Special Report, Pakistan Misses Out On World Cup 2011 Party

KARACHI: Pakistan’s “Uncle Cricket” is distraught to be missing out on watching World Cup matches on home soil with the strife-torn nation forced to look on as its neighbours host the showpiece event.

Sufi Abdul Jalil, known as “Chacha (Uncle) Cricket”, is Pakistan’s most famous spectator and has become a prominent fixture at his country’s matches at home and abroad for nearly three decades.

It is not easy to miss the 61-year-old – bedecked in the green and white colours of Pakistan’s national flag – an unofficial mascot for the side, shouting encouragement and dancing in the stands.

But as the party goes on in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Pakistan’s stadiums will remain silent after it was stripped of its rights to co-host the tournament over security fears.

“We will all miss World Cup matches in Pakistan,” Jalil told AFP.

“It’s very sad, but it’s something which is beyond our control and under the circumstances it would not have been enjoyable with fears and tension all the time.”

Pakistan cricket was plunged into crisis on March 3, 2009 when the visiting Sri Lankan team came under assault by militants in Lahore in an attack that left eight dead, also wounding seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach Paul Farbrace.

A month later, the International Cricket Council (ICC) opted to move World Cup matches out of Pakistan.

“I was on my way from my home to the ground to watch the match when I was suddenly stopped by police and when all the drama unfolded, I was shocked,” said Jalil, referring to the tragedy in Lahore.

“Those attacks snatched all cricket from us and had those events not taken place we would have been hosting the World Cup,” added Jalil, sponsored by a soft drinks company to watch all of Pakistan’s World Cup matches in Sri Lanka.

For vendor Abdul Rasheed, a common sight at Pakistan cricket stadiums since the country co-hosted the 1987 World Cup with India, it is a golden opportunity lost.

“It’s a tragedy that World Cup matches will not be played at our grounds.

They (the militants) did a cruel thing to our cricket,” said Rasheed, who sells maize and nuts at cricket and hockey matches.

Apart from fans being denied the opportunity to watch their team’s matches at home, Pakistan have lost out on the chance to improve infrastructure.

“The decision to move World Cup matches has hurt Pakistan cricket badly,”said Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt after the ICC decision, adding that grounds would have been built and existing ones refurbished.

Pakistan, where around 4,000 people have died in suicide and bomb attacks since 2007 blamed on networks linked to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, earlier lost out on hosting the ICC Champions Trophy due to concerns over security.

Pakistan look set for a multi-million dollar windfall as a result of losing their World Cup matches – a crucial financial boost – but that is scant consolation to the country’s legions of cricket fans.

“I hope one day the game can return because Pakistan is one of the greatest cricket-playing nations on earth, and it is such a shame that the young people of the country will be unable to watch their heroes at close quarters,” Farbrace, who left the Sri Lankan team soon after the attack, said last year.

“Sport is a means to bring strangers together, whether it’s a local football team or an international cricket team, but sadly it is increasingly becoming a target of terror.”

Former ICC chief Ehsan Mani said Pakistan had a tough job on its hands to bring international cricket back.

“It will take some time, but Pakistan must try hard to bring international cricket back. If future generations do not watch international cricket before them, then the game will never ever flourish, nor will the talent,” he said.

Amazing Cricket Match Between Warwickshire And Leicestershire

With the start of summer season in England people start rejoicing their lives. Summer brings in a lot of happiness and ecstasy in the lives of English people. There is hustle and bustle all around during this season. People come out of their homes to enjoy this warm and bright season. Another reason for all this joy and happiness is that with the start of summer season, the gala of cricket begins. All the renowned and popular cricket tournaments are held every year in summer. The reason for selecting this season is the likeness of spectators and audiences. People love to watch the matches in a bright sunny day. Like all other tournaments of cricket, the Nat West Pro40 has been started. This is the fourth year of this tournament. After every year the standard and popularity of this tournament has been increasing. People love to watch all the matches of this tournament. There is a lot of excitement, which can be seen in the eyes of cricket fans and all around in the air.

There are famous county clubs of England participating in this popular tournament. NatWest Pro40 has been successful in raising the standard of English cricket structure. There is a great contribution of this tournament to the sports of cricket. English people are crazy for this sport. Cricket is one of the most loved sports. All the popular and renowned county clubs of England are partaking in this tournament. There are glittering and brilliant cricketers playing in this tournament. The management is trying its level best to organize the event successfully, as it has always been. There are high expectations from all the matches, which are going to be played. Cricket match results will be displayed on internet. Out of all the amazing matches, there is a magnificent match on the list of this tournament, which is going to be played between the teams of Leicestershire and Warwickshire. This match will be played on Sunday, 9th August, 2009. The match will be played at Edgbaston and will start at 13:45 according to the local time.

The weather of England is pretty unpredictable. No one knows when it is sunny and all of a sudden it starts raining. It is expected that a large number of spectators will be facing to the ground if it’s sunny. If it starts raining, then there are chances of stoppage in the match, which nobody would want to happen. Therefore, everyone is hoping for the best. The names of team players of both the teams have not been disclosed yet. The name of the umpire for this match has also been not announced yet. The management will disclose the names very soon. Live cricket scores will update the cricket fans.

Clutch some fun by watching this match live in the stadium. The tickets for this match are being sold at the club shop or your can purchase them online. Your participation is really going to have positive impact on the performances of both the teams. Cricket live scores for this match will keep you updated on the developments of this match.

Cricket World Record is What Players Strive for

Cricket is a game of passion and many fans like to dedicate their precious time for this sport. This game is full of thrilling moments and actions which makes its fans very crazy for it. They make out some time from their busy schedule to catch live action .Whenever a tournament is scheduled to take place, fans start making some preparation to view the live matches. They do planning and make changes in their schedule to enjoy all the thrills in the match. It has always been noticed that during on-going of any match, cricket world record is made by the tremendous performance of the player. The players are so much efficient that they break older records and make own name by a new record. As a result, the player gets huge success and becomes an important member of the team. The world of cricket is growing ever since it’s beginning.

The player’s fan list gets increased and many people like to watch him on the pitch. All his actions and playing styles are copied by the crazy fans. Cricket is such a fantasy game that makes fans and many people spell with its charm. Fans keep themselves updated with latest happenings about the match if somehow they have missed it. Those who are busy due to their work can catch the live action from internet. You just need to surf on the web for a better site that provides all the information about a match. Some sites keep you updated with the latest records but there are some who represent the complete scenario from the match. They do show you clips from the match and you can cherish with such moments. Sometimes the clips can show you the cricket world record. Any moment of the match is always interesting for the cricket lovers.

Today, cricket is widely known in many parts of globe and its extent is increasing as many teams are joining the cricket group. Any form of cricket whether test match or a one-day is in demand. But a one-day match is found to be more fascinating because within a day you find many thrilling moments from the match that gives you much enjoyment. Cricket world record is recorded separately for both the forms of cricket. International Cricket Council is the chief body that maintains cricket world record separately of both one day and test matches. Cricket world record made by the player is maintained by the name of the player, his team name and various other information. Whenever a player breaks an older record, then fans remember previous cricket player who made this record. Precisely, fans become fascinated by the new player who has made record. As it’s all his effort and hard work that has broken the older record.

Even you come to know about cricket world record through various sources like newspaper, magazines, sports and news channels, radio stations and many others. All these medium will let you about cricket world record if made by the players. The crazy fans do some cutting from magazines or newspaper that has picture of a player who has made a new record. Watching a tournament is always a fun loving experience for its fans.

Icc world cup cricket live at your fingertip

The long wait for the cricket lovers is finally coming to an end. The ICC World Cup 2011 is just round the corner. The countdown to the event of ICC Cricket live action has begun. It is so thrilling for all of us; we just cannot wait anymore for the ICC cricket live to begin.

If have time constraint and can't watch on TV then there are number of ways to get updated with ICC cricket live. Wherever you may me present in this world, you will get the opportunity to enjoy the excitement this event. The first and foremost way of getting in touch with the game is of course your television. All the sports channels across the world will be telecasting ICC cricket live along with all possible updates regarding the game. Those of you who happen to miss some matches can watch the same afterwards when it will be repeat telecasted or even refer to the match highlights. You will have to pay the cable bill before that to enable the specific channels that will give live coverage of the game.

Nowadays, another very good coverage is possible to get if you have proper internet connection. Most people do not get the opportunity to sit and relax and watch the ICC cricket live matches because of work. For those people ICC cricket live is available at live streaming in several blogs. You can easily get access to such live streaming by typing ICC cricket live or simply live streaming of world cup cricket in the Google search bar. Several blogs will be shown and you can choose the one that suits you. I have personally tried to watch cricket when I am overseas this way. This is a good option. The streaming quality is really good in today's time. You will not regret that you are not able to watch it through television. Most of these streaming are available absolutely free of cost. 

ICC cricket live action will start on the February 19th, 2011 at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The match between India and Bangladesh is the opening match of the ICC World Cup. The opening ceremony will take place on the 17th of February. ICC World Cup cricket live action will be hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The total of 14 countries will take part in this tournament. ICC Cricket live action will continue to the 2nd of April. All the teams are divided into two groups named Group A and Group B. Most teams are now finalizing the names of cricketers that are going to participate in the games. The names of the match umpires and referees of the warm up matches and group level matches are also being announced by ICC. The final match of the ICC cricket live action will be held at the Wankhade stadium in Mumbai.

. 

Let us now wait eagerly for the grand event to occur. Enjoy every moment of the grand cricketing event in whichever way that suits you.

ICC president slammed over ticket fiasco

MUMBAI: The Cricket World Cup’s top official was severely criticised on Thursday after police battered hundreds of fans with bamboo sticks outside Bangalore’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium as anger at the lack of tickets on sale for the clash between India and England boiled over.
In a memo leaked to the media, the governing body of the sport (ICC) accused its own president Sharad Pawar of mismanagement and said he was “threaten(ing) to undermine” the whole tournament with the way tickets were being distributed — or rather not being distributed — in India.
Pawar, who is also the chairman of the tournament’s Central Organising Committee, was under attack for bringing ICC’s relationship with its corporate sponsors to “breaking point” as they had yet to receive their allocation of tickets despite investing millions of dollars into the Feb 19-April 2 event.
In Bangalore, violence erupted after thousands of fans who had camped outside the 50,000-seat stadium since Wednesday were told all 7000 tickets allocated for public sale for Sunday’s India v England game had sold out.
“The biggest challenge we face today is to meet the expectations of the people, that is not possible, that is never possible,” former player Javagal Srinath, who is now the secretary of the Karnataka Cricket Association responsible for the Bangalore match, told a news conference.
“There is a limit where we can keep people happy. There is not much we can do. Around 7,000 tickets were all sold out in three hours,” a bizarrely grinning Srinath added as he exchanged jokes with the assembled media.
MISSED OUT
However, it was no laughing matter for those fans who had queued up all night desperate to get a their hands on the India v England tickets that are turning out to be more precious than a Maharajah’s fortune.
After the box office sold its quota of tickets by 1130 local time (0600 GMT), those who missed out vented their frustration by hitting out at police, causing damage to the area.
The venue was given hosting rights for the highly-anticipated Group B match after the International Cricket Council (ICC) was unhappy with the preparations at the 100,000-seater Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Ticket sales for the tournament have proven to be a major headache for organisers, who are unable to meet demand for the high-profile matches, especially those featuring India as well as the April 2 final in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
Thursday’s ugly scenes would have raised further questions about the way tickets are being distributed in the cricket-crazy nation.
Only a small quota for many of the major matches is being sold directly to the public while the rest are distributed among the ICC and clubs affiliated to the local cricket associations.
Thursday’s clashes occurred just two days after the ICC’s legal head David Becker had warned Pawar in the leaked memo that tickets for the final should not be sold at the box office because the high demand created the “potential for chaos and physical injury when the box office sales open”.
The 70-year-old Pawar, considered to be the richest politician in India, is also president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, which is responsible for the running of the Wankhede Stadium.
On Monday, the official online ticket agency that had been expected to sell 1,000 tickets for the final crashed as 10 million fans tried to log on in just 20 minutes.
Of the 33,000 seats at the Wankhede, around 4,000 are available to the public — 1,000 via an online ballot while some 3,000 have been earmarked for box office sales.

BCCI writes fuming letter to ICC over referral system

The UDRS debate stemmed from Ian Bell’s apparent let-off for leg before in England’s thrilling World Cup Group B tie against India on Sunday. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni criticised what he called the “adulteration of technology with human thinking”.

NEW DELHI: The Indian cricket board on Wednesday wrote a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC), complaining about the “inadequacy” of the umpire referral system being used in the World Cup.
The board (BCCI) also said it resented the governing body’s general manager Dave Richardson’s criticism of India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had criticised the technology on Sunday.
“The inadequacy of the UDRS has been exposed in the CWC 2011. The group stage match between India and England was a case in point which clearly brought out the inadequacy of the system,” BCCI secretary N Srinivasan wrote in his letter to ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat.
“ICC in consultation with Hawkeye formed playing conditions which specifies when the umpire can rely on Hawkeye and when he cannot. This itself is an admission on the question of reliability of the system including ball tracking technology.”
The UDRS debate stemmed from Ian Bell’s apparent let-off for leg before in England’s thrilling World Cup Group B tie against India on Sunday.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni criticised what he called the “adulteration of technology with human thinking”.
Richardson was subsequently quoted in the Indian media as saying Dhoni would not have criticised UDRS had he been aware of the rule.
The ICC official’s remarks did not go down well with the Indian board.
“BCCI takes strong objection to Mr David Richardson criticising the Indian captain M S Dhoni. Mr. Richardson’s comment that the Indian captain should know the rule is out of place.
“The Indian captain only highlighted the inadequacy of the system and rightly so. It was there for the world to see.
“For an ICC representative to criticise a player for his post match press conference while the World Cup is being played is tantamount to pressurising the player. Mr Richardson has no right to do so.
“BCCI has strong reservations about the statement made by Mr Richardson. He should be instructed not to react in this fashion.”

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Journey through the World Cups

One day international cricket has come a long way ever since its inception in the early 70s. The Cricket World Cup gave it the required boost in 1975 and since then, it has become the biggest prize of the game, pitching the best in the business against each other every four years.
History
The first three World Cup cricket events were played in England in 1975, 1979 and 1983. The West Indian side, under Clive Lloyd, reached the final of all three, winning the first two editions. Kapil Dev’s India capped their ascent by winning the third World Cup and brought the mega event to the subcontinent. Allan Border’s Australia demolished England to be crowned champions for the first time in 1987, when the fourth World Cup became the first to be held outside England, in India and Pakistan.
Pakistan took their revenge by winning the mega event when it was staged in Australia in 1992, under the brilliant leadership of Imran Khan. World Cup was held in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka in 1996 which was won by Arjuna Ranatunga’s Sri Lanka while Australia was crowned champions for the second time in 1999 when they beat Pakistan in the final at Lord’s.
The last two editions of the mega event — 2003 in South Africa and 2007 in the West Indies — saw Australia defend the title effortlessly, becoming the first and only team to win the title four times.
Leading scorers
No batsman has scored more runs in the mega event than India’s Sachin Tendulkar who, in 36 World Cup matches, has scored 1796 runs at an average of 58 runs per innings, with 13 half centuries and four centuries.
India’s Sourav Ganguly, Australia’s Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting also have four World Cup centuries to their names, which are the most by any batsman. Ponting comes second on the list of leading scorers with 1537 runs in 39 matches. His tally of runs has come at an average of 48, followed by West Indian Brian Lara who scored 1225 runs in his 34 appearances.
Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva, Australia’s Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh, Pakistan’s Javed Miandad, New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming, Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa, Viv Richards of West Indies and India’s Sourav Ganguly are the other players to score more than 1000 runs in World Cup matches.
The record of highest score in a World Cup match is 188 not out, held by South Africa’s former batsman Gary Kirsten who scored the runs against United Arab Emirates in Rawalpindi in 1996. Before that Viv Richards’s 181 runs against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 1987 was the highest score of the event.
Leading wicket takers
Australia’s Glenn McGrath, Pakistan’s Wasim Akram and Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan are the only bowlers to have taken 50 or more wickets in the World Cup competition. With 71 wickets in 39 matches, McGrath heads the list while Wasim Akram coming second with 55 wickets in 38 matches and Muralitharan trailing behind with 53 in 31.
McGrath’s figures of seven wickets for 15 runs against Namibia in Potchefstroom, South Africa, are the best figures by any bowler in the competition. Only compatriot Andy Bichel and West Indian Winston Davis have taken seven wickets as well in the mega event.
Best fielders
Amongst the fielders to play in the World Cups, Ricky Ponting is the most successful in terms of catches. In 39 matches he has taken 25 catches. The most successful wicket keeper in the mega event has been Adam Gilchrist, who has 52 dismissals — 45 catches and seven stumpings — to his name in 31 World Cup matches.
Records
India holds the record for being the only team to score in access of 400 in a World Cup innings. Their 413 runs for the loss of five wickets against Bermuda at Port of Spain, in 2007, remains the highest score of the event.
Canada has the distinction of getting dismissed below 45 twice in World Cups. Their 45 against England at Manchester in 1979 was ‘bettered’ only by their 36 which came against Sri Lanka at Paarl in 2003.