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WORLDCUP CRICKET 2011-CRICKET NEWS, LIVE SCORE,STATISTICS

2011-07-18T16:17:00.021+06:00

The best World Cup of all time

This was India's year, and they earned their win in style. But this World Cup was a spectacular success and would have been had they won the final.But the ICC's decision to chop out the Associates - especially Ireland, who were integral to the excitement - is both baffling and tragicBut the ICC's decision to chop out the Associates - especially Ireland, who were integral to the excitement - is both baffling and tragic

1999, the 2011 tournament was a resounding triumph. In fact, an impromptu survey of approximately 1.2 billion people might well conclude that it was the best World Cup of all time. Admittedly some non-Indian observers might suggest those findings had been skewed a touch, but try telling that to the jubilant masses who spilled out of the Wankhede Stadium and onto Mumbai's Marine Drive on Saturday evening, or to anyone who shared the scenes of delirium in every street of every city, town and village of the world's second-most populous nation.

The funny thing is, those 1.2 billion people are almost certainly right, but not necessarily for the reasons they might assume. Of the 10 World Cups to have taken place since 1975, none has come close to matching the narrative and drama of the tournament just completed - not even 1992, which is commonly cited as the pundits' pick to date. The greatest triumph of this edition lay not in the final outcome but in the journey that was required to reach that crowning moment, for the excellence of the entertainment was not simply an illusion glimpsed in the moment of India's victory. This would have been a World Cup to savour, irrespective of whether Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni had managed to turn the tide of the final in their country's favour.

All of which makes Monday's mood-darkening decision in Mumbai so incredibly hard to countenance. The decision to slam the door shut on cricket's Associate nations - in particular Ireland, whose role in the narrative was so fundamental - and revert to a ten-team formula in 2015, makes a mockery of the spectacle we have just been privileged to witness.

Ratnakar Shetty, the tournament director, admitted as much on the eve of the opening ceremony, when he let slip that the group-stage elimination of both India and Pakistan had torpedoed the entire event in 2007. Every available precaution was taken to ensure against a repeat of such a financial disaster, but when England tested the rejigged format to its absolute limits by threatening a group-stage exit at the hands of Ireland and Bangladesh, the doubts crept in. At the time England's struggles appeared to vindicate the tweaks that had been made, but at boardroom level it became clear that changing the locks alone wouldn't be enough to guard against future intrusions. It was time to roll out The decision has been shocking both for its timing and its finality. A sop has been offered for 2019, but by then Associate cricket will have been stagnant for a generation. Even George Dockrell will be in his late twenties and in all probability an England regular - why would or should he squander the prime of his career waiting? - while John Mooney, Kevin O'Brien and all the other heroes of Bangalore will have long since retired. And the fact that the ICC reached their decision a mere two days after the tournament's conclusion suggests that there was never a decision to be reached in the first place. It was simply a matter of announcing the fait accompli.

The wider concern is the lack of concern. The public's initial reaction has been gratifyingly furious, but if ever there was a good day for the ICC to bury bad news, it is the Monday after India have won the World Cup, just as the IPL hype machine is beginning to grind into action. If enough righteous indignation is to be summoned to force the board into a change of heart, then a sizeable proportion of the 1.2 billion are going to have to speak out as well. But with some justification, they are a bit preoccupied right now.

The tone of this article was never intended to be so downbeat. A remarkable event took place in Mumbai on Saturday, and quite rightly, the celebrations throughout India will resonate for weeks and months to come. Dhoni's decisive six in the final could yet become the most replayed shot in cricket's long history, while no one who claims to love the game can take anything other than delight in the decisive role that Sachin Tendulkar played in his sixth and (presumably?) farewell campaign. Moreover, the best team in the tournament emerged with the spoils, and while everyone loves an upset now and again, it's right that class should prevail in the end. But regardless of all that, the World Cup's postscript is one that ought to freeze the blood of all sports fans, irrespective of how much they've loved or loathed the campaign that preceded it. The most common complaint - particularly from those frequent flyers who took part in the six-week game of subcontinental hopscotch - was that the event was at least a fortnight too long, although that issue is one that is stipulated by the ICC's long-standing broadcasting deal with ESPN Star Sports, and hence a ten-team all-play-all format in 2015 will not lead to a significant reduction of matches or days on the road.

What it will lead to is the loss of one of the key reasons behind the success of 2011. Ireland's victory over England, powered by O'Brien's astounding century, was a performance the like of which we may never again be privileged to witness - it was so unexpected, yet so majestic, that when the deal had been done, and Ireland really had chased 328 to beat England, having at one stage been 111 for 5, it seemed churlish to demean it as an upset. Not even Australia in their pomp could have won a game with more confidence.

The knock-on effect was to electrify the permutations in Group B, where Bangladesh's fluctuations created a six-way tussle for four places. Though they wilted at the last against South Africa, their own story was a vital subplot in itself. It started with the youthful vigour they provided at the opening ceremony - a concept that tends to look laboured at sporting events where there's no Olympic flame to provide a focal point - and continued via the West Indies debacle and the subsequent stoning of the team bus, through to their own crowning moment against England. And all along the way, they - like the musically fuelled Sri Lankans - kept contributing the thrill of packed stadiums, a factor that had been so miserably absent throughout the previous World Cup.

But in the end the whole narrative reverts back to India, and quite rightly so, because this was their year, and they earned it the hard way, soaking up the pressures and the doubts, as well as 28 years of World Cup failure. That they won the final in such style was magnificent, but their journey to that Sri Lanka showdown was every bit as gripping. Along the way they faced up to each of their major rivals, and there was not a dull contest among them. England battled to a tie, South Africa secured a thrilling run-chase, before Australia were dethroned and Pakistan denied in consecutive knock-out encounters.

And then the party that kicked off on Saturday night was something to behold. If the purpose of sport is to fulfill a utilitarian brief of conferring the greatest pleasure for the greatest number, then the 2011 World Cup hit the spot like no other event in history. Sadly, however, there is so much more to it than that. Any sports fan with a moral compass, even one whose every wish has been granted this past week, will recognise that the tournament's true conclusion was signed and sealed not in the Wankhede Stadium, but in a Mumbai board-room, two days after the main event.
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Scores Results Fixtures

International

U.A.E. 462 & 228 v Afghanistan 328 & 30/2

Champions League Twenty20

Mumbai v Somerset (20:00 local | 14:30 GMT)

Domestic

Pakistan Domestic

Abbottabad 259 v WAPDA 89/4

Faisalabad 199 v Zarai TBL 401/4

Hyd (Pakstn) 390 v Quetta 124/4

PIA 340/4 v Islamabad

Karachi B 253 v State B of P 295/6

Sui Gas 223 & 38/1 v Khan RL 192

Lahore Ravi 276 & 17/1 v Lahore S 192

Multan 67 & 119/4 v Peshawar 365/3d

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Sialkot 397 v Habib Bank 91/1

United Bank Limited 139 & 164/6 v Karachi W 204

South Africa Domestic

Dolphins 243 & 9/0 v Titans 360

Boland 177 & 163/6 v Border 235

Lions 455/9d v Knights 161/5

Easterns 414 v Northerns 315/9d

E.Prov U19 141 v Bol U19 158/7

KZN U19 348/9d v GriqW U19 46/5

SWD U19 96 & 50/5 v W.Prov U19 138

Zimbabwe Domestic

Eagles 24/0 (5.4/50 ov) v Mountaineers

Rhinos 25/0 (5.2/50 ov) v Rocks

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In Tendulkar countryWright Thompson, an American writer new to cricket, experiences the first few weeks of the World Cup, navigating the madness of a billion fans and chasing the soul of the game
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Points Table

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	N/R	Pts	Net RR
Bangalore	14	9	4	1	19	+0.326
Chennai	14	9	5	0	18	+0.443
Mumbai	14	9	5	0	18	+0.040
Kolkata	14	8	6	0	16	+0.433
Punjab	14	7	7	0	14	-0.051
Rajasthan	14	6	7	1	13	-0.691
Deccan	14	6	8	0	12	+0.222
Kochi	14	6	8	0	12	-0.214
Pune	14	4	9	1	9	-0.134
Delhi	14	4	9	1	9	-0.448

* Two finalists, and loser of the Qualifier 2 (Played on Fri May 27) will qualify for the Champions League Twenty20

2015 ICC Cricket World Cup

will be the eleventh Cricket World Cup, and will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The location of the games will be evenly split, with the location of the final yet to be decided.
The hosting rights were awarded at the same time as those of the 2011 Cricket World Cup, which New Zealand and Australia had originally bid to host, and the 2019 Cricket World Cup. The 2011 tournament was awarded to the four Asian Test cricket playing countries India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in a 10 to 3 vote (although Pakistan has since lost its hosting rights). The International Cricket Council were sufficiently impressed with the trans-Tasman bid that it was decided to award the next world cup to them.
The 2015 Cricket World Cup will be the 2nd time this tournament has been jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the first being the 1992 Cricket World Cup which was won by Pakistan, who defeated England in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Incidentally this is the first time since 1992 that a major international cricket tournament like World Cup, Champions Trophy or T20 World Cup is being held in Australia or New Zealand.

Statistics

Indian Premier League, 2011

Most runs | Most wickets | High scores | Best bowling | More

Twenty20 matches

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Format & Qualification

2010-09-22T13:24:00.017+06:00

Formate:
Late in 2007, the four host nations agreed upon a revised format for the 2011 World Cup, in which 14 teams will participate instead of 16. The first round of the tournament will be a round-robin similar to the one held in South Africa in the 2003 edition in which the 14 teams are divided into 2 groups of 7 teams each. The 7 teams play each other once with the top four from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals. The format ensures that each team gets to play a minimum of six matches even if they are ruled out of the tournament due to early defeats. One semi-final of the tournament was officially handed over to India, after Pakistan were stripped of its rights to host the tournament.

* The planned semi-final venues are the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka and PCA Stadium in Mohali, India
* The final is scheduled to be played at the renovated Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India.

Qualification:
Main articles: ICC World Cricket League 2007-09 and 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier
As per ICC regulations, all 10 full members automatically qualify for the World Cup, including Zimbabwe who have given up their test playing status until the standard of their team improves.

The ICC also organised a qualifying tournament in South Africa to determine which Associate teams would participate in 2011 event. Ireland who had been the best performing Associate nation since the last World Cup, won the tournament, beating Canada in the final. The Netherlands and Kenya also qualified by virtue of finishing third and fourth respectively.

Staging of matches & Allocation of matches

2010-09-22T13:15:00.009+06:00

Pakistan stripped of co-host status:

Pakistan were stripped of its rights as co-host of the 2011 World Cup by the ICC on 17 April 2009 due to ongoing concerns about the "uncertain security situation" prevailing in the country, especially in the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Lahore during Sri Lanka's tour in 2009.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has hinted that it may refuse to participate in the World Cup if they are asked to play in India . However, there is no concrete evidence whether this will actually happen.

It is estimated that the PCB will lose $10.5 million due to the tournament being taken away from them. This figure only includes the match-fee of $750,000 per match guaranteed by the ICC. The overall loss to the PCB and the Pakistani economy is expected to be much greater.

On 9 April 2009, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt revealed that they had issued a legal notice to oppose ICC's decision. However, the ICC claims that the PCB is still a co-host and they have only shifted the matches out of Pakistan. Pakistan have proposed that South Asia host the 2015 World Cup and Australia/New Zealand host 2011, however this option has not found favour with their co-hosts and hence seems unlikely.

Allocation of matches:

On 11 April 2005, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan announced an agreement about the allocation of games . The original plan involved India hosting the final, while Pakistan and Sri Lanka would host the semi-finals. and the opening ceremony will take place in Bangladesh.

After being stripped of its co-host status, Pakistan made the bid to host its home games in the cities of UAE as a neutral home venue. This is in response to the fact that the last few months of cricket that Pakistan has played, has been in the cities of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. The pitches in these stadia have also been developed to suit the Pakistani players. This would not harm any timing schedules as there are regular flights from the city of Mumbai to Dubai.

However, on 28 April 2009, the ICC announced the re-allocation of matches originally intended to be played in Pakistan. As a result, India will now host 29 matches across eight venues including the final and one semi-final; Sri Lanka will host 12 in three venues, including one semi-final; while Bangladesh will stage eight at two grounds as well as the opening ceremony on 18 February 2011.

On 1 June 2010, the first phase of tickets for the 2011 World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been put on sale following a meeting of the tournament's Central Organising Committee in Mumbai. The tickets have been priced affordably, with the cheapest costing 20 cents US in Sri Lanka, the committee said.

Host selection

2010-09-22T13:12:00.005+06:00

Bids:

The ICC originally announced its decision on which countries would host the 2011 World Cup on 30 April 2006. Australia and New Zealand also bid for the tournament, and a successful Australasian bid for the 2011 World Cup would have seen a 50-50 split in games, with the final still up for negotiation. The Trans–Tasman bid, Beyond Boundaries, was the only bid for 2011 delivered to ICC headquarters in Dubai ahead of the 1 March deadline. Considerable merits of the Australasian bid were the superior venues and infrastructure and the total support of both the New Zealand and Australian governments on tax and customs issues during the tournament, according to Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland. The New Zealand government had also given assurance that Zimbabwe would be allowed to compete in the tournament, following political discussions in the country whether their cricket team should be allowed to tour Zimbabwe in 2005. The Australian bid also won the support of former West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul

ICC President Ehsan Mani said the extra time taken by the Asian block to hand over its bid compliance book had harmed the four-nation bid. However, when the time came to vote, Asia won the hosting rights by seven votes to three. The Pakistan Cricket Board has revealed that it was the vote of the West Indies Cricket Board that swung the matter, as the Asian bid had the support of the four bidding countries along with South Africa and Zimbabwe. It was reported in Pakistani newspaper Dawn that the Asian countries promised to hold fund-raising events for West Indian cricket during the 2007 World Cup, which may have influenced the vote. However, chairman of the Monitoring Committee of the Asian bid, I. S. Bindra, said it was their promise of extra profits in the region of US$ 400 million that swung the vote, that there "was no quid pro quo for their support and that playing the West Indies had "nothing to do with the World Cup bid

ICC prefers to rotate World Cup venues between major cricket playing nations. The world cups have been hosted by England (Three times 1975,79,83) India/Pakistan 1987, Australia/New Zealand 1992, India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka 1996, England (UK,Netherlands) 1999, South Africa (Zimbabwe,Kenya) 2003, West Indies 2007. For the 2011 World Cup Australia/New Zealand were a strong contender ahead of India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka/Bangladesh because they had not hosted a World cup since 1992. In the final voting India won because they argued that since they were a bigger group of countries they should be assigned a World cup more frequently. Due to this, Australia/New Zealand were awarded the 2015 World Cup.

Prize Money & Mascot

2010-09-21T03:21:00.002+06:00

Prize Money: The 2011 Cricket World Cup winning team would be taking home a prize money of US$ 4 million, with the International Cricket Council deciding to double the total allocation for the coveted tournament to US$ 10 millon. The decision was taken at the ICC Board meeting which was held in Dubai on April 20, 2010.

Mascot: Stumpy, mascot of 2011 Cricket World Cup
Main article: Stumpy
See also: Cricket World Cup media

Stumpy is the official mascot for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He was unveiled at a function in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Friday, 2 April 2010. He is a ten year old elephant who is very young, enthusiastic and is determined. Cricket-followers based all over the world were able to participate in a contest to name the mascot. The official name of the mascot was released on Monday, 2 August, 2010 after an online competition conducted by the International Cricket Council in the last week of July, 2010.

Media coverage & Time schedule

2010-09-21T02:48:00.003+06:00

Main article: List of 2011 Cricket World Cup broadcasting rights

The World Cup has grown as a media event with each tournament. International Cricket Council has sold the rights for broadcasting of 2011 Cricket World Cup for around US$ 2 Billion to ESPN Star Sports. The tournament would be broadcasted all around the world in about 220 countries.

Matches:

Main article: 2011 Cricket World Cup schedule
All times given are Indian Standard Time (UTC+05:30), Sri Lanka Standard Time (UTC+05:30) and Bangladesh Standard Time (UTC+06:00)

How Sri Lanka's World Cup venues were chosen

2010-09-14T23:19:00.004+06:00

welcome to www.worldcupcricket11.blogspot.com

When the schedule for the 2011 World Cup was announced last Monday, eyebrows were raised about two of the venues in Sri Lanka that were allotted matches. The venues in question were Hambantota in the South and Pallakele in the Central Province. The third venue was, as expected, the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. How did the two new venues get the nod ahead of such renowned stadiums as Galle, Asgiriya, Dambulla and SSC? Cricinfo spoke to Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga who is also a member of the 2011 World Cup Central Organising Committee (COC) and the tournament's Operational and Ground Inspection Committee.

Can you justify the choosing of Hambantota and Pallakele as World Cup venues ahead of other reputed grounds?

The project to build an international cricket stadium in Hambantota with lights was taken three to four years ago and its ownership is with SLC. As Hambantota is a rapidly developing city, with a port and airport to be constructed in the near future, having an international stadium with a capacity of 25,000 would be beneficial for schools around the area and for international cricket. SLC will also accrue tax-free benefits as the cricket stadium is part of the massive Hambantota project (to develop a new sea port in the city). The entire cost of the stadium is Rs 900 million (US$7.86m) and we have already invested Rs 600 million (US$5.24m) on it. It will be ready by August 2010.

Pallakele was acquired by SLC three years ago and as the ownership is with us we thought of investing into it and developing it into an international venue with lights so that international cricket matches can be hosted. The Asgiriya Stadium belongs to Trinity College and there was a crying need for a stadium in Kandy so that schools in and around the area can benefit. The capacity of the Pallakele Stadium is 25,000 and the entire cost of the project is Rs 450 million (US$3.93m). We will play the first international matches at this venue later this month when we host the Under-19 one-day tri-series with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Why were venues like Galle, Dambulla, SSC and P Sara Oval not considered as World Cup venues?

The problem with venues as Galle, SSC and P Sara Oval is that the capacity of these grounds is less than 20,000. If we are to develop SSC and P Sara Oval with a larger capacity, lights and a bigger media box it will cost us at least Rs. 750-800 million (US$6.55m to 7m) for each venue. We cannot invest such a large amount of money at venues where SLC don't have any ownership. The ICC requirement for a media box is for a minimum of 200 journalists. With Galle we cannot increase the crowd capacity and fit lights because of the constraints of erecting buildings in front of the Galle Fort which is a world heritage site. At Dambulla there are a few technical issues to overcome like lights, and increasing the media box capacity to 200 and the spectators' capacity from the present 17,000 to 25,000. We plan to have Dambulla ready by 2012 when we host the ICC World Twenty20.

Does the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo measure up to the World Cup requirements?
Not quite but the improvements are minimal compared to the other venues. We have to increase the media box capacity from 80 to 200 and the spectator capacity from 14,000 to 35,000. We intend doing this by increasing the seating capacity of spectators in stands 'C' and 'D'. The wiring in the lighting system also needs to be redone.

Ranatunga said ICC officials would arrive later this month for an initial inspection of the venues. Premadasa Stadium will host seven World Cup matches (including a semi-final), Pallakele three matches and Hambantota two.

ICC happy with state of progress of Sri Lanka venues

2010-09-14T23:07:00.002+06:00

Welcome to worldcupCricket11.blogspot.com The ICC is happy with the progress made at the three Sri Lankan venues for the ICC World Cup in 2011, since its previous inspection in December. Sri Lanka is set to host 12 World Cup matches in Colombo (R Premadasa Stadium), Pallekele and Hambantota.

"When we came here for the first visit in December, Sri Lanka Cricket gave us deadlines for the construction. We went to the venues yesterday (Friday) and it was very heartening to see that they were ahead of the times they had given us. I don't see any issues at all with any of the facilities in Sri Lanka," said Dhiraj Malhotra, the ICC World Cup coordinator.

"Yesterday was really an eye opener to see how much they've progressed. Realistically we weren't expecting them to progress the way they have, that was very heartening for us. Everything else looks like as scheduled and everything is in place," Malhotra said.

Pallakele has already hosted an Under-19 match, during the tri-series in late 2009, and hence the ICC delegation - comprising Malhotra, Andy Atkinson the ICC pitch consultant, and Eugene van Vuuren the ICC structural engineer - concentrated their energies on the work in progress at the other two venues. Hambantota passed the scrutiny with flying colours.

"Pallekele was already under control it was really Hambantota because when we went there in December we were only given plans. We wanted to see if they were up to the given plans or not. They achieved more than what they promised," said Malhotra.

Atkinson was happy with the status of the pitch, but noted that it still had some way to go before it could be deemed match-fit. "The square is looking very nice but there is still a little progress to do. It's still a very young square and I've advised them not to play there for a couple of more months to allow the grass to settle and for the soil to get compact, the roots and everything so that when they start playing they won't make any damage to the square."

Atkinson was however a little concerned that the R Premadasa Stadium was running behind schedule. "The only thing that concerns me slightly is the R Premadasa Stadium because they are basically doing the work and haven't completed anything yet on the field of play. We are a little bit behind schedule. In Hambantota and in Pallakele where they are basically playing cricket that's not an issue."

The delegation is set to make another inspection in May to assess the situation. "We'll keep monitoring Hambantota and R Premadasa Stadium till a certain time. When we come again in May we will have a clearer picture whether it will meet the deadline of October 31. As per current work it looks like it will," Atkinson said.

Sri Lanka World Cup venues on track - ICC

2010-09-14T22:53:00.001+06:00

Welcome to worldcupCricket11.blogspot.com An ICC delegation in Sri Lanka has expressed satisfaction at the work being done at the three venues which will host the twelve 2011 World Cup matches. Sri Lanka is due to host matches at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, and at two new venues which are currently under construction at Hambantota, down South, and at Pallekele, near Kandy in the Central Province.

"At the moment, we are content with the timelines in place and we fully expect all three venues to be ready by the first day of the tournament," James Fitzgerald, the ICC's communications officer, said. "It's an update we are receiving and getting a personal view of the progress being made. Work is in progress and a lot needs to be done.

"We need to visit some venues more often than others. We will have one or two more venue inspections before the end of next year. Over the next 12 months or so we will be finalising all the details."

Regarding Pallekele, he said the playing surface had already been tested. "The playing area is complete, they played some Under-19 matches there recently and the construction of the building, stands and all other necessary structures is underway. A lot of work has already been done and a lot of work needs to be done."

The new media centre will be the only new addition to the R Premadasa Stadium: "It's no stranger to international cricket and I am sure it will live upto it's very high standards," Fitzgerald said. "There is a brand new state-of-the-art media centre being put in place for the World Cup, construction of which will start very shortly. The previous media box will not be used."

The Hambantota venue is expected to be completed by August 2010. "The playing area has been levelled off and it's a huge playing area, the biggest in Sri Lanka," Fitzgerald said. "Construction has begun on the outside building and the stands and all the various other necessities that go along in making it a world-class venue. This is an initial venue inspection there will be more in the future."

Fitzgerald said the venue inspection tour formed part of a normal routine procedure which the ICC follows at every major and minor ICC event. "We go into the countries involved and have a look at the venues and make a report back and advice the local organising committee as to the best way to proceed, whether it's to do with media facilities, commercial aspects and any issues around the pitch in the playing area. There are various aspects we talk about as we inspect on the way. This is very much a part of that routine, a part of that procedure."

The delegation also visited the four other venues which will be used for training and practice during the tournament - the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) and Colombo Cricket Club (all in Colombo) and Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy.

"All the training grounds I looked at are fine," Andy Atkinson, the ICC's pitch consultant who was also part of the delegation, said. "Overall, it's a nice outlook at the moment. We are going to keep up-to-date by liaising with the people in charge of the World Cup in Sri Lanka."

Having been involved in the construction of the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium eight years ago, Atkinson expected the new stadium in Hambantota to be completed on time.

"They built the Dambulla Stadium in about 4-5 months. Having been involved in the construction, I know what the capabilities are in Sri Lanka regarding building stadiums very quickly," he said. "I am fairly comfortable with the way things are going at the moment. It's not a real concern."

The ICC delegation left for India on Monday to assess two other venues, at Chennai and Bangalore.

Pallekele readies itself for the big day

2010-09-14T22:22:00.002+06:00

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Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, one of Sri Lanka's three venues being developed for next year's World Cup, is the ground organisers are most confident about, in terms of how the pitch will behave and completing the construction sufficiently in time. "We have no fears," Suraj Dandeniya, director of the World Cup secretariat, said, "because we are playing matches, we are playing South Africa, New Zealand, all those matches, so it is 100% sure that the pitch is complete."

Getting to the stadium involves a lovely half-hour drive from the city of Kandy. You get to take in the two-century old man-made Kandy Lake, which is the centerpiece of the city, before moving along to some twisty Hill Country streets. Next up on the ride is the bridge across the majestic Mahaweli river, the largest in the country, followed by a canopied stretch past the Sri Lankan International Buddhist Academy before turning into the plush-looking Kandy Industrial Park a few kilometers ahead where the ground is located.

There's still no sign of the stadium, and after a short walk up a dusty path (the security guard assures you the ground is at the end of it), the first thing you notice is the cling-clang of construction work before seeing metal scaffolding, the barebones of a three-storey structure and plenty of men in hard hats. Get closer to the construction, and there's a massive arc of mud to the left, suitable perhaps for a dirt-bike race. This place is going to host World Cup matches, you wonder.

It is only when you stride towards the mud track that you first glimpse the familiar green of a cricket outfield. There's a match on between the Sri Lankan and South African A teams, and just then Thilina Kandamby punches the ball towards long-on, and it rolls smoothly along the outfield. Once you have taken in the reassuring sight of the level and lush playing area, there is the largely-completed structure of the stand at the pavilion end. There's still work to be done on the corporate boxes on the upper tier, and there's no sign of the grandstand's roof yet, but the lower uncovered part of the stand is more or less finished. You can't help but notice another dirt-bike track sweeping from third man to extra cover on the right, complementing the one to your left, but you start to believe this venue can be ready for its big day in seven months' time.

Perhaps the biggest concern about a new stadium is over the manner in which the pitch will behave. Preparing a new turf pitch is a complicated art, but unlike the other two venues that SLC is developing for the World Cup (the R Premadasa in Colombo and a new one near the southern cost town Hambantota) which are yet to be properly tested, the pitches at Pallekele have had matches since November 2009. A chunk of last season's domestic Twenty20 matches took place in February, there has been a first-class and List A game as well, and touring international teams, including Ross Taylor's New Zealand side, are becoming regular fixtures. There haven't been any pitch-behaviour complaints during these matches, leaving the organisers supremely confident about the venue.

The Pallekele stadium is wholly owned by Sri Lanka Cricket and is set to displace the Asgiriya stadium, which has hosted Tests for nearly 25 years, as the international venue of choice around Kandy. It is being built by the government-owned State Engineering Corporation of Sri Lanka and is designed along the lines of SuperSport Park in Centurion. Like the South African stadium, Pallekele too will have a capacity of 22,000 and the muddy eyesores embracing the ground on both sides are soon expected to be transformed into a replica of Centurion's famed grass embankments.

The grass banks are part of a plan to ensure watching cricket at the stadium, nestled amid a ring of trees, provides a unique experience, unlike the concrete-sameness that blights some of the world's larger cricket venues. The under-construction three-storey structure that greets you at the entrance, the organisers say, will turn into a distinctive and futuristic-looking press box.

Built so close to Kandy, which as several congratulatory signboards remind you, is the home town of Muttiah Muralitharan, Pallekele's stadium could soon be renamed after Sri Lanka's greatest cricketer. Murali's already bid adieu to the Test scene, and the World Cup could well be his final appearance for the national team. Come March 10, when Pallekele hosts the Sri Lanka-Zimbabwe league game, expect Kandyans to pack the place for one last chance to see their favourite son.

ICC to inspect pitches for World Cup

2010-09-14T22:10:00.003+06:00

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The ICC's pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, will be visiting India in early September to inspect six out of the eight venues in the country for the 2011 World Cup. Among the six is the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, the host for the controversial India-Sri Lanka ODI in December 2009 which was abandoned due to an unfit pitch.

"Atkinson is on a week-long visit in the first week of September to inspect six out of eight World Cup match hosting centres in India," Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI's chief administrative officer, said.

Mohali and Nagpur are the venues Atkinston will not be visiting. "He would be visiting the other six centres (Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Ahmedabad). Anyway barring Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, the other centres are to host international matches against Australia and New Zealand and we would know their preparedness," Shetty said. "Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi would host some first-class games before the World Cup."

Atkinson had inspected the Kotla pitch on February 14 and 15 earlier this year and was happy with theremedial work under the supervision of Venkat Sundaram, former head of the BCCI curators' panel. The ground continued to host IPL games this summer.

Cricket: Elephant mascot for 2011 World Cup

2010-09-14T15:07:00.003+06:00

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Stumpy, a baby elephant, will be the mascot for next year's cricket World Cup.

The tournament is being hosted by Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh in February-March.

Stumpy was revealed yesterday after the International Cricket Council ran

an online competition, inviting the public to come up with a name for the mascot.

Welcome to ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

2010-09-08T03:24:00.010+06:00

Welcome to

worldcupCricket11.blogspot.
com
a complete website on the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. This website would update you about ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule, Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue and Cricket World Cup 2011 teams.
Cricket is considered as a religion in India and people are crazy about Cricket, especially in this part of the world. With ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 coming in the year 2011, the game would rise to new levels. If you are a Cricket fan searching for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule, Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue and Cricket World Cup 2011 teams, then you need not to go elsewhere as you will get information on Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue and Cricket World Cup 2011 teams and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule and every other info about ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

BUY TICKET

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will be the 10th World Cup. Prior to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, 9 Cricket World Cups have been organized by ICC. Australia have emerged winner on the most occasions – 4. Closely following is West Indies, who won the inaugural and the very next World Cup. All the Indian Subcontinent teams – India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have won 1 World Cup each. Australia won in 1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007. West Indies won on 1975 (the first World Cup) and 1979. India won the World Cup in 1983, Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992 and Sri Lanka won in 1996.

About

2011 Cricket World Cup

The World Cup is a one-day international tournament that dates back to 1975, when eight teams competed in

England

. West Indies dominated the first three events, winning the first two and losing surprisingly to

India

in the final of the third in 1983.

Since those early years the format has expanded and in the last World Cup in 2007, 16 countries played a total of 52 games over 46 days.

Australia

have enjoyed a prolific run in recent times, lifting the last three Cups and winning all 22 matches of their 2003 and 2007 campaigns.

The next World Cup will be hosted jointly by Bangladesh, India and

Sri Lanka

in 2011 and will feature 14 nations. The event opens with Bangladesh playing

India

on February 19 and the final will contested in Mumbai on April 2.

ICC Confirms 2011 World Cup Groupings ( 7 October 2009 )

2010-08-24T03:42:00.019+06:00

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UPDATE RESULT

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board members have finalised the groups for the 2011 World Cup, which will be held in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

The 14-team tournament sees the competing nations split into two groups - reigning champions Australia are joined in Group A by Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya with Group B comprising India, South Africa, England, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands. The top four sides from each group will then progress to a straight knockout stage of quarter-finals, semi-finals and then the final.

On the final day of their two-day board meeting in Johannesburg, the board also approved the schedule for the 2010 ICC Under-19 World Cup, which was recently shifted from Kenya to New Zealand and a working group was set up to analyse other sport and entertainment products in order to continue to enhance and improve the promotion of cricket.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat will chair this group which will include representatives from each Full Member country.

Day one of the meeting saw Principal Advisor IS Bindra encourage Full Members to play competitive cricket in developing countries, notably the USA and China and a draft proposal of a new Future Tours Programme was approved in principle.

A new and enhanced ICC Code of Conduct, Anti-Corruption and Anti-Racism was unanimously approved on day one.