New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat believesnext month''s cricket World Cup will dismiss fears of thedemise of the 50-over format of the game and prove that allthree formats can co-exist.
Buzz up! "I think the talk of poor interest in 50-over cricket isoverstated. I firmly believe that all three forms of the game(Test, ODI and T20I) will co-exist and in fact thrive atinternational level," Lorgat told Espnstar.com.
"I hope that the ICC Cricket World Cup, being the game''sflagship event and cricket''s biggest prize, will add toreversing the poor perception of 50-over cricket as some ofthe recent matches already have.
"To be frank, the talk of a demise of 50-over ODI cricketis way out of whack with what we are experiencing. Players,spectators, TV viewers and administrators still see greatvalue in the ODI and I think we are very fortunate as a sportto have three viable formats that are so popular in their ownways. I can''t think of any other sport that enjoys such anembarrassment of riches in that way," he added.
Lorgat said 2011 will witness the most open andunpredictable ICC Cricket World Cup in history.
"This year''s event promises to be one of the most openand unpredictable in history. It seems to me that the topteams are all playing some wonderful cricket at present andthere is precious little to decide between them," he said.
"The Australians could make history by becoming the firstteam to win four in a row but they will be challenged as theyare not as dominant today as they were four years ago. Theother teams no doubt will sense an opportunity to wrestle ''TheCup that Counts'' from their tight grasp," he added.
The ICC CEO said the governing body doesn''t have plans totinker with the format of the game but it is ready to considerchanges if it is good for cricket.
"There are no plans to dramatically change the format ofthe 50-over game at international level. That said, weencourage our Members to experiment with different formats andinitiatives to see if there are ways it can be enhanced," hesaid.
"The ODI today has a very different look and feel to whatit was 40 years ago when the first match took place in 1971.
We have always embraced change and will continue to do so. Ifit''s good for ODIs we will consider it," he added.
The World Cup, which is being co-hosted by India, SriLanka and Bangladesh, will be starting from February 19 inDhaka.
As the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is about to begin in few days. Here is a little flashback on the record list of world cup history. These records including team records as well as individual records.
Highest Individual Score
1. Gary Kirsten (SA) 188* vs. UAE 2. Sourav Ganguly (IND) 183 vs. SL 3. Vivian Richards (WI) 181 vs. SL 4. Kapil Dev (IND) 175* vs. ZIM 5. Craig Wishart (ZIM) 172* vs. NAM
1. Glenn McGrath (AUS) 7/15 (7 Ovrs) vs. NAM 2. Andrew Bichel (AUS) 7/20 (10 Ovrs) vs. ENG 3. Winston Davis (WI) 7/51 (10.3 Ovrs) vs. AUS 4. Gary Gilmour (AUS) 6/14 (12 Ovrs) vs. ENG 5. Shane Bond (NZ) 6/23 (10 Ovrs) vs. AUS
Highest Team Total
1. IND 413 vs. BER 2. SL 398 vs. KEN 3. AUS 377 vs. SA 4. IND 373 vs. SL 5. NZ 363 vs. CAN
Lowest Team Total
1. CAN 36 vs. SL 2. CAN 45 vs. ENG 3. NAM 45 vs. AUS 4. SCO 68 vs. WI 5. PAK 74 vs. ENG
Largest Victory Margin (Rns.)
1. IND 257 vs. BER 2. AUS 256 vs. NAM 3. SL 243 vs. BER 4. AUS 229 vs. NED 5. SA 221 vs. NED
Largest Victory Margin (Wts.)
1. IND 10 vs. ZIM 2. WI 10 vs. PAK 3. WI 10 vs. ZIM 4. SA 10 vs. KEN 5. SL 10 vs. BAN
ICC has released one of cricket’s biggest communication campaigns across the sub-continent for Cricket World Cup 2011.
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the biggest and the most prestigious tournament in the game. To be held across India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the ICC CWC 2011 will witness 14 nations battle for cricket’s most coveted prize. Conceptualized by the ICC Marketing Team and Ogilvy Mumbai, the campaign for ICC CWC 2011 shall arguably be the biggest to promote any sporting tournament in the sub-continent.
Navin Talreja, Managing Partner, Ogilvy & Mather says, “About 1000 matches were played between the last ICC Cricket World Cup and this one. Many tournaments, many cups but a World Cup in any sport has been and will continue to be the pinnacle of achievement. The postioning line ‘The Cup That Counts’ serves as a reminder to all cricket fans of this very simple fact.”
With this in mind, a surround campaign involving not just TV, Print, Outdoor, PR but also last mile mediums such has Digital and Activation was created for India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Navin adds, “This time around we have moved away from the conventional amplification approach of the core idea across mediums. Instead the messaging strategy for different elements developed reflects different facets of “The Cup That Counts” from the point of view of the teams, players and of course the fans.”
The campaign kicked off worldwide on the 1st week of January with the launch TV commercial titled ‘Tightrope’. Abhijit Avasthi, National Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather says, “Every country, every player and every fan has only one wish – to win the race to the cup. But this is no ordinary race. Full of obstacles and surprises, to win this race, each player would need to literally walk on a tightrope. Keeping this in mind we decided to use a metaphor and depicted a tightrope race to the cup that counts”.
The ‘Tightrope’ commercial aptly captures the passion, celebration, competition and fun associated with the game of cricket like never seen before. Shot across the entire city of Jaipur over 5 days, the commercial ‘features’ captains from most of the playing nations and over 400 fans from various countries. Professional tightrope artists were flown in from USA and UK for the filming of this commercial.
This film has been shot by the Cannes Gold winning director Bob of Good Morning Films and the music has been composed by Dhruv Ghanekar. This launch campaign shall also be supported by print and outdoor, shot by international photographer Palani Chandramohan.
In addition, fans will also get to see another campaign featuring iconic players from the sub-continent. A series of 3 commercials starring Sachin Tendulkar, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shakib Ul Hasan respectively, this campaign plays upon a deep personal wish that these cricketing legends are fostering – to bring the cup home. These films have been directed by Piyush Raghani of Old School Films and shall go on air towards end January. This campaign too shall be supported by print and outdoor.
Additionally, cricket fans shall also enjoy the Official ICC CWC 2011 Event Theme Song titled ‘De Ghumaa Ke’ that has been released on radio channels across the country. Composed and sung by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, this song brings alive the fierce sense of competition and the desire to win. The same song shall also be adapted in local languages for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. A music video featuring Shankar Ehsaan Loy and ICC CWC 2011′s Official Mascot ‘Stumpy’ is also in the works and shall be released by end of this month.
Further, ICC shall also unleash a slew of contests and below the line initiatives to help spread the CWC 2011 buzz. Across venue cities, Official Countdown Clocks shall be placed at airports and popular malls, uniquely designed ICC CWC 2011 branded vans shall give fans a chance to share their wishes, radio stations shall run contests to help fans win tickets and much more.
As a part of ICC’s CSR and youth outreach initiative, Ogilvy also rolled out a nation-wide school contact program alongwith UNAIDS. The program reached out to 8 cities, 70 schools and above 10,000 students who got a chance to learn about AIDS awareness and also participate in an Inter School Mini Cricket World Cup Tournament.
Cricket fans flocked to the picturesque and world famous V and A Waterfront in Cape Town on Friday evening to celebrate 50 days to go before the start of the game's flagship event, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The tournament begins in Mirpur, Dhaka, on 19 February with the much-anticipated opener between co-hosts Bangladesh and India. Joining the many followers of the game in Cape Town were Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat and South Africa and India captains, Graeme Smith and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The full version of the official promotional film for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 was also revealed at the press conference. This promotional film will be part of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 television marketing campaign that will go on air this month. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 trophy was later displayed at the function which concluded shortly after midnight with a spectacular fireworks display. The celebrations will continue today (Saturday) at the V and A Waterfront Shopping Centre with the fans having an opportunity to be photographed with The Cup that Counts.
Ms Zille, in her welcome address, said: "2010 will always be remembered as the year of a successful and exciting FIFA World Cup in South Africa. It is a fitting way to conclude 2010 by welcoming the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy to Cape Town." Mr Lorgat said he was delighted to see so much interest and excitement building up amongst the players and followers of the game. "With 50 days to go before cricket's flagship event starts, key players are starting to think and talk a lot more about the World Cup" "The players will soon start with their World Cup focus and preparation and the related anticipation across the world will escalate with each passing day."
With the three host nations busy with extensive preparation and recognizing that a few venues were behind schedule, Mr Lorgat urged everyone to continue with the hard work required to successfully stage a world-class event. "We must do our utmost to complete all the necessary work to deliver another memorable event," said Mr Lorgat. He also thanked the host countries and the ICC's commercial partners for their excellent work to date. South Africa captain Graeme Smith, whose side opens its campaign against two-time winner West Indies in New Delhi on 24 February, shared his excitement when he said: "I can't believe that the World Cup is only 50 days away! The spectacular way that 50 days to the World Cup was marked is a pointer to the magnitude of the event.
"As a unit, we are looking to make sure we head into the showpiece with the best preparation possible. "The five-match ODI series against India starting on 12 January will be our last chance to make sure we are fully prepared and we hope to bring home the silverware." India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he can feel the World Cup buzz around him. "With just 50 days remaining before we launch our campaign to win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, I can clearly feel and sense the tremendous excitement which is gripping the cricket fraternity," he said.
"It is not a surprise to me as it doesn't get any bigger than the World Cup. It is the ultimate dream of every cricketer to represent his country in this competition and win the glittering trophy at least once in his career. "Every one of us in the India dressing room wants to lift that cup, not only for ourselves, but also for the billions of fans supporting us around the globe. It will require a lot of hard work, self belief and also a positive approach which Team India is capable of displaying at the highest level."
Commenting on his side's preparations for the World Cup, Dhoni said: "I'm happy with our preparations so far as we have gelled well, we have backed each other all the way and have played some excellent cricket lately. But we are also aware that we need to peak at the right time and maintain a winning momentum as the competition will be tough and every team will enter the event fancying its chances.
"Each team and match will bring a fresh challenge and we will have to play to our potential every time we take the field." The charismatic India captain urged the spectators to play their part in making the event the most successful ever. He said: "I also take this opportunity to urge the India public and spectators to support the tournament and all the teams taking part in it. I would love to see every stadium packed to capacity even when we are not playing. "With billions of eyes following the World Cup on television, this would be another great opportunity for us to showcase our love and passion for this great sport. Let us all unite and make the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in the subcontinent the best ever."
Legendary cricketers Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Vivian Richards and Arjuna Ranatunga shared their ideas about how to make the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 presentation truly entertaining and engaging at a recently held press conference.
There were several new initiatives that were proposed in the discussion like live match coverage by 3G mobile streaming in India where fans will enjoy unrestricted access to the biggest cricket event on internet and mobile besides televisions. Also another first of its kind initiative would be the 'Decision Review System' which will be introduced for the first time for any ICC tournament. "It will certainly be a very big challenge to organize an event of this magnitude that will be spread across 13 venues in three host countries — Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka for a month," informs ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 tournament director, Ratnakar Shetty.
"To create more excitement and interest amongst the viewers we have taken some new initiatives which will intensify the passion amongst the cricket fans," added ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat.
Speaking on the occasion, former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan said, "India has performed really well in the last few years. They definitely stand the chance to win the cup. Another team that according to Imran can upstage any strong team is Sri Lanka. "But I'm dying to see India win the cup. The Indian team has turned out to be the best. Best teams do come under pressure and it is all about how you cope with the pressures."
Kapil Dev said, "Two months are left for the world cup to begin. The team is doing well especially the youngsters in the team have done a commendable job in recent matches. At the end of the day, it's all about team spirit and playing according to the situation." Further according to Kapil Dev, the main key players from the Indian team would be MS Dhoni, Sachin, Sehwag, Pathan and Gambhir.
Vivian Richards is, however, rooting for the West Indies team, and believes that the team would do well in the World Cup. He is hopeful that India being a strong team, would definitely reach the final. "The young players have been performing well. Also since the matches will be played on the home ground they are definitely going to have an edge over other teams."
However, Arjuna Rantunga feels that Sri Lanka will come blazing on all cylinders this World Cup. "There is a lot of experienced players in the Sri Lankan team like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Malinga, Muralitharan and others who will surely make a difference."
