Pakistan media, general public call for Kamran Akmal''s head

Angry fans voiced their anger on social networking site like Facebook and popular micro-blogging site Twitter with many of them calling for his head immediately. "He should be sacked from the team and sent back home at once. If required the management must make him fake a injury and call for a replacement. He is a total disaster for Pakistan cricket," an angry fan wrote on his facebook page. Kamran who has been given the responsibility of batting at the No. 3 in the World Cup has also not clicked with the bat so far. The glovesman was kept on the sidelines after the England tour but recalled for the World Cup after being cleared of corruption charges by PCB's integrity committee.

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http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/pakistan-media-general-public-call-for-kamran-akmals-head/602695.html

Raise the bar & break free

While it was good to see India maintain a no-loss record, watching them huff and puff their way to a win over the Irish did not make for happy viewing. I have said this before but I cannot say it enough: India urgently need to inject life into their World Cup campaign, their approach so far, has be
en far too desultory.

Seize the moment
It's not that they haven't been challenged, but there is a big difference between scraping through or getting through comfortably in the end and putting your stamp of authority on a game.

India so far, haven't done that, except for an hour here and there, through some individual batting efforts.

If they do not use the game against the Netherlands at the Ferozshah Kotla to score important psychological points, India would have let go of a vital opportunity to proclaim to the other top teams that if they want to win the World Cup, they need to beat India to get a hand on it.

Crowd support
Cricket has always been about putting the opposition under pressure, on the field and off it. You need the other team to be feeling the heat when they walk on to face you and that only comes from their being wary straight off of your dominance on the field of play.

In India's case, there is also the solid advantage of a raucous home crowd wherever they play - they need to use it well, not like against the Irish, when the crowd was frequently silenced with the equally frequent ebb and flow of India's chase.

Nehra has to play
Today's game has got to see Ashish Nehra in play. This is his home ground, he knows it better than any other India bowler and, in any case, how long can he be benched?

Niggles are a part and parcel of the modern game. But, as England have shown with Pietersen (and Broad), in a competition as fierce and important as the World Cup, however big the player, and however important you think he might be to your strategy, you need him to be able to be fit to take the field. Otherwise, he needs to step aside.

Nehra is fit and India need to find the correct balance, this is the perfect game to do so.

They also need to bench Piyush Chawla, who had another poor game against Ireland on Sunday.

He bowled far too short and the Irish batsmen took full advantage.

If India play a second full-time spinner (which they might not need to seeing the form Yuvraj is in with the ball) then it has to be Ashwin.

The Ferozshah Kotla will be packed to the rafters today and the Delhi crowd will expect their boys --- Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, and Ashish Nehra, if he plays - to make this a game that will rekindle the fire in India's campaign.

I'm eagerly waiting for that too.

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http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/cricket/world-cup-2011/Raise-the-bar-amp-break-free/ICCWorldCup2011-HomePageTopStories/SP-Article10-671107.aspx

Kenya shattered over loss to Canada

Kenya were World Cup semi-finalists in 2003 but now they can't even beat Canada.

And the pain isn't over for the African minnows as they prepare for Sunday's Group A clash with unbeaten defending champions Australia in Bangalore.

Indian-born Jimmy Hansra came to the crease at 3-48 in New Delhi and hit a fine 70 as Canada defeated Kenya by five wickets.

Canada's other World Cup victory was achieved against Bangladesh in Durban in 2003.

The North Americans reached 5-199 to win with 27 balls remaining on Monday.

Hansra added 132 for the fourth wicket with his captain Ashish Bagai (64 not out) after paceman Henry Osinde claimed 4-26 in Kenya's innings of 198.

Hansra had struck seven fours and two sixes when he was finally out with Canada 19 runs short of victory.

He had been dropped by Seren Waters before he'd scored and made the Kenyans pay with his first career ODI half-century.

Australia will also play Canada in Bangalore on March 16 in a two-game stretch of clashes with minnows before their final Group A match against Pakistan in Colombo three days later.

Kenya had been 5-57 but Tanmay Mishra scored 51, sharing consecutive half-century partnerships with captain Jimmy Kamande (22) and Thomas Odoyo (51).

Canada fast bowler Henry Osinde (4-26) struck early with a burst of 3-7 to trigger Kenya's middle-order woes.

It was Kenya's highest total of the tournament but the result was a massive blow for the Africans.

"I won't hide it. Today is the most disappointing performance we've had at the tournament," Kamande said.

"We could have done much better against Canada. It's very, very hurtful now.

"Although we had 198, we still believed we could defend that. One crucial catch was dropped and the guy capitalised on that. I won't blame anyone."

Bagai said Canada had built themselves up for their clash with their fellow cellar-dwellers in Group A.

"We're) hoping we can use this to spark us for the next two games," he said.

Canada play New Zealand in Mumbai on Sunday before tackling Australia three days later.


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http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/kenya-shattered-over-loss-to-canada-20110308-1bm57.html

Kevin Pietersen out of World Cup

England batsman Kevin Pietersen will miss the rest of the World Cup, with a team spokesman announcing on Monday that he would be returning home in the next 24 hours for a hernia operation.

England have applied to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for Eoin Morgan to come in as a replacement player, the spokesman said.

Pietersen, moved up the order to open during the World Cup, made a duck during England's dramatic Group B win over his native South Africa on Sunday, and it is now 27 one-day internationals since his last century.

Team officials said on Saturday that Pietersen would undergo an operation, but after the tournament, although he did say the injury would "no doubt impact my preparation" during the World Cup.

However, the procedure appears to have been brought forward after he was clearly troubled during Sunday's six-run win at the Chidambaram Stadium and looked more of a threat with his part-time off-spin than with the bat.

Pietersen's injury was diagnosed following England's 6-1 one-day series loss in Australia which came after the Test side's Ashes series triumph.

The batsman's early departure from the World Cup raises questions over his future in the 50-over form of the game, with Pietersen having frequently complained about a crammed international schedule.

Advancing the surgery might enable Pietersen to appear in this year's Indian Premier League. His original plan for a six-week course of treatment after the World Cup coincided with the lucrative event, which starts next month.

Pietersen is due to earn around $650,000 (400,000 pounds) playing for IPL side the Deccan Chargers this season.

However, England would like their star batsman to be well-rested ahead of a busy home season of international cricket, featuring series against Sri Lanka and India.

The first Test against Sri Lanka starts in Cardiff on May 26.

Former Ireland batsman Morgan would have been in England's original squad but for a finger injury. His replacement, Ravi Bopara, made a man-of-the-match winning 60 against South Africa in Chennai on Sunday.

However, both Morgan and Bopara are middle-order batsmen which leaves England needing to find a new opening partner for captain Andrew Strauss.

Either Jonathan Trott or Ian Bell could now be promoted up the order.

England's victory over previously unbeaten group leaders South Africa revived a faltering World Cup campaign which has featured a stuttering win over the Netherlands, a tie with co-hosts India and a shock defeat by Ireland.

Their bid for a quarterfinal spot continues with a group match against co-hosts Bangladesh in Chittagong on Friday.

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http://sports.ndtv.com/world-cup-2011/news/item/170175-kevin-pietersen-out-of-world-cup

Dhoni gets support from Aussie captain

Colombo: It seems Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not the only player who has reservations about the use of the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS).

The Indian skipper’s views were echoed by Ricky Ponting, on Friday. “There have been different views on the same in the last few days. The main reason for that being the different interpretations by the umpires on what’s right and what’s not,” the Australian captain said.

Dhoni was unhappy with an LBW decision against Ian Bell that went in England’s favour during their match last Sunday. The middle-order batsman was ruled not out by on-field umpire Billy Bowden as well as the third umpire, despite television replays showing that the ball had pitched in line of the stumps.

The decision proved crucial as Bell, who was on 17 when the incident took place, eventually went on to score 69. The match was tantalisingly poised till it finally ended in a thrilling tie.

Ponting believed using the UDRS without the hot spot was the root cause behind all the trouble.

“ The distance where the ball hits and how far it has to travel before it hits the stumps, those sorts of things are vital… At the start of the tournament, when we found out they (the ICC) are using the UDRS without the hot spot, it was a bit of a shock for us. I think the hot spot should be a part of the system,” Ponting insisted.

The Aussie skipper also denied having been briefed about the technicalities of the UDRS by the ICC.

Incidentally, the BCCI had to step in after ICC general manager David Richardson criticised Dhoni for his comments after the Bangalore incident. Ponting, however, doused the flames by adding: “You always have to understand that it is not going to be perfect. But at the end of the day, we will still be getting more correct decisions that will be good for the game.”


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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110305/jsp/sports/story_13670698.jsp

Afridi: Irish defeat played on my mind

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has admitted he was haunted by the infamous loss of 2007 when Canada were pushing hard for a win on Thursday.

Pakistan cruised to a comfortable 46-run victory in a mesmerising Group A clash thanks to another mesmerising spell from Afridi (5 for 23, but the captain conceded he was under pressure at the Premadasa in Colombo .

Ireland had chased down Pakistan 's paltry total in the West Indies in the last ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 and Afridi was in no mood to let another minnow ruin their party.

"I knew what would have happened had we lost against Canada . The 2007 defeat was of course on my mind but the conditions in Sri Lanka have been perfect for spinners," Afridi told the media after a Man-of-the-Match effort.

The conditions and the wicket were more to Pakistan 's advantage than the one where Ireland helped themselves to one of the greatest upsets in ICC CWC history. The leg-spinner shot to the top of the wicket-takers' list with his second five-wicket haul of the tournament. However, Afridi was rather humble about his game-changing spell.

"The conditions have been so good for spinners here. In fact, this wicket was slower than the one we had against Sri Lanka . It was a very good one-day surface," Afridi said.

The skipper was happy with the way his bowlers have come along so far in the ICC CWC 2011 and thanked the coaches for a consistent attack: "The coaches have been doing a very good job with the bowlers and that is showing on the park."

However, Afridi was livid with the side's shoddy batting, which gave Canada a whiff of hope. Set 185 runs to win, the Canadians were well on their way till Afridi struck some meaty blows.

"It was a good decision to bat first but it wasn't good shot selection. It's all about responsibility. We needed partnerships but that's what we were missing. Partnerships are very important..

"It's a very good wake-up call for us for the next game. Myself and coach Waqar Younis will talk to the boys and it will definitely not happen again."

"We are not going to repeat this batting performance," Afridi said, visibly angry with his batsmen.

None of Pakistan 's wins have come without a flaw. If it was the early loss of wickets against Kenya , the fielding caused some headaches for the management in their victory over Sri Lanka . The batting no-show, Afridi admitted, had to be rectified quickly if Pakistan were to make more impact in the rest of the tournament.

"If we want to play better cricket against some of the better teams, we have to improve out batting. Against Canada , the batsmen had to stay put at the wicket. It was a little overcast to begin with and the ball was stopping on to the batsman but we needed to show better application," Afridi said.

Pakistan play their next match against New Zealand in Kandy on March 8 - enough time time to get rid of their batting worries.

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http://www.espnstar.com/cricket/icc-cricket-world-cup/news/detail/item590407/Afridi:-Irish-defeat-played-on-my-mind/

Kevin O'Brien the hero as Ireland shock England

England were left in shock and awe as Kevin O'Brien's astonishing display of controlled hitting delivered a damaging blow to their World Cup hopes.
O'Brien (113) hit the fastest hundred in the tournament's history to turn an apparently hopeless situation for Ireland into victory with three wickets and five balls to spare.

From 111 for five in the 25th over under lights, he launched 13 fours and six sixes on his way to and beyond a 50-ball century which spared no English bowler.

Named man of the match O'Brien admitted he could scarcely believe his feat.

He said: "I'm pretty speechless at the moment. To be honest it's the best innings I've ever played since I started playing cricket. I just kept going and kept believing and it went our way.

"When we were 111 for five we could have just pottered around, but I chanced my arm and we didn't look back really. We attacked and it came off."

Kevin is one of five O'Brien brothers to play cricket, with Niall keeping wicket yesterday, and Ger, who is the president of Kevin's club in Ireland - the Railway Union Cricket Club - was not surprised to see him take England's attack apart.

He said: "Over the last six or eight months his batting has really flourished and he was destined to have a big knock.

"I am so proud. I followed some of it on the web and then I got out to see the climax of the game. When he got to 80 I knew he had a chance and he did nearly all of it in boundaries, which was amazing.

"It was amazing to see the English bowlers go around. He took them apart, even Graeme Swann, who is the No 1 spin bowler in the world.

"It is such a great day for Irish cricket. Some bookmakers had Ireland at 400-1 at one stage. I wish I'd not kept my money in pocket."

Kevin O'Brien had a spell with Nottinghamshire in 2009 on a one-day contract and his exploits are sure to attract other counties to him ahead of the 2011 season.

Ireland captain William Porterfield, who was dismissed first ball in his side's reply by James Anderson, hailed the victory as their greatest-ever win.

"It's got to be the greatest, pretty much the greatest day of our lives so far," he said. "Credit to the lads, they kept believing. We'll be looking to put in a performance like that every game."

Alex Cusack claimed Ireland were "on top of the world" after the result. Cusack, who made 47, added: "I'm pretty amazed, words can't described how I'm feeling, just on top of the world."

Cusack paid tribute to the big-hitting O'Brien, adding: "I was just trying to knock it around for Kev because he's got the power. He's got the big shots."

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http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Kevin-O39Brien-the-hero-as.6727621.jp

Replays on giant screen a potential tinderbox

The debate is already on about the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), after what transpired at the Chinnaswamy stadium, where the television umpire declined to overturn a leg before decision against Ian Bell in India’s favour despite Hawkeye showing the ball hitting middle stump.

What is more important to think for a moment is what, thankfully, didn’t happen in that jam-packed 41,000-seater on Sunday night. A decision unexpectedly going against India, that too after a series of replays on the giant screen, is a potential disaster waiting to happen. The last thing the ICC would want after the stadium and ticket fiasco is a crowd trouble disrupting a game. What if it was a knockout game instead of a harmless league game? What if India had lost?

It is difficult for a partisan fan to understand the 2.5-metre clause in the UDRS, which states that if the point of impact is more than 2.5 meters from the stumps, the decision remains in the hands of the on-field umpire. So why show the blue line or Hawkeye on the giant screen?

Colin Gibson, the ICC’s head of media and communications, says, “From the ICC’s perspective, they don’t consider the fans sitting at the stadium any less informed than the ones sitting at home. So it’s important for them to know what happened in the replay.”

The rules about the UDRS are such to allow the on-field umpire some oxygen even as technology creeps in to shadow their existence. MS Dhoni and other skippers may have to give the UDRS a fair go before forming a strong opinion.

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http://www.indianexpress.com/news/replays-on-giant-screen-a-potential-tinderbox/756155/2

Cup force with us now, says ton-up Strauss

England captain Andrew Strauss said his side's sensational tie with India proved they were a World Cup force to be reckoned with after his superb century so nearly saw the visitors to victory. England, chasing what would have been a new World Cup winning total batting second of 339, finished on 338
for eight in reply to co-hosts India's 338 all out at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, with Strauss making 158.

His was the first World Cup hundred by an England captain and the highest World Cup score by any England batsman, surpassing Dennis Amiss's 137 against India at Lord's in the competition's inaugural fixture back in 1975.

England's performance was an improvement upon their lacklustre six-wicket opening win over the Netherlands, where Strauss made 88.

"Coming into this game after the Holland performance, it was a great bounce-back and showed everyone around the tournament that we're going to be a force to be reckoned with," said Strauss.

When Ian Bell (69) and Strauss, who put on 170 for the third wicket, fell in successive balls to left-arm quick Zaheer Khan, the match swung back the way of India, who'd earlier seen cricket great Sachin Tendulkar become the first player to score five World Cup hundreds.

England had a poor batting powerplay towards the finish, losing four wickets for 25 runs in five overs.

And it needed tailenders Graeme Swann and Ajmal Shazhad to secure only the fourth tie in World Cup history, as 13 runs came off the final over.

This was the match a World Cup full of lopsided early encounters desperately needed and Strauss said: "We've got to celebrate the fact it was an unbelievable game of cricket -- probably the best advert for the 50-over format you could possibly get."

Strauss has now scored five of his six ODI hundreds in the past two years.

But he was in no doubt Sunday's innings was the best of the lot.

"Given the importance of the game, against India in India in the World Cup, it was obviously crucial one of our players went on and got a big score.

"It was an innings I'm very proud of. It would have been great to have been not out at the end and seen the boys home.

"It was my best one-day knock."

Asked what he told his players during the interval between innings, Strauss replied: "I said 'Lads, that is an unbelievably flat wicket -- we can chase this."

However, he was left lamenting England's poor powerplay performance, saying: "We got ourselves in a position at 41 or 42 overs where we just needed to have a good powerplay, and we were there.

"But these powerplays can affect you both ways -- and unfortunately, it affected us in the negative way.

"Then in the end, we did pretty well to scramble a tie out of it.

"There were some great performances on both sides.

"When we take stock of this game we'll probably both say: 'Look, we've got a point' -- which is an important point -- and go on and play better as the tournament goes on."

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http://www.hindustantimes.com/Cup-force-with-us-now-says-ton-up-Strauss/Article1-667703.aspx

'Match against India is huge for us'

England's middle-order batsman, Ravi Bopara, on Thursday reckoned that Sunday's high-profile match against India would be one of their toughest in the ongoing World Cup, but added that their spinners can trouble the hosts if the game is played on a turning track.

- World Cup coverage

"This is one of our toughest challenges in this tournament. We know what the Indian batsman are capable of, but we do have our plans to keep them quiet. We will see on Sunday," Bopara said ahead of the team's training session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, the venue for the high-voltage encounter.

"If it is a spinning deck we have got our own spinners who can cause problems. A pitch that spins is going to cause trouble for any team. It is going to cause problems for India as well. A lot is going to depend on the conditions," he added.

Bopara is aware of the enormity of the India game.

"Every match is big for us. Even the game the other night was also big for us. But against India in India is going to be huge.

"We are not thinking too much about it. If you think too much about it you will get out of the mould. We want to stay relaxed."

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http://www.rediff.com/cricket/slide-show/slide-show-1-world-cup-2011-india-toughest-challenge-at-world-cup-bopara/20110225.htm

Ponting apologises for damage to TV at Cricket World Cup 2011

Ricky Ponting has apologized for his unruly behaviour when he was declared runout in the match against Zimbabwe on Monday.

The incident happened on Monday during the 4th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. In the 33rd over of the first innings, Ricky Ponting was given runout. He had gone for a second run, but a throw from Clarke Mpofu reached the stumps before he could reach the crease.

Ricky Ponting, obviously in a fit of rage, threw his gloves at a LCD television set in the dressing room and damaged it. The behaviour from a captain of a cricket team is specially demeaning.

Australia had won that match against Zimbabwe by 91 runs.

It is learnt that the captain of Australian team has since then apologised. A spokesman of the team had come forward with a statement that Ponting had accidentally damaged the television set in the dressing room.

Now it remains to be seen how the International Cricket Council reacts to the incident.

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http://merabsp.com/UrNews.aspx?News=0001370

Ponting smashes LCD in Aus dressing room

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting smashed a LCD television, apparently in a fit of anger, in the team's dressing room here after he was run out against Zimbabwe, sources in the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) said on Tuesday.

The incident took place immediately after Ponting was run out on Monday by a direct hit from deep wicket by Zimbabwe's Chris Meofu in the Group A clash between the two teams. The captain was run out on 28.

GCA said they have informed Australian cricketing authorities about the incident. However, when contacted Australian media manager Lachy Patterson said he was not aware of any such incident.

GCA officials said that they would be meeting today to decide on further action in this connection.

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http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Ponting-smashes-LCD-in-Aus-dressing-room/753147

No specific terror threat to World Cup: US

WASHINGTON: Noting that there is no specific terrorist threat to the ICC World Cup being held in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the US has urged its citizens to be alert while travelling to these countries during the tournament as such big events are always a soft targets for the militants.

"The Department of State alerts US citizens traveling to or residing in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to safety and security issues related to the ICC Cricket World Cup scheduled to be held in those countries between February 19 and April 2, 2011," said a US travel advisory.

While the US government has no specific threat information regarding the Cricket World Cup, high-profile events of this nature can be targets for terrorist attacks, the State Department said in a statement a day after the mega cricket event was kicked off in Dhaka yesterday.

The State Department reminded its citizens about the worldwide travel alert it had issued about the American nationals on January 31 which also includes South Asian countries.

Observing that local authorities in the country where individual matches are held are responsible for security arrangements for the ICC Cricket World Cup, the State Department said US citizens should monitor local news reports and consider the level of security present when visiting public places, including religious sites, or choosing hotels, restaurants, entertainment, and recreation and sporting venues.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/cricket-world-cup-2011/news/No-specific-terror-threat-to-World-Cup-US/articleshow/7519427.cms

Chawla needs to contribute with bat too: Dhoni

Piyush Chawla may have earned rich praise for his match-winning performance with the ball against Australia in the warm-up tie of the 2011 World Cup in Bangalore, on Sunday, but his captain was still not satisfied.

Despite Chawla's effort of four for 31 in nine overs that set up India's 38-run victory, Mahendra Singh Dhoni says he expected some more from Chawla, with the bat too.

"Well, he has done really well in whatever games he has played. But I think he needs to contribute with the bat. One of the main reasons for his selection was our need to have a specialist spinner who could also bat a bit. If he could bat a bit better and contribute 15-20 runs then it would be good for the side. But as a specialist spinner he has done well in whatever games he has played," Dhoni said.

India's skipper also warned everyone not to take the victory too seriously, as it was just a practice game, and stressed that the Australians were trying out things at the cost of victory.

"For the warm-up games it is mentally difficult to prepare yourself. In a year, if you play 35-odd ODIs, 10 Test matches and 45 days of IPL and Champions League and then all of a sudden when you hear that you have a warm-up game and 15 players are playing in that game, it is a difficult scenario to mentally prepare yourself for the game. That was reflected on the field.

"But, still, if you see the positives in the batting, only two batsmen contributed and still we were able to get 215-odd runs. But I also think that in the middle, when we lost five wickets, the Australian team also backed off a bit, because it is a warm-up game and you don't want to risk injuries.

"So, I think, at the end of the day, it is a good performance, but I won't take too much out of it," he said.

Dhoni also pointed out that the good showing does not guarantee that India will play with three spinners at the World Cup.

"If you are talking about the spinner's role, we are talking about that extra spinner, who will be the fifth proper spinner. It will depend a lot on what type of wickets we get, because we were almost sure that this wicket would help the spinners as the game progressed. It was an ideal wicket for the spinners and all of them bowled well.

"Again, the selection of the second or a third spinner is a headache but a good one to have because more the options, the better it is for the team. Sometimes you may feel the selection was right or wrong because if it works it is the right selection and vice-versa. I think everything will depend on what kind of wicket is provided," he claimed.

Like South African skipper Graeme Smith who had slammed the Chennai wicket during the warm-up match played on Saturday, Dhoni too didn't seem satisfied with the pitch, terming it an ideal one for Tests than ODIs.

"I feel during the World Cup we will see slightly better wickets than this wicket. I am not saying this is a bad wicket, but this wicket should be provided for Test matches. It would be an ideal wicket for Test matches with the ball spinning after a couple of hours."

He also pointed out that Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan had minor niggles but their injury concerns are not serious.

"Sachin and Zaheer had very mild niggles, nothing serious about it. We had time, as I said, because a warm-up game is not everything and we provided them rest. Sachin will hopefully play in the next game in Chennai and it will be good for the Chennai crowd.

"We will see if Zaheer is 100 per cent then we will make him play. We want him to be fully fit for the first game and even if he misses the next game, I don't really mind it. The positives from the game -- catching has been good -- batting has to improve a bit. Maybe the mindset was not there or mentally we were not ready and that could be one of the reasons why we didn't do well.

"The spinners did a real good job for us and if we improve on the fast bowling department, and if that also contributes, it will be great for us," he added.


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http://www.rediff.com/cricket/report/world-cup-2011-piyush-chawla-needs-to-contribute-with-bat-too-says-ms-dhoni/20110214.htm

Were Australia's selectors right to overlook Michael Hussey yet take Ricky Ponting to the World Cup?

You are not alone if you think Ricky Ponting's admission that he has to play through the pain barrier during the ICC Cricket World Cup smells of double standards.

While selectors chose not to gamble on Michael Hussey's injured hamstring for the six-week tournament, it seems Ponting's broken digit was another matter.

Never mind that the captain has not played since the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne in December, or that the healing process was reportedly slowed down by an infection, or that he still experiences pain when batting, or that he won't be fielding in the slips. He's going and Hussey isn't.

Foxsports.com.au users were split earlier in the week when asked to discuss whether Hussey should have been included, and, in truth, the selectors, despite Hussey's vehement protestations, probably made the right call.


Maybe Ponting took notice of Hussey's candid press conference on Tuesday when he effectively said on Wednesday that he was still struggling and wouldn’t be 100 per cent fit during the tournament. Great to have you back, Ricky, but doesn't it fly directly in the face of the idea the Aussies won’t tolerate any passengers in their squad.

There's no denying Ponting's resilience, and determination, but, in the face of fierce criticism this summer, he felt he needed to pervey a sense of bravado to prove his point.

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http://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/cricket-world-cup-2011/were-australias-selectors-right-to-overlook-michael-hussey-yet-take-ricky-ponting-to-the-world-cup/story-e6frf3ju-1226003727619

ICC Cricket World Cup: Eden Gardens Fiasco

India dismayed by Eden Gardens fiasco

ICC's decision to drop Eden Gardens as the venue for the India-England game has been greeted with utter dismay in India.

Eden Gardens could not deliver on time, failing to meet the deadlines for renovations to the stadium. It hardly went down well with the ICC inspectors, who declared a venue change for the February 27 match between India and England.

"We were all looking forward to this match. We were dying to see a renovated Eden Gardens which was already looking so beautiful," former India batsman Arun Lal, now a commentator, said.

"Every cricket fan, every Kolkatan will be devastated by this."

Nearly 100,000 people screaming at the top of their voices make Eden Gardens one of the most atmospheric cricket grounds in the world.

"Is there no chance of this decision being reversed? I am just hoping that they can reconcile," Lal said.

Former India opening batsman Chetan Chauhan shared the view.

"I would suggest to the ICC and the Indian board that the Eden Gardens should be given another opportunity," Chauhan said.

"They should be given about 7-10 days. The game is on Feb 27 and there is still a lot of time.

"If they don't give them one more chance, I think they will deny a great centre and cricket-loving people the opportunity of watching a high-profile ICC Cricket World Cup match."

Eden Gardens, which hosted the 1987 World Cup final, will stage three other matches on March 15, 18 and 20, none of which feature the home side.

A furious Madan Lal, a member of India's 1983 World Cup-winning team, said the organisers should be taken to task.

"One question is why was the stadium not ready?," he said.

"Once a deadline was given, they should have completed the work before that deadline.

"It's not about the venue but about the people who have lost everything now."

Former ICC chief Jagmohan Dalmiya heads the Cricket Association of Bengal, which is based at Eden Gardens.

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