ICC T20 World cup champion England is one of the hot favourites to win 2011 Oneday cricket world cup in sub-continent. T20 World cup win boosted the morale of England's underachievers. 2011 Cricket world cup – England squad analysis: Current ICC one day Ranking: 5 Coach: Andy Flower Captain: Andrew Strauss Crucial players: Graeme Swann, Anderson, Kevin Pietersen & Eoin Morgan Missing players: Alastair Cook, Chris Tremlett, Owais Shah & Steven Davies Group A: England, India, South Africa, West Indies, Bangladesh, Netherlands & Ireland Qualification: Directly qualified basing on ICC ranking. World cup history: England was the most consistent performer at world cups until 1992. It lost to West Indies, Australia and Pakistan in the finals of 1979, 1987 & 1992 world cups respectively. Indian cricket fans may never forget the wonderful final match at Eden Gardens between Mike Gatting's England and Allan Border's Australia in Reliance World cup. But, England struggled in 1999, 2003 and 2007 world cups. England team for 2011 Cricket World Cup: S.NoCricketer NameAgeICC RankState Batsmen: 1.Andrew Strauss 18 2.Jonathan Trott 43 3.Ian Bell 47 4.Kevin Pietersen 40 5.Eoin Morgan 17 All-rounders: 1.Tim Bresnan 26 & 46 Yorkshire 2.Paul Collingwood 19 & 66 3. Luke Wright 26 Sussex 4. Michael Yardy 30 Sussex Wicket-Keepers: 1.Matt Prior Bowlers: 1.James Anderson 9 2.Stuart Broad 6 3.Graeme Swann 3 4.James Tredwell 29 5.Ajmal Shahzad Schedule of England world cup matches: 1. February 22: Vs Netherlands at VCA stadium in Nagpur 2. Febraury 27: Vs India at Eden Gardens in Kolkata - most crucial game. 3. March 2: Vs Ireland at Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore 4. March 6: Vs South Africa at MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai 5. March 11: Vs Bangladesh in Chittagong 6. March 17: Vs West Indies in Chennai Strengths: Best pace attack, Best spinner & in-form batsmen Weaknesses: Young batsmen's inexperience of playing on the Indian pitches Our rating for England team: 8/10 Our prediction for England in 2011 World Cup: England is a serious contender to win world cup after a long time. England will reach semi-finals and any thing can happen at that stage. Over-confidence of Mike Gatting (can you forget that sweet shot?) costed them against Australia in the Reliance world cup final at Eden gardens in 1987. England may not repeat such mistakes. Please share your views on England cricket squad. … [Read more...]
New Zealand squad
New Zealand has reasonably good record at Cricket world cup tournaments but its form in one day matches is not giving enough confidence. But, team has very good one day players but Kiwis are struggling to play like a unit. New Zealand and arch rival Australia are placed in the same group. 2011 Cricket world cup – New Zealand team analysis: Current ICC one day Ranking: 7 Coach: Bowling coach: Allan Donald (South Africa) Captain: Daniel Vettori Crucial players: Daniel Vettori, Jacob Oram, Ross Taylor & Dangerous McCullum. Missing players: Daryl Tuffey, Andy McKay, Peter McGlashan & Grant Elliott Group A: New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Kenya & Canada Qualification: Directly qualified basing on ICC one day team ranking. World cup history: New Zealand never reached finals in the World Cup. Best performance was at home in 1991-92 world cup (Can you forget Martin Crowe batting & Mark Greatbatch hitting?) New Zealand team for 2011 Cricket World Cup: S.NoCricketer NameAgeICC RankState Batsmen: 1.Jesse Ryder 85 2.Martin Guptill 52 3.Ross Taylor 24 4.Scott Styris 34 All-rounders: 1.Jacob Oram 69 & 11 2.Daniel Vettori 99 & 1 3. James Franklin 153&106 Wellington 4. Luke Woodcock 28 - Wellington Wicket-Keepers: 1.Brendon McCullum 29 2. Jamie How 94 Central Districts Bowlers: 1.Kyle Mills 16 2.Tim Southee 54 3.Nathan McCullum 111 Otago 4.Hamish Bennett 247 Canterbury 5.Kane Williamson 228 Schedule of New Zealand world cup matches: 1. February 20: Vs Kenya at MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai 2. Febraury 25: Vs Australia at VCA stadium in Nagpur 3. March 4: Vs Zimbabwe at Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad 4. March 8: Vs Pakistan in Kandy 5. March 13: Vs Canada at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai 6. March 18: Vs Sri Lanka in Mumbai Strengths: One day specialists & World class all-rounders -Daniel Vettori & Jacob Oram Weaknesses: Poor form & lack of consistency Our rating for New Zealand team: 6.5/10 Our prediction for New Zealand in 2011 World Cup: Due to format of this world cup, New Zealand may reach quarter-finals. Unless dangerous players like McCullum will come out with special innings, New Zealand will lose to India/South Africa/England in the quarter-finals. If one-day specialists regain form, New Zealand can surprise opponents by reaching semi-finals. Please share your views on New Zealand cricket team. … [Read more...]
South Africa
South Africa's tryst with Cricket world cup illustrates the importance of mental strength in competitive cricket. South Africa reached semi-finals in its first world cup appearance in 1991-92 but lost to England in the semi-finals (thanks to duckworth-Lewis method). But, South Africans lost to Australia in the semi-finals of 1999 world cup due to lack of mental strength. South Africa is a perennial favourite but rarely wins crucial matches in the major tournaments. They are working hard to claim the "Chokers" tag at every major cricket tournament. In football, Spain and Holland also used to buckle under pressure in crucial games at FIFA World cup. But, South Africans can take inspiration from Spaniards who overcame this weakness and won in 2010 Soccer world cup held in South Africa. If these "Chokers" play to their potential, they can win title in 2011 Cricket world cup. ICC Rankings Highlight: World's top 2 oneday batsmen are South Africans. Best wicket-keeper batsman is a South African. 2011 Cricket world cup – South African team analysis: Current ICC one day Ranking: 4 Coach: Corrie van Zyl Captain: Graeme Smith Crucial players: Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla & AB De Villiers Missing players: Mark Boucher, Herschelle Gibbs, Justin Kemp & David Miller Group B: South Africa, India, England, Bangladesh, West Indies, Ireland & Netherlands. Qualification: Directly qualified basing on ICC Oneday team team rankings. World cup history: South Africa caught the attention of cricket world with a series of outstanding performances (who can forget Jhonty Rhodes fielding?) in its first world cup (1991-92) but failed to replicate those heroics. But, they played crucial role in raising the fielding standards in International cricket. South African squad for 2011 Cricket World Cup: S.NoCricketer NameAgeRankState/City Batsmen: 1.Graeme Smith 30 16 Johannesburg 2.Hashim Amla 27 1 Durban 3.JP Duminy 26 25 Cape Town 4.Faf du Plessis 26 Pretoria 5.Colin Ingram 25 155 Port Elizabeth All-rounders: 1.Jacques Kallis 35 9 & 53 Cape Town 2. Johan Botha 28 Johannesburg Wicket-Keepers: 1.AB de Villiers 27 2 Pretoria 2. Morne van Wyk Bowlers: 1.Dale Steyn 27 17 Phalaborwa 2.Morne Morkel 26 12 Transvaal 3.Lonwabo Tsotsobe 27 49 Port Elizabeth 4.Wayne Parnell 21 62 Port Elizabeth 5.Imran Tahir 31 - 6. Robin Petersen 31 Port Elizabeth Schedule of South Africa's world cup matches: 1. February 24: Vs West Indies at Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi 2. March 3: Vs netherlands at PCA stadium in Mohali 3. March 6: Vs England at MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai 4. March 12: Vs India at Vidarbha stadium in Nagpur - Must watch match. 5. March 15: Vs Ireland at Eden Gardens in Kolkata 6. March 19: Vs Bangladesh in Dhaka Strengths: Consistent batsmen, best wicket-keeper batsman & Dale Steyn Weaknesses: Poor spinners & lack of backup batsmen. Our rating for South African world cup squad: 8/10 Our prediction for South Africa in 2011 World Cup: South Africa has wonderful batsmen who can play even on dusty turning tracks. But, who will bowl out opposition on these tracks? South Africa will easily reach semi-finals and may reach finals if they play semi-final in Mohali. "Chokers" may try their best to remove that unwanted tag. Please share your views on South African cricket team. … [Read more...]
Australia squad
Australia is the most successful team in the history of ICC Cricket world cup. Australia won the world cup in 1987, 1999, 2003 & 2007 and lost in the finals in 1975 & 1996. It is famous for making stunning bounce back from the edge of elimination. Who will forget its "spectacular recovery" in 1999 & 2003 world cups? Who forget its "assassination of India" in the finals of 2003 world cup? Never underestimate these Australians irrespective of form. 2011 Cricket world cup – Australian team analysis: Current ICC one day Ranking: 1 Coach: Tim Nielsen Captain: Ricky Ponting Crucial players: Shane Watson, Michael Hussey & Doug Bollinger. Missing stars: Clint McKay, Shaun Marsh, Ryan Harris, Brad Hodge, Xavier Doherty & Peter Siddle Group A: Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya Qualification: Australia is a top ranked ODI team in the world and also defending Champion. World cup hisotry: Australia won the Cricket world cup in 1987, 1999, 2003 & 2007 by defeating England, Pakistan, India & Sri Lanka respectively. Australia lost to Arjuna Ranatunga's Sri Lankans in the finals of 1996 world cup at Lahore. No looking back since then. In sub-continent world cups, Australia won in 1987 (Reliance world cup) and lost in the finals in 1996 (Wills world cup). Australian squad for 2011 Cricket World Cup: S.NoCricketer NameAgeICC RankState Batsmen: 1.Ricky Ponting 36 11 Tasmania 2.Michael Hussey 35 3 Western Australia 3.Michael Clarke 29 15 New South Wales 4.David Hussey 33 - Western Australia 5. Michael Hussey All-rounders: 1.Shane Watson 29 21 & 26Queensland 2.Cameron White 27 23 & 194Victoria 3. John Hastings 25 339&237 Victoria/NSW 4. Steven Smith 21 176&158 New South Wales Wicket-Keepers: 1.Brad Haddin 33 45 New South Wales 2. Tim Paine 26 94 Tasmania Bowlers: 1.Shaun Tait 28 43 South Africa2.Brett Lee 34 37 New South Wales 3.Mitchell Johnson 29 21 Queensland 4.Nathan Hauritz 29 31 Queensland Schedule of Australia's world cup matches: 1. February 21: Vs Zimbabwe at Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad. 2. Febraury 25: Vs New Zealand at VCA stadium in Nagpur. 3. March 5: Vs Sri Lanka in Colombo - Must watch match. 4. March 13: Vs Kenya at Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore. 5. March 16: Vs Canada at Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore. 6. March 19: Vs Pakistan in Colombo - Must watch game. Strengths: All-rounders (especially Shane Watson) & good pace attack. Weaknesses: Inconsistent batting & Poor spinners. Our rating for Australian team: 9/10 Our prediction for Australia in 2011 World Cup: Australia may easily reach semi-finals but absence of quality spinners (who will forget Shane Warne's performance against West Indies in the semi-finals in 1996 world cup?) is its biggest problem along with inconsistent batsmen. Can all-rounders compensate these weaknesses? Forget about form - never underestimate these Australian fighters. Please share your views on Australian cricket team. … [Read more...]
Teams
2011 Cricket World Cup: Teams and Groups Hosts: India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Schedule: February 19 - April 2, 2011 Total number of games: 49 Group AGroup B Australia India Sri Lanka Engalnd Pakistan South Africa New Zealand West Indies Zimbabwe Bangladesh Canada Ireland Kenya Netherlands 2011 Cricket World Cup format: Top 4 teams from each group will reach quarterfinals/knockout round. Winners of 4 quarterfinal games will reach semi-finals. 2011 Cricket World Cup matches and venues: India will host 29 world cup matches at 8 cricket venues. Sri Lanka will host 8 cricket matches at 3 venues. Bangladesh will host 8 cricket matches at 2 venues. Predictability of Quarterfinalists and emergence of T20 cricket may dampen spirits of organisers and audience. But, Cricket matches always attract lot of attention in the sub-continent. This is the last world cup for lot of star cricketers from sub-continent. … [Read more...]
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