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Paki Friendship - Cricket World Cup 2011 opening ceremony
Paki Friendship - Cricket World Cup 2011 opening ceremony
DHAKA: The biggest event of the cricket- the World Cup - would open today with a gala opening ceremony here on Thursday.
This evening all eyes are going to be glued on Bangabandhu National Stadium, where the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will kick off at 5:00 pm PST with a grand ceremony that is going to feature about 4,000 performers.
The other host country Sri Lanka starts off its campaign against Canada in a Group 'A' encounter in Colombo on Sunday. For first time co-host Bangladesh, the honour has coincided with a historic occasion, as 2011 marks the silver jubilee of its first ever ODI game against Pakistan in 1986.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, who have composed the official song for the World Cup, and Sonu Nigam will represent India while Runa Laila of the Dama dam mast kalandar fame and Mila, a local pop icon, will be the prominent Bangladeshis on display. Legendary Canadian singer Bryan Adams will add variety to what promises to be a spectacular show.
The culture of Pakistan will not be seen at the over two-hour ceremony. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will declare open the 45-day tournament.
Paki Friendship - Lavish opening ceremony launches cricket World Cup
Paki Friendship - Lavish opening ceremony launches cricket World Cup
DHAKA: The Bangladeshi capital Dhaka was transformed into a wall of noise and color Thursday as a lavish ceremony officially opened the Cricket World Cup.
A spectacular four-hour performance at the Bangabandhu Stadium showcased the cricket-crazy culture of the country, which is hosting the tournament along with south Asian neighbors India and Sri Lanka.
The ceremony included 3,500 performers as the captain of each participating nation was introduced to the crowd via the traditional mode of transport, a rickshaw.
Canadian pop star Bryan Adams took part in the festivities, along with Bangladesh singer Runa Laila and Sonu Nigam from India.
The city of Mirpur plays host to the first of 49 games over the six-week tournament on Friday as World Cup favorites India take on Bangladesh.
The last edition, in the Caribbean in 2007, was criticized for being complicated to follow and going on too long. Australia retained their title in the West Indies, and are aiming to win a fourth straight World Cup this time around.
We feel greatly privileged to co-host the cricket extravaganza in our beautiful country --Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's prime minister
The International Cricket Council's (ICC) president Sharad Pawar told the crowd he was confident the 2011 installment would be the finest yet.
"Today is a historic day when the people of Bangladesh join India and Sri Lanka together to host the ICC Cricket World Cup, and make this tournament the most memorable yet," he said.
"The ICC Cricket World Cup, our flagship event, provides the stage on which players have the rare opportunity to create legend and to write their own chapter in the history of this great sport.
"The greatest cricketers in the world will grace this event and I am sure that their ability, whether with bat or ball, will provide excitement and enjoyment for all cricket lovers."
Bangladesh's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, hailed a momentous day for her country. "We feel greatly privileged to co-host the cricket extravaganza in our beautiful country," she said.
"I congratulate my cricket-loving countrymen for their great enthusiasm and cooperation to make this event a grand success."
Prior to the opening ceremony the ICC announced its disappointment that Salman Butt, Pakistan's former captain who was banned from the game for corruption, was to appear as a pundit covering the World Cup.
ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, said he was "not satisfied" by Butt's role on a Pakistani television channel and would seek to clarify whether he is in breach of the terms of his ban.
It was also confirmed that players and officials would be banned from using their mobile phones during matches, to prevent them updating sites like Twitter.
New penalties were introduced for anyone found to break the new rules. (Online)
Paki Friendship - Thackeray threatens Pakistan for Cricket World Cup Final 2011
Paki Friendship - Thackeray threatens Pakistan for Cricket World Cup Final 2011
MUMBAI: The extremist Indian party, Shiv Sena, has once again threatened Pakistani cricketers few hours before the opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi while talking to reporters here on Thursday said, "Bal Thackeray will decide whether to allow Pakistan team to play or not".
This is the latest expression of extremism by the Shiv Sena leaders as Joshi clearly put question mark on the staging of ICC World Cup final match if Pakistan would qualify for it.
"You all know Sena chief Bal Thackeray's views. If the Pakistan team reaches the final, whether to allow them to play, the Sena chief will decide," Joshi told reporters.
Thankfully, Pakistan and India are placed in separate groups otherwise the controversy would have erupted the mega event at its very early stage.
The renovated Wankhede Stadium of Mumbai will host the World Cup 2011 final on April 2, 2011.
Shiv Sena have had objected Pakistan-India cricket ties in the past and in 1991, Shishir Shinde along with other extremist Hindus dug up the pitch in the Wankhede Stadium in a bid to stop India playing cricket with Pakistan.
Paki Friendship - Cricket World Cup 2011 opening ceremony kicks off
Paki Friendship - Cricket World Cup 2011 opening ceremony kicks off
DHAKA: The biggest event of the cricket- the World Cup – kicked off with a gala opening ceremony here on Thursday evening.
All eyes glued on Bangabandhu National Stadium, as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 kicked off at 5:00 pm PST with a grand ceremony that is going to feature about 4,000 performers.
The other host country Sri Lanka starts off its campaign against Canada in a Group 'A' encounter in Colombo on Sunday. For first time co-host Bangladesh, the honour has coincided with a historic occasion, as 2011 marks the silver jubilee of its first ever ODI game against Pakistan in 1986.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, who have composed the official song for the World Cup, and Sonu Nigam will represent India while Runa Laila of the Dama dam mast kalandar fame and Mila, a local pop icon, will be the prominent Bangladeshis on display. Legendary Canadian singer Bryan Adams will add variety to what promises to be a spectacular show while the culture of Pakistan will not be seen at the over two-hour ceremony.
Paki Friendship - Akhtar dope-tested ahead of World Cup
Paki Friendship - Akhtar dope-tested ahead of World Cup
DHAKA: Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal were some of the first players to be taken for random dope testing ahead of the World Cup, a source said on Thursday.
Akhtar, 35, and Akmal, 29, were tested after a practice session on Wednesday by the International Cricket Council's drug inspectors, the source said.
"It's normal to test players before and during a tournament," he said. "Nothing fishy about it. Others will also be tested."
Akhtar, recalled for the World Cup after being out of action for a major part of the last three years due to a spate of injuries, tested positive for a banned drug nandrolone in 2006.
Pakistan face England in a practice match in the Bangladeshi town of Fatullah on Friday, a game the ageing Akhtar needs to perform in to make the team for their World Cup opener agaainst Kenya on February 23.
Akhtar did not bowl against Bangladesh on Tuesday with coach Waqar Younis admitting the fast bowler had yet to regain full fitness.
Akhtar, who last played a Test match in 2007, has claimed 244 one-day wickets in 160 matches at an average of 24.78.
He was picked for the recent tour of New Zealand where he "improved in patches," according to Waqar.
"Shoaib is not in touch at the moment," the fast bowling great said. "It is important he gets into full throttle before we get him into the side." (AFP)
Paki Friendship - World Cup embraces new tricks, treats
Paki Friendship - World Cup embraces new tricks, treats
NEW DELHI: Whether planning to open the bowling with a spinner or capitalising on the powerplays, World Cup captains have to make sure they don't leave their thinking caps in the dressing-room.
Creativity has paid rich dividends ever since New Zealand skipper Martin Crowe bucked the trend in the 1992 World Cup at home by tossing the ball to off-spinner Dipak Patel after the opening over.
Crowe did not have to regret his decision as Patel conceded just 36 off 10 overs in his team's win over Australia in Auckland.
The spinner continued to deliver whenever he shared the new ball till his side ran into Pakistan in the semi-final, losing by four wickets.
The 1992 tournament saw for the first time not only coloured clothing, white balls, black sightscreens and day-night matches, but also pinch-hitters in a bid to exploit fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs.
New Zealand used Mark Greatbatch while eventual runners-up England promoted all-rounder Ian Botham as openers to do the pinch-hitting, but many teams still preferred specialists at the top.
Sri Lanka, with Arjuna Ranatunga as captain and Dav Whatmore as coach, went one step ahead in the 1996 World Cup when they turned pinch-hitters into a potent weapon on flat sub-continental tracks.
Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, both middle-order batsmen early in their international careers, were sent in as openers and stunned the opposition with their over-the-top hitting in the opening 15 overs.
"The crucial element that we added was the fact that it was now attack from both sides," Jayasuriya recently wrote in a newspaper column.
"In 1996, Kaluwitharana and I were both licensed to play without worrying about getting out and that was the strategy that has come to become part and parcel of one-day cricket and possibly was the germ for Twenty20 as well."
Ranatunga kept backing the pair despite a couple of failures as he had tremendous depth in batting, with Aravinda de Silva, Asanka Gurusinha, Hashan Tillakaratne and Roshan Mahanama in the middle besides the captain himself.
Jayasuriya, named player of the 1996 tournament, redefined batting in early overs and underlined the significance of an aggressive batsman at the top of the order.
The coming years saw hard-hitting batsmen at the top, with India's Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, Australians Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, and West Indies' Chris Gayle providing brisk starts.
The days of pure wicket-keepers were also over, with Gilchrist, Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara, India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni, New Zealander Brendon McCullum and South African Mark Boucher giving their teams more batting options.
Powerplays, introduced in the 2007 edition, are also fielding restrictions but extended to 20 overs, starting with opening 10 overs and followed by two blocks of five overs each to be decided by the fielding and batting captains.
But the captains have not always succeeded in capitalising on powerplays as sometimes wickets fall at crucial stages in an attempt to make the most of fielding restrictions with big-hitting.
"Powerplay is a call which you have to take depending on the situation," India's one-day specialist Yuvraj Singh said.
"It can work to your advantage at times and create a disadvantage in other situations. It's going to be crucial at what time you take the powerplay."
Bowlers have also brought in more variations, with Australia's Steve Waugh using the slower ball to good effect in the 1987 edition in the sub-continent.
Yorkers and slower balls have now become useful weapons, especially in 'death' overs.
"Now, more than ever before, the fast bowler has to blend intelligence with pace and aggression," Pakistan fast bowling great Wasim Akram wrote recently.
"Variety is the name of the game and at the same time one must guard against over-experimenting." (AFP)
Paki Friendship - ICC chief hits out at Butt TV role
Paki Friendship - ICC chief hits out at Butt TV role
DUBAI: International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat has slammed the appointment of banned former captain Salman Butt as a television pundit during the World Cup.
So incensed are the global governing body, they have asked the lawyer who was chairman of the tribunal that banned Butt to determine whether his employment by the television channel contravenes the terms of the opening batsman's 10-year ban, five of which have been suspended.
Lorgat, in a statement issued after an ICC executive board meeting here on Wednesday, said: "The Board, having a zero tolerance attitude towards corruption, expressed disappointment at the decision by a television channel to employ the suspended Mr Salman Butt as a studio pundit during the World Cup."
Butt, when his TV role was announced earlier this month, said: "I have signed a contract with a television channel to do expert commentary.
"As I am not playing in the event I thought it was worth participating as an expert," he added.
The 26-year-old player said he could no reason why hoped the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the ICC would object to his new role.
"I don't see any reason for objection to it as it does not come under their jurisdiction."
But Lorgat made it clear on Wednesday the ICC did object.
"We are not satisfied with this appointment and we have written to Tribunal chairman Michael Beloff QC to enquire whether this could be viewed as a breach against the terms of his suspended sentence," the South African said. (AFP)
Paki Friendship - Dhoni’s ton leads India to victory over Kiwis
Paki Friendship - Dhoni’s ton leads India to victory over Kiwis
MUMBAI: India beat New Zealand by a massive 117 runs in their warm-up game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk on Wednesday. Score
The day belonged to the India batters, who not only silenced their critics but also hit form putting on a mammoth 360/5 on board in their stipulated 50 overs.
Interestingly, the bulk of scoring was done by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had been out of form for long. He scored an impressive 108 not off just 64 balls to drive home the point that his 'off-form' was history.
The Kiwis tried hard and their openers Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill batted with gusto but eventually gave in the face of pressure of the target that continued to loom large throughout their innings.
Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill put on a fine 94 for the first wicket before R Ashwin got the man he was after.
A fine turner from the offie hit Guptill's glove and keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni took a fine catch to dismiss Guptill on 38. The Black Caps were 94-1 at the stage.
No sooner had Guptill departed that the other opener Brendon McCullum too followed. He got run out on 58. New Zealand were 118/2 now.
It was at this stage that pressure got to them as the Kiwis lost three wickets in quick succession to slump to 147/5. First Harbhajan Singh claimed Ross Taylor (5) then Piyush Chawla got the better of James Franklin (0) and then Harbhajan struck back to see off Jesse Ryder on 32.
From here on it was all easy for the India bowlers who got busy counting the Kiwi heads. And once the India spinners came to the party with Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla and part-timer Yuvraj Singh claiming two wickets each. Paceman Ashish Nehra claimed tail-enders Luke Woodcock and Kyle Mills to finish with two wickets.
New Zealand could only mange to put on a meagre 243 runs before getting out in the 44th over. (Online)
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