Terming India as one of the favourites to lift the World Cup, former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist on Wednesday cautioned the co-hosts not to get bogged down by the weight of expectations, instead enjoy playing in front of the home crowd.
Experienced Matt Prior on Wednesday got the nod ahead of Steve Davies as the lone wicketkeeper in England's 15-man squad for the February 19-April 2 Cricket World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. An out-of-form Paul Collingwood, who was dropped for Sunday's first ODI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, also found a place as did injured fast bowler Stuart Broad.
A fourth consecutive World Cup title triumph might not be enough to heal the scars left by the recent Ashes hammering Australia suffered against England, captain Ricky Ponting said on Tuesday.
Australia have named left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty ahead of off-spinner Nathan Hauritz in the team for the first of seven One-Day Internationals against England.
The subcontinent will be ready in time to host the World Cup though five venues were still undergoing work, the International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat said on Saturday.
Australia named paceman Brett Lee and batsman David Hussey in a 14-man squad for the first of seven one-day internationals against England, brightening their chances of making the cut for next month's World Cup.
Pakistan's ability to host an international tournament without any security problems will be examined when the Asia Cup begins on Tuesday.
Jacques Rudolph was surprisingly recalled by South Africa when he was included in its preliminary squad for next year's World Cup.
Andy Atkinson, the International Crcket Council's chief pitch consultant, expressed satisfaction with the progress of work at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai but remained mum on Delhi's Ferozshah Kotla ground.
Contradicting his home association, star batsman Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday said Match Referee Alan Hurst did the right thing by abandoning the fifth and final India-Sri Lanka ODI because the Ferozeshah Kotla track was not fit for an international game.
The bickering within the Delhi and District Cricket Association over the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch fiasco took an ugly turn on Tuesday with board member Kirti Azad storming out of the body's annual general meeting, claiming he was insulted for raising the issue.
Stung by the fiasco at the Ferozshah Kotla which led to the abandonment of the fifth and final India-Sri Lanka ODI, the Cricket Board on Sunday disbanded its Grounds and Pitches Committee with immediate effect.
The Kolkata police on Friday met the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) officials to inquire into the Eden Gardens power failure that disrupted the India-Sri Lanka day-night fifth One-Day International for about 25 minutes on Thursday. The meeting was attended by officials from private power utility CESC, state PWD and Joint Commissioner of Police Debashish Roy who would submit his report in three days.
It was Prime Minister Modi's first such virtual bilateral engagement with a leader of a neighbouring country. For Rajapaksa, it was the first diplomatic engagement with a leader of a foreign country after he was sworn in as prime minister.
Former India batsman Sanjay Manjerkar said Test cricket is an "outdated concept" and it's time to take Twenty20 cricket more seriously.
The PCB will rest the fast bowler to allow him to recover from his rib-cage stress fracture injury.
Sanjay Nayar is said to be joining Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co as its CEO and Country Head in the country.
Former Mumbai Ranji Trophy captain Milind Rege will oversee the readiness of all eight venues in India that will conduct the matches.
Shaharyar Khan believes India is the only Asian country that can single-handedly host the 2011 World Cup.
Hosts India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will play their knock-out matches at home if they advance to the quarter-final stage of the World Cup, International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat said on Friday.
A statistical look at the previous World Cups.
Shahid Afridi is likely to be retained as the One-day captain for the ICC World Cup 2011 after chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt held discussions with the team management in New Zealand and chief operating officer in Lahore.
Already retired from Test cricket, Sri Lankan opening batsman Sanath Jayasuriya hopes to play in next year's World Cup in the subcontinent before ending his illustrious international career.
Former captain Mashrafe Mortaza will not take part in next month's World Cup. The injured fast bowler was left out of Bangladesh's 15-man squad named on Wednesday. Mortaza, 27, injured his knee during a domestic match last month and selectors felt he would not have regained full fitness in time for the Feb 19-April 2 tournament being co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The 2011 World Cup, to be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, will be officially launched in Mumbai on July 14, 2009 with the bigwigs of the International Cricket Council in attendance.
Paul Collingwood is to quit Test cricket after the fifth Ashes encounter, the England batsman said on Thursday, going out on a high after helping to retain the famous urn in Australia for the first time in 24 years.
Having aired his view that the Ferozeshah Kotla track was unsuitable for international matches, star Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Friday said the Motera pitch in Ahmedabad is not ideal for Test cricket either.
Two days after the pitch fiasco that led to the abandonment of the fifth India-Sri Lanka one-dayer, the DDCA on Tuesday brought back old hand Radhey Shyam as the chief curator of Ferozeshah Kotla.
The Ferozeshah Kotla stood disgraced on Sunday after the fifth and final India-Sri Lanka ODI was abandoned following visiting captain Kumar Sangakkara's refusal to play on a dangerous pitch, raising the possibility of the venue being banned for a minimum of one year.
The Delhi and District Cricket Association apologised for the fiasco that led to the cancellation of the fifth India-Sri Lanka ODI and promised that it will not be repeated.
India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal have agreed to participate in cricket at the Games, Kutubuddin Ahmed, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Olympic Association, said after a meeting in Kathmandu on Monday. A Twenty20 competition at under-21 level will feature in the Games for the eight-nation grouping, to be staged from January 29 to February 9 next year.
Like India, Sri Lanka are also struggling with injury to at least one key player as their paceman Lasith Malinga was on Monday rendered doubtful for the first ODI due to indisposition.
There was no trace whatsoever of their stormy past as S Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh -- the main protagonists in the 2008 Slapgate episode -- hobnobbed like long lost mates brought together by the ongoing second India-Sri Lanka second Test match in Kanpur on Thursday.
Graeme Smith will step down as captain of South Africa's One-Day International and Twenty20 teams in order to prolong his career, he said on Wednesday.
Muttiah Muralitharan claimed the wicket of Pragyan Ojha on Day 5 of the first Test against India on Thursday to breach the 800 wickets mark and sign off as the highest Test wicket-taker of all time. It is highly unlikely that anyone in contemporary cricket, or in the near future, will even get near that feat.
Australians have responded with a mixture of disbelief and anger to the ICC's decision to ban Darrell Hair from umpiring international matches, labelling it "tragic" and "disgusting".
If Indian PM boycotts the CHOGM, it is likely to add to Sri Lanka's bitterness. This would not help India's desire to add more depth and content to its relations with Sri Lanka but its ability to influence Sri Lanka's decision making process on the both strategic issues and on Tamil minority issues, says Colonel (retd) R Hariharan.
The Indian squad for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe will be picked by the national selection panel in Chennai on May 9, BCCI sources said on Monday.
"Appu", the elephant was the mascot of the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi and almost three decades down the line, the pachyderm has been chosen to perform the same role at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ejaz Butt has accused the ICC and the BCCI of treating them as beggars and threatened dire consequences if they are not allowed to host 2011 World Cup matches.
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