cricket world cup 2011Champions

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Collingwood axed from England squads

Paul Collingwood was dropped from both the England Twenty20 and one-day squads announced Tuesday for the upcoming fixtures against Sri Lanka.

The veteran all-rounder retired from Test duty after England's victorious Ashes campaign in Australia but was included in the World Cup squad.

However, upon his return home after England's 10-wicket quarter-final thrashing by Sri Lanka, Collingwood was stripped of the Twenty20 captaincy -- despite leading the side to the World Twenty20 title in the West Indies last year -- and replaced as skipper by leadership novice Stuart Broad.

The 35-year-old Collingwood, a former England one-day captain, only recently returned to county action with Durham following a knee injury and England national selector Geoff Miller said: "Paul Collingwood has been an inspirational limited-overs cricketer for England over many years, and we still see a role for him in this capacity based on form and fitness.

"His omission is purely down to form over a period of time," added Miller, a former England off-spinner.

"He has always brought a great deal to the England team, and we know he'll be working as hard as ever to reach peak form and fitness -- with an England recall firmly in the forefront of his mind."

Meanwhile wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter and all-rounder Samit Patel won recalls to both squads.

Kiewswetter replaced Matt Prior, England's Test gloveman who played at the World Cup.

South Africa-born Kiewswetter, also a hard-hitting batsman, played a key role in England's World Twenty20 triumph in the Caribbean but then lost form and found himself out of international contention.

But he has recently impressed at county level and Miller said: "Craig has been in exciting form for Somerset so far this year -- and while Matt Prior has been outstanding in the Test team, we believe Craig will offer some real firepower with the bat along with his ability with the gloves

Patel, 26, won the last of his 11 ODI caps in November 2008 and has finally accepted calls from the England management to improve his fitness.

His ability as a second spinner will enable England to field another slow bowler in addition to his county colleague Graeme Swann.

Fast-medium bowler Broad is expected to be fit to lead England for the first time at Bristol on Saturday despite bruising a heel during the drawn third Test against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl on Monday, a result that gave England the series 1-0.

England Test captain Andrew Strauss has retired from limited overs internationals so the one-day side will be led by Alastair Cook, even though his Test opening partner was not selected in the World Cup squad.

Meanwhile fast bowler Chris Tremlett, England's man of the Sri Lanka Test series, appears to have been rested ahead of the four Tests against India starting next month.

Twenty20 squad

Stuart Broad (capt), Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter (wkt), Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright

One-day squad

Alastair Cook (capt), James Anderson, Bell, Bopara, Broad, Dernbach, Finn, Kieswetter, Morgan, Patel, Pietersen, Swann, Jonathan Trott, Woakes

Fixtures

Jun 25: Lone Twenty20, Bristol

Jun 28: 1st ODI, The Oval

Jul 01: 2nd ODI, Headingley

Jul 03: 3rd ODI, Lord's

Jul 06: 4th ODI, Trent Bridge

Jul 09: 5th ODI, Old Trafford

Pakistan to 'host' Lanka, England in UAE

Pakistan will play their next "home" series against Sri Lanka and England in the neutral United Arab Emirates, an official said Tuesday, as security concerns continue to scare off foreign teams.

The announcement comes after Sri Lanka turned down an invitation to return to Pakistan, just two years after a deadly militant ambush in Lahore wounded seven of their players and an assistant coach.

"We have finalised both the series against Sri Lanka and England and both will be played in Abu Dhabi and Dubai," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director operations Zakir Khan told AFP.

Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in October and November, and England in January and February in the Middle Eastern country, he said.

Pakistan have not hosted a top foreign team since the Lahore attack, which left eight people dead and forced the International Cricket Council to ditch the country as co-hosts of this year's World Cup.

Khan also rejected comments from England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke that Sri Lanka could host Pakistan's Tests against England.

"We did consider a number of options for both the series but it is the right of the home board to decide the venue and finally we have confirmed UAE for all the matches in both the series," said Khan.

Pakistan will play three Tests, five one-day matches and a Twenty20 against Sri Lanka. The England schedule will be "finalised soon" but it will feature three Tests, up to five one-day matches and one or two Twenty20 games.

Even before the 2009 attack, Pakistan had been forced to play home series at neutral venues as it became increasingly unstable during the "war on terror" and US-led campaign in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Pakistan have played the West Indies, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in UAE in the last nine years.

They were also forced to play their home series against New Zealand -- who were caught up in a bomb blast in 2002 -- in New Zealand, and last year "hosted" Australia in England.

Australia have not toured Pakistan since 1998 over security fears, while England last toured Pakistan in 2005 -- a visit which passed off without incident.

Sri Lanka Cricket Tuesday said it will hold talks with its Indian counterparts in a bid

Sri Lanka Cricket Tuesday said it will hold talks with its Indian counterparts in a bid to reverse a ban on a dozen players participating in the island's inaugural Twenty20 competition.

Sri Lanka Cricket Chairman D. S. de Silva and Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga will travel to India Wednesday, SLC said in a statement.

They will have "discussions with the Indian Board on the participation of Indian players," the statement said.

The move comes after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday blocked Indian players from taking part in the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) to be staged in Colombo from July 19 to August 4.

A dozen Indian players, including fast bowlers Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel had sought permission to play after BCCI had earlier cleared the event.

The BCCI's U-turn came after media reports that the SLPL was being organised by Singapore-based Somerset Entertainment Ventures, which is reported to be linked to Lalit Modi, the sacked former boss of the Indian Premier League.

Ranatunga told reporters on Monday that the event will go ahead as planned, and reiterated that SLC had full control over the event, which is marketed by Somerset.

De Silva, who is currently following the Sri Lankan tour of England, will fly from London to join Ranatunga for talks.

Sri Lanka's sports minister Mahindanda Aluthgamage was optimistic the issue would be resolved amicably.

"We have good rapport with the Indian Board and I am sure the issue will be sorted out amicably. The first edition of this tournament will go ahead as scheduled," the minister told the local Daily Mirror newspaper on Tuesday.

He said Modi, who lives in London, was not involved with the event.

Modi faces criminal charges, including false accounting, and accusations by the BCCI that more than $106 million was misappropriated during his three-year tenure as IPL chairman.

Modi also distanced himself from the tournament through his Twitter feed on Monday.

Sri Lanka's relations with India dipped in April, after the new selection panel asked players to return during the Indian Premier League and prepare for the tour of England.

SLC later scrapped the decision to avoid spoiling relations with the government of India and the Indian cricket board.

© AFP

Monday, June 20, 2011

Sangakkara stands firm against England

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara's unbeaten 89 frustrated England's bid for victory on the last day of the third and final Test here on Monday.

Sri Lanka were 226 for four in their second innings in reply to England's first innings 377 for eight declared, a lead of 33 runs, at lunch on the fifth day of the first Test ever staged at the Rose Bowl.

However, the new ball was available to England after one more over.

Sri Lanka went more than an hour and a quarter without losing a wicket on Monday thanks to determined batting by both Sangakkara, whose total was his Test-best in England, surpassing his 66 at Trent Bridge five years ago, and fellow left-hander Rangana Herath.

But nightwatchman Herath's gutsy innings of 36, an effort spanning more than 90 minutes, finally ended when he was lbw on the back foot to off-spinner Graeme Swann after missing a sweep.

His exit ended a determined fourth-wicket stand of 75 that took Sri Lanka to within sight of a lead but Herath was the only man out in the session, with Thilan Samaraweera 26 not out at lunch.

Sri Lanka resumed on 112 for three, 81 runs behind, with England chasing a victory that would give them this three-match series 2-0.

Sangakkara, leading the side in the absence of the injured Tillakaratne Dilshan after giving up the captaincy following Sri Lanka's World Cup final defeat by India in April, was 44 not out.

He found himself trying to steer his team to safety in overcast, seam bowler-friendly, conditions.

But Sangakkara, who averages over 55 in Tests, showed his class by cover-driving fast bowler Chris Tremlett for four in the first over.

James Anderson nearly dismissed Herath for five but England captain Andrew Strauss, at first slip, was distracted by Swann, moving across from second slip, and dropped the fast-travelling chance.

Sangakkarra then completed a 129-ball fifty when he on-drove Tremlett for the sixth four of his innings.

When first-change Stuart Broad came on, Herath, primarily a left-arm spinner, pulled him for a well-struck boundary. Broad later briefly left the field with a bruised left heel.

Herath, on 19, then survived an lbw appeal from Swann, with England opting against a review even though replays suggested it would have gone their way.

England had built a strong position by bowling Sri Lanka out for just 184 in the tourists' first innings, with Tremlett taking a Test-best six for 48.

They then replied with 377 for eight declared, a lead of 193, with Ian Bell making 119 not out -- his second century of the series following his unbeaten 103 in England's innings and 14-run first Test win in Cardiff.

Victory for England -- in a match where 155 overs have been lost to rain -- would see them go joint-second alongside South Africa in the ICC Test rankings with only India, their next opponents, above them.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Cricket World Cup 2011 opening ceremony in Bangladesh

The opening ceremony of World Cup 2011 began at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka today evening.
Sri Lanka’s Cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara was among the captains of the 14 nations playing in the tournament at the opening ceremony.

A lively choir sang the Bangladesh national anthem – 'Amar Shonar Bangla' by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore – at the start of the ceremony as a jampacked stadium came alive with passion and pride.
Sri Lanka’s Bathiya, Santhush and Eraj were among those who performed at the event.
The championship's mascot, the elephant Stumpy, rode in on a three-wheeled cycle rickshaw. The team captains were also brought to the Stadium by rickshaw.

Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina said the country was proud to host the sporting event. She thanked the ICC board for choosing Bangladesh as the venue for the opening ceremony. "I believe that international ties will be strengthened by this sport," she said.