worldcup2011

Dat e Lo cal GMT Mat ch Det ails Venue
Feb 19 , 20 11 14:30 0 8 :30 Bangladesh vs India , 1st ODI Match Shere Bangla Natio nal Stadium, Mirpur
Feb 20 , 20 11 0 9 :30 0 4:0 0 New Zealand vs Kenya , 2nd ODI Match MA Chidambaram Stadium - Chepauk, Chennai
Feb 20 , 20 11 14:30 0 9 :0 0 Sri Lanka vs Canada , 3rd ODI Match Hambanto ta Cricket Stadium, Hambanto ta
Feb 21, 20 11 14:30 0 9 :0 0 Australia vs Zimbabwe , 4th ODI Match Sardar Patel Stadium Mo tera, Ahmedabad
Feb 22, 20 11 14:30 0 9 :0 0 England vs Netherlands , 5th ODI Match Vidarbha Cricket Asso ciatio n Stadium, Nagpur
Feb 23, 20 11 14:30 0 9 :0 0 Pakistan vs Kenya , 6 th ODI Match Hambanto ta Cricket Stadium, Hambanto ta
Feb 24, 20 11 14:30 0 9 :0 0 So uth Africa vs West Indies , 7th ODI Match Fero z Shah Ko tla, Delhi
Feb 25, 20 11 0 9 :30 0 3:30 Bangladesh vs Ireland , 8 th ODI Match Shere Bangla Natio nal Stadium, Mirpur
Feb 25, 20 11 14:30 0 9 :0 0 Australia vs New Zealand , 9 th ODI Match Vidarbha Cricket Asso ciatio n Stadium, Nagpur
Feb 26 , 20 11 14:30 0 9 :0 0 Pakistan vs Sri Lanka , 10 th ODI Match R. Premadasa Stadium, Co lo mbo
Feb 27, 20 11 14:30 0 9 :0 0 India vs England , 11th ODI Match M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalo re
Feb 28 , 20 11 0 9 :30 0 4:0 0 Canada vs Zimbabwe , 12th ODI Match Vidarbha Cricket Asso ciatio n Stadium, Nagpur
Feb 28 , 20 11 14:30 0 9 :0 0 West Indies vs Netherlands , 13th ODI Match Fero z Shah Ko tla, Delhi
Mar 1, 20 11 14:30 0 9 :0 0 Sri Lanka vs Kenya , 14th ODI Match R. Premadasa Stadium, Co lo mbo
Mar 2, 20 11 14:30 0 9 :0 0 England vs Ireland , 15th ODI Match M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalo re
Mar 3, 20 11 0 9 :30 0 4:0 0 So uth Africa vs Netherlands , 16 th ODI Match Punjab C.A. Stadium, Mo hali
Mar 3, 20 11 14:30 0 9 :0 0 Pakistan vs Canada , 17th ODI Match R. Premadasa Stadium, Co lo mbo
Mar 4, 20 11 0 9 :30 0 4:0 0 New Zealand vs Zimbabwe , 18 th ODI Match Sardar Patel Stadium Mo tera, Ahmedabad
Mar 4, 20 11 14:30 0 8 :30 Bangladesh vs West Indies , 19 th ODI Match Shere Bangla Natio nal Stadium, Mirpur

Genius unplugged and in print

	The book includes essays by Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, who have played most of the careers alongside Sachin Tendulkar

"I shudder to think what today's coaches would have done with Sachin Tendulkar." So begins Sanjay Manjrekar's contribution to Sachin - Genius Unplugged, the latest book on the game's most prolific batsman, launched in Bangalore on Wednesday. It is a statement that underlines Tendulkar's most defining characteristic - his endurance. Tendulkar has been the only constant through 21 years (and counting) of the game's metamorphosis, and excelling in every format. After all these years at the top, with his every move analysed to death, is there anything more that can be written about Tendulkar? The answer, going by Genius Unplugged, seems to be a yes.

The book, edited by eminent cricket journalist Suresh Menon, comprises 18 essays by writers who have watched Tendulkar's career, and, in the cases of Manjrekar, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid, been a part of it. Seventeen of the 18 essays are freshly commissioned - "I was the only lazy one," says Menon with a chuckle. Yet, as the editor of the book, his contribution is to have taken it from conception to paperback in just over seven months. Fittingly, it includes a foreword by the man who is to bowling what Tendulkar is to batting - Muttiah Muralitharan.

It was also fitting that Dravid launched the book, and Kumble received the first copy: Kumble and Tendulkar held the record for the most Tests played by two cricketers together (122), until the Dravid-Tendulkar combine (currently 135) broke it. Kumble marveled at Tendulkar's ability to master every aspect of the game he set his mind to. "Sachin just rolled his arm over, and turned the legspinner and the googly by the same huge width, while I was struggling to spin the ball," he said. Menon recalled Kumble once saying that if Tendulkar took to legspin, he himself might have never played for India.

Kumble also remembered his debut at Old Trafford in 1990, in which Tendulkar scored his first international century. "Kiran More had ordered me to keep standing on the balcony, since Tendulkar was batting well when I was there," Kumble said. "I was allowed to sit down only after he reached his hundred, and the match was saved."

Both Kumble and Dravid also spoke of Menon's contribution to cricket writing. Dravid recounted how he used to preserve, and be inspired, by Menon's newspaper articles on him when he was a schoolboy cricketer. He believed this book would stand out from the crowd thanks to the sheer quality of contributors, including Peter Roebuck, Greg Baum, Harsha Bhogle and Barney Ronay. "The book is a great reflection on Tendulkar's accomplishments, and is something youngsters taking to cricket will enjoy reading," he said. "Chronicling good writing is not something we do very well in India, and this book is a very good start."

Sachin - Genius Unplugged, published by Krab Media and Westland, is priced at Rs. 599 in India, and $16 everywhere else

Back-to-back Ashes confirmed for 2013

	The Ashes are the single biggest event in the calendars of both Australia and England's cricket boards

England and Australia will play each other in ten consecutive Tests across two series home and away in 2013-14, and that could be followed by a further five-match series in 2015, after it was confirmed that the dates of the next Ashes series Down Under have been brought forward by a year.

The situation, which last occurred in 1974-75, has been forced upon the two boards by the competing demands of the 2015 World Cup, which is also scheduled to be held in Australia and which, had the 2014-15 Ashes gone ahead as planned, would have required England's cricketers to remain in the country for five months.

A proposal to bring England's next home series, in 2013, forward by a year was thwarted by the competing demands of the London Olympics. England's subsequent home Ashes summer is now expected to take place in 2015, a year earlier than the 2016 date originally proposed, with the traditional four-year home-and-away rotation expected to kick in from then on.

"It's always been our aim to break that cycle of two huge events in the same winter," Steve Elworthy, the ECB's marketing director, told ESPNcricinfo. "To ensure that the teams have better preparation time for the World Cup, this is the only solution, but I also think it's absolutely manageable. I believe the brand is strong enough, as we've seen this year. The home series is critical from our perspective to make sure our grounds are full, but when England head Down Under, they will be trying to replicate the performance that they've just produced."

Although the new dates have yet to be included into the Future Tours Programme, the proposed shift of England's home series to 2015 is potentially significant, as it takes the series away from the competing interests of football's Euro 2016 tournament, which would overshadow the build-up in June and July. Instead, the only other major sporting event in 2015 is the Rugby World Cup, set to take place in England at the end of the cricket season in October.

A major consideration for CA was the prospect of a new round of TV rights negotiations, as the current deal is set to expire in May 2013. With India due to tour in 2011-12, followed by South Africa, England and the World Cup, the board is anticipating four consecutive seasons of high-quality international cricket.

''The Ashes have an x-factor element that excites the Australian public," CA's spokesman Peter Young told The Sydney Morning Herald. "The Ashes make turnstiles spin and they drive the ratings up. In terms of the next media contract, it's an ideal starting point because it's a lucrative blue chip series and all the networks would give their eye teeth to get hold of it."

'Game Amir played in was unofficial' - PCB

	Mohammad Amir's name was not on the team sheet for the club game he played

The PCB believes the club match in which suspended fast bowler Mohammad Amir recently took part was not an official match, which would imply that the ICC's anti-corruption code of conduct was not breached by his appearance. But the board has stressed once again that all regional cricket bodies must remain in strict compliance of ICC directives.

In a statement, the board said that the match, which took place on Monday, was "an unofficial match between two club sides that are not registered with the Rawalpindi Cricket Association. It was also found that no PCB official was present at the venue when the player took part in the game."

According to one official, Amir "bowled only a few overs" in the game and did not stay for the duration of the match. It was not, according to the PCB statement, a pre-planned move. "The team sheets prepared prior to the match did not contain Mohammad Amir's name nor was his name listed with any team participating in the tournament. This game was not part of any official tournament. PCB has again advised all regional bodies to ensure strict compliance of the ICC directives regarding the status of the three suspended players."

Under article 6.5 of the ICC's anti-corruption code, any player who has been suspended or banned cannot thereafter "participate or be involved in any capacity in any international match or any other match, function, event or activity (other than authorised anti-corruption education or rehabilitation programmes) that is authorised, organised, sanctioned, recognised or supported in any way by the ICC, a National Cricket Federation or any member of a National Cricket Federation."

The ICC had asked the PCB for an explanation when reports first emerged earlier this week that the fast bowler had played in a match in Rawalpindi. The board, said the statement, has sent a report of the incident to the ICC.

Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, who were provisionally suspended on charges of spot-fixing last year, are awaiting a verdict on their futures from an ICC tribunal, due February 5.

Pandey double-century powers South Zone to strong total

	Manish Pandey's 203 not out included seven sixes

Manish Pandey smashed an unbeaten 203 off just 191 as South Zone raced to 416 on the first day of their match against Central Zone at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Central had made a terrific comeback against East Zone in the quarter-finals, and seemed to carry some of that momentum into the match against South, getting rid of Robin Uthappa and Subramaniam Badrinath early.

But they were thwarted by a 174-run third-wicket stand between Karnataka's Pandey and Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund. Mukund scored 105 off 146 runs. Pandey was dropped when he was on 127 by Pankaj Singh off the bowling of RP Singh, and then carried on the destruction after Mukund fell. Wickets fell at regular intervals at the other end and South were eight down by the end of play. Their quick scoring rate, however, means they already have a strong total on the board, and could add to it on the second day with Pandey still at the wicket. Pandey's double-century included 19 fours and seven sixes.

Robin Uthappa still craves national cap

Robin Uthappa's innovative batting makes him invaluable in the IPL

Robin Uthappa may have forged a lucrative career in the IPL with his clean hitting, but has said that he still craves the India cap, though he hasn't represented the country since 2008. Uthappa fetched a whopping $2.1 million from the Pune franchise at the 2011 IPL auction, making him the second most expensive cricketer in the league, after Gautam Gambhir.

"It feels pretty good and satisfying," Uthappa told PTI. "There are people who think that I am worth that much. [But] eventually my passion is to play for the country first. The India cap is lot dearer to me than playing in the IPL. Players should strive hard to represent their country first than go for the IPL event. When they play for their country, their worth becomes that much that they can command good money.

"I hope to do well in the IPL and also hope that the [India] selectors take note of my performance. I have always tried to perform to the best of my abilities whenever I have got an opportunity to play for the country. But it's up to the selectors whether I fit in their scheme of things or not."

Uthappa played for India in the 2007 one-day World Cup and was a key member of their World Twenty20 success the same year. However, he lost his place in the limited-overs' sides after a series of poor performances. Following two indifferent seasons, he proved his worth in IPL 2010 as an attacking batsman-wicketkeeper for Bangalore, leading to his astronomical valuation at the auction earlier this month.

"To be honest, I don't know how to react," Uthappa said about his price tag. "But I was sure to come somewhere close to that amount. The fact that I belong to Pune Warriors, makes me responsible towards them. I will play to the best of my ability for my new team. I am okay with the swapping [from Bangalore to Pune]. New team and new thinking, that's all. Naturally, there was a bonding, but that's okay."

Uthappa's biggest strength as a batsman is his ability to walk down the track to fast bowlers, and hit them straight or with a horizontal bat, depending on the length bowled. "People are becoming lot more open-minded about the shots," he explained. "It depends on the situation and how much you have practiced. As a batsman, you are experimenting more with the sweep shot, the paddle-sweep, you walk down and play those shots. It's all innovation and it is only going to go forward."

Ramnaresh Sarwan recalled for World Cup

	Ramnaresh Sarwan

West Indies have recalled batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan for the 2011 World Cup, after he had been left out of the national team's rain-marred tour of Sri Lanka last year. Sarwan last represented West Indies in the ODI series at home against South Africa in May and June last year and was subsequently dropped due to fitness issues and indifferent form on the domestic circuit. The World Cup team will be led by Darren Sammy and also includes fast-bowling allrounder Andre Russell, who is yet to make his ODI debut.

Sammy took over the reins from Chris Gayle last year. Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, three players who turned down contracts with the West Indies Cricket Board, all feature in the squad following their participation in the WICB one-day tournament last year; as per WICB regulations, participation in domestic tournaments is a criteria for selection into the national team for the corresponding format.

Nikita Miller and Sulieman Benn are the two specialist spinners, both left-arm orthodox, while Russell, Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul make up the pace options. Carlton Baugh was preferred over Denesh Ramdin as wicketkeeper. Baugh has not played an ODI for West Indies since November 2008, but impressed with a half-century in the second Test in Sri Lanka.

Sarwan hasn't played Tests in more than a year, and was not offered a WICB contract last year. In the WICB one-day tournament, he averaged 21.33 in three games with one-half-century for Guyana and his team was knocked out in the league stage. However, he has an excellent ODI record in India, where West Indies play five of their six group games. He has played 15 matches there with an average of 57.30 and five half-centuries.

"The Selection Committee deliberated extensively over the selection of this most important World Cup squad and while choosing some players was straightforward we believe that we have come up with a good mix of players who will be able to do well in the Asian conditions," Clyde Butts, the WICB's chairman of selectors, said. "We have some of the most experienced ODI cricketers on the international stage along with the effervescence and freshness of some quality young players who we are confident can not only contribute to the team but win matches."

In the lead-up to the tournament, West Indies play three ODIs in Sri Lanka - a series rescheduled after the one-day leg of the December 2010 series was cancelled due to excessive rain.

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