ICC confirms World Cup slashed to 10 teams

Updated at: 0927 PST,  Tuesday, April 05, 2011

MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council has confirmed a controversial decision to slash the 2015 and 2019 World Cups to just 10 teams, despite widespread objections.The world governing body endorsed the move at an executive board meeting in Mumbai."The executive board confirmed their decision made in October 2010 that the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand and the ICC Cricket World Cup in England in 2019 will be a 10-team event," a media release said.The move comes despite support from prominent figures for "minnow" nations such as Ireland, Kenya, Canada and the Netherlands, all of whom took part in the 2011 edition.Ireland pulled off one of the shocks of the just-concluded tournament jointly hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka when they came from behind to beat England by three wickets in a thrilling group stage clash."I really enjoy seeing the minnow teams getting an opportunity to be honest," Australia captain Michael Clarke said on Monday, echoing earlier comments by England spinner Graeme Swann."Why would you want to take the world out of the World Cup? Shocks can happen," Swann told Wisden Cricket magazine.Cricket Ireland set up a Facebook campaign against the decision, which the body's chief executive Warren Deutrom called "frankly outrageous"I cannot think of a decision which is less cognisant of the principles of sport and fair play than the one that has been taken today," he said, in comments posted on the Irish Times website."It absolutely flies in the face of all the evidence that has been possible to accrue over the last four years as regards Ireland's performances, not just in the World Cup in 2007 but also in this World Cup and the intervening four years.The decision means the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be contested by full ICC members: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies and Zimbabwe.The 2019 edition in England will also include 10 teams, but there will be a qualifying process.The latest World Cup had been criticised for its length, after it stretched over six weeks from February 19 to April 2.

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Dilshan, Tendulkar and Gambhir all rise

Mendis, Habhajan and Malinga improve rankings; ICC Cricket World Cup champions India close gap on Australia ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 runner-up Sri Lanka’s Tillekeratne Dilshan has risen to his career best ranking to date in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsman. The 34-year-old all-rounder is occupying third position on the rankings after scoring the most runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 – a total of 500. ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 winners Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir have also moved up the rankings, with India’s opener rising one place to ninth while Gambhir's hard-fought 97 runs against Sri Lanka in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup yesterday has seen the 29-year-old rise four places to occupy 10th. Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara still occupies fourth place while India's Yuvraj Singh, the ICC Player of the Tournament for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 remains in joint 17th place with Australia captain Ricky Ponting, the latter having risen six places. Meanwhile, Netherlands Ryan ten Doeschate continues to be the only Associate player in the top 20 of the batting rankings with the Dutchman sitting in 16th place. Other batsmen moving in the right direction include England's Jonathan Trott in fifth (up by four places), South Africa's Jacques Kallis in 12th (up by three places), Ross Taylor in 19th (up by one place), Upul Tharanga in 26 (up three places), Mahela Jayawardena in 28th (up by three places), India's Suresh Raina in 31st place (up by four places), Misbah-ul-Haq in 36th place (up by three places) and Jesse Ryder in 42nd (up by 13 places)South Africa's duo of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers continue to occupy the top two positions.In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Sri Lanka's Anjantha Mendis is one of the big movers with the spin bowler rising nine places to take eighth place, a position he last occupied in 2009.Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has climbed five places to now sit in ninth, which India's World Cup winning spinner Harbhajan Singh has risen two places to now sit 18th on the list. Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal has rocketed up nine places to now occupy 20th place, while just outside the top 20 Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga has risen three places and is now sitting in joint 25th position with South Africa's Johan Botha. Pakistan's Mohammed Hafeez has gained 25 places to now sit in 36th position, while Yuvraj has climbed 13 places to sit 40th and his team mate Ashish Nehra occupies 48th after a rise of 10 place. Sri Lanka's Nuwan Kulasekara has slipped five places to now sit 10th while Australia's Mitchell Johnson has also dropped down the rankings to now sit 13th alongside England's Stuart Broad. New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori leads Zimbabwe's Ray Price by 23 ratings points with England's Graeme Swann in third and South Africa's Dale Steyn in fourth. The only change in the top five of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders is the drop of South Africa's Jacques Kallis to fifth and the ascension of Yuvraj to fourth place. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan leads the field with Shane Watson of Australia in second, Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi in third.ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 champions India have closed the gap between itself and current Reliance ICC ODI Championship table-toppers Australia at the conclusion of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. India are now just seven points behind Australia, albeit Australia have the chance to increase its lead of over the 2011 champions as it has a three-match series against Bangladesh starting next week.ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 runners-up Sri Lanka has remained in third place but with an increase in ratings points of two, taking Kumar Sangakkara's side to 118 points, while South Africa sits in fourth.

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ICC Executive Board meets in Mumbai

The ICC Executive Board met at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai on 4 April 2011, which meeting followed the Chief Executives? Committee (CEC) meeting on 1 April 2011. Among the important decisions were:

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

The ICC Executive Board congratulated India on their success in the ICC Cricket World Cup and thanked the hosts and the ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat and his staff for their tireless and impressive work to ensure the success of the tournament. President Sharad Pawar said: ?This ICC Cricket World Cup has been very successful and memorable. Whatever we achieved was due to the full support of the governments of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India and in particular I would place on record our gratitude to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina and President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rakapakse who are ardent followers of our Great Sport.'It is also my duty as ICC President and Chairman of the Central Organising Committee to place on record the great work done by the organizing committees of the three host countries led by their Boards and their chairmen Mustafa Kamal, DS de Silva and Shashank Manohar who worked to stage the flagship event of the ICC. I would like to congratulate all the participating teams, officials, match referees and umpires, tournament directors, members of the organizing committees, state associations and ICC staff who worked night and day to ensure that the event was the most successful in history.'The tournament reinforced the attraction of 50 over cricket and showed the enthusiasm and excitement generated by nation v nation cricket. There is no doubt that this event has been a great advertisement for ODI cricket. I would like to congratulate both the Indian team and the Sri Lankan team for a befitting final match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai which was played in the best of spirits and provided great entertainment to millions following the game the world over,' he concluded.During the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 there were many important achievements such as:  Improved infrastructure at various stadia, some of which now rival some of the best facilities in the world Response and support of the cricket-loving public even in the matches where the host countries were not playing which has meant the ICC target of 75% attendance has been exceeded.Viewership and TRP ratings including the coverage in the electronic and print media were enormous with the matches between India and England, Australia, Pakistan and undoubtedly Sri Lanka successively becoming the most watched cricket games in history. The viewing figures are being calculated in hundreds of millions Support of all the global and local sponsors who themselves have gained great exposure from their association with the event Financially the tournament has been an outstanding success ICC leadership led by Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat and his team who have worked very hard to make this event a success which has contributed to the improved image of the gameThe quality of cricket was exceptional.The ICC Executive Board has agreed to donate $1m from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to New Zealand Cricket to allow them to re-establish their offices after their original premises were destroyed in the 22 February 2011 earthquake Meanwhile the ICC Executive Board agreed to a review of the process of the sale, allocation and distribution of tickets for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, particularly tickets which found their way on the black market

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

The Executive Board confirmed their decision made in October 2010 that the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand and the ICC Cricket World Cup in England in 2019 will be a 10-team event. The Board agreed that the 2015 World Cup will comprise the existing 10 Full Members, however, they gave notice to all Full Members that participation in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup will be determined on the basis of qualification. It was also agreed that post the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 there will be promotion and relegation introduced in the ODI League The Board had also decided in October 2010 that the ICC World Twenty20 will comprise 16 teams. This would allow six Associates or Affiliates the opportunity to participate in an ICC Global event every two years

Governance

The ICC Executive Board will propose certain changes to the ICC Constitution at its Annual Conference 2011 in Hong Kong, applicable from July 2012, designed to prevent undue interference by Governments in the administration of cricket in Member countries, including but not limited to interference in operational matters, the selection and management of teams, the appointment of coaches or support personnel or the activities of a Member.

Strategic plan

The ICC Strategic Plan 2011-15 has been approved by the Board. The plan seeks to lead world cricket by providing a world class environment for international cricket; delivering major events across all three formats (Test, 50 over and T20); providing targeted support to members and promoting the global game.Haroon Lorgat said: 'The strategy is the product of wide ranging and constructive engagement held with the world's leading cricket administrators and stakeholders. The plan covers a range of strategic topics from the role of the ICC, governance, promotion and protection of the three forms of the game, competition and meritocratic pathways as well as targeted investment'The targeted funding for Members will be used to protect the game and its integrity; provide a platform for success and also focus on growth and improvement of playing standards.

ACSU review

An internationally renowned company has been appointed to review the operations of the ICC Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) as part of the learnings following the Pakistan spot-fixing allegations, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the ACSU chairman, reported that the initial recommendations following this review will be presented to the Board in June.

Cricket Committee

Steve Davis has been appointed, following a recommendation from the ICC Chief Executives' Committee, as the Umpires Representative on the ICC Cricket Committee. He replaces Simon Taufel who has decided to focus more on his umpiring duties. Steve Davis has been an international umpire since 1992 and has stood in more than 104 ODIs, including the ICC Cricket World Cup semi final in Colombo between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, as well as 34 Test matches and 14 Twenty20 internationals.The ICC Board consists of the chairman or president from each of the 10 Full Members plus three Associate Member representatives. Also present at ICC Board meetings is the ICC President, who chairs proceedings, the ICC Chief Executive and the ICC Vice-President, as well as, by invitation of the President, the ICC Principal Advisor.

Sharad Pawar - ICC President
Alan Isaac - ICC Vice-President
Haroon Lorgat - ICC Chief Executive
Subhan Ahmed - Pakistan (alternate for Ijaz Butt)
Peter Chingoka - Zimbabwe
Giles Clarke - England and Wales
Jack Clarke - Australia
Dr Julian Hunte - West Indies
Mustafa Kamal - Bangladesh
Imran Khwaja - Associate Member Representative
Chris Moller - New Zealand
Keith Oliver - Associate Member Representative
Mustafa Kamal - Bangladesh
Shashank Manohar - India
Abdul Kader Khan - South Africa
DS de Silva - Sri Lanka
Neil Speight - Associate Member Representative
Apologies
Ijaz Butt - Pakistan

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WC trophy given to India was fake

Updated at: 1452 PST,  Monday, April 04, 2011

MUMBAI: Indian media revealed that the World Cup trophy handed over to Indian cricket team was not original and it was a fake trophy.This was reported that president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Sharad Powar had given away the trophy to Indian team captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni in a ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai after they won the World Cup.However, that trophy was a fake one as it had no ICC logo nor the name of the winners on it.The Indian media further said that the original trophy is in the custody of the Mumbai customs who levied a tax of Rs2.2 million on it.But the ICC in a bid to avoid any tax gave away the fake trophy to the Indian team after winning the final.Tournament director Sauro Naik said that the original trophy of the World Cup would be sent back to Dubai today.

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Tendulkar has no retirement plans

Updated at: 1824 PST,  Monday, April 04, 2011

NEW DELHI: Indian batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar said Monday he had no plans to retire after his World Cup triumph, but said the team would miss outgoing coach Gary Kirsten.India regained the World Cup after 28 years with a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai on Saturday under former South African batsman Kirsten."Personally, I would say Gary (Kirsten) should continue but he has family commitments," Tendulkar told a local TV channel."I respect his decision. We will miss him a lot. It's been a pleasure to work with him. He's probably worked harder than anyone else.India not only secured the number-one ranking in Tests and number two in one-day internationals under Kirsten, but also became a formidable force both at home and away.Tendulkar, the world's leading run scorer in both Tests (14,692) and one-day internationals (18,111), became a World Cup winner for the first time on his sixth and probably last appearance in the tournament.He said winning the World Cup was his biggest cricketing moment and wished he could have shared it with his father."I miss my father. He would be proud. My kids being there for the victory lap made it even more special," said Tendulkar, whose father died during the 1999 World Cup, adding that he had no plans to retire."I can't believe we're the world champions. I am enjoying cricket too much to retire from any form of the game," said Tendulkar, who will turn 38 this month The master batsman rated Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the "best captain" for leading the team shrewdly in the high-pressure tournament."He (Dhoni) reads the situation well, is open to ideas and above all he stays calm and doesn't show frustration," Tendulkar said.It was the second major title India had won under Dhoni after the World Twenty20 Championships in South Africa in 2007.Tendulkar said India had peaked at the right time."In the knockout stage, we peaked at the right time. We batted, fielded and bowled well. You see effort from all players. Performance no one can guarantee, but effort you can guarantee," said Tendulkar.India beat defending champions Australia in the quarter-finals and Pakistan in the semi-final before prevailing over Sri Lanka.

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Clarke supports retention of World minnows

Updated at: 1755 PST,  Monday, April 04, 2011

 SYDNEY: Australian captain Michael Clarke was at odds Monday with his predecessor Ricky Ponting over the International Cricket Council's moves to cut the number of teams at the 2015 World Cup.In an early sign of a divergence in captaincy styles with Ponting, Clarke spoke out in support of minnow nations, who would likely be axed if the tournament's size was reduced."I really enjoy seeing the minnow teams getting an opportunity to be honest, I guess it's up to the ICC to work out whatever they think is in the betterment of the game, obviously that's their priority," Clarke told reporters before the Australian team's departure for a short tour to Bangladesh.An ICC decision on the issue was expected to be made in Mumbai on Monday following a meeting of its executive board.Ponting called for fewer teams during this year's World Cup ahead of the ICC's decision on culling the number of countries from 14 to 10 for the next edition in Australia and New Zealand in four years time.Ponting, who stepped down as Australian captain last week, said in February that a balance had to be struck between encouraging the growth of the game and improving the quality of the World Cup competition.The World Cup format again has been criticised as tediously drawn out during the group stages, meaning it took six weeks to complete the 2011 event in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.Clarke agreed that the structure could be improved, but said that shouldn't necessarily be at the expense of the developing countries, with Ireland most notably adding excitement to the recent World Cup, won by India on Saturday."The two World Cups I've been involved in have been fantastic," he said."It certainly does feel between games like you have a long period when you've got six or seven days between games, but I've enjoyed seeing all the minnow teams play."We've seen throughout this World Cup there was a few upsets where there was some great cricket played," he added.Ireland scored one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history when they toppled England with a superb run-chase last month, while the Irish also made the Super eight stage in 2007 when they beat Pakistan.The ICC presently has 10 full-member nations, meaning if the Cup was cut to 10 teams, the minnow countries such as Kenya, the Netherlands and Canada would struggle to qualify.

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Afridi ready to tour West Indies

Updated at: 1342 PST, Monday, April 04, 2011

KARACHI: Pakistan's limited overs cricket captain Shahid Afridi has made himself available for the tour of West Indies after previously opting for a break"Earlier I had decided to skip the tour because I wanted to take a well deserved rest from the game, but some former players and my family and friends told me to change my decision at this crucial time for Pakistan cricket," Afridi said on Monday.Afridi, 31, who has played 320 one-day internationals, led Pakistan to the semi-finals of the recent World Cup where they lost to eventual winners India.The seasoned all-rounder, who finished with 21 wickets in the tournament, said he wanted a break from cricket but the upcoming tour was an ideal opportunity to groom two or three new players."That is why I want to be part of the team on the coming tour and carry on the momentum we got from the World Cup," he said.Afridi revealed the morale of the players was boosted by the warm welcome they received on returning from the World Cup hosted in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh."It is an indication that Pakistan cricket is on the right track and on the coming tours to West Indies and Zimbabwe we can form an ideal one-day combination," he added.The Pakistan team will play a Twenty20 match against West Indies on April 21, then five ODIs and two tests.Indications from the national selectors suggest they plan to rest some of the senior players for the limited over matches in the Caribbean and try out new players who have performed well in domestic cricket. (Reuters)

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Robotic Aleem Dar keeps 100pc record in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

KARACHI: Although Pakistan cricket team failed to play in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, a Pakistan umpire did play a crucial role in the final showdown in India’s financial hub.Aleem Dar. Courtesy: Getty ImagesAleem Dar, who has won the ICC Umpire of the Year award for two times, was as cool as a cucumber during the whole tournament as his umpiring intellect earned him a huge respect among the participating cricketers.With the new Decision Review System (DRW) taking its first flight in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, pressure surged to all-time high on the ICC Elite Panel umpires including some of the best of the business.A number of their decisions were challenged during the tournament not only by the ICC Test Playing Nations but also by the cricketing minnows and a lot of these challenges were successful making International Cricket Council (ICC) to accept the utility of technology in giving the game of cricket a fair look.Aleem Dar With umpires like Simon Taufel, Ian Gould, Billy Doctrove and Billy Bowden getting their decisions turned down by the DRS, there was an umpire, from Pakistan, who maintained his 100 percent success rate during the all-important ICC mega event.Aleem Dar was as faultless and absolute in his decision making that none of his decisions could be turned down by the use of technology and cricketers on most occasions refrained from taking chances against his calls.A total of 57 reviews were taken against Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar but to the surprise of all the cricket crazy people out there none of his decisions proved wrong by the technology, a man with robotic approach to umpiring.

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Pakistan tour to West Indies starts April 18

KARACHI: After finishing among the top-four cricket teams in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Pakistan’s next stop is West Indies where they will play two Test matches, five One Day Internationals and a Twenty20 International.Pakistan Tour to West Indies Pakistan are leaving for West Indies next week where they will start the tour with a practice match against University of West Indies at Gros   Islet

The first official match of the tour would be played on April 21 when Pakistan will take on West Indies in the only Twenty20 International at Gros Islet.The tour will then gradually grow to the 50-overs action where Pakistan will play five One Day Internationals on April 23, 25,28, May 1, and 5.The Test series will start from May 12 at Guyana while the second test match would be hosted by St. Kitts from May 20.

Pakistan Tour to West Indies 2011
No.	Action	Opponent	Date	Time	Venue
1	Practice Match	Pakistan vs University of WI	18-Apr	1700 PST	Saint Lucia
2	Twenty20I	Pakistan vs West Indies	21-Apr	2300 PST	Saint Lucia
3	1st ODI	Pakistan vs West Indies	23-Apr	1830 PST	Saint Lucia
4	2nd ODI	Pakistan vs West Indies	25-Apr	1830 PST	Saint Lucia
5	3rd ODI	Pakistan vs West Indies	28-Apr	1830 PST	Barbados
6	4th ODI	Pakistan vs West Indies	1-May	1830 PST	Barbados
7	5th ODI	Pakistan vs West Indies	5-May	1830 PST	Guyana
8	2-day Practice Match	Pakistan vs To Be Decided	8-May	1900 PST	Guyana
9	1st Test Match	Pakistan vs West Indies	12-May	1900 PST	Guyana
10	2nd Test Match	Pakistan vs West Indies	20-May	1900 PST	Saint Kitts

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ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Huge monetary perks for Men in Green

KARACHI: A super show in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 has made the Men in Green a millionaire cricket team.Ijaz Butt The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been struggling with monetary problems in the last three or four years due to international cricket scarcity in the country but a brilliant performance by Shahid Khan Afridi and his men seems to have pushed back all the financial pressures Nobody had fancied Pakistan playing semi-final at the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 but Shahid Afridi led from the front and inspired the team to play semi-final at Mohali. Unfortunately, Pakistan lost to India, who eventually won the title, but their great run of victories have earned them at least one million and fifty thousand US dollars (1,050,000 USD)Sources told The Sports Encounter that the five victories in the group stage of the tournament 300,000 US dollars while the reward for making it to the semi-final stood at 750,000 US dollars.

During the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Pakistan played a total of eight matches, winning six of them, which also included victories over giants Australia and runners-up Sri Lanka.The International Cricket Council (ICC) will hand over the money to the Pakistan Cricket Board which will distribute it among the players as well as team officials.This is not all! Pakistani cricketers are also expected to bag huge cash prizes by the PCB and top government officials for making national anthem heard on Indian soil as Punjab Chief Minister has already taken the lead by announcing Rs0.5 million for each cricketer who took part in the mega event.

The PCB will also get from the sports governing body another 8 million US dollars for being co-hosts.At the end of the day, the nation is happy on Pakistan cricket team’s performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup while the cricket board is also excited by the fact that its monetary woes will go away, for the time being.

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Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar arrives Lahore

Updated at: 0640 PST,  Monday, April 04, 2011

LAHORE: Warm welcome was accorded by a big crowd to Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar, who gave cent percent performance in cricket World Cup 2011, after his arrival at Allama Iqbal International Airport in the wee hours of Tuesday.Talking to media persons Dar said, "I am proud to represent Pakistan in the final of the cricket’s mega event was played between India and Sri Lanka.He thanked the Government of Pakistan and Government of Punjab for granting him Pride of Performance award.Dar while praising Pakistani performance in the mega event said that overall performance in the world cup was satisfactory but they took two or three wrong decisions like power play were not taken on time.He said defending champion Australia and hot favourite South Africa were failed to reach in the semi-final while Pakistan qualified but unfortunately was defeated by India.It is worth mentioning here that not a single decision of Aleem Dar was withdrawn through UDRS, an umpire referral system.Dar said UDRS is a good system and the systems would help to improve the performance of the umpires.

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Afridi, Tendulkar in ICC's World Cup Eleven

Updated at: 1949 PST,  Sunday, April 03, 2011

MUMBAI: Pakistan captain Shahid Khan Afridi and India’s great batsman Sachin Tendulkar along with Sri Lanka’s star bowler Muttiah Muralitharan have been named in the International Cricket Council's team of the World Cup announced on Sunday The World Cup runners-up Sri Lanka contributed four players while champions India just three to the ICC’s team of the tournament India defeated fellow tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni making a man-of-the-match winning 91 not out.But the ICC's five-man panel of experts, looking at the World Cup as a whole, opted for Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara as skipper.The other Sri Lankans in the team were dashing opener Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who made his final international appearance.India's trio were Sachin Tendulkar, a World Cup winner at the sixth attempt, all-rounder Yuvraj Singh -- the man of the tournament -- and left-arm quick Zaheer Khan.Khan was the tournament's joint most-successful bowler with 21 wickets along side Pakistan leg-spinner and captain Shahid Afridi.The global govering body's all-star XI was completed by the South Africa duo of batsman/keeper AB de Villiers and fast bowler Dale Steyn and Australia all-rounder Shane Watson.ICC's team of the World Cup (in batting order)Sachin Tendulkar (IND), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Kumar Sangakkara (SL,captain/wk), Mahela Jayawardene (SL), AB de Villiers (SA), Yuvraj Singh (IND), Shane Watson (AUS), Shahid Afridi (PAK), Dale Steyn (SA), Zaheer Khan (IND), Muttiah Muralitharan (SL)12th man: Tim Southee (NZ).

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Sri Lanka star in ICC's team of the World Cup

Updated at: 2343 PST,  Sunday, April 03, 2011

MUMBAI: World Cup runners-up Sri Lanka contributed four players and champions India just three to the International Cricket Council's team of the tournament announced on Sunday.India defeated fellow tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni making a man-of-the-match winning 91 not out.But the ICC's five-man panel of experts, looking at the World Cup as a whole, opted for Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara as skipper. The other Sri Lankans in the team were dashing opener Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who made his final international appearance. India's trio were Sachin Tendulkar, a World Cup winner at the sixth attempt, all-rounder Yuvraj Singh -- the man of the tournament -- and left-arm quick Zaheer Khan. Khan was the tournament's joint most-successful bowler with 21 wickets alongside Pakistan leg-spinner and captain Shahid Afridi. The global governing body's all-star XI was completed by the South Africa duo of batsman/keeper AB de Villiers and fast bowler Dale Steyn and Australia all-rounder Shane Watson.ICC's team of the World Cup (in batting order): Sachin Tendulkar (IND), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SRI), Kumar Sangakkara (SRI, capt/wkt), Mahela Jayawardene (SRI), AB de Villiers (RSA), Yuvraj Singh (IND), Shane Watson (AUS), Shahid Afridi (PAK), Dale Steyn (RSA), Zaheer Khan (IND), Muttiah Muralitharan (SRI) and 12th man: Tim Southee (NZL)

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ICC unveils Cricket WC 2015 logo

Updated at: 2139 PST,  Sunday, April 03, 2011

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled the logo for the Cricket World Cup 2015 to be held in Australia and New Zealand, Geo News reported on Sunday.Australia and New Zealand would co-host the 11th World Cup after 23 years.ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat describes this logo as "a dynamic logo which captures the cultural influences in the two host countries"."The ICC, Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket have all worked together with the consultancies to produce this beautiful logo. On the back of a hugely successful ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, I am sure that it will gain recognition over the next four years as we use it in promotional, marketing and partner activations," he added."Hosting an ICC Cricket World Cup is a great honour as well as a great challenge but we are sure both New Zealand and Australia are up to that challenge," added Vaughan.

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Murali disappointed by international farewell

Updated at: 1835 PST,  Sunday, April 03, 2011

MUMBAI: Sri Lanka star bowler Muttiah Muralitharan admitted his last international appearance had been a letdown following a six-wicket World Cup final defeat by India.The record-breaking 38-year-old, the sole survivor from Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup final-winning team, was not the force of old with injuries appearing to hamper him as he bowled a wicketless spell of eight overs for 39 runs.They were respectable enough figures but hardly the kind of astounding analysis that became commonplace in Muralitharan's career, which yielded 800 wickets in 133 Tests and 534 in one-day internationals, both world records.It was a little bit disappointing because my main aim was to win the World Cup," said Muralitharan on his return to Colombo on Sunday. "But unfortunately we couldn't do that because India was a better side on the day.Sri Lanka, who made 274 for six on the back of Mahela Jayawardene's unbeaten century, saw fast bowler Lasith Malinga strike twice early on to remove openers Virender Sehwag (nought) and Sachin Tendulkar (18).However both Muralitharan and fellow off-spinner Suraj Randiv (none for 43) were able to follow-up.We got enough runs on the board 274 was a good score. Malinga took two vital wickets but after that we couldn't crack their side especially in the middle part. The spinners didn't take enough wickets, that was the main reason."If I or Suraj took a few wickets then the story would have been different. These things happen in cricket so you have to move on and I'd like to wish the team well for the future. Hopefully, in 2015 they'll bring home the Cup." Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, speaking after the match, had defended his decision to play Muralitharan despite the talismanic bowler's knee, hamstring and groin problems.It's one of those rare days where he hasn't really done the job for us, but that's maybe one in 100 games that happens," Sangakkara said. "He's our best bowler, even half fit. But he was fine, he was almost at full fitness. I don't think it was an issue." "We're going to miss him terribly. Unfortunately, we couldn't give him a great send off but that's the way it goes. We were out-played and we have to accept that. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who made a man-of-the-match winning 91 not out, said it was because of his familiarity with Muralitharan that he'd promoted himself above man-of-the-tournament Yuvraj Singh in the batting order. "I have played a lot with Murali and I know his doosra well," said Dhoni, a teammate at IPL side Chennai Super Kings. "He knows it too. I put pressure on him.Muralitharan's big finish was probably when he took a wicket with his final ball on home soil as Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in the semi-final in Colombo, with thousands of fans watching him chaired round the ground.He has also won plaudits for his Foundation of Goodness charity, set up to help Sri Lanka from the carnage of the massive 2004 tsunami, and Muralitharan recently announced plans to build a sports complex for war-displaced civilians.

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World champions India eye new golden age

Updated at: 1343 PST,  Sunday, April 03, 2011

NEW DELHI: India plotted a new era of cricket domination on Sunday after their stunning World Cup success confirmed their status as the sport's only superpower.The comfortable six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Mumbai, India's first world title since 1983, was also being viewed as a reflection of the country's growing commercial and political muscle."In the last three to four years India has done well in shooting, badminton, tennis, hockey and football," said winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni."We are growing as a sporting nation. But cricket is special because of the infrastructure. "It all started with the 1983 win. Then two big players, Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar, came on the scene, followed by Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid."It is due to them we are getting a lot of money and respect. We are trying to pass it on to the next generation."Dhoni, the son of a steel factory worker, is a multi-millionaire thanks to a career which has seen him become the first man to captain a World Cup and World Twenty20 winning side.His team are also top of the world rankings for five-day Test matches. Throughout the six-week tournament, he was a regular on match-day TV commercials, endorsing everything from ceiling fans to mobile phones to high-end property.But there will be little rest for his in-demand champions. India have a packed upcomimg programme, including tours of the West Indies, England and Australia before the year is out, as well as home internationals.Yet before any of that comes the latest lucrative edition of the Twenty20 Indian Premier League, starting on April 8, with Dhoni having led the Chennai Super Kings to victory in 2010."I don't think we are getting enough time off. There's no time to realise we have won the World Cup." Significantly, even before the last celebratory firework exploded in the Mumbai night sky on Saturday, the team's paymasters were keeping them sweet with rewards of $225,000 per player for capturing the trophy. Indian newspapers revelled Sunday in victory, hailing Dhoni's men as heroes for a new generation."The World At Our Feet" crowed the front page headline in the Times of India."The wait has ended and a new legend has been born," the Times said, putting Dhoni's squad on the same pedestal as the 1983 side."Windia!" was the banner headline in the Indian Express.

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India lift World Cup after 28 years

Updated at: 2223 PST,  Saturday, April 02, 2011

MUMBAI: India became the World Cup champions after 28 years, defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets in an interesting final of the tenth World Cup here at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.Chasing a challenging target of 275, India completed their long-awaited victory, with a huge six by captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni, with ten balls to spare in the day-night final of the mega event. It was for the first time that a host country won the final of the World Cup and India also became the first Asian country to become the champions twice.India were the third country to lift this title two or more times after Australia (four) and the West Indies (two).The architects of India’s historic win were Gautam Gambhir, who scored 97 off 122 balls with nine boundaries, and Dhoni, who remained unbeaten on 91, made from 79 balls with eight fours and two sixes.India's start was disastrous when Virender Sehwag was lbw for nought second ball to Lasith Malinga.Later, Sachin Tendulkar also departed after a brief, 14-ball innings of 18 runs when he steered fast bowler Lasith Malinga through the off-side only to be caught behind by Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara to leave India 31 for two.Earlier, Mahela Jayawardene reached his 14th one-day international century in 84 balls with 13 fours He remained not out on 103, made from 88 balls as Sri Lanka finished on 274 for six in their 50 overs after captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat first in the All-Asia final of the mega event. Jayawardene secured the unwanted record of becoming the first man to score a hundred in a World Cup final yet finish on the losing side.All five previous tons in the fixture -- by Clive Lloyd (West Indies, 1975), Vivian Richards (West Indies, 1979), Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka 1996), Ricky Ponting (Australia, 2003) and Adam Gilchrist (Australia 2007) had been made in winning causes.India's left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan dried up the flow of runs with three successive maiden overs at the start and his two wickets made him the tournament's leading bowler alongside Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi with 21 wickets each.

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World Cup final: J’wardene steers Sri Lanka to 274 against India

Updated at: 1816 PST,  Saturday, April 02, 2011

MUMBAI: Mahela Jayawardene hit a brilliant unbeaten century to help Sri Lanka set a challenging target of 275 runs for India to win the final of the ICC World Cup 2011 here at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.Jayawardene remained not out on 103, made from 88 balls as Sri Lanka finished on 274 for six in their 50 overs after captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat first in the All-Asia final of the mega event.It was Jayawardene's 14th one-day international hundred and it was laced with 13 fours.Tailenders Nuwan Kulasekara (32 off 30 balls) and Thisara Perera (22 off nine) helped Sri Lanka smash 63 runs in the last five overs of power-play to leave India chasing 5.50 runs an over under lights.Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men will begin their reply knowing that seven of the previous nine World Cup finals have been lost by the team batting second.A sell-out crowd of 33,000, including Indian President Pratibha Patil and Sri Lanka's head of state Mahinda Rajapakse, watched an absorbing contest between bat and ball.India's left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan dried up the flow of runs at the start and his two wickets made him the tournament's leading bowler alongside Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi with 21 wickets each.Confusion reigned at the toss, which had to be performed twice after match referee Jeff Crowe did not hear Sangakkara's call when Dhoni threw up the coin.Zaheer opened with three successive maidens and then struck with the first ball of his fourth over when Virender Sehwag dived to his right in the slips to remove Upul Tharanga for two.Fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth lifted the pressure by conceding 15 runs in his fifth over that included a no-ball and a warning for running in the danger area in his follow-through.Sreesanth, who was preferred ahead of spinner Ravichandran Ashwin after Ashish Nehra was ruled out with a fractured finger, was thrashed for 52 runs in his eight overs.Tillakaratne Dilshan made 33 when he was bowled by off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to make Sri Lanka 60-2 in the 17th over. He became the first batsman to complete 500 runs in the tournament Sangakkara and Jayawardene put on 62 for the third wicket in 68 balls when Yuvraj Singh broke through by having the skipper caught behind by wicket-keeper Dhoni for 48.Thilan Samaraweera (21) added 57 for the fourth wicket with Jayawardene when he was given out leg-before through a TV referral after umpire Simon Taufel had negated bowler Yuvraj's appeal.India made one change, bringing in fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth in place of the injured Ashish Nehra while Sri Lanka made four changes. Batsman Chamara Kapugedera, all-rounder Thisara Perera, off-spinner Suraj Randiv and seamer Nuwan Kulasekera replaced Chamara Silva, the injured Angelo Mathews, Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis.

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Two coin tosses in World Cup final

Updated at: 1553 PST,  Saturday, April 02, 2011

MUMBAI: Two coin tosses were necessary before the start of the World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka on Saturday when nobody including match referee Jeff Crowe appeared to hear Kumar Sangakkara's call the first time.Sri Lanka captain Sangakkara won the second toss and predictably elected to bat first in a good toss to win for the 1996 champions.After India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni spun the coin, it looked as if he thought he had won the toss.But Crowe did not hear a call from Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara who, as the visiting skipper was supposed to nominate 'heads' or 'tails' while the coin was in the air.There was a brief discussion between the two captains before former New Zealand skipper Crowe ordered a re-toss -- an almost unheard of event in any cricket match and certainly one of this importance.

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World Cup final: Sri Lanka win toss, bat against India

Updated at: 1334 PST,  Saturday, April 02, 2011

MUMBAI: Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has won the toss and elected to bat against India in the All-Asia final of the World Cup 2011 here at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.Both teams are chasing their second World Cup trophy.India made one change from the side that beat Pakistan in the semi-final bringing in fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth in place of the injured Ashish Nehra.Star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, despite niggling hamstring and knee injuries, was declared fit to play in the final, which will be the last match of his international careerSri Lanka made four changes after the semi-final against New Zealand.Batsman Chamara Kapugedera, all-rounder Thisara Perera, off-spinner Suraj Randiv and seamer Nuwan Kulasekera replaced Chamara Silva, the injured Angelo Mathews, Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis.Randiv had only been called into the squad on Thursday as cover.The toss had to take place twice after no one heard the call from Sangakkara first time around.Teams batting first have won seven of the nine finals since the inaugural World Cup in 1975.India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel.Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Mahela Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedera, Suraj Randiv, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan.Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS) and Aleem Dar (PAK),TV umpire: Ian Gould (ENG)Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ)

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