ICC announces U-19 World Cup schedule

DUBAI: International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the schedule of ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup on Saturday, Pakistan are in the same group along with their arch rivals India in Group A, Our Sources reported.

The event will be staged across seven venues in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from February 14 to March 1.

There are total 16 countries including Afghanistan, Canada, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Scotland and the UAE will participate in the tournament. These 16 teams are divided in four groups.

In the 16-day tournament, 48 matches will be played across seven venues – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi; Abu Dhabi Oval 1; Abu Dhabi Oval 2; Sharjah Cricket Stadium; Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Sports City; ICC Academy Oval 1, Dubai, and ICC Academy Oval 2, Dubai.

The format of the competition is such that the 16 teams have been divided into four groups, with the top two teams progressing to the Super League quarter-finals, while the two bottom teams from each group qualify for the Plate Championship quarter-finals.

India vs South Africa 2013-14: MS Dhoni blames bowlers for defeat in 1st ODI

Johannesburg: Dec 6, 2013
A livid Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni squarely blamed his bowlers for the crushing loss in the opening One-Day International (ODI) against South Africa, saying that their bad performance left the batsmen under pressure.

The Indian bowlers were hammered by South Africa, who posted 358 for 4 before dismissing the visitors for 217 in 41 overs on Friday.
“Overall I think it was a bad performance. But it started with the bowling initially. This was not a 300-plus wicket. We didn’t start well, and we were supposed to bowl slightly up,” said Dhoni.
“Watch Free Live Streaming of India vs South Africa Series 2013”
“Experience of these conditions is crucial. South African bowlers know what lengths to bowl and that is why I want my bowlers to step up. You can’t give away 300 or 300-plus runs, because that also puts pressure on the batsmen.
“Right from the start then, they have to go after opposition bowlers, which in these conditions is slightly difficult. At the same time, we needed the batting to back the bowlers up,” he added.
South Africa’s opening pair of Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock added 152 runs for the first wicket, with the latter going on to score 135.
And then in the end, there was the cruel barrage from AB de Villiers and JP Duminy, garnering 48 runs in the last three overs. It meant the Proteas reached a mammoth 358 for 4 in 50 overs.
“If you see death bowling for different teams across the world, bowlers are going for runs. With the extra fielder inside the circle and the lack of reverse swing, even the best bowlers will go for runs,” Dhoni said.
“So, the new ball bowling becomes important, especially in conditions like these. More often than not, the last ten overs will go for runs and so it is important to take wickets in the first ten overs, so we can put pressure in the middle overs and so that they do not have many wickets in the end,” he opined.
On paper, it looked a good plan, but it wasn’t executed properly on the field. All frontline bowlers went for more than 50 runs each, with only Mohammad Shami showing any wherewithal to take wickets (3-68).
As per Dhoni’s reasoning then, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma were the most to blame, but he did not single out anyone in particular for criticism.
“Mohit is the one with the inexperience and it will be a good learning for him. Bhuvi has played a fair bit outside the subcontinent, which means that he should quickly adapt to the conditions.
“But at the same time let’s not be unfair on him. It’s one of many games where he has not done really well. So let us think that it was an off day for him and move on,” he said.
Ultimately, even the Indian batting, growing in stature and fame over the past 11 months, failed to perform the rescue act. And it could possibly get tougher in the next game, since the Men in Blue will be fighting to save the series. The conditions, meanwhile, aren’t expected to be a whole lot different.
“International calendar doesn’t allow for too many practice sessions and practice games nowadays. You have to adapt with what you have, we have to follow the schedule.
South Africa have some really good fast bowlers, especially Dale Steyn.
“He was swinging the ball and consistently hitting the good lengths. Morne Morkel gets a lot more bounce than other bowlers because of his height. Rohit Sharma gave him respect, but when you are chasing 350 runs, you have to play shots.
Shikhar Dhawan didn’t really get out to a short ball,” Dhoni said.
“He is good with the cut and the pull, and he went with his instincts. So, you have to play the big shots and try to rattle the bowlers. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t.
“We scored 220 odd runs, and we gave away 350. If I weigh that, then maybe the bowling was slightly worse than batting.
We have to step up overall. Bowlers have to learn from this game and batsmen have to mentally prepare themselves for the next one,” Dhoni signed off.

SA tour: Experts feel India's young batters should do well

MS Dhoni's men came a cropper in challenging conditions on India's last two tours. A combined scoreline of 0-8 in England and Australia was testimony to that. Now comes a double challenge. The tour of South Africa, plus handling the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman from the middle order. If you add an out-of-form and hence excluded Virender Sehwag from the 'missing' list, you can safely say that the Indian batting has undergone a 'heart...

India vs South Africa 2013-14: Playing in foreign conditions a big challenge, says MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni says playing in alien conditions and that too without Sachin Tendulkar is a big challenge for his side but the Indian skipper is hopeful that playing One—Day Internationals (ODI) first will allow his batsmen settle well ahead of the Test series against South Africa. India will play three—match ODI series ahead of two—Test series in South Africa.
“If you see there is always a new start,” Dhoni said about absence of Tendulkar, who retired recently last month.
Dhoni said his batsmen have plenty of experience in the shorter format of the game and playing ODIs first will give them confidence for the Tests.
“Many of them have had good exposure if not in Tests, but in ODIs. It is a new challenge for all of them and a new learning curve. It is always a challenge when you go outside.
Which length to bowl and to adjust to the bounce of the wickets. It is good to start with ODIs. As the batsmen can play their shots and express themselves and carry it into the Tests,” he said ahead of team departure.
Asked who will perform the duties of the third opener in Tests, which has only two regulars in Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay, Dhoni surprised everyone by naming Gautam Gambhir, who is not part of the 17—member squad.
“If you see, Gautam is definitely our third opener that we are considering. As of now, Vijay and Shikhar they have done really well for us. So third opener as of now is Gautam.”
Later he clarified, “I know (Gambhir not being in team) but he is the third opener. But he never asked if he is part of the team.”
Nevertheless, the statement by Dhoni makes it clear that Gambhir is still in the scheme of things for at least Test side. Asked who was likely to replace Tendulkar at number four in the Test squad, Dhoni they are to yet to decide on that.
“We are not decided on number 4. No one is going to replace anyone else,” he said before adding in lighter vein, “If possible we will omit the number 4. And try to bat 1,2,3, 5,6… and 12.”
Bowling in slog overs has been a worry for India but Dhoni was hopeful of a better performance in South Africa.
“In different conditions the statistics would be different. There will be pace and bounce on offer for the fast bowlers. Along with the yorkers, they can use bouncers and a little bit pace. So we will see how it goes,” he said.
“In the last few matches it has improved a lot but we are trying to see how to improve (more), so that we don’t give lot of runs in the last 10 overs. If you see our Champions Trophy performance and if you compare our death bowling you will see that it is a completely different scenario.
“The ideal would be to compare how the Indian bowlers performed in the last 10 overs and how Australian bowlers performed in the death overs in the same game. Then it becomes more realistic.”
Dhoni said fans will see good cricket in the series as top two sides in the world will be up against each other.
“If you see both the teams are well positioned in the rankings. In ODIs it is us and in Tests it is they. It is going to be exciting and interesting series. The key is getting adjusted to conditions as early as possible,” Dhoni said.
“They have a very good team, well balanced team, with genuine all—rounders,” he said.
Dhoni said pressure was nothing new to India. “Pressure goes hand in hand whether in India or away.”
Asked if the team would use a fifth frontline bowler, Dhoni said it would be decided later. “Well it’s something that we have to go there and decide.
We have to see the strength of our batting line up. At the same time whether four bowlers are good enough to get the opposition out. It’s something that we have weigh out,” he said.
“In the last Test match also we played with four bowlers and Rohit Sharma was the one who batted at number six. If you see at times five batsmen are not enough, even six are not enough. And if you see the last two Test matches, the number six batsman has had a lot of impact on the game. We will weigh how it is and then decide.”
Asked about Ravichandran Ashwin‘s limited exposure of playing Tests overseas, Dhoni expressed hope that the off-spinner will replicate his home success abroad.
“Everybody starts from scratch, even the greatest of cricketers—spinner or fast bowler. They always start from scratch. We have to see, may be he turns out to be brilliant outside India. He may become better than what he already has been in India. Unless you go out there and fight it out, you don’t really get to know how good he is,” said Dhoni.
Ashwin has played only three Tests overseas —all in Australia —with limited success in his short career of 18 Tests from which he has grabbed 104 wickets. Asked what would be the role of pacer Ishant Sharma, Dhoni said “let it remain a secret recipe”.

India retain 2nd spot in ICC Test rankings

The Indian cricket team continued to be second in the ICC Test rankings with R Ashwin topping the all-rounders' chart in the latest list issued.

India are placed behind South Africa with 119 points, which is just 12 less than the Proteas' tally. The teams are set to clash in a two-Test and thee ODI series starting December 5 in South Africa.

Cheteshwar Pujara is the best-placed Indian batsman at sixth with Virat Kohli following him at a distant 20th spot.

In the bowlers' list, R Ashwin is fifth, followed by Pragyan Ojha at ninth.

Meanwhile, New Zealand and the West Indies will begin their contest in a three-Test series from December 3 in Dunedin with an aim to improve their ratings points in the team standings, the ICC said in a statement.

West Indies enter the series in sixth position on 95 ratings points, while New Zealand start off in eighth place with 75 ratings points.

If New Zealand was to win the series by a margin of 2-0, they can rise up to 82 ratings points, while a 3-0 series sweep will hand the home team a rise of eight ratings points to thereby finish at 83.

In both scenarios (New Zealand winning 2-0 and 3-0), West Indies will move down to seventh place behind Sri Lanka.

If New Zealand win the series by either 1-0 or 2-1, or even if the series is drawn 0-0 or 1-1, there will be no change in West Indies' final position on the table.

For the West Indies, the series offers an opportunity to reduce the gap with fifth-ranked Australia. But this can only happen if they win the series by either a 2-0 or 3-0 margin.

If West Indies win the series by a 2-0 margin, they will gain two ratings points to end at 97, to thereby reduce the gap with fifth-ranked Australia to four ratings points.

A 3-0 series win, will give West Indies a gain of four ratings points, thereby reducing the gap with Australia to just two.

India in South Africa - the ODI Story- Photos

India's best ODI run in South Africa came during the 2003 World Cup when they reached the final.

The closest India came to winning a bilateral ODI series in South Africa was in 2010/11 under MS Dhoni, but lost that five-match series 2-3 in the end.

The three-match series is the shortest India will be playing in South Africa. Before this, the least ODIs they played in a bilateral series was four (lost 0-4) in 2006-07.

 India have never scored 300 in an ODI in South Africa, with their highest being 279 (2001/02) and lowest 91 (2006/07).

After South Africa's re-introduction to international cricket, India first toured there in 1992-93 when SA were captained by Kepler Wessels. However, the visitors got hammered 2-5 in the seven-match series.

Will India break 21-year ODI jinx in South Africa?

Six back-to-back ODI trophies in 11 months across four continents should easily qualify as Indian cricket's finest hour since those run-of-the-mill tours of England and Australia in 2011-12. But winning an ODI series in South Africa will be a first that India has tried in vain for 21 years.

Not just India, South Africa dominated almost every visitor since their re-entry into international cricket - until Pakistan arrived this year. The Pakistanis created history and exposed some chinks in the Proteas' armour with a 2-1 series win. That has added strength to India's conviction that the South African fortress is not unconquerable.

For the first time, India will travel to South Africa as world champions and under a leader who is the only one to have won all three ICC trophies - World Twenty20 (2007), World Cup (2011) and Champions Trophy (2013). Add the Test mace to that and it becomes an enviable captaincy record.

It was Dhoni who broke the ODI jinx in Australia by winning the Commonwealth Bank tri-series in 2007/08, and the current team and its form offers Dhoni the chance to do the same on what is possibly his last tour of South Africa.

I am going to play my shots in South Africa: Shikhar Dhawan

Listen carefully to Shikhar Dhawan and you can hear echoes of Virender Sehwag. “I am a stroke player.” “I am going to play my shots.” “I will back my strengths.” Dhawan comments were made at an event in Mumbai yesterday as the new brand ambassador for Fashion @ Big Bazaar, but most of the questions directed his way were naturally about India’s upcoming tour of South Africa. His answers made it clear that confidence was not something he, or the team, is lacking, as they contemplate facing Dale Steyn and company on their home turf.

Given Dhawan’s spectacular 2013, that is not altogether surprising. He has scored 1,150 runs with five hundreds at an average of 54.76 and a strike-rate of 98.12. In successful chases, Dhawan averages 64.60 with a strike-rate of 98.62.

While his stroke-play does not resemble Sehwag’s, both men share a common attitude. They like to attack; they like to play strokes on both sides of the wicket; they can transform good deliveries into bad.

The speed at which both men score their runs has also allowed India to win matches that otherwise would have been out of reach. When India chased down 360 and 351 against Australia in the recent home one-day series, it was Dhawan who made 95 and 100 out of the gate to give Virat Kohli and company the platform they needed to complete the job. Dhawan’s scoring-rate also takes the pressure off Rohit Sharma, who can then build his innings in a more measured way, which is how Rohit prefers to bat.

Together, Dhawan, Rohit and Kohli have given India arguably the best top three in ODI cricket today. All three have scored over 1000 runs this year with averages over 50, resulting in some record-breaking performances.

“We have been playing good cricket,” Dhawan said. “We are confident. As a team we are gelling well.”

The big hurdle for Indian batsmen travelling to Australia and South Africa has always been combatting bounce. Opposing fast bowlers know this and so their pitch map tends to bunch up short of a length. Dhawan, on the contrary, likes to drive on the up and is happy to cut and pull.

“I think bouncy tracks suit my game,” he said simply.

Being part of the India A tour of South Africa earlier this year has also helped Dhawan. Not only does he have a sense of the conditions he might face, he has the knowledge that he can score big runs. Against South Africa A in the limited-overs tournament that also featured Australia A, Dhawan plundered 248, which is a record for a List A game. In four matches, he made 410 runs as India won the tournament.

“I played there for India A. I did really well,” he said matter-of-factly.

South Africa just lost an ODI series at home to Pakistan for the first time in their history. India might be light on experience but this young team has won six limited-overs series on the trot and is bursting with confidence. As a result they are unafraid of facing anybody, anywhere in the world.

“We’re up for it against South Africa,” Dhawan said.

India in South Africa ODI Series, 3 ODI Cricket Series, 2013

Indian Cricket Team will be going to play against South Africa as per below mentioned schedule:

Sl.No	Date & Time	Venue
1	Thu, 05 Dec 2013 05:00 PM IST	The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
2	Sun, 08 Dec 2013 01:30 PM IST	Kingsmead, Durban
3	Wed, 11 Dec 2013 05:00 PM IST	Super Sport Park, Centurion

Top 10 Best Batsman in ICC World Cup 2011

Top 10 Best Batsman in ICC World Cup 2011

Top 10 Best Batsman in ICC world cup 2011,Top 10 Highest Run Taker in World cup 2011, there are 14 teams participated and scored best runs and got wickets. Here we have given Top 10 scored batsman's list for you. In this list Sri Lankan player TM Dilshan has scored highest run of 467 and next level is Sachin Tendulkar scored 464.

1. TM Dilshan (SL) Run: 467

2. SR Tendulkar (India) Run: 464

3. IJL Trott (Eng) Run: 422

4. KC Sangakkara (SL) Run: 417

5. WU Tharanga (SL) Run: 393

6. V Sehwag (India) Run: 380

7. AB de Villiers (SA) Run: 353

8. Yuvraj Singh (India) Run: 341

9. AJ Strauss (Eng) Run: 334

10. BJ Haddin (Aus) Run: 332

ICC World Cup 2011 Final Mumbai | TV Viewership Broke Records, 67.6 million | India vs Sri Lanka

ICC World Cup 2011 Final Mumbai | TV Viewership Broke Records, 67.6 million | India vs Sri Lanka

Television viewership increased four times when India and Sri Lanka clashed in the World Cup grand finale with 67.6 million viewers with cable and satellite connections watching it for more than four hours, rating agency Audience Measurement and Analytics Ltd. (aMap) estimated Sunday.

The match Saturday got ratings of 13.7, which is the highest for any event so far and when the winning moment arrived, the ratings peaked to 21.44.

'Yesterday's (Saturday) viewership broke all records. Every Indian was glued on to TV to see the big win! Sixty-four percent of homes (cable & satellite) were watching the game...The match was on for an average of four hours in every household,' Jiniti Shah, vice president, aMap said in a statement.

'Viewership increased almost four times yesterday. Until the quarterfinals, India's matches had an average rating of 3.7, the quarterfinals saw it increase to 5, the semifinal ratings went up to 11 and yesterday's BIG WIN made it 13.6,' Shah added.

The semifinal between India and Pakistan was watched by 67.3 million people with cable and satellite connections.

In a thrilling match, India defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets to win the World Cup for the second time after 28 years. People across the country came out on streets to celebrate the historic win.

Dhoni shaves his head after World Cup triumph | ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

After Kapil Dev captainship so many captains taken the charges and responsibilities in Indian Cricket Team and met the World Cup.  Indian Team win the World Cup after 20 years  lead by Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captainship.  All the credits are goes to Dhoni. One more important message we had not forget that Australian Team has won the World Cup for past three times.  Indian team has met with them in Quarter final and send out from World Cup in 2011 and also break their continuous victory.  All credits are goes to MS Dhoni.

Below we have shows some different look of Indian Cricket Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni….LOOK and ENJOY….

A day after India's historic World Cup triumph, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Sunday spotted with a new look, with his head clean shaven.

Dhoni was seen with a completely new look during an official photo-op session in front of the iconic Gateway of India, where some members of the Indian cricket team posed for shutterbugs with World Cup Trophy.

Speculation doing the rounds is that he kept his mannat to shave his head if India wins the World Cup.

Incidentally, Dhoni had cut his long locks after India won the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007.

Here some of sweet stills are shown:

Image: India's captain Dhoni lifts the trophy at the Taj Hotel the day after India defeated Sri Lanka in the World Cup final in Mumbai

Photographs: Reuters

SRILANKA vs INDIA TOP 10 STILLS | ICC WORLD CUP 2011 FINAL AT MUMBAI

After 28 year Indian team won the World Cup.  All Indian in the world are enjoyed and celebrated this occasion.  This day April 2nd 2011 of the Victory.  The coincident are the 1983 World cup won date also April 2nd.

Team Captain MS Dhoni announced as Man of the Match.  Yuvaraj Singh got the Man of the Tournament.

Here we show some interesting pictures for enjoyment

India v South Africa, Group B match, Nagpur | South Africa Beats India | ICC World Cup 2011

India v South Africa, Group B match, Nagpur | South Africa Beats India | ICC World Cup 2011

In a fascinating chase, with their choking past hovering over them, South Africa held their nerve to clinch a thriller in Nagpur. Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla set it up, AB de Villiers pushed them close, JP Duminy and Johan Botha pumped in oxygen with big hits, Faf du Plessis held one end up and Robin Peterson shoved them past the line in the final over.

They needed 13 to win and there would have been the temptation to give the ball to Harbhajan Singh, who had one over left and had given away just five in his last, but MS Dhoni plumped for Ashish Nehra. Peterson inside edged the first to the fine-leg boundary, walloped the second over wide long-on for a game-breaking hit, ran madly to get two of the third before sealing it with a scorching cover drive.

India were left ruing their sensational collapse in the batting Powerplay, when they lost four wickets for 30 runs, and crumbled from 267 for 1, in the 40th over, to be bowled out for 296. Later, Dhoni had strong words about that collapse: "You don't play for the crowd, you play for the country."

The chase had several enthralling moments: Kallis sweeping from the rough, de Villiers' skilful inside-out hits with the turn, Harbhajan giving de Villiers some lip, Dhoni's smart run-out of Kallis, Gautam Gambhir's dropped catch, du Plessis' calming influence even as the C-word hung in the air, and Peterson's stunning blows.

The game itself swung crazily on each of those moments. South Africa had just lost Amla to a delivery that reared up alarmingly from Harbhajan when Kallis deployed the sweep and the paddle scoop against the same bowler to settle the nerves. South Africa were 114 for 2 at the end of the 30 overs at the end of those sweeps and the game hung in the balance.

Dhoni got into the act to run out Kallis. The throw from Harbhajan was dying away from the off stump when Dhoni lunged across, collected and swivelled to break the stumps. With Kallis' fall, South Africa needed 124 runs from just over 14 overs and de Villiers immediately took the batting Powerplay.

The game turned again in the 40th over, Zaheer's ninth, when South Africa looted 17 runs. de Villiers ragged a reverse-sweep to the fine-leg boundary, whiplashed another over point before Duminy walloped a slower one for a straight six to leave South Africa leaving 79 runs from 60 balls. It was then Harbhajan shoved the game into a thrilling climax.

Harbhajan had been giving de Villiers lip ever since he was hit for a six in the 32nd over. Eyeballs bulged, the motormouth worked over time and de Villiers would walk away, shaking his head. That contest was consummated when Harbhajan returned in the final Powerplay over, the 41st of the innings. de Villiers struck the first blow, with an audacious reverse whack over backward point but slog swept the next one straight to midwicket to leave South Africa still needing 74 from 57.  

The quarter-final scenario

• India's defeat means they aren't yet entirely certain of making the last eight, though they should still make it barring a miracle.
• There's a small chance of their being eliminated if the following results happen: England beat West Indies, who in turn beat India; Bangladesh win both their remaining games, while South Africa beat Ireland. In such a scenario, South Africa, Bangladesh and West Indies will be ahead of India on points, while England will be level with them. That'll bring net run rates into play, and it's here that India have a reasonably comfortable cushion - their NRR of 0.768 is well ahead of England's 0.013. India will have to lose their match by about 95 runs, and England will have to win by about the same margin for their run rate to move ahead of India's.
• For South Africa, the win has considerably eased the pressure on them. A defeat would have left them with two must-win games - including a potentially tricky one against Bangladesh in Mirpur - but this result against India means they'll have to mess it up really badly from here to not make it to the quarter-finals. All they need is a win in either of their last two games, against Ireland and Bangladesh.

Things got tighter in the 43rd over when Harbhajan slipped a quick delivery down the leg side, past the advancing Duminy, and though Dhoni fumbled the take, he recovered to finish the stumping. India tightened the screws further when Munaf Patel trapped Morne van Wyk lbw in the 44th over, just moments after Gambhir dropped van Wyk at deep midwicket.

In the 48th over, Botha swiped Munaf through midwicket and crashed a six over the straight boundary to push South Africa ahead but fell off the next ball, miscuing a slower one over cover where Suresh Raina, the substitute fielder, took a tough catch. Zaheer gave away just four runs in the 49th over but Petersen settled the issue in the final one.

India lost the game in a manic self-destructive display in the batting Powerplay that they took in the 39th over. India were strolling at 253 for 1 but lost four wickets for 30 runs in the Powerplay and their last nine for 29 to collapse to 296.

In a sweet moment of redemption, it was the pair of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, who bled runs with the new ball, who did the damage during this manic phase. Sachin Tendulkar fell to an across-the-line hoick, his first ugly shot of the day, in the 40th over to Morne Morkel. Steyn had a double strike in the next over: Gambhir backed outside leg and scooped a slower one to mid-off and Yusuf Pathan blasted to cover. Things got worse when Yuvraj Singh swung a full toss to long-on off the final delivery of the Powerplay, and it turned chaotic when Virat Kohli gave a tame return catch to Peterson. In the space of a few minutes, the game had spiraled out of India's control and returned to balance. Steyn even went on to complete a five-for, something that was scarcely believable when he was leaking runs with the new ball, when he cleaned up the tail.

Until that stunning phase of play, it was all India. Until then, even 375 seemed a possibility. If Virender Sehwag pumped in the adrenalin, Tendulkar oozed class. There was not a single shot that looked risky and yet he played all the shots, even a hooked six, a shot that he doesn't play too often these days. Tendulkar faced just 20 balls in the first ten overs but had raced away to 35, and his fifty came off 33 balls. It was in the eighth over, from Morkel, that he really got going with an awesome thump through the covers, which was followed by a gorgeous straight drive. Like always, he held his pose even as Morkel was down on the mat. It was a moment that perfectly caught the one-sided battle.

When Steyn fired a bouncer in the 10th over, Tendulkar unfurled a stylish hook to deposit it beyond the backward square-leg boundary. When Jacques Kallis bowled a slower one, Tendulkar glided forward and across to whip the off cutter past mid-on. Unlike Sehwag, who kept backing away to the leg to try hit everything to the off, and fell in the process, Tendulkar played the spinners as per the demands of the ball but of course on his own terms. It should have been his night but cruelly it was his shot that triggered a stunning implosion, which proved the difference in the end.

Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar plays a shot during the Cricket World Cup match between India and South Africa at The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Cricket Stadium in Nagpur. 

South Africa bowler Morne Morkel (R) watches as Indian batsman Virender Sehwag takes a run during the Cricket World Cup match between India and South Africa at The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Cricket Stadium in Nagpur.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 | Live Scores | Results

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 | Live Scores | Results

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Watch ICC Cricket World cup 2011 live online streaming legally

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

The 10th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup has started today on 17th February 2011. World cup cricket 2011 is being hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This time there will be 14 teams, and they will play 49 cricket matches, including the finals. Teams participating in World cup cricket 2011 are Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada, West Indies, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland and Netherlands. The official TV broadcaster of Cricket world cup 2011 in India is ESPN Star Sports and DD Sports. However, if you are a cricket fan and have a high speed internet connection, you may watch the world cup 2011 live streaming online through the internet broadcasting channel of  ESPN Star Sports.

 

ICC Cricket World cup 2011 live streaming links

Official EPSNSTAR online streaming: You can watch all the cricketing action of the ICC world cup 2011 online at ESPNSTAR.com on match days. They also provide live scores, match replays and summaries. The service seems to be free at this point.

ESPN Star Live streaming

WILLOW.TV:If  you are living in US, the best way to watch World cup 2011 Cricket live streaming  is by using the service provided by Willow.TV. Though it is a premium service they offer unmatched cricket streaming in HD quality, and they even have mobile applications that let you watch live matches in almost all smartphone platforms. Willow. TV maintains agreements with ICC and other cricketing agencies for online streaming of World cup cricket 2011. Therefore, the service is legal in all supported countries. You can purchase a suitable cricket package for their website here.

World cup 2011 live streaming in mobile: Vodafone in India has come to an agreement with ESPN, and that will allow them to stream world cup 2011  live on mobile phones. This service will be available for all Vodafone customers with a 2G or 3G smartphone and a valid GPRS plan. Contact the customer care for more details.

ESPN Cricifo Mobile app:  The popular Cricinfo Mobicast application has been redesigned to include several new features. Latest version will be known as ESPN Cricinfo and is already available for download at iOS app store. This app has features like push notifications, live cricket scores, ball-by-ball commentary, team ranking, news, video streaming, etc. Those who use other OS platforms can download it by going to ci.plusmo.com on their mobile browser.

Cricket World Cup 2011: Team-by-team guide

Cricket World Cup 2011: Team-by-team guide

GROUP A

AUSTRALIA
They have won four of the nine World Cups, including the last three. They have been in two other finals. They are ranked the No 1 one-day international team in the world. They have just beaten England 6-1. What can go wrong? Well, you need a spinner in Asia and they only have Jason Krejza, a late replacement for the the injured Nathan Hauritz. Krejza is not even a regular for Tasmania.

Key man
Skipper Ricky Ponting. Just like the Ashes: if he scores runs, his team can win. If he doesn’t, they won’t.

Wild card
Steve Smith. His leg-spinners could cause a surprise.

World Cup record
P69, W51, L17, T1.
Winners 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007.

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Squad
Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Cameron White, Callum Ferguson, David Hussey, Tim Paine, Steven Smith, John Hastings, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Doug Bollinger, Shaun Tait.

PAKISTAN
Have had a problem or two. Will it matter? Will it heck. Pakistan thrive on such controversy and chaos. They’ve just beaten New Zealand 3-2, after all. Shahid Afridi is back as captain, Shoaib Akhtar is there too, as well as Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Razzaq. All the old protagonists. It’s never dull with this lot around.

Key man
Umar Gul. A remarkable one-day swing bowler. Will surely be lethal under the dew of lights – 37 of the 49 matches are floodlit.

Wild card
Ahmed Shehzad. Only 19 and scored a century against the Kiwis at Hamilton only 10 days ago.

World Cup record
P56, W30, L24, N/R2.
Winners 1992.

Squad
Shahid Afridi (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Junaid Khan, Younus Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Ahmed Shehzad.

NEW ZEALAND
They’re in a mess. They have won only two from their past 16 ODIs, and have recently had more coaches than a bus station. They have chopped and changed their side to no obvious advantage. But you just never know with the Kiwis. They are always dangerous in one-off encounters.

Key man
Daniel Vettori. A wonderful all-round one-day cricketer. Only one spinner in a world one-day eleven? I might go for Vettori over Graeme Swann.

Wild card
Kane Williamson. The likes of Jesse Ryder, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor may be able to bat around this composed 20 year-old, who made a century against Bangladesh last year.

World Cup record
P62, W35, L26, N/R1.

Squad
Daniel Vettori (capt), Hamish Bennett, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock.

SRI LANKA
Finalists last time, delightfully popular winners in 1996 and winner of every one-day series they played in 2010 bar the Asia Cup. They will be formidable on home soil. Their only wish might be that Muttiah Muralitharan were a couple of years younger, especially as Ajantha Mendis’s magic has been rumbled a little. Much could depend on the considerable all-round skills of Angelo Matthews.

Key man
Kumar Sangakkara. Captain, wicketkeeper and No 3 batsman. No pressure then.

Wild card
Chamara Kapugedera. Truly capable of middle-order violence if the platform can be laid by Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan.

World Cup record
P57, W25, L30, T1, N/R1.
Winners 1996.

Squad
Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath.

ZIMBABWE
The winding road to re-acceptance continues, but Sean Ervine’s last-minute decision to spurn his country for the more leisurely surroundings of Hampshire has not helped image problems. Zimbabwe’s main problem is that their seam bowling is embarrassingly weak, so spin – through Ray Price, Greg Lamb and Graeme Cremer – must compensate.

Key man
Brendan Taylor. Has scored centuries against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa in the past 18 months. Always worth watching.

Wild card
Regis Chakabva. At 23, he is the youngest member of Zimbabwe’s squad, and a wicketkeeper who will probably play as a specialist batsman. Yet to make a half-century but top-scored with 45 when Bangladesh were defeated in Dhaka in December.

World Cup record
P45, W8, L33, T1, N/R3.

Squad
Elton Chigumbura (capt), Regis Chakabva, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Gregory Lamb, Shingirai Masakadza, Tino Mawoyo, Christopher Mpofu, Raymond Price, Edward Rainsford, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams.

CANADA
Their fourth World Cup having taken part in 1979, 2003 and 2007. They have won only one match – against Bangladesh in Durban – in 2003. Seven of the squad have come through their national youth programmes, but they still have only three Canadian-born players and one of them is the veteran John Davison, who was brought up in Australia. They did beat Hampshire recently in the Caribbean T20 competition, but have no chance here.

Key man
Davison. Now 40 and doubtful he can repeat his 67-ball century against the West Indies in 2003.

Wild card
Jimmy Hansra. Mainly a batsman but his off-spinners are becoming more effective. Might even open the bowling.

World Cup record
P12, W1, L11.

Squad
Ashish Bagai (capt), Rizwan Cheema, Harvir Baidwan, Nitish Kumar, Hiral Patel, Tyson Gordon, Henry Osinde, John Davison, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Parth Desai, Karl Whatham, Khurram Chohan, Jimmy Hansra, Zubin Surkari, Balaji Rao.

KENYA
Since remarkably making the semi-finals in South Africa in 2003, Kenyan cricket has become something of a basket-case, dogged by match-fixing and corruption scandals and with playing standards slipping alarmingly. Last month they toured India and lost all their five matches against provincial opposition. Head coach Eldine Baptiste and newly appointed assistant Jonty Rhodes have much to do.

Key man
Steve Tikolo. Now 39 and at his fifth World Cup, but will doubtless be prime run-scorer. Made a century in a warm-up match against Afghanistan last week.

Wild card
Classy opening batsman Seren Waters. On Surrey’s staff and educated at Cranleigh School.

World Cup record
P23, W6, L16, N/R1.

Squad
Jimmy Kamande (capt), Seren Waters, Alex Obanda, David Obuya, Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Tanmay Mishra, Rakep Patel, Maurice Ouma, Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Peter Ongondo, Shem Ngoche, James Ngoche.

GROUP B

INDIA
Their sole triumph was in 1983. On home soil they appear favourites, but with that comes inordinate expectation. Can they handle that? They have everything; destructive batsmen, versatile swing bowlers and classy spin options. They also possess plenty of batsmen including Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan, who can bowl spin.

Key man
Sachin Tendulkar. Who else?

Wild card
Virat Kohli. Hardly a new face given he scored 995 ODI runs in 2010, second in the world only to South Africa’s Hashim Amla. But the 22 year-old has never played against England. You are in for a treat.

World Cup record
P58, W32, L25, N/R1.
Winners 1983.

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

SOUTH AFRICA
More choke than a Morris Minor. Or that is the reputation at least. This is now a very different team. There are only four players – Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and Robin Peterson – with World Cup experience. Expectation might be reduced. But omitting Mark Boucher (De Villiers will keep) may be a mistake.

Key man
Kallis. A truly great cricketer who must find the correct batting tempo early in the tournament.

Wild card
Imran Tahir. Pakistan-born journeyman leg-spinner of many counties and other teams around the world now qualified for South Africa.

World Cup record
P40, W25, L13, T2.

Squad
Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne van Wyk.

ENGLAND
Preparation could hardly have been worse. A year’s work in one-day cricket since the Champions Trophy in South Africa appears to have been unpicked in a few weeks of injury and fatigue-induced sloppiness in Australia. But don’t forget that England won last year’s World Twenty20 with very little preparation – having played only four T20s in the previous year. And they did not once field their strongest ODI bowling line-up in Australia.

Key man
Kevin Pietersen. The only England batsman who can destroy an attack on slow pitches.

Wild card
Ravi Bopara. Can hit sixes late on. Big chance to come again.

World Cup record
P59, W36, L22, N/R1.

Squad
Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy.

WEST INDIES
Vulnerable, very vulnerable. Bangladesh are right to sniff them as potential breakfast. The only three sides the West Indies have beaten in ODIs since June 2009 are Zimbabwe, Ireland and Canada. It is a miserable record. And Darren Sammy does not appear the most obvious of leaders.

Key man
Chris Gayle. He needs to click if the West Indies are to. Has not made a ODI century since January 2009. Little wonder there have been so many losses.

Wild card
Darren Bravo, brother of Dwayne. Already likened to Brian Lara, which is a little unkind, but just check out the audacity of this 22 year-old left-hander’s play.

World Cup record
P57, W35, L21, N/R1.
Winners 1975, 1979.

Squad
Darren Sammy (capt), Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Carlton Baugh, Andre Rusell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Adrian Barath.

BANGLADESH
Much improved. Their spin-based attack will be tricky on home pitches. Have just beaten New Zealand 4-0 and Zimbabwe 3-1 in their past two ODI series. Also beat England at Bristol last summer, so March 11 in Chittagong will not be easy for Andrew Strauss’s team. The match against the West Indies at Mirpur on March 4 could determine the fourth qualifier from Group B, though.

Key man
Tamim Iqbal. England know all about the pyrotechnic left-hander. Time for the World to see.
Wild card Mohammad Ashraful. So much talent so scandalously wasted. Might be a last opportunity to realise it.

World Cup record
P20, W5, L14, N/R1.

Squad
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Shahriar Nafees, Raqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Suhrawadi Shuvo.

IRELAND
To think four years ago they stunned the world, with victory over Pakistan and a tie with Zimbabwe to reach the Super Eights, where they overcame Bangladesh. Then they had only three full-time professionals. Now they have 13, including seven with county contracts. They were even been able to spend a preparatory month in India late last year and undertake a training camp in Dubai in January.

Key man
Ed Joyce. Played against Ireland for England in 2007. Plays for Ireland against England this time. Will hope to score more than one, as he did then.

Wild card
Paul Stirling. Chubby 20 year-old on Middlesex’s books. Gives the ball an almighty clout.

World Cup record
P9, W2, L6, T1.

Squad
William Porterfield (capt), Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, Niall O’Brien, Kevin O’Brien, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, John Mooney, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Gary Wilson, Andrew White, Ed Joyce.

HOLLAND
Their fourth World Cup but they have won only two matches, and those were against Namibia and Scotland. But, of course, their first match here is against England in Nagpur and memories of their famous victory in the opening match of the World Twenty20 at Lord’s in 2009 will come flooding back.

Key man
Ryan ten Doeschate. The Essex all-rounder is a giant among the associate members of the International Cricket Council.

Wild card
They do have a Tommy Cooper in their ranks. Yes, just like that, he is no longer an Australian. Will form a powerful middle-order with Alexei Kervezee and Ten Doeschate.

World Cup record
P14, W2, L12.

Squad
Peter Borren (capt), Wesley Baresi, Mudassar Bukhari, Atse Buurman, Tom Cooper, Tom de Grooth, Alexei Kervezee, Bradley Kruger, Bernard Loots, Adeel Raja, Pieter Seelaar, Eric Szwarczynski, Ryan ten Doeschate, Berend Westdijk, Bas Zuiderent.

Capsule look at the 14 teams contesting the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Capsule look at the 14 teams contesting the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

NEW DELHI — A capsule look at the 14 teams contesting the 2011 cricket World Cup:

Best World Cup performance: Champions (1987, '99, 2003, '07).

Last World Cup: Winner.

Captain: Ricky Ponting.

Coach: Tim Nielsen.

World Cup win-loss record: 51-17, 1 tie.

Key Players: Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee, Cameron White.

Strengths: Australia is ranked No. 1 in the ODI standings, went through the 2007 World Cup undefeated, and has the best win-loss ratio in the quadrennial tournament; Ricky Ponting, who has played in the last four World Cup finals, is back at the helm after overcoming a broken finger which has sidelined him since late December; Australia beat England 6-1 in an ODI series leading into the World Cup, to rebound after a disappointing Ashes test series loss.

Weaknesses: Many of the stars of the last World Cup — including Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden — have retired and their replacements aren't in the same league in terms of skill or experience; If the frontline pacemen are wayward, Australia could concede some big totals; Lack of an experienced, specialist spinner — Jason Krejza only made his ODI debut earlier this month and was a late addition to the squad because of injuries to Nathan Hauritz and Xavier Doherty.

Best World Cup performance: Group Stage (1979, 2003, '07).

Last World Cup: Group Stage.

Captain: Ashish Bagai.

Coach: Pubudu Dassanayake (Sri Lanka).

World Cup win-loss record: 1-11.

Key Players: John Davison.

Strengths: Reached its fourth World Cup by finishing runner-up to Ireland in the qualifying tournament and has a talented top-order contributor in Davison, who made headlines at the 2003 edition with what was then the fastest century in the tournament.

Weaknesses: Lack of depth and experience; Canada left out some seasoned veterans in a gamble to promote a handful of younger players into the international arena, compounding the pressure on the likes of Davison and skipper Ashish Bagai to perform in every match.

Best World Cup performance: Semifinals (2003).

Last World Cup: Group Stage.

Captain: Jimmy Kamande.

Coach: Eldine Baptiste (West Indies).

World Cup win-loss record: 6-16, 1 tie.

Key Players: Thomas Odoyo, Collins Obuya.

Strengths: Has some vastly experienced leaders in Steve Tikolo and Thomas Odoyo, playing in their fifth World Cups; Will benefit in the field from hiring energetic former South Africa international Jonty Rhodes to enliven its fielding performance.

Weaknesses: An aging squad well past its prime and not expected to repeats its surprising run to the semifinals in 2003; Squad contains nine World Cup rookies and lacks depth in the bowling department, a deficiency exposed in a series of losses to domestic teams in India during a recent tour to acclimatize to local conditions.

Best World Cup performance: Semifinals (1975, '79, 1992, '99, 2007).

Last World Cup: Semifinals.

Captain: Daniel Vettori.

Coach: John Wright.

World Cup win-loss record: 35-26, 1 No Result.

Key Players: Vettori, Brendon McCullum.

Strengths: Recruiting former New Zealand test player and India coach John Wright to oversee preparations will help skipper Daniel Vettori focus primarily on what happens on the field; New Zealand generally lifts for the World Cup and has a team of solid allrounders capable of producing an upset result if they all click at the same time.

Weaknesses: Is coming into the tournament with only two wins in its last 14 ODIs, including an 11-match losing streak in which it went down 4-0 in Bangladesh and 5-0 in India before winning in the first and last matches of a 3-2 home series loss to Pakistan; Vettori is the only star in the squad and until Wright's appointment was overburdened by additional selection and preparation responsibilities.

Best World Cup performance: Champions (1992).

Last World Cup: Group Stage.

Captain: Shahid Afridi.

Coach: Waqar Younis.

World Cup win-loss record: 30-24, 2 NR.

Key Players: Afridi, Abdul Razzaq.

Strengths: In allrounders Afridi and Razzaq, Pakistan possesses two batsmen who can turn an innings quickly and are well suited to the subcontinental conditions.

Weaknesses: No team has had a more tumultuous preparation — senior batsman Salman Butt and frontline pacemen Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were recently banned by the ICC for a minimum of five years after being found guilty in a spot-fixing scandal; Pakistan was supposed to be a World Cup co-host but was stripped of those rights after gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus en route to a test match at Lahore almost two years ago; Pakistan is relying on Shoiab Akhtar to lead the pace attack, with much riding on the injury-prone fast bowler.

Best World Cup performance: Champions (1996).

Last World Cup: Finalist.

Captain: Kumar Sangakkara

Coach: Trevor Bayliss (Australia).

World Cup win-loss record: 25-30, 1 tie, 1 NR .

Key Players: Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Strengths: Won the World Cup the last time it was held in Asia and reached the finals in 2007; Record-holding bowler Muttiah Muralitharan will be playing his last tournament and is aiming to deliver a second World Cup title to Sri Lanka; A well-rounded squad with the only question mark being over the middle-order.

Weaknesses: Expectations — Sri Lankans are expecting Sangakkara and Muralitharan to win the tournament which their country is co-hosting, despite little practice on the relatively new surfaces prepared for the World Cup.

ZIMBABWE

Best World Cup performance: Super 6 (1999, 2003)

Last World Cup: Group Stage.

Captain: Elton Chigumbura.

Coach: Alan Butcher (England).

World Cup win-loss record: 8-33 1 tie, 3 NR.

Key Players: Chigumbura, Tatenda Taibu.

Strengths: The squad has played reasonably frequently in Bangladesh and has experience in the subcontinental conditions, which suit its spin-oriented bowling attack led by Ray Price and Prosper Utseya; Isn't burdened by any expectations and is growing in confidence after a restructure of the domestic competition and some coaching assistance from Brian Lara.

Weaknesses: Zimbabwe hasn't returned to the form of 1999, when it beat India and South Africa in the World Cup; Lacks depth in batting and bowling departments and doesn't have a stand-out match winner.

___

Best World Cup performance: Super 8s (2007).

Last World Cup: Super 8s.

Captain: Shakib Al Hasan.

Coach: Jamie Siddons (Australia).

World Cup win-loss record: Bangladesh 5-14 1 NR.

Key Players: Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful.

Strengths: Has had some stunning victories, including its first in the World Cup over Pakistan in 1999, and wins over India and South Africa in 2007; That success, coupled with a win over England in 2010 which meant that Bangladesh has now beaten every full ICC member in the one-day format, should give the players confidence; Add the fact that Bangladesh are in the top eight of the ODI rankings and are at home in the group stage and it's easy to see why captain Shakib Al Hasan thinks his side can reach the quarterfinals.

Weaknesses: Bangladesh will still be among the three teams observers expect to depart from Group B as Al Hasan's men will need to add at least another win to the two achieved in 2007 to stand a chance of progress; They face a demanding start at home to fellow host India and will miss fast bowling allrounder Mashrafe Mortaza, who was left out because of a knee complaint.

Best World Cup performance: Finalist (1979, 1987, 1992).

Last World Cup: Super 8s.

Captain: Andrew Strauss

Coach: Andy Flower (Zimbabwe).

World Cup win-loss record: 36-22 1 NR.

Key Players: Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann.

Strengths: A good side with a potential match-winner in Pietersen, coupled with solid batting support from Strauss and Paul Collingwood, and an able off-spinner in Swann who will relish the slower pitches; Proved it has finally cracked limited-over cricket by winning the World Twenty20 title in the Caribbean last year and reeled off five consecutive ODI series wins against South African, Bangladesh (twice), Australia and Pakistan from late 2009 to late 2010.

Weaknesses: Hasn't reached the knockout rounds at the World Cup since 1996 and was hammered 6-1 by Australia in its most recent ODI series, following a euphoric Ashes triumph; Top batsman Eoin Morgan has been lost to injury, while Swann, paceman Ajmal Shahzad and allrounder Tim Bresnan have all been temporarily sidelined; In terms of track record, England has often struggled in the limited-overs game in the subcontinent.

Best World Cup performance: Champions (1983).

Last World Cup: Group Stage.

Captain: Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Coach: Gary Kirsten (South Africa).

World Cup win-loss record: 32-25, 1 NR.

Key Players: Sachin Tendulkar, Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh.

Strengths: Being a tournament host, with passionate support and an intimate knowledge of the pitches, are just the first of India's advantages — closely followed by having the world's best batsman in Tendulkar. Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and unflappable captain Dhoni add further batting strength to what is India's strongest suit, while Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh offer a mix of pace and spin with the ball which can prove devastating.

Weaknesses: Home advantage also brings pressure and expectations, particularly after losing semifinals in India in 1987 and 1996; Form has meanwhile been patchy, with a 3-2 defeat in its most recent ODI series against South Africa; Impressive though the batting lineup is on paper, they do not all deliver consistently — a fact that was underlined when the spinners had to save their side in Sunday's warm-up win over Australia — Gambir, Dhoni and Yuvraj could only muster 18 runs between them in a worrying display.

Best World Cup performance: Super 8s (2007)

Last World Cup: Super 8s.

Captain: William Porterfield.

Coach: Phil Simmons (West Indies).

World Cup win-loss record: 2-6 1 NR.

Key Players: Porterfield, Ed Joyce.

Strengths: Ireland captain Porterfield reckons he has a better overall squad than the one which caused a major upset in 2007, beating Pakistan in the group stage to reach the Super Eights; This time, 13 of the 15-man squad are playing professionally, compared with the largely amateur side of four years ago; Seam bowler Boyd Rankin, Ireland's leading wicket-taker at the 2007 event, has recovered from a stress fracture in his foot that has sidelined him since July.

Weaknesses: As an affiliate member of the ICC, the odds are clearly stacked against the Irish, who have lost their inspirational batsman from 2007 to the England camp — although luckless Eoin Morgan has been ruled out of the tournament by injury; The size of the task was made clear by three defeats in as many warm-up games in February against New Zealand, Kenya and Zimbabwe, along with a 2-1 loss to Zimbabwe in an ODI series in September at Harare.

Best World Cup performance: Group Stage (1996, 2003, '07).

Last World Cup: Group Stage.

Captain: Peter Borren.

Coach: Peter Drinnen (Australia).

World Cup win-loss record: 2-12.

Key Players: Ryan ten Doeschate, Pieter Seelaar.

Strengths: The batting will be the strongpoint, albeit for probably the weakest side at the tournament; If Ten Doeschate can get into his stride, the Essex batsman could cause opposing teams a few problems and the same is also true for Tom Cooper, who plays for South Australia, and Worcestershire's Alexi Kervezee; A third World Cup match victory, after beating Namibia and Scotland in previous editions, could yet be a possibility in 2011.

Weaknesses: The bowling is unlikely to stand the test of the major nations and memories of the six sixes which Herschelle Gibbs clobbered in one over by Daan van Bunge in 2007 will be fresh in the memory; A crushing 156-run defeat by Sri Lanka in a warm-up on Saturday, along with a punishing 115-run loss to Zimbabwe last week, suggest things have not improved on the bowling front in the intervening four years.

Best World Cup performance: Semifinals (1992, '99, 2007).

Last World Cup: Semifinals.

Captain: Graeme Smith.

Coach: Corrie van Zyl.

World Cup win-loss record: 25-13, 2 ties.

Key Players: Smith, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn.

Strengths: South Africa has outstanding individual performers with Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers leading the ODI batting rankings, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel considered the best fast bowling combination in the world and Jacques Kallis probably the top allrounder in international cricket; Smith has captained the Proteas in more one-dayers than any other player and is experienced and hugely respected by his team; South Africa came back from 2-1 down to beat India in a five-match home series at the beginning of the year to hit form ahead of the tournament.

Weaknesses: In many ways, World Cups; South Africa has a miserable record at the tournament where it has regularly underperformed and could again be troubled by famous failures on the big stage and the pressure to win one; Likely to be the last chance at World Cup success for Smith and Kallis, two of South Africa's greats, possibly adding an extra burden; A fast bowler-heavy attack led by Steyn, Morkel, Kallis and Lonwabo Tsotsobe may not be as effective as the Proteas are used to on the slower pitches of the subcontinent.

Best World Cup performance: Champions (1975, '79).

Last World Cup: Super 8s.

Captain: Darren Sammy.

Coach: Ottis Gibson.

World Cup win-loss record: 35-21, 1 NR.

Key Players: Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo.

Strengths: Individual efforts from the likes of Gayle, who has huge experience to draw on as well as an unquestioned ability with the bat, represent the best hopes for a West Indies side which has struggled over the past year; The same prospects can be said for Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan with the bat, captain and all-rounder Darren Sammy, while promising pace bowler Kemar Roach could provide a real help if the pitch suited. A comfortable victory over Kenya in a warm-up game will have done no harm but the glory days of Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards are long gone.

Weaknesses: A lack of form continues to hinder the winners of the first two tournaments, and it's been particularly true in the one-day format. A 2-0 series defeat by Sri Lanka in January and February followed last year's 5-0 whitewash by South Africa and a 4-0 drubbing in Australia over 2009-2010, albeit punctuated by a 4-1 win over Zimbabwe; Harmony in the ranks has meanwhile not been a strong point in West Indies cricket in recent years.