Cricket World Cup 2011 Top 5 Wicketkeeper Batsman !

An all-rounder role is always very important in the cricket. Not only the test matches but also in the shorter version of the game like T20 and ODI and not many teams have the luxury of having a all-rounder in their line-up.

When it comes to name all rounders , mind strikes the names of Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Richard Hadlee, Ian Botham, Gary Sobers and great Jacques Kallis.   But we can’t ignore the names of Adam Gilchrist or Mark Boucher or Romesh Kaluwitharana. This is the pity, that no wicketkeeper batsman with exceptional batting talent make up the list of great all rounders.

So, lets checkout which team is going into the 2011 cricket world cup with the best available wicket-keeper batsman? 
Here is the list of 5 top Wicketkeeper batsmen to watch out in action during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011:

5.  Brandon McCullum/Matt Prior – Their records are almost looking identical.  McCullum though have better reputation whereas Matt Prior is trying to fit in the role of batsman. His decent performance against the Australian side is a example of this.On the other hand Brandan McCullum is going through a rough patch, we still remember his batting during the 1st IPL season, and he too loves to bat on subcontinent wickets.

4. Brad Haddin – Young wicket keeper who got his chance after the retirement of Adam Gilchrist is making bowlers work hard for his wicket. Not so long ago he shifted to the role of opener and has some decent form before Cricket World Cup 2011. He can be dangerous as he got the ability to hit the ball a long way and play some unorthodox shots to make the front liners to think about their line and length while bowling.

3. AB DeVillers – He is the Successor of wicket keeper batsman Mark Boucher and fill in the shoes super fit!  We can compare him with any of the good batsman round and with powerful hitters. I have seen him hitting ball long way and changing the course of the game in few overs. Except keeping the wickets you can put this guy anywhere in the field and he is just brilliant in out fielding too. South Africa do have a lot of expectations from him, he could be the guy to help them win their first ever cricket world cup.

2. Kumar Sangakara – Sri Lankan skipper  Sangakara is a true star and his batting figures are consistent during his cricketing career till now.Though when he breaks through to the highest level his wicket keeping skills were under a lot of talks but as he got exposure and experience of international cricket he has done a really great job.Extra responsibility of captaincy may hurt a bit during the upcoming mega cricket event but we all hopeful to see him in his best.

1. MS Dohni – Indian cricket team found their long hair guy from Ranchi when a lot of experiments were going on with a lot of wicketkeepers to find a wicketkeeper batsman with decent batting ability. With his smashing starting ODI career helped him gain a permanent place in the Indian cricket side.Since then he has not looked back, his batting has improved over the period of time along with his wicket keeping skills.He took over the captaincy role and he delivered more than what selectors and Indian cricket fans would have demanded, today he is one of the most successful captain in Indian cricket history .

Cricket: World Cup venue guide

Guide to the venues for the 2011 World Cup which takes place in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February 19-April 2:

EDEN GARDENS (Kolkata, India)

Capacity: 80,000

Biggest ground in India and enjoys a status akin to the Lord's. Famous for its passionate and vocal crowd and has previously hosted World Cup matches in 1987 and 1996. Of late, spinners like Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble inspired famous victories against Australia and Pakistan. But its World Cup refurbishment was so far behind schedule that the February 27 game between India and England has been moved to another venue.

FEROZ SHAH KOTLA (New Delhi, India)

Capacity: 48,000

India leg-spinner Anil Kumble famously took his 10 Test wickets in an innings on this ground in 1999 against Pakistan. Kotla's future as an international venue was thrown in jeopardy in December 2009 when an ODI between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned due to a "dangerous" pitch.

WANKHEDE STADIUM (Mumbai, India)

Capacity: 45,000

Host of the final on April 2, the entire stadium was torn down and rebuilt from scratch. Proximity of the ground to the sea allows swing bowlers a fair amount of assistance early on. But the last one-dayer played in 2007 saw India beat Australia by two wickets after bowling out the visitors for 193 with left-arm spinner Murali Kartik picking six wickets for 27 runs off 10 overs.

M. A. CHIDAMBARAM STADIUM (Chennai, India)

Capacity: 50,000

The historic ground, better known as the Chepauk, has been rebuilt for the World Cup. Pakistan's Saeed Anwar scored 194 against India in an Independence Cup match in 1997 at this venue. The stadium is recognised for the sporting behaviour of its crowd, which is reputed to be one of the most knowledgeable and appreciative in the country.

PUNJAB CRICKET ASSOCIATION STADIUM (Mohali, India)

Capacity: 30,000

It was the venue for the thrilling 1996 World Cup semi-final in 1996 when Australia beat the West Indies by five runs. The pitch initially assisted pace bowlers, especially in Test matches, but it has subsequently settled down to become a batsman's paradise. The venue is considered to be one of the best in the country, with world-class facilities for practice, spectators as well as the media.

VIDARBHA CRICKET ASSOCIATION STADIUM (Nagpur, India)

Capacity: 45,000

The last one-dayer here saw India lose to Sri Lanka by three wickets despite having scored a competitive 301. Tillakaratne Dilshan stole the show with a 113-ball 123 studded with 12 fours and two sixes. The highest score on this ground was 354 by India against Australia in 2009, the hosts winning by a whopping 99-run margin. A very comfortable cricket venue.

SARDAR PATEL STADIUM (Ahmedabad, India)

Capacity: 54,000

It was renovated ahead of the Champions Trophy in 2006, when three new pitches and a new outfield were laid, and state of the art floodlights and covered stands were added. The pitch here used to aid bowlers but recent matches have seen a benign, batting beauty being rolled out for teams.

CHINNASWAMY STADIUM (Bangalore, India)

Capacity: 50,000

The venue has also hosted World Cup matches in 1987 and 1996 including the fiercely-fought quarterfinal between India and Pakistan in March, 1996. It has proved to be a lucky venue for visiting teams with South Africa, Australia and Pakistan winning crucial games here.

PREMADASA STADIUM (Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Capacity: 35,000

The Premadasa is the only ground in Colombo with floodlights, and Sri Lanka Cricket has spent nearly eight million dollars to renovate the stadium and relay the pitch. It is set to host seven World Cup matches, including the first semi-final.

PALLEKELE CRICKET STADIUM (Kandy, Sri Lanka)

Capacity: 35,000

Although it is a new facility put in place especially for the World Cup, the pitches at Pallekele have had matches involving Under-19 and A teams since November 2009. There haven't been any complaints over the pitch during these matches, leaving the organisers supremely confident about the venue.

MAHNIDA RAJAPAKSA INTERNATIONAL CRICKET STADIUM (Hambantota, Sri Lanka)

Capacity: 35,000

Another new stadium on Sri Lanka's southern tip. An unofficial Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan A teams saw only 505 runs being scored before the match finished in a little over two days with the home team winning by 39 runs. As many as 22 wickets fell on the first day while 13 went down on the second but the curator insists it had nothing to do with the newly-laid turf wicket.

ZAHUR AHMED CHOWDHURY STADIUM (Chittagong, Bangladesh)

Capacity: 25,000

The stadium was one of the five purpose-built cricket grounds established in the run-up to the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2004. The last ODI in December last year saw the hosts beat Zimbabwe comfortably by six wickets while chasing a modest target of 189 runs.

SHER-E-BANGLA CRICKET STADIUM (Dhaka, Bangladesh)

Capacity: 25,000

The venue will host six World Cup matches, including two quarterfinals. The floodlights here had to be changed as they had the ones used for football matches. However, an ODI between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe was changed to a day game from a day-night one in December last year because the lights were not fully functional

Cricket World Cup 2011: Matt Prior out to make one-day job his own

There is a vitality about Matt Prior that suggests Duracell has dumped its bunny and is using him to advertise its long-life batteries. He was reinstalled in the England changing room yesterday and energy levels that might have dipped in Tasmania's quiet beauty moved upwards.

The man who could have put his boots up after a gruelling and personally satisfying Ashes series opted, instead, to play for Victoria's Bushrangers in the Twenty20 Big Bash.

Now he is back, in place of the dropped Steven Davies, to play in England's remaining six ODIs against Australia and, beyond that, the World Cup, which will begin in February and drag its feet into April, like a house guest who will not go away.

This is Prior's fourth incarnation as England's one-day wicketkeeper-batsman and this time, like his mentor Alec Stewart, he intends to take out a long lease on the role. "I am delighted to be here," he said. "I said from the minute I was dropped that I wanted to get back, that I would go back to Sussex and work on my game, hopefully improve my game, and come back a better player. Thankfully I have that opportunity to show where I have improved and hopefully I can make that place my own."

There was a time when a wicketkeeper knew his place. And it wasn't only behind the stumps. He was the dogsbody of the team who did most of the fielding and hardly got a bat at the end. Now, it seems, every wicketkeeper is the exception.

He is expected not only to bat, but to bat well and often aggressively. He must also be the side's cheerleader and primary energy source.

The England coach, Andy Flower, made it clear this week that Prior was being brought back not only because he would be a physically stronger batsman on the flat tracks of the subcontinent but also because "he suits the high-energy fielding game that the team have developed over the last couple of years".

Prior, who last played one-day cricket for England almost a year ago, said: "Hopefully the batting will look after itself. But from a fielding point of view, certainly from the Test matches, I have taken it on myself to almost manage the fielding unit, and I know it's my role to manage the intensity and energy levels.

"Fielding is something this squad takes a lot of pride in and the standards we set ourselves are something we take a lot of pride in as well.

"I think the keeper's role in this day and age is to make sure you manage and make sure you are the person that makes sure those standards stay where they need to be. It's a role in the Test matches I enjoy and it's what I will continue doing in one-day cricket."

Most of all, though, this England one-day side needs a high energy level at the top of the order. Prior was once considered too orthodox a batsman to meet the innovatory demands of the shorter game. But there is no doubting his clean striking ability. "I don't think I have to change my game hugely from how I play in Test cricket. Obviously there will be times when I need to take more risks."

He has fond memories of his brief adventure with Victoria's Bushrangers. "I was quite nervous as the overseas player, especially an Englishman going into the opposition dressing room. But they couldn't do enough for me.

"It was awesome to work with a different coach as well, with different ideas on the game, and different senior players. I sat down and had a couple of beers with Peter Siddle, so that was great. He has ended up being a really good bloke as well, so that was good.

"It was an eye-opener going into a different dressing room, certainly an Australian dressing room, and seeing their attitudes on cricket and different situations. That's why I was so keen to get involved. I want to keep learning, I want to keep getting better and that's one of the ways of doing it."

The despondent Davies, meanwhile, is plotting his own return to the side. "Naturally I'm very disappointed to miss out on selection for the World Cup, and it's been a tough couple of days, but all I can do is accept the decision the selectors have made and continue to work hard to get back into the England side.

"I'm aware that there are areas of my game I need to work on and intend to spend the next few months doing just that and prove to the selectors that I have the ability to perform at the highest level in international cricket." If Prior has his way, the Surrey keeper is in for a long wait.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Matches Schedule, India Matches Schedule

The final fixtures of ICC Cricket World cup 2011 has been announced with India taking Bangladesh in the opening match. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will be the hosts with Mumbai hosting the final of the World cup. It seems ICC took lessons from 2007 world cup and has divided the teams in two groups so that big teams qualify.

Group Division:

Group A:	Group B
Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada, Kenya.	India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands.

Match no.		Date	Teams	Venue
1		19 Feb	India vs Bangladesh	Dhaka
2		20 Feb	New Zealand vs Kenya	Chennai
3		20 Feb	Sri Lanka vs Canada	Hambantota
4		21 Feb	Australia vs Zimbabwe	Ahmedabad
5		22 Feb	England vs Netherlands	Nagpur
6		23 Feb	Pakistan vs Kenya	Hambantota
7		24 Feb	South Africa vs West Indies	New Delhi
8		25 Feb	Australia vs New Zealand	Nagpur
9		25 Feb	Bangladesh vs Ireland	Dhaka
10		26 Feb	Sri Lanka vs Pakistan	Colombo
11		27 Feb	India vs England	Kolkata
12		28 Feb	West Indies vs Netherlands	New Delhi
13		28 Feb	Zimbabwe vs Canada	Nagpur
14		1 Mar	Sri Lanka vs Kenya	Colombo
15		2 Mar	England vs Ireland	Bangalore
16		3 Mar	South Africa vs Netherlands	Mohali
17		3 Mar	Pakistan vs Canada	Colombo
18		4 Mar	New Zealand vs Zimbabwe	Ahmedabad
19		4 Mar	Bangladesh vs West Indies	Dhaka
20		5 Mar	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Colombo
21		6 Mar	India vs Ireland	Bangalore
22		6 Mar	England vs South Africa	Chennai
23		7 Mar	Kenya vs Canada	New Delhi
24		8 Mar	Pakistan vs New Zealand	Pallekelle
25		9 Mar	India vs Netherlands	New Delhi
26		10 Mar	Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe	Pallekelle
27		11 Mar	West Indies vs Ireland	Mohali
28		11 Mar	Bangladesh vs England	Chittagong
29		12 Mar	India vs South Africa	Nagpur
30		13 Mar	New Zealand vs Canada	Mumbai
31		13 Mar	Australia vs Kenya	Bangalore
32		14 Mar	Pakistan vs Zimbabwe	Pallekelle
33		14 Mar	Bangladesh vs Netherlands	Chittagong
34		15 Mar	South Africa vs Ireland	Kolkata
35		16 Mar	Australia vs Canada	Bangalore
36		17 Mar	England vs West Indies	Chennai
37		18 Mar	Sri Lanka vs New Zealand	Mumbai
38		18 Mar	Ireland vs Netherlands	Kolkata
39		19 Mar	Australia vs Pakistan	Colombo
40		19 Mar	Bangladesh vs South Africa	Dhaka
41		20 Mar	Zimbabwe vs Kenya	Kolkata
42		20 Mar	India vs West Indies	Chennai
43		23 Mar	First Quarterfinal	Dhaka
44		24 Mar	Second Quarterfinal	Colombo
45		25 Mar	Third Quarterfinal	Dhaka
46		26 Mar	Fourth Quarterfinal	Ahmedabad
47		29 Mar	First Semifinal	Colombo
48		30 Mar	Second Semifinal	Mohali
49		02 Apr	FINAL	Mumbai