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A Preview with History of ICC Cricket World Cup

Started since 1975, cricket world’s biggest event World Cup event is here with some severe competition, magic and entertainment for the cricket fans.

The mega event is organised by the governing body International Cricket Council (ICC), with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which held in a gap of every four years. Many reports and the stats have declared that the ICC World Cup is the world’s fourth largest and most viewed sporting event.

Word Cup History

The success and popularity of the domestic one-day competitions in England and other parts of the world, as well as the early One-Day Internationals, prompted the International Cricket Council (ICC) to consider organising a Cricket World Cup. The inaugural ICC Cricket World Cup was hosted in 1975 by England.

Australia has won the World Cup for maximum four times ” with three in a row. They won in 1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007 but it is unlikely that the team may repeat the same performance this time as well.

West Indies, who were a dominant force in the international cricket for some time have fallen into a big slump, and are now ranked at the ninth position in the ODI rankings by the ICC. They have won the ICC World Cup event for two times in 1975 and 1979.

Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka ” all the Asian giants have won the cup for one time. But other major countries like New Zealand, England, South Africa and others haven’t won it once.

The ICC cricket World Cup would be held between 19 February and 2 April 2011 in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Pakistan was also supposed to be holding the World Cup matches, but due to security reasons, they were stripped off all their matches.

This time, there are 14 countries that would be participating for the tournament, including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, England, South Africa, Australia, West Indies, Ireland, Netherlands, Zimbabwe, Kenya, New Zealand and Canada.

India, South Africa, Australia and Sri Lanka are the major teams in this World Cup tipped to be winning the tournament. India’s hopes are high this time as they will be hosting the world cup and their master batsman Sachin Tendulkar is likely playing his last world cup.

In 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup there will be 42 league matches, four Quarter Finals, two Semi Finals and a Final. Finals to be held on 2nd April at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Dileep Venkatkrishna –

About the Author:

Dileep Venkatkrishna is an associated editor of CricketCountry.com ” Indian fan site with Cricket India

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With the ICC Cricket World Cup only a few days away, India has seen a spike in tourism. Many people are traveling to the nation, and the games may prove to be as successful for India as the FIFA World Cup was for South Africa in 2010, according to the International Business Times.

Though the first game of the World Cup will be held in Sri Lanka, the majority of the matches, including the final, will take place in India. As the games begin on February 19 and end on April 2, globetrotters have a long window of time to visit the country to catch a match.

Tour packages to the games, which allow travelers to see all of the matches in India, are nearly sold out. There will still be tickets available for the semi-finals and the game that will decide the ultimate winner.

“The response has been great. Most of the inventories for India matches, semi-finals and finals have already been sold out,” Rajiv Duggat, chief operation officer of one of India’s leading outbound travel operators, told the news source. “We have kept some inventory to be offered later.”

Many of those who are planning trips to India for the tournament will be sure to have someone at home who will be able to send money to India in case travel funds are running low.

Despite the fact that the games have yet to begin, many companies within the tourism industry have already begun to see a spike in revenue. Hotel companies and airlines are among those who have seen profits increase in the past few days.

The travel company Cleartip has seen a 100 percent spike in air travel sales and a 120 percent increase on hotel bookings for February 27, compared to last year’s rates, Tarique Khatari, vice president of business development at Cleartip, told the news source. On that date, the Indian team will take on England’s team, a highly anticipated match.

“The travel business overall is growing, and the World Cup is giving a boost to it,” he added in his comments to the news source.

Those who aren’t able to make it to India, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh for these games can catch all of the action and watch every Cricket World Cup game online .

Fausto Gortaire –

About the Author:

Fausto Gortaire is a writer specializing in international affairs for Xoom.

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The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup begins on Saturday, February 19, and will last until Saturday, April 2. The best of the best cricket players from 14 international teams will go head-to-head during the tournament, and one team will rise to the top in the final game.

The 14 teams competing for the championship include Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, England, India, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the West Indies and Zimbabwe. The first game will be between India and Bangladesh, and will take place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

It’s likely that many people in India are planning on traveling to Bangladesh to witness the first match. Those living abroad who want to show their pride in their team will send money to India to help family members pay for travel and celebration expenses.

There are 13 different venues for the 2011 tournament, each with its own unique style and fan base. The Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka is being built exclusively for the event, and will play host to two different matches.

The winning team will be awarded the official ICC Cricket World Cup trophy, which stands 60 centimeters high and is made from silver and gold. It features a golden globe supported by three columns, each representing the main aspects of cricket – batting, bowling and fielding. The winning team will also receive a cash prize of $3,000,000, while the second place team will receive $1,500,000.

The Indian musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Ly was recruited to record the official song for the event. Titled Ghumake, the tune celebrates the game of cricket and the men who have made the sport what it is today.

The World Cup also has a new mascot this year – Stumpy, an elephant. His name was chosen in an online poll, and the creature is described as being young, determined and thoroughly excited by the game of cricket.

Though the final cricket game is weeks away, many fans of the sport are speculating about how this year’s tournament will turn out. The Cricket Blog speculates that the semi finals will include Australia, South Africa, England and India, with India emerging as the ultimate winner. However, ABC of Cricket predicts that Australia will come out on top, and that the finals will include Pakistan, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka or possibly the West Indies.

Fausto Gortaire –

About the Author:

Fausto Gortaire is a writer specializing in international affairs for Xoom.

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Off all the sports, the role of a captain is most important and effective in the game of cricket undoubtedly. Not only does he have to devise a strategy off the field around which the entire match script would revolve for his team but also has to ensure that on the field that the strategy is executed according to plan.

No occasion within the cricketing world is bigger than the World Cup and all the captains who have lifted the most prized trophy within the game. Clive Lloyd with his brilliant group of players and awesome batting skills led the West Indies cricket team and lifted the World Cup trophy in 1975 and 1979. His glasses, although gave him a serious look, had helped him a great deal in being one of the most prolific middle order batsmen of his time.. The third edition saw an extremely seasoned all-rounder from Indian cricket team, Kapil Dev, as the winning captain. The entire tournament saw him lifting the level of his game when ever required and he subsequently was one of the major contributors in India’s triumph in 1983. Allan border always enjoyed respect not only amongst his team members but the entire cricketing fraternity for his immaculate stroke play and sound leadership skills. A consistent performance by his team coupled with good tactical leadership meant that Australian cricket team was the proud winner of the 1987 cricket world cup.

It has been a regular debate amongst the experts as to who is the greatest captain that the game has seen, and very often the vote count lands in the favor of Imran Khan. His inspirational come back from a back injury and a retirement right after the 1987 WC, Imran Khan led a group of wounded tigers and his outstanding leadership helped Pakistan cricket team lift 1992 World Cup. 1996 was a big eye opener and a shocker as the weakest force in the cricketing world at that time, Sri Lankan cricket team, ran away with the honors under sharp leadership of the laid back Arjuna Ranatunga who always made sure that he didn’t throw away his wicket cheaply. Ranatunga made sure that his team who were always considered to be the under dogs would play like true champions and win the tournament with flying colors.

Steve Waugh was always a good solid batsman but never did he possess the finesse and charisma of a leader. However he proved everyone wrong and in the 1999 world cup his unorthodox style of captaincy and some luck proved to be the turning point as Australian cricket team lifted the World Cup trophy after 12 years by toppling over Pakistan cricket team, the tournament favorites. Steve Waugh passed on his legacy to Ricky Ponting who had proved himself as one of the best batsman in the world and he was a unanimous favorite to take over the reigns from the retiring Waugh. Under him, Australia have won the last two editions of the World Cup and both those trophies were well deserved since the Aussies seemed in a menacing mood throughout. Ponting is probably the only player in world cup cricket with such phenomenal record for he has featured in finals of all four editions that he has taken part in.rt in.

About the Author:

By: Maria Sarfraz

Pakistan Cricket Team

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Warm-up matches for the 2011 Cricket World Cup will be taking place from February 12 onward, which means that anticipation is heavy in the air for one of the world’s most intense championships.

There will be a total of 14 qualified teams competing for this year’s world cup – Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and the West Indes.

As India will be one of the co-hosts of the match, the country will be facing Bangladesh on February 19 for the first game in Dhaka. All eyes will be on this competition, because many spectators are wondering whether India can break what has been a long-standing host nation jinx, according to The Times of India .

The curse started in 1987, when Kapil Dev couldn’t lead the team through to another successive win. When India hosted the World Cup again in 1996, the same thing happened – the team got to the semifinals and was defeated by Sri Lanka.

But this year, the Indian team is hoping that the third time is the charm and they plan to come out strong against Bangladesh, who is another co-host for the cup this year.

Many fans of the sport will send money to India before the games in order to place bets and give contributions to a relative who is eager to enjoy the festivities. This year, India is seeded second in the tournament and is part of Group B.

After Bangladesh, India will be facing another round of tough opponents – South Africa, England and the West Indies. However, there may be some relief found in the matches against the Netherlands and Ireland, who are seeded 13th and 11th, respectively.

Team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni seemed optimistic, but cautious.

“I never predict what will happen in cricket. We believe in each other and we believe in the process. We will take each game in the right frame of mind,” he told the news provider.

England has recently suffered before the opening matches with the loss of Eoin Morgan. The 24-year-old batsman broke his middle finger during a match in Australia and will be unable to play any matches during the World Cup, according to Bloomberg news . He has been replaced by Ravi Bopara, who played with England in the World Cup four years ago.

Fausto Gortaire –

About the Author:

Fausto Gortaire is a writer specializing in international affairs for Xoom.

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When Dr. Ali Bacher, the former captain of South Africa visited New Delhi, in the middle of December, 2010, looked thoughtful when was asked about the forthcoming Test series Ind vs SA, replied of a good competition between two great batting line- ups in the cricketing world.

India playing with Virendra Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in the opening, followed by Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid in the middle order is considered as the best batting combination in the present cricketing world. South Africa is confident to win with great players like Graeme Smith, A B De Villiers, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis. It is upon the bowlers to decide the fate of the matches.

Dr Bacher was very correct in his understanding on the potential strength of each India and South Africa team and also in predicting the main tactical area of confrontation between Ind v SA. The Test Match Result, that India played against South Africa, started on December 16, 2010, at SuperSport Park Centurion, shows a total domination of the South African bowlers and batsmen over the Indians. India was all out for 136 runs, in the first innings. Jack Kallis, all time great all rounder, scored a double century, an unbeaten 201, Hashim Amla, whose first public appearance in test cricket was at Eden Garden, Calcutta in 2008, scored 140; AB De Villiers scored 129 runs in just 111 balls. Indian wicket keeper M.S.Dhoni took 3 catches. The Indian bowlers rounded their arms aimlessly, could pick only 4 of the South African Wickets at a price of 620 runs. However, the most economic bowler on the Indian front was Jaidev Unadkat with an average of 3.88 runs per over, both Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma got 2 wickets each for 169 and 120 runs respectively. South Africa declared their first innings at an imposing 620 for 4. India started its second innings from 484 runs behind, with two full days left in the match; Indian batsmen would have to bat out of their skin to fancy their chances of salvaging a draw in the series opener.

But team India could not bring itself out of trouble, despite the great batsman Sachin Tendulkar created history on the 4th day when he notched up his 50th test century. He remained unbeaten at 111 when Indian Innings stopped at 459, with a defeat by an innings and 25 runs. Jack Kallis was declared as the Man of the Match.

About the Author:

Check out our cricket blog at Ind vs SA. We target articles about cricket between India and South Africa Ind v SA.

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When the sun sets after a whole day’s toll 50 is just a number for the most. But 50th test hundred in a Ind vs SA Test match! Don’t be taken in by Sachin Tendulkar’s modest reply,” it is just another number.” For over last two months his fans were troubling Sachin. A few months back, in the middle of the home series against New Zealand he even said, wherever he goes this is the sole topic, he doesn’t like it, but what to do? There is more to cricket than 50 Test Hundreds. He expressed his belief in destiny. Whatever is to happen will happen. On 19th December afternoon, in Centurion, home to one of the liveliest wickets anywhere on this globe, he is relieved.

Sachin’s hundreds:
India vs Sri Lanka 9
India vs South Africa 6
India vs West Indies 3
India vs England 7
India vs New Zealand 4
India vs Australia 11
India vs Bangladesh 5
India vs Zimbabwe 3
India vs Pakistan 2

If go back to the pages of history we can enrich our knowledge with few more facts on Test Cricket Century. Let’s today we consider on first to reach this milestones:

First Test 100: Charles Bannerman (165 not out) Aus v England (Melbourne), 15 March 1877.
First 10th Test Hundred: Jack Hobbs (154) England V Australia (Melbourne), 3 January 1925.
First 20th Test Hundred: Don Bradman (102 not out) Australia V England (Lord’s), 28 June 1938.
First 30th Test Hundred: Sunil Gavaskar (236 not out) India V West Indies (Chennai), 28 December 1983.
First 40th Test Hundred: Sachin Tendulkar (109) India V Australia (Nagpur 2),6 November 2008.
First 50th Test Hundred: Sachin Tendulkar (111 not out) India V South Africa (Centurion), 19 December 2010.

About the Author:

Check out our cricket blog at Ind vs SA. We target articles about cricket between India and South Africa Ind v SA.

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Perhaps nobody knows how the game of cricket was learned or discovered by the Englishmen, but when we watch any Ind vs SA or India v Sri Lanka live video matches or enjoy watching any ODI cricket matches played in any part of the globe, it reminds the significant role the Englishmen once played by introducing the game of cricket all over the world. India was ruled by the British through East India Company, and learned cricket from their ruler over 200 years. The British used to import cheap workers from West Indies, India and its subcontinent. They even reached S. Africa in the seventeenth century in search of gold, diamond and platinum and their gift to all these nations was cricket, a globalised form of entertainment.

The First International Test Match was played between Australia and England on 15th March 1877 & S. Africa played their First Test Match on 12 March 1889, just 12 years after. So far, they were the three cricket playing international team but when West Indies joined the league, the problem arose as, S. Africa refused to play with West Indies consisting none white players. As a result South Africa was banned from International cricket indefinitely.

Many great players like Barry Richards, quenched their thirst for cricket by playing County and Kerry Packer series, few others like, Kepler Wessels, played for other countries. The first ever ODI of South Africa was also their first ever cricket match of any kind against India. Ten South African players made their debut under the captaincy of Kepler Wessels, who previously represented Australia. The match was played at Calcutta with a reported audience over 90,000!

When the ban was lifted, South Africa toured to India and played 3 ODI.

The First ODI (November 10, 1991) won by India by 3 wickets:
Score SA 177/8 (47 overs); Wessels 50 (95), Prabhakar2/26.
India 178/7 (40.4 overs); Tendulkar 62 (73), Donald 3/14.
MOM: Allan Donald

The Second ODI (November 12, 1991) won by India by 38 runs:
Score– India 223/6 (45 overs): Srikanth 68 (86), Donald 3/36 (9).
South Africa 185/8 (45 overs): Wessels 71(96), V Raju 3/49 (9)
MOM: K Wessels

The Third ODI (November14, 1991) won by South Africa by 8 wickets:
Score India 287/4 (50 overs): Ravi Shastri 109 (149), A. Donald 1/55
South Africa 288/2(46.4 overs): Kepler Wessels 90 (105), V. Raju 1/48.
MOM: K Wessels

About the Author:

Check out our cricket blog at Ind vs SA. We target articles about cricket between India and South Africa Ind v SA.

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The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup will be the tenth Cricket World Cup and will be started from February 19, 2011 at Bangladesh. It will be hosted by three South Asian Test cricket playing countries: Bangladesh, India & Sri Lanka. 14 teams will take part in the tournament with games set to be broadcast to a global audience in over 180 territories and followed by millions on the internet, mobile and other media. The opening ceremony will be held at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh. At the opening match Bangladesh will face India on19 February, 2011 08:30 AM GMT. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is set to be one of the most exciting events in the history of the event, with the new quarter-final format set to create a fascinating finish to the tournament.

Result of last nine world cup:

1975

Date: Jun 07-Jun 21

Venue: England

Participant: West Indies vs Australia

Result: West Indies won by 17 runs.

1979

Date: Jun 09-Jun 23

Venue: England

Participant: England vs West Indies

Result: West Indies won by 92 runs.

1983

Date: Jun 09-Jun 25

Venue: England

Participant: India vs West Indies

Result: India won by 43 runs.

1987

Date: Oct 08-Nov 08

Venue: India, Pakistan

Participant: Australia vs England

Result: Australia won by 7 runs.

1992

Date: Feb 22-Mar 25

Venue: Australia,New Zealand

Participant: Pakistan vs England

Result: Pakistan won by 22 runs.

1996

Date: Feb 14-Mar 17

Venue: India,Pakistan,Sri Lanka

Participant: Australia vs Sri Lanka

Result: SL won by 7 wickets.

1999

Date: May 14-Jun 20

Venue: England,Ireland,Netherlands,Scotland

Participant: Australia vs Pakistan

Result: Australia won by 8 wickets.

2003

Date: Feb 09-Mar 23

Venue: Kenya,South Africa,Zimbabwe

Participant: Australia vs India

Result: Australia won by 125 runs.

2007

Date: Mar 13-Apr 28

Venue: West Indies

Participant: Sri Lanka vs Australia

Result: Australia won by 53 runs.

soicoth –

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Cricket has been the favourite summer sport of the English for as long as many of us can remember. There are now signs, however, that this traditional game may be in trouble.

In 2005 England took on Australia in one of sport’s oldest and finest competitions – the battle for the cricketing Ashes. Australia were the leading team in Test Match cricket and had been for more than a decade. England, by contrast, were only just in the process of bouncing back after years in the doldrums.

Few expected what was about to happen next: England competed against the Australians, producing one of the greatest Test series in living memory. By the end of the series, England had regained the Ashes.

Suddenly many of the top England cricketers were household names, known to even those with no interest in the game. Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen and Michael Vaughan were among those awarded honours by no less a figure than the Queen herself.

Everything looked rosy in the English cricketing garden.

Two years on, many are beginning to ask what has subsequently gone wrong. A number of key figures from the Ashes success has been struck by injuries, while the beginning of 2007 saw the Australians win the return series by a mammoth 5-0 margin.

As things went from bad to worse, the England team failed at the cricket World Cup and saw their coach sacked. It’s been noticeable that the glow that followed the successes of two years ago has faded – kids aren’t out on the parks playing cricket in the same numbers.

English cricket stands at a crossroads. Many are asking whether it will re-establish itself, or simply fade from the limelight.

About the Author:

Keith Barrett has written about cricket and cricket gloves for a number of publications. This article may be used by any website publisher, though this resource box must always be included in full.

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