ICC CWC 2011 - -Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal Named As Captain and Vice-captain For Upcoming Cricket World Cup

Bangladesh on Friday selected all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan as captain for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in February, officials said. 

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) also named opening batsman Tamim Iqbal as vice-captain of the team, which will face India in Dhaka on its first match on February 19. 

'The board wishes the two leading lights of Bangladesh cricket a very successful New Year and hopes their partnership would inspire the team to greater heights,' a BCB statement said. 

The full and final squad will be announced soon. 

Bangladesh is co-hosting the tournament with India and Sri Lanka. It will host the opening ceremony of the event on February 17 and Bangabandhu National Stadium beside eight matches in Dhaka and Chittagong.

ICC CWC 2011 - -Bollywood Trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Composed CC Cricket World Cup 2011's Official Theme Song

The coming year 2011 promises to be a treat for all cricket lovers as the mother of all tournaments - The ICC Cricket World Cup- is scheduled to take place from Feb 19 to April 2nd. This time the World Cup is being hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The countdown to cricket's biggest tournament has already kicked off with just 50 days to go. When you talk about cricket, can Bollywood be far behind? Well, not really, and this time Bollywood would be making its presence felt through the musical trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The trio have composed the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011's official theme song.

The song is titled 'De Ghuma Ke' which in itself is a passionate expression that creatively captures the fierce sense of competition and the desire to win. The song has been composed in 3 different versions namely Hindi, Bangla and Sinhalese that will feature in the build-up to and during the tournament in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

For all of you who can't wait to hear this pulsating number, there's good news. The song will be released on December 31st via various radio networks in India and also on ESPN STAR Sports, ICC's global production and broadcast rights holder.

Cricket by Chance: List of Probable Winners of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - - England Will Be Hot Favourite Followed by India and Australia

Speculations and predictions are always part of the sports; but the intensity of such speculations increases as any mega event approaches to a take-off position whether it is soccer world cup, Wimbledon Tennis, or Cricket World Cup. The same is the case with fast approaching ICC Cricket World Cup 2011; which is now only 50 days away and every body including cricket fans, experts, and ex-cricketers are talking about the probable champions. 

Every team is being analysed and weighed with respect to their respective strengths and weaknesses. More keen analytics are drilling down to more precise conclusions by spreading their work to player to player and performance to performance. Every team have such demonstrating players who can turn the tables on their specific day and it is always true that “Cricket by Chance”.

Every team will chase the glory with their respective targets like Australia would certainly want to make it big with their fourth consecutive world cup victory; as they have already champion for more than a decade. Despite having strong outfits New Zealand, England and South Africa still couldn’t win this mega event in the past. Therefore, New Zealand, England and South Africa definitely want to register their names as the World Champions. Then comes to Asian cricketing nations; Bangladesh is still in their growing stage having few good performances and upsets on their credit but not big enough to threaten the remaining three forces of their region. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are winners of World Cups in 1982, 1992 and 1996 respectively; but still they are hungry and capable enough to take the pride winning their second world cup title. Rest of the teams will just try to leave their impression on the history by exhibiting occasional performances and trying to create any upsets.

Let’s talk about individual teams which are more likely to be champion this time with respect to their recent performances, facts and figures.

1.      My first choice is England that has all the chances and guts to be World Champion in 2011. In the perspective of England’s performance in the ongoing Ashes Series; I can say with a certain level of confidence that they will not ready to linger on their chance to be world champion of the sport that originated from their own region. With the present outfit; England is a perfect blend of teamwork and enthusiasm. England is also current Twenty20 world champion and they will certainly try everything to make it even bigger by winning ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. No doubt, England have all the weaponry in their bags required to top this coveted mega event. With bowlers like James Anderson, Chris Tremlett, and Graeme Swann; they can thrash any batting side and with likes of Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott and Eion Morgan; they can smash any bowling attack.

2.      In my cards India comes second to be world champion in 2011. With their one of the best batting side and advantages of home crowd & home grounds team India stands second in the list of probable winners. As these line are being written; India is touring South Africa and very close to tie the test series while been thrashed in the first test. It will surely boost their confidence.

3.      Despite the current situation prevailing in ongoing Ashes Series, Australia have the capability and resources to be world champion fifth time in the history. Therefore, I would rank Australia on the third in the probable winner of ICC World Cup 2011. An interesting fact to be noticed is that in all their previous three wins, Australia has faced the three Asian giants in the final. 1999 was the year when Wasim Akram’s Pakistan failed miserably after scoring just 132 runs in the final. The 2003 final saw Indian bowlers being smashed to all parts of the ground in South Africa. In 2007, Sri Lanka were hoping to replicate their 1996 World Cup win but failed.

4.      Sri Lanka can be easily placed number four in the list of probable winners. They have also advantages of home crowd and home ground which will certainly boost their confidence to repeat the 1996 episode. Sri Lanka have many star players which are most likely to be retire from international cricket after the ICC World Cup 2011, like the most successful pace bowler for Sri Lanka Chaminda Vaas, spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan. These stars will surely give their best to finish their international career on the top.

5.      On the number five position of probable winner of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, South Africa and Pakistan equally shares the chances. South Africa had good records in sub-continent and a formidable outfit to challenge any team in the upcoming flagship event of International Cricket Council (ICC). Pakistan with their characteristic of being ‘unpredictable’; can be disastrous for any good team running ahead of them in this probable list of winners. Although, Pakistan has lost their chance to co-host upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup; but the home-like conditions will surely help them pursue their world cup bid in an impressive way. Few players like Shahid Afridi, Abdur Razzaq and Umar Akmal can turn the tables on their day.   

ICC CWC 2011 - - West Indies Ought to Produce Few Upsets: Former Captain Jimmy Adam's Perspective

Jimmy Adams, former West Indies captain, says the Caribbean side will struggle to make a bang on next year's ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 (ICC CWC 2011), but has acknowledged they could spring a few surprises.

The 42-year-old, who led West Indies in 15 of his 40 Tests and 26 of his 127 one-day internationals, said while the side was not expected to feature prominently, consistent performances could see them make their mark.

"The West Indies have the capacity to upset teams and play good cricket," Adams was quoted as saying, while on coaching assignment at G Force Cricket Academy in Dubai this week.

"I'm not too sure we have a group of players who can make a difference when it counts, but if they can string together as a group and make themselves capable of winning eight to nine games - which you have to do to win an international tournament - they certainly stand a chance.

"That said, with any team in a tournament like this, you never know the outcome. Sometimes there are teams who have a way of growing through a tournament and if I had one wish for the West Indies, it would be that they grow through the tournament to win it."

He added: "I think that would be their best chance. They are certainly not among the favourites, but if they could go and grow through the tournament and surprise quite a few people, it would be interesting."

Languishing at number eight in the ICC one-day rankings, West Indies are not one of the favourites for the February 19 to April 2 tournament, which will take place in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

They will contest Group B, along with powerhouses India, South Africa, England, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands, in their quest for their first World Cup title in 31 years.

Adams, the technical director of the Jamaica Cricket Association, said once the top sides had all their players available, they were likely to be the ones to challenge for honours.

"If everybody is at full strength, I think teams like Australia, England, South Africa, India and Sri Lanka can go on to win the title. But with so much cricket being played, you don't know who has a full squad and who doesn't," Adams said.

"I do think it's going to be a very interesting World Cup, and once the wickets are conducive for good cricket, it should be very entertaining."

ICC CWC 2011 - - Team Kenya Touring India in January For Preparation of Mega Event (Initial 30-memeber Squad)

Nairobi — Kenya's preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 set to kick-off in sub-continent in February move to high gear next month with the team's tour of India where they will play a couple of friendly matches against both Gujarat and Baroda, from January 5 to 19.

The side also spent three weeks in the High Performance Centre in Pretoria, South Africa, in November where Jonty Rhodes, the best fielder in his heyday worked with the boys fort a fortnight.

From South Africa the squad hosted Uganda in Mombasa in mid this month where they played three one day games, winning the series 2-1.

Kenya's skipper, Jimmy Kamande, said that their journey for the World Cup set for February will start in Dubai on January 28 where they will spent a week in a training camp organised by the ICC.

He said that the team will return to India after Dubai where they will play two warm up matches for World Cup against the West Indies and the Netherlands.

This will be Kenya's fifth consecutive World Cup after making their debut in 1996 where they caused a major upset by beating West Indies by 73 runs.

The Cricket Kenya had earlier released a provisional squad of 30 boys for the World Cup which included virtually all the under-19 boys preparing for the Global Qualifiers set for Ireland mid next year.

According to the release the World Cup squad was to be named mid next month. With the current developments, however, CK might be forced to name the side earlier than they had anticipated.

Missing in the provisional list is the former Kenya's opening batsman and wicket-keeper, Kennedy Obuya, who said that he was highest runners getter in the Nairobi Provisional Cricket Association's super league last season.

Full of all-rounders

Kenya lacks specialised batsmen and as the former national team coach, Mudassar Nazar ones said the problem with the team was that it was full of all-rounders. Obuya shared memorable opening partnerships starting with Dipak Chudassama and lately with Ravindu Shah.

The team is still struggling to get a dependable opening pair which could remain at the crease long enough to allow the new ball lose its shine.

The provisional squad

1. Ragheb Aga,
2. Duncan Allen,
3. Runish Gudhka,
4. Jimmy Kamande,
5. Irfan Karim,
6. Karan Kaul,
7. Peter Kituku,
8. Alfred Luseno,
9. Tamnay Mishra,
10. James Ngoche,
11. Shem Ngoche,
12. Alex Obanda,
13. David Obuya,
14. Collins Obuya,
15. Nehemiah Odhiambo,
16. Nelson Odhiambo,
17. Thomas Odoyo,
18. Lucas Oluoch,
19. Peter Ong'ondo,
20. Joseph Onyango,
21. Lameck Onyango,
22. Elijah Otieno,
23. Morris Ouma,
24. Ken Owino,
25. Rakep Patel,
26. Vinit Shikotra,
27. Steve Tikolo,
28. HirenVaraiya,
29. Seren Waters,
30. Dominic Wesonga

ICC CWC 2011 - - Postponement of Premier League Tier-A Limited Overs Tournament Left Sri Lankan Selection Committee in a Fix Over Announcing Final 15-member Squad

After few weeks of clear skies, The Greater Colombo Area is once again under heavy overcast conditions which threaten, yet again, to hinder Aravinda de Silva’s selection panel as Premier League Tier-A Limited Overs Tournament has got another rescheduling. 

Sri Lankan selection committee, led by Aravinda de Silva, is eyeing this Tournament to weigh the respective performance before they announce their final ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 squad.

The rough weather conditions in early December made the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to rearrange their five-match ODI series to late January, the Sri Lankan selectors found themselves faced with a situation where they would be left to rely on the Premier League Tier-A Limited Overs Tournament to finalise their World Cup squad.

On the other hand, Aravinda de Silva, the Chairman of Selectors, told media earlier this month that selection committee had already identified 11 players to be named in Sri Lanka’s final 15-man squad, thereby giving the impression that the selectors were close to finalising the squad ahead of the January 19 deadline.

Inclusion of Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Mailk Subject to Assets Disclosure - - Subahn Ahmed, PCB's Newly Appointed COO, Told APP

Subhan Ahmed, the newly appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has said that inclusion of former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal among the initial 30 members for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 depends on submission of some documents.

Talking to APP in an exclusive interview on Friday, Subhan Ahmed said, “PCB have asked them to submit the documents about their assets and bank accounts by Dec 30 to be considered in the list of probable for the World Cup 2011.” He further said “After they submit the required documents then their inclusion and non inclusion among the 30 probables for World Cup 2011 will be decided.”

“My main mission after taking over as PCB COO is to repair the damage done by allegations of spot-fixing and other security related problems and issues,” he said. Subhan Ahmed said it will be a big challenge for him but he will keep working hard for the betterment of Pakistan cricket. “Its important that international cricket returns to Pakistan. I will use all my experiences of working in the ICC to help revival of international cricket in the country,” he maintained.

“Pakistan cricket suffered severely due to security situation and spot-fixing controversy and it took us so low,” he commented.

He said PCB was working hard to implement on various plans and working on things to streamline cricket in the country.

“We would be strengthening regional cricket and make it more qualitative and controversy free,” he revealed. Subhan Ahmed said PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt will be holding different meetings and he will personally be interacting with the media here to unveil board’s plan to make Pakistan cricket free over the next couple of days.

He said he has no plan to go to New Zealand. However, he said PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt will be going to watch matches and meet New Zealand Cricket officials on December 31

ICC CWC 2011 - - Winning Chances of India: Sourav Ganguly's Perspective

Sourav Ganguly, prince of Kolkata and former Indian cricket captain, said he is confident that the announced Indian squad would win the ICC Cricket World Cup second time for India.

Talking to media here on Thursday, Ganguly said that seeing the performance of Indian players at home ground, a victory in the World Cup could be highly expected.

"I am very hopeful. India is a very strong One Day International (ODI) team and they are playing it at home. If they can handle the pressure of the people at home, they'll be at the side who can win the World Cup," said Ganguly.

He further commented that the team India performance in the first test against South Africa was disappointing but he was positive of the second test in Durban.

Ganguly was hopeful that India Will bounce back strongly, "Nobody wants to lose, am sure none of us, none of the players, or the team, or the supporters would be happy with the loss. But it can happen. You can win some game, you can lose some game, and I am sure they will bounce back in the next tour... obviously toss will be important." 

The Cricket World Cup is scheduled to take place in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, beginning from February 19, 2011.

PCB to Announce Initial Squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on December 30

According to the reliable sources in Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB); it is expected that PCB will announce the initial squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. 

Selection will be finalized after PCB’s final decision about the inclusion of some players including former skipper Shoaib Malik, wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal and leg spinner Danish Kaneria.    

ICC has already extended the deadline, to January 5, to announce the initial squad on special request of PCB. PCB is looking for approval of inclusion of above-mentioned three players in the initial 30-member squad.

Integrity Committee had already been formed by ICC to probe into the matter and take a final decision under the circumstances. Integrity committee has already asked to these players for submission of documents related to their properties and bank accounts to PCB. It is whispered that Integrity Committee will meet these three player one by one before submitting their report to PCB. On the basis of submitted report the fate will be decided of these players. Until then fingers crossed.    

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Chances of Pakistan - - Pakistan Always Rose From the Bottom to Touch the Peaks of Glory

Talking about the winning chances of Pakistan in the upcoming mega event of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011; just seems to be insane in the scenario and standing where the Pakistan cricket is right now. Terrorism hurt Pakistan cricket due to which Pakistan lost the world cup co-hosting rights and deprived cricket fans from the live cricket in stadiums; and last but not the least spot-fixing saga proved to be the tsunami for Pakistan cricket. 

Pakistan cricket team is currently touring New Zealand, certainly the last expedition before the world cup, where they are scheduled to play two Tests, three Twent20s and six ODIs. It has been almost 2 years, since Pakistan last won an ODI series. Their last win came as a 3-0 whitewash of the West Indies in 2008. It is no surprise that most cricketing experts are ruling Pakistan out, for presenting any real challenge in the coming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to be co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. However, if we peep through history and keep in view the “unpredictability”, the sole quality associated with Pakistan cricket since decades, it can be said that it might be too soon to pass such judgments.

The so-called cricket guru’s are not ready to give any chance to Pakistan because of their reliance on individual brilliance rather than the teamwork on the filed. Arguing this theory they present the example of world cup 1992, when Pakistan won its maiden ODI World Cup title, it was a blistering knock by then-young Inzamam-ul-Haq, in the semi final against New Zealand, which took Pakistan through to the final. Then in final match great Wasim Akram came into action to abolish England’s hope of becoming a world champion of the sport originated from their soil. 

In the 2009 T20 World Cup, it was Shahid Afridi, whose killing bowling attacks led Pakistan to victory in the semi final against South Africa and the final with Sri Lanka as well. Early in the tournament, when Shahid Afridi was not doing that great, Umar Gul’s threatening swinging deliveries made life hell for the batsmen of all oppositions.

Pakistan still has such brilliant individuals who can single-handedly turn a game on its head. First of all, ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi has already established in the 2009 T20 tournament that he can be a match winner when the chances are almost nowhere. Secondly, Abdul Razzaq’s ability to smash any bowling attack in the death overs is just unmatched. In the line of young guns Umar Akmal, still has a long way to go in his career, has exhibited exceptional batting skills.

Bowling department will be led by the 35-year-old Shoaib Akhtar, who might have shortened his terrifying bowling run up, but he has proved in recent past that he can still penetrate with bowling around about the 95-mile mark. Umar Gul will also try to hunt the form to reproduce the performance he displayed in the 2009 T20 world Cup. Off-colour Saeed Ajmal, who has not been in good form of late, will surely come in handy on the World Cup pitches, which are expected to suit spin bowling. Even though Ajmal is not a big turner of the ball, his ‘doosra’ has troubled most batsmen who have faced him.

It is a fact that whenever Pakistan managed to rose a bit from nowhere they didn’t end up without touching the peak. Keep in sight the examples of the 1992 and 2009 tournaments. In 1992, Imran Khan was probably the only person who believed that Pakistan could go on and become champions. Pakistan came into the 2009 tournament as one of the favourites, but after a miserable start, the team’s chances started being questioned. However, Pakistan went on to win both the competitions.

On the other hand, Pakistan has failed to qualify for the second round of matches in its previous two world cups; in 2003 under Waqar Younis and in 2007 under Inzamam-ul-Haq. Pakistan’s performance in the coming world cup is important for the revival of cricket in Pakistan; while a gloomy performance in this campaign will hamper Pakistan cricket immensely, which has yet to recover from spot-fixing scandals and internal politics in the Pakistan Cricket Board.

"The Road to the World Cup": Documentary Released by ICC - - Shows The Journey of Four ICC Associate and Affiliate Member For Qualifying for The Flagship Event

"The Road to the World Cup", a documentary released by International Cricket Council (ICC); showing how teams from across the globe attempted to qualify for cricket’s flagship event.

Documentary also shows the success of the Pepsi ICC Development Programme in spreading the sport to all corners of the world, the documentary describes the story of how the four ICC Associate and Affiliate Member qualifying places in the 2011 event were decided. This includes colorful, and never-before-seen footage of four qualifying tournaments across the world.

Highlighting tournaments and venues as varied as Jersey, Dar-es-Salaam, Buenos Aires and Johannesburg, this charming story presents a exclusive insight into the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL) qualifying structure that provided ICC Members with a pathway to the World Cup.

With interviews and footage of the four ICC Associate Members – Canada, Ireland, Kenya and Netherlands – that successfully made the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011,  the documentary is a must watch for all international cricket fans in the lead up to next year’s showpiece.

The documentary also encircles the exciting success of the Afghanistan cricket team through multiple divisions of the Pepsi ICC WCL, highlighting their title successes in Jersey, Tanzania and Argentina, before they come agonizingly close to sealing ICC Cricket World Cup qualification in South Africa.

Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in ICC Shortlist For All-time Greatest ODI Team - - Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Moin Khan, Shahid Afridi and Saqlain MUshtaq Also Nominated

One of the best Pakistani pace bowler duo Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis,  today established a place in the list of players listed for an ICC online poll to pick the all-time greatest team as part of one day cricket’s 40th anniversary celebrations. 

“To mark the 40th anniversary of One-Day International cricket, the ICC’s official website is asking supporters from across the globe to select their choice of the greatest ODI match and team of all-time,” the ICC said in a statement.

Website www.icc-cricket.com is asking supporters to select a dream team from a shortlist of 48 players and pick their favourite game from a choice of 10 memorable matches. 

Cricket lovers and players fans can select dream team and favourite game till January 2, with the choices set to be announced on January 5 to match with the 40th anniversary of the first-ever ODI match between Australia and England.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said, “With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 now less than two months away, excitement and interest in the one-day format of the game will certainly intensify. We know that fans will enjoy having the chance to remember some of the great games and great players that have played in ODI cricket during the past 40 years.” 

The Australian ODI team from 1971 will also be presented to the crowd during the innings break of the first ODI match of the series between Australia and England at the MCG on January 16. 

In the nominees for the Greatest ODI team of all time, Moin Khan is the lone Pakistani in the list of wicketkeepers. On the batting side Saeed Anwar got nomination in opening batsmen list, while Inzimam-ul Haq, Javed Miandad found their places in the list of Middle-order batsmen.

Former Pakistan captain of 1992 world cup winning team, Imran Khan listed in all-rounder category; while Shahid Afridi and Saqlain Mushtaq got their chance to be part of dream team as Spinners.

Two Pakistan matches (the win over India by 1 wicket at Sharjah, 18 April 1986 and a tied match against Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 15 October 1999) are there in the list of nominees for the greatest ODI match. 

The shortlist for Dream Team: 

Opening batsmen (2) — Saeed Anwar, Sourav Ganguly, Gordon Greenidge, Matthew Hayden, Sanath Jayasuriya, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Glenn Turner. 

Middle—order batsmen (3) — Michael Bevan, Martin Crowe, Aravinda de Silva, Inzamam-ul Haq, Brian Lara, Javed Miandad, Ricky Ponting, Viv Richards. 

All—rounder (1) — Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Andrew Flintoff, Richard Hadlee, Jacques Kallis, Imran Khan, Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock. 

Wicketkeeper (1) — Mark Boucher, MS Dhoni, Andy Flower Adam Gilchrist, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Moin Khan, Alec Stewart, Kumar Sangakkara. 

Fast bowlers (3) — Wasim Akram, Allan Donald, Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Dennis Lillee, Glenn McGrath, Chaminda Vaas, Waqar Younis. 

Spinners (1) — Shahid Afridi, Carl Hooper, Anil Kumble, Muttiah Muralitharan, Saqlain Mushtaq, Harbhajan Singh, Shane Warne, Daniel Vettori. 

Greatest ODI match of all—time: 

West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs at Lord’s, 21 June 1975.

India beat West Indies by 43 runs at Lord’s, 25 June 1983.

Pakistan beat India won by one—wicket at Sharjah, 18 April 1986.

England won by three wickets against Australia at Sydney, 22 January 1987.

Australia won by one—wicket against West Indies at Sydney, 12 January 1996.

Australia tied with South Africa at Edgbaston, 17 June 1999.

Pakistan tied with Sri Lanka, at Sharjah, 15 October 1999.

India beat Pakistan by five runs at Karachi, 13 March 2004.

Bangladesh beat Australia by five wickets at Cardiff, 18 June 2005.

South Africa beat Australia by one—wicket at Johannesburg, 12 March 2006.

ICC CWC 2011 - - Cricket Ireland Announced Initial 22-members Squad on Monday (December 20)

 ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - - Initial Squad: Ireland

Cricket Ireland on Monday (December 20) announced its initial squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 which is schedule to be held in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka from February 19 to April 2.

Phil Simmons, Ireland coach, has named 22 players in this initial squad, which will be trimmed to 15 by the ICC’s deadline of January 19.

Ireland is placed in Group B with India, South Africa, England, Bangladesh, West Indies, and Netherlands and will start their World Cup bid on March 02 against  England at Banglore (World Cup Schedule).

 The Preliminary squad includes:

1. William Porterfield (Captain),
2. Andre Botha,
3. Alex Cusack,
4. George Dockrell,
5. Phil Eaglestone,
6. Allan Eastwood,
7. James Hall,
8. Trent Johnston,
9. Nigel Jones,
10. Ed Joyce,
11. Rory McCann,
12. John Mooney,
13. Kevin O'Brien,
14. Niall O'Brien,
15. Andrew Poynter,
16. Boyd Rankin,
17. Paul Stirling,
18. Albert van der Merwe,
19. Regan West,
20. Gary Wilson,
21. Andrew White,
22. Craig Young.

ICC CWC 2011 - - Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Announced Initial 30-members Squad With Shocking Inclusion of Alok Kapali

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has also announced their initial squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

The most prominent player of this year was Shuvogoto Hom who took his team to win their first ever gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games at Guangzhou in November. The bowler’s fast deliveries made problems for the Sri Lankan middle order and emerging cricketing nation Afghanistan in the semi-final and final respectively.

The most shocking inclusion is the last member of the squad, Alok Kapali, is seen as a surprise inclusion as he has been out of action from the international cricket for almost three years since 2008. Alok Kapali, an all rounder, was banned due to playing in ICL (Indian Cricket League) along with several other team mates.   

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 – Initial Squad: Bangladesh

 

1.      Shakib Al Hasan,

2.      Tamim Iqbal,

3.      Mohammad Ashraful,

4.      Imrul Kayes,

5.      Junaid Siddique,

6.      Roqibul Hassan,

7.      Mashrafe Mortaza,

8.      Mushfiqur Rahim,

9.      Mohammad Mahmudullah,

10.  Nazmul Hossain,

11.  Naeem Islam,

12.  Rubel Hossain,

13.  Shafiul Islam,

14.  Abdur Razzak,

15.  Suhrawadi Shuvo,

16.  Shahriar Nafees,

17.  Nazimuddin,

18.  Shamsur Rahman,

19.  Jahirul Islam,

20.  Sahagir Hossain,

21.  Syed Rasel,

22.  Shahadat Hossain,

23.  Mahbubul Alam,

24.  Dolar Mahmud,

25.  Mithun Ali,

26.  Nasir Hossain,

27.  Shuvogoto Chowdhury,

28.  Enamul Haque Junior, 

29.  Shabbir Rahman,

30.  Alok Kapali

ICC CWC 2011 - - Preliminary 30-members Squad Announced by West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) aims to introduce few new faces in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, including leg spinning pair of Devendra Bishoo and Anthony Martin along with the young fast bowler Jason Holder and feisty batsman Jonathan Carter.

The 30-members squad will be reduced to half up to January 19, 2010 for the tournament which starts on 19 February and will be co-hosted by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India.

Preliminary 30-Member Squad Includes:

1. Lionel Baker,
2. Adrian Barath,
3. Carlton Baugh Jr,
4. Sulieman Benn,
5. Dave Bernard Jr,
6. Tino Best,
7. Devendra Bishoo,
8. Darren Bravo,
9. Dwayne Bravo,
10. Jonathan Carter,
11. Shiv Chanderpaul,
12. Kirk Edwards,
13. Chris Gayle,
14. Ryan Hinds,
15. Jason Holder,
16. Anthony Martin,
17. Nikita Miller,
18. Nelon Pascal,
19. Kieron Pollard,
20. Kieran Powell,
21. Denesh Ramdin,
22. Ravi Rampaul,
23. Kemar Roach,
24. Andre Russell,
25. Darren Sammy,
26. Ramnaresh Sarwan,
27. Shane Shillingford,
28. Devon Smith,
29. Gavin Tonge,
30. Devon Thomas.

 
It’s good to see the squad also includes batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin who were missed out for the recent tour to Sri Lanka. Experienced fast bowlers Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor, who have just returned from prolonged injuries, have not been considered in this initial squad.

ICC CWC 2011 - - Second Phase of Online Tickets Are Available on KYAZOONGA (ICC's Official Ticketing Partner)

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - Mega event in the Cricket Calendar year 2010-11 is going to start in the second half of February 2011, and as the event is approaching thousands of cricket fanatics are running to buy the tickets to enjoy the mega event live. To save the cricket lovers from any kind of cheating; it was thought to guide them a proper way to purchase online tickets.   

The first part of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 tickets has already started in June 2010 and the second part of tickets is now available and can be easily purchased online. One very sincere suggestion for cricket fans is to purchase the tickets as soon as possible because it is assumed that the prices will go high as the event will come closer.

Don’t purchase any ticket from other than official site authorized by ICC for this specific purpose. The link is provided here for the assistance:

Official 2011 World Cup Ticket site – 

http://www.icccwc2011.kyazoonga.com/tickets/index/

It is also to inform the cricket lovers that in first phase the tickets of early group stage matches have been offered for sale in June 2010; now in the second phase the ticket for later group stage matches along with quarterfinals, semi-finals and final are available online through the official website.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - - Initial 30-members Squad Announced by Australia Without Andrew Symonds

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - - Preliminary Squad: Australia

Four times Champion and current defending champions Australia have named its provisional squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 today (Sunday, December 19).  Australia is also currently holding the ICC Champions Trophy.

There is blend of youth and experience in this 30-members squad with exciting young talent like David Warner, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Stephen O'Keefe. Some of them will surely be a part of final 15-member squad that would be announced before January 19 next year.

Australian Squad includes:

1. Ricky Ponting (captain),
2. Michael Clarke (vice captain),
3. Doug Bollinger,
4. Dan Christian,
5. Xavier Doherty,
6. Callum Ferguson,
7. Brad Haddin,
8. Ryan Harris,
9. John Hastings,
10. Nathan Hauritz,
11. Brad Hodge,
12. James Hopes,
13. David Hussey,
14. Mike Hussey,
15. Mitchell Johnson,
16. Brett Lee,
17. Shaun Marsh,
18. Andrew McDonald,
19. Clint McKay,
20. Stephen O'Keefe,
21. Tim Paine,
22. James Pattinson,
23. Peter Siddle,
24. Steve Smith,
25. Mitchell Starc,
26. Shaun Tait,
27. Adam Voges,
28. David Warner,
29. Shane Watson,
30. Cameron White.

In first instance; one would feel the absence of Andrew Symonds in the announced Squad.