ICC World Cup 2011

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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]

[DexteR]

Asoka de Silva dropped from crucial matches

Asoka de Silva, whose decision-making has come in for intense criticism during the World Cup, will not officiate in a couple of key group games that he was originally marked for. de Silva is the only umpire among the 18 deployed whose success percentage in reviewed decisions is less than 50%.

He was supposed to have been one of the on-field umpires for Thursday's crucial match between England and West Indies, and he was also the third umpire for the India-West Indies game. Instead, according to ICC's revised schedule, he will be the fourth umpire in the Ireland-Netherlands match on Friday, and will be an on-field umpire in the Zimbabwe-Kenya game on Sunday. Both those games are inconsequential, with all four teams already out of the World Cup.

The ICC has said the move was necessitated by the fact that they did not want their best umpires, like Taufel, standing in matches of lesser importance. "It was part of the re-organising for the last part of the group stage, to ensure the in-form umpires are on the field and in the third umpire's room for these crucial matches," Dave Richardson, the ICC general manager said.

de Silva's place in Thursday's match between England and West Indies will be taken by Bruce Oxenford - originally listed as the fourth umpire in that game - while Simon Taufel will be the third umpire. For the India-West Indies match, Taufel and Steve Davies will be the on-field umpires, with Oxenford the third umpire.

de Silva has had a poor World Cup so far, with several of his decisions being overturned by the Decision Review System: of the seven times his decisions have been challenged, only three times has his original call stood. One of those three instances was the lbw decision against Ireland's Gary Wilson in the match against West Indies. Wilson challenged the call, and replays clearly showed the ball had struck his pad outside the line of off when he was attempting a shot, but de Silva refused to change his decision, a move that was strongly criticised by Ireland captain William Porterfield. Had that decision been changed, as it should have been, de Silva's score in reviewed decisions would have been two correct calls out of seven.

The changes in the umpiring schedule

England v West Indies
Originally - Asoka de Silva and Steve Davis, Shahvir Tarapore (third), Bruce Oxenford (fourth)

Revised - Bruce Oxenford and Steve Davis, Simon Taufel (third), Shahvir Tarapore (fourth)

Ireland v Netherlands
Originally - Simon Taufel and Ian Gould, Kumar Dharmasena (third), Billy Doctrove (fourth)

Revised - Billy Doctrove and Ian Gould, Kumar Dharmasena (third), Asoka de Silva (fourth)

Australia v Pakistan
Originally - Tony Hill and Marais Erasmus, Nigel Llong (third), Tyron Wijewardena (fourth)

Revised - Tony Hill and Marais Erasmus, Tyron Wijewardena (third), Billy Bowden (fourth)

Zimbabwe v Kenya
Originally - Billy Doctrove and Kumar Dharmasena, Ian Gould (third), Simon Taufel (fourth)

Revised - Asoka de Silva and Kumar Dharmasena, Ian Gould (third), Billy Doctrove (fourth)

India v West Indies
Originally - Steve Davis and Bruce Oxenford, Asoka de Silva (third), Shahvir Tarapore (fourth)

Revised - Steve Davis and Simon Taufel, Bruce Oxenford (third), Shahvir Tarapore (fourth)

[DexteR]

I am looking forward to Ajmal vs Husey provided that Ajmal plays

[Sadaf Gondal]

acha hua
++++++ umpire hai
aus or pakistan ka match bhuat mazay ka ho gaya

[Sadaf Gondal]

Shoaib Akhtar to retire after World Cup
Shoaib Akhtar will retire from the international game at the end of Pakistan's World Cup, bringing to a close one of cricket's most compelling and mercurial careers. Privately, over the last few months, Shoaib had been looking at the World Cup as a final hurrah for a body increasingly unable to cope with the rigours of the international game.

On Wednesday evening, at a Pakistan High Commission function in Colombo, he told a handful of reporters, including ESPNcricinfo, that he would make the announcement on Thursday. After Pakistan's training session at the Premadasa, Shoaib arrived in jacket and trousers and told the press of a decision he had made, fittingly for him perhaps, in a hospital bed after yet another knee surgery two years ago.

"Today I step ahead for the most significant phase of my life and walk off," he read out from a prepared statement. "I have decided to say goodbye. This World Cup is my last and the coming matches in the tournament would be the last few of my international career. Mentally I wanted to continue perhaps forever. But I must make way for youngsters to take over."

He said he had discussed the matter with the team management during the tour to New Zealand earlier this year, but decided to go ahead with it only now, dousing speculation that he might have been pushed into it. His Pakistan team-mates were told of the decision at the Premadasa on Thursday morning during an emotional gathering in the dressing room, where he delivered a farewell speech and was embraced by fellow players and support staff.

"There was sadness there," Shoaib said of the occasion, before joking that a retirement on his own terms was unique enough to shock them. "The whole team knew this was going to happen but they didn't want to believe this was going to happen because they played with me long enough. They were very sad about it but at the same time happy for me, for my next few matches, whatever is left in me. It might seem a little awkward to them as this is the first time in Pakistan that someone is leaving cricket on this note. Felt a little awkward. So, I would say they were a little shocked."

The tournament itself has been a mixed one for him. Whether or not he gets another chance to script a different ending, which currently has him being hit for 28 runs in his last over by Ross Taylor, including the last ball for six, is likely to be the subject of much speculation ahead of Saturday's game against Australia. He was outstanding through ten overs in Pakistan's win over Sri Lanka, but his fitness and energy, particularly during later spells, has concerned the Pakistan team set-up.

The best Shoaib bowled to
"I wouldn't say I enjoyed bowling against them but they are my very top of the favourites. Inzamam is there. I loved bowling against [Adam] Gilchrist, I loved to hate him but he was very tough. Ricky Ponting was another great. This guy not only played, but he won matches, he had so much ability. I really wish to see him play for another few years for Australia. Then my favourite, Brian Lara, who was so elegant I lost myself in his elegance. I only bowled three balls to him, and they were my favourite three balls, but I felt very sad when I hit him and he had to leave the ground. But these are the players I really, really enjoyed bowling against. I wish I could, but it's my good luck that I never bowled to that guy Viv Richards. That is my good luck."
As if released, he fairly sprinted in to bowl in the nets, running in faster and bowling - to the naked eye at least - quicker than he has been. He believes he could've played on for another year or two, but for the moment, he said, he will do everything he can for his side in the World Cup.

"I am available for every match and working really hard and bowling as quick. My pace is still there, I am not slowing down. My pace is up there. Playing is up to the management. I am going to double my efforts. Any possible way I can help Pakistan, and with every ounce of blood that is left in my body, I will serve my country. I play or if I don't play I don't know, but I'm working hard, I'm training hard. I had a great session today. I'm focusing on the match against Australia. If I don't play I will make sure every guy gets my help and if nothing else then I will carry water onto the field."

A myriad of off-field run-ins with the establishment and players - he smiled mischievously when thanking "my dear PCB" - and an endless list of injuries heavily curtailed his career, impact and legacy. He played in only 46 of the 84 Tests Pakistan played since his debut in November 1997 and 163 ODIs - a relatively small number for a subcontinent player - in over 13 years. This tournament has been typical. Questions over his fitness have been ever-present and he has been fined by the team management for several breaches of curfew, as well as for a spat with Kamran Akmal during and after the New Zealand loss. Yet, Shoaib insisted, he would not have done it differently.


Shoaib Akhtar seemed to run in quicker and bowl faster after making his decision © AFP
Enlarge
"Whenever I had a chance, even with niggles and during the pain and the most horrifying days of the pain, I still never said no to Pakistan," he said. "I always made myself available. There are no regrets. You always knew me as not the fittest man or bowler. I always played in pain. I always played half-unfit. So the fitness issue has always been there, still there.

"This was written in my life and it had to happen. It's part of the process that you grow up and go through such times and you grow out of it. You become 35 and you get mature. We come from a very humble background. We always learn that cricket is our institution and we learn swimming, driving, anything you name it we learn from there. So obviously you've got to give us a bit of a chance, a span of 10-15 years to learn. There are no moments I regret."

Even in this interrupted, half-full career, there were enough Shoaib moments for his time of passing to be a genuinely sad one. The two balls to silence Eden Gardens were, understandably given his thirst for big-name scalps, among his own highlights. The 100mph ball in the 2003 World Cup was another but the most memorable was a simpler one, a surprising one perhaps, of the moment he first wore the Pakistan Test kit.

"The first day, when I got announced for Pakistan, I did not believe that someone like me could play for this greatest team ever," he said, unable to suppress a smile. "And there were my idols like Wasim and Waqar, and Imran was there to support us every now and again … Inzamam, everyone, every senior player I used to see on TV. I always dreamed of playing with them. The best moment was when I got the first kit for my first Test and I had a huge star on my chest. I wore that kit and I slept in it and I couldn't believe I would wake up in it. I did not take it off for three days."

Towards the end, there was the distinct possibility of tears - "do you want me to cry?" he asked when translating his thoughts into Urdu - but he held them back. "Playing for Pakistan was a dream. Yes, it was a dream," he said and then walked off, to hugs and handshakes all around.

[Sadaf Gondal]

Sangakkara keeps faith in inconsistent middle order
Kumar Sangakkara is not yet sweating over an inconsistent Sri Lankan middle order. Even a dependable batsman like Mahela Jayawardene has stuttered in the World Cup, logging just 134 runs in four completed innings, 100 of which came against Canada. In three innings Angelo Mathews has 39, Thilan Samaraweera 61, Thisara Perera 22 and Chamara Silva has 61 from two innings including a half-century.

Except in the rain-abandoned match against Australia, Pakistan are the only strong opponent Sri Lanka have faced so far. Chasing a challenging total of 277, Sri Lanka got off to a good start with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga adding 76, but the hosts lost control immediately as four wickets fell for just 20 runs in seven overs. Sri Lanka have just one match left to repair those mistakes before the quarterfinals.

"When the time comes, the guys will step up," Sangakkara said, shrugging off the idea that the middle order had some work to do. "We had probably one bad game against Pakistan. We looked pretty solid against Australia and the other games, the middle order didn't have much to do. So the real test will come and the guys are very capable of stepping up in those games for us."

The fact that batsmen in the lower middle order - Mathews, Perera, Silva - have not spent enough time in the middle is not causing any distress for Sangakkara. "If we can win matches with just the top order, I think that is good enough for us. But if the middle order needs to come in, that's why they are selected because they're good enough to do the job. Failures do happen. So that's the way cricket goes. You take those opportunities and do as much as you can. If you cannot be successful, you try and learn and get better."

Sangakkara said it was important the Sri Lanka don't lose the focus going into the knockouts. "You know, when you play in a World Cup, past doesn't really matter and it's exactly what you do when the game comes. For us, it's going back to the basics and probably we cover all our bases and take the opportunity."

Many captains, including Ross Taylor, Sangakkara's counterpart for tomorrow's game, have stressed that a victory in the final group clash would provide the momentum going into the quarterfinals. Sangakkara differs. "Every side likes to build momentum and take it into the really important stages. At the same time sides also might not win in the final first-round game and won't be too much worried about it. The quarters, semis and the finals are the one that really count. Therefore, what happens just before does not really matter, unless it takes psychological toll on that particular side."

[Sadaf Gondal]

Nathan McCullum steps into Vettori's shoes
Nathan McCullum does not bowl a doosra. He says he is working on an unfinished delivery, for which he does not have a name yet. McCullum, however, is certain about his role in this New Zealand side: to defend at all costs. On Friday he will face his biggest challenge against the Sri Lankan batsmen, who read hands better than master palmists. In the absence of Daniel Vettori for the second consecutive match, McCullum has to be New Zealand's frontline spinner.

McCullum's build-up so far in this World Cup has been patchy. Not once has he delivered a full quota of 10 overs, bring used primarily as a utility bowler rather than a strike option. He has taken only three wickets in five matches at an average of 45, which is better than his career mean of 50. All his wickets have come towards the end of the innings, after the mandatory ball change, and he has failed to ask questions of opposition batsmen. Even spinners from weaker teams - Ray Price of Zimbabwe (seven wickets at 21 each), George Dockerell of Ireland (seven at 27) and Peeter Seelar of Netherlands (seven at 35) - have made stronger impressions than has McCullum.

Yet, McCullum could play Sri Lanka with added confidence. He had a brief chat with Sunil Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan's coach, who dropped in during New Zealand's training session ahead of the Pakistan match at John Wright's request. Though the chat lasted barely a few minutes, McCullum was reinvigorated. He realised his thought process about working towards a wicket was similar to what Fernando had in mind. There was not much time to talk technique, but McCullum is bound to utilise the knowledge against Sri Lankans.

"I guess it depends on what type of spinner you are and how you work in the team. They perform different roles depending on the type of spinner," McCullum said of the role of a spinner in modern-day cricket. "As for my role, it is to work hard and try and go for 40-45 off my ten overs, and if I pick up one or two wickets that will do."

McCullum felt his job was no different to that of a Muralitharan, the difference being Murali is a strike bowler. "In the Sri Lankan side, Muralitharan is looked at as a big wicket-taker, but at the end of the day even he has to go for 40-45 runs while he picks up the wickets." McCullum is not cocky about his strengths. He is modest in fact, and would like to one day pick the brains of Murali and Harbhajan Singh to understand how they do what they do. In the interim he could change his mindset and become a wicket-taker instead of being tamed by batsmen.

In the only World Cup match played at the Wankhede so far, New Zealand's bowlers had to toil to get wickets against Canada, who lost by 97 runs but lasted 50 overs. It was the first time New Zealand had to bowl their complete quota of overs. It was also the only occasion McCullum came close to bowling 10 overs - he finished with 56 for 1 off eight.

On Wednesday, Ross Taylor said the absence of Vettori and Kyle Mills would not hurt them because New Zealand had enough men of character to step up. McCullum can be one of them. The pitch has enough bounce and turn, New Zealand have a good fielding side. He needs to bowl with the positive attitude with which he bats. McCullum is one of the best finishers in the game. He has as strike-rate of 120 while batting in the final 10 overs; 52% of his runs are in boundaries. He needs to be that aggressive while bowling.

"I don't think my role changes at all. It just means I got to little bit more consistent and more aware of performing my role to the full extent," he said. "When you lose a big player like Daniel Vettori and Kyle Milles every one needs to stand up and perform their role to the full extent."

[Sadaf Gondal]

Vettori and Mills to miss Sri Lanka match
Daniel Vettori and Kyle Millis will not be playing in New Zealand's final group match against Sri Lanka on Friday. It is an important match for New Zealand as a positive result will assure them a top two finish in Group A.

But New Zealand are not interested in taking a gamble and want Vettori and Mills to recover from the injuries completely and return fit for the knockout stages. "At this stage we are looking at having Kyle Mills and Daniel Vettori for the quarter-finals. Their injuries are coming along nicely but they are probably not ready for this match," Ross Taylor, New Zealand's stand-in captain, said.

Vettori hurt his knee while attempting a catch in the win against Pakistan last week while Mills strained his left quadricep in the match against Canada last Sunday. Both players were present the team's training at the Wankhede stadium, but other than doing a few stretches, they just milled around with team-mates.

As a precautionary step, New Zealand have called Dary Tuffey as a cover for Mills. "With Kyle Mills suffering from a quad strain we felt it was important to cover our bases," New Zealand selector Mark Greatbatch said.

"The medical team is working hard to get Kyle fit and we are hopeful he will still play a big part in the World Cup so bringing in Daryl is a precaution. Getting Daryl over to India early gives him the best chance of adjusting to the different time zone and conditions should he become part of the official squad." Tuffey is currently playing in the New Zealand's first-class competition, the Plunket Shield, representing Auckland against Northern Districts. He will join the team on Friday.

This will be the second match at the renovated Wankhede stadium, which will host the final on April 2. The New Zealand-Canada contest, a day match, saw nearly 600 runs scored on a pitch which had true bounce, but became flatter steadily. It is expected to behave the same on Friday even though the match will be played under lights. Taylor said a settled top order and a host of power hitters in the lower order makes New Zealand a formidable opponent against Sri Lanka, who would be playing their first game away from home.

"Our top four or five are fairly settled. The way Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum have batted have been outstanding in laying a platform. Jesse Ryder has had good form back home. He has not had probably the same opportunities here but he has been striking the ball very well out there. Another strength of ours is the lower batting order and the power hitting that we have," Taylor said.

Giving a hint about the selection, Taylor said the choice for a replacement for Mills would be between a specialist bowler or an allrounder. "Luke Woodcock comes into the 12. I will have to see as far as balance of the side goes whether we go in with an extra bowler or an extra allrounder." Hamish Bennett, who sat out the Canada match, could be in competition with Woodcock.

[sheem]

ab b na shoaib retire ho tu kab hoga

ahaan bichare umpires ki shamat ae hoi hai

[DexteR]

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

[Nida_Ali_Nido]

QF mein aik team aik match khele gayi

Yupppppppppppppp