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Pakistan pace bowler Junaid Khan has replaced his colleague Sohail Tanvir in the national squad for the forthcoming World Cup, after the latter was ruled out owing to his slow recovery from last year's knee surgery. "Fast bowler Junaid Khan has been approved as Tanvir's replacement by the International Cricket Council (ICC)," the Daily Times quoted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), as saying in a statement.
The Group stage of this the 2011 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup provides, as opposed to the format of the previous one, a more spacious berth for consistency. It also seems a much better way of going about eliminating teams. Last time round, the ‘Super 8’ format with four groups, each with four teams, had 2 teams advancing to the next stage.
Indian cricket skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday said that he was satisfied with the World Cup squad. Interacting with scribes, Dhoni said that the selectors have picked a balanced team for the World Cup 2011, beginning from February 19 in the sub-continent. “The team is quite balanced and we are hoping for good show at the World Cup.” He further said that Sachin Tendulkar and Coach Gary Kirsten might be appearing in their last World Cup.
The whole of India wants it to be Sachin Tendulkar’s World Cup. And why not! As soon as the team bus arrived at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, one spotted the maestro sitting in the first row. Tendulkar may not be leading the side, but looking at the manner in which he stepped out of the vehicle, one could sense that hunger in him. The World Cup means a lot to him and that was more than evident ahead of the first practice session.
Australia's World Cup squad flew out for India on Wednesday night with Ricky Ponting back in charge, and determined to play both practice matches before the tournament starts. Ponting has been sidelined since the Boxing Day Test due to a broken finger, but he said he was feeling good after his time away from the game and was pleased with the team's 6-1 win over England in his absence.
New Delhi : Barely 48 hours after India TV, promoted by Rajat Sharma’s broadcast company Independent News Service Pvt. Ltd, offered a former Indian spinner Rs25 lakh to be a part of the channel’s expert panel during the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the cricketer “regretted” —through a text message—that he could not be on India TV as a rival channel had offered him a better deal.
Till, say, five years ago, expecting a cricketer from Bangladesh to have a wise head on his shoulders was like hoping that Pakistan would tackle terrorists with an iron hand. Wishful thinking! Or so it was till Shakib Al Hasan emerged from the fishing hamlet of Jessore in the remote countryside of Magura. The all-rounder has outgrown the popularity and utility of stalwarts like Mohammad Ashraful — whose inconsistency has done him no favours — and the perennially-injured Mashrafe Mortaza.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said they will badly miss "street-smart" Praveen Kumar in the upcoming World Cup as the pacer has been ruled out of cricket''s showpiece event due to an elbow injury. Praveen, who has been a vital cog in India''s ODI scheme of things for a little over three years and was certain in India''s seam attack in the World Cup, was ruled out on Monday after failing to recover from an elbow injury which he sustained during the South Africa tour.
Graeme Smith-led South Africa team arrived at Kamaraj Airport in Chennai on Wednesday. South Africa team is one the favourites to win the ICC cricket World Cup 2011. South Africa will play their first warm-up match against Zimbabwe on Saturday at the renovated M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Bangalore.
When Australia’s World Cup campaign gets underway, Tasmanian off-spinner Jason Krejza will face a David and Goliath showdown on the Indian subcontinent.According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australia will turn to the enigmatic Krejza to deliver the goods on the spin front after injured tweakers Nathan Hauritz (shoulder) and Xavier Doherty (back) were ruled unfit.
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