Sri Lankan team appears in Mumbai for World Cup final

Ringed by commandos and crack units of the Mumbai police, the Sri Lankan team arrived on Wednesday for the April 2 cricket World Cup final at the Wankhede Stadium.

Looking all keyed up for the mega battle, the Kumar Sangakkara-led team trooped into the Taj hotel in the afternoon and immediately thereafter turned to the television to watch the semifinal between India and Pakistan in Mohali.

The winner of the Mohali match will play the Sri Lankan for the title. The islanders got past New Zealand by five wickets in the first semifinal in Colombo on Tuesday.

A large posse of policemen were deployed on both sides of the route from the airport to the team hotel to ensure fool-proof security for the Sri Lankan players and officials, said a Mumbai Cricket Association official.

Cricket world cup craze strikes LU

In the wake of the semi-final match of the Cricket World Cup involving neighbours and arch rivals India and Pakistan match on Wednesday, March 30, the Lucknow University has decided to advance its Executive Council meeting to 11.30 a.m, which was earlier scheduled at 4 p.m. As per the university officials, the best time to organise the meeting is between two examination shifts so that no one misses on the match.

Various faculty members are also of the view that the second shift examination scheduled on Wednesday should be postponed. "If the EC meeting can be advanced for the match, students should also get the benefit. For the same, the examination in the second shift should be postponed." However, controller of examination, Prof Yashvir Tyagi said, "There is no possibility to postpone the examination as of now. And no such requests will be entertained."

Setting Deadline for Ponting

Under-fire Australia captain Ricky Ponting was given just three days to decide his future on Monday as selectors said the next one-day squad would be announced on Wednesday. Ponting, who let slip Australia's 12-year grasp on the World Cup last week - just three months after their heavy Ashes defeat - has already hinted that he may step down. Cricket Australia said a squad for next month's three-match one-day tour of Bangladesh was expected to be announced on Wednesday, effectively setting a deadline for the veteran skipper. Ponting, 36, returned home on Sunday following Australia's quarterfinal exit from the World Cup at the hands of India, saying he was considering his position this week.

"I'll have the opportunity over the next couple of days to reflect on where things are headed for me and certainly what direction I feel things are heading for the betterment of Australian cricket," the Test and one-day captain told reporters. "I have to really decide what I think is right for me and the team going forward." Australia play three one-day matches against Bangladesh on April 9, 11 and 13, with Ponting previously stating that he wanted to lead the team on the tour. But Ponting has since suggested he could quit as captain, saying he was prepared to play on under the likely leadership of his deputy Michael Clarke and bat anywhere in the order. "I see myself as a leader around the group, simple as that, whether I'm captain or not I still think I've got a lot to offer as far as leadership qualities go," he said.

Though heartened by support of teammates and senior officials, Ponting said he was "absolutely" prepared to drop down the order and step down as captain "if that's what they (CA) and I believe is the best way forward". Ponting, who has been under attack since the 3-1 Ashes series defeat to England, scored a fighting 104 but it was not enough to prevent India from knocking the champions out in last Thursday's quarterfinal in Ahmedabad. He has now presided over the end of Australia's 12-year run as World Cup champions after his third Ashes series defeat as captain to England.

Ponting, who has been captain for nine years, had a difficult World Cup, taking a reprimand from the International Cricket Council after smashing a dressing-room TV in a fit of fury after being run out against Zimbabwe. He was also criticised for angrily throwing the ball to the ground after colliding with teammate Steven Smith during their victory against Canada, and for failing to walk in the group match defeat by Pakistan.

South Africa disturbed at Cricket World Cup

In 1992 when I was at Edgbaston, England, covering the Cricket World Cup, I thought I witnessed the biggest letdown of all time when South Africa was ousted in the semifinals by eventual champion Australia. Boy was I wrong. Yesterday’s South African loss to New Zealand tops it. On that previous occasion South Africa required nine off the last over. Lance Klusener hit two fours off Damien Fleming from the first two balls. One run off four balls would be no problem, right? A mix-up between Klusener and Allan Donald saw Donald stranded giving the Aussies an unlikely victory.

Apparently it was at this match when the legendary “C” word first came into being. And, in a strange twist of irony, Donald is now bowling coach of New Zealand. South Africa’s star-studded World Cup squad arrived on the Indian sub-continent last month, determined to once and for all bury the “choke” label that has haunted it since that day. And this edition of the team had good reason to be upset when the word was uttered as news conferences. After all, South Africa is one of the top three teams in the world and was strong in every facet of the game. But some reporters realized how easy it would be to ruffle the South Africans. Ace all-rounder Jacques Kallis fired back at one: “They should go and look up the meaning of chokers in the dictionary first.”

Had they, those same reporters probably would have noticed a group picture of the Proteas illustrating the word. And, there will be no respite for the Proteas when they board that flight back to Johannesburg as that dreaded word will be ringing in their ears again. Upsets add spice to any tournament but what took place inside the bowels of the Shere Bangla Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Friday will be talked about for years. South Africa was the second favourite to land the trophy it has never won, while few gave the Black Caps, who have never reached the final, a chance of advancing to the semis. New Zealand’s next opponent will be the winner of Saturday’s semi between England and Sri Lanka. Pakistan takes on India in the other.

South Africa’s skipper Graeme Smith did a creditable job in the field with his bowling changes to restrict New Zealand to 221 for eight. New Zealand started off badly, losing its first two wickets for 16 before Jesse Ryder (83) and Ross Taylor (43) came to the rescue with a stand of 124. Kane Williamson’s late fling for 38 helped New Zealand surpass 200. Facing such a small total, South Africa motored easily to 108 for three when the wheels came off following Kallis’ dismissal for 47. Nerves set in as it lost its next three wickets for 20 runs before being bundled out for 172. The 6-foot-6, man-of-the-match, Jacob Oram, captured four for 39 and Nathan McCallum three for 24 as they demolished the Proteas to maintain a proud record of six out of 10 appearances in the semis.

“There are no words to describe how I feel,’’ said a devastated Smith. “Just have to take it on the chin. Very disappointing evening. I thought we bowled pretty well. Credit to Jesse Ryder.” He had no answer as to why South Africa keeps failing to perform at the World Cup. “Your guess is as good as mine, it’s been happening since 1992. We have got some big positives out of the World Cup. We weren’t good enough tonight, but we have to take it forward and not get bogged down. We are disappointed with tonight, and nothing I say is going to change that for fans back home.’’

Cricket Kenya to review World Cup defeat

Cricket Kenya has announced a comprehensive review of the team's disastrous World Cup campaign, where they lost all their six league games to bow out before the knockouts. The review will take in every aspect of the squad's preparation and performance at the event and will be conducted by board officials and chief executive Tom Sears, with assistance from the ICC. Since beating Canada in their opening match of the 2007 World Cup, Kenya have lost 14 successive 50-over matches in major tournaments (World Cups and the ICC World Cricket League Division One).

They were one of only two teams to end the World Cup winless, a huge fall from grace for a team that reached the semi-finals of the 2003 tournament, and used to be one of the leading Associates. The lowest point of their campaign was the defeat against a Canadian outfit comprised of semi-professional expats. "Clearly our performances at the World Cup have been completely unacceptable and a radical overhaul of our national squad is necessary," Sears said. "The team was comprehensively beaten in all six matches and aside from one creditable performance against Australia, the displays we saw were simply not good enough.

"An enormous amount of time, money and resources have been invested into the squad, and our most experienced player Steve Tikolo stated this was the best preparation any Kenyan squad had enjoyed prior to the World Cup. There has been no return on that investment which amounts to well over $700,000 in the last 12 months and clearly this cannot be tolerated. We will look at every facet of our national team structure and composition and make recommendations on all areas we feel where change is necessary.

I anticipate these will be widespread across all areas of the game." The review will include detailed reports from key personnel including team coach Eldine Baptiste, captain Jimmy Kamande, the team manager, and board member John Moyi, who travelled with the squad. Additionally, members of the team management and players will be interviewed in depth. The review will be finalised by May, following which recommendations on changes will be put to the board.

World Cup ‘Potentially Greatest Ever’

The president of the International Cricket Council, Sharad Pawar, has praised the ongoing World Cup, saying it is “potentially the greatest and most dramatic ever.” “We have surely been treated to a real feast of 50-over cricket with some outstanding games,” Mr. Pawar said in a statement. “Some people have been predicting the demise of 50-over cricket but they have been proven wrong throughout ‘The Cup that Counts’.” It’s hard to disagree – the group stage produced many more thrilling matches than expected, often involving an England team seemingly hell-bent on putting its supporters through as much suffering and angst as possible.

Despite the occasional upset, the eight teams through to the knock-out stage are the ones that everyone expected to progress: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies. And no doubt that is what the ICC was hoping for when it changed the tournament format following the 2007 event in the West Indies, when Pakistan and India were both knocked out early, taking millions of global viewers with them. It would be fair to say that this has at least been the greatest and most dramatic first round ever, and that’s no easy feat considering the many mismatches that are part and parcel of any world cup, even football.

The associate teams, particularly Ireland, should take credit for their contribution to the tournament, but it’s still tough to argue against the decision to slim the 2015 World Cup down to 10 countries from 14 this year. It’s been going for a month, but the 2011 Cricket World Cup only now really gets underway. Will Mr. Pawar’s prediction come true? Well, it’s hardly been a great World Cup for subjective supporters of Kenya – a team that has slumped since surprisingly reaching the semifinals in 2003. But for most viewers and fans it’s certainly provided enough thrills and the tournament is now shaping up nicely with the drool-inducing quarterfinals in store this week: Pakistan vs. West Indies, India vs. Australia, South Africa vs. New Zealand and Sri Lanka vs. England.

The organizers will probably be secretly hoping that India prevails against Australia on Thursday, as tournaments often suffer when a host gets knocked out. Advertisers will also be cheering for India in the hope that television viewership grows as the World Cup progresses. Mr. Pawar noted that television audience figures for this World Cup have already set new records. “The India vs. England match was the most viewed game in ICC Cricket World Cup history with multi-millions in India alone tuning in,” he said.

That record will surely be broken this week when India takes on reigning champions Australia. But forget, for a moment, whether or not this could be the greatest and most dramatic World Cup ever, for Thursday alone could very well see the greatest and most dramatic match, ever.

Only good-looking receives for World Cup final

A huge turnout of foreigners is expected for the final match of the cricket World Cup to be played at Wankhede Stadium on April 2. In view of this, the city police commissioner Arup Patnaik has started a drive for a makeover of the police image. He has decided to have only well-mannered and presentable cops on security duty on the D-day, said police sources. Policemen who are in the habit of chewing gutkha or tobacco will be ruled out.

According to police sources, in the last meeting with senior police officers, the commissioner briefed them about security measures to be implemented at the stadium for the final match. He had also pointed out that several foreigners are expected to come for the match, and so the image of the city police has to be taken care of.

“The commissioner has asked all deputy commissioners to choose tall, well-built and slim policemen for the bandobast duty. They should look healthy and be seen as competent. There is a tendency among our policemen to behave rudely at times. However, this is going to be an international event, and so the city police should look good and behave well,” said a senior police official.

He added that utmost care has been taken in this regard, as cricket aficionados from across the world are expected to come for the match. “The commissioner said that our policemen should look smart, young and energetic. They should be able to communicate well with people, including foreigners,” said the official, adding that the commissioner has strictly prohibited overweight and tobacco-chewing policemen from World Cup duty.

Around 1,400 policemen will be on bandobast duty around the stadium. The traffic police have chosen nearly 100 good-looking policemen, with good communication skills, for the job. “Foreigners will be required to walk to the stadium, as vehicles will not be allowed close to the venue. As a result, we have chosen these men especially to guide spectators to the stadium,” said an officer from the traffic police.

Patnaik himself has been taking stock of the security for the World Cup matches and has also visited the site on a few occasions.

Murali supports Sri Lanka secure top-two spot at Cricket World Cup

Sri Lanka returned to the top of Group A with a convincing 112-run win over Cricket World Cup rivals New Zealand on Friday as veteran spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan took center stage in Mumbai. Both teams had already qualified for the quarterfinals of the 50-over tournament, but the highest-placed sides should avoid Group B heavyweights such as India and South Africa. Sri Lanka's fourth victory in six games left the co-hosts above Australia on run differential, meaning they will finish second, with New Zealand a point back in third place. The Australians, seeking a fourth successive title, complete their group campaign in Colombo on Saturday against fourth-placed Pakistan -- who have also qualified for the last eight and who could top the table with a win.

New Zealand restricted Sri Lanka to 265-9, with skipper Kumar Sangakkara top-scoring on 111 as he made his first World Cup century. Sangakkara put on 145 for the third wicket with Mahela Jayawardene, who was controversially given not out in the 24th over when bowler Nathan McCullum dived to pluck a return catch. Television replays showed that the Black Caps player had grasped the ball before it touched the grass, but umpire Asad Rauf told Jayawardene to stay at the crease after consulting with video official Amiesh Saheba. Jayawardene went on to make 66 off 90 balls before becoming the second of Tim Southee's three victims, while McCullum struck twice as the last seven wickets fell for 101 runs.

In reply, the Kiwis reached 83-2 before suffering an all-too-common batting collapse, losing five wickets for 27 runs and eventually slumping to 153 all out in the 35th over. Muralitharan, who turns 39 next month two weeks after the final, claimed figures of 4-25 off eight overs has he extended his world-record one-day total to 530. He has now taken 64 wickets in World Cup matches, leaving him seven behind Australia's record-holder Glenn McGrath in his last tournament before retiring from international cricket. Murali's expected successor, Ajantha Mendis, took 2-24 as the four other Sri Lankan bowlers shared the wickets evenly. In Friday's other match, Ireland beat the Netherlands by six wickets in Kolkata to clinch a second win in Group B. The Irish, who shocked England earlier in the tournament, reached 307-4 with 2.2 overs to spare in the third-highest run chase in World Cup history.

Paul Stirling smashed 101 off just 72 balls faced, hitting 14 fours and two sixes in the fourth-fastest World Cup century. He put on 177 for the opening wicket with captain William Porterfield, who scored 68, while Niall O'Brien was unbeaten on 57. The Dutch had been hopeful of a first victory after posting 306, including a bizarre four run-outs in the final over, with Ryan Ryan ten Doeschate's 106 being his second century of the event. On Saturday, Bangladesh play Group B leaders South Africa -- who have already qualified for the quarterfinals -- in Dhaka in a match the fifth-placed co-hosts need to win to go through. The West Indies, above Bangladesh only on run differential, close out the schedule against India in Chennai on Sunday.

Dockrell ails shoulder injury

Ireland's gifted 18-year-old left-arm spinner, George Dockrell, has dislocated his shoulder during the World Cup match against the Netherlands at Eden Gardens on Friday. Dockrell has been one of the standout performers in Ireland's World Cup campaign, collecting seven scalps - including Sachin Tendulkar - at 29.57 through the tournament.

An ICC official said Dockrell had gone to hospital for a check-up but it was not yet known whether he would take any further part in today's match. He picked up the injury while trying to field off his own bowling in his fourth over against Netherlands. In his absence, Ireland conceded 306 in their final match of the World Cup.

Dockrell is due to play for Somerset in the upcoming English county season after signing for them last year. There is no suggestion as yet that he will be unavailable for the start of the season.

Cricket World Cup

Cricket World Cup boosts TV ratings, but Indian team’s performance may still cloud the picture. Midway through the cup frenzy, sports channels look satisfied with the kind of ratings that are pouring in. Although, the indications are that it could have been much better. Now, after the defeat of the Indian team by South Africa on Saturday, much depends on India's encounter against the West Indies on Sunday.

NP Sathyamurthy, CEO, Karishma Initiative, said, "India matches have given an average TVR of 10-plus. It is evident that this year's World Cup has been viewed with much higher interest than in 2007." TVR stands for television viewer ratings which is a measurement of the popularity of a programme or advertisement in a target audience.

After India's disastrous performance in 2007 World Cup, which was cut short by the humiliating defeat at the hands of Bangladesh, fans and broadcasters were looking forward to better show this time round. But while India's performance cannot be described as stellar by any account, it has ensured enough ratings and advertising revenues to keep most people happy.

In 2007, the total 51 matches pulled an average of 2.06 TVR. This time, with a total 49 matches, the tournament has seen a top rating of 12.63 TVR, which is a huge improvement. Pratap Bose, CEO, Mudra Max, asserts that the ratings have been "higher than expected", with the India-Bangladesh and India-England matches garnering an average TVR of 9 and 12 respectively.

Overall, advertising revenues have been reasonably good. The broadcasters' strategy to give access to advertisers to most Indian matches has worked well and has generated good revenues. However, advertisers are worried that post India's loss to South Africa, the ratings may drop. As it is, the kind of euphoria that erupted when India reached the finals in 2003 is missing. An analyst from Edelweiss said, "With India being the host, some more enthusiasm was expected. Cricket continues to be the most popular game in India, but the cup mania could have been more."

Where did cricket, 'India's secular religion', falter? The answer may lie in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It has been reported that advertisers have reserved investments for the IPL, which will follow later this year, as the tournament seems to be more popular with women. Some suggest that "too much cricket" has rubbed spectators the wrong way.

Sports channels that have failed to win broadcasting rights for either of these big events have been affected particularly badly. The worst sufferers are Zee Sports and Ten Sports (a part of Taj Entertainment Network in which Zee has a majority stake), who lost more than Rs100 crore in the December quarter, following the premature termination of broadcast rights for the Asian Games. The cricket Test matches and tournaments that these channels have hosted have had very few spectators.

However, media experts are not giving up hope yet. "In our estimation, the interest level will continue till 20 March 2011, when India plays the West Indies," Mr Sathyamurthy said. Heavyweight non-India matches that feature Pakistan, Holland, South Africa and the West Indies have also generated considerable interest and it is expected that they will also contribute to good ratings.

Christians for cricket: SriLanka

Students in Sri Lanka are of course cheering for the home team that has entered a strong batting lineup for the cricket World Cup, now taking place. But for some students from Church-run schools, there is more than just pride in the national team. About half of the team are “old boys” from their schools. Kumar Sangakkara, the captain studied at Trinity College while Muttiah Muralidaran, an artist at bowling fast, is an old boy of St. Anthony’s College. There is also Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera from St. Joseph College and Dilhara Fernando who has De Mazenod College as his alma mater.

According to the students many players on the Sri Lankan national team also represent their schools, each of which has a pedigree for breeding future international cricketers. These players have become for present students an icon, a role model, they said. “Cricket is a game that makes us pause and think about hard work. Actually, the national team players are our role models by their commitment, discipline and high moral standards,” said Nadarajah Kesavan, a student from St. Anthony’s College in Kandy.

“Our players give off a good aura for kids,” said Denam Perera from Colombo’s St Peter’s College. “To win a cricket match, players should observe discipline, punctuality, dedication, faith, brotherhood, morality, flexibility and compatriotism,” said Perera. This is what our former students show us, he said. The Cricket’s World Cup finishes on April 2 after a 49-match spectacle over seven weeks. The tournament is being played in three countries, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

So far Sri Lanka have seven points from five games and a 139-run thumping of Zimbabwe on March 10 ensured they reached the quarter-finals. Sri Lanka piled up 332 runs in a big win over Canada but were unable to chase down Pakistan’s 277, before knocking Kenya over for a measly 142 runs. People from the subcontinent are crazy about cricket and Sri Lanka, the 1996 winners and 2007 runners-up, is no exception. Cricket has given Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India the chance to call themselves world champions as they are consistently among the top five or six countries that play the game. No other sport offers people from those countries that amount of national self-esteem. “I believe winning the World Cup was the best thing that had happened to our country since its birth,” media reported Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning captain, as saying.