Cricket World Cup: Dhaka ready for opening ceremony

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
Dates: 19 February-2 April Venues:India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
Coverage: Highlights on BBC TV (see listings), Red Button & BBC Sport website at 2200 GMT every day (UK users only); Live Test Match Special commentary (BBC 5 live sports extra, BBC Sport website, some games also on BBC Radio 4 LW) and live text commentary on allEngland matches and selected other major games; Also live on Sky Sports

There has been a final rehearsal for the big night on Thursday

The $30m (£18.6m) opening ceremony to kick off the Cricket World Cup gets under way later on Thursday in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka.

Jointly organised by the International Cricket Council and the Bangladesh CricketBoard, it will be opened by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Dhaka's Bangabandhu National Stadium, not used for any World Cup matches, will be the venue for the ceremony.

The more modern Mirpur and Chittagong will host eight matches between them.

The often chaotic Dhaka roads witnessed relatively light traffic on Thursday with the government declaring a half-day public holiday so its people could return home in good time to view the opening ceremony on television.

ICC Cricket World Cup : All roads lead to Bangabandhu Stadium

Dhaka, Feb 17 (bdnews24.com) —The inaugural function begins at 5:45pm, but Shahrin Haque, a crazy cricket fan, has set out from the city's Tejgaon around 9am.

Like Haque, an employee of a private firm, the city dwellers have set their eyes on the Bangabandhu National Stadium at Gulistan, where the dazzling opening ceremony of the 10th Cricket World Cup kicks off on Thursday evening.

Crazy cricket lovers have started queuing up since 1pm to enter the stadium. As gates of the stadium were opened at about 2pm, the fans started pouring into the big bowl.

ICC World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony just a few hours away

Finally, it is time for what thecricket world has been waiting for - the 10th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup to be staged in the sub-continent. Touted as the biggest and the most extravagant event in the cricketing history, the World cup will open in Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka in a two-hour longopening ceremony that promises fanfare and glitterati.

The grand opening ceremony on Thursday, February 17, 2011 will mark the coveted event’s return to the sub-continent after a span of 15 years. This time the cup is being co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Schedule

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 gets underway on February 19 with India and Bangladesh playing in the opening match in Dhaka.

India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are jointly hosting the 10th edition of the tournament, which will see fourteen teams locking horns for the coveted trophy.

They have been divided into two groups. Group A has: Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya. Group B has: India, South Africa,England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands.

Rickshaw ride for captains in World Cup opening ceremony

DHAKA: Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni may find it difficult to recollect when he had last taken a rickshaw ride, but he is scheduled to take one on Thursday when captains of all the 14 participating countries are taken around the new-look Bangabandhu Stadium on tri-cycles during a glitzy opening ceremony of the 2011 World Cup.

In a nation where rickshaws continue to be the most popular mode of conveyance, it is Bangladesh's way of fusing tradition with modernity. The Pontings and Sangakkaras may find Thursday's rickshaw ride amusing but, for the 14 rickshawalas handpicked to ferry the cricketing luminaries --- it could well be a life-changing experience. As television cameras capture the moment and telecast the images to a worldwide audience, they will not only get their two minutes of fame but also become part of World Cup history, leaving the rest of their ilk to envy these chosen 14.

The much-hyped rickshaw ride is not the only thing that will be on view during the two-hour-long opening ceremony whose tickets have long been sold out. A few thousand fans who braved long queues and to buy tickets can consider themselves lucky because it offers them two shows for the price of one. The gates of the stadium will open at 2.30pm (3pm IST) and fans will be treated to a pre-show (from 4 to 6pm) before the big show gets under way with the welcome song --- O prithibi, tumi aaj chine nao (O world, it's time to know us) --- sung by local artistes.

The high point of the function is expected in the segment where Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams takes over from top singers from the three host nations --- Bangladesh, Indian and Sri Lanka --- following the formal opening of the tournament by prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has spared no effort in branding the country's image with the ICC's quadrennial showpiece event.

Three of Bangladesh's top lady singers --- Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin and Mumtaz will kick off this segment by belting out some of their chart-bursting numbers, while the mellifluous voice of Sonu Nigam will tug at our heart strings even as the 14 skippers enjoy a rickshaw ride. And there will the trio of Shankar, Ehsan and Loy to sing the theme song De Ghuma Ke (whack it will all your might) in Hindi, Bengali and English to set the tone of the competition which involves a staggering 49 matches spread over six weeks. There will also be a band from Sri Lanka to entertain the fans before Adams gives it to us straight from the heart in what promises to be a one night love affair.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which was keen to rope in Shakira for the opening ceremony, opted for Adams after the representatives of the Colombiansinger reportedly asked for a cool $2 million appearance fee!

Officials, players to face Twitter ban during Cricket World Cup 2011

ICC's Anti-Corruption andSecurity Unit move to negate corruption

The International CricketCouncil (ICC) will ban all Twitter posts by team officials during this year's World Cup matches.

However, the decision, an initiative of ICC's Anti-Corruption and SecurityUnit, will exempt players and officials of the ban when their sides are not playing matches.

In recent times, cricket has been mired in corruption including spot fixing allegations that involved Pakistan and some Twitter posts. But the ICC chiefs have said the new precaution is an extension of the ban of mobile phone usage by players during matches.

ICC spokesman James Fitzgerald told AFP that the international body has a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and anything that can negate that possibility is something it is interested in.

Dhaka Decks Up for ICC Cricket World Cup Opening

This evening all eyes are going to be glued on Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka—and on the newly refurbished 25,000-seater Bangabandhu National Stadium, to be precise—where the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will kick off at 5:30 p.m. IST with a grand ceremony that is going tofeature about 4,000 performers.

The tournament is taking place in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but Dhaka gets to play host first.

“The ceremony is divided in three segments, with each segment categorically representing each of the host nations,” said Mohammad Ali Ahsan, the ICC tournament director for Bangladesh.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Indian team arrives in Dhaka

Indian team led by MS Dhoni on Thursday arrived here amid heavy securityarrangements for their World Cup opener against co-hosts Bangladesh on Saturday.

Rapid action battalion commandos and police personnel escorted the 15-member Indian squad to theSheraton Hotel in two vehicles. The route from the Hazrat Shah Jalal airport to the hotel was heavily guarded by the police.

Tremlett called up to England's World Cup squad

Chris Tremlett has been called up to England's World Cup squad as a travelling reserve following a spate of injuries in the bowling attack.

Tremlett has recently recovered from a side strain and is in line to deputise for any of the teammates who also suffered injuries during the seven-match one-day international series in Australia, which England lost 6-1.

Fitness only concern for India ahead of WC: Kumble

Former Test captain Anil Kumble reckons it is India's best chance to lift the ODI World Cup after 1983 but fitness of players would be a major concern and ending the 28--year--old jinx would depend on whether the squad remains injury--free during the event.

"My only concern is the fitness of the guys. If they can last the entire tournament without injuries, we could certainly regain the Cup," Kumble told PTI in an interview ahead of the February 19 to March 2 mega--event to be held in the sub--continent.

Kumble said along with India, defending champions Australia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka are the other favourites for the coveted trophy.

Dhoni backs World Cup schedule

Dhoni also sounded upbeat about the quarter-final format of the tournament, which was first used in 1996 before being discarded.

"It is a bit of a relief," said the wicketkeeper-batsman, who led India to their maiden World Twenty20 triumph in 2007.

"Even if we have an off-day and lose one or two matches, we won't get out of the tournament. Teams which will play more consistently will benefit from it."

India suffered a humiliating first-round exit in the previous edition of the World Cup in the Caribbean despite starting as one of the favourites.

India have the potential to lift the World Cup: Chopra

Former Test opener Aakash Chopra feels India have a great chance of lifting the Cricket World Cup for the second time during the forthcoming mega-event, starting from February 19 to be played in the sub-continent.

"I am an optimist and I believe India have the potential to win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011," said Chopra on the sidelines of a book release `The IPL story: Cricket, Glamour and Big Money` penned by Abhishek Dubey, here today.

Watson, Haddin key to WC success: Clarke

Clarke feels the wicket in the sub continent will suit the Australian openers.

Openers Shane Watson and Brad Haddin will be key to Australia's campaign at the World Cup and the duo will have to fire in tandem if the defending champions are to lift the coveted trophy for a record fifth time, believes Michael Clarke.

World Cup 'power riots' worry Dhaka

Cricket-mad Bangladesh is a co-host of the World Cup, which starts February 19

Bangladesh has chronic power shortages, producing about 4,500 megawatts of power a day against demand of around 6,500 megawatts a day.

During the football World Cup in June and July, thousands of angry fans stormed local power offices and attacked state electricity officials after the power supply went off during matches.

Sri Lanka hope to make most of home comforts

Sri Lanka have often proved tough customers in all conditions, having depth in batting and bowling

"It's obviously been the focus since the last World Cup, where being runners-up was a great effort. Everyone involved in cricket would like to copy what happened in 1996."

Public vote for Afridi as captain for WC

Afridi has got the full support of the Pakistani people to lead the WC side

In a public poll conducted by a leading media group in Pakistan, national team's one-day captain Shahid Afridi has got overwhelming support from the people to lead the side in the 2011 World Cup, starting from February 19.

Bangalore to host Ind-Eng match

Kolkata's loss is Bangalore's gain

The ICC today confirmed its decision to relocate the venue for the India v England match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, which had been originally scheduled for Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 27 February. It will now take place in Bengaluru on the same date.

1987 World Cup - Australia master sub-continent

Led by a strong captain, Australia held their nerve when it mattered most

Australia opened the tournament with a one-run win over India at Madras (now Chennai). The ability to win close matches stood them in good stead, culminating with winning the Cup after another tight finish against England.

1992 World Cup - Imran's 'cornered tigers' roar

The tournament was jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand and had all the trappings of a modern event

Pakistan were facing elimination after winning just one of their first five matches. Luck also smiled on them when they shared points with England in a rain-ruined match they were poised to lose.

Imran's instructions to his team to fight like "cornered tigers" produced the desired results as his side won their last five matches, including the final against Graham Gooch's Englishmen.

Afridi hints at limited role for Akhtar in WC

Afridi said Akthar was working hard at the nets to regain his fitness.

Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi has indicated a limited role for experienced fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in the remaining matches in New Zealand and next month's World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.