world Cup 2011 in eyes on camera

Zimbabwe crush Canada by 175 runs

 NAGPUR: Zimbabwe recorded their first victory in the World Cup 2011 when they demolished Canada by a huge margin of 175 runs in their Group A match here at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground on Monday.

Chasing 299, Canada were all out for 123 runs in 42.1 overs. Their main scorers were Zubin Surkari (26), Gunasekeara (24) and Jimmi Hansra (20).

Ray Price (3-16) and Graeme Cremer (3-31) were the most successful bowlers for Zimbabwe,.

This is Zimbabwe’s largest victory in World Cups and the fourth largest in One-day Internationals.

Batting first after their captain Elton Chigumbura won the toss, Tatenda Taibu and Craig Ervine helped Zimbabwe set Canada a daunting 299-run target for victory.

Taibu was unfortunate to miss his third ODI century by just two runs as he was dismissed by Balaji Rao for 98. He hit nine boundaries in his 99-ball innings.

Craig Ervine also batted very well to make 85 from 81 balls with two sixes and six fours.

He and Taibu made together 181 runs for the third wicket partnership which helped Zimbabwe compile a big score but no other batsman except Sean Williams (30), Graeme Cremer (26) and Prosper Utseya (22) could make any significant score.

The 181-run partnership between Taibu and Craig Irvine is the highest partnership for Zimbabwe in World Cups, surpassing the 166-run stand between Grant Flower and Craig Wishart against Namibia in 2003.

After skipper Elton Chigumbura won the toss and elected to bat, Zimbabwe lost both their openers for only seven runs before Taibu and Ervine came to rescue.

Leg-spinner Balaji Rao was the most successful bowler capturing four for 57.while seamers Khurram Chohan and Harvir Baidwan claimed two wickets each.

Pakistan win crucial match against Sri Lanka

 COLOMBO: Pakistan after a tough fight defeated Sri Lanka by 11 runs in their crucial Group A match in the ICC World Cup here at the Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.

Shahid Afridi came up with another superb bowling performance after taking his first World Cup five-wicket haul in the previous match against Kenya.

He captured four for 34 runs which included his 300th one-day international wicket when he dismissed Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara for 49.

Sri Lanka, chasing Pakistan's total of 277-7, replied with 266-9.

They have now lost seven times to their sub-continental neighbours in the World Cup, falling in 1975, 1983 (twice), 1987 (twice) and 1992.

After captain Shahid Afridi won the toss, Pakistan stalwarts Younus Khan (72) and Misbah-ul-Haq (83) not out) shared a century partnership to set co-hosts Sri Lanka a challenging target to chase under lights.

But Pakistan spinners strangled the Sri Lankan batsmen, capturing six of the nine wickets to fall.

Sri Lanka got off to a good start with openers Upul Tharanga (33) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (41) putting together 76, but got bogged down in the middle overs and despite a late spurt towards the target fell agonisingly short.

Chamara Silva led a late onslaught with a top score of 57 and Nuwan Kulasekara hit a quick 24 off 14 balls, but Sri Lanka had left their run chase a little too late.

Openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga provided a sound start of 76 runs but Sri Lanka lost four quick wickets for 20 runs, reeling at 96 for four.

Then, captain Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera took the score to 167 before Sangakkara departed. They added 71 runs for the fifth wicket.

Other batsmen could not resist the accurate Pakistan bowling despite fielding lapses. But Chamara Silva batted aggressively to become top scorer for Sri Lanka with 57 off 78 balls.

Pakistan stalwarts Younus Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq shared a century partnership after Afridi had won the toss and chose to bat first.

The pair came together after Pakistan were reduced to 105 for three and they provided a solid foundation for Pakistan's eventual testing target.

Roach hat-trick as Windies beat Dutch

NEW DELHI: West Indies seamer Kemar Roach grabbed a hat-trick as his team crushed the Netherlands by 215 runs in the World Cup here on Monday.

Roach, who became the fifth bowler to take a World Cup hat-trick, finished with 6-27 as the Dutch were dismissed for 115 in 31.3 overs.

West Indies capitalised on a strong start to post a commanding 330-8 against the Netherlands in a World Cup Group B match.

Put into bat at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium where they went down to South Africa on Thursday, the twice champions got off to a rollicking start with Chris Gayle (80) and Devon Smith (53) stitching together a century opening stand.

Down the order, Kieron Pollard (60) celebrated his promotion in the batting line-up with a 27-ball blitz to guide the team past the 300-mark.

Smith dominated the initial stage of the opening partnership, hitting Mudassar Bukhari for three boundaries in the first over before offering the same treatment off Berend Westdijk.

Gayle followed suit, hitting three boundaries off Ryan ten Doeschate's first over and went on to help himself to some more but his second World Cup century would eventually elude him.

Bernard Loots earned the breakthrough for the Netherlands in the 17th over when he had Smith caught behind but West Indies had reached the 100-mark by then.

Next man in Darren Bravo (30) proved why people compare him to Brian Lara, wowing the sparse crowd with a fluent 38-ball cameo that included two sweetly-timed sixes before spinner Pieter Seelar cut short his stay.

Pollard continued punishing the Dutch bowlers, hitting four sixes and five fours in his entertaining knock.

Team mate Ramnaresh Sarwan fell one run shy of the half-century mark despite two reprieves from his butter-finger opponents. (AFP)

Aussies dismiss New Zealand for 206

NAGPUR: New Zealand batsmen could not resist the pace attack by Australia and were all out for 206 runs in 45.1 overs in a World Cup Group A match here at the Vidarbha Cricket Ground on Friday.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and invited New Zealand in the daytime match overshadowed by the devastating earthquake in Christchurch.

At least 113 people have been killed as a result of tremors in the New Zealand city and the teams wore black armbands and observed a minute's silence before the start of play.

New Zealand were in trouble right from the start and all their top order batsmen were gone before the 15 overs were completed. They were 73-6 in 17 overs.

Later, Nathan McCullum and captain Daniel Vettori tried to make some recovery and both added 54 valuable runs for the eight wicket.

However, Nathan fell after scoring 52 from 76 balls when New Zealand were 175.

Vettori then fought the battle against Aussie pace bowlers but could notcontinue it long and was after making 44 off 43 balls.

For Australia, Mitchell Johnson captured four wickets for 33 runs and Shaun Tait claimed three for 35.

Both defending champions Australia and New Zealand won their opening matches following comprehensive wins over Zimbabwe and Kenya respectively.

Australia were unchanged for the game at the VCA Ground but New Zealand brought in batsman Jamie How for all-rounder Jacob Oram in a tactical switch

Pakistan crush Kenya to make flying start in WC

 HAMBANTOTA: Pakistan outclassed Kenya by a huge margin of 205 runs in their opening World Cup Group A match here at the Mahinda Rajapakse Stadium on Wednesday.

Set an improbable target of 318 runs, Kenya were bundled out for a mere 112 runs in 33.1 overs.

Captain Shahid Afridi was the main destroyer capturing five wickets for only 16 runs while Umar Gul claimed two for 12 and Mohammad Hafeez took one for 26.

Collins Obuya was the main scorer for Kenya with 47 as only three other top order batsmen could enter into double figures.

Earlier, captain Shahid Afridi won the toss and decided to bat but Pakistan made a disastrous start losing both their openers in seven overs.

Mohammad Hafeez was the first to go, failing to keep a drive down as a diving Seren Waters picked up a beautiful catch at short mid-wicket.

Two overs later, Ahmed Shahzad, who scored his first run after 13 deliveries, was caught by skipper Jimmy Kamande off Odoyo to leave Pakistan struggling at 12-2.

However, wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal and veteran batsman Younis Khan came to rescue and revived the innings through a solid 98-run stand.

Kamran made 55, his ninth ODI fifty and Younis scored 50, his 40th ODI fifty.

Later, Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal gave the innings the final flourish with a rapid fire 118-run stand for the fifth wicket adding 118 runs for the fifth wicket partnership.

Misbah hit 65 from 69 balls with two sixes. This was his 13th ODI half-century.

Umar Akmal, playing his first World Cup match, reached his seventh ODI fifty. He top scored with a 52-ball 71 with eight fours and a six.

This was the fourth half century in Pakistan innings.

Afridi made just seven runs and was dismissed lbw by Odoyo who finished with 3-41, conceding 20 in wides in a total of 46 extras

England win after Netherlands set huge target

NAGPUR: Captain Andrew Strauss guided England to a six-wicket win by achieving a huge target set by the Netherlands in a Group B match of the World Cup here at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground on Tuesday.

Chasing a difficult target of 293, England openers Strauss and Kevin Pietersen provided a solid start of 105 runs.

Strauss made 88 from 83 balls and Pietersen scored 39 while John Trott scored 62, adding 61 for the second wicket with Stauss.

Later, Trott and Ian Bell (33) made together 58 for the third wicket.

Paul Collingwood and Ravi Bopara made 30 runs each and added 54 runs of rthe unbeaten fifth wicket partnership to see England win their opening match in the tournament.

Earlier, a superb century by Ryan ten Doeschate powered the Netherlands to an astonishing total of 292 runs for six wickets against a strong England side after captain Peter Borren had won the toss and elected to bat first.

The 30-year-old South Africa-born right-hander hit three sixes and nine fours in his 110-ball 119 that was the cornerstone of the Netherlands's innings.

It was his fourth hundred in One-day Internationals and the first in the World Cup.

Ten Doeschate added 78 runs with Tom Cooper (47), 64 with Tom de Grooth (28) and 61 with skipper Peter Borren (35 not out) to set a target that should be quite a test for England's tweaked batting order.

Doeschate also claimed two wickets to earn the Man-of-the-Match award for his fine allround performance.

Earlier, The Dutch openers provided a bright start of 36 from only six overs but the English bowlers soon got rid off them..

Tim Bresnan got Alexei Kervezee caught behind for 16 when Netherlands were 36 and
Graeme Swann got Wesley Barresi stumped out for 29, again by wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

Then, Ten Doeschate ensured there was no panic in the Dutch camp. He offered dogged resistance in the company of former Australia under-19 player Cooper, consolidated the innings with his smart association with de Grooth before providing the late charge with Borren

Sri Lanka crush Canada by 210 runs

 HAMBANTOTA: Sri Lanka recorded victory by a huge margin of 210 runs over Canada in their opening Group A day-night match on the second day of the ICC World Cup 2011 here at the at the Mahinda Rajapakse stadium on Sunday.

Chasing an improbable target of 333 runs, Canada were all out for 122 runs in 36.5 overs as only three players could get into double-figures.

Rizwan Cheema was the top-scorer with 37 off 35 balls with two sixes and four boundaries while captain Ashish Bagai made 22 and Harvir Baidwan remained not out on 16.

Sri Lankan pacers Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera claimed three wickets each while off-break bowler Muttiah Muralitharan captured two wickets.

Earlier, Mahela Jayawardene hit his second World Cup hundred to lead Sri Lanka to 332-7.

The 33-year-old right-hander scored his 100 off 80 balls for his 13th one-day hundred and added an invaluable 179 for the third wicket with skipper Kumar Sangakkara, who made 92.

Jayawardene and Sangakkara built on the platform set by opener Tillakaratne Dilshan (50) after Sri Lanka won the toss before a near-capacity 35,000 crowd at the new ground which became the 177th one-day venue.

Jayawardene completed his hundred with a single off spinner John Davison after facing just 80 deliveries - the fastest by a Sri Lankan in the World Cup, beating Sanath Jayasuriya's 85-ball ton against Bangladesh at Port of Spain four years ago.

But Davison dismissed him in the same over, caught at short fine-leg after Jayawardene had hit nine boundaries and a six.

Sri Lanka lost a cluster of wickets in the death overs, but Angelo Mathews (21) and Thilan Samarwaweera (18 not out) ensured they got past 300.

Earlier, Dilshan and Upul Tharanga put on a quick 63 for the first wicket by the 12th over before a mix-up between the two sent Tharanga back, run out for 19.

Dilshan fell just after scoring his third World Cup half-century, holing out at deep cover to Davison as he failed to control a shot off medium-pacer Rizwan Cheema.

It was then left to Jayawardene and Sangakkara to punish a hapless Canadian attack, depleted by an injury to spearhead Henry Osinde who walked off the field due to a hamstring problem after bowling only 2.1 overs

Australia beat Zimbabwe by 91 runs

AHMEDABAD: Defending champions Australia recorded a 91-run victory over Zimbabwe in their opening World Cup match on Monday.

Chasing 263 runs, Zimbabwe were all out for 171 in 46.2 overs after their bowlers made the Aussies struggle in the early overs.

Main scorers for Zimbabwe were Graeme Cremer (37), Sean Williams (28) and Prosper Utseya (24).

For Australia, Mitchell Johnson was the most successful bowler taking three wickets for 19 runs while Shaun Tait and Jason Krezja captured two wickets each.

Earlier, Shane Watson and Michael Clarke hit half-centuries as Australia overcame early struggles against spin.

In-form Watson, who cracked one six and eight fours in a 92-ball 79, added 61 for the first wicket with Brad Haddin (29) and 79 for the second with skipper Ricky Ponting (28).

Clarke provided the late flourish with a 55-ball 58 not out as Australia plundered 90 runs in the closing 10 overs to set a challenging target for Zimbabwe after electing to bat in the day-night match.

Zimbabwe's specialist spinners Ray Price, Prosper Utseya and Graeme Cremer tied the Australian batsmen down, preventing them from scoring freely.

Left-arm spinner Price, who shared the new ball with seamer Christopher Mpofu, was instrumental in keeping the run-rate low early in the innings with a tidy line and length. He finished with 1-43 off 10 overs.

Off-spinner Utseya and leg-spinner Cremer bagged one wicket apiece, conceding 84 runs in a combined tally of 20 overs.

In a rare show of aggression in the early overs, Watson and Haddin smashed two fours apiece in a Mpofu over, but skipper Elton Chigumbura promptly turned to spin.

Utseya provided the breakthrough when he trapped Haddin lbw, with Zimbabwe asking for a review of the umpire's decision after the batsman had initially been given not out.

Watson was also ruled out lbw off Cremer following a referral, but not before he had set the stage for the final onslaught.

Ponting was run out after a brilliant piece of fielding by Mpofu, who hit the stumps at the non-striker's end from deep midwicket.

Kolkata says can be ready for World Cup

NEW DELHI: The bosses of Kolkata's Eden Gardens insisted Friday they could be ready to host next month's India-England World Cup clash after the venue was ruled out because of unfinished renovation work.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) sparked a logistical nightmare for organisers on Thursday by asking for an alternative stadium for the February 27 match because of concerns about unfinished facilities at the famous ground.

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), which runs the stadium, asked the the ICC to reconsider its controversial ruling, which raised further questions about India's ability to host major sporting events.

CAB chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, a former ICC president and himself a construction company owner, wrote to the Indian cricket board on Friday to convince the governing body to stick to the original schedule.

"(The ICC's decision) comes as a shock because when their inspection team was in Kolkata, we were given to understand that they were happy with the progress of the work and had suggested only a few minor modifications," said the letter.

CAB chiefs promised they would hand over a completed Eden Gardens to the ICC on February 7, "provided we are given an extension."

"Finally, we also state that we will address the bulk of the ICC concerns by January 31, 2011 itself and the remaining little, if any, in another seven days," the letter said.

World Cup organisers were struggling to find a different venue and organise travel, ticketing and security.

"It's a challenge for sure, but we are working on solving the issue at the earliest," tournament director Ratnakar Shetty told reporters at the World Cup headquarters in Mumbai.

The ICC was concerned about work in the renovated stands of Eden Gardens, as well as corporate boxes, the media centre and the location of the radio commentary boxes.

The problems echoed similar trouble before the Delhi Commonwealth Games in October that were marred by severe delays in construction work and shoddy finishing.

Tour operators said they hoped the matter would be resolved soon with the tournament looming.

"England v India is the biggest of all the group games," Shirley Rattray of Cricket Logistics, the ICC's official travel partner, told a cricket website.

"It is the most popular because Eden Gardens is such an iconic venue to watch cricket. A match there is regarded as one of the sporting things to do before you die.

"So it's a big shame that the game has had to be moved."

Rattray said tickets needed to be relocated and fresh flights and hotels booked.

"It's never easy when things like this happen, but it will get done. That's the way things work in India, things can be turned around at the last minute very quickly."

Eden Gardens, which hosted the World Cup final in 1987 and a semi-final in 1996, is due to host three other matches. A decision on whether they will go ahead will be taken by the ICC at a later date.

The three games are South Africa v Ireland on March 15, Ireland v the Netherlands on March 18 and Zimbabwe v Kenya on March 20.

The World Cup is being co-hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from February 19 to April 2

New Zealand name squad for World Cup

 WELLINGTON: New Zealand cricket chiefs backed their struggling one-day team to reverse a dramatic form slump, avoiding wholesale changes in the World Cup squad named on Wednesday.

Chief selector Mark Greatbatch said the Black Caps had a point to prove after losing their past 11 one-day internationals, including series whitewashes against Bangladesh and India.

"We have kept faith with the bulk of the team which played the five-match ODI series in India and believe that, despite recent one-day form, the squad is very capable," he said.

"(They) owe it to themselves and the New Zealand fans to put in a huge performance at the World Cup."

Cricket's showpiece event in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka runs from February 19 to April 2.

Greatbatch said the squad, captained by Daniel Vettori, had an experienced core, with six players who helped New Zealand reach the semi-finals for the fifth time at the last World Cup in 2007.

All-rounder Luke Woodcock, 28, is the only uncapped ODI player in the squad, securing his berth with his strong domestic form for Wellington.

"He has a good head on his shoulders and his selection provides the option of playing three spinners, which could be useful in the subcontinent," Greatbatch said.

Injury-prone all-rounder Jacob Oram was also named, with Greatbatch saying his domestic performances after returning from a stint on the sidelines made the fitness gamble worthwhile.

Greatbatch singled out Jamie How as a batsman who needed to improve after failing against India but said his ability to provide wicketkeeping back-up to Brendon McCullum had helped sway selectors.

"Some might think he's a bit lucky after the last few innings in India but over the last 15 months he's actually performed in the limited forms of the game at various levels," he said.

Bowler Daryl Tuffey was the highest-profile omission from the squad.

New Zealand's 15-man World Cup squad: Daniel Vettori (captain), Hamish Bennett, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock.

Muralitharan to quit after World Cup

 COLOMBO: Record-breaking Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan said Friday he would retire from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup.

"This World Cup will be my last outing," Muralitharan, 38, told reporters on the sidelines of a training session in Colombo.

"I am retiring totally from international cricket thereafter."

The mega one-day event, co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, starts on February 19.

Muralitharan, the world's leading wicket-taker in both Tests (800) and one-dayers (517), bowed out of Test matches in July last year after the opening match against India in Galle.

"My time is up. I have signed up to play for two years in the IPL (Indian Premier League). I am also looking at similar work in New Zealand and perhaps England," the off-spinner said.

Muralitharan said that he was currently focusing on the World Cup, which ends on April 2.

"This is my fourth World Cup. We won in 1996 and came close in 2007 by reaching the final. This would be a memorable one for me and for Sri Lankan fans," he said.

Sri Lanka will host 12 Cup matches, including three at a new 22,000-seater stadium in Murali's home district of Kandy.

The other nine matches will be played at the renovated Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and a new cricket facility in Hambantota in the island's south.

Muralitharan said he had no immediate plans to switch to coaching despite reports last year that he was planning to team up with retired Indian spinner Anil Kumble to start a spin academy for youngsters.

"There are plenty of coaches and lots of talented people out there. I will take things as they come. For the moment, no coaching stints."

Unfit Ponting, Hussey in Australia’s World Cup squad

 SYDNEY: Defending champions Australia Tuesday unveiled their squad for next month's World Cup, banking on the fitness of a pair of injury-prone pacemen and elder statesmen Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey.

Veteran Brett Lee and enigmatic short-form specialist Shaun Tait were both included in the 15-man squad for the tournament in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which they are trying to win for the fourth successive time.

Ponting was named as skipper, but is still recovering from a broken finger, while Hussey made the squad but is a major doubt after a severe hamstring tear in the six-wicket win over England at the MCG on Sunday.

Hussey is expected to be sidelined for at last six weeks, with Australia's first game on February 21, and chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch conceded he was a doubt for the showpiece event.

By selecting Lee and Tait, as well as erratic duo Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger, Australia will rely heavily on their pace bowlers to be at their best.

Lee performed well in Australia's win over England on Sunday, but the 34-year-old and Tait are both on the comeback trail after serious elbow injuries.

Sunday's game was Lee's first one-day international for Australia since October 2009 and he missed the 2007 World Cup triumph due to injury.

Tait, who played in the 2007 final but mainly plays Twenty20 cricket these days, was ruled out of Sunday's game with a back problem.

The 27-year-old has only played three ODIs since February 2009, but taken eight wickets in those three matches.

The shock selection was Victorian all-rounder John Hastings, who has played just two one-day internationals, while David Hussey, Mike's younger brother, also made the squad.

Tasmanian wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Paine, touted by many as a future Australian captain, is part of the 15. 

Left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty, who played on Sunday, was overlooked in favour of the returning Nathan Hauritz, who was ignored for the entire Ashes series but has been in top form in domestic first-class cricket this season.

Victorian paceman Peter Siddle was not included, despite being one of the better Ashes performers for Australia with ball and bat.

Squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, John Hastings, Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Tim Paine, Steve Smith, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Cameron White

Donald appointed New Zealand bowling coach

 WELLINGTON: Former South African paceman Allan Donald has been appointed as New Zealand's bowling coach on a short-term contract until the end of the World Cup, officials said Tuesday.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said Donald's experience would be a positive for the Black Caps, whose support staff have been revamped since John Wright was appointed head coach in December.

"I know he is really looking forward to the challenge of returning to international cricket and working with the Black Caps," Vaughan said.

The 44-year-old recently finished a stint as head coach of Zimbabwe domestic side the Mountaineers and has previously worked with English county side Warwickshire and the England national side as bowling coach.

Vaughan said Donald, who took 330 Test wickets for South Africa, would join the squad in Wellington this week ahead of Saturday's first one-day international against Pakistan.

He will remain with the Black Caps through the six-match series and the World Cup, to be played in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from February 19 to April 2.

Pakistani squad for world cup 2011

 LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board has announced here on Tuesday a final squad for next month's cricket World Cup to be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
No captain or vice-captain has yet been announced for the team.

Veteran batsman Mohammad Yousuf and fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed have not been included in the 15-member team.

Squad: Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Ahmed Shahzad

West Indies preliminary World Cup squad

 ST JOHN'S, Antigua and Barbuda: West Indies on Tuesday named their 30-man preliminary squad for the 2011 World Cup which takes place in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February 19-April 2.















West Indies squad:

• Lionel Baker
• Adrian Barath
• Carlton Baugh Jr 
• Sulieman Benn
• Dave Bernard Jr
• Tino Best
• Devendra Bishoo 
• Darren Bravo 
• Dwayne Bravo 
• Jonathan Carter
• Shivnarine Chanderpaul
• Kirk Edwards
• Chris Gayle
• yan Hinds
• Jason Holder
• Anthony Martin
• Nikita Miller
• Nelon Pascal
• Kieron Pollard
• Kieran Powell
• Denesh Ramdin
• Ravi Rampaul
• Kemar Roach
• Andre Russell
• Darren Sammy
• Ramnaresh Sarwan
• Shane Shillingford
• Devon Smith
• Gavin Tonge
• Devon Thomas

India name preliminary World Cup squad

 MUMBAI: Middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane was the lone uncapped cricketer in India's 30-member preliminary squad for next year's World Cup, the Indian cricket
board announced on Saturday.

The squad contains four wicketkeepers including captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Right-hander Rahane, 22, was rewarded for scoring consistently in the domestic season.

Selecton committee chairman Kris Srikkanth said the squad was devoid of any surprise inclusion or omission.

"This is a probables team and everyone selects himself," he told reporters. "The World Cup is happening in the subcontinent and I am confident that the team will do well."

India squad

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni
• Virender Sehwag 
• Sachin Tendulkar
• Gautam Gambhir
• Virat Kohli
• Yuvraj Singh
• Suresh Raina
• Harbhajan Singh
• Zaheer Khan
• Ashish Nehra
• Shanthakumaran Sreesanth
• Munaf Patel
• Ishant Sharma 
• Vinay Kumar 
• Murali Vijay
• Rohit Sharma
• Ravindra Jadeja
• Ajinkya Rahane 
• Saurabh Tiwary 
• Yusuf Pathan
• Parthiv Patel
• Ravichandran Ashwin 
• Wriddhiman Saha 
• Dinesh Karthik
• Shikhar Dhawan
• Amit Mishra
• Piyush Chawla
• Cheteshwar Pujara
• Pragyan Ojha 
• Praveen Kumar

England annonce provisional World Cup squad

LONDON: Injured pace bowler Stuart Broad has been named in England's preliminary 30-man squad for next year's World Cup in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

The squad, which will be halved by Jan. 19, includes all of those named in the one-day international squad for the series against Australia as well as eight members of the England Lions squad set to tour the West Indies next year.

Broad, who has been ruled out of the current Ashes tour in Australia with an abdominal injury, is joined by pacemen Steven Finn and Chris Tremlett in the squad. Broad is expected to regain fitness in time for the tournament.

Twenty20 world champions England have been drawn in a group alongside Bangladesh, India, Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa and West Indies.

"We have selected a squad of players with a strong track record in limited overs cricket either for England or in the domestic game," England national selector Geoff Miller said in a statement.

"Recent series have shown we have made progress in one-day cricket and we will be looking to continue this form during next year's World Cup and challenge for another global title."

The World Cup runs from Feb. 19 to April 2.

England squad:

• Andrew Strauss (captain)
• Jimmy Adams
• James Anderson
• Ian Bell
• Ravi Bopara
• Tim Bresnan
• Stuart Broad
• Paul Collingwood
• Alastair Cook
• Steven Davies
• Jade Dernbach
• Steven Finn
• James Hildreth
• Craig Kieswetter
• Michael Lumb
• Eoin Morgan
• Samit Patel
• Kevin Pietersen
• Liam Plunkett
• Matt Prior
• Adil Rashid
• Ajmal Shahzad
• Darren Stevens
• Graeme Swann
• James Tredwell
• Chris Tremlett
• Jonathan Trott
• Chris Woakes
• Luke Wright
• Michael Yardy

Kenya name preliminary World Cup squad

NAIROBI: Kenya on Sunday named a provisional 30-man squad, including eight newcomers, for the World Cup in the Asian sub-continent from February 19 to April 2, 2011.

Kenya squad:

• Seren Waters
•  David Obuya 
• Alex Obanda 
• Collins Obuya 
• Steve Tikolo
• Tanmay Mishra
• Jimmy Kamande 
• Thomas Odoyo
• Morris Ouma
• Nehemiah Odhiambo
• Hiren Varaiya
• Ragheb Aga
• Rakep Patel
• Peter Ongondo
• Lamech Onyango
• Alfred Luseno
• Nelson Odhiambo
• Elijah Otieno
• Shem Ngoche
• James Ngoche
• Vinit Shikotra 
• Kennedy Owino
• Joseph Onyango
• Irfan Karim
• Duncan Allan
• Karan Kaul
• Runish Gudkha
• Lucas Oluoch
• Peter Githuku
• Dominic Wesonga