigers would look to shrug off that tag when they lock horns with India at home.

Though they have just five victories from 20 World Cup matches to show, Bangladesh has the distinction of beating Pakistan on debut during the 1999 edition and ousting India and defeating South Africa four years ago.

Skippered by Shakib-Al-Hasan, Bangladesh have a few good batsmen in talented Mohammad Ashraful, the pint-sized dynamic opener Tamim Iqbal and wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim. Besides, captain Shakib-Al-Hasan, himself, ranks number one in the ICC's all-rounders list and knows how to wield the willow.

Bangladesh won their first warm-up match against Canada but lost to Pakistan in the second tie. However, their openers Tamim and Imrul Kayes have got runs under their belt in the two matches.

Though their pace attack will lack the fire-power of speedster Mashrafe Mortaza, 21-year-old pacer Rubel Hossain had claimed five wickets in the warm-up matches.

Besides, Bangladesh also have some good tweakers in left-arm slow bowlers Shakib and Abdur Razzaq, who can get handy support from many other part-timers.

Bangladesh can also take heart from the fact that they came into the tournament after having made a clean sweep against New Zealand, a full-fledged Test playing country and defeating Zimbabwe 3-1 at home, where they will play all their six league games.

Teams (from):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, S Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla, R Ashwin, Ashish Nehra.

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (C), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Shahriar Nafees, Raqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Suhrawadi Shuvo.

TOI

Fire officials unhappy with safety norms at Wankhede

MUMBAI: Expressing displeasure at the non-compliance of fire safety norms at the revamped Wankhede stadium, venue of the 2011 World Cup final, the city fire brigade department on Friday said it will seek a reply from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) in this regard.

"We will soon write a letter to the MCA stating there is a need to comply with fire safety norms at the stadium. Once they abide by the terms we would again conduct an inspection," chief fire officer Uday Tatkare said.

On Wednesday, two fire officials, who visited the stadium for the second time to inspect the fire safety mechanism in place, found some lapses in the arrangements.

"The team has found that the newly renovated stadium has many loopholes in its fire safety mechanism. The stadium must be in compliance with the fire safety conditions," Tatkare said.

"Among the mandatory fire apparatus are ring hydrant system, water hydrants, internal riser system for the stands, no-smoking indicators, fire alarms and extinguishers have to be installed. There are some lapses which they need to follow," a fire officer said on condition of anonymity, but refused to elaborate on the lapses at the stadium.

Meanwhile, MCA joint secretary Lalchand Rajput said the association had not received any sort of communication from the fire brigade department.

"We have not received any sort of communication be it written or oral from the fire brigade department," he said.

Wankhede Stadium, that went into the redevelopment mode soon after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League on June 1, 2008, is to stage two other World Cup ties, apart from the summit contest on April 2.

The matches would be held on March 13 (New Zealand vs Canada - a day match) and March 18 (New Zealand vs Sri Lanka - a day/night match).
TOI

Opening ceremony to usher in World Cup

Dhaka, Feb 16 (PTI): Cricket World Cup is set to be ushered in with a grand opening ceremony here on Thursday as the game's showpiece event returns to the sub-continent after 15 years, shrugging off the controversy of Eden Gardens being stripped off a marquee match, involving co-hosts India.

The Bangladeshi capital, which has spruced up itself for the biggest event in their cricketing history, will take centre stage of the cricketing world with a two-hour spectacle of song, dance and laser shows at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Internationally-acclaimed rock star Bryan Adams and Indian singing trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will be among the performers to set the stage for the tournament, reflecting the increasing role the entertainment aspect has started to be associated with the game.

Two days later, Bangladesh and co-hosts India clash in the inaugural game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium at Mirpur, on Dhaka's outskirts to herald the beginning of 43 days of action spread across 13 venues in three countries.

The other host country Sri Lanka start off their campaign against lowly Canada in a Group A encounter in Colombo on Sunday.

The sub-continent had its first date with the World Cup when India and Pakistan hosted it in 1987 before Sri Lanka joined them in 1996.

It is befitting that the World Cup will be held in the sub-continent this time when the region establishes itself as the nerve centre of the game, though 1992 champions Pakistan will not be one of the co-hosts and Bangladesh will be in the party in their silver jubilee year of initiation into one-day cricket.

The tenth edition of cricket's quadrennial showpiece, featuring 14 teams and 49 matches, 29 in India, a dozen in Sri Lanka and eight in Bangladesh, was not devoid of controversies.

It had a nightmare of an initial road as Pakistan was stripped of its rights to host 14 matches due to the volatile condition in the country, mainly after attack on the Sri Lankan players in Lahore in early 2009 though it will get its share of revenue even without holding matches.

The reasons for stripping Pakistan of the World Cup matches by the ICC had nothing much to do with the country's cricket board but it could not be said in the case of Indian authorities who failed to prepare the iconic Eden Gardens ready for the February 27 match between India and England.

With any marquee match involving India not scheduled in the Eden after the ICC shifted the India-England match to Bangalore, cricket lovers will not see the stadium in its magnificent best with nearly one lakh people turning up for a World Cup game and it is pity for a venue of such a fame.

On current form and considering the conditions, India have been billed as the top favourites by cricket experts and it would be a huge celebration for Indian fans if Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men lift the trophy on April 2 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

It would add to India's aura to its already muscle-flexing power as cricket's financial centre.

A World Cup win by India will also ensure the iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar the only success that has eluded him in his illustrious over two decade long international career, besides India bringing home the trophy after 28 years.

World Cup warm-up: India crush New Zealand by 117 runs

CHENNAI: Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni led a solid batting display by Indians with an explosive unbeaten century to set up a crushing 117-run victory over a hapless New Zealand in a lop-sided warm-up game ahead of the World Cup on Wednesday.

Dhoni smashed a 64-ball 108 not out and Gautam Gambhir contributed a classy 89 as India first scored an imposing 360/5 after electing to bat and then shot out New Zealand for 243 in 43.1 overs to notch up their second World Cup warm-up victory on the trot.

Chasing an imposing 361 to win, New Zealand batsmen wilted under pressure as Indian spinners took centrestage on a helpful pitch at the M A Chidambaram Stadium to maintain a clean slate ahead of their World Cup opener against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Sunday.

Needing to score at a stiff rate of 7.20 runs an over, it was always a tough task for the team playing second and expectedly Indian slow bowlers extracted turn and bounce from the pitch as the Kiwis surrendered without much fight.

Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla and Yuvraj Singh broke the back of the Kiwi batting, taking two wickets apiece while Ravichandran Ashwin also had a satisfying outing with 1/31, having provided the initial breakthrough by dismissing opener Martin Guptill.

Ashish Nehra, who went without wicket in his initial spell, took the last two wickets.

Barring the openers -- Brendon McCullum (58 off 54 balls) and Guptill (38 off 45 balls) -- who negotiated the Indian new ball bowlers well, all other batsmen, including Ross Taylor, who captained the Kiwis today, Jessy Rider and Scott Styris failed to raise to the occasion.

Except for the opening stand of 94 from 15 overs, the Kiwis could not put up any more substantial partnerships as Dhoni rotated Harbhajan, Ashwin, Yuvraj and Chawla.

Both Chawla and Ashwin bowled a tight line and length and Dhoni continued with them for long spells, perhaps to assess the right one for the second spinner's slot for the tournament proper.

Harbhajan, who bowled four overs on the trot, was in his usual penetrative bowling.

Earlier, an explosive unbeaten knock of 108 by Dhoni and a classy 89 by Gambhir powered India to an imposing 360 for five after electing to bat.

After sharing 68 runs in 9.3 overs for the fourth wicket with Gambhir, Dhoni set the nearly-packed Chepauk stadium on fire as he tore into the Kiwi bowling in the company of Suresh Raina, who made his exit just 12 balls before the hosts ended their innings.

Raina made a quick fire 50 off just 26 balls with three huge sixes and four boundaries and added 124 runs in 9.2 overs along with Dhoni.

For the hapless New Zealand, Jacob Oram and Tim Southee were the most successful bowlers sharing two wickets each, while Kyle Mills accounted for one wicket.

Openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar started cautiously as the Kiwi pacers extracted bounce and also kept up a steady line in length to stifle the Indian openers.

Tendulkar (17) was the first to go with the scoreboard reading 35 and soon Sehwag (23) followed suit as India were reduced to 42 for two.

However, Gambhir hit form at the right time and resurrected the Indian batting along with Virat Kohli (59), adding 106 crucial runs for the third wicket to save India from the embarrassment of another batting collapse like in Bangalore against Australia.

After Kohli's departure, Gambhir involved in a 68-run stand for the fourth wicket with Dhoni. The hosts made good use of the opportunities and also showed better on field intensity as both Gambhir and Dhoni rotated their strike and looked for big runs.

During their stay, the pair scored at 7.15 runs an over together for 9.3 overs at the pitch.

Dhoni, who took the role of aggressor after Gambhir's exit, was in his elements as he stepped on the gas and went on a run hunt, hitting the bowlers, particularly Jacob Oram, all around the park.

After completing his half century in just 40 balls, Dhoni raced to 61 with five successive boundaries, including a four at the square leg region and one over the bowler Oram, who was taken off from duty at end of 43rd over.

Dhoni continued his blitzkrieg and sent spinner Nathan McCullum to the ropes twice, much to the amusement of over 35,000 odd crowd that cheered every shot of the host captain.

New Zealand skippered by Ross Taylor used as many as seven bowlers on the wicket which offered good bounce with the odd ball keeping low. But spinners McCullum and Luke Woodcock came a cropper against the mighty Indian batting.

TOI

ICC bans use of twitter by players during World Cup

STAFF WRITER 19:14 HRS IST

Melbourne, Feb 15 (PTI) In a bid to ensure a corruption-free World Cup following the spot-fixing scandal, the International Cricket Council has banned players and team officials from tweeting during matches.

The decision, an initiative of ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, was intended to restrain the players and officials from any possible approach by people with links to illegal betting during World Cup matches.

The move from the ICC came in response to Australian team manager Steve Bernard's tweets which attracted more than 1,100 followers to his @stevebernard37 account in the past six months, including during Ashes and the subsequent ODI series, according to a report in 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

The long-time manager was told soon after arriving in Bangalore with the team last week that he, as well as any other player or team official at the World Cup, had been banned from tweeting during matches.

World Cup: Mahendra Singh Dhoni , Sachin Tendulkar's cover down to a third

KOLKATA: Indian cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar playing for the nation in the World Cup to restore the glory last achieved 27 years ago, are worth just a third of what they were when playing for the trimmed-down version of the game in the scandal-ridden Indian Premier League tournament. The highest cover for an individual player during the world cup would be Rs 5 crore a player, while it was Rs 15 crore in last year’s IPL.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has bought the cover from Oriental Insurance Company (OIC) at Rs 5 crore a player, which is divided into two parts — a personal accident insurance of Rs 2.5 crore and an equal amount of medical cover. “The cover sold by OIC will come into play on February 19 and will remain till April 2 — the final day of the Cup. It will include all the 15 players with a Rs 2.5-crore personal accident policy per player, and another Rs 2.5 crore insurance that will shield them against medical emergency , unforeseen medical expenses and loss of baggage to a maximum of $1,000 per player,” said R Bhatnagar, deputy general manager at Oriental Insurance.

World Cup will be played in India , Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and the cover will remain in effect in all these countries. During the 2010 IPL, Dhoni, the skipper for the Chennai Super Kings, had bagged a Rs 10-crore cover followed by Andrew Symonds of Deccan Chargers at Rs 9 crore and Sachin Tendulkar, the captain for Mumbai Indians, at Rs 7.5 crore. The highest cover went to the West Indies player Kieron Pollard from Mumbai Indians at Rs 15 crore —possibly the highest cover offered by any Indian cricket team to any of its players for matches played in India.

During the second IPL held in 2009, covers were higher than the IPL 2010 because it was held in South Africa and the highest cover went to Dhoni at Rs 50 crore. “The covers offered by Oriental Insurance during the IPL were roughly proportionate to the prices these players fetched during the auction. For example, Pollard fetched the highest price, so his cover was the highest,” said an insurance analyst.

However, this World Cup all players, including Dhoni, the skipper, and Sachin as well as all the others will have the same Rs 5-crore cover per player. The current covers for the cricket World Cup are just Rs 1 crore higher than the covers offered during the first IPL in 2008. During the 2008 IPL, Dhoni, Sachin and Saurav were insured with covers of Rs 4 crore each.

TOI

Tendulkar to play, Zaheer rested against New Zealand

CHENNAI: "The heartbeat goes up just a bit when you are in a match-situation. The competitive edge and the intensity stay, and you know whether those outside edges are going straight to slips or racing away to the boundary," India skipper MS Dhoni explained the importance of another practice match ahead of their World Cup opener against Bangladesh in Mirpur on Saturday.

The schedule is quite hectic, yet the World Cup organisers have gone for two practice games and much like Sunday in Banglaore, it's a sell-out in Chennai for Wednesday's match against New Zealand.

There were a few whispers here and there whether it's too much cricket ahead of the quadrennial showpiece, but Dhoni gave the impression that he didn't mind. He shouldn't, either. Since last February, Sachin Tendulkar has played only four ODIs out of the 27 that India have played while Virender Sehwag has been part of only nine. With the team so heavily dependent on the duo, both should look to have a hit in the middle and get into some good ODI form before the real action starts.

Tendulkar wasn't played in the first game but Dhoni made it clear that the Little Master will play at his favourite MA Chidambaram Stadium. Tendulkar, too, looked quite keen, as he shifted from one net to the other, looking comfortable both against pace and spin during practice. Sehwag, on the other hand, did look a touch patchy. In fact, right at the beginning of his net session, Viru was hit on his chest by one that rose from the length and for a moment it seemed, something might have gone wrong.

The opener, though, examined the spot for a while and then shifted to the adjacent net. He hit a few typically lusty blows, but did get out a couple of times as well to practice bowlers. Those are the small lapses that Viru would like to work on in the practice match before the caravan heads for Bangladesh.

With the team management deciding to hold back Zaheer Khan for the World Cup, the rest of the pacers will get another chance. Ashish Nehra, who bowled only two overs in the Bangalore game, is sure to get an extended spell. Gary Kirsten & Co looked extremely keen to have Nehra back in rhythm during practice, working on his run-up, as Tendulkar, too, kept a keen eye.

Dhoni said that he was happy with the way the team has shaped up and there were more than one option for the slots he was worried about till sometime back. Yusuf Pathan has sealed the No. 7 slot, but the team management is in a bit of a dilemma whether to go in with Suresh Raina or Virat Kohli at No. 6.

While Kohli was the star in South Africa, Raina has struggled just a bit of late, but the skipper has immense faith in his Chennai Super Kings teammate.

TOI

Laxman, Tendulkar bag top honours at ESPNcricinfo awards

BANGALORE: VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar won the awards for best batting performances in Tests and ODIs while Dale Steyn bagged the top prize in Test bowling in the fourth annual ESPNcricinfo Awards on Monday.

Umar Gul, Michael Hussey and Tim Southee were the other winners.

Laxman bagged the award for best Test batting for his 96 on a bowler-friendly pitch in Durban last December, while Tendulkar won the ODI award for his unbeaten double-hundred against South Africa in Gwalior last February, the first in the history of the 40-year-old format.

Steyn took the bowling prize for his seven for 51 against India in Nagpur on a flat track.

While Tendulkar still remains the only player to have scored a double ton in ODIs, what helped Laxman and Steyn beat their rivals was that their efforts came on unfavourable conditions, and led their teams to historic victories.

This was the second time Tendulkar has won an award in this category -- he had won last year for his brilliant 175, though in a losing cause against Australia in Mohali.

Tendulkar faced stiff competition from Abdul Razzaq's hurricane 109, which took his side to miraculous win against South Africa after they were nine down and needed 30 runs to win.

Also winning his second award in two years was Umar Gul, the last year's T20 bowling winner taking the ODI prize for his six for 42 against England at The Oval.

In Twenty20, Southee was the runaway winner for his five-wicket burst in nine balls, which included a hat-trick.

Hussey's "freakish" innings of 60 in the World T20 semifinal against Pakistan beat Brendon McCullum's century against Australia.

The jury included former internationals Ramiz Raza, Kepler Wessels, Ian Chappell, Tony Greig, Geoff Boycott, Sanjay Manjrekar and Martin Crowe, and ESPNcricinfo's senior editors.

The jurors picked their top three performances in each category out of shortlists compiled by the site's editorial staff. Each performance ranked No 1 got five points, while No 2 and 3 got three points and one respectively.

Tendulkar's and Gul's performances were ranked No 1 by 10 jury members, Steyn's by eight and Laxman's 96 by five.

TOI

Brazil great Ronaldo confirms retirement

SAO PAULO: Three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldo, whose goalscoring genius led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title, confirmed his retirement on Monday at the age of 34.


The tearful Corinthians striker announced his decision at a press conference in Sao Paulo.

"I'm stopping my career as a professional footballer," he said, his voice breaking. "It's been a beautiful, emotional, marvellous career.

"These last two years, I've had a long series of injuries, from one side to the other, one leg to the other, one muscle to the other. The pain pushed me to think about the end of my career."

Ronaldo also revealed that he suffered from a thyroid problem that had made it difficult to control his weight.

"Four years ago, in Milan, I discovered that I suffered from an under-active thyroid that slowed down my metabolism and that to control it, I had to take hormones that weren't authorised in football as they were considered a form of doping," he said.

"Lots of people must regret having made jokes about my weight. But I feel no anger towards anyone."

Having earlier indicated that he hoped to play on until the end of the year, injuries and Corinthians' early elimination from the Copa Libertadores prompted him to bring forward his retirement.

During a glittering 14-year spell in Europe, Ronaldo scored goals at a prolific rate for PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan, before returning to Brazil in 2009.

He won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and became the leading scorer in World Cup finals tournaments when he scored his 15th goal at the 2006 tournament in Germany.

He was twice named European Footballer of the Year, in 1997 and 2002, and finished his international career with 62 goals in 97 appearances.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, 'El Fenomeno' (The Phenomenon) won the World Cup with Brazil for the first time in 1994, though on that occasion the 17-year-old was part of the squad and did not play.

In 1998, he was among the losing finalists, beaten 3-0 at Stade de France by a rampant French side that included the inspirational Zinedine Zidane.

Brazil's star striker suffered a convulsive fit on the eve of the match and was removed from the starting line-up.

In a dramatic changing-room re-shuffle, he was reinstated just before kick-off but was a shadow of the intimidating forward who had scored four goals in the run-up to the final.

But the 2002 tournament was where he made history.

Shrugging off injury in the tournament, which was hosted by Japan and South Korea, he played a key role in helping Brazil to the trophy, scoring both goals in his country's 2-0 win over Germany in the final in Yokohoma.

At the 2006 World Cup in Germany he took his World Cup tally to 15 goals, surpassing the previous record held by Gerd Mueller by one goal.

Ronaldo, who began his career with Cruzeiro, had to fight back from three career-threatening knee injuries over the course of his career.

He was sidelined while playing for Inter by a knee injury in 1999 only to damage the same knee in his comeback for the club in February 2000, effectively keeping him out of action until March 2002.

In February 2008 he ruptured a tendon in his right knee playing for AC Milan against Livorno, an injury that ended his career in Europe.

TOI

Top 10 batting knocks in the World Cups

NEW DELHI: Brief run-down of the top batting knocks in the World Cup (against Test playing nations only) ahead of the 2011 edition which starts on Saturday.

1. Sourav Ganguly (India) - 183 (158 balls, 17 fours, 7 sixes) v Sri Lanka, Taunton, 1999

Ganguly provided a taste of what T20 might be like with his towering hits that almost cleared the outskirts of the town, let alone Taunton's tiny ground. After stuttering in their opening encounter against South Africa and choking in a space of six balls from Henry Olonga against Zimbabwe, India needed to win big against Sri Lanka. Ganguly's innings ensured just that and provided the momentum for a place in the Super Sixes. However, the early setbacks cost India the chance of further qualification.

2. Viv Richards (West Indies) - 181 (125 balls, 16 fours, 7 sixes) v Sri Lanka, Karachi, 1987

Richards walked in to bat on a hat-trick and by the time he departed, he had scored the highest score (then) in a World Cup. He went about his business in such a savage manner that Desmond Haynes' 105 almost seemed pedestrian by comparison. It was a perfect riposte to two back-to-back losses in World Cups for the West Indies (1983 finals to India; opening encounter against England in 1987). Although, they exited before the semi-finals, Richards had once again stamped his authority on the World Cup.

3. Matthew Hayden (Australia) 158 (143 balls, 14 fours, 4 sixes) v West Indies, North Sound, 2007

Hayden imposed himself on the home side with an innings of various gears. It was an uncharacteristic innings, given it was Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Shane Watson who provided the impetus while the big man almost played a 'sheet anchor' role by his standards. Having not opened his account for 18 deliveries, he got to his 50 in 72 deliveries, and it was only in the 45th over that he really went into overdrive. Despite a glimpse of Brian Lara's class, there was no stopping Australia.

4. Adam Gilchrist (Australia) 149 (104 balls, 13 fours, 8 sixes) v Sri Lanka, Bridgetown, 2007

Clive Lloyd (1975), Viv Richards (1979), Aravinda de Silva (1996), Ponting (2003) and Gilchrist (2007). It is a Who's Who list of batsmen who left their indelible mark on World Cup finals. After a rather tepid tournament by his standards, Gilchrist -- with a squash ball inside his gloves -- treated the cricket ground akin to a squash court. His brutal assault propelled Australia, and although Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakarra made a game of it, they could not stop Australia from winning the 2007 World Cup for the third consecutive time.

5. AB de Villiers (South Africa) 146 (130 balls, 12 fours, 5 sixes) v West Indies, St George's, 2007

With the West Indies already out of contention for a semi-final slot, Lara experimented with some debatable team selection and bowling decisions. But nothing can be taken away from the knock of De Villiers, who ensured that South Africa's shock defeat to Bangladesh was an aberration.

Although Sarwan tried gamely, South Africa eased through to the semis where, again, their fragile batting was exposed by the Australians, thus re-invigorating the tag of 'chokers'.

6. Rahul Dravid (India) 145 (129 balls, 17 fours, 1 six) v Sri Lanka, Taunton, 1999

Indian cricket is replete with Dravid's feats in some monumental partnerships and this extremely crucial 318-run partnership with Ganguly was no less momentous. The fact that he scored at a very impressive strike rate almost went unnoticed as he was finding the gaps and using his pull shots but not hitting the towering sixes that regularly came at the other end. However, Mr Dependable was there when India needed him most.

7. Andrew Symonds (Australia) 143* (125 balls, 18 fours, 2 sixes) v Pakistan, Johannesburg, 2003

In Australia's first match of the 2003 World Cup as defending champions, they were stunned by the Pakistani fast bowling attack with Gilchrist, Hayden, Damien Martyn and Jimmy Maher back in the hutch within the Powerplay. Ponting and Symonds rebuilt the innings and a sedate start assumed fierce proportions once Ponting departed. Symonds took a liking to Shahid Afridi's bowling and did not spare the Ws (Wasim and Waqar) in the death overs either. Pakistan never really got going and Australia were off and running.

8. Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa) 143 (141 balls, 19 fours, 3 sixes) v New Zealand, Johannesburg, 2003

A feeling of deja vu must have crept in when Gibbs scored another century at the World Cup and lost another crucial match. Rewind to 'You just dropped the World Cup, mate' quip from Steve Waugh in 1999 when Gibbs dropped a sitter after having scored 101 and let Australia off the hook. Fast forward four years, and this time it was the Kiwi skipper, Stephen Fleming, who upstaged Gibbs' heroic effort with sheer class and grace. It was a tournament where bad luck, rain, Messrs Duckworth & Lewis, and common sense (or lack of it) conspired to eliminate the hosts.

9. Dave Houghton (Zimbabwe) 142 (137 balls, 13 fours, 6 sixes) v New Zealand, Hyderabad, 1987

Another heartbreak story for another valiant centurion. Zimbabwe had always threatened to be giant slayers in their performances against India and Australia in 1983. They nearly did it again, chasing a respectable 243 to win. Houghton played one of the most majestic innings and almost single handedly won the match for Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, the rest of the batting line up let him down with tennis scores of 1-5-12-4-5-2-1. When Zimbabwe fell short by three runs, all neutral cricket fans must have been equally dejected.

10. Scott Styris (New Zealand) 141 (125 balls, 3 fours, 6 sixes) v Sri Lanka, Bloemfontein, 2003

To round off the theme with a hat-trick of centuries in losing causes, Styris was the sole survivor amidst a sinking ship with only a fighting 32 from Chris Cairns to prop up the New Zealand total. New Zealand never really came close to challenging the relatively imposing total of 272 from Sri Lanka.

TOI