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In a city that can't get enough of cricket or cricketers, Virender Sehwag set the World Cup alight on its opening day with an innings of such clarity and cricketing acumen that even a spirited showing from Bangladesh could not deny India.

At just after 2.30pm local time, the 25,000-strong crowd at the immaculate Sher E Bangla cricket stadium exhaled as one, when Sehwag took early aim at medium pacer Shafiul Islam and drilled a boundary through extra cover.

But, having begun in now customary fashion, Sehwag soon realised why Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan had put India in to bat when he had the choice. The dark brown clay that is native to the suburb of Mirpur had robbed the pitch of any real bounce, and with Bangladesh's bowlers taking the pace off the ball, strokemaking was anything but easy.

That India overcame the conditions in such an emphatic manner to reach 370-4, a score that would prove 87 runs too many for Bangladesh, despite a counter-punching 70 from Tamim Iqbal, was testament to Sehwag's nous and the purity of Virat Kohli's strokeplay.

After beginning with a boundary, Sehwag was forced to rein himself in, unable to trust the bounce and pace of the ball coming off the pitch.

In Sachin Tendulkar's company, Sehwag decided to take a long, hard look at the pitch, and played himself in rather than attacking continuously.

A master of summing up situations, Tendulkar was poised ominously when an unusually careless piece of running resulted in him being stranded at the non-striker's end along with Sehwag, who had barely left his crease after the ball was played to mid-on.

Sehwag switched gears in Gautam Gambhir's company, chipping over the infield and carving the ball into gaps, focusing hard on picking up ones and twos.

Gambhir shimmied down the pitch repeatedly to the spinners without looking for the big shot, instead placing the ball into vacant spaces and pushing his partner to run hard. That Sehwag reached his century only in the 32nd over, and would eventually end with 79 runs from ones and twos, tells you how much he strayed from his favoured style of play.

When Gambhir played around an innocuous delivery from off-spinner Mahmdullah that kept a touch low, the all-Delhi batting partnership was kept intact as Kohli joined Sehwag.

India's most improved cricketer in recent times, Kohli, who has a mature head on 22-year-old shoulders, brought to the fore the self belief that separates the best cricketers from the rest.

On a day when Sehwag threatened the 200-mark before falling to a tired stroke on 175, it was understandable that Kohli's century was overshadowed. But the first Indian to score a hundred on World Cup debut won't mind that, as his future in Indian cricket appears secure.

What Sehwag and Kohli did in the course of their 203-run third-wicket association, was show the other teams in their group, especially the likes of England and South Africa, whose traditional strengths aren't ideally suited to subcontinental conditions, just what kind of approach was most likely to work in this tournament.

On slow pitches, with the accent on spin, batsmen must be both willing to use their feet and possess the requisite skill of choosing shots wisely if they are to succeed.

With India putting a mammoth score on the board, Bangladesh's batsmen had a task on their hands, and even a couple of years ago would have been dismissed cheaply, playing too many shots. But this team has come a long way, and after a performance like this it's easy to see why there's such passion for the game in the country.

From the time you step out of the airport, you're constantly reminded that the World Cup is in town, and when the opening ceremony got under way, there were at least as many people partying on the streets outside the Bangabandhu Stadium as there were in the stands.

On Saturday, a fan held a banner that read: “Waka, waka, this time for Dhaka,” and the point was well made. If cricket can ever come close to matching the kind of mania that football inspires, it's here in Dhaka. If the 50-over World Cup needed a boost, it couldn't have asked for a better one than it got.

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Labels: Bangladesh, Cricket, India, Match, Report, Telegraphcouk, World

{ MUMBAI: As World Cup begins, hotels in cities that will be hosting cricket matches in India are running to full capacity. Fans looking for last-minute accommodation in Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, etc will find it hardpressed to get confirmed or reasonably priced bookings in even one-star hotels. At smaller venues like Mohali and Nagpur, rooms are no longer available, said travel agents.

This trend, say travel agents, is also seen in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where hotels have put up 'sold out' banners. Bangladesh is the only venue where cricket enthusiasts can still book rooms. It's worth noting though, that in India at least, the majority of bookings have been made by cricket fans from other countries. Cricket lovers from South Africa, Kenya, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and even the US had planned their holiday around the World Cup months in advance.

The travel and hospitality industry is making the most of cricket mania, and a majority of hotels have already increased their rates to coincide with match dates. "For example, all premier hotels in Colombo are sold out. A few hotels in Kandy or in the outskirts of Colombo, which may have unreserved rooms, are quoting rates that are 25% higher than usual," said Jay Bhatia, director, Tulsidas Khimji Travels. With demand for last-minute bookings rising, industry sources predict that the handful of unreserved rooms remaining in the Indian subcontinent is likely to go for a king's ransom. The packages being offered may not be affordable for average Indian travellers, say agents.

A travel agent in Fort, South Mumbai, said the demand for last-minute bookings is among foreigners and not Indians. "There are not many holidays in the months of February and March, and the examination season has restricted most people's travel plans," he said.

Most tour agencies are offering packages, which include match tickets, hotel reservations and travel arrangements, for anywhere between Rs 15,000 to 40,000 depending on the category of hotel and the placement of the seat in the stadium. Mayank Khandwala of Cutting Edge, which is handling travel packages for ICC, said that most of their packages are sold out. "More than 70-80% of our packages for matches in India have been booked. Colombo, too, is doing very well," he said.

There is a bit of good news for stragglers. Domestic flight tickets to World Cup destinations are very affordable. Rajesh Rateria, managing director, Cirrus Travels, said: "This is a non-travel season, particularly on domestic routes. This has helped fans procure low-priced tickets."

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Labels: Cricket, India, Times

{ Opening move: Andrew Strauss is presented to the crowd aat the opening ceremony of the World Cup Photo: GETTY IMAGES

England, thrashed 6-1 in the recent one-day international series in Australia, narrowly avoided being embarrassed by minnows Canada on Wednesday, when they laboured to a 17-run win in Dhaka.

England play a final warm-up match against Pakistan in Dhaka on Thursday before transferring to India where they face Holland, who stunned them in the World Twenty20 opener at Lord’s two years ago, in their first World Cup match.

Strauss was one of the batsmen dismissed cheaply in the Canada match as England struggled to adapt from quicker, bouncy pitches in Australia to the slower surfaces on the subcontinent.

“We only arrived here a couple of days ago and the conditions are clearly very different to what we experienced in Australia, so the key for us is making our adjustments,” Strauss said. “It is important we improve quickly.”

England have been runners-up in the World Cup three times, but failed to make it beyond the Super Eight stage in 2007.

Memories of the defeat by Holland at Lord’s in the 2009 World Twenty20 are still reasonably fresh in the memory and Strauss has warned his players that there will be no easy matches in the World Cup.

“There is going to be no easy fixture in this tournament and that bodes pretty well for the success of it as a whole,” he said.

The 14-nation tournament opens tomorrow with a match in Dhaka between co-hosts Bangladesh and India. The final is in Mumbai on April 2.

England off-spinner Graeme Swann will be available to play against Holland having delayed his arrival to await the birth of his first child, a son called Wilfred, who was born on Thursday.

Swann was always expected to miss England’s warm-up games but he will fly to India at the weekend after his wife, Sarah, gave birth.

“This is an incredibly special day for us, and we are both absolutely delighted and very proud parents,” Swann said.

“Both Sarah and Wilfred are doing very well, and I am looking forward to enjoying the next couple of days with them both before I fly out to join the team for the World Cup.”

The birth completed a busy 24 hours for Swann, who was found not guilty of a drink-driving charge on Wednesday after a long-running court case.

Strauss and the rest of the England team attended the opening ceremony at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka yesterday. The highlight of the two-hour spectacle was an aerial cricket match, where high-flying acrobats hit and chased after a laser-beamed ball against a vertical backdrop of a playing pitch.

Indian singer Sonu Nigam and Bangladesh-based Runa Laila, as well as veteran Canadian rocker Bryan Adams, were the headline acts in front of a crowd of 25,000.

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Labels: Andrew, approach, change, Cricket, England, rapid, Strauss, Telegraphcouk, wants, World

{ 1:57pm UK, Sunday February 06, 2011

Ian Dovaston, sports correspondent, in Doha

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Despite claims to the contrary, the ICC's chief executive maintained the punishments meted out to Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt were "not lenient by any stretch of the imagination".

Mr Lorgat told a press conference in Doha he felt "sadness that we had to go through such an ordeal" but was "satisfied that the sanctions are severe enough".

Amir, 18, was banned from playing for five years, while 26-year-old former captain Salman Butt was banned given 10 years with five suspended. Mohammad Asif, 28, was given seven years with two suspended.

The sentences were imposed by an independent panel after the trio were found guilty of spot-fixing during the fourth Test against England at Lord's last August.

Amir throws a `no-ball` during fourth Test against England (Pic: Sky Sports)

"I believe the sanctions are appropriate," said Mr Lorgat, adding: "We worked extremely hard for the past six months and are pleased to close it before our World Cup."

Earlier one of the judging panel, Sharad Rao, told Sky News: "You are to look at it in light of the fact that it's not a match-fixing, it's a spot-fixing which does not actually affect the results at all."

Mr Lorgat agreed with that sentiment and suggested that 'zero tolerance' did not necessarily mean life bans from the sport.

He believes after initially being tarnished, the reputation of cricket had improved because of the speed of the ICC's response. He does not believe fixing is widespread.

Given he is now 28, fast bowler Asif may never play for his country again

"We've demonstrated that we will do everything that we need to do to ensure that the sport is free of corruption," he said.

The organisation has yet to receive the detailed judgment from the panel, which may suggest a reduction of the minimum sanction for spot-fixing from five years.

"Whatever learning and recommendations come out, we will consider it," said Mr Lorgat.

Meanwhile, Amir, in an interview with Pakistan's Geo TV, said Saturday was "the saddest day of my life". He continues to maintain his innocence.

Agences de presses

Labels: Backed, Chief, Cricket, SpotFixing