Fastest Century in World Cup by Kevin O'Brien

Dashing Kevin O'Brien (113) smashed the fastest World Cup century to set up Ireland's scintillating three-wicket win over England at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. The right-handed batsman completed his century off just 50 balls to beat Matthew Hayden's record of century in 66 balls in the 2007 tournament.
Man of the match Kevin O'Brien lashed 13 boundaries and six sixes in his memorable One-day century to silence the spirited, in majority, English supporters at the Bengaluru stadium. The stadia were all on their feet after witnessing a stunning display of sportsmanship by the Irish team over their old enemy.
Kevin, a lookalike of Andrew Flintoff from the stands, played his strokes fearlessly on a wicket where the ball came nicely on to the bat. The destructive middle-order batman played a typically attacking innings, racing to his century with a flick towards the mid-wicket. The crowd and Irish box went up in roar to celebrate Kevin's second One-day hundred.
O'Brien alongwith Alex Cusack (47) made the most of an ordinary English attack to bring the match from a no-contest zone to a winning one in a roller-coaster day-night match.
The pair added 162 runs for the sixth wicket with much ease and exposed the limitations of English bowlers in containing runs on a track like Chinnaswamy. Kevin and Alex gave an outstanding exhibition of power-hitting under extreme situation to remind England team of their strength.
Ireland lost their five top-order batsmen cheaply but O'Brien and Cusack dug in to lend firmness and force an improbable win.
Chasing 328 runs to win, Ireland got off to forgettable start when they lost their most experienced campaigner and skipper William Porterfield in the first ball of the second innings. Jimmy Anderson, who has had a tough time in India, bowled the opposition skipper in the first over to spark some doubts about the huge chase.
Paul Stirling tried to up the ante after losing his skipper early with some forceful boundaries before falling to Tim Bresnan. Stirling smacked five fours and a six during his 32-run stay at the crease.
England poor fielding contributed in their defeat as they manage to drop at least six catches in the middle. Generous England bowlers also helped with 33 extras.
Paul Stirling (32), Ed Joyce (32) and Niall O'Brien (29) were the other main contributors in Ireland's stunning victory.
Earlier, Jonathan Trott (92) and Ian Bell (81) propelled England to 327 against Ireland in their Group B World Cup match at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The experience duo added an invaluable 167 runs for the third wicket to help England to an imposing total.
Skipper Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen continued from where they left last Sunday at Chinnaswamy against India. The English openers, electing to bat first, got off to a flourishing start scoring seven runs per over. Pietersen, in his opening role, looked rather impressive today with some exquisite strokes to light up the afternoon.
The former England captain took the Irish bowling to the cleaners with some lusty hits to the fence and over it. The naturally aggressive player completed his 22nd half-century, fourth in World Cups, off just 41 deliveries. Andrew Strauss was more than happy to give the strike to Pietersen, who was having a beautiful time with the willow. The duo shared a first-wicket stand of 91 runs before Ireland fired the first salvo.
Seeing his pace bowlers being smacked all over the park, skipper William Porterfield introduced spinners in the 12th over. Teenager George Dockrell in his second over obliged his captain by claiming Andrew Strauss with a beauty. The England skipper was bowled out for 34 on his 34th birthday.
Three overs later, a confident Pietersen tried to do something unusual with disastrous results. Offie Paul Stirling pitched the ball outside off-stump and KP, itching for a switch-hit, tried a reverse sweep but miscued it completely for an easy catch to keeper Niall O'Brien. His 59 runs included seven fours and two huge sixes.
England's run-rate dropped from 7 to 5 once England had lost their openers but Trott and Bell overcame a subdued start once they got the feel of the pitch. The Englishmen dominated Irish attack with impressive strokeplay from 17th over to 43rd over before Bell's stay was cut short by John Mooney during a batting powerplay.
Trott and Bell both fell within sight of a century; however the former equalled the record for the fastest 1,000 runs in ODI's. He needed 64 runs at the start to equal the record of Vivian Richards and Kevin Pietersen, when he came to bat. Trott struck nine fours before being dismissed by Mooney.
England lost some quick wickets at the end before posting a huge target for Ireland. John Mooney finished with the best figures claiming four wickets in nine overs for 63 runs.

Why Ponting break LCD during World Cup

Box broke TV, not bat, says Ponting

Australia captain Ricky Ponting said it was his box, employed to protect a batsman's most sensitive area, and not his bat which damaged a World Cup dressing room television set.

Ponting accepted an International Cricket Council reprimand after he reacted angrily to being run out in his team's 91-run win over Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad on Monday.
But he insisted on Thursday that the incident had been blown wildly out of proportion.
"Just to clarify, the television wasn't hit by me with my bat at all, it was hit by my box that I'd thrown down at the end of cricket kit," said Ponting, ahead of his team's clash against New Zealand on Friday.
"I'm not sure where a lot of those stories have come from but I have accepted what the ICC have come up with as far as a reprimand is concerned from the incident."
"There was some small damage to the TV set and I went and reported it to the team manager straight away. They actually replaced the television set there and then."
"Some of the stories I have been hearing the last couple of days have been a little bit different to what the list of events actually were."
"Hopefully we can put this all behind us and start worrying about a big game of cricket. There's a limit I guess (to how much) you can let off steam in a dressing room. It is a pretty sacred sort of place in international cricket."
"But there's a line you can't over-step. I accept responsibility for that happening, albeit by total accident and with no malice involved whatsoever."
"What's happened has happened, I'd like to be able to take it back but I can't."
As far as Friday's match is concerned, Australia, despite their overwhelming win against Zimbabwe, found batting tricky when left-arm spinner Ray Price took the new ball.
Ponting said his side were ready for more of the same from either Vettori, also a slow left-armer, or off-break bowler Nathan McCullum.
"We know New Zealand will probably have two good spinners in their side and we know as tournament goes on we are going to have to play spin well if we want to be there when the big games come around. I've got total confidence in the players that they can all do that."
"Our record in the subcontinent over a long period of time shows we can do that. We are also prepared for New Zealand opening the bowling with spin and we are ready for that."
Ponting is bidding to win his third straight World Cup as a captain and Australia their fourth in a row, both unprecedented achievements.
Yet with stars such as Adam Gilchrist, Mattew Hayden and Shane Warne having retired, many feel now is the best time for another team to topple Australia.
"We haven't been spoken about much as being contenders for this World Cup, which sits pretty well with me," Ponting said.
"We can just go along and get our work done and prepare well and hopefully play well."
"We'll let the other teams such as India worry about the pressure of being favourites for a tournament like this."
"All I can do is prepare well and prepare the team well and hopefully go out and play and we'll see how far our talent takes us."
"But I think we've got a talented enough team here at the moment to be able to give the World Cup a really good shake."

Sehwag fit despite ribs blow

India's in-form opener Virender Sehwag will be fit for the crucial World Cup clash with England despite receiving a painful blow to the ribs in the nets on Friday.

The hard-hitting opener was struck by a delivery from a net bowler and did not bat again.
"A thorough examination has been done and a scan is not required. There is no major worry and he is fit enough to play," Indian team manager Ranjib Biswal said.
India, who meet England in the day-night match on Sunday, defeated Bangladesh by 87 runs in their opener in Dhaka last Saturday.
Sehwag was instrumental in setting up his team's victory, hammering a blazing 175 off 140 balls with the help of five sixes and 14 fours.
He has so far scored 7,555 runs in 229 one-day internationals.
India had already been sweating over the fitness of fellow opener Sachin Tendulkar who needed a scan of his left knee after the win against Bangladesh where he made 28.
Tendulkar, 37, had only recently recovered from a hamstring strain which forced him to miss three games of the recent five-match one-day series against South Africa.

Sehwag, Kohli set up strong Indian win in World Cup opener

Mirpur: Played like the World Cup favourites, check. Negated the toss and dew factor, check. Outbatted the opposition, check. Avenged the 2007 defeat, check. Gave the 2011 World Cup a memorable start, check.
Bangladesh's famed spin attack bled before a stunned Mirpur crowd as Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli plundered hundreds to set up a strong 87-run win to begin the World Cup. The home fans had little to cheer today except Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan's brisk fifties, the dismantling of Sreesanth's five wayward overs and Sachin Tendulkar's clumsy run-out.
On a slow wicket at a venue where sides chasing under lights are significantly advantaged, India were inserted by Shakib Al Hasan. They had to out-bat Bangladesh because of the dew and they did by posting a mammoth 370-4.
Sehwag batting with a runner threatened to score the second ODI double hundred. He eventually fell on 175 in the 48th over before the consistent Kohli completed an 83-ball hundred on World Cup debut. Munaf Patel (4-48) and Zaheer Khan (2-41) bowled tidily but there had to be only one result today.
Sehwag has stated his desire to last the full 50 overs. He came out in a mood to attack, and it didn't seem he'd last the course. The first ball of the tournament --- a short, wide ball from the young Shafiul Islam, was slashed through point for four. Sehwag was in a mood to bash everything, and Bangladesh's seamers seemed nervous.
Shafiul and Rubel Hossain bowled trash in the first three overs --- short and wide to Sehwag, and on the shins to Tendulkar --- and 32 runs were quickly added. Shakib then brought on spin and the inevitable slow down occurred.
Sehwag wanted to attack them too but Abdur Razzak and Shakib initially gave him no room to free his arms. Sehwag kept making room or stepping down to them, getting the odd ball away for four, and it seemed this risky approach would cost him soon. It was only after Tendulkar's wicket that Sehwag settled down for a long innings.
Tendulkar fell trying to steal a single to Shakib's throwing hand at midwicket. The veteran playing his sixth World Cup ran blindly down the pitch only to see Sehwag remaining firmly behind his crease. Gautam Gambhir then joined Sehwag for a quick 39, but this was the sideshow compared to what was follow.
Kohli quietly moved to a fifty (46b) while Sehwag led the show, frequently going aerial against the spinners. As Kohli's innings blossomed, the two attacked the straight boundary and midwicket with scary regularity.
Kohli later said Sehwag was egging him on to hit a bigger six than him. "He was teasing me that I was just clearing the ropes and he was hitting sixes into the stands," Kohli said after the innings.
Bangladesh's bowlers had no degree of control during the 203-run partnership for the third wicket. Even the cool-headed Shakib seemed so freaked out at the thought of bowling at the batsmen, he began bowling wide outside off-stump and got penalised three times for wides.
Sehwag had to call Gambhir to run for him after being struck on the knee. He was on course for a double-hundred but the blow softened him up. Thereon, his one-point agenda became bashing every delivery in his arc. He played on to Shakib and seemed quite tired by then.
Imrul Kayes gave Bangladesh the ideal start, tearing into Sreesanth who went for 24 in his third over. Bangladesh moved to 51 in five but Kayes fell as soon as Munaf Patel replaced Sreesanth.
Munaf operated within the stumps and was difficult to hit. Kayes played on trying to force him through the covers and Tamim pulled a straight ball to midwicket.
There will be better days for Bangladesh in the World Cup, but India's campaign as hot favourites couldn't have begun better.

Sehwag hits first century of World Cup

India's Virender Sehwag hit the first century of the 2011 World Cup on Saturday in the opening match against Bangladesh.

Sehwag, 32, reached his 14th one-day international century off 94 balls to set the platform for a big total after the Indians were put in to bat in the day-night game at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka.
The dashing opener played a typically attacking innings, racing to his half-century with a six that sailed over the long-on boundary into the packed stands.
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He reached the three-figure mark with a single to the mid-wicket against off spinner Mohammad Mahmudullah. It was his first century against Bangladesh and second in World Cups.
Sehwag's attacking knock made light of the dismissal of his more accomplished opening partner Sachin Tendulkar, who was run-out after a crazy mix-up in the middle, for 28.
Sehwag is one of the most devastating openers in the world with more than 7,000 runs in one-day internationals scored at a strike rate of over 100.
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His record in Tests is no less impressive, having aggregated 7,694 runs from 87 matches at an average of 53.43.
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Before the start of the World Cup, Sehwag had revealed his secret desire to bat out the entire 50 overs.
"I think I have never played 50 overs in one-day cricket. The maximum I have played is 43 or 44 overs."
"But this time, I will try to bat 50 overs and give a good start to the team. I have been unsuccessfully trying this for the past 10 years, but the effort is still on.

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ICC Cricket World Cup 2011★Opening Ceremony in Dhaka★

Tendulkar returns as World Cup looms

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Superstar batsman Sachin Tendulkar returns to bolster India's batting line-up on Wednesday as the World Cup favourites play their last warm-up game ahead of the much-anticipated tournament opener.
India take on New Zealand in their second and final practice match in Chennai ahead of the first World Cup clash against co-hosts Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday.
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The other top team in action on Wednesday is England, playing minnows Canada as the three-time finalists look for a confidence boost after a 6-1 mauling at the hands of Australia, the top-ranked ODI side.
As teams finalise their preparations, on Tuesday strongly fancied Sri Lanka comfortably beat the West Indies, South Africa thumped three-times defending champions Australia and Pakistan crushed Bangladesh.
Tendulkar, who has a record 17,629 runs in a stellar ODI career, missed Sunday's win over Australia, a legacy of the hamstring injury that forced him to cut short his participation in the recent ODI series in South Africa.
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But he came through a long net session on Tuesday and is poised to open the batting against the Black Caps in what will be only his third one-dayer since his historic double-century against South Africa in Gwalior a year ago.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, disappointed with the batting against Australia, issued a rallying call on Tuesday, saying India "need to pick up intensity as we progress into the World Cup."
"We have a very good side," said Dhoni. "That is what I have said always. I don't believe in comparisons. We have a mix of players who are very good. But obviously what we have on paper is not important, it is what we do on the field which matters. We need to see what the conditions are and pick our best 11 accordingly."
Dhoni said bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan would be rested for Wednesday's warm-up to allow him to be fresh for the tournament opener.
Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke dismissed his team's disappointing form in the warm-ups after defeats to South Africa and India and vowed to shape up in time for the main event.
"A practice game is a practice game. So it's important to maximise the chance to give everybody the opportunity to bat and bowl, and more importantly, to get used to the conditions," he said.
The World Cup is being hosted jointly by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
India, winners in 1983, are placed in Group B with England, South Africa, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, the West Indies and Ireland.
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Group A features Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya.
Teams will face sudden-death after the preliminary league. The second round format was revived to ensure a team plays a minimum of six matches even if they do not make the next round.
Meanwhile, England off-spinner Graeme Swann has urged officials not to make the World Cup a closed shop for cricket's elite nations.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is trying to slim down the existing 14-team tournament which will stretch to a stamina-sapping six weeks, to a 10-team contest in 2015.
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But as there are 10 Test playing countries, the second-tier sides believe they will be frozen out as none of the major teams will accept a change to a system where they all now qualify as of right.
"Why would you want to take the world out of the World Cup? Shocks can happen," the England off-spinner said in an interview with the March edition of the Wisden Cricketer magazine.
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Ton-up Dhoni fires India to victory

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Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed a blazing century to set up India's crushing 117-run victory over New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up match on Wednesday.
The Indian skipper cracked three sixes and 11 fours in a 64-ball 108 not out to help his team post an imposing 360-5 and virtually bat New Zealand out of the day-night match in Chennai.
New Zealand were bowled out for 243 after a brisk 94-run stand for the opening wicket between Brendon McCullum (58) and Martin Guptill (38) to suffer their first defeat in two practice matches.
Jesse Ryder (32), Nathan McCullum (29 not out) and Scott Styris (20) were the other main contributors.
Indian spinners, who played a big role in their team's win over defending champions Australia in a warm-up match on Sunday, again struck it rich as they shared seven wickets.
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Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and part-time spinner Yuvraj Singh each took two wickets, while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin bagged one.
"It's a difficult task for any side when they have to chase six or seven runs an over. This is the way we should play all the time," said Harbhajan Singh, who took 2-17.
"When you set that total, teams have to chase and it gives you the chance to get wickets as their batsmen look to do something."
"We have won our two warm-up games, but we are not taking anything for granted. It's up to us now to keep it simple and stick to the basics."
Dhoni and Suresh Raina (50) earlier gave a superb display of power-hitting to help their side set a stiff target, plundering 124 runs for the fifth wicket off just 56 balls. Raina hit three sixes and four boundaries in a 26-ball knock.
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Dhoni's best came when he smashed paceman Jacob Oram for five successive fours, while Raina also punished the same bowler as he hit three sixes in an over. Oram conceded 70 runs in his nine overs.
Dhoni said India were able to achieve "a total that was above par".
Speaking about his own game, he said: "In the past few games I have been in a hurry, but my game is different. I take my time and then like to stay until the end for the slog overs. You have got to remind yourself of your strengths."
New Zealand stand-in skipper Ross Taylor said Dhoni had taken the game away from his side, adding: "Spinners are going to be a big part of the World Cup, and we have got to improve against them."
The stage for the closing-overs onslaught was set by Gautam Gambhir (89) and Virat Kohli (59), who put on 106 for the third wicket after India lost openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar for 42 runs.
Record-breaking batsman Tendulkar, who recently missed the last three one-day internationals in South Africa due to a hamstring injury and was rested against Australia, contributed just 17.
His eagerly awaited return lasted 23 balls before he was deceived by a slower one from paceman Tim Southee and bowled.
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India suffered another blow when hard-hitting Sehwag (23) was bowled by an Oram delivery that kept low, but Gambhir and Kohli steadied the innings with their sensible knocks.
Gambhir hit 11 fours in his 85-ball stay while Kohli hit seven boundaries in a 68-ball innings.
India open their World Cup campaign against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday, while New Zealand take on Kenya in their first match the following day in Chennai.
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Windies depend on seasoned trio at World Cup

Dogged by poor form and repeated squabbles with their cricket board over the last few years, West Indies are striving to rediscover the magic that won the Calypso charmers back-to-back World Cup titles in the 1970s.

Pooled in Group B, along with tournament co-hosts India and Bangladesh, England, South Africa, besides minnows Ireland and Netherlands, the Darren Sammy-led West Indies are a far cry from the all-conquering team of "Super Cat" Clive Lloyd.

Still a passage into the last eight, at the very least, remains within their grasp. However, for this to happen their top three batsmen - former skipper Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan - need to fire consistently.

The left-handed Gayle is capable of giving the Caribbeans the flying start. Sarwan and Chanderpaul - with their vast experience and ability to play spin well - should provide the solidity in the middle overs for players such as Dwayne Bravo and the hard-hitting Kieron Pollard to take advantage of.

Gayle, who a few years ago, waded into controversy by showing his disinterest in playing Test cricket, is cherishing the dream of taking the Cup back to where it belonged in the infancy of the championship.

"I'm looking forward to the tournament and the dream is to see the West Indies come out on top," he said during the team's open media session after arriving in Colombo.

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Afridi banking on Akhtar to lead bowling attack

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi is banking on ageing fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar to come up trumps for his side in their bid to lift the World Cup trophy for the first time in nearly two decades.

Afridi said Akhtar is working hard on his fitness and hoping to give his best in what could be his last World Cup.

"Let me tell you that Shoaib Akhtar is working really, really hard because he wants to be at his best in the World Cup. In terms of fitness, Shoaib may be a bit down but he is totally committed and is improving day by day," Afridi said.

"I won't be surprised if he is back at his brilliant best at the World Cup," he said ahead of Pakistan's first warm-up game against Bangladesh at Mirpur tomorrow.

The sub-continental tracks are known to assist slow bowlers and Afridi said his side could go with an extra spinner in the World Cup, starting here on February 19.

"The playing conditions would be quite different to what we encountered during our tour of New Zealand. Here we can explore the idea of playing an extra specialist spinner," Afridi said.

Along with two specialist spinners in Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman in the 15-member squad, Pakistan can also rely on Afridi and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez to add variety to their spin attack.

Afridi, however, rubbished the notion that Pakistan are going to the World Cup with a weakened pace attack and said his fast bowlers are capable of coming out with flying colours.

Pakistan's pace-attack, to be spearheaded by Akhtar, includes Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq and rookie pacer Junaid Khan, who replaced an unfit left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir in the 15-member squad.

"Besides Akhtar, we have Umar Gul who is a valuable player and match winner. I don't think that there is any cause for concern. Our team is shaping up well and the boys are all highly motivated to give their best in the World Cup," he said.

Although Pakistan are going into the World Cup with a morale-boosting ODI series victory over New Zealand but the spot-fixing scandal has left them shaken.

However, a confident Afridi said that he had full faith on his teammates and the side would just need to click together.

"I have complete confidence in my boys because each and everyone of them is a match-winner. They need to click and I'm sure they will do that in the World Cup," he said.

Pakistan play England at Fatullah on Friday in their second warm-up game before starting their World Cup campaign against Kenya in Hambantota, Sri Lanka on February 23.

Strauss backs England to win World Cup

England captain Andrew Strauss has said his side has an excellent chance of winning the World Cup in the Indian sub-continent despite a 6-1 defeat to Australia in the recent One-day series.

Strauss said England were not tired despite playing for over three months at a stretch and his boys were now "motivated and excited" to play the International Cricket Council's showpiece event starting on Saturday.

"We have had a lot of very good one day cricket for the last 18 months or so. We did not play so well in Australia, which is disappointing to us. But we've got a solid squad, a settled side," Strauss said in the Bangladeshi capital.

"We really feel we can do very well in the tournament. We are excited about it," he said, adding: "We here to win it, obviously - no doubt about that. I think we feel like we have got excellent chance."

The English captain said triumph in last year's World Twenty-20 cricket has boosted the team's confidence even though the side has not won a World Cup despite appearing in three finals since the event begun in 1975.

"I think that the guys took a lot of confidence from the fact that we won the World Twenty-20. And so the guys know that they can do it on the big stage under pressure, which is an important hurdle to overcome as a side," he said.

"I think we got some pretty firm ideas on the type of cricket we want to play. But the batsmen need to get themselves in form."

Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad and Ajmal Shahzad, all members of the World Cup squad, plus Chris Tremlett, who is a reserve, missed all or part of the One-day series in Australia.

But Strauss said he'll have a fully-fit side ahead of their first World Cup fixture against the Netherlands in Nagpur on February 22. "Our injury situation is getting better every day. We don't have got any real long term concern for the players we have here," he said.

He said Eoin Morgan, ruled out with a broken finger would be missed as he was a "standout performer" for the side in recent series but his replacement Ravi Bopara can fill up the gap as he played in the Indian Premier League and knows the conditions in Sri Lanka.

England's collapse in the One-dayers took the shine off their Ashes triumph but Strauss said instead of being "tired" due to the gruelling schedule, the series had given some players to get fit.

"The conditions here are very different. I think we got a lot of in-built confidence from the cricket we played for the last 18 months, not just One-day cricket, but Test cricket as well," he added.

The 33-year-old batsman, who started his international career in Bangladesh, said any team which qualifies for the knock-out stage has the chance of winning the World Cup.

"So the first step along the route is to get through the group stages. Play some good consistent cricket during that group phase and then it's about handling the pressure," he said.

He said India and Sri Lanka - co-hosts along with Bangladesh - are the favourites. "I don't think there is a huge amount of expectation on our shoulders. I think most of the expectation falls on the shoulders of the Indian team, maybe Sri Lanka," he said.

Chawla will also have to contribute with bat: Dhoni

Piyush Chawla spun India to victory against Australia with four wickets in the warm-up game, but his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the leg-spinner will also have to perform with the bat if he wants to play a vital role in the World Cup.

Dhoni said it was heartening to see Chawla (4/31) bowl but reminded the leggie that he was included in the 15-member World Cup team as a spinning all-rounder.

"It was good to see Piyush (Chawla) among wickets but he needs to contribute with the bat as well. If he can contribute 15-20 runs with the bat it will be very helpful for the side," Dhoni said after India beat Australia by 38 runs in a warm-up game.

"But as a specialist spinner he has done really well," he said of Chawla, whose inclusion in the 15-member Indian World Cup squad was hotly debated.

Stating that there has been healthy competition in the team for places in the playing eleven, Dhoni said performance of the middle-order still remains a concern going into the mega event.

"It's a bit of headache whom to play and whom not to play with the kind of talent we have in the team but it is good for the team. We need a good start and the middle-order need to contribute," he insisted.

"The positive thing from the match is that only two batsmen contributed and we still scored 214 runs. The performances of spinners are also a positive that has come out," Dhoni said.

He also lauded right-arm pacer S Sreesanth for his fiery spell upfront. "It was good to see Sreesanth bowl really well," Dhoni said.

India ended on the winning side but Dhoni said the Chinnaswamy track it was not the ideal wicket for One-day cricket.

"It was a tough wicket to bat. Initially the ball was coming onto to the bat when the pacers were bowling but then it started to spin big. It is a dream wicket for Test cricket," he opined.

The Indian captain also informed that there was nothing to worry about Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan who did not play today as they are suffering from minor niggles.

"Sachin and Zaheer had very minor niggles, nothing serious. Sachin will probably play the next warm-up match (against New Zealand in Chennai on February 16) but Zaheer we will have to see. If he (Zaheer) is 100 per cent fit he will definitely play otherwise he won't because we want him for the first World Cup game," Dhoni said.

Australia crash to Indian spin in World Cup warm-up

World Cup 2011
Piyush Chawla spun India to a remarkable 38-run win over defending champions Australia in a high-profile World Cup warm-up match on Sunday.

The leg-spinner took 4-31 as Australia collapsed to 176 chasing a modest 215-run target, after being strongly placed at 118-1 in the day-night match before a sizeable crowd at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Chawla, 22, also upstaged Australian paceman Brett Lee, who earlier gave a superb exhibition of fast bowling to rock India and finish with 3-35 off 10 impressive overs.

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting, who missed a recent home one-day series against England due to a finger injury, top-scored with a solid 57 off 85 balls with four boundaries.

The tourists' chances receded sharply after the dismissal of their captain, stumped while attempting to slog-sweep off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (3-15), who brilliantly supported Chawla.

Ponting and Indian fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth exchanged words after an appeal for caught behind was turned down in early stages of the Australian skipper's knock.

There was no hint of collapse following fine knocks from openers Shane Watson (33) and Tim Paine (37). Paine added 51 for the opening wicket with Watson and 67 for the next with his captain.

But Chawla started the slide with Michael Clarke's dismissal for a duck as the tourists lost their last nine wickets for 58 runs, with spinners doing the maximum damage.

Lee was in the limelight in the first session, dismissing Suresh Raina (12), Harbhajan and Chawla in his second spell to prove he is bang in form for the World Cup, which starts February 19.

Lee was backed by John Hastings (2-24). Australia's only bowling concern was 25 runs they conceded in wides, with off-song paceman Mitchell Johnson giving away 10.

Hard-hitting opener Virender Sehwag gave a good account of himself in India's below-par batting performance, top-scoring with a 56-ball 54 with one six and eight fours.

He fell soon after reaching his half-century with a six over long-off, inside-edging off-spinner Jason Krejza's delivery on to his stumps. India, who rested batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar, struggled against pace.

Yusuf Pathan (32), Ravichandran Ashwin (25 not out) and Virat Kohli (21) were the only other batsmen to cross the 20-mark.

Play for India to win World Cup, not for Tendulkar: Waugh

Australia's cricket great Steve Waugh says Indian players should not be talking of winning the World Cup for Sachin Tendulkar because that's not the 'right attitude,' as the game is bigger than any individual.

'They should think of winning the World Cup for the team, most importantly for the country,' said Waugh on the sidelines of a event here Friday when asked what he thought of many Indian players parroting that they want to win the World Cup for Tendulkar.

'I don't think it is the right attitude. You cannot think of winning the World Cup for one player. The game is bigger than any individual. You have to win it for each other. I am sure that even Sachin Tendulkar will like to win it for the team and the country. Yes, if India win the World Cup it will cap off a brilliant career,' said the former Australia captain.

Waugh said Tendulkar would play a crucial role in the tournament. 'Tendulkar may not be the star of the tournament, but he is going to play a crucial for India. When you need to take control of the game or stop the opposition, he would play a major part. His inputs will be invaluable.'

Tendulkar, who will be playing in his sixth World Cup, came close to winning it in 2003 when India lost the final.

Tendulkar, an inspiration for every Indian: Dravid

Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid was on Thursday, all praise for star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, saying that he was an inspiration for every Indian. He said this at the launch of the book 'Sach', based on Tendulkar's life, written by sports journalist, Gautam Bhattacharya.
Also present at the ceremony were, captain of the Indian Cricket team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Anil Kumble and Gary Kirsten, coach of the Indian team.

icc-cricket-world-cup-2011-schedule

World Cup 2011 Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Timing	Teams	Venue	Results
Sat Feb 19 (D/N) 14:00 PM	1st match Group B - India v Bangladesh	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Sun Feb 20 09:30 AM	2nd match Group A- Kenya v New Zealand	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Sun Feb 20 (D/N) 14:30 PM	3rd match Group A- Sri Lanka v Canada	Hambantota International Cricket Stadium
Mon Feb 21 (D/N) 14:30 PM	4th match Group A - Australia v Zimbabwe	Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Tue Feb 22 (D/N) 14:30 PM	5th match Group B- England v Netherlands	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur
Wed Feb 23 (D/N) 14:30 PM	6th match Group A - Kenya v Pakistan	Hambantota International Cricket Stadium
Thu Feb 24 (D/N) 14:30 PM	7th match Group B- South Africa v West Indies	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Fri Feb 25 09:30 AM	9th match Group A- Australia v New Zealand	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur
Fri Feb 25 (D/N) 14:00 PM	8th match Group B- Bangladesh v Ireland	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Sat Feb 26 (D/N) 14:30 PM	10th match Group A- Pakistan v Sri Lanka	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sun Feb 27 (D/N) 14:30PM	11th match Group B - India v England	Venue TBC
Mon Feb 28 09:30 AM	12th match Group A- Canada v Zimbabwe	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur
Mon Feb 28 (D/N) 14:30 PM	13th match Group B- Netherlands v West Indies	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Tue Mar 1 (D/N) 14:30 PM	14th match Group A- Kenya v Sri Lanka	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Wed Mar 2 (D/N) 14:30 PM	15th match Group B - England v Ireland	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Thu Mar 3 09:30 AM	16th match Group B- Netherlands v South Africa	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Thu Mar 3 (D/N) 14:30 PM	17th match Group A- Canada v Pakistan	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Fri Mar 4 09:30 AM	18th match Group A - New Zealand v Zimbabwe	Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Fri Mar 4 (D/N) 14:00 PM	19th match Group B- Bangladesh v West Indies	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Sat Mar 5 (D/N) 14:30 PM	20th match Group A - Australia v Sri Lanka	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sun Mar 6 09:30 AM	21st match Group B- England v South Africa	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Sun Mar 6 (D/N) 14:30 PM	22nd match Group B - India v Ireland	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Mon Mar 7 (D/N) 14:30 PM	23rd match Group A- Canada v Kenya	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Tue Mar 8 (D/N) 14:30 PM	24th match Group A- New Zealand v Pakistan	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Wed Mar 9 (D/N) 14:30 PM	25th match Group B- India v Netherlands	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Thu Mar 10 (D/N) 14:30 PM	26th match Group A - Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Fri Mar 11 09:30 AM	27th match Group B- Ireland v West Indies	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Fri Mar 11 (D/N) 14:00 PM	28th match Group B - Bangladesh v England	Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
Sat Mar 12 (D/N) 14:30 PM	29th match Group B- India v South Africa	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur
Sun Mar 13 09:30 AM	30th match Group A - Canada v New Zealand	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sun Mar 13 (D/N) 14:30 PM	31st match Group A- Australia v Kenya	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Mon Mar 14 09:00 AM	32nd match Group B- Bangladesh v Netherlands	Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
Mon Mar 14 (D/N) 14:30 PM	33rd match Group A- Pakistan v Zimbabwe	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Tue Mar 15 (D/N) 14:30 PM	34th match Group B- Ireland v South Africa	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Wed Mar 16 (D/N) 14:30 PM	35th match Group A - Australia v Canada	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Thu Mar 17 (D/N) 14:30 PM	36th match Group B - England v West Indies	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Fri Mar 18 09:30 AM	37th match Group B - Ireland v Netherlands	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Fri Mar 18 (D/N) 14:30 PM	38th match Group A- New Zealand v Sri Lanka	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sat Mar 19 09:00 AM	39th match Group B- Bangladesh v South Africa	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Sat Mar 19 (D/N) 14:30 PM	40th match Group A- Australia v Pakistan	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sun Mar 20 09:30 AM	41st match Group A- Kenya v Zimbabwe	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sun Mar 20 (D/N) 14:30 PM	42nd match Group B - India v West Indies	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Wed Mar 23 (D/N) 14:00 PM	1st Quarter Final – A1 v B4	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Thu Mar 24 (D/N) 14:30 PM	2nd Quarter Final – A2 v B3	Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Fri Mar 25 (D/N) 14:00 PM	3rd Quarter Final – A3 v B2	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Sat Mar 26 (D/N) 14:30 PM	4th Quarter Final – A4 v B1	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Tue Mar 29 (D/N) 14:30 PM	Semi Final – Winner of 1st QF v Winenr of 3rd QF	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Wed Mar 30 (D/N) 14:30 PM	Semi Final – Winner of 2nd QF v Winner of 4th QF	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Sat Apr 2 (D/N) 14:30 PM	Final - TBC v TBC	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai