PCB suspends Shahid Afridi's contract

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday suspended the central contract of former one-day captain Shahid Afridi, who had announced his retirement from international cricket, a board statement said.

At the same time it revoked all no-objection certificates (NOCs) for the player, meaning he will not be officially permitted to play abroad, the PCB said.

Afridi, a hugely popular big-hitting all-rounder, had been expected to play for Hampshire in the Twenty20 league in England next month, and also in the Sri Lanka Premier League a month later.

The 31-year-old, who was stripped of the Pakistan one-day captaincy earlier this month, announced his retirement from all international cricket on Monday following a spat with coach Waqar Younis.

"PCB has initiated action against Afridi in response to the multiple breaches he has committed under the central contract signed with PCB," the statement said.

"Afridi's central contract has been suspended with immediate effect. Consequently, all NOCs granted to him have been revoked. All payments on account of central contract have been suspended."

Afridi is in the "A" contract category, receiving a monthly salary of 250,000 rupees (about $2,900).

The PCB said Afridi must explain within seven days why he levelled allegations against the Board.

"In passing disparaging remarks about the board and its officials Afridi is in breach of clause 4.4 dealing with media obligations," said the statement.

Afridi had said he would not play under the current PCB set-up, headed by chairman Ijaz Butt, and accused the administration of mistreating the players.

Butt said Afridi's decision to retire was acceptable.

"If he has decided not to play under us then its his decision and we welcome it," the official told reporters. "Afridi has violated players' code of conduct and we have served show notice on him."

The player had lashed out at Waqar for undue meddling in team selection.

"Everyone should do his job and must be held accountable for that," Afridi said, without naming anyone, on his return from the West Indies where he led the team to a 3-2 one-day series victory earlier this month.

When asked about his differences with Waqar, Afridi replied: "The differences are not at a stage where they cannot be solved."

Afridi had withdrawn from Pakistan's latest matches, a one-day series against Ireland which finished in a 2-0 win on Monday, to attend his ailing father in the United States.

England on course for 2nd rank in Tests

England's stunning victory against Sri Lanka in the first Test in Cardiff has kept them on course to reclaim second position on the ICC Test Championship table for the first time in more than three years.

Although the Test Championship table will be updated only at the end of the series, a 3-0 series win will put England one ratings point ahead of South Africa. England last occupied the second position in November 2007.

England players Chris Tremlett, Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell, who engineered the stunning innings and 14-run victory over Sri Lanka, also achieved their career-best rankings in the list released on Tuesday.

Swann, who bagged 4/16 in the second innings to finish with figures of 7/94, has strengthened his second position on the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, which is still headed by Dale Steyn of South Africa.

Tremlett, who claimed 4/40 in the second innings to earn match figures of 5/121, has gained seven places and is now on a career-best ranking of 27th.

Among the Test batsmen, man of the match Jonathan Trott, who scored 203, has moved up one place to join former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara in third position.

Ian Bell was also rewarded for his innings of 103 not out with a jump of three places to the 18th position for the first time in his career.

Skipper Alastair Cook also earned 15 ratings points for his innings of 133 which has put him on 818 ratings points and just 38 points behind the pair of Trott and Sangakkara.

Sri Lanka opener Tharanga Paranavithana and wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardena moved up one place to 44th spot and six places to 51st position respectively.

Tendulkar is India's cricketer of year

Record-breaking batsman Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday received India's cricketer of the year award for his outstanding performances in 2009-2010.

Tendulkar, the world's leading scorer in both Test and one-day cricket, won the Polly Umrigar award, named after a former India captain, at a function held by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Mumbai.

The master batsman scored 1,064 runs, including one double-century and five hundreds, in 10 Tests during the year in question, October 2009 to September 2010, at an average of 82.

Tendulkar also scored 695 runs in 12 one-day internationals, including the first double-century in one-dayers, against South Africa in Gwalior in February 2010.

Former Test all-rounder Salim Durani received the C. K. Nayudu award, named after another former India skipper, for his lifetime contribution to the game.

Durani, an exciting stroke-player and effective left-arm spinner, played 29 Tests from 1960 to 1973, scoring 1,202 runs and taking 75 wickets, including a major role in India's maiden Test series victory in the West Indies in 1971.

Then, he dismissed key batsmen Gary Sobers and Clive Lloyd in the second Test in Trinidad to help India win by seven wickets.

Manish Pandey, a 21-year-old from Karnataka, won the best batsman award in domestic cricket for scoring 882 runs in nine matches in the country's premier first-class tournament, the Ranji Trophy.

Karnataka paceman Abhimanyu Mithun, who bagged 47 wickets in nine matches in domestic cricket, won the best bowler award.

India's World Cup-winning squad was also congratulated at the event.

India can do well in Windies: Fletcher

India's newly-appointed coach Duncan Fletcher said Tuesday the team had the potential to perform well on its upcoming tour of the West Indies despite missing key players.

"There is a lot of talent in India and my job is to prepare these youngsters," said former Zimbabwean all-rounder Fletcher, who was named coach last month.

"India have a plan to stay at the top. The young players have the potential and this tour will show the depth of talent we have. But any team playing at home is difficult to beat so we should not be complacent."

India are without Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh for a five-match one-day series starting in Trinidad on June 6.

Batting superstar Tendulkar, World Cup-winning captain Dhoni and paceman Zaheer have been rested while openers Gambhir and Sehwag, and all-rounder Yuvraj are unfit.

Fletcher said he had followed a rotation policy when he was the England coach.

"While I was in England, I started the rotation policy resting senior guys and was criticised. It's important to do that considering the heavy schedule. We need to look into the matter as we go into the future," he said.

Stand-in India captain Suresh Raina said the tour was a good opportunity for youngsters to show their talent.

"It's a great opportunity for the youngsters who have done well in domestic cricket and I hope they will do well," said Raina.

"I am really honoured to be leading the side. I am happy with the side as we have some very good batsmen in Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Subramaniam Badrinath and Shikhar Dhawan who have done well in first-class cricket."

The Caribbean tour opens with a one-off Twenty20 international in Trinidad on June 4. India will also play three Tests after the one-day series.

T20 and one-day squad: Suresh Raina (capt), Harbhajan Singh (vice-capt), Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli, Subramaniam Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Manoj Tiwary, Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Vinay Kumar, Yusuf Pathan, Amit Mishra, Wriddhiman Saha.

Trott wins England player of the year award

Jonathan Trott's run-scoring feats during the past 12 months were recognised when he was named England's cricketer of the year by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) at a ceremony at Lord's here on Wednesday.

The award, voted for by the British cricket media, is given to the player who has had the greatest impact upon England's performances from the start of the 2010 international season until the end of the World Cup.

In that time the South Africa-born Trott played 32 times for England, scoring 2,246 runs at an average of 68.06.

This included seven hundreds and a highest score of 226, against Bangladesh in a Test at Lord's last year.

His Ashes average of 89 was second only to Alastair Cook, whilst his first over run out of Simon Katich during the second Test Match in Adelaide, helped set England on the road to Ashes victory.

"I am both extremely humbled and proud to have been named England Cricketer of the Year after what has clearly been the most enjoyable year of my cricketing career so far," Trott said.

"It is an honour to represent England and it has been a privilege to be involved in such a successful, hard working team," the 30-year-old Warwickshire batsman added.

"I wouldn't have won this award without the commitment and support of my team mates. This award really belongs to the entire England squad and management team that have provided such a supportive and professional environment that has allowed me to prosper as a cricketer and a person.

"There is still much hard work to be done and improvement to be made and I look forward to making further contributions to a successful England team for a long as possible."

Trott's good form continued with 203 during England's recent innings win in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Cardiff.

That left him with a Test average of 66.67 -- second only to that of Australia great Sir Donald Bradman's mark of 99.94 among batsmen who've played at least 20 Test innings.

It is Afridi's personal decision: Butt

The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt has reacted cautiously to the flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi's announcement that he didn't want to play under the current board set-up.

"It is his personal decision to retire. But we have not dropped him, neither did we tell him not to play," Butt said.

Afridi rocked Pakistan cricket last night when he announced his retirement from international cricket, insisting he had been given no respect by the Board and that he didn't want to play under such "disgraceful" administrators.

The former Pakistan limited-over skipper made it clear that if the board is changed and people wanted him to continue to play, he would reconsider his retirement decision.

Afridi reacted after Butt sacked him as captain for the two-match Ireland ODI series on disciplinary grounds and in his place appointed Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq to lead the team in the One-dayers as well.

Misbah led the team to a 2-0 win over Ireland. Butt said he would not like to comment in detail on the issue until the team returned home and he had discussions with the team management.

"Let the team return and then we will elaborate on lot of things," he said.

But the PCB chief clarified that the board had selected Afridi to play in the Ireland series and it was the all-rounder's decision to opt out of the series because of the illness of his father, who is undergoing treatment in the United States.

Well placed sources in the board said that the chairman had spoken to his senior officials and some members of the governing body on the Afridi issue but at present the board is unclear on what line of action to take after the scathing criticism they had received at the hands of Afridi.

Afridi even accused a particular group from Punjab in the board of scheming against him and turning the chairman against him.

"There is no doubt he has violated the code of conduct with his utterly reckless comments on board and team issues. We will release a proper official statement later today on this issue," an official said.

Murali says Sri Lanka are on their own

Retired Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralitharan has said there isn't much he can do for his compatriots as they struggle to come to terms with their dramatic first Test defeat.

The tourists were dismissed for just 82 in under two hours in Cardiff on Monday as England grabbed an unlikely innings and 14-runs win to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Spin star Muralitharan bowed out of Test cricket with a record 800 wickets before retiring completely from international matches following Sri Lanka's World Cup final defeat by India in Mumbai in April.

As well as Muralitharan, Sri Lanka's attack is also missing the likes of retired seamers Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga, while pacemen Nuwan Pradeep and Dilhara Fernando were both forced out on the eve of the first Test because of injury.

But Muralitharan, due to play for Gloucestershire in this year's English county Twenty20 tournament, insisted he could not be swayed out of his decision to quit international cricket.

"I have finished my career and they have to handle themselves," the 39-year-old said Tuesday in an interview with Gloucestershire's website.

"The coach (former Australia batsman Stuart Law) is there and the captain (Tillakaratne Dilshan) is there and they have to handle themselves.

"I can't help them. I'm not there.

"Cricketers go through these patches, but they come through. I just retired, I want to concentrate on my things. Sri Lanka are in good hands.

"Sometimes you have a disaster but that doesn't mean they're a bad side. They will bounce back."

The second Test starts at Lord's on Friday.

Former players slam Afridi

                                 Afridi has come under criticism for announcing his retirement.

Shahid Afridi's shock retirement out of anger at being sacked as Pakistan's ODI captain has found no sympathy in the country's cricket community with former players calling the flamboyant all-rounder immature.

"I don't understand why he needed to do this. Today he is blaming this board but he has forgotten it was this board that supported and backed him even during his ball-tampering incident in Australia and even when he didn't perform," former captain Zaheer Abbas said.

"Even when the team reached the World Cup semi finals, the board not only rewarded him but gave him lot of respect," he added.

Zaheer said if Afridi had any issues with the team management, he should have waited until board Chairman Ijaz Butt had met all stakeholders in the team to sort out things.

"The sort of language he has used while announcing his retirement is unacceptable at any level. There is no excuse for him to behave this way," Zaheer said.

Former Test leg-spinner and ex-chief selector Abdul Qadir also slammed Afridi for making a mockery of the retirement word.

"Nowadays, it has become a joke to announce your retirement. Our players are doing it regularly and backing out and only causing embarrassment for Pakistan cricket," he said.

Qadir said even if Afridi had any issues with the team management or board, he should have talked to the Chairman first before taking a decision.

"I don't think there were any circumstances to behave in this matter. He is part of the management and it is his responsibility to ensure internal issues are sorted out internally," he added.

Tendulkar is fit for remaining games: Robin

Mumbai Indians coach Robin Singh on Thursday said he was unaware of any injury to Sachin Tendulkar and confirmed the skipper's participation in all the remaining IPL games.

A media report had said that Tendulkar would soon head to Germany for the treatment of a shoulder injury.

"He (Sachin) is fit for all the games," Singh told reporters here ahead of the team's clash against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede stadium here on Friday.

Asked about the injury, Singh said, "I really have no clue. I'm only focusing on IPL now. I really don't know what has happened."

Singh said the match against the Jaipur-based franchisee was crucial for Mumbai Indians, which has suffered two consecutive defeats.

"We didn't play well. We didn't bat well. We played way below our potential. We are quite aware of that. It's quite an important game for us and we need to win it," he said.

"Any loss will hurt. Especially a game that you expect to win comfortably. So we sat back, we just wanted to reflect on what went wrong and wanted to better that," he added.

Tomorrow's match will be last for leg-spin legend Shane Warne in the IPL and it will be last time that Warne and Tendulkar would be up against each other but Singh said they cannot afford to get distracted by those things.

"We are focussed on what we want to do. It's important to play the way we want to. We know its Shane Warne's last game but it does not affect us," he added.

Asked whether the team was struggling to cope up with slow turners, he said it was a problem for everyone and not Mumbai in particular.

"It's a problem for everyone. Even in Chennai the wickets are very slow. No team has got a huge score unless the wicket has been very good. It's a question of adapting. Every team has to face that. The more you go into the tournament. The more you go into the season the wickets are going to get slower. We are preparing for that," he added.

Singh also denied that his they were bad-chasers.

"No we just batted badly. It was a easy score to get (against Deccan Chargers) but the batters didn't do the job. Overall we had a good game."

Warne unhappy with Tendulkar's pitch remarks

Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne on Sunday expressed displeasure over Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar's remarks on the pitch at the Sawai Mansingh stadium, which hosted the IPL match between the two sides on Friday.

Tendulkar, after his team's seven-wicket defeat, drubbed the pitch as a two-paced wicket on which the ball kept low, but Warne thought otherwise.

"It is very unfortunate. Mumbai still is not relishing the fact that they were restricted to 94 for 8 and that is why they are searching for excuses. They should admit that they were outplayed if they were outplayed," Warne said in a press conference after leading his team to a six-wicket win over Pune Warriors on Sunday.

"A pitch inspector (member of the pitch committee of BCCI) was here and how can the wicket be termed bad when we reached the target losing three wickets. The ball was coming nicely and it was the same wicket on which Kolkata made 160 odd losing one wicket," he said.

"I think the Rajasthan Cricket Association and curator Taposh Chatterjee have been doing a decent job and are preparing fine wickets. In fact the wicket was a bit slow but that makes a 20-20 even for both bowlers and batsmen. I am really very disappointed by the complaint."

"I have seen wickets in other matches too which were slow and few balls keeping low. But lodging a complaint is not fair. It makes a fair contest between the bat and the ball," the legendary spinner added.

It is learn that chairman of the Pitch Committee of BCCI, Venkat Sundaram flew to the city to have a chat with RCA officials and the curator following Tendulkar's remarks.

The champion batsman had earlier said that it was a tough pitch and the conditions were difficult.

"It was a two-paced wicket and the ball kept low. The pitch was very different from Mumbai where we had a little more bounce and pace," Tendulkar had said.

About Sunday's match, Warne said he was happy that the team got the winning momentum at right juncture.

"I think we bowled pretty decently. We had hoped to restrict them to 130-135. While chasing we were pegged back a bit because we lost wickets at crucial juncture. But Ashok Menaria and Ross Taylor got us through. Young Rahane was a treat to watch - calm and composed," he said.

"I am happy with the way boys have left behind the tough week and three losses on trot," Warne said.

Warriors coach Geoff Marsh, on the other hand, was disappointed with his team's fielding and catching.

"We dropped a few at crucial moments and that cost us the match." Marsh said.

Talking about skipper Yuvraj Singh who bowled only one over, he said sometimes captains tend to under bowl themselves.

"I don't know why he sent down only one over on a slow wicket like this. Sometimes captains tend to under bowl. But otherwise he is fit. We have lost a few close matches and will have to lift ourselves up to bounce back."

Coming soon: Ricky Ponting the golfer!

                                Ricky Ponting could be swinging a golf club in a major tournament.

In the twilight of his cricket career, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting could be seen swinging a golf club next summer as he might be given a sponsor's exemption in one of the major tournaments in Melbourne.

According to a report in the 'Daily Telegraph', "Ponting's reputation as a supreme golfer has made him a candidate for a sponsor's exemption in one of next season's key tournaments."

The Tasmanian, who stepped down from captaincy after Australia's quarter-final exit from the World Cup last month, was reportedly told by nine-time Major winner Gary Player: "The way you hit the ball, you're wasting your time playing cricket."

PGA of Australia's southern division executive officer Nick Thornton said the 36-year-old could be given an invite the moment he decides to take up golf full-time.

"We don't want to take him out of our Test line-up just yet, and we don't want to take away opportunities for up-and-coming players, but it would be great for golf in Australia for someone like Ricky Ponting to play in one of our events," Thornton was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "It certainly would create a lot of interest for one of those tournaments, so that is something we are always interested in."

Pollock against increasing overseas players

S Badrinath and Ambati Rayudu are examples of Indian talent that has flourished in the IPL.

Mumbai Indians' mentor Shaun Pollock is not in favour of having five foreigners in the Indian Premier League, saying the tournament was meant for giving opportunities to local talent.

"Why would you want to change that. At the end of the day when you went to the auction, you chose your players based on the fact that you will need only four players. It wouldn't make sense to change it now," the former South Africa pacer told reporters on Sunday.

"The idea of the IPL was to discover some local Indian talent. The more opportunities they get the better for them," he added.

In a newspaper column, Tom Moody had stated that since the number of franchises in the IPL had been increased to 10, it was time to increase the number of foreigners per side from four to five to bridge the gap in the skill of different players.

Commenting on the appointment of Duncan Fletcher as the coach of the Indian team, Pollock said the key for him to be successful would all depend on whether he is able to strike a chord with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"I have never played under Duncan, never played in a team under him, never been coached by him, so it would be unfair for me to comment on what type of coach he is. I suppose because of all his experience, he's been with a couple of teams, a couple at the international level as well. He's got a lot of experience.

"It all depends on how he works with Indian skipper MS Dhoni and what sort of rapport he has with (Indian) players. I'm sure he will give Gary a call and if Eric Simmons is involved they will come up with a plan. I would expect him to be pretty good."

Pollock hoped his team, which plays three matches in the next seven days - two in Mumbai and one in Navi Mumbai - will ensure it wins all the games to book a spot in the play-offs.

"We would love to work it that way. That's ideally how I wanted it. But we are taking it one game at a time. In this tournament we can't think too far ahead. We have to come back to Mumbai. We are looking forward to tomorrow's game," he said ahead of his team's clash with Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede stadium on Monday.

Mumbai Indians have registered five victories from seven games so far. Pollock felt that though Punjab have a strong batting line-up, his team could put them under pressure by taking early wickets.

"They have got some depth as well. Ideally, if we get some early wickets we can put them under pressure," he added.

The former all-rounder blamed Mumbai's unexpected eight-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals to bad pitch and conditions.

"You got to understand that the pitch was not similar to the ones we have played on so far in the tournament. Probably (it) won't be similar to the ones we'll see going forward. And we didn't play that well. It was difficult wicket to play on. We didn't bat well, and kept losing wickets and didn't get a partnership going.

"It was not a good score but I thought we bowled very well. We made them fight hard for every run and put them under some good pressure for some good time. We'll take that positive out of it," he said.

About the form of Kieron Pollard, who is yet to fire with the bat, Pollock said it was only a matter of time before the West Indian found his form with the willow.

"He isn't anywhere near the player which he is. Its not great for us to start with but its only a matter of time before he finds form. Its only a matter of couple of shots before he gets going. Once he gets going he is destructive.

"We were blessed with guys who played well for us at the top with only the top 4 batting in the first three games. He didn't get many opportunities. It was great that they batted that way but the only let-down for us was that Pollard didn't get too much time at the crease. He will play his part no doubt. I'm sure he will win us a few games. He brings a lot to the team. He is a decent bowling option, good in the field."

It's dangerous to throw names around: Sangakkara

Sangakarra wants Hashan Tillakaratne to work with authorities if he has facts about match fixing.

Reacting to former Sri Lanka captain Hashan Tillakaratne's comments that match fixing has existed in Sri Lankan cricket since 1992, Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday said the former player should work with the ACSU unit of the ICC and the home authorities in Sri Lanka if he has "anything more than allegations, as it's dangerous to throw names around."

Speaking in the post-match media conference after his side's 19 run loss to Chennai Super Kings, the Deccan Chargers captain said, "Hashan made those comments in a TV show. It was then taken up by the press. Hashan has played the game for years and he's captained Sri Lanka as well. So it's interesting to see what he has to say and if he has anything more than allegations.

"It's dangerous to throw names around, and he should work very closely with the ACSU of the ICC and the home authorities to ensure that something's done about it if there is any foundation to those claims but beyond that I don't think it makes any big sense to the players playing now."

About Sunday's defeat, Sangakkara said, "We had a few opportunities today that went abegging, which was unfortunate. The guys tried their best to take those chances, but unfortunately we couldn't take some of the catches that came to us. But that's the way the game goes, may be 10 to 15 runs too many but we were in the chase right up to the 15th, 16th over, when we fell away."

Asked about the nature of the strip, Sangakkara said, "I think the wicket in the second half didn't turn as much as we thought it would. It was a bit on the slower side. It played much better than we thought it would."

About the next few matches, his answer was: "Pretty simple. We have six games, we have to win about five of them to stay alive in this competition. It's a great challenge. We're playing well, but we have to convert that extra 10 or five percent to try and win a game."

Man of the match Albie Morkel said he was "very surprised" not to see compatriot Dale Steyn among his opposition. Steyn was one of the four players rested on Sunday.

"I think Dale and Ishant, in the last couple of games formed a formidable bowling pair and them not playing one of the world's best Test and One-day bowlers was surprising. But they have a couple of back-to-back games in Hyderabad, so may be they're saving him for that."

When asked if he had been able to snap his "mediocre run with the bat", Morkel shot back: "I think to use the word 'mediocre' is unfair. If you look at the position I bat in, I only get (about) four balls to face anyway, so for me it's not about only myself. It's also about whether I can do one or two good things for the team and help them win."

Both Warne and Sachin right: Shastri

                                   Both Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar are right according to Ravi Shastri.

Former India batsman Ravi Shastri agreed with Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne that the Jaipur pitch was not a "90-run wicket" even though he felt Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar was also not off the mark in stating that "it was a two-paced, difficult track to bat on".

Mumbai Indians lost to Rajasthan Royals in their IPL match on Friday last week and Tendulkar was critical of the pitch on which his team's batting collapsed.

"The first question I asked Sachin (at the post-match presentation) was if it was a tough pitch. In turn he gave me a straight answer," said Shastri, who covered the Rajasthan Royals-Mumbai Indians IPL match as a commentator in Jaipur last Friday.

Tendulkar had replied to this query by stating it was a two-paced pitch, a difficult track to bat on and much different from the ones in Mumbai which have pace and bounce.

"But I have to say it still wasn't a 90-run wicket. To be fair a few pitches in Kolkata, Delhi and the one in Kochi the other day, if anything, were more ordinary," said Shastri.

"Compared to them, the pitch at Jaipur was a shining difference."

Mumbai Indians suffered only their second loss of the IPL season, going down tamely by seven wickets to the hosts.

Warne had questioned Tendulkar for criticizing the strip which he believed led to pitch regulator Venkat Sundram flying to Jaipur the very next day and inspect the wicket-in-question.

Sundram, when contacted, didn't want to get dragged into the controversy, except stating that it wasn't the first pitch he had inspected in this IPL.

"I have been travelling to other venues as well, I did so during the World Cup too. And I am not sure if any formal protest was lodged (by the Mumbai Indians)," he said.

According to reports emerging from Mumbai Indians camp, no formal complaint was lodged and Warne might have over-reacted to Tendulkar's cricketing reply at the post-match presentation ceremony.

"I am not sure in what context Warne replied (in the press conference on Sunday). But he might have been piqued that his criticism of the Kolkata pitch wasn't taken seriously," stated Shastri.

Shastri was referring to Rajasthan Royals' drubbing at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders on April 15 which led to Warne describing the Eden Gardens pitch as "very ordinary".

Sundram chose to give a left-handed compliment to Jaipur, stating the pitch produced - after his inspection - in yesterday's match against Pune Warriors was a "lovely track".

Preview: WI v PAK, 4th ODI

                                  Misbah ul haq has been Pakistan's Mr. Consistent in this series.

Pakistan, having already clinched the 5-match ODI series with an unassailable 3-0 lead, would now be aiming to be on track for a series sweep when they face West Indies in the fourth one-day international at the Kensington Oval. West Indies, on the other hand, have only pride to play for, and would do well to win the remaining two matches.

Head to Head: Pakistan and West Indies have face off against each other in a total of 23 ODIs in the last 10 years. Pakistan have emerged victorious on 18 occasions while losing just 5 times.

Pakistan: Generally a very mercurial side, Pakistan have been anything but that in this series. After having bagged clinical wins in the first two ODIs, Pakistan emerged trumps in a low-scoring third game to bag the series. Mohammad Hafeez, who has been growing in confidence with every game, has been one of the key performers. He has done well with both the ball and the bat, contributing for Pakistan whenever called upon. Ahmed Shehzad has also done well at the top of the order, scoring an important century in the 2nd ODI. Pakistan's Mr Consistent Misbah ul Haq has performed brilliantly with two fifties and one score in the forties and is yet to be dismissed in this series. Their only concern would be the way the middle order struggled in the third ODI while chasing a target of 172 before getting home in the end.

Pakistan's bowling has been disciplined, never letting West Indies post a good total in all three ODIs so far. Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez have all been amongst wickets and have also been very economical, especially the spinners. They would look to continue in the same vein as Pakistan pursue a 5-0 series win.

West Indies: The Caribbean side have been average to say the least and the absence of their three senior batsmen has definitely hurt the team. While Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have not even been considered for the series, Ramnaresh Sarwan, the other senior in the ranks, has only been drafted into the squad for the 4th and 5th ODIs. With West Indies having already lost the series, he can only do as much as lending stability to the middle order which has been woeful. Lendl Simmons has been the only batsman who has been scoring runs for West Indies, with a couple of fifties while the talented Darren Bravo has gone past the half century-run mark once. Barring that, none of the other batsmen have come up with any kind of meritorious performance. They need to play with more application if they hope to contribute to West Indies' cause.

As far as the bowling is concerned, Devendra Bishoo has been the stand-out performer for the Windies, taking 7 wickets in the series at an average of 18. Ravi Rampaul, who played only in the third ODI, was also impressive with his excellent spell of 4/32. The rest of the bowlers, though they did not have much to defend in the past three outings, have also not been up to the mark. Kemar Roach, their strike bowler, is still searching for a wicket and so are Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo. West Indies need an all-round display in the remaining games if they are to prevent a clean-sweep.

Captains speak:

Rotating the strike is one area we have to get better at. If we rotate the strike, that upsets the rhythm of the Pakistan bowlers and that would lead to us posting bigger, match-winning totals. As a batting unit we hit a lot of boundaries, but we have to get better at ticking over the strike: West Indies skipper Darren Sammy

There are still some problems with out batting, and I'm sure the management and coaches will come at us hard in the meetings. The way the boys delivered in the series was good, but the batsmen need to spend some time in the middle. We all know we made mistakes: Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi

Nothing seems to be going our way: Sehwag

          Virender Sehwag admitted his team would find it tough to make the play-offs in the IPL.

Delhi Daredevils skipper Virender Sehwag on Thursday conceded that it has become difficult for his team to reach the play-offs of the Indian Premier League after suffering a 17-run defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders.

The Delhi team lost their fifth overall match in the tournament to languish at the bottom of the points table with just four points from seven outings.

"It's difficult and pressure is on us. We have to pull ourselves and really bat and bowl in coming games," Sehwag told reporters at the post-match press conference.

But the skipper sounded optimistic and said they still have an outside chance of making it to the next stage.

"Nothing is impossible. We can still back ourselves from here on and if we win two three games from here on, then it's possible for us but yes it's quite difficult," Sehwag added.

Kolkata Knight Riders comprehensively beat Delhi to notch up their fourth win in the IPL while Delhi suffered their fifth loss in the tournament and their road to recovery from here on looks pretty bleak.

Sehwag added that he has to back his own performance in order to turn around Daredevils' fortune.

"I have only got one fifty in the seven games. So I need to look at my performance also. If I get going it will be difficult for other teams to come back," the Delhi skipper said.

"I'll have to shoulder the responsibility and need to stay at the wicket for 12-15 overs. It will be good for my team," he said.

Sehwag defended his decision to send Travis Birt ahead of in-form Y Venugopal Rao, saying, "We thought a left-hander would be a better option against left-arm spinner. But nothing seems to be going our way.

"None of our plans are working. T20 game is like that only. Probably we will send Venu and Naman Ojha up the order in the coming games," he said.

His opposite number Gautam Gambhir lauded his bowlers for defending a modest total like 148.

"We just played very well as a team. We bowled and fielded well. It just goes to show how desperate we were for a victory," he said.

"If we can continue like this, definitely it will help our campaign. I am satisfied with the all-round performance today."

About man-of-the-match Manoj Tiwary, who scored a 47-ball unbeaten 61 to help his team's cause when wickets were falling at the other hand, the KKR skipper said, "He set the game for us. The entire credit goes to him for setting the game for us. He played a good innings."

About KKR's fielding today, Gambhir said they saved 15-20 runs which meant that the opposition had to chase a score of around 160-165 runs.

"When you start defending the modest totals, it gives you confidence for the games ahead. We defended the target and it has acted like a confidence-booster for us," he said.

He also defended Yusuf Pathan, who has been off-colour in this tournament so far.

"He has hardly played enough. He is hitting the ball good and till the time, he sticks to our game-plan, he remains a very important member of our scheme of things," Gambhir said.

I am available for WI tour: Harbhajan

                                     Harbhajan Singh has no intention of skipping the West Indies tour.

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said that he would be available for the forthcoming tour of the West Indies but wasn't aware of the plans of other senior players.

"I have no idea from where the news (of senior players opting out of West Indies tour) have poured in. As far as I am concerned, I am available for the tour," Harbhajan said.

"As far others are concerned neither have I spoken to anybody nor has anyone spoken to me. We will be playing three Tests there and I don't want to miss any of those," he said.

Talking about the winning streak of the Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan said that he was happy the way things were going.

"I am happy with the way things have gone till now. We have been through rough patches but one player or the other has been able to pull us through. Like in the last match Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds batted well to help us to a reasonable score, which we defended successfully," he said.

Asked about the good form of Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne, Harbhajan said: "He is a great cricketer and the greatest spinner. I would be talking to him to get tips so that I can prolong my international career."

Harbhajan also praised his MI teammate Ambati Rayudu, saying that the Hyderabadi is a "special talent".

"It would also be a challenge for players like Rayudu to face a great spinner (in Warne). Rayudu is a special talent and we always knew that. He was unfortunately lost in between but lately he has been performing well. He is capable of filling in the big shoes of great Indian batsmen like VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid," he added.

Hashan Tillakaratne alleges match-fixing in Lanka

                 New selector Duleep Mendis with Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage.

Dropping a bombshell, former Sri Lanka skipper Hashan Tillakaratne has claimed that match-fixing is common in his country since 1992 and promised to reveal names of those involved soon.

Tillakaratne, who played 83 Tests and 200 ODIs for Sri Lanka, made the sensational claim while appearing in a TV show.

"I can tell this in agreement with my conscience. Match fixing is not something that started happening yesterday or today. According to my knowledge, it happened since 1992. I say this with great responsibility," Tillakaratne said.

Tillakaratne, who was Sri Lanka's captain between April 2003 and March 2004, said people involved in the menace have been successful in burying the issue with money power but promised to expose them soon.

"There were threats of this issue being exposed during various times. But it was pushed down by giving money to various people. If the people who were responsible for that are listening to this, I state this today with great responsibility, I will shortly reveal the names of those responsible," he said.

Tillakaratne, who led the side in 10 Tests during his tenure as captain, stopped short of calling the World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka a fixed match but had some reservations about the team selection.

"I am not saying that this match (The world cup final) was fixed. But anyway match fixing is something which has been in this country over a period of time. This has spread like a cancer today," he said.

"Why were four players changed for this match? Those are questions that should be asked. Arjuna (Ranatunga) spoke about this, we who have played cricket talk about this. We were playing an entirely different side.

"Why was Mendis removed to put another spinner, Kapugedara was never among runs but he was chosen to replace Chamara Silva. It is not fair, is it?" a report in the Daily Mirror quoted him as saying.

The former Lankan skipper also doubted the timing of the selection of the World Cup squad.

"The world cup team was selected on the (January) 7th. I questioned at a TV show why this team was picked on the day before the IPL auction. The IPL auction was on the (January) 8th. Then it was said that we have time when we pick the team before the IPL auction and it was said that we have enough time as there were ten more days. Those were the excuses given.

"Also at the provincial tournament on the (January) 11th, 12th and 13th, we had the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the finals. If Sri Lanka Cricket conducted a tournament, we could have watched those tournaments and picked the team two or three days later. If that happened, I believe another two or three players could have replaced some of the players. I had my doubts whether it was the best team that was picked.

"In this country, there is a side which you don't know but I know. We discussed this. Inquire into this. Anyone can investigate this. Why was the team picked before the IPL?" he asked.

Tillakaratne said it was a vicious circle and the way things are moving, Sri Lanka would soon surpass Pakistan in terms of fixing.

"This has been happening since 1992 and I know all the people who are connected to it. I say this with responsibility. It is just like a relay. I run my lap and hand over the baton to you, you complete your lap and give it to another. This is a network. No one can ever go out of it and no one can come into it

"This situation was always there. When it came out from time to time, it was quietly swept under the carpet. If someone doesn't intervene and stop this menace, within another two-three years in this country, with these politics, with these corrupt administrators, I believe this country won't be second to Pakistan in the near future," he said.

Three Pakistani cricketers -- Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammad Aamer -- were recently handed lengthy bans by the ICC on charges of spot-fixing.

MCA sorts out security issue with Mumbai police

The BCCI will not shift its matches from Mumbai after the issues it had with the police have been so

The Mumbai Cricket Association officials have sorted out the controversial issue of the need for Cricket Board officials to have police accreditation for entering their own offices inside the Wankhede Stadium during the ongoing Indian Premier League.

"We had a meeting today with Additional Commissioners of Police, Mr Naval Bajaj and Mr Madhukar Gavit, and other police officers and the issue has been sorted out. The issue was only with police passes. They (police) will now honour the accreditation issued by the BCCI," said Ratnakar Shetty, Treasurer of the MCA.

"The IPL matches on May 24 and 25 would be held at the Wankhede Stadium as scheduled," he added.

Shetty, who is also BCCI Chief Administrative Officer, and MCA Vice-President Dilip Vengsarkar met the police officials, a day after the issue had been raised at the BCCI's Working Committee meeting on Wednesday.

Thursday's meeting lasted for around two hours. The Board officials were upset at the need for them to sport police accreditation in addition to their own identity cards for entering the Cricket Centre housed inside the stadium, the home venue for IPL franchise Mumbai Indians.

The BCCI even threatened to shift the first two IPL play-off games scheduled for May 24 and 25 at the stadium and gave the MCA officials three days' time to sort out the matter with the city police.

Deputy Police Commissioner (Operations) Rajkumar Vhatkar told reporters that henceforth the police personnel would not be handling the security inside the stadium but would continue to man the surroundings.

"The security responsibility inside the stadium would be taken care of by the MCA's private security staff. Police would be deployed outside the stadium only for the IPL matches," Vhatkar said on Thursday.

"It will be left to the MCA's security staff to decide whom to allow or not allow inside the stadium with or without accreditation. If they don't have police passes, we would not object," he said.

The frisking of the spectators would also be done by the private security staff, Vhatkar added.

Only on Wednesday, Vhatkar had insisted that police credentials were a must to enter the stadium.

"Thorough security checking is required. Not even the city Police Commissioner is allowed to enter the ground without police accreditation. Then why are the BCCI officials making an issue out of it? Egos should be kept aside when it comes to security of thousands of people," he had said.

"We will not compromise with security. We have taken heightened security measures keeping in mind the safety of thousands of spectators, cricketers and all others present inside the ground. We cannot put all these people's security at stake because some people have ego problems," he had asserted.

Home Minister RR Patil said IPL matches would not be pulled out of the Wankhede Stadium.

"We will ensure that people and players are safe and the security personnel do not trouble them," he told reporters.

Patil admitted that there were a few complaints from BCCI over the security arrangements, but they have been sorted out now.

Preview: Mumbai vs Rajasthan, Match 34

Shane Warne will need something special from his troops to stop a strong Mumbai.

With Mumbai establishing an early superiority in IPL-4, all teams go up against them as underdogs. Mumbai had done the same thing in the league stages of IPL-3, but this time they have an even stronger team, with no glaring chinks at all. Thus every match against them is a chance for the opponent to up their confidence a fair bit if they can get to victory and that is exactly what Rajasthan will be aiming at.

Mumbai Indians:

Their only weak link - if it can be called such - is the question of what would happen to the rest of the attack if Malinga has a bad off-day. It is not much of a weak link, since in their 5 victories so far, Mumbai have seen Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel be man-of-the-match once each for their bowling skills. The batting is packed with match-winners from the top-down with Sachin Tendulkar once again leading the run-charts. Ambati Rayudu has only grown, while Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds have shown that in the rare event of a top-order failure, they can do the job pretty well themselves too. And then there is Kieron Pollard lurking at Number 6 - yet to have a proper hit, yet to score a run in fact and still amongst the most dangerous men to have at that spot in the order.

Mumbai have gone back to Davey Jacobs as their fourth foreign player and he has done a pretty good job of taking the bowlers on in the initial overs and allowing Tendulkar just that bit of extra time to settle and anchor and the innings. They have talented players such as T Suman and Clint McKay on the bench, but on the principle of 'don't fix it if it ain't broke', no place has been found in the playing eleven for them so far.

Rajasthan Royals:

Rajasthan are currently in the top half of the points table with 7 points, but they haven't looked convincing always. Unlike Mumbai, Rajasthan depend heavily on 2-3 players to deliver superstar performances and rely on efficient team-work from the rest to pull through. Those players are Shane Watson, Ross Taylor and Shane Warne. Of the three, Taylor has had a pretty average outing so far, while Watson has had some good contributions but is yet to hit his straps. Warne has been outstanding though and apart from one match in which he got caned, he still looks like he could walk into any international eleven with the turn, the fizz and the bag of tricks intact.

Rajasthan will need solid contributions from Rahul Dravid and Johan Botha - their other established stars - alongwith stand-out performances from one of the first three to challenge Mumbai. The fact that they are playing on home turf could help, but more than the home advantage they need their players to do well.

Evergreen Contest:

Sachin Tendulkar versus Shane Warne has been one of THE contests of the past decade and a half, and both have had their moments against the other. Will Tendulkar dance down the track and deposit Warne into the stands? Or will Warne spin one viciously across Tendulkar and grab the edge? One only hopes that Tendulkar is there at the crease when Warne comes on to bowl to see the old masters at it once again.

First to give chance to youngsters: Mohsin

Misbah ul Haq and Wahab Riaz celebrate after Pakistan won the ODI series against West Indies.

Former Pakistan batsman Mohsin Khan has credited himself as being the first national selection committee chief to really give opportunities to new players and build a new look national side.

Mohsin said that in the past selectors had claimed about blooding new players but given few chances to youngsters.

"I think the present selection committee is the first one to properly work on a plan to blood new players and build a new team," Mohsin said.

"We have already taken this bold step of resting some senior players and sending some new players to the West Indies with the consultation of the captain and coach," he said.

The former Test opener said while he was satisfied with the progress shown by some new players, the batsmen, in particular, needed to learn to build innings.

"I have played Test cricket and I know that if one wants to play cricket for a long time, 30s and 40s are not enough to keep you going. These new players need to learn to convert good starts into big scores," he said.

"They need to look at the greats we have produced like Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and see how they built their innings and went for big scores," he said.

Mohsin also denied suggestions that he was a yes-man to the Pakistan Cricket Board.

"Pakistan is not the only country that has system of having paid selectors. That does not mean we don't take decisions on merit. Our system is such that all teams need to be approved by the Chairman of the board and we follow that procedure," he stated.

Mohsin said he himself had struggled hard to become a Pakistan player and he as chief selector would never ignore merit.

"Look, unintentionally mistakes can be made by us as well, but we have always tried to reward the good performers," said Mohsin.

He also denied that he as chief selector was afraid to face the media and that was why preferred to announce teams through press releases.

"That is a policy decision of the board that teams will be announced through press releases. I have no issues facing the media and announcing the teams before them or taking questions from them," he said.

Mohsin said the present selection committee was working on a long term plan to build strong national T20, one-day and Test squads.

"It will take some time but we are slowly getting there and that is why we are introducing new players in every series."

Pune, Kochi short payment to be discussed at BCCI meet

The Cricket Board's all-powerful Working Committee will discuss the shortfall in the annual payment made by two new Indian Premier League franchises Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Pune Warriors, in its meeting on Wednesday.

The two franchises have paid only 75 per cent of the bid amount due to the BCCI and withheld the remaining 25 per cent as they feel the Board has not fulfilled the clauses in the Invitation to Tender in total with regard to the number of matches this season, according to sources.

As per the clause, each team was to play 18 matches on a home and away basis, but the BCCI reduced the number to 14 per franchise and brought down the total number of matches from 94 to 74, including four in the play-off stage, to avoid player burn-out.

Pune and Kochi franchises were bought from BCCI with successful bids of USD 370 million (Rs 1800 crore) and USD 333 million (Rs 1500 crore) respectively and each year 10 per cent of the amount was to be paid to the BCCI by them.

"They have written to us on the matter and it would be taken up at the Working Committee," said BCCI chief Shashank Manohar.

Apart from this issue, the organisation of the World Cup held jointly by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, would also come up for discussion, as per indications.

Manohar said a few days ago that the appointment of a new coach for the Indian team to replace successful coach Gary Kirsten, who quit the post after the country's triumphant run in the World Cup, would not be discussed at the meeting as there was enough time before the squad's tour to the West Indies in June.

Dhoni played innings of his life in WC final: Yuvi

Flamboyant all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who was named World Cup's man-of-the-tournament, on Tuesday complimented Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his match-winning knock of 91 not out in the final of the mega event, terming it as the Indian skipper's best-ever innings.

"It was a dream come true. As M.S. (Dhoni) said (earlier) I did not know what to do. I wanted to jump on M.S. and keep jumping on him. He had just played the innings of his life," the flamboyant batsman said about the Indian skipper's masterly innings, in the latter's presence.

The Ranchi-born wicketkeeper-batsman had promoted himself to number 5 above in-form Yuvraj and simply took away the game from Sri Lanka by slamming two sixes and eight fours in his 79-ball masterpiece at the Wankhede Stadium.

Dhoni, only the second captain after Kapil Dev to lead India to the game's showpiece trophy, put on 109 runs for the fourth wicket with Gautam Gambhir (97) and an unfinished 5th stand of 46 with Yuvraj, who remained unbeaten on 21.

"It was the highlight of my career. To win the World Cup after 28 years, was very special. Can't explain the feelings," said Yuvraj who scored 362 runs in 9 matches averaging 90-plus and also grabbed 15 wickets with his left arm slow bowling.

Dhoni, for his part, conceded he had gone blank after hitting the winning shot, a six.

"I was quite blank at that point of time. I didn't know how to celebrate. Then I saw Yuvraj's 6-foot, 2-inch (frame) coming towards me. I thought, he's not going anywhere; let me get to the stumps (souvenirs) first," said Dhoni at the event organised by Reebok to felicitate the triumphant team members.

Yuvraj said he worked hard to make a memorable comeback into the Indian squad after being dropped from both the Test and ODI teams last year.

"Last year was not a great one. I suffered a lot of injuries, but I received a lot of support from my teammates and people close to me. I kept on working hard and performed at the right time," he said.

Dhoni also talked about the importance of fielding and fitness. "Of course we have to put in a 100 per cent effort (to keep fit). Fielding is an integral part. Twenty overs (games) are said to be demanding but in 50 overs (games) you have to maintain intensity throughout," he said.

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said for him the team always came first. "Whenever there is a time to celebrate I celebrate. That's the way I have always been. I am there always for the team, the team comes first," he said.

Leg spinner Piyush Chawla and big-hitting all-rounder Yusuf Pathan also shared their memorable World Cup moments.

"I felt very good to take the World Cup in my hand. We played well," said Pathan.

"I don't have words to describe those feelings. It was a dream come true for me. For me it was a special feeling as it was my first home series. That (triumph) is something I will cherish all my life," he said.

Opening ceremony of World Cup 2011 begins in Dhaka

The 10th edition of the 2011 World Cup is underway in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh. A total of 14-team are competing in the event along with hosts India and Sri Lanka. After the Bangaladesh nationalanthem was played out, the captains of respective teams entered the stadium ondecorated rickshaws.

India singer Sonu Nigam then entertained the crowd with an English number. 

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams helps kickstart the 2011 cricket World Cup on Thursday at the tournament's opening ceremony, marking the start of a gruelling six-week sporting marathon.

Favourites India will go into the tournament opener against Bangladesh on Saturday in Dhaka in buoyant mood after two wins in their warm-up matches, including a crushing 117-run victory on Wednesday over New Zealand.

Watch Opening ceremony of ICC cricket world cup 2011 Live streaming FREE

Hey :)
Finally Cricket world cup is here :D Its gonna be fun now because we’d be able to enjoy for a complete month :)
Watch live streaming 

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony,Many Famous Artist, Singers, Actors From East

The cricket extravaganza is just waiting to knock the door and its just few steps away. ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will start on 19th January 2011.The 2011 ICCCricket World Cup will be the 10th Cricket World Cupand will be hosted by three South Asian Test cricketplaying countries: Bangladesh,India,and Sri Lanka .

Live Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony

Sankor singing Jitbe Ebar Jitbe Cricket and Bryan Adams will be the stars of the Opening Ceremony of the 2011 Cricket World Cup

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams will open the Cricket World Cup 2011. Photograph: Mahesh Kumar A/AP 

12.15pm: Some great moments from previous World Cups can be found in today's Classic Youtube blog.

12.10pm: And here is Mike Selvey: "Why I'm not sorry to miss cricket World Cup's opening ceremony in Dhaka."

12.08pm: On the cricket front, here are team by team guides to all 14 competitors, written by Andy Bull and Andy Wilson.

12.00pm: Here is a promo for the Opening Ceremony.

Has anybody found a live stream of the event?

11.51am: According to otmshank on Rob Bagchi's "World Cup needs classic moments – not Bryan Adams – to be a hit" blog yesterday:

don't diss Bryan Adams. No self respecting Indian college party is complete without a rendition of Summer of '69!
Why this is so, will be an eternal mystery.

Enjoy

11.30am: The Opening Ceremony of the 2011 Cricket World Cup is less than an hour away. Although Sky TV is not showing the event in the UK, there are plenty of places around the world where you will be able to see Bryan Adams and famous Indian singer Sankor perform.

Sankor will be singing the official tournament song, Jitbe Ebar Jitbe Cricket.
The first match will be Bangladesh v India on Saturday. Rob Smyth and co will cover that match (and many, many more) live.
This blog will be updated through today with links to the best World Cup 2011 previews and coverage, plus updates from the opening event in Dhaka.
Please share your thoughts about the Opening Ceremony and the tournament ahead below.

ICC CWC Opening Ceremony: LIVE

Ravi Shastri: Let us not discount West Indies. We know what Chris Gayle can do. Having said all that, it's India's best chance to win the ICC CWC.

6 PM IST: Captains are now taking a rickshaw ride across the Bangabandhu Stadium. Ricky Ponting, captain of Australia cricketteam is leading the show.

Finally, we are here at the venue as the national anthem written by Gurudev Rabindra Nath Tagore is being played. Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh  Hasina will officially declare the ceremony open.

The soul of Bangladesh since its independence in 1971, the Bangabandhu National Stadium has been testimony to Bangladesh's cricketing exploits since the nation’s entry into the Test cricket arena in 2000. Situated in the heart of old Dhaka, the cricket-crazy nation even saw the tickets for the dress rehearsal of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 opening cermeony being sold-out.

ICC Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony 2011 Video

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony Live Streaming On February 17th 2011

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Live Steam 

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony will take place at Dhaka, Bangladesh on Thursday, February 17th 2011 and the opening cricket match will also be held on Saturday, February 19th 2011 between India vs Bangladesh.

Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony Live Streaming

DHAKA Feb 17 (Reuters) - Bangladeshis cast aside their usual docile and reserved image on Thursday and proudly displayed their sporting passion ahead of the gala opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup later in the capital.

The $30 million jamboree, jointly organised by the International CricketConference (ICC) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), will be opened by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Unusually for the often chaotic and jam-packed Dhaka roads, traffic was relatively light with the government declaring Thursday a half-day public holiday so its people could watch the opening ceremony.

It is the first time the country, which is slowly making a mark in world one-daycricket if not the five-day test version, has helped stage the showpiece event which will last from Feb 19 to April 2.

The country, whose population of more than 160 million has suffered more than its fair share of natural disasters, is jointly hosting with India and Sri Lanka and thoroughly enjoying its rare moment in the sporting spotlight.

"We will be able to improve our image if we can successfully hold the opening ceremony and host the World Cup matches slated for us," Mostafa Kamal, president of Bangladesh Cricket Board, told reporters.

Bangladesh will stage the tournament's opening match between India and Bangladesh at Shere Bangla National Stadium in the Mirpur area of Dhaka on Saturday.

Bryan Adams to perform at 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup opening ceremony

Bryan Guy Adams shortly Bryan Adams will be attend on ICC world cup opening ceremony, 2011. It is confirmed by one of his associate. This ICC world Cup 2011will be arrange with a simultaneous programs. Opening ceremony of ICC world cup cricket 2011 venue is Bangabandhu National Cricket Stadium and day is 17th February. Tickets of world cup cricket will be available from 10th February. To know about tickets of ICC world cup 2011 click here.We are coming to the world biggest event of the year of 2011 is the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Here Pop star Bryan Adams will scheduled to perform at the ICC world cup 2011 opening ceremony on February 17, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Cricket fans all over the world will waiting to watch and enjoy Bryan Adams’ performance on the opening ceremony of the World Cup 2011.Bryan Adams, who was always been part of the opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup 2011.Sources close to the Canadiansinger have confirmed the news and an official announcement is expected in next few days.

World Cup Cricket 2011 Prize Money

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Prize Money, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 PrizeMoney Amount, 2011 Cricket World Cup Price Money, World Cup Cricket 2011 Prize Money.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 champion cricket team would be taking home prize money of US$ 4 million, with the ICC (International Cricket Council) may have to double the total share for the coveted tournament to US$ 10 million. The conclusion was obtained at the International Cricket Council (ICC )Board meeting which was held in Dubai on April 20, 2010.