Sunday, January 30, 2011

World Cup 2011: A preview of Team Australia

With ICC Cricket World Cup round the corner, here is a preview of team Australia.

THE SQUAD

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

4th IN A ROW ??

After dominating two World cup campaigns and bagging 4th world title in 2007, Australia should be the hot favourite coming into the tournament, but somewhere down the line even a die hard Aussie fan would be thinking, are they really the favourites ??

THE HOPE

Aussies always had the services of the best openers of a particular era in each of their World Cup triumphs, but this time around the opening pair is the biggest concern the Australian outfit faces. Shane Watson has most definitely cemented his place and even 40 per cent comparison to great Mark Waugh won’t hurt here.

Watson is an asset for Australia if sub-continent pitches are taken into consideration. He always had the power and technique to play up front but what makes him the lethal weapon for the Aussies is his maturity and the level of understanding he has developed for the game. And moreover, he is no schmuck with the ball either.

Mr. Cricket, Mike Hussey would be the biggest hope for Ricky Ponting in this World Cup. Since his late debut in 2004 in ODI’s he has never looked back. If Ricky Pointing and Adam Gilchrist were the big match players for Aussies, this time around it would be Mr. Cricket, Michael Hussey. Provided he gets fit before the world cup after his surgery.

Mitchell Johnson for me would be the spearhead of this bowling attack though its boosts the like of Lee and Bollinger. For me the best opening bowlers for Australia are Johnson and Bollinger.

THE WORRIES

Well, lot of worries for sure and to start of with, it’s the batting, Watson is yet to find a solid opening partner. Brad Haddin, though in the recent series against England is trying very hard to fill in the boots of Adam Gilchrist. His short yet effective run a ball innings is hurting England but same cannot be said once he reaches the subcontinent. Also, Tim Paine the second wicketkeeper and attacking batsmen seems to be more stable but he hasn’t proved much to earn a World cup game. Omission of David Warner is baffling.

In the bowling department, Brett Lee and Shaun Tait are like the Pandora’s Box, the two fastest bowlers, one a proven match winner but coming from a long injury lay off and the other like a jet without radar could be a risky gamble taken by the selectors. Siddle would have made more sense than Shaun Tait.

SURPRISE ELEMENT

Steven Smith and Nathan Hauritz are the lesser known faces in the Australian setup. Hauritz, though vastly experienced and being a spinner could be decisive in sub continent. He is miserly as he looks but wicket taking abilities are a question mark.

Steven Smith on the other hand would double up as an all rounder. He has shown great temperament and can hit the ball real hard and his leg break could be very effective in placid wickets.

Equally good would be Cameron White. He can very well be equated to Yusuf Pathan, a notch higher maybe.

John Hastings selection keeping in mind Australia already had 3 all rounders is a bit confusing. But Hastings credentials in domestic circuit and his immaculate bowling performances in death overs is probably why he is in the squad. Though, Warner could have been there instead of Hastings.

CHANCES

Four time World Champions, you just cannot shrug them of even if they have a bad day at the office. Clearly not the favourites but much better than dark horses, 3rd in line to take the trophy I may say.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Team India Profile

HUNDRED OF millions Indian Cricket fans are praying for the team India to hold World Cup Cricket trophy after a long span of 28 years. India won last world cup tournament in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. However, India reached the final of 2003 World Cup in South Africa.
The young Indian team is playing good cricket since last few years under the captaincy of MS Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten. Sachin Tendulkar, who is the only cricketer who has scored double hundred in ODIs, is playing his record sixth World Cup tournament.  
Out of fifteen members Indian squad for the ICC World Cup Cricket 2011, eight are playing their first World Cup. Ten members of Indian team are still under 30 and five are even not of 25 years. Here is the profile of Indian squad for the ICC World Cup Cricket 2011:

Friday, January 21, 2011

ICC World Cup 'trophy' is also a star attraction

IT IS not that any only  handsome players or cheer leaders or a team is a star attraction in ICC World Cup. At the end of the day, it is the trophy which steals the show. From year 1975 to 1983, when the Prudential plc was the primary sponsors, the Prudential Cup trophy was awarded to the winners of the World Cup.

From 1999, the design of the World Cup trophy changed with change of sponsors. In the history of cricket world cup,  first three world cups had a similar trophy while 1987, 1992 and 1996 had different trophies due to different sponsors.

In 1999, International Cricket Council decided to award its own trophy and it is the first permanent prize in the tournament's history. Since, then ICC  Trophy has been designed and produced in London by Garrard & Co (the Crown Jewelers) and its team of artisans.

There are many new features in the ICC World cup trophy. The current trophy is made from silver and gold, 60 cm high and weighs approximately 11 kilograms. The main attraction is golden globe held by three silver columns. These three columns shaped as stumps and bails also represent three fundamentals aspects of cricket: which is batting, bowling and fielding. The big golden globe characterizes a cricket ball. Other attraction is that it is designed with platonic dimensions, so that it can be easily recognized from any angle.

In addition, all the previous world cup winners and their team names have inscribed on its base. Original trophy is kept at Dubai Office of ICC. A duplicate trophy resembling the original ICC Champions Trophy is given to the winning cricket team of the world cup.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony will take place at Dhaka, Bangladesh on Thursday, February 17th 2011 and the opening cricket match will also be held on Saturday, February 19th 2011 between India vs Bangladesh.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 (ICC CWC 2011) of Central Organizing Committee (COC) declared the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 opening ceremony place and date.

2011 Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony in Bangladesh and Countdown to ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

2011 Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony in Bangladesh

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony Live Telecast on Thursday, February 17th 2011.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony Tickets Prices.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Mindstorm Studios develops official game for ICC’s Cricket World Cup 2011

Mindstorm Studios announced today that it is developing the Official Game for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, an event followed religiously by over a billion fans around the globe.

Cricket Power

The game, “Cricket Power” (www.cricketpower.com), is set to be the most advanced 3D browser cricket game developed to date. It will feature all 14 official teams along with official players, stadiums and kits. The game will be powered by a superior cricket engine at its core, coupled with a pick-up-and-play interface to appeal to casual and core gamers alike.

“We are extremely excited about developing the official game for ICC’s Cricket World Cup 2011″ said Babar Ahmed, CEO Mindstorm Studios. “Cricket has long been a subject closely linked to our organization and we are thrilled to take it to the next level.”

Ad Review: Pepsi seeks to ‘Change the Game’ for Cricket World Cup 2011

The ICC Cricket World Cup fever is back. Riding high on the cricket wave is Pepsi and now that it is also an official sponsor, the cola major celebrates the new unorthodox yet immensely popular face of modern cricket with a new campaign, titled ‘Change the Game’.

The campaign has been conceptualized by Taproot India, who has been appointed to handle the World Cup campaign for Pepsi. However, JWT India continues to be the creative partner for PepsiCo India.

Client: PepsiCo India
Brand: Pepsi
Agency: Taproot India
Medium: Television

The Brief:
It’s all about change and so is with the sport ‘Cricket’. According to PepsiCo India, their tagline – ‘Change the Game’ – is not a notion but a reality that is reflected in the way cricket is played, watched and enjoyed the world over and in India today. Through the metaphor of cricket, it salutes the Youngistaanis, who within themselves have found the power to defy tradition and pave their own way by not breaking the rules, but by changing them.

Explaining the objective, Deepika Warrier, Marketing Director, PepsiCo Beverages, India, said, “Pepsi has always been closely associated with youth platforms such as cricket; and ICC Cricket World Cup is the single biggest event that unifies millions of passionate Youngistaanis. Our ‘Change the Game’ campaign celebrates the same passion and the new age mantra of cricket, which is irreverent, unorthodox, fun, challenging and unmistakably Pepsi.”

She further said, “PepsiCo is one of the global sponsors of the ICC Cricket World Cup and we have created an innovative package for brand Pepsi to leverage this mega event. We are confident that the campaign thought of ‘Change the Game’ will appeal to the youth and inspire them to be the game changers in their own lives.”

Speaking on the thought process of the campaign, Agnello Dias, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder, Taproot India, said, “Pepsi has always been the fearless voice of uninhibited youth; a belief that needed to be interpreted even as the official partner of the event. Only Pepsi could turn this official status on its head by standing up for the brave new, unorthodox face of the modern game. The unplugged, organic face of contemporary cricket is a reflective of everything that the youth of today live by. That it’s not the textbook that matters, but the result is at the end of the day, because the game can always change.”

The Execution:
Featuring some of the cricketing world’s biggest superstars, the campaign includes a series of ad films that will showcase out-of-the-box moves that are not text-book and yet help achieve the ultimate goal. Irreverent and youthful in spirit, these films promise to bring alive the passion Youngistaanis share for the game, both on and off the field. The first film as part of the campaign revolves around Indian team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s famous game changing move – the Helicopter Shot.

The campaign is produced by Corcoise Films and directed by Prasoon Pandey.

The Final Product:
Supporting the on-air initiatives is the eye-catching off-air campaign with cricketers in a never-seen-before painted body look. The new body painted look is youthful, fresh and symbolic of the individual player’s passion for the game. Covered only with a layer of colourful body paint, the cricketers’ images reflect their energetic and unique persona on the field. Each design and choice of colour palette has a story behind it, which mirrors the athlete’s character.

The campaign is being launched across various mediums and channels to ensure complete 3D activation across all verticals. It will be supported by a 360-degree approach, including thematic ATL and outdoor, consumer engagement programmes, special edition packaging, in-stadia amplification and digital engagement programmes.

Xpert Comments:
So, how does the industry professional view the latest TVC? Nilesh Vaidya, Executive Creative Director, Euro RSCG India, commented, “A watchable film, but didn’t really surprise. In fact, the only thing that got me thinking was the sign-off. Will Coke do a ‘nothing official about it’ number now?”

Our Take:
It’s the Cricket World Cup and knowing how cricket-crazy Indians are, one can only expect a World Cup campaign being larger than life, especially when it comes to a cola major like Pepsi. However, though ‘Change the Game’ idea is fresh, somewhere the X-factor is missing. But here’s hoping that the overall 360 campaign has some good surprises in store.

Read More >> ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, ICC Cricket World Cup,  ICC Cricket World Cup Schedule

Monday, January 17, 2011

Indian squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 announced

THE BOARD of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today announced the 15-man final squad for the world's biggest cricketing event ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Chief selector of BCCI selection committee, Kris Srikkanth and the three other members of the committee picked the team in Chennai this afternoon. MS Dhoni has retained his position as the captain and Virender Sehwag was selected as vice captain.

In the 15-man squad of team India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the surprising entrant in the team is abandoned spinner Piyush Chawla. However, young batsman Rohit Sharma and pacer S. Sreesanth missed the train. Selectors have picked eight batsmen, four fast bowlers and three spinners.

The Indian team for the World Cup Cricket 2011 tournament includes MS Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag(vice capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, R. Ashwin, Piyush Chawla, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar.

Master blaster and legend of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar will be playing his sixth world cup and will equal the record of former Pakistani captain and batsman Javed Miandad. Miandad has played all the world cups from 1975 to 1996.

India, one of the top contenders of Cricket World Cup 2011 is placed in group 'B' with South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Netherlands and Ireland. During the 43 days long event, a total of 49 matches including semi finals and final matches will be played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The 10th edition of the World Cup Cricket is going to start from February 19 at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka whereas the final will be played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2.

Three spinners in India's World Cup squad, Rohit Sharma dropped

India included three spinners and dropped Rohit Sharma in their final 15-member squad for the ICC cricket World Cup selected by the five-member selection panel led by K Srikanth in Chennai on Monday.

The list of 30 probables were pruned to half and no big star is left out of the final squad for the mega-event starting February 19.

The top-seven of the Indian batting-order -- Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni -- are in the team as expected and Yusuf Pathan take the all-rounder's berth.

The inspirational Zaheer Khan lead the pace attack and his pacer partners will be the trio of Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar. S Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma failed to make the cut.

Harbhajan Singh will spearhead the slow bowling department with Piyush Chawla and R Ashwin as his spin partner. Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha were also vying for the slot.

Just a day before the selection meeting, doubts have arisen over Sachin Tendulkar's availability after he pulled out of the remainder of the ODI series in South Africa as a precautionary measure after sustaining a hamstring injury during Saturday's second match.

But going by indications, the injury is not serious and Tendulkar will be making his sixth World Cup appearance.

Squad

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

Selectors to pick team India for World Cup Cricket 2011 today

THE CHAIRMAN of the national cricket selection committee, K Srikanth and the three other members of the committee have arrived Chennai to pick the final squad for the biggest cricketing event, ICC World Cup Cricket 2011. The national selectors will select the 15-member Team India out of 30 probables. BCCI announced a 30-man preliminary squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on December 18.
According to ICC, all the participating nations will have to announce the final squad of 15 players by the 19th of January. The 43 days long Cricket World Cup is going to start from February 19 at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka between India and Bangladesh.
According to the sources, selectors will select eight to nine batsmen and one extra wicketkeeper. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the Team India in the World Cup 2011. Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Virat Kohli are sure to get the berth in World Cup side.
As far as second wicketkeeper is concerned, the fight is between Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik. Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, S Sreesanth, Praveen Kumar, R Vinay Kumar and Ishant Sharma will vie in the pace department. Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra, R Ashwin and Piyush Chawla will contest in the spin department.

Monday, January 10, 2011

BCCI announces 30 probables for 2011 World Cup team

THE BOARD of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today announced a 30-man preliminary squad for the biggest cricketing event, ICC World Cup Cricket 2011. The Cricket World Cup is going to start from February 19 at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka and it is being jointly organised by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The mega final of the 2011 World Cup cricket  tournament will be played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2.


BCCI selection committee members headed by chief selector Kris Srikkanth and other members picked a 30-man preliminary squad today. According to ICC rules, all the participating nations will have to announce probable list before Sunday December 19 and the final squad of 15 players will have to be announced by the 19th of next month.


The 30-man preliminary squad includes MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Murali Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Saurabh Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Parthiv Patel , R Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha, Dinesh Karthik, Shikhar Dhawan, Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla, Cheteshwar Pujara, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar.


In the 43 days long event, fourteen countries including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, England, Zimbabwe, Netherlands, Ireland, Kenya and Canada, will play a total of 49 matches including semi- finals and final matches.

Read More >> ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC Cricket World Cup Schedule

Team India match schedule during ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

THE BIGGEST cricketing event of the year, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is going to kickoff from February 19 with the inaugural match between India and Bangladesh at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. Fourteen cricket playing nations including ten test playing countries are participating in this mega event.
India, one of the top contenders of Cricket World Cup 2011, have already announced their probable squads. According to the rules, final fifteen members squad will have to be announced on or before January 19. During the 43 days long event a total of 49 matches will be played including semi finals and final matches.
Team India is sitting in group 'B' with strong South Africa, England as well as West Indies, Bangladesh and qualified teams Netherlands and Ireland. Team India's complete schedule of league matches of the 2011 Cricket World Cup are following:

Date
Teams
Venue
Time
19 Feb
India vs Bangladesh
Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
14:00 PM D/N
27 Feb
India vs England
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
14:30 PM D/N
6 Mar
India vs Ireland
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
14:30 PM D/N
9 Mar
India vs Netherlands
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
14:30 PM D/N
12 Mar
India vs South Africa
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
14:30 PM D/N
20 Mar
India vs West Indies
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
14:30 PM D/N