ICC World Cup 2011

**DexteR** · 02-01-2011, 08:14 PM

ICC World Cup 20111 - ICC World Cup 2011

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salam1 - ICC World Cup 2011

Welcome to the SD Cricket World Cup 2011 Central. Here we are going to discuss everything related to the Cricket World Cup 2011 which is to be played in India - Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February 12 to April 2, 2011 (Warm-up Matches start Feb 12th, 2011 and Group Matches start Feb 19th, 2011.)

I would like to bring all the news and happenings related to the ICC World Cup. You are also encouraged to share news, your knowledge and insight as we move along.

This Video below will help you know more about the schedule, venues and more about the ICC World Cup.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BSmMNN0BaQ"]ICC World Cup 2011[/ame]

**Nida_Ali_Nido** · 18-03-2011, 01:05 AM

Originally Posted by zuhair

kya fazul khelay hain West Indies walay. bilkul Pakistan jesi batting ki hai

Bhai pak jesi kerty to pory 100 run se harty

ye bicharay to 18 se haary hen just

**sheem** · 18-03-2011, 03:43 AM

nida

**Nida_Ali_Nido** · 18-03-2011, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by sheem

nida

To sach keh rahi hon na hum ita tough competition thori dete hen

Hum to bus HAAR JATEY hen 80...100 runs se

**sheem** · 18-03-2011, 09:55 PM

Sterling takes Ireland to historic win

Paul Stirling's century inspired Ireland to a morale-boosting end to their ICC Cricket World Cup campaign with a six-wicket win over Holland in Kolkata.

Chasing an imposing 307 in the Group B dead-rubber tie, Stirling's 101 off just 72 balls - his second ODI hundred - and captain William Porterfield's 68 off 93 balls led the way in a 177-run opening stand.

Holland had pegged them back with three quick wickets but the initial momentum was enough for Niall O'Brien to notch a patient 57 not out and help seal the win with 14 balls left.

Ireland may have missed out on qualification to the knock-out stages but today's victory - their second of the tournament - sees them avoid the ignominy of propping up the table.

Earlier, Stirling had contributed with the ball as well, picking up two Dutch wickets, but overall loose bowling meant Ryan Ten Doeschate was able to make 106 off 108 balls, along with his captain Peter Borren's quickfire 84, to ensure a positive innings for Holland.

Both sides suffered injury blows early on in the day with Holland's Wesley Barresi struck on the head by a return throw in the first over while spinner George Dockrell was forced off permanently after hurting his shoulder.

Ireland had reason for optimism as Eric Szwarczynski (one) and Tom Cooper (five) departed in quick succession before Barresi's temporary absence.

He did, however, return to help the recovery after Alexei Kervezee's (12) dismissal and kept a cool head for his 44 while Ten Doeschate's World Cup form was again on display as he struck seven boundaries to reach his half-century.

The duo put Holland in cruise control with their 60-run stand, and Ten Doeschate then put on 121 with Borren after Barresi was trapped lbw for 44 by Stirling.

Ten Doeschate's attempts at cutting loose after crossing his 100 cost him his wicket but Borren and Atse Buurman (26) added 53 in just seven overs to take Holland past 300, before four successive run-outs wrapped up the Dutch tail.

In reply, Ireland raced away to 81 without loss in the mandatory powerplay as Stirling took all of 25 deliveries to bring up his half-century.

And he refused to ease up on the tempo, smashing 14 boundaries and two sixes in total to power his way to a century off just 70 deliveries.

Skipper Porterfield, meanwhile, survived being dropped twice - before and after reaching his 50 - but could not build much as he was caught behind by Buurman off Cooper.

A slightly rejuvenated Holland then snared the big wicket of Stirling in the next over through Pieter Seelaar, and while Ed Joyce and Niall O' Brien steadied things quickly to put on 54, Joyce departed for 28 to leave a few nervy faces in the Irish camp.

But despite the late fall of Gary Wilson (27), O'Brien's gutsy hitting soon put paid to all concerns as younger brother Kevin helped take their side across the line with a six.

**DexteR** · 18-03-2011, 09:58 PM

hum ya tou jeet jatay hai ya phir aesa hartay hain k bas Allah ki bachaye

**Sadaf Gondal** · 19-03-2011, 12:10 AM

Pakistan keep focus amid Shoaib retirement
Even in his departure - perhaps especially in it - Shoaib Akhtar can't help but be the centre of attention. Before Thursday, Pakistan's game against Australia was all about Pakistan's game against Australia: who will top the group, will Pakistan change their opening partnership, will they be able to handle Australia's pace, will history play a role in Pakistan breaking Australia's unbeaten streak, given that they remain the last side to beat them in a World Cup match (at Headingley in the previous century, 1999)?

All this remains relevant but also irrelevant because the answer most people want is whether or not Shoaib will get a chance to play another game in this tournament. He was dropped - not rested - for the game against Zimbabwe and the concerns about his fitness, retirement or not, remain. Shahid Afridi rarely reveals his hand publicly and he seemed in a particular hurry today, so the question remained, essentially, unanswered.

On fitness, on a guarantee of ten overs and younger legs in the field, Wahab Riaz retains his place in the XI from the last game. On emotion - and the management is not particularly keen to let that get in the way - and the believable prospect of a game-changing over or two, Shoaib might sneak in. If Afridi was leaning anywhere between ruling him in and ruling him out, it appeared to be towards the latter. Maybe: "As for future games, let's look at the combination. If he is needed we will definitely use him," was all he would say.

The announcement dominated proceedings. Was this the right time for him to go? "I don't think it is bad timing. Maybe he could have decided after the World Cup but it's up to him," Afridi replied, still non-committal. Was there any friction behind the decision? "I don't think so. He never said anything about being upset or anything. I think he is enjoying himself if he is playing or even if he isn't playing." Was it a good decision? "I think he took the right decision. It was his own decision. Because of his bowling Pakistan won quite a few matches. He has set a good example because in Pakistan normally the selector kicks you out, you don't leave yourself."

In truth, Afridi is right to be blas� about the matter. He, and Pakistan's campaign, cannot be distracted by this, though chances are he is not anyway. He is not a man to dwell on matters too much. And there are other issues of personnel to be resolved, prime among them Ahmed Shehzad. He has been backed unconditionally through five games, which have fetched 51 runs, and worse, some careless dismissals. Do they give him one more game, in the hope he might do something, or should they show some ruthlessness and dump him now?

"Maybe we'll do some changing in the opening," was Afridi's typically concise response. They at least have options now. Asad Shafiq's assured World Cup debut against Zimbabwe - "He did well so he should be in shouldn't he? Definitely he will play next game" - means he remains in the XI. Kamran Akmal can thus resume a promising opening partnership with Mohammad Hafeez - "We can [use Kamran as opener], definitely we can do it" - and Umar Akmal is fit and available for selection again.

Without changing the bent or balance of the XI, Pakistan can make a key personnel change, which is precisely the situation they want to be in. And it leaves them with three spinning options as well. They don't want, as Afridi said, to be experimenting right now.

All that leaves the minor matter of Australia, a team untested and not as ominous as it once was, but a team nonetheless calibrated simply and clearly to win matches. Beat them and maybe top the group, potentially drawing a less difficult quarter-final. Lose and face the top teams from the other group. Ultimately, the best sides will have to be beaten at some stage or another.

"They are a very professional side and they know how to use these conditions as well. They are very strong mentally and physically," Afridi said. "But we know our strength as well, we know how to tackle and deal with these guys, so we are well-prepared. We've made some plans against them and you will see tomorrow in the game we will do something new."

**Sadaf Gondal** · 19-03-2011, 12:11 AM

Ponting eager for Pakistan test
A delayed flight, a midnight arrival at their hotel in Colombo and one afternoon training session on Friday might seem like a rushed preparation for Australia's match against Pakistan on Saturday. In fact, their build-up has been anything but hurried. Ricky Ponting's men have spent more than a month travelling around India and Sri Lanka, but in between rounds of golf and elephant rides, they've hardly got out of second gear on the field.

So far, they haven't needed to, and they enter Saturday's game unbeaten and with first place in Group A there for the taking. Wins over Zimbabwe and a lacklustre New Zealand were followed a fortnight later by victories against Kenya and Canada. At times their opponents have surprised them with fireworks but overall it has been a slow burn, dampened by the wash-out against Sri Lanka, which was poised to be their first major challenge.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have spent a month in Sri Lanka, stumbling once when Ross Taylor took a liking to the short boundaries in Pallekele, but otherwise steering themselves through to the quarter-finals with relative comfort, including a win over the home team. All that this match will determine is who Pakistan and Australia face in their first knockout game, and whether they play it in Colombo, Dhaka or Ahmedabad. But it will also give Ponting an indication of where his men sit.

"We really do start to feel that the tournament is kicking off now," Ponting said. "We've had our games along the way and the other big game we had in our pool matches was the game against Sri Lanka, which was washed out, unfortunately. We've been really excited about playing this game against Pakistan for quite a while.

"During those longer breaks, we've trained exceptionally hard and trained very, very well. We just haven't had the continuity we would have liked with our games. But we got a couple of good results in Bangalore last week. At this stage we're the only undefeated team in the tournament, which is nice for us, but I think we'll get a better feel tomorrow at the end of the game for just where we're at and how well we're placed in this World Cup."

The Australians will fancy their attack against Pakistan, who have been bowled out for 184 by Canada and 192 by New Zealand in their past three games. But the big challenge will be overcoming a Pakistan bowling group led by Umar Gul, with his swinging yorkers, and the captain Shahid Afridi, who is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

The last time the teams met in an ODI, Afridi stuck the ball in his mouth. This time, he'll be looking for bite off the pitch and at the Premadasa, where even Steven Smith was turning the ball sharply before the rain came against Sri Lanka, Afridi could be a handful.

"He has been the standout bowler, wickets-wise, in the tournament so far," Ponting said. "He tends to control the middle of their bowling innings particularly well. He doesn't go for a lot of runs, either, which is probably the main reason he's taken the amount of wickets that he has. He builds up pressure, and if he builds up pressure from his end you can guarantee that the guy at the other end is more likely to strike and take wickets as well. That was one of the big things we spoke about this morning, making sure we play him well.

"They've got a number of match-winning players in their team. If you look through their better-performed player through the tournament so far, you'd look at Afridi and Gul as the two guys who have been their standout players. We know we're going to have to play those guys well tomorrow if we want to win the game. They're a dangerous side. They proved that last time they played Sri Lanka here at this venue, how good a side they can be."

Pakistan were also the last team to beat Australia in a World Cup match, at Headingley in 1999, and Ponting's men have now extended their streak to 34 games without a loss. Making it 35 will be their toughest challenge so far in this tournament, but after a month in second gear, they'll be pleased to finally put the foot down.

**Sadaf Gondal** · 19-03-2011, 12:12 AM

Ponting not worried by poor form
Ricky Ponting has played down any concerns over his own form as the most important stage of the World Cup approaches, after he again fell cheaply against Canada on Wednesday. Australia face Pakistan in Colombo on Saturday and then move into the knockout part of the tournament, and in five matches so far, Ponting hasn't made a contribution of note.

Against Canada, he came in with 19 runs required for victory and fell to the hook shot once again. He was hurried by Henry Osinde and lobbed a catch to the on-side. So far in the tournament Ponting has made 28 against Zimbabwe, 12 versus New Zealand, 36 against Kenya and 7 in the win over Canada, and he hasn't made a century for Australia in any format since February 2010.

"It would have been good to be not out but there wasn't much for me to gain going in with 20-odd to get," Ponting said. "I could have been 10 or 12 not out and probably have a slightly better taste in my mouth than I have at the moment.

"I must admit I looked up at the scoreboard and knew that we only needed six to win. I was hoping I was going to get something short and try and pull it for six and I hit it straight up in the air. Hopefully, I'm saving them for the big matches."

The seven-wicket win over Kenya also meant that Australia's hopes of getting Cameron White and Steven Smith plenty of time in the middle didn't eventuate. White has made only 50 runs from 73 balls in the tournament so far, while Smith has faced only 19 deliveries, as Australia's depth hasn't been seriously tested yet.

At least they can be confident that their openers are in fine touch. Brad Haddin and Shane Watson started shakily against Canada but soon found their form. As the chase hurtled towards its conclusion, they were launching the bowlers to all parts of the Chinnaswamy Stadium in a 183-run opening stand, breaking a 35-year-old Australian World Cup record set by Rick McCosker and Alan Turner in 1975.

Haddin was urged by the captain earlier in the tournament to go on with his starts, having fallen in the 20s or 30s on a number of occasions leading in to the World Cup. Since then, his numbers have kept improving, and the Australians have been encouraged by his past three innings of 55 against New Zealand, 65 in the win over Kenya and 88 against Canada.

"I think the way he batted against New Zealand was brilliant," his opening partner Watson said after Wednesday's game. "It definitely took pressure off me to score because he took their bowlers down so very well. I think he's finding a really good formula, a really good plan, for how he's going to play at the top of the order. How he played against New Zealand was excellent, and tonight again.

"I think we are building a very good partnership at the top of the order now. The more we bat together the more we know each other's game and how to keep each other [focused] on our game-plans and what we're doing. It seems to be working really nicely at the moment."

Australia fly to Colombo on Thursday to prepare for the match against Pakistan, but they remain uncertain where their next stop will be. Depending on the result of that match and other games culminating in Sunday's India-West Indies clash, Ponting's men could have to fly to Dhaka, Ahmedabad or stay in Sri Lanka for their quarter-final.