Australia v Canada: Live Cricket Scores and Updates | ICC Cricket World Cup Live Updates

Not the most exciting game – we all know who is going to win – but interesting to watch, nevertheless: Australia meets Canada at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, in the 35th match of the ICC World Cup 2011. Stay with us for live cricket scores, Castrol index updates (via Yahoo! Cricket), and more. Fans who want to watch the game online, free of charge, find that information at the end of this intro.

Australia and Canada only met once, 32 years ago, and since Australia have won the World Cup four times while Canada continue to be the competition’s whipping boys – as the Reuters stat box reveals. I like that term “whipping boys” – they are not the only ones though. Canada will be watching this with a lot of interest, and maybe, just maybe, they can show what they are really made of: even if they cannot cause an upset, at least they’ll put up a good fight? One can only hope – and judging by this year’s beautiful competition, nothing seems impossible. Minnows can turn to sharks with the right motivation…

And here comes another interesting fact: Australia are the only undefeated side left in the World Cup and only the very “foolish” — would put money on a bunch of part-time Canadians to break that run. Well, call me foolish, but I’d love to take that chance. Can you imagine my fortune, if Canada decides to prove us all wrong? Joking aside, Canada need the victory, at least for pride.

As promised, for those who want to watch the game online, here are a few websites providing live streaming, live scorecards and updates: ESPNstar.asia (live streaming available only in Asian countries), Crictime.com (site for live streaming, broadcasting on four different servers) and ESPN3.com (ideal for US viewers). Willow TV is also an official online broadcaster in the United States. Our most recent feed came via a very nice mail from someone who created a nice feed here called CricZero. Fans in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland can watch the game via BSkyB. A complete list of 2011 Cricket World Cup broadcasting rights can be found via Wikipedia, or at Yahoo! Sports, in *pdf format.

Pak keen to start with a bang against Kenya

Keen to re-establish their reputation dented by the spot-fixing scandal, unpredictable Pakistan will look to launch their cricket World Cup campaign on a rousing note when they take on minnows on Wednesday. Having suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Ireland, which eventually resulted in
their first round ouster the 2007 edition, Pakistan would be wary of taking their opponents lightly this time around.

In fact, captain Shahid Afridi has already warned his team to take every opponent seriously.

"There have been so many upsets in the World Cup in the past, like the one against Ireland four years ago. So we have that in mind and we will be on our toes in every match, be it Kenya or Sri Lanka," said Afridi.

Going into the match, Pakistan would take heart from their recent 3-2 ODI series victory over New Zealand in New Zealand just before the World Cup.

And even though they had mixed fortunes in the their two warm-up games -- a win against Bangladesh and a defeat against England, Pakistan are well aware that if they play as a unit, they have enough firepower to go a long distance in the tournament.

Pakistan's batting consisting of the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, former captain Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Akmal brothers -- Kamran and Umar, has the reputation of creating quite a flutter in the opposition camp.

In the absence of their banned opener Salman Butt, Pakistan would be banking on Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad in the opening slot, followed by the more experienced middle-order.

Veteran Younis Khan is expected to bring in stability with all his experience of playing international cricket, followed by Test skipper and in-form Misbah and the two Akmals.

And with captain Shahid Afridi and allrounder Abdul Razzaq coming down the order, Pakistan should not have any trouble blowing the Kenyans away in their inaugural match.

As far as bowling department is concerned, Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul would be looking to go for the kill from the very first ball. This match will also give both the pacemen an opportunity to get back to their peak form.

Even Saeed Ajmal would get a chance to experiment with his doosra before his team face bigger names during the course of the tournament. Allrounder Afridi's fast-wrist spin is also expected to come in handy against the African nation.

Source:hindustantimes.com

Pakistan gear up for Kenya challenge

There are still denials about his demise, and understandably, his family want to put it all behind them. Four years on it is still a harbinger Pakistan need to face along with players who have records with body enhancing drugs and tales of how to get rich though spotfixing.

For Kenya, shuttled in from Chennai after a fearful hiding by New Zealand in their first game, it is not an outing where they will feel any comfort. Jimmy Kamande, a re-invented spinner, put a brave face on it again when he faced a curious media and suggested there would be a 100 per cent improvement against Pakistan.

"It is hard switching venues and hard on the players to adjust as it is a young side. Yes, we were nervous against New Zealand," he said. "It was their bowling and our inexperience which in part let us down.

"We have to learn from that game and at least play like we know we can and offer a bigger challenge to a side which we know from experience is always competitive," he added.

Kenya in 2011 is not the Kenya of 2003 and living on past memories is a matter of drawing on the legacy of that side reaching the semi-finals through boycotts by England (playing Zimbabwe in Harare) and New Zealand (Kenya in Nairobi). It cannot be forgotten either how Kenya played and beat Sri Lanka in 2003. They were well prepared for the game and took their chances.

For the sake of the image of the associates, Kenya need to shake the dust off the Chennai defeat and think ahead.

Pakistan come into the event with an easy enough game before their bigger challenge on Saturday where they meet Sri Lanka at the reshaped Premadasa Stadium. They need to get this game against Kenya behind them, which for reasons of their own peace of mind, they will be anxious to display the sort of form which helped them beat New Zealand 3-2 (a series Waqar admitted they were lucky to win and not tie).

Reflecting on the past few months, he acknowledged it has been far from easy fore the team. They have lost three players and injuries have not helped.

"We have been through some tough times in the recent past," he said. "What it does not mean is that we don't have talent that it does not mean we are not good enough. I feel we are a very good team to beat any team on a given day.

"I don't think anybody is now dwelling on past matters such as match-fixing or spotfixing. It has happened and it is behind us. It is why we are looking forward to playing in this tournament. To us it is a huge tournament.

"I think the big games and real start will be after the quarter-finals as we are looking to play in those. But before that, you have to make sure that you take the momentum forward and take the rhythm with it. Once you are in quarter-finals, it's a different ball game," he agreed to a question.

"We have faced so many controversies in the past. Some days are harder than others, but we know the motivation is there trying to wake them up everyday, every morning and make sure that we keep delivering the goods is important.

"Younis Khan is in good form, Umar Akmal is a youngster who will do probably well in this tournament, we have a lot of hopes for Wahab Riaz and have a good mix of pace and spin. All we need to do is click and click at the right time," Waqar commented.

"We know Sri Lanka are a tough opponent and when it comes to Kenya we need to be very cautious. Minnows as they are can be dangerous on a given day. So we have to make sure that we deliver up continuously in every play.

"Afridi did a tremendous job in New Zealand that's why he has been given captaincy. He is getting better every day. He is doing a wonderful job and hopefully he will do a wonderful job in this series."

Confident Pakistan takes on Kenya

Given Kenya's recent run in the warm-up games and in the World Cup's opening match in India, the outcome of Wednesday's match to be played here seems pretty apparent — a win for Pakistan.

But that does not worry Team Kenya as it looks to salvage its reputation, hugely dented by the humiliating loss to New Zealand in Chennai.

“I thought the Chennai pitch played well, despite the fact that one or two deliveries kept low… It is not about us giving excuses. We played badly, we have to accept that and move on,” said the senior-most member of the Kenyan team, Steve Tikolo.

Describing the defeat in Chennai as something that happens when it is “not a good day,” he said that “the boys were very disappointed… and are ready to pick themselves up for tomorrow's game.”

Net session

Kenya had a longish session at the nets here and the focus was to look at areas where the team failed badly in the last game against New Zealand. “This morning's session was about rectifying those errors. Tomorrow we need to go out, believe in ourselves and play our best,” he said.

The Kenyan captain, Jimmy Kamande, took a nasty blow from a rising delivery on his right cheek during training and that side of his face has swollen up. But Kenyan coach Eldine Baptiste said that the injury was not serious.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, said that he wanted to play a “full strength side” because it will be the first match for his team in the tournament. “I don't think it's an easy game for us. The first game is always important.”

Afridi said his team was in good shape. Asked if he would rate his team as the dark horse to win the tournament, he said that his side was capable of defeating any team. “I must say Pakistan will be a dangerous side,” he said.

The team is preparing hard to win the World Cup so that it would be able to bring some cricket back home.

Asked about cricket experts writing off the team from making it to the semifinals, he said that the challenges grew higher out of such assertions.

“I would definitely hope to see my team in the semifinals,” he added.

Pakistan has played Kenya five times in ODIs and has won on all occasions. The teams have never played each other in the World Cup, but when the two met in the ICC Champions Trophy at Birmingham in 2004, Pakistan had won by seven wickets.

Pakistan goes into the match with a lot of worries about the off-field activities of some of its former players and a convincing 3-2 series win over New Zealand.

The teams (from): Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (capt.), Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Mohammed Hafiz, Junaid Khan, Younus Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Asad Shafiq, Ahmad Shahzad, Misbah-ul-Haq.

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

Umpires: Tony Hill & Nigel Llong. Third umpire: Daryl Harper. Fourth umpire: Shavir Tarapore. Match referee: Chris Broad.

Match starts at 2.30 p.m .
Source:Hindu.com

Cricket-Pakistan and Kenya seeking chance to restore Cup pride

Pakistan, bruised by a corruption scandal and security issues which still deprive their fans of international cricket at home, launch their World Cup campaign on Wednesday against Kenyans with several problems of their own.

Shahid Afridi's men should have far too much firepower for the Africans who have had just three days to recover -- mentally more than anything else -- from a humiliating 10-wicket thrashing by New Zealand in their opening Group A match on Sunday.

Pakistan, the 1992 champions and runners-up to Australia seven years later, will miss Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir who were banned for organising deliberate no balls (spot fixing) in a test in England last August.

But the latter pair would have had their work cut out to thrive in any case in thankless conditions for quick bowlers in the sub-continent and Pakistan are hardly short of batsmen like Butt who can score quickly.

Pakistan's form leading up to the tournament has been somewhat mixed, recently seeing off New Zealand in a ODI series but losing badly to England in their final warm-up on Friday.

That latter defeat, however, was not a particularly good guide of their form since Afridi and a handful of others who could well play on Wednesday were rested.

Pakistan have an extra point to prove after crashing out at the first stage in 2007 following a shock defeat to Ireland in a tournament which will be remembered by many for the untimely death of their English coach, Bob Woolmer.

Kenya, meanwhile, will be initially looking to restore some respect after their inept display with the bat on Sunday when they were all out for 69.

Source: af.reuters.com

Pakistan vs Kenya live cricket score live streaming, can Kenya beat Pakistan

Pakistan vs Kenya live cricket score and live streaming, can Kenya do Netherlands against Pakistan when they meet later today at Hambantota

For Pakistan the World Cup is a golden chance to save its face from the spot-fixing saga. Having crucified from all nukes the team is also getting ready to replay with dazzling performance between Wickets. Pakistan had to abandon the tainted hands of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.

Shahid Afridi will lead the reconstructed Pak team to take on Kenya in Hambantota tomorrow. He has every right to boast for leading a team that seized a rollicking ODI series against New Zealand. The team has all se to make its debut in 2011 World Cup against a minnow like Kenya.

The team needs a blaming victory to get more fuel to replay the critics who had written off the team for their poor performance in last 16 ODIs, winning seven and losing eight. Former player and incumbent coach, Waqar Younis has fingered towards this thunder spring emerging inside the team.

"We all know that we've been through tough times but that doesn't mean we don't have talent," Waqar Younis said. He expressed the confidence over his squad saying "We are good enough to beat any team on our given day. I don't think anybody is even thinking about match-fixing or spot-fixing.”

Yes, the team has been looking for a day to end the bad news and create a new world of fair play in and out the pitch. "Some days are harder than others, but the motivation is there and we try to make sure that we keep delivering," Younis said.

However, he didn’t spare the opportunity to remind the witch hunters that "If someone has that will to keep distance from us then it's his will. We will probably show it on the field."

Pakistan look to get in the groove vs Kenya

After the turmoil they have experienced recently, Pakistan should relish the chance to get into the groove and settle the nerves against a demoralised Kenya ahead of Saturday’s much sterner test against Sri Lanka. There may be only four survivors from that match against Ireland at the last World Cup, but Pakistan will be mindful of the dangers of taking Kenya too lightly, even if they have comfortably won each of their five previous games.

It helps that Kenya barely lasted 30 overs on Sunday against a New Zealand side that Pakistan defeated 3-2 earlier this month to record their first ODI series win in 26 months.

Even so, Wednesday’s game is Pakistan’s first since Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were banned for spot-fixing. Pakistan could have been playing at home had it not been for the 2009 Lahore bus attack, but the players will need to set aside those disappointments quickly. If instead, they can use those blows to fire them to greater heights, they could prove unstoppable. No team fares better in adversity; alas, none is more unpredictable and inconsistent.

Having said that, Pakistan have gathered something approaching momentum in recent months and have run England and South Africa close in ODI series besides beating New Zealand. Even more encouragingly, they have displayed fighting spirit and have refused to throw in the towel even when things aren’t going their way. It is perhaps no bad thing that there are only seven players in the current side with previous World Cup experience for the team has a freshness about it, for the first time at a World Cup since 1999.

That represents Pakistan’s finest performance since the 1992 Cup triumph but the rout in the final against Australia sparked such recrimination that few have pleasant memories of that campaign. Pakistan have also reached three semi-finals, but public attention tends to focus on the 2003 and 2007 disappointments; even the 1996 event is best remembered for the quarter-final loss to India.

If Pakistan needed any further motivation to do well, they need look no further than coach Waqar Younis. The champion fast bowler missed the 1992 triumph through injury, leaked runs against India in 1996 and was a peripheral member of the 1999 squad. When he captained the side in 2003, Pakistan crashed out in the first round.

However, Pakistan have been uncharacteristically consistent at recent ICC tournaments, reaching the semi-finals or better at the last four events. There is a real energy and buzz about the current outfit and since they are almost certain to reach the quarters, all they need from that stage are three good days to emulate Imran Khan’s ‘cornered tigers’. Will they? We shall find out over the next few weeks.

Kenya would happily settle for even one good day following Sunday’s humiliation, but even that seems unlikely. The African side has played every World Cup since 1996 but they are arguably the weakest Associate country at this tournament. They seem certain to finish bottom of the group as they have done each time other than in 2003 when they reached the semi-finals in somewhat fortuitous circumstances. With the 2015 tournament being pared down to 10 teams, it could be a while before Kenya are seen at the world stage again. Pakistan appear in no mood to make it a happy farewell.

Pakistan vs Kenya: World Cup Match preview

Putting the spot fixing scandal behind Pakistan will face Kenya at Hambantota in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, February 2011.

This would be the first match to be played by Pakistan in World Cup 2011.

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis is confident that his team will crush Kenya and do well in the World cup.

Younis said that Pakistan’s 3-2 ODI win in New Zealand has boosted their confidence.

He added that the spot fixing scandal has not killed the spirit of his players.

Pakistan could not live up to the expectations in last World Cup. They had to move out of the game after losing a match to Ireland.

The next morning, their English coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room in mysterious circumstances.

The death shocked the cricketing world and players were put under investigation by the Jamaican police for the death, which was initially seen as a murder.

The Pakistan team has just five survivors from the wreckage of the 2007 campaign - Younis Khan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal and Shahid Afridi.

Waqar, a former captain, said past will not affect the team.

"Whatever happened last year is now history. This is a new place and an important tournament, so we want to be fully focussed and start the event like India and New Zealand did," said Waqar.

Afridi said the tragedy the team suffered in 2007 will always stay with them.

"There have been so many upsets in the World Cup in the past, like the one against Ireland four years ago, so we have that in mind and we will be on our toes in every match, be it Kenya or Sri Lanka," Afridi said.

"If they had a bad day then they can come hard on us. We will be geared up as our main aim is to win all our group matches," said Afridi of Kenya's 10-wicket loss to New Zealand in a Group 'A' fixture in Chennai.

Pakistan have the perfect mix of youth and experience that carry the team to the knock out stages. Opener Ahmed Shahzad and middle-order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq hit centuries in the first warm-up match against Bangladesh while senior batsman Younis Khan scored 80 against England.

Younis and Misbah will be the pillars of Pakistan batting while Afridi, Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq can destroy any team's bowling in the death overs.

Though the absence of banned duo Asif and Aamer is a big blow, the Pakistan bowling is still capable of bowling out some of the best batting line-ups. Gul and a half-fit Shoaib Akhtar have the firepower to rattle the top order while off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has the ability to take wickets even during Powerplays.

Meanwhile, veteran Kenyan batsman Steve Tikolo said that the African minnows have to lift their game if they want to avoid a successive loss in the World Cup. Kenya were bowled out for just 69, which was their lowest World Cup score and the fifth worst in the tournament's history.

"As a top professional, for me if you are down it's the way you pick yourself up, and obviously we can pick ourselves up for the game on Wednesday," said Tikolo.

Source: samaylive.com

Pakistan enjoys an emphatic record vs Kenya

Pakistan team enjoyed an impeccable record in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against Kenya as they prepare to take on their opponents in the opening group “A” match in Cricket World Cup (CWC) at Hambantota on Wednesday. In their past five ODI meetings, Pakistan emerged victorious on all the five occasions after making debut against the Kenyans at Nairobi Gymkhana Ground in 1996.
Pakistan’s current Captain Shahid Afridi struck a sensational record breaking 37-ball hundred against Sri Lanka which still remained the fastest hundred in ODI history.
Kenya who were shockingly crashed to 69 all in their opening match of CWC against New Zealand at Chennai three-days ago will be hoping to bounce back in the event with much better batting display.
1992 World Champions Pakistan met the host West Indies in their opening match in 2007 World Cup at Sabina Park, Kingston Jamaica and lost the match under Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Pakistan highest total against Kenya is 286-8 at Sharjah in 2003. Former Pakistan Captain Younis Khan scored an unbeaten 87 off 91 balls with 11 boundaries and one six which the highest individual score by a Pakistan batsman against Kenya Abdul Razzaq produced the best bowling figures of four wickets 35 runs in the 4-nation event in Sharjah in 2002-03.
Kenya’s highest total of 179 all out in 38.4 overs was recorded at Gymkhana Ground Nairobi in 2002 and their lowest total against Pakistan is 133 at Gymkhana Club Ground Nairobi in 1996.
KO Otieno made the highest individual score of 59 in 2002 and his knock was spiced with five boundaries and three sixes.
TM Odoya with three wickets for 25 runs produced the best figures for Kenya in 1996.
Kenya got in their fold veteran Steve Tikolo, who had scored 3320 runs with three centuries in 126 ODIs while TM Odoya have scored 2264 runs with two centuries.

Junaid Khan looks to make for Pakistan at World Cup after Amir ban

Junaid Khan has long dreamed of bowling for Pakistan alongside Mohammad Amir — instead the youngster was selected for the World Cup only after his fellow left-arm paceman was banned from cricket for five years.

Khan, 21, could make his one-day international debut Wednesday against Group A opponent Kenya after an impressive three-wicket haul against England in a warmup match last week.

Amir was banned by an ICC tribunal on Feb. 5 in a judgment that saw former captain Salman Butt suspended for 10 years and Mohammad Asif for seven years. The trio were investigated following British newspaper allegations that they bowled no-balls at prearranged times during the fourth test against England in August.

"I wish we both could have played together, but that's not the case now," Khan said of Amir.

Like Amir, Khan bowls with a fiery pace and has been looking to make his mark in major event like the World Cup. Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in this southern town could be a perfect venue for Khan to start his international career.

The stadium hosted its first ever one-day international when Sri Lanka routed Canada by 210 runs in a Group A game Sunday, but at the same venue Khan has already shown his bowling abilities. He took nine wickets in Pakistan A's loss to Sri Lanka A in a four-day first class match.

"It's a lucky ground for me, so I am happy I am here again," Khan said. "If I was given an opportunity, I will do something special again."

Khan admires former captain Imran Khan and watched videos of Pakistan's 1992 World Cup-winning captain online on www.youtube.com.

"By the time I had started cricket, Imran Khan had retired from international cricket so I used to watch videos of him on the internet," Khan said.

Imran Khan, who took 362 wickets in 88 test matches and claimed 182 dismissals from 175 ODIs, retired from international cricket in 1992 after defeating England in the World Cup final at Melbourne.

Copyright © 2011 The Canadian Press.

Veena Malik to host cricket shows in India

Pakistani model Veena Malik has again stepped in India to make her debut in cricket commentary in couple of new shows. Earlier she was a contestant in Bigg Boss 4 on Indian television. Recently it was heard that she has changed her mind to participate in the shows related to world cup 2011.

She has said that, in this world everyone is trying to gain publicity and she is also interested to use the opportunity. She has also said that she was complete unaware of the success of Bigg Boss 4. Even she had not anticipated that Bigg Boss 4 will earn her so much fame.

Many people have invested a lot of money but mainly they have invested their confidence in her. The channel has selected her as the face of the World Cup as stated by Veena.

Veena has also commented that she is a great fan of Indian commentators such as Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri. People in India consider cricket as a religion and in Pakistan as well. Veena has said that she loves this game from her childhood and she has a great craze for this game of Cricket.

Pakistan to take on Kenya in ICC World Cup Group 'A' match

IN THE sixth match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on Wednesday, February 23 at Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota, Pakistan will take on Kenya in the group 'A' match.

The two teams have never played in any of the World Cup tournaments but Pakistan has won five ODI matches against Kenya on other occasions.

In an earlier match, New Zealand vanquished them by 10 wickets just in eight overs. After batting first, Kenya scored only 69 runs in 23.5 overs. Only three Kenyan batsmen were able to score in double figures.

Pakistan, the winner of the World Cup in 1992, prior to the start of world cup, won one warm-up match against Bangladesh while it lost the other warm-up match against England.

The Pakistani team is the most unpredictable team in the World Cup 2011. However, Pakistan's road to the quarterfinals is not very difficult because they will have to play against some weaker teams likes Kenya, Zimbabwe and Canada.

The team boasts of a number of talented youngsters as well as experienced players, who have the capacity to destroy any bowling attack as well as any batting line-up.

Given below is the probable Pakistan and Kenya squads for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shehzad.

Kenya: Jimmy Kamande (capt), Seren Waters, AlexObanda, David Obuya (wk), Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, TanmayMishra, Rakep Patel, Morris Ouma, Thomas Odoyo, NehemiahOdhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Peter Ongondo, Shem Ngoche, JamesNgoche.

Kenyans struggle to hide camp crisis as focused Pakistan lie in wait

The management of Kenya’s World Cup cricket team is at pains to contain unrest in the squad that led to the team’s 10-wicket hammering by New Zealand in their opening Cricket World Cup match at the weekend.

It is feared that things could get worse today when Kenya take on giants Pakistan although the squad is struggling to sweep the chaos in camp under the rug.

Kenya’s coach Eldine Baptiste is at war. Not against other coaches, but with his own players.

Or rather the senior players, who include Thomas Odoyo who, impeccable sources in the camp say, the coach wanted to expel even before the team played New Zealand.

Also in the coach’s bad books are other players and the team manager - one little known Julian Ince from Naivasha - who maintained Odoyo had to stay in Asia despite calls by Baptiste to have him ejected.

Even though Cricket Kenya officials have never admitted it, Baptiste does not command respect from the senior players led by Tikolo, Odoyo, Peter Ong’ondo and former skipper’ Maurice Ouma, and he does not hide his disdain for them too.

Denied there is a rift

CK officials, led by the Mombasa-based chairman, Samir Inamdar, have always denied there is a rift.

“I talked to the coach yesterday and he did not mention any sort of a rift in the team,” Inamdar said in a telephone interview on the day of the 10-wicket debacle against New Zealand.

“As far as I know, the coach is a hard nut to crack. The CEO (Tom Sears) is also with the team and there is absolutely no in-fighting.”

This is the kind of a response that came from the camp in India too, with the media manager, Arjun Vidyarthi, denying any intra-fighting and saying that the coach did not threaten to expel Odoyo.

But our sources say things are not that rosy.

“Of course the officials and the media manager will not admit that there is a problem, but there is one,” our source said, and added that the players are not out to throw away matches, but were just outplayed by the “Black Caps” even though anyone watching the game could see that Odoyo and Tikolo did not give it their all.

The Kenyan problem runs deeper than just the lack of respect between the coach and the senior players.

The heart of the matter is money. The players had signed contracts with CK when there was no sponsor, and when Karuturi Global came into the scene just before the World Cup, they thought their contracts would be renegotiated. But that did not happen.

Just like the local and probably the international media is in the dark over the amount of sponsorship, and so are the players.

Meanwhile, veteran batsman Steve Tikolo vowed yesterday that Kenya would lift themselves for their match against Pakistan on Wednesday after their mauling by New Zealand.

Miserable batting display

Tikolo said professionals should know how to lift themselves after a big disappointment.

“As a top professional, for me if you are down it’s the way you pick yourself up, and obviously we can pick ourselves up for the game on Wednesday,” said Tikolo, dismissed for just two during a miserable batting display.

Kenya hope to make amends for NZ fiasco

The manner in which results of the matches between the minnows and the majors have gone in the 2011 World Cup, one could safely assume Pakistan to pummel Kenya when the 1992 champions open their Cup campaign at the magnificent Mahinda Rajapakse International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota on Wednesday. But then, we are talking Pakistan here. We're talking about a team whose only predictable factor is its unpredictability.

Kenya were embarrassing against New Zealand in Chennai on Sunday and even if they play at their best on their arrival across the Indian Ocean here, the result of the match is not in their hands. It will depend on how well or how poorly Pakistan play. It's a difficult situation to be in for any sporting team or sportsman.

That Pakistan opted not to train on Tuesday, the eve of their opening clash, gave enough indications about how confident they are about the chances. Confident is the buzz word. The side is oozing with confidence after running South Africa close in an ODI series in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and winning the series against New Zealand in New Zealand. But skipper Shahid Afridi is careful that it does not translate into over-confidence.

So out went any thoughts of the green brigade resting key players for the first match. "I don't think we will be relaxed in any way. The first match in any tournament is always important. There are a number of examples when big teams have lost. So the first match is important and I want to field our strongest team," the Pakistan skipper stressed.

Veteran Kenyan batsman and one of the stalwarts of the side, Steven Tikolo knows that man for man, his side is no match for the talented Pakistan side. But he wasn't ready to concede any ground to the opposition. He almost applauded Afridi's decision to field a full strength squad against them. "That's what we are here for to look to play good cricket, be competitive and win games. It's good to know that the opposing captain has respect for the Kenyan team. I'll pass that message to the guys and that should get them pumped up for the game tomorrow," he stated.

Yes, it's a David vs Goliath contest, but wasn't it the case even on February 29, 1996 and February 23, 2003. Just in case you're wondering why we're throwing the calendar at you, those were the dates when David didn't just triumph against Goliath, he thumped him. Kenya beat West Indies in the 1996 World Cup and Sri Lanka in the 2003 edition.

Source:TimesofIndia

Pakistan vs Kenya Highlights Cricket World Cup 2011

Pakistan vs Kenya Highlights World Cup 2011 Highlights. Watch Kenya vs Pakistan highlights of warm up Match on 23rd February 2011 Cricket Highlights. Pak vs Kenya World Cup 2011 Cricket Highlights.

‘Cricket World Cup to boost host countries economy’

The Cricket World Cup has always had a positive impact on the economy of the countries holding the event, as all industries -- manufacturing, hoteling, tourism, broadcasting, advertising, etc -- directly benefit from it.

These views were expressed by participants of the Jang Economic Session held here on Tuesday on “Cricket World Cup: Impact on Economy”.

The participants included former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board Khalid Mahmood, Senior Vice President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Adnan Sarwar Kapoor, Economist Dr Hafiz Khalil Ahmed, Cricket Goods Manufacturers and Executive Committee member SCCI Malik Zahid and former vice-president of the Lahore Stock Exchange (LSE) Tabasum Munir. Sikandar Hameed Lodhi and Intikhab Tariq jointly hosted the session.

Khalid Mahmood said that in 1999 when he was the PCB chief, the main sponsorship was around $30 million, other than many sub-sponsorships which now had increased by five to seven times. The sponsorship money was ultimately distributed among the countries participating in and organising the event, helping the wheels of their economy moving, he added.

The world cup, he said, also boosted the commercial activities in the host-countries which could be seen in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India. He said tourism industry in the countries would witness 100 per cent improvement during the cricket event. Hotels of the cities holding the event would also be packed to capacity, he said.

Adnan Sarwar Kapoor said that cricket bats with ‘Made in Pakistan’ stamps were popular in the world and fetched the best price from their competitors. Pakistani share in global trade of bats was 60 percent, he said, adding that the manufacturers of cricket sports goods maintained their place and share in the world market without any support from the government authorities.

He said that the authorities and ministry concerned should consult with the sports industry and other stakeholders and facilitate them, to increase the exports. He said Pakistan had lost its tennis rackets business 25 years ago due to neglect by the government.

If the attitude was not changed, the cricket bats industry would also face the same fate. Not only China was also involved in the industry, India had improved its technology with the government support, he said.

Dr Hafiz Khalil Ahmed said the cricket world cup always had a direct impact on Pakistan’s economy. He said Pakistan annually earned a huge foreign exchange from export of sports goods. He said cellular industries had increased their marketing campaigns during the world cup.

He said if the world cup matches were also be held in Pakistan, it would promote hotel and other relevant industries, urging the nation to show sportsmanship spirit and not to damage infrastructure in case the national team faced defeat in the world cup.

Malik Zahid said the Pakistani bat industry was sharing global demand with its own brand names. He said annually cricket goods manufacturing industry was exporting 15 million US dollar bats from Pakistan with good distributors network. He said the bat industry imported English Willow for quality bats at higher rates, stressing the need to promote the plantation of English Willow in the country.

Tabasum Munir said one third of the world population was caught in cricket fever, adding the event was having a good impact on the economy of the countries hosting the event. Historically, he said, stock market turnover and trading volume declined during the mega sports events but recovered after the event was over.

Cricket World Cup Betting: Group A with Australia, Pakistan & Sri Lanka

Australia have won the last three World Cups but come in to the tournament on the back of a 6-1 series thumping of England, can anyone stop them getting past the group stage this year?

The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup is underway, the Cricket Handicapping forum is buzzing with talk of the group games and we bring you a total run down of the teams in Group A, odds and analysis on who will make it to the knockout stages and which are the big games to keep an eye on.

Australia

The challenge for the Australians is to maintain their winning ways in conditions in which they have struggled as recently as last autumn, when the Indians gave them a lesson in how to play the game on the sub-continent. In that series they lost their talismanic middle order batsman, Michael Hussey, to injury and he is – much to his very public chagrin – missing from the side this time as well. In addition, Australia have only brought one specialist spinner and one – Jason Krejza – who has only played one one day international. And throughout that series against England there remained the slight suspicion that if you could dismiss Shane Watson early, the rest of the Aussie batting might fall away rapidly. That view was reinforced as Australia lost both of their warm up games out here, with Watson making 33 and 0.

Tournament Betting:

Who to follow:Watson is an obvious choice, but also look at David Hussey (brother of Michael), a much underrated batsman and bowler who should be good value for 30 runs and a wicket or two in most games. Shaun Tait is an erratic performer on the pitch, but provided he stays fit he should be worth at least two wickets in any game simply because he is the quickest bowler in this competition, and by some distance.

Who to avoid:Odds on Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke are always going to be short, just because of who they are. But they are both coming off very poor runs of form and unless you can find a market where you can back them to fail there won't be any point following them.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe are on something of an upwards curve, at least by their standards. The political disputes which have crippled their team over the past few years are largely resolved and some of the disaffected players have returned. This includes batting coach Grant Flower, whose runs and wily left arm spin will be missed. Spin bowling will be their main weapon, especially against the stronger sides, with veteran Ray Price, former captain Prosper Utseya and leg-spinner Graeme Cremer to the fore. Their batting is, on their day, a challenge for any international attack, with Brendan Taylor a much better batsman now that he seems to have given up keeping wicket, whilst it is easy to forget that until very recently Charles Coventry held the record for the highest individual score in any one day international – a score which it took no less a figure than Sachin Tendulkar to beat.

Pakistan

It has been a turbulent twelve months for Pakistan, with no fewer than three changes of captain and, of course, the huge match fixing scandal. Shahid Afridi has managed to hold on to the one day leadership, but his form in the one day game has been inconsistent to say the least. Their squad is a mixture of the very young (half the side are under 24) and the very old (the other half are over 30) and it will be a challenge to blend the two together. Recent one day wins over New Zealand showed promise, but the way that they lost their warm-up game to an England side just beaten 6-1 by Australia suggests that they haven't got it right yet.

New Zealand

The year began so well for Daniel Vettori's men. Coming off of a narrow Test series defeat to India they then beat Pakistan in a T20 competition at home. And then it all went wrong. They were well beaten in both the Test series which followed and the one day contest after that. The final point is particularly significant; not only is this a fifty over tournament, but it meant that New Zealand had lost their last three one day series in a row. Couple this with a heavy defeat to India in their one warm up game for the World Cup and you will see how vital it is to the Black Caps to get out of this group and into the quarter finals. There is no doubting that they have the talent, it is getting all of their players performing at the same time that is the problem.

Sri Lanka

The big question that Sri Lanka need to answer is whether they themselves believe that they can win this tournament. They have the talent, at least as much of it as any other side in the World Cup, but since winning the trophy in 1996 they have come up short every time. This is not just a last hurrah for the mighty Muttiah Muralitharan, other greats such as Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan and even captain Kumar Sangakkara are almost certainly playing their last World Cup, too.

Canada

The Canadians are the lowest ranked team in the tournament. They needed a playoff against the cricket world's current darlings, Afghanistan, to get here and they are really little more than a side of very good amateur players. Only opener John Davison and portly spinner WD Balaji Rao have much experience of the first class game, whilst experienced Ashish Bagai now has to handle both keeping wicket and captaining the side. On the other hand, Davison scored one of the fastest hundreds in World Cup history back in 2003, whilst the brutal hitting of Rizwan Cheema almost brought them a surprise win over England in their warm-up game.

Kenya

Kenya will take any victory that they can in this tournament. Since earning full one day international status by reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2003 their fortunes have largely been downhill and in the 2007 competition they were easy meat for the other full member sides. This side, however, has power at the top of the order with big hitting batsmen such as Seren Walters and the flamboyant Alex Obande. They also have a posse of medium pacers whose skills should be ideally suited to the slow, low, pitches that this tournament will be played on.

Operators add cheer to ICC World Cup 2011

After Reliance Communications, the global partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC), first announced its live steaming the World Cup 2011 matches through its ICC zone on R-World VAS platform, other leading operators have also joined the game.

While Loop Mobile is offering VAS apps that include Cricket on Voice - with ball by ball commentary on your mobile in addition to match summary, team line up and match schedule, Cheer 4 India contest with daily prizes for subscribers, Special Cricket WAP zone on Loop Mobile's WAP site, with mixed bag of wallpapers, animations, videos to download from, and Social media promotions that include contests on the Loop Mobile Facebook and Twitter page, Uninor has launched 'Cricket Unlimited' – a voice application, available across handsets.

Available for Rs 3/day per match-day or Rs 30 for monthly pack on toll free number, Uninor subscribers can browse through 'Live Match Coverage', participate in 'Cricket Opinion Poll', and download 'Cricket Tunes' including ring tones and caller tunes as part of this offer. Beyond this, subscribers can also access Cricket Rankings, Match Schedules, and cricket trivia.

Not to be left behind in this race, Vodafone also bagged exclusive rights for live mobile streaming of ESPN Star Sports's game coverage for Rs 55 cr on ESPN Mobile TV. For the operator which is to start 3G services very shortly, the live streaming could come as a good preview.

And last but not the least, India's numero uno mobile operator, Bharti Airtel, who last week saw its DTH brand – Airtel Digital TV sign an exclusive deal with Sony India for its HD flat panel TVs, is also gearing up for a jump in sales for its cricket viewing.

In an official statement, Sugato Banerji, Chief Marketing Officer, DTH Services, Bharti Airtel, said, “Sporting events and festive occasions have always been welcome catalysts for the DTH industry. With back-to-back sporting action that includes the World Cup, T20, high profile test series with England and West Indies, we believe this offering will be a valuable proposition for both existing and new entrants to the category.”

The operator which most recently launched its 3G services in Karnataka, will also look forward to streaming of the matches on mobile, by its 3G subscribers.

ESPN launches Cricinfo mobile applications

ESPN has launched its popular ESPNcricinfo service as a mobile application on Apple's iPhone in time for the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Available free-to-download, the app is designed to connect cricket fans with the live match experience via scores, news, opinion, commentary, pictures and statistics. The iPhone Cricinfo app is available now, and a Google Android version will launch shortly.

Features on the app include an integrated live game experience, personalisation options, wicket alerts and opinion from cricket legends such as Geoff Boycott and Ian Chappell.

Before the Cricket World Cup gets underway in India next month, the new apps will get a special World Cup section offering exclusive video content, including classic World Cup performances picked by Chappell, a daily news roundup hosted by Indian cricket journalist Harsha Bhogle and On The Road With Zaltzman, in which British comedian Andy Zaltzman presents a daily travelogue from the host cities.

"Mobile media is now an essential part of how fans stay connected to the sport they love," said Tom Gleeson, vice president of digital media at ESPN International.

"The ESPNcricinfo app is another step in ESPN's bid to serve cricket supporters on multiple devices with the very best sporting content."

ESPN said that its mobile websites had an audience of nearly 30 million users worldwide in December 2010, up by 143% year-on-year.

The Disney-owned broadcaster is expected to launch a Formula 1 app in time for the start of the 2011 season and an ESPNScrum app for the Rugby World Cup later in the year.

Stumpy makers hope to sell entire stock of cuddly mascot

'Stumpy', the cuddly little blue mascot for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, is set to become the newest rage among people, says manufacturing company Simba Toys which expects to sell all of the 160,000 pieces produced for the Indian market.

'We produced 160,000 units just for India. With millions of cricket fans in the country, the number is not so big. So, we want to sell all 160,000 pieces of Stumpy in India, and we are confident we will sell all of them,' Pradeep Pramar, business head, Simba Toys India Pvt. Ltd, told IANS in an interview.

Almost a third or 50,000 pieces have already been sold.

Embodying vibrancy with its bright blue colour and energy with its mischievous expression, and action of throwing a ball, Stumpy was conceived by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to commemorate 10 years of the ICC World Cup. The contract for manufacturing the toy was given to the Simba Dickie Group in early 2010, after which production began in China in June last year.

The company is hoping to cash in on its 'cute' look.

'Stumpy is 10 years old and looks like a mischievous, naughty young boy, full of action. From the day we had it in its final form and started showing it to people around, the reaction was always: 'It's cute!',' said Pramar.

'We tried producing Stumpy in India, but we weren't getting good enough quality up to the international standards that ICC demanded. We received the product in October, and it went to the markets on Jan 20.'

And if India wins, the company has new plans.

'If India wins, then production of Stumpy will be extended or we will do a victory version of Stumpy,' said Pramar.

Though the buzz around Stumpy has been quite low, Pramar is hopeful that sales will now catch up soon - especially since the mascot got a good show at the opening ceremony in Dhaka Thursday.

The toy is available in four sizes - seven inches, 10 inches, 17 inches and 24 inches, priced at Rs.299, Rs.499, Rs.999 and Rs.2,499 respectively. It is available at most general toy stores and retail chains like Big Bazaar, Pantaloons, Lifestyle and Landmark in India.

This apart, the sales have also been planned through the online medium.

'We are more into the traditional retail segment. However, we thought with a mascot, it would be better to also sell online as a lot of people follow cricket online nowadays when in office. There are a lot of cricket sites where they show live matches and we think it can have a huge connectivity with the age group of 18-30 years, who are more tech-savvy,' said Pramar.

Simba Toys has also entered into an exclusive partnership with home shopping channel HomeShop18, which is offering many other deals on cricket merchandise around the ongoing World Cup.

'Cricket gets a phenomenal response from India. We are just fuelling the passion in our fans through exclusive fan gear, by offering ICC merchandise at value propositions and by launching World Cup contest especially for our Facebook fans. In our effort to reach out to the cricket lovers directly, we are delighted to associate with Simba Toys,' said Sundeep Malhotra, CEO, HomeShop18.

Nevertheless, Pramar still believes the concept of mascots is quite nascent in India.

'I think it's a concept which is very well established in the US, Europe, Australia and other Western countries. It has been there since a lot of years. FIFA merchandise is huge abroad. In India, as the retail is growing, as disposable income is growing, people are getting used to it.

'The World Cup is now a good exercise for us as a company and for the market to gain knowledge about what happens...Does it sell? Or is the Indian consumer still waiting and will take at least another few years to get used to it?' he said.

Source:Sify