Cricket World Cup 2011 Teams, Groups, Players, Schedule

The 2011 edition of the World Cup will be played in the Indian sub-continent from February 19. There are 14 teams involved in the competition and they are distributed into two groups of seven each with the round-robin in each group deciding which four going ahead into the quarter-finals.
Full Schedule Squads with Players Profile

There will be 49 matches in the tournament and one can see all the World Cup 2011 games live on ESPN and Star Cricket. However, if you are one those who are inclined to watch the games from the stadium, live, then the sports tickets for such events can be easily purchased from the various websites online.
What makes the tournament a tad putting off is the fact that the league games are meant to only decide on the ranks – there are only nine of them who are really vying for the eight quarter-final spots.
India will be one of the favourites going into the tournament, with the likes of Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia being equally hopeful of winning it. England will be the dark horse.
The final will be played on April 1.

GROUP A Teams:
Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Canada
GROUP B Teams:
India, South Africa, England and the West Indies. Netherlands, Ireland and Bangladesh

Mashrafe Mortaza not in World Cup squad

Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladesh allrounder, has not been included in the 15-man squad for the World Cup. Mortaza had injured his right knee while playing club cricket in Dhaka in December and was striving to recover in time for the tournament. He had begun bowling off a short run-up during net sessions in the last few days but the selectors decided against including him in the campaign. Shakib Al Hasan was named captain of the squad and Tamim Iqbal will be his deputy.

"There is little chance that Mortaza will be fit before the World Cup," chief selector Rafiqul Alam told AFP, adding that coach Jamie Siddons supported this assessment. "Mortaza, however, has the chance to be included in the team later if he fully recovers and an opportunity arises."

Mortaza's absence is a blow to Bangladesh but they have enjoyed a string of positive results under Shakib recently, including beating New Zealand 4-0 in October 2010 and Zimbabwe 3-1 in their most recent outing in December.

The doubt over Mortaza's selection was the only major question ahead of the announcement. And though his exclusion effectively means that Mortaza won't be part of the World Cup, Siddons was optimistic. "He [Mortaza] is on track with his rehab. He was supposed to bowl today, bowl off a full run-up at the end of the month in eight to ten days," Siddons had told Daily Star the day before the squad was announced.

"We definitely want him to be fit. If the selectors don't pick him, and if he's fit by the first match, we can use him as a replacement in the World Cup. There are a few good reasons for him to bowl. I expect him to be fit by the start of the World Cup. I want him in the team, I want a fit Mashrafe."

The Bangladesh physiotherapist, Michael Henry, had said Mortaza had "responded well and there were no negative repercussions after his bowling stint."

Bangladesh will play the tournament opener against India in Dhaka on February 19 after which they play their remaining group games at home.

Squad

: Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Shahriar Nafees, Raqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Suhrawadi Shuvo.

Kenya a mix of the old and the new

Kenya have announced their 15-man squad for next month's World Cup and it is a combination of youth and experience under newly-appointed captain Jimmy Kamande. The announcement was more of a rubber-stamping exercise than a surprise, given it is the same group who are currently preparing for the tournament with matches in India.

Steve Tikolo, the 41-year-old allrounder who led his country to the semi-finals in 2003, will be taking part in his fifth World Cup as will 32-year-old Thomas Odoyo. At the other end of the spectrum, nine of the squad will be making their World Cup debuts.

The warm-up matches in India suggest Kenya will struggle to make any impression in the main competition. Although their batsmen have been scoring well, their bowlers have been ineffective and all five matches against Baroda and Gujarat have been lost.

Their preparations will be slight disrupted as Seren Waters, the 20-year-old opening batsman, who has scored the only hundred on the India trip, has to return to his studies for a week at the insistence of Durham University.

Kenya squad

Jimmy Kamande (capt), Seren Waters, Alex Obanda, David Obuya, Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Tamnay Mishra, Rakep Patel, Maurice Ouma, Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Peter Ongondo, Shem Ngoche, James Ngoche.

Tanvir Ahmed, Mohammad Yousuf left out of World Cup

Pakistan's selectors have displayed an unusual consistency in their ODI squad, retaining all players bar one involved in the New Zealand ODIs for their World Cup campaign. Fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed, who is part of the 16-man ODI squad in New Zealand, is the unlucky one, missing out.

In opting for continuity, the selectors have not picked the veteran Mohammad Yousuf, indicating that his career is all but over. And as had been widely expected, they have remarkably not named a captain or deputy so far, leaving open the possibility that Shahid Afridi, who has been the limited overs leader, may be replaced.

The 15-man squad is generally low on surprise, and given that Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Shoaib Malik, four key players, are not cleared for selection, almost picked itself. It is a fairly fresh one also; eight of the players have no previous World Cup experience.

The batting spots are shared by a mix of the old and new, with Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal the ones to keep an eye on, around Younis Khan. The presence of Misbah-ul-Haq will raise some eyebrows. He has only played two ODIs in 2010 and was dropped midway through Pakistan's last ODI series against South Africa.

The bowling has considerable variety, with Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz expected to share the bulk of pace duties. Sohail Tanvir has a chance to resurrect his career after two injury-struck years. Much might depend on the spinners, with Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman providing contrasting support to the threat of Afridi.

Yousuf made the 30-man preliminary World Cup squad but hasn't played a one-dayer since he was recalled for the series-decider against South Africa last November in Dubai and made only 3. Though he has played 281 ODIs for Pakistan, he scored only one half-century in 10 matches last year and his World Cup experiences have generally been poor: he has only two half-centuries in 13 career World Cup matches.

The situation with the captaincy has built up steadily over the last few weeks. There has been increasing speculation that Afridi may be removed, the board not pleased with his regular public statements, including criticisms of his own side. He was retained as ODI captain for the New Zealand ODIs but his personal performance in the last ten ODIs doesn't help his case. He averages 20.9 with the bat and 48.7 with the ball. The move to name Misbah as vice-captain for the New Zealand ODIs is seen as a means of putting pressure on Afridi.

But before leaving for New Zealand, Afridi said he was not worried about the position. "I am not worried about the captaincy, it never worries me," Afridi told reporters. "I have never run after the captaincy in my entire career. It is something for the cricket board to decide. If they feel I am the right man they will appoint me and if they don't they will make someone else captain.

"I am a senior professional and I know what I have to do. I have to lead the team to win the series and perform well as player. I know our winning the series will be very important because if we win in New Zealand it will give us a boost for the World Cup."

Squad

: Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shehzad

Ireland pick Ed Joyce for World Cup

Ed Joyce, the former England batsman who also plays for Sussex, has been picked in the 15-man Ireland squad for the 2011 World Cup. Ireland, led by batsman William Porterfield, have also selected allrounder Alex Cusack and seamer Boyd Rankin, players who didn't feature in their last ODI assignment, a lost series against Zimbabwe in September. Rankin, who was Ireland's leading wicket-taker in the 2007 World Cup, has recovered from a stress fracture in his foot that has kept him out of the team since July 2010.

Joyce, who last played an ODI in 2007, was cleared by the ICC in November 2010 to represent Ireland, the country of his birth, and

he subsequently joined the team in a pre-World Cup preparation camp in India. Joyce has played 17 ODIs for England, averaging 27.70, though he's been a prolific run-getter on the List A and first-class circuit.

Ireland surprised one and all in the 2007 World Cup, knocking Pakistan out of the league stage, qualifying for the Super Eights and beating Bangladesh. Nine Irish players who featured in that tournament are part of the 2011 World Cup squad.

"I like the balance of the squad. As with most Irish teams of the past few years, there are quite a few allrounders, and that gives us plenty of options in all departments," Ireland coach Phil Simmons was quoted as saying in a release. "What is different this time, from 2007, is that 13 of the 15 earn their living from cricket - that's practically a full-time squad.

"We were also able to spend a month in India acclimatising, and that will stand us in good stead."

Porterfield added: "There has been a lot of hard work put in over the past few weeks and months and being in India in November for the training has really helped the lads in getting to where they want to be."

Ireland travel to Dubai for a training camp on January 28, and play warm-up games against New Zealand and Zimbabwe in the lead-up to the World Cup.

Ireland squad: William Porterfield (capt), Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, Niall O'Brien (wk), Kevin O'Brien, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, John Mooney, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Gary Wilson (wk), Andrew White, Ed Joyce.

Lee and Tait win World Cup berths

Australia will risk both Brett Lee and Shaun Tait at the World Cup after they were chosen in the 15-man squad for the trophy defence beginning in India next month. Peter Siddle and Xavier Doherty were not included while John Hastings, the Victoria allrounder, was named along with the injured duo of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.

Hussey picked up a serious hamstring tear in Sunday's ODI win over England, while Ponting is recovering from surgery to his little finger. The pair will not appear in the remainder of the one-day series, with the other 13 members of the World Cup squad selected to finish the seven-match campaign.

Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, did admit some doubt over Hussey getting to the World Cup. "It is a severe injury and we will make a decision closer to departure date," he said.

Hussey and Ponting do have plenty of time to recover before the tournament reaches the knockout stages, with the quarter finals beginning on March 23. Australia's opening match of the campaign is against Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad on February 21.

While Australia are now mid-table in Tests, they remain the No.1 side in the 50-over game and are aiming for their fourth consecutive World Cup win. Seven players who were part of the unbeaten 2007 success in the West Indies will attempt to achieve more glory.

Lee and Tait are returning from long-term elbow injuries but the selectors have kept faith in their speed, bodies and shock value. Lee, 34, captured two wickets on Sunday in his first ODI since October 2009 as he reached 150kph, while Tait missed the game with a back injury. Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger are the other quicks in the unit, with Hastings and Shane Watson enlisted to provide support.

"Hastings has been selected as he adds variety to our bowling options," Hilditch said. "We feel his bowling is well suited to subcontinent conditions and his all-round skills with bat and ball add to the flexibility of the squad."

Nathan Hauritz is the sole recognised spinner but Steven Smith and David Hussey will also be relied on to deliver regular overs. "Nathan is our preferred spin option and his one-day record in India is excellent," Hilditch said. Hauritz has played seven 50-over games in the country, taking four wickets at 70.75. Hilditch's panel did not pick Hauritz during the entire Ashes campaign but now he expects the offspinner to "be an important part of our bid for this fourth World Cup".

David Hussey's mix of hard-hitting batting and part-time offspin have earned him a trip, despite him playing his first one-day game in more than a year on Sunday. "We feel he will play a crucial role for us in sub-continental conditions," Hilditch said. Tim Paine is the back-up wicketkeeper and will also be a standby batsman.

Australia squad

Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Cameron White, Tim Paine (wk), Steven Smith, John Hastings, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait, Doug Bollinger.

No Rohit Sharma in World Cup squad

The exclusion of middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma was the surprise in India's 15-man World Cup squad announced in Chennai. The other bone of contention had been the second specialist spinner's slot, and the selectors have picked both offspinner R Ashwin and legspinner Piyush Chawla, ahead of left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. Most of the other names in the squad were along expected lines.

India's major concern ahead of the team selection was the injuries to four first-choice players - Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and quick bowler Praveen Kumar - but the selectors picked all four, confident that they will be fit in time for the tournament which starts on February 19.

India's bowling attack for the World Cup will be significantly different from their standard Test attack, with only Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh being named. The fast bowling pair of Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma, and Ojha are all excluded while Munaf Patel, who helped India to a series-levelling victory over South Africa on Saturday, has found a place as the fourth seamer.

The selectors have gone in for a well-stocked slow bowling department, expecting traditional subcontinent tracks for the World Cup. Besides Harbhajan, there are two specialists in Ashwin and Chawla, an allrounder in Yusuf Pathan besides the part-time offerings of Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Virender Sehwag.

Chawla was also something of a surprise pick, though he is part of the one-day squad currently touring South Africa. He hasn't played any one-dayers for India since the Asia Cup in July 2008, and none of his 21 ODIs have been at home.

The squad also has only seven specialist batsmen, including MS Dhoni, which might be a worry in case of injuries. India haven't played their full-strength one-day side since the New Zealand tour in early 2009. There is no reserve keeper in the squad either, but that shouldn't be a concern as they can have one travel with them in case he is needed at short notice.

Kris Srikkanth, chairman of the national selection committee, was confident India could end their 28-year wait for a one-day World Cup. "This particular Indian team is doing brilliantly for the past couple of years in both Test and ODI cricket. They are playing consistently not only in India but outside," he told reporters after the team was announced. "We are confident this team will do well and win the World Cup for us in front of the home crowd."

He also defended the large spin contingent in the squad. "Don't forget that you are playing in India. The spinners probably play a very major role on the turning wickets. I am confident that the kind of balance we have, the kind of batting line-up we have, this team led by Dhoni will do the job for us."

Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Piyush Chawla, R Ashwin

ICC World Cup 2011: Zimbabwe 15 men squad for WC 2011

Harare: All-rounder Sean Ervine has been recalled to the Zimbabwe squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 after a gap of six years. Ervine last played for Zimbabwe in an international game in 2004.
In the interim Ervine has played domestic cricket in Australia for Western Australia. He currently plays for Hampshire in the English county cricket. Ervine joins younger brother Craig in the final 15-man squad named on Wednesday by the Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) selection panel.
Batsman Vusimuzi Sibanda has been named one of the five non-travelling reserves.
WC 2011 Zimbabwe Squad: Elton Chigumbura (captain), Regis Chakabva, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Sean Ervine, Gregory Lamb, Shingirai Masakadza, Christopher Mpofu, Raymond Price, Edward Rainsford, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: WC theme song is for masses: composers

Dubai: With little more than a month to go for the ICC Cricket World Cup, the official song -- De Ghumaa Ke -- is already making a big impact in the sub-continent and the composers of the number Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy said they created it keeping in mind every section of the society.
As popular and critically acclaimed music directors of Bollywood, the trio has created an upbeat song, with versions in Hindi, Bangla and Sinhalese that will feature widely in the build-up to and during the tournament to be hosted jointly by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from February 19 to April 2.

"We thought about what one should expect of an anthem, and we wanted to compose a song that appealed to every cross-section of society.
"The title De Ghumaa Ke (literally meaning 'Hit it Hard') is a term you use whether you're watching your own local team or Sachin Tendulkar hit a six. That's the whole idea, a fun song that will catch on and we hope it gets the crowds chanting and dancing in the stands throughout the ICC Cricket World Cup," the composers said in an ICC statement.

ICC World Cup 2011 Sri Lanka 15 Men Squad: Jayasuriya, Vaas not in WC squad

Colombo: Sri Lanka's selectors have been unable to find a place for veterans Sanath Jayasuriya or Chaminda Vaas in the 2011 World Cup squad.
Announced late on Friday afternoon, the side is a predictable one led by Kumar Sangakkara minus Suraj Randiv, who at one stage was looked on as the leading spinner in the squad. Now he has been replaced by Ajantha Mendis with Muttiah Muralitharan in the fifteen names approved by the local Minister of Sport.
As Sri Lanka will play the bulk of their games on the island, with the one exception that against New Zealand in Mumbai, it was expected the squad would contain a group of spinners. There have been media speculation over the possible selection of Jayasuriya and Vaas, veterans of the 1996 side that won the event in Lahore.
One recent columnist accused the SLC interim committee of botching the Jayasuriya retirement story.
The main weakness in the squad is who will bat at six and seven, two areas where the team has shown a weakness in recent ODIs.
Sri Lanka 15 Men Squad:
Kumar Sangakkara ( Captain ), Mahela Jayawardena ( Vice captain), Upul Tharanga, TM Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedara, Angelo Mathews, Tissara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekera, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath

Bangladesh World Cup 2011 team gets new sponsors

Dhaka: The Beximco Group has replaced Grameenphone as the official sponsors of Bangladesh's cricket team for the forthcoming World Cup.
Grameenphone, a joint venture between Norway-based Telenor and Grameen Bank's sister concern Grameen Telecom Corporation, is out because of a conflict of interest with the International Cricket Council (ICC) sponsor Reliance Communications, an Indian mobile operator.

In keeping with the ICC rules, no team is allowed to take a sponsor in any of their events that is conflicting with its commercial partners.
Beximco, a private trading group Tuesday struck a deal worth 35 million taka (about $490,000) with the Bangladesh Cricket Board to sponsor the national cricket team.
Beximco replaced Grameenphone, the largest telecom operator in Bangladesh, as the official sponsor of the 'tigers', the New Age reported.
Bangladesh's national cricketers are fondly called tigers. Royal Bengal tiger is the country's national animal.

Bangladesh reduce preliminary WC squad to 23

Bangladesh have reduced their preliminary 30-man squad for the World Cup to 23. Nazimuddin, Shamsur Rahman, Sahagir Hossain, Mithun Ali, Nasir Hossain, Shuvogoto Chowdhury and Enamul Haque Jr are the players who have been left out. The remaining 23 players will be of a preparatory camp that begins on January 9 at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Mirpur.

All 14 teams participating in the tournament have to announce their final fifteen before January 19.

Preliminary Squad: Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Roqibul Hassan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Nazmul Hossain, Naeem Islam, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Abdur Razzak, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Shahriar Nafees, Jahirul Islam, Syed Rasel, Shahadat Hossain, Mahbubul Alam, Dolar Mahmud, Shabbir Rahman, Alok Kapali