Kevin Pietersen Retire from ODIs after World Cup 2011

England’s prolific middle-order batsman Kevin Pietersen is planning to bid farewell to the 50-over format of the game after the ICC World Cup 2011, which is set to begin from the 19th of February, jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

According to reports, the batsman wants to concentrate on Test and Twenty20 cricket, which includes the Indian Premier League (IPL). Pietersen was with the team during the hectic Australian tour that spanned over nearly three months. The English team then returned home only for three days and flew out to Bangladesh to begin preparing for the World Cup on 12th February.

Pietersen wants to spend more time with his nine-month-old son and wife but has realised that this will not be possible unless he quits the fifty-over game. It will however, have a significant impact on his pay because of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) clauses of loyalty and pension provision.

Pietersen has become a significant part of the English outfit and the board will not be pleased with his decision. He is believed to be a specialist One-Day player and finding his replacement will not be easy for England.

Pietersen was part of the English team that defeated the Aussies in Australia after 24 years in the Ashes series. Pietersen played a vital role in the middle order during the Ashes which helped the tourists retain the urn.

However, he will be making the decision final after thoroughly considering all options. With the presence of a lucrative league like the IPL and the growing number of Twenty20 tournaments, it is likely that he will find enough financial avenues to decide to quit ODIs.

He has had an impressive record in the subcontinent and his input will be pivotal for England if they are to win the World Cup in the subcontinent. With Paul Collingwood still struggling to find form, it will be Pietersen’s responsibility to carry the middle-order batting line-up for England. He may also come in handy with the ball, should the skipper Andrew Strauss choose to give him a couple of overs to bowl during the World Cup.

Strauss Backs England to Win World Cup

England captain Andrew Strauss has said his side has an excellent chance of winning the World Cup in the Indian sub-continent despite a 6-1 defeat to Australia in the recent one-day series.

Strauss said England were not tired despite playing for over three months at a stretch and his boys were now “motivated and excited” to play the International Cricket Council’s showpiece event starting on Saturday.

We have had a lot of very good one day cricket for the last 18 months or so. We did not play so well in Australia, which is disappointing to us. But we’ve got a solid squad, a settled side,” Strauss said in the Bangladeshi capital.

We really feel we can do very well in the tournament. We are excited about it,” he said, adding: We here to win it, obviously – no doubt about that. I think we feel like we have got excellent chance.”

The English captain said triumph in last year’s World Twenty-20 cricket has boosted the team’s confidence even though the side has not won a World Cup despite appearing in three finals since the event begun in 1975.

“I think that the guys took a lot of confidence from the fact that we won the World Twenty-20. And so the guys know that they can do it on the big stage under pressure, which is an important hurdle to overcome as a side,” he said.

“I think we got some pretty firm ideas on the type of cricket we want to play. But the batsmen need to get themselves in form. Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad and Ajmal Shahzad, all members of the World Cup squad, plus Chris Tremlett, who is a reserve, missed all or part of the one-day series in Australia.

But Strauss said he’ll have a fully-fit side ahead of their first World Cup fixture against the Netherlands in Nagpur on February 22. Our injury situation is getting better every day. We don’t have got any real long term concern for the players we have here,” he said.

He said Eoin Morgan, ruled out with a broken finger would be missed as he was a “standout performer” for the side in recent series but his replacement Ravi Bopara can fill up the gap as he played in the Indian Premier League and knows the conditions in Sri Lanka.

England’s collapse in the one-dayers took the shine off their Ashes triumph but Strauss said instead of being “tired” due to the gruelling schedule, the series had given some players to get fit.

“The conditions here are very different. I think we got a lot of in-built confidence from the cricket we played for the last 18 months, not just one-day cricket, but Test cricket as well,” he added.

The 33-year-old batsman, who started his international career in Bangladesh, said any team which qualifies for the knock-out stage has the chance of winning the World Cup. So the first step along the route is to get through the group stages. Play some good consistent cricket during that group phase and then it’s about handling the pressure,” he said.

He said India and Sri Lanka – co-hosts along with Bangladesh – are the favourites. I don’t think there is a huge amount of expectation on our shoulders. I think most of the expectation falls on the shoulders of the Indian team, maybe Sri Lanka,” he said.

Dew Factor Play Crucial Role in World Cup

Pakistan’s World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan has predicted the “dew factor” will play a critical role in the outcome of matches at the World Cup. Apart from the related strengths and weaknesses of the participating teams I think the dew factor in day and night matches will decide results,” Imran told Geo Super channel.

“I think any team batting second will have a huge advantage as the ball keeps on getting wet, the outfield is wet and bowlers find it hard to grip the ball,” said Imran. The cricketer-turned politician pointed out that in March and April in day and night matches pitches tended to be flatter because of the warm weather.

“And in these months I know by experience that the dew factor also becomes very important in the sub-continent,” he said. In 1996, Sri Lanka won the final at Lahore because they chose to chase and ended up getting the advantage of heavy dew making life very difficult for the Australian bowlers.”

The organisers have scheduled 36 of the 49 matches in the World Cup as day-night fixtures in the three host countries, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The quarter-finals, semis and final are all day-night fixtures. Imran also picked India as favourites to win the title.

“On current form, their team combination and the fact they are playing at home, I would say India start off as favourites,” Imran, who led Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup title, said. The former all-rounder, who played in five World Cups, believes the only factor that could undermine India’s team is the expectation and pressure of playing at home.

“Otherwise India has a very strong side and their batsmen should be devastating on Indian pitches,” he said. Imran sees India’s Virender Sehwag and Yusuf Pathan as two players who could make a big impact at the tournament.

“They are the most powerful and clean hitters in the sport today. Plus they have wisely included a leg-spinner, Piyush Chawla, to partner Harbhajan Singh in the World Cup. I have always believed that leg-spinners are essential in ODIs as they are attacking options and take wickets.”

Ponting says Momentum with Australia in World Cup

Australia may not start as strong World Cup favourites but the momentum is with them after their recent one-day success against England, skipper Ricky Ponting said on Friday. At the moment we're in good shape. We've got some really good confidence and a bit of momentum around our team," Ponting told reporters in Bangalore.

Our lead-up really couldn't be much better coming into this World Cup, having just beaten a pretty good English side with quite a few of our more senior players not taking part. Australia, seeking a fourth consecutive title, lost the recent Ashes to England at home but bounced back strongly to clinch the following one-day series 6-1.

Ponting said he was not worried his side were not considered as overwhelming favourites despite enjoying the top ranking in one-day internationals and an enviable record at the showpiece event. Australia have not been beaten in their last 29 games (one tied) since their last World Cup defeat to Pakistan at Headingley in 1999.

"I don't care," Ponting said when asked about the missing favorites tag. "I'm not sure if there's a really hot favorite going into a tournament like this. I don't really care where we start the tournament. It's totally irrelevant. Yes, we are ranked number one but we won't be thinking about that."

Ponting however conceded India and South Africa "are probably two of the outstanding teams".

The Australian skipper also said he was hopeful of playing in Sunday's opening warm-up game against India in Bangalore despite having missed the one-day series against England due to a broken finger. The next couple of weeks are important for me. To be out of the game for a month going into a World Cup is not a perfect preparation. I have to really focus on my batting and my fielding," said Ponting.

Australia are in Group A with Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya, with the top four sides making it to the quarter-finals. They open their campaign against Zimbabwe at Ahmedabad in India on February 21.

Steyn Leads Pace Brigade in World Cup 2011

Batsmen are expected to have a ball on flat sub-continental pitches in the World Cup -- only if allowed by Dale Steyn and other skilful speed merchants. Pitches may be slow but there is always room for quality pacemen to make a mark, as was proved by Australian Craig McDermott who was the leading bowler with 18 wickets when the Cup was hosted by India and Pakistan in 1987.

South African Steyn, Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga, England's James Anderson, Indian Zaheer Khan and Pakistan's Umar Gul will be the pacemen to watch.

Also hungry for success will be Australian pace duo of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait, who have recently returned to the one-day side after recovering from injuries. Lee, who missed the last Cup due to an injury, was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2003 edition in South Africa with 22 scalps, while Tait caught the eye in 2007 with 23 wickets.

Steyn is no stranger to Indian conditions, having given a magnificent exhibition of swing bowling to destroy the hosts for a meagre 76 with a five-wicket haul in the second Test in Ahmedabad in 2008. Pace, backed by controlled swing, makes Steyn one of the most feared fast bowlers. He has an effective new-ball partner in Morne Morkel, capable of keeping pressure on batsmen.

Steyn recently proved too hot to handle for India in the home series when he was his team's highest wicket-taker in Tests with 21 scalps and the third-highest in one-dayers with eight.

'Slinger' Malinga will be keen to renew his love affair with the World Cup after his impressive exploits in the last edition in the Caribbean which saw him finish among the top-six bowlers with 18 wickets. The Sri Lankan, known to produce accurate yorkers and excel in death overs, has the ability to do the unexpected.

He made World Cup history last time when he grabbed four wickets off as many balls in a Super Eights clash against South Africa in Guyana to raise prospects of an unlikely win for Sri Lanka, who eventually lost the match by one wicket.

Like Steyn, Anderson also is in form having played a significant role in England's first Ashes triumph in Australia for more than two decades, with 24 wickets in five matches. England, who have not made it to the semi-finals in the last four editions, expect Anderson to retain his wicket-taking ability. Their pace attack looks effective, especially with Stuart Broad regaining fitness ahead of the event.

Zaheer, known for providing early breakthroughs, was one of the bowling stars on a recent tour of South Africa where he grabbed 10 wickets to help India draw a tough three-Test series and nine scalps in one-dayers.

Gul is expected to be Pakistan's trump card as he can extract bounce even on slow pitches and rattle batsmen with yorkers, which makes him one of the most effective pacemen.

He is also the bowler in form, having recently taken 13 wickets in his team's win in a two-Test series in New Zealand. His best in one-dayers came last year when he rocked England with 6-42 at the Oval.

Gul, the highest wicket-taker in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa with 13 scalps, became the first bowler to grab five wickets in the next edition in England, against New Zealand at the Oval.

Team India Feeling The Heat of World Cup

India will be under pressure because of its defeat in the last World Cup opener, Bangladesh's opening batsman Tamim Iqbal has said ahead of next week's tournament that his country is co-hosting. India will feel the pinch to beat Bangladesh in the opening match of the forthcoming World Cup because of their past bitter experience," Tamim Iqbal said Wednesday.

India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are jointly hosting the event from Feb 19 to April 2.

India lost to Bangladesh in their previous World Cup opener in the West Indies, a result which subsequently threw them out of the competition in the group stage, he recalled.

Incidentally, India will open their campaign against Bangladesh in Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium Feb 19.

"It will always work on their mind that they did not qualify for the second round of the last World Cup after losing to us in the opening game. So they will be under pressure, not us," Tamim told mediapersons.

Tamim had played a key role in Bangladesh's five-wicket win at Port of Spain in the West Indies with a blistering knock of 51 off 53 balls, which set the tone for Bangladesh in the tournament.

Tamim also has had a few other major innings against India in the recent past, including his Test's best 151 in Dhaka in 2010, which would make him an obvious target of the Indian bowlers in the World Cup opener, the New Age newspaper said Thursday.

But Tamim said he has no particular fear for any bowler.

"We are not thinking about the India game differently. We have six matches in the group phase and we are planning for every match the same way.

"And I am also feeling no pressure. If I can play like the way I play, I have no reason to be afraid of any bowler in the world," he said.

"What I know is that if I want to do well as a player, I have to improve every day. I have to turn my weak point into a strong point and I think I am doing it alright."

"If I had two shots in 2007, now I have five shots. That's an improvement. It is not the end of all, just a step forward and I think I have a long way to go. Everyday I am working on my weaknesses," he added.

Bangladesh and India are in Group B along with England, Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa and the West Indies.

Indian Team Begins Practice for World Cup 2011

The Indian cricket team started its practice and exercise regimen here Wednesday, nine days ahead of the opening match against co-hosts Bangladesh in the 2011 World Cup.

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led men, popularly known as Men-in-Blues going by the colour of their uniform, surprised the eager fans waiting for a glimpse of the team by turning out in red T-shirts for the practice at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) facility.

The team will have its first warm-up match against Australia here Feb 13.

Besides the main Chinnaswamy Stadium, the NCA has ground with 18 turf and three cement practice wickets, six centre wickets, indoor facility with three synthetic wickets, four bowling machines, state-of-the-art gymnasium, a lecture hall and physiotherapy clinic.

The team members arrived here in batches Tuesday and early Wednesday, ending nearly a three-week break from the game after their long tour of South Africa.

Ponting Confident of Making World Cup

Australia captain Ricky Ponting said Monday he was confident he would be fit to play in this month's World Cup despite a recent finger injury.

Ponting, who missed the final Ashes Test and the entire seven-match one-day series against England after surgery for a broken little finger, said the injury was improving quickly.

"It's a lot better now than it was last week," Ponting said at the Allan Border Medal presentation in Melbourne.

"I've been back in the nets this week, I've had three good hits, a bit of time out there, so it's actually probably a bit further advanced than I thought it would be."

Australia go into the World Cup, to be played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, in search of a fourth consecutive title.

Ponting said he had endured a frustrating month on the sidelines, but believed the way the team had performed in his absence, thrashing England 6-1 in their ODI series, showed they were ready to defend their crown.

"I'm really proud of the way the boys have played in the last few weeks, Michael (Clarke) led the side well and Cameron (White) led the side really well in Perth and we did start to get a few guys back to full fitness at the right time," he said.

"We've still got a few injury worries, but hopefully by the middle of this month and early March we'll be on the right track to winning a World Cup."

Ponting said it was difficult playing on the sub-continent, but the Australian squad, which leaves on Wednesday, had the players who had proven themselves under those conditions.

"We go in there with a well-balanced team as far as youth and experience is concerned and players that have had some success there in the past," he said.

Fixing Trio Deserves Life Ban Vaughan

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has expressed his displeasure over the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision not to ban three Pakistan players for life for their involvement in spot-fixing.

Vaughan said the punishments meted out to the tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer showed that the sport’s world governing body missed out on an opportunity to flush corruption out of the game.

“The punishments handed out to the three Pakistan cricketers over spot-fixing allegations were just another example of how the International Cricket Council operates. We were led to believe there was a zero-tolerance policy and that anyone found guilty of corruption would be banned for life.

“That was what Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, and others have repeatedly said since the scandal first broke, so I am very surprised they did not impose more severe punishments. This was an opportunity to set the ultimate deterrent. There was a stack of evidence. These cases are very hard to prove but having found the players guilty, the ICC was presented with the chance to take a stand,” Vaughan wrote in his column in ‘Daily Telegraph’.

An ICC anti-corruption tribunal had banned former captain Butt for 10 years, with five years of suspended sentence, Asif for seven years with two years suspension and Aamer for five years.

The tribunal, chaired by QC Michael Beloff, found the three Pakistani players guilty of charges relating to spot-fixing at the Lord’s Test match between England and Pakistan in August last year.

Vaughan also disagreed with the ICC commissioner Sharad Rao’s statement that said spot-fixing does not actually affect the result of the match at all.

“I am sorry but if you are bowling no-balls then you are changing the outcome of a game. It is affecting the course of the match. No matter how small the offence is, a Test match could be won or lost by a couple of runs so bowling a no-ball could be the difference,” he said.

Vaughan, a veteran of 82 Tests and 86 ODIs, also added that Butt and Aamer would return to international cricket considering their current age.

“Mohammad Asif may be a little bit too old and might not return but Salman Butt and Mohammad Aamer will be back. They will probably play in the 2015 World Cup and it would not be a massive surprise to see Butt captaining Pakistan again.

“Aamer is a young kid and many feel that giving him a life ban would have been too harsh, but I feel it is the only way to clear corruption out of the game. It is the best education,” he said.

Speed Looks to Bounce Back

Gary Speed is focused on rebuilding after seeing Wales suffer defeat to Republic of Ireland in his first game in charge.

The Welsh were comprehensively beaten 3-0 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin in the opening game of the Carling Nations Cup on Tuesday night.

But Speed insists some positives can be taken from Wales' display and says they will work on their weaknesses.

"It's disappointing, obviously," Speed told Sky Sports News.

"There's things in there we can look at and improve, and there's things we can take heart from.

"If we look to the game it's pretty easy to work out where we went wrong and how to fix it."

Errors

Captain James Collins rued several costly errors made by Wales during the clash, admitting some of his side's old failings had reared their heads.

"We went in at half-time quite happy as they had not created that many chances," said the Aston Villa defender.

"But we made individual errors which cost us and that has been the case in the past, and we need to cut those out if we are to move on.

"But this is the start of a long campaign under the new manager."

Drogba Blues Unhappy

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba insists the club's slump in form has created a bad mood in and around Stamford Bridge.

The Blues started the campaign in irresistible fashion, but injuries led to a lack of goals and a dramatic slump in form.

Carlo Ancelotti's side had been improving of late, however, a toothless display against Liverpool on Sunday has once again hit their fading title ambitions.

Drogba is so used to winning and scoring goals for fun that he admits the club had not been a good place to be around of late as everyone is in a bad mood.

Chelsea remain ten points adrift of Manchester United following their Reds loss and Drogba believes that Ancelotti has also been affected by their disappointing results.

Bad mood

"Our league position is similar to what it was last season," explained Drogba.

"But absences, and the fact that we've not been scoring as many goals, has made for a bad mood around the place.

"I'm finding our bad spell hard to live with, as do the rest of the squad.

"We are suffering, given that Chelsea are not accustomed to losing matches.

"Carlo Ancelotti has been unhappy in recent weeks."

We Have Stronger Mental Frame this Time: Smith

Mindful of the chokers tag that has sat on them since their 1992 World Cup appearance, South Africa head off to the sub-continent for the quadrennial mega event starting later this month, with captain Graeme Smith confident of his side possessing a stronger mental frame than ever before to aim for its maiden title.

South Africa faltered in crucial high-pressure matches in the five World Cups they had taken part so far, including at home in 2003, with the Proteas losing three semifinals and a quarterfinal when they were tipped favourites each time.

Smith said the players have done enough in their build-up to come out successful in the unyielding pressure situation in the sub-continent with their recent good form and bonding sessions.

That’s the nature of knockout tournaments, that’s what makes it exciting and that’s what makes it tough. As an international sportsman, pressure is a part of your life. You learn to deal with pressure,” Smith said on Tuesday before leaving for India.

“We’ve had some good chats and really good bonding sessions. We’re as best prepared as we can be for the World Cup. This team is in a good space and we’re looking forward to getting going, getting some good results and on a roll. There’s some exciting things to come from this team,” said Smith who will relinquish one-day captaincy after the February 19-April 2 mega event.

He said he was looking forward to “leaving it all out there” at his final tournament as ODI captain.

Smith said his team is better prepared than 2007 and that they have more options now and more relaxed.

“We were a little bit too rigid (in 2007) in terms of players and squad. Moreover, we stuck to a similar style of play in 2007. We have a lot more options and we can be more unpredictable now,” he said.

“Yes, you have to want to win the World Cup and that has to be your mindset, but we are much more relaxed in terms of the way we want to do things,” he said.

“We want to go step by step and we are not thinking about the quarters or semis now. We want to do well in the warm-up matches and that will also help us to do well in the tournament. We want to keep things simple,” said the 30-year-old right-handed opening batsman who will be appearing in his third World Cup.

He said that the team’s preparation is different this time due to the presence of young players. Eleven players in the 15-member squad have never played in the World Cup and many of those make up the core of the Proteas team.

Coach Corrie van Vyl, who will also step down after the World Cup, said his side will not be “too result-driven” and will focus on “each day” rather than the quarterfinals or semifinals.

“We hope to do the country proud. We think we have got a very good squad and a lot of options. We’ll just concentrate on what we’re doing right now,” Van Zyl said.

Manager Mohammed Moosajee said he was confident that star all-rounder Jacques Kallis would be fit and would take his place for South Africa’s World Cup opener two weeks from now.

Kallis, who suffered a rib injury in the drawn Test against India at Newlands in Cape Town last month, is likely to only bat without rolling his arms in the warm-up game against Zimbabwe in Chennai on Saturday as he recovers from his injury.

Fast bowler Dale Steyn — ranked number one in the world — confirmed he was “good” after being involved in a Cape Town hit-and-run car accident last weekend.

After facing Zimbabwe at Chepauk, South Africa confront holders Australia in Bangalore on February 15 before opening their Group B campaign against the West Indies in New Delhi on February 24.

South Africa President Jacob Zuma and the country’s world champion rugby team pledged their support to the cricketers while some professional footballers were present at a Johannesburg hotel to send the team off.

No Fears for India in this World Cup

Harbhajan Singh today highlighted the facts behind India being hot favourite for upcoming World Cup, the uppermost being their ability to fight till the last ball.

Harbhajan says that the India team is a good mix of youth and experience and has more than one match-winner.

“The team can now bank on not only seniors, but also on (Virat) Kohli, (Yusuf) Pathan and (Suresh) Raina who can win matches on their own,” Harbhajan told IANS in an interview.

“Even bowling has bite with Zaheer (Khan), (Ashish) Nehra and Munaf (Patel) at their best. They can change the course of a match with incisive spells. That is a big plus for the team.

“The confidence levels are sky-high as we have performed well in the last three years and showed we can fight till the last ball.”

As for the group games in the February 19-April 2 event, the off-spinner picked the opening match against Bangladesh as crucial as they had knocked India out of the last World Cup in the Caribbean at the preliminaries stage.

“The first match will be important and will set the tone for the rest of the tournament. We are not taking any team lightly and none is a favourite. Last time there was little chance to stage a comeback after losing the first match, but there are no such fears in this World Cup,” Harbhajan maintained.

Harbhajan’s role, too, has changed in the last four years. Besides being one of the seniors, he is the lone established spinner with the other two being newcomer Ravichandran Ashwin and and comeback man Piyush Chawla. The turbanator is aware of this responsibility but maintains that he will not try do anything fancy in the tournament and will bowl according to the situation.

“This is my third World Cup and I am more experienced now. My target is to take wickets and bowl as the situation demands. There is no new ball that I will experiment with nor am I going to bowl any magic ball,” said the Jalandhar lad, who went wicketless in the last edition and is keen on turning things around this time.

Harbhajan has turned into a reliable lower-order batsman and has gained recognition as a bowling all-rounder. His back-to-back hundreds against New Zealand and then crucial knocks in South Africa were solid efforts.

“Bhajji,” as he is fondly called, credits Gary Kirsten for the improvement in his batting, but insists bowling remains his top priority.

“I owe a lot to Gary for the improvement in my batting. He tirelessly throws balls in the nets and he works with players on a one-on-one basis, attending to every individual player’s needs. That is the stamp of a quality coach. For all my batting exploits, I consider myself a bowler, who is keen to contribute with the bat when required,” Harbhajan said.

The biggest cricketing extravaganza is being played on the low and slow wickets in the sub-continent, where part-timers spinners can also revel. Harbhajan sees this a big advantage for India as Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina are much more than mere back-up spinners.

“The wickets will get slower as the tournament progresses. You have to have variation in your attack. You just need to be sure of what you are doing. The part-timers will play a big role.”

Harbhajan is fine with the World Cup schedule, unlike England’s Kevin Pietersen who is unhappy with it.

“As for the schedule, it has no bearing on our preparation and in any case there is no point cribbing about it. If the gap between the matches is less, then someone will complain of not getting adequate rest and when there is a week between the matches, they still grumble,” said Harbhajan.

The World Cup is returning to India after 15 years and there is bound to be some pressure playing at home, but Bhajji, just like his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, sees it as an added responsibility.

“There is no additional pressure on us just because we are playing at home. It is a responsibility.

“It is the biggest tournament for any cricketer. Everyone expects us to win. Wherever I go, I am asked whether we can win the Cup. We can only get motivated by the enthusiasm among fans.”

Strauss Confident of Bouncing Back in World Cup

England captain Andrew Strauss has predicted an upturn in his side’s one-day fortunes at the World Cup when he expects to finally have his first-choice attack at his disposal.

Strauss returned to London on Tuesday after England’s 6-1 defeat in the recent one-day series in Australia still insisting his team could match anyone in the world when their frontline bowlers were available.

Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad and Ajmal Shahzad, all members of the World Cup squad, plus Chris Tremlett, who is a reserve, were missing for all or part of the beating in Australia.

But Strauss expects them to be firing and giving England a much-needed lift ahead of their first World Cup fixture, against the Netherlands in Nagpur on February 22.

“Our bowling attack has been the basis of a lot of our one-day victories over the last 12 or 18 months, Strauss told reporters at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday.

“We have had a settled bowling unit who really know their roles really well and have bowled very well in tandem together.”

“There is no doubt we missed that in Australia and I believe our bowling attack is a match for anyone in the world.”

“They should be fit but they need to find some rhythm pretty quickly and the batsmen need to do their job,” the left-handed opener added.

“The atmosphere at the World Cup is going to be very intoxicating and very motivating. All the best players in the world will be there and ultimately only one team is going to walk away with that World Cup.”

“We would have liked to have won the one-day series in Australia as preparation, but some of our players who have not been involved have had an opportunity to have a little bit of a rest through the fact that they were injured,” Strauss explained.

“They are going to come back into the fold and add a huge amount of impetus.”

England’s collapse in the one-day series took the shine off their Ashes triumph and Strauss has urged his side, some of whom won the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean last year, to go on and claim the World Cup.”

England have not won the International Cricket Council’s showpiece event, despite appearing in three finals, and Strauss told his team that lifting the trophy would crown the best six months of their career.

He added: “We didn’t do as well as we would have liked in the one-dayers and we won’t hide away from that. Our aim when we went to Australia was to retain the Ashes and the fact that we did that and the style in which we did it speaks volumes for the players.”

“But the nature of international cricket is you always move onto the next thing. When we are old and grey we will sit down and look over the footage of that Ashes series and still be very proud of what we achieved.”

“It will go as one of the highlights if not the highlight of our careers. But now is not the time to look back on it.”

“If we were to complete the double of an Ashes win and a World Cup win in the space of six months that certainly would be the highlight of all our careers.”

England head to the subcontinent without batsman Eoin Morgan who was ruled out with a broken finger and coach Andy Flower repeated his criticisms of a gruelling schedule that has left several of his players nursing injuries.

They fly to Bangladesh on Saturday ahead of two warm-up games with Flower hitting out at an itinerary that gives England’s players just four nights at home in between coming back from the Ashes and travelling to the World Cup.

“We have played three-and-a-half-months of high intensity cricket and it is inevitable you will pick up injuries.”

“But to have the tour ending just before the World Cup starts doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” the former Zimbabwe batsman added. “So that is a very simple lesson to be learned.”

Mike Hussey, Nathan Hauritz Ruled out of World Cup

Batsman Mike Hussey and spin bowler Nathan Hauritz have been ruled out of the World Cup through injury and will be replaced by Callum Ferguson and Jason Krejza respectively, Cricket Australia said on Tuesday.

Hussey (hamstring rupture) and Hauritz (dislocated shoulder) were injured during the one-day series against England and both were being replaced in the 15-man squad for the Feb. 19-April 2 tournament on medical advice, said selector Andrew Hilditch.

“We’ve applied to the ICC technical committee for Callum Ferguson to replace Mike Hussey in the squad … (and) we’ve also applied … for Jason Krejza to replace Nathan Hauritz in the squad,” he said in a statement.

Spinner Xavier Doherty and batsman Shaun Marsh were not considered as replacements after also suffering back and hamstring injuries, Hilditch added.

Fitness is Elementary for Australian Allrounder Watson

Shane Watson has been transformed over the last two years from an injury-prone Freddie Flintoff wannabe into Australia's most potent player going into the World Cup.

The hulking blond's aggressive 161 sealed with a match-winning six that set Australia off to a great start in their one-day series against England in Melbourne last month was just the latest highlight.

The 29-year-old has maintained his form while better-known batsmen have slumped and won his second successive Allan Border Medal when the award for the outstanding Australian cricketer of the year was announced on Monday.

Considering his past, the fact that he has managed to play without injury throughout a gruelling Australian summer has been impressive.

Injuries to his back, hamstring, calf and hip, plus a dislocated shoulder, all disrupted his international career after he made his one-day debut for his country in 2002.

Watson now accepts that his determination to become a match-winning all-rounder in the style of former England captain Flintoff contributed to his problems.

"It's true I became obsessed with being Australia's answer to Freddie Flintoff," he recently told Inside Cricket magazine.

"I wanted to be that player so much. I now know that it was something that held me back, being too intense and over-training. It was my downfall."

With the injuries preventing him from fulfilling his potential, Watson decided to stay away from weights, reduced his alcohol consumption to the odd beer and enjoyed playing blues guitar to help clear his mind of pressure.

Whatever it was that did the trick, he has succeeded in staying fit for nearly two years and cemented himself as an opener for both the test and one-day sides, even if the need to stay fresh for the batting has limited his role as a bowler.

A natural successor to fellow Queenslander Matthew Hayden at the top of the batting order, the barrel-chested Watson can make bowlers pay dearly for poor deliveries with big hits but he also has deftness in some of his strokes.

Although he has struggled to convert 50s into 100s on the test arena, that has not been a problem in the shorter form of the game.

Five one-day centuries compares to his near-contemporary Michael Clarke. That two of them came in run chases in the semi-final and final of the 2009 Champions Trophy indicates he can be relied on to make telling contributions.

His 2003 World Cup campaign was ended before it started by stress fractures in his back, while his 2007 tournament was hampered by the troublesome calf and Watson hopes to play a more significant role this year.

With a one-day batting average of more than 40 and a strike rate of 34 with his medium pace bowling, he has finally become what he always wanted to be, one of the top all- rounders in world cricket.

Huge Pressure Dilutes India's Home Advantage

The favourites' tag will be the albatross around India's neck when Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team mates begin their quest for World Cup glory.

A billion dreams will rest on their shoulders as they seek to become the second Indian team, after the 1983 'Kapil's Devils', to win the top prize in one-day cricket.

With arguably the best coach around in South African Gary Kirsten, led by the unflappable and charismatic Dhoni and boasting some of the best batsmen in the game, India have never headed into a World Cup with more swagger.

They have home advantage as well, playing five of their six Group B matches in India while the other is in Bangladesh where the track will be no less docile.

It all makes a perfect recipe for success but the air will be heavy with expectation and the players know how easily things can go wrong.

"The pressure will be definitely more on the Indian side (than any other team)," Mohinder Amarnath, a key member of India's 1983 World Cup-winning squad, told Reuters.

"If you are doing well, it's great. But if you are not doing well, you know how emotionally the Indians behave."

Mayhem broke out at Eden Gardens in 1996 when Sri Lanka derailed India's victory chase and a trouble-marred semi-final was awarded to the eventual champions.

After India's early loss to Australia in the 2003 World Cup, angry mobs stoned Rahul Dravid's car and tarred the walls of Mohammad Kaif's Allahabad residence.

It was even worse after India's early exit in 2007 when irate fans conducted mock funerals of players and burned effigies, while security was beefed up at the cricketers' homes.

On paper, this year's team seem to have no weak spots.

Few sides can match the batting order where Sachin Tendulkar, statistically the greatest cricketer ever, opens the innings with arguably the most devastating batsman in contemporary cricket, Virender Sehwag.

The self-effacing Gautam Gambhir has evolved into a cool finisher and the top order is also likely to contain a transformed Virat Kohli, India's most prolific batsman in the one-day format last year.

Even if rival bowlers manage to negotiate through the top, they will have their hands full against a swashbuckling middle order featuring Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni, Suresh Raina and the exciting Yusuf Pathan, whose six-hitting prowess makes him a lethal batsman.

The tail can sting as well.

Harbhajan Singh has proved he is no dud with the bat with back-to-back test centuries against New Zealand late last year, while Piyush Chawla or Zaheer Khan can swing the bat as well.

In comparison, India's bowling resources look limited.

A lot depends on Zaheer in the pace department, for the left-arm seamer is equally effective up front and at the death.

The slow department looks better with Harbhajan as the frontline spinner, while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Chawla would fancy their chances at some stage.

Dhoni would have the additional option of tossing the ball to Tendulkar, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Raina and Pathan -- all part-time spinners with proven partnership-breaking capabilities.

For such a team, the first concern is to deal with the pressure of expectation and make the most of home advantage, something former Pakistan captain Imran Khan does not think will be easy.

"India is easily the favourite team, going by their form and depth both in bowling and batting," Imran said during a recent visit to India.

"I know people in India are dying to (see their team) win but there is a word of caution. It happened with West Indies and Australia -- best teams often come under pressure and India will have to cope with that."

Mike Hussey Doubtful for 2 ODIs World Cup 2011

Injured Australian batsman Mike Hussey is hopeful that he will make the bus for the World Cup but admitted that he will have to miss the side’s opening two matches in the mega event starting February 19.

Hussey will find out on Tuesday if he is fit enough to remain in Australia’s 15-man World Cup squad after undergoing hamstring surgery last month.

“I have 48 hours until I find out whether I’ll be flying out with the Australian team for World Cup. The boys fly out on Wednesday and I’m eager to be there with them. I’m confident I’ll be on that plane,” Hussey wrote in a column for Perth’s Sunday Times.

“I will have a test on my hamstring in Melbourne tomorrow, with a final decision made on Tuesday. Looking at the World Cup schedule, I believe I’ve got plenty of time to make sure I’m 100 percent fit; perhaps not for the first or second game; but for third match against Sri Lanka on March 5,” he said.

Australia play Zimbabwe on February 21 in Ahmedabad and New Zealand on February 25 in Nagpur in their first two matches before taking on Sri Lanka on March 5 in Colombo.

The left-hander ripped his hamstring in the opening game of the seven-match ODI series against England in Melbourne on January 16 and only started jogging for the first time on Thursday.

To speed up his recovery, Hussey avoided using crutches after his operation and pushed himself hard once he was given the all clear.

“It has been 19 days since the operation and I’m smoothly jogging down the road to full recovery, ahead of schedule. My rehabilitation has been going extremely well,” he said.

“I started jogging last Thursday, which was ahead of schedule. It’s been good to see such swift progress. I got through the sessions without discomfort,” he added.

Hussey is just one of a number of fitness concerns for Australia ahead of the tournament in the sub-continent where they will be aiming for a fourth consecutive title.

Captain Ricky Ponting has just returned to training after the broken finger he suffered during the Ashes while Nathan Hauritz dislocated his shoulder during the second ODI at Hobart.

Shaun Marsh, who replaced Hussey in the current One-Day squad, has suffered a hamstring strain while Xavier Doherty has a back problem and Steven Smith injured his hip at Sydney.

There is also concern with Brett Lee’s elbow as the pacer only had a light training session at the WACA yesterday.

Eoin Morgan Doubtful for World Cup 2011

England captain Andrew Strauss on Sunday conceded gifted batsman Eoin Morgan was in considerable doubt for the World Cup after breaking a finger.

Morgan missed England’s final one-day international against Australia in Perth on Sunday with the injury, which he suffered in the ODI in Adelaide last month.

Morgan at first thought his finger was just bruised and Strauss said he “was quite surprised” when X-rays revealed a substantial fracture.

The Irish-born batsman headed back to Britain ahead of his teammates to see a specialist, with England’s 15-man squad due to fly to the World Cup next weekend.

Strauss said Morgan was the major concern of six players from his World Cup squad currently battling injury.

Although he did not rule Morgan out, Strauss conceded they were preparing for the likelihood the left-hander would not be available for the tournament.

“He’s got a broken finger and he’s going to see a specialist tomorrow to decide what the best course of action is to remedy that situation,” Strauss said after England ended their Australia tour with defeat in the final ODI in Perth.

“There obviously has to be a chance he is not going to feature. Hopefully there will be an opportunity for him to to play, but if he isn’t available is going to have to fill his shoes.”

Strauss said a final decision on Morgan would hinge on what stage of the tournament he was likely to be available for, if any.

Although he endured a tough tour of Australia, failing to break into the Test side and then struggling for form in the ODIs, Morgan’s innovative middle order batting was considered crucial to England’s World Cup hopes.

The 24-year-old has played 61 ODIs, scoring 1094 runs at 38.08, including four centuries.

Strauss said Morgan would be hard to replace.

“Obviously in those conditions being able to clear the ropes in the manner that he does. It is big loss for us … potentially,” he said.

The other England World Cup squad members with injury worries are Paul Collingwood (back), Graeme Swann (back), Ajmal Shahzad (hamstring), Tim Bresnan (calf) and Stuart Broad (stomach), with potential replacement Chris Tremlett also battling a side strain.

Aussies Selectors Continue to Face criticism

Criticism continues to dog Australia’s selectors in the run-up to the World Cup despite a comprehensive 6-1 one-day drubbing of England being wrapped up at the weekend.

The four-man panel headed up by lawyer Andrew Hilditch has been under almost constant fire for their perceived mistreatment of players and confusing selections, particularly during the Ashes humiliation.

The latest blast came from former test player Ian Healy after captain Michael Clarke, Player of the Series Shane Watson and experienced quick bowler Brett Lee were rested for the final match in Perth on Sunday.

“I haven’t seen Cricket Australia this fragmented for a long time,” Healy, now a television pundit, said during the broadcast at the WACA.

They’ve alienated some senior players, not just players in general, but senior players like Brett Lee and Michael Clarke.

“They’ve given the public some ammunition to have another go at Michael Clarke for wanting a rest even though it was 100 per cent the selectors that did it.”

Clarke, the acting captain while Ricky Ponting recovers from a finger fracture, has struggled to get the backing of the nation and was booed onto the field during the one-day series.

Hilditch’s declaration that the selectors had done “a very good job” during the Ashes perplexed many, as did his hailing of Brad Haddin as Australia’s best wicketkeeper in all forms of the game, only for the righthander to be dropped for T20 matches.

The rotation system has drawn criticism throughout the Australian summer even though resting Mitchell Johnson before the third Ashes test looked like a stroke of genius when the paceman returned to skittle England in the hosts’ win in Perth.

TREATMENT ROOM

In the matter of the choice of spin bowlers for both the Ashes and the World Cup, however, there has been little genius, or luck, evident.

Nathan Hauritz was considered the incumbent at the start of the summer but discarded for the Ashes in favour of the untested Xavier Doherty, who was in turn dropped for the little-known Michael Beer.

Hauritz was included as the only specialist spinner in the World Cup squad only to dislocate his shoulder in the one-day series against England with Doherty following him to the treatment room with a bad back.

Gambles on the fitness for the World Cup of Ponting and batsman Mike Hussey, who only started jogging last week after a severe hamstring injury, have also called into question the judgement of the panel.

Hilditch has said he wants to stay on the panel with Greg Chappell, David Boone and Jamie Cox when his contract expires after Australia’s attempt to win a fourth successive World Cup at the Feb. 19-April 2 tournament.

The contrast with the success of England’s captain-coach team of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower during the Ashes series, however, has prompted calls for a similar system to replace the selection panel, for the final team selection at least.

“It is high time the captain and coach had more responsibility selecting, running and organising the team,” former test cricketer Dean Jones wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald last week.

“The captain should always have the final say. In the end, these are the people who receive the wins and losses next to their name. Not the selectors.

“Too many people have a say in the shape of the Australian cricket team,” he added. “That needs to stop now. The skipper is boss. Full stop.”

Sehwag Ready to Deliver in World Cup 2011

Virender Sehwag who was ruled out of India’s recent one-day series against South Africa due to a shoulder injury, feels that his side is fully prepared to win the title in front of the home crowd.

“I was feeling some pain in my shoulder,” Sehwag told news channel CNN-IBN. “So (I thought it was) better to quit the South Africa one-dayers)”

“I didn’t want to get injured during the South Africa tour and miss the World Cup. So I came back and went to Germany to see a couple of doctors. I got a couple of injections and now I’m fine.”

“I am going to the National Cricket Academy (in Bangalore) and will spend a couple of days there to check everything, if I can bowl and throw also but if I can’t, then I’ll let them know. But at the moment I’m fully fit.”

While Sehwag is coming out of the shoulder injury, Gautam Gambhir is recuperating from a hand injury while Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina are struggling for form. But the dashing opener contended that every cricketer goes through the rough patch at some point of time.

“I am not worried with all these (injuries and slump in form to some players). Sometimes you perform well and sometimes you don’t. I was not performing well in 2006-07 but my time came in 2008, 2009 and 2010. I performed well and scored runs in both One-dayers and Tests. These things happen in every player’s career. I am not concerned,” he said.

“Time is coming for Indian batsmen to perform in front of the home crowd. I am looking forward to that. Everyone has not been scoring big hundreds of late but now is the time for us with World Cup round the corner. I am confident everybody will score,” said Sehwag.

Asked about playing under pressure of huge expectations and a tough World Cup group comprising England, South Africa, West Indies and underdogs Bangladesh, Sehwag said the Indians have done their home work well to give their best shot at glory.

“Bangladeshi people would be expecting their side to beat us again like in 2007 World Cup. But this time we are prepared well and confident of beating them in Bangladesh. It’s a revenge game for us. We will not take it lightly.”

“We are playing in India and know the conditions better than other teams in our group. We know how wickets will behave. When we played against England last time, we won 5-0. Against South Africa, we have done well against them in their country and in India.”

“West Indies, they have got good players in Kieron Pollard and Chris Gayle and if they click on, it’s difficult for us but India has a very strong side in Sachin, Gambhir, Pathan, Kohli, Yuvraj, Dhoni and Raina. I am looking forward to see Yusuf Pathan in this World Cup,” he said.

Sehwag said it’s a special moment for him with World Cup happening in India.

“World Cup is coming to India and it is my third. Every cricketer wants to play the World Cup and I am lucky enough to have played two. I am very lucky that I am playing at home. All the players are very happy that it is happening in India. I hope we will deliver and give our best shot. If the day belongs to us, we can beat any side,” said Sehwag.

Pakistan Trio Charged With Corruption Offences

Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer with corruption offences and their extradition to the United Kingdom will be sought if they fail to return to this country voluntarily.

The three players along with their agent, Mazhar Majeed, are set to face charges of accepting corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat, for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing in the Lord’s Test during the team’s tour of England last summer.

Simon Clements, head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Special Crime Division, said: “We have decided that Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt and their agent, Mazhar Majeed, should be charged with conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments and also conspiracy to cheat.”

“These charges relate to allegations that Majeed accepted money from a third party to arrange for the players to bowl ‘no balls’ on 26 and 27 August 2010, during Pakistan’s fourth Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London,” Clements said yesterday.

“Majeed has been summoned to appear for a first hearing at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court on March 17.

“Summonses for the same court date have been issued for the three players and they have been asked to return to this country voluntarily, as they agreed to do in September last year. Their extradition will be sought should they fail to return.

“The Crown Prosecution Service has been working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service since the allegations of match-fixing became public on August 29 2010.

“We received a full file of evidence on December 7, 2010 and we are satisfied there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to prosecute.

“I would remind everyone that these men are entitled to a fair trial and should be regarded as innocent of these charges unless it is proven otherwise in court. The International Cricket Council tribunal is due to announce its decision, but criminal proceedings are active now.

“It is extremely important that nothing should be reported which could prejudice the trial.”

The three players have been provisionally suspended by the ICC after English tabloid, ‘News of the World’, claimed that Asif and Aamer bowled deliberate no-balls on the advice of then skipper Butt.

Randy Orton New Movie Premiere

WWE star Randy Orton is starring in WWE Studios' latest offering, "That's Who I Am," co-starring Ed Harris and Daniel Roebuck.The film, which had its premiere this weekend at The Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara, California, was presented as part of the Centerpiece Gala at the 2011 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The Superstar looks very handsome at the event. It will be a new beginning for Randy Orton in the World of Hollywood.

Randy Houser Special Guest Mickie James

Mickie James is scheduled to open up for Randy Houser at The National in Richmond, VA Feb. 3rd.Tickets start at only $15.00. Let's pack the house James Gang! Mickie James will sing the song of her latest album. It will be treat to watch Mickie James live performing at the event. Mickie James had a great run in TNA Wrestling.

ICC Warns Against Fraud World Cup Emails

Cricket’s governing body on Friday warned the public to beware of fraudulent emails that seek personal details to give away non-existent cash rewards ahead of the World Cup.

The International Cricket Council said tricksters have been sending out emails to announce prizes supposedly won in sweepstakes and other competitions organised by it.

Recipients are asked to provide bank account information and told to wire funds to a third-party bank account in order to facilitate their receipt of the award, the ICC said.

“The ICC wishes to place on record that neither does it conduct or authorise any such sweepstakes or prize promotions, nor does it appoint any third parties to do so,” the governing body said in a statement.

“Further, the ICC will never ask you to send or confirm personal information via e-mail or to wire funds to a bank account for award eligibility.”

The ICC said such emails should not be replied to and recipients should notify the local law enforcement agency.

Numerous competitions are being organised in the media and by businesses in the run-up to the World Cup which opens in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on February 19.

Shahid Afridi to captain Pakistan in World Cup

Pakistan has decided to retain one-day captain Shahid Afridi to lead the team in the coming World Cup after seriously mulling the option of giving the job to Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq. Intikhab Alam, Pakistan team manager, on Friday confirmed that Afridi had been chosen as Pakistan’s World Cup captain. A formal announcement will be made by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt.

Butt had earlier delayed naming the captain but it was known it would be a toss up between Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq, who led Pakistan to a rare Test series triumph in New Zealand last month.

Pakistan was the only country among the 14 World Cup participants which did not name its captain while announcing its 15-man squad in January. The World Cup starts on February 19 in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The decision to continue with Afridi comes after he guided Pakistan to a one-day series victory in New Zealand by winning the fifth ODI in Hamilton on Thursday.

John Cena Pulled From House Show

John Cena has been pulled out from Saturday night’s RAW show in Rochester, MN. He is replaced by John Morrison for the ‘Fans Choice Match’ against CM Punk. The Superstar is busy in takes part in Gillette mater piece event. He was well supported by his fans. John Cena is the true star and he got amazing wrestling skills.

Watson, Clarke Rested For final ODI against England

Australia captain Michael Clarke and all-rounder Shane Watson will miss the final one-day match against England in Perth on Sunday to get some rest before the World Cup, Cricket Australia said on Thursday.

Australia have already won the seven-match series against England and hold a 5-1 lead after their two wicket win in the sixth game in Sydney on Wednesday.

All-rounder Steve Smith will also miss the match after he sustained a hip injury in Sydney.

Adam Voges, another all-rounder, and off-spinner Jason Krezja would join the Australia team in Perth for the match and series vice captain Cameron White would lead the side in Clarke’s absence, chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said.

Smith, who bowls leg-spin, joins left arm spinner Xavier Doherty (back) and Nathan Hauritz (dislocated shoulder) as the third slow bowler injured during the series against England. Hauritz and Smith were named in Australia’s World Cup squad.

Australia’s regular captain Ricky Ponting is still recovering from surgery on a broken finger but has begun batting in the nets.

Batsman Mike Hussey is also recovering from surgery on a hamstring injury, while his replacement for the England series Shaun Marsh also suffered a hamstring problem.

Don’t feel pressure, just enjoy cricket: Gilchrist to Team India

Terming India as one of the favourites to lift the World Cup, former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist on Wednesday cautioned the co-hosts not to get bogged down by the weight of expectations, instead enjoy playing in front of the home crowd.

Gilchrist said if Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men play their natural game, they can go a long distance in the mega-event, starting from February 19 to be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

“Pressure of expectations will be very high and it would depend on the players and management how they deal with it. If the Indians just focus on cricket and forget everything else, they will have a good chance. They are one of the favourites,” said Gilchrist, who would be captaining the Kings XI Punjab in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League.The former Aussie, however added that other sub-continent teams like Sri Lanka and Pakistan would also be fancying their chances.

Gilchrist also said that despite Australia’s forgettable Ashes series, which they lost 1-3 to England at home, they can still be considered as strong contenders for winning their fourth successive World Cup title.

“Australia also have a good chance to win the World Cup. They can do it,” he said.

Australia have been laid low by injury concerns to some of their key players including skipper Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Shaun Tait and Nathan Hauritz but Gilchrist expressed confidence that the team would be able to deal with the situation.

“There have been injury concerns earlier also but the Australian team had faced it accordingly. It depends on the team management what final combination they come out with. I hope that these players get fit before the World Cup,” a veteran of 96 Tests and 287 ODIs, said.

On whether the Australian national selectors have made a wrong choice by naming Ponting as the skipper for the World Cup instead of Michael Clarke, Gilchrist warned against doubting Ponting’s abilities and insisted that the regular skipper was the right candidate to lead the side.

“Clarke has done a wonderful job as a captain. He is a great player. But you can’t underestimate Ricky Ponting’s abilities. He is such a wonderful player and leader. Ponting has captained the side in the previous two World Cups and he knows exactly what it takes to be at that level. He has been there. He is right candidate to lead the side,” he said.

Dhoni eases pressure of teammates ahead of WC selection

The team’s performance in the second one-dayer against South Africa would not be the deciding factor in selecting the players for the upcoming World Cup, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.

The selectors will handpick India’s final 15-man squad for the World Cup on January 17 in Chennai and the 2nd ODI in the ongoing five-match series is the last chance for the players to impress upon the selection committee.

But Dhoni said it is the players consistency which would be looked at while preparing the final list.

“Not really, as not just one performance will matter. Guys who have worked hard for the last year-and-a-half may get a chance. So here at Wanderers we will try to field the best possible playing eleven,” the Indian skipper said.

“I think for the World Cup, fight is on for just one or two positions as the rest of the players will choose themselves.”

“Basically, it is up to the selectors. Here in South Africa we will try and give chance to as many players as possible to play in the final eleven,” Dhoni said at the pre-match press conference.

The Indian captain also informed that pacer S Sreesanth, who missed the first ODI due to a mild tennis elbow, was available for selection.

After a complete flop show in the first ODI, where they lost by a humiliating 135 runs to South Africa, Dhoni asked his boys not to let go opportunities.

“Main thing will be to go on the field with positive intent. Being selective will be crucial but you have to score runs on bad balls. You cannot just try to survive by scoring just two or three runs per over. Of course there will be something for the fast bowlers especially if you are bowling under lights,” he said.

The wicket-keeper batsman said he was not thinking about the weather and toss ahead of the match.

“Weather and toss is beyond your control. We will keep an eye on the forecast but about toss we have no control. We have to look at what is the weather at 2.30pm tomorrow. We should not think too much if we lose the toss.”

“Giving your 100 per cent is more important. If you are letting your mind affect your thought process after losing toss then you are not giving 100 per cent,” Dhoni said.

“It doesn’t matter whether we have won or lost the first match because we have to start from the scratch tomorrow. We have to play to our potential to win here,” he added.

Dhoni also rebuffed suggestions that tough conditions at a high-altitude ground like the Wanderers would make life tough for the Indian players.

“Ball travels really fast here. While fielding or even while batting, ball will come to you a bit faster. But most of us have played here so that should not be a problem,” he said.

IPL Bans Manish Pandey for Four Matches

The Indian Premier League (IPL) today punished a four-match ban on young Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey, who has been signed up by Sahara Pune Warriors for the fourth season of the T20 league, for breaching its guidelines.

Speaking to reporters after a marathon meeting of the T20 League’s governing council, chairman Chirayu Amin said that Pandey, through his agent, had haggled with several franchises.

Pandey, the first Indian to score a century in the IPL playing for the RCB, was said to be negotiating with other franchises.

“Pandey’s agent was negotiating with a number of franchises,” said Chirayu Amin, the chairman of the IPL GC.

Pandey had earlier rejected RCB’s offer to sign him again as the franchise offered him fees as per IPL rules, which states that domestic cricketers who played more than two seasons, but less than five, should not be paid more than Rs 20 lakh.

Ravindra Jadeja had suffered a similar fate and was banned from taking part in the third edition of the Indian Premier League for negotiating with other franchises without the Governing Council’s knowledge.

BCCI Turned Down Kochi’s Request to Buy Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly’s chances of playing in the fourth edition of the IPL seem to get slimmer by the day. The IPL governing council, after its meeting today, turned down Kochi’s request to buy Sourav Ganguly.

As per the existing IPL rules, unsold players cannot be signed after the auction. However, franchises can place a request to buy such players at their base price, which would be deducted from the team’s salary cap.

Ganguly, who had raised his base price from $200,000 to $400,000, went unsold during the IPL auction that took place on 8th and 9th January 2011 at Bangalore.

The IPL Governing Council had forwarded Kochi’s request to the other franchises who had to reply before February 3, 2011, failing which it would be assumed that the franchises had no objection.

The IPL, in a letter to all the teams, had said a request has been received from franchises that subject to them having sufficient balance on the salary cap to pay at least the reserve price of the relevant player, they should have the opportunity to sign unsold Indian players from the auction.

IPL’s Chief Operating Officer Sundar Raman further said “the auction regulations were clear that players not taken in the auction could only play in IPL 2011 as replacement players.”

“Before the Governing Council deliberates on this issue, I wanted to get your view on this issue and if your franchise is agreeable to buy any unsold Indian players from the auction; The player can be bought only at his reserve price”.

However, it appears that Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals had objections for this move and subsequently, Kochi’s request was declined.

“We had received a request from one franchise (Kochi) that Ganguly should be allowed to be purchased outside the auction and rejected it after objections were raised by some other franchises,” Chirayu Amin, the IPL GC Chairman said.

The move seems to be the finishing blow on Ganguly’s IPL career, unless the franchises show some last minute change of heart.

WWE John Cena Movie Release

John Cena and Triple H will be starring in two new WWE Studios films, set to be released later this year. Blood Brothers starring John Cena and Inside Out starring Triple H are both scheduled to be released between September and November. It will be a tough competition between these two WWE Superstars. John Cena got a thousand of fans and will be hoping for a big hit at the Box Office.

Murray Considers Break

Andy Murray has hinted he could take a break from tennis following his latest Grand Slam near-miss in the Australian Open final.

The out-of-sorts British number one saw his best chance yet to win a major slip through his grasp on Sunday, as Novak Djokovic posted an emphatic straight-sets triumph to land his second Melbourne crown.

The 23-year-old Serb, who came up through the ranks with his same-aged opponent, had too much for the fifth seed as he romped to a 6-4 6-2 6-3 success on Rod Laver Arena.

And Murray put a brave face on his most recent set-back after admitting the defeat was easier to swallow than last year's heartache against Roger Federer, when he broke down in tears at the presentation ceremony.

"It's better than it was last year," said the conquered Scot, who has now lost three major finals as he bids to become the first British male champion since Fred Perry in 1936.

"You know, it was obviously tough, disappointing. I thought Novak played unbelievably well and yeah, it's tough, but I've got to deal with it.

"I was in a much worse state last year than I was this year. I don't know why.

"I'll see what I do from here, you know. I don't know, I might not play for a few months, I might feel like playing in a week's time. It depends - see how I feel."

Improvements

The languid 23-year-old has now failed to muster a set in three Grand Slam final appearances. But the Dunblane right-hander insisted he will not lose any sleep over his failure to land a big title.

"I want to keep working hard, try and improve, but I said before the final, it's not something that I lose sleep over at night," he said.

"It's going to be tough for sure for a few days but I want to try and win one, of course.

"But if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I'm just working as hard as I can. I train very hard, I take tennis very seriously.

"But I love my life away from tennis, as well. That's why maybe this year, compared with last, I'm very, very happy off the court.

"I'm enjoying myself. There's other things to look forward to, too."

Unbelievable

Murray claimed he had no fitness problems heading into the match, despite looking ponderous at times around the court. Instead the Briton, who had a punishing semi-final against David Ferrer on Friday, praised Djokovic for being at the top of his game.

"He played great. I would have liked to have played better but I think he would have beaten every other player on the tour if he played like that tonight," added the world number five.

"He served well, he didn't make many mistakes from the back of the court, he moved really, really well, he hit the ball very clean. That was it.

"He defended unbelievably well tonight so when I got ahead in some games, and even just in points, he was sticking up lobs that were landing on the baseline, passing shots that were very close to the lines.

"So it was quite difficult to find parts of the court where I was getting free points from.

"I think I broke his serve maybe twice in the third set and still lost it 6-3. I was trying to find a way - I just wasn't able to put enough good points together."

Mickelson Excited

Phil Mickelson heads into this week's Waste Management Open in Phoenix still looking for his first victory in almost a year.

The four-time major champion's last win was at the Masters in April, but he insists he is close to a return to the winner's enclosure.

Mickelson was runner-up by a shot to Bubba Watson at last week's Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego and heads to Phoenix in upbeat mood.

"I'm excited because I can tell that my game's coming around," he said.

"I'm kind of done making changes. I'm trying to hit shots now - I'm trying to hit draws, hooks, slices, fades and see if I can get it close."

Mickelson will play alongside his fellow left-hander Watson this week in the tournament that is traditionally the best-attended - and noisiest - on the PGA Tour.

The Tour's new sensation Jhonattan Vegas is also in action this week, in the group behind Mickelson and Watson that also includes fellow South Americans Camilo Villegas and Angel Cabrera.

Dream

Rookie Vegas, the first Venezuelan to earn a PGA Tour card, has finished first and third the past two weeks and in his first-ever round with Tiger Woods, beat the 14-time major champion by five shots.

The 26-year-old is top of the money list with over $1.2million, first on the FedEx Cup points standings and up from 187th in the world to 69th. As he says himself; "it's been a dream come true - I'm just loving it."

There could be lengthy frost delays at the start of the tournament with ground and air temperatures plummeting to extreme levels in the desert.

Wednesday's pro-am had to be cancelled and PGA Tour referee Slugger White said: "It doesn't look good tomorrow morning - it's supposed to be colder - and it might be even colder on Friday.

"I've talked to people that grew up here and they've never seen it like this. Obviously we've had frost delays before, but usually that's an hour or so.

"We've got 20 to 30-mph winds out there with a wind chill factor of about 30 right now."

Hammers Delay Obinna Decision

West Ham boss Avram Grant will wait until the end of the season before deciding whether to sign Victor Obinna on a permanent deal.

The 23-year-old forward joined the Hammers on a season-long loan from Inter Milan at the start of the campaign.

He has performed well for Grant and has really come to light in his last two games with five goals, including a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest.

West Ham have an option to sign him, but they are still in the middle of a relegation battle and will not be making a decision on his future until they know how the season has gone.

"He is a big player with big talent and we like him. I think he wants to stay here," said Grant.

"We like him but we will have to wait until the end of the season."

Obinna's somersault celebration is now being seen on a much more regular basis and Grant has no issues.

"I love his somersaults, I hope he will have a lot of reasons to do them again this season," he said.

"It took him time to adjust this season because he didn't play much in Italy, but he is playing well now."

Confident

Obinna himself is confident West Ham will stay up, saying: "In December we were out of the relegation zone and then we lost at Newcastle which brought us back. It's not an easy process.

"We're getting the confidence back. We just have to continue this way.

"We started very badly, losing four games in a row and lacking confidence but I believe now everything has changed.

"Last Saturday, when we beat Nottingham Forest, I noticed there was a fantastic atmosphere in the dressing room before the game.

"It was special and even better with leaders like Robbie Keane in the team.

"At this point I think West Ham are too good to go down."