Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

[kevshat]

With all the bi-lateral one day series now over all attentions turn to the world cup. 14 teams and 49 matches as well as a dozen or so warm up matches means we'll be getting quite a fix of 50 over cricket over the next 7 weeks or so. In fact, after this competition I would imagine we'll all be bored of 50 over cricket forever :lol. The format is pretty simple. Two groups of 7, top 4 make the QF's where it becomes a knockout tournament. So basically we've got 7 weeks of ODI's which basically produces just 7 meaningful matches :eyes. Let's just hope it doesn't end in the farcical way the last one did :lol. In the UK it's all live on Sky although I don't see anything that says the warm up matches are being shown. Warm up schedule:

Sat Feb 12 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	Kenya v West Indies R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Sat Feb 12 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	Bangladesh v Canada Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong	N/A
Sat Feb 12 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Ireland v New Zealand Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur	N/A
Sat Feb 12 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	South Africa v Zimbabwe MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	N/A
Sat Feb 12 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Sri Lanka v Netherlands Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Sun Feb 13 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	India v Australia M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Tue Feb 15 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	Ireland v Zimbabwe Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur	N/A
Tue Feb 15 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	Bangladesh v Pakistan Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Tue Feb 15 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Australia v South Africa M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Tue Feb 15 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Kenya v Netherlands Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Tue Feb 15 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Sri Lanka v West Indies R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Wed Feb 16 03:30 GMT | 09:30 local	Canada v England Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah	N/A
Wed Feb 16 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	India v New Zealand MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	N/A
Fri Feb 18 03:30 GMT | 09:30 local	England v Pakistan Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah	N/A

Tournament schedule:

Sat Feb 19 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	1st Match, Group B - Bangladesh v India Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Sun Feb 20 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	2nd Match, Group A - Kenya v New Zealand MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	N/A
Sun Feb 20 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	3rd Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Canada Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota	N/A
Mon Feb 21 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	4th Match, Group A - Australia v Zimbabwe Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad	N/A
Tue Feb 22 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	5th Match, Group B - England v Netherlands Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur	N/A
Wed Feb 23 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	6th Match, Group A - Kenya v Pakistan Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota	N/A
Thu Feb 24 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	7th Match, Group B - South Africa v West Indies Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	N/A
Fri Feb 25 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	8th Match, Group A - Australia v New Zealand Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur	N/A
Fri Feb 25 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	9th Match, Group B - Bangladesh v Ireland Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Sat Feb 26 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	10th Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Pakistan R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Sun Feb 27 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	11th Match, Group B - India v England M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Mon Feb 28 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	12th Match, Group A - Canada v Zimbabwe Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur	N/A
Mon Feb 28 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	13th Match, Group B - Netherlands v West Indies Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	N/A
Tue Mar 1 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	14th Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Kenya R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Wed Mar 2 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	15th Match, Group B - England v Ireland M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Thu Mar 3 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	16th Match, Group B - Netherlands v South Africa Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh	N/A
Thu Mar 3 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	17th Match, Group A - Canada v Pakistan R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Fri Mar 4 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	18th Match, Group A - New Zealand v Zimbabwe Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad	N/A
Fri Mar 4 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	19th Match, Group B - Bangladesh v West Indies Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Sat Mar 5 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	20th Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Australia R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Sun Mar 6 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	21st Match, Group B - England v South Africa MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	N/A
Sun Mar 6 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	22nd Match, Group B - India v Ireland M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Mon Mar 7 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	23rd Match, Group A - Canada v Kenya Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	N/A
Tue Mar 8 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	24th Match, Group A - New Zealand v Pakistan Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Wed Mar 9 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	25th Match, Group B - India v Netherlands Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	N/A
Thu Mar 10 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	26th Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Fri Mar 11 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	27th Match, Group B - Ireland v West Indies Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh	N/A
Fri Mar 11 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	28th Match, Group B - Bangladesh v England Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong	N/A
Sat Mar 12 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	29th Match, Group B - India v South Africa Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur	N/A
Sun Mar 13 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	30th Match, Group A - Canada v New Zealand Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai	N/A
Sun Mar 13 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	31st Match, Group A - Australia v Kenya M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Mon Mar 14 03:30 GMT | 09:30 local	32nd Match, Group B - Bangladesh v Netherlands Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong	N/A
Mon Mar 14 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	33rd Match, Group A - Pakistan v Zimbabwe Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Tue Mar 15 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	34th Match, Group B - Ireland v South Africa Eden Gardens, Kolkata	N/A
Wed Mar 16 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	35th Match, Group A - Australia v Canada M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Thu Mar 17 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	36th Match, Group B - England v West Indies MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	N/A
Fri Mar 18 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	37th Match, Group B - Ireland v Netherlands Eden Gardens, Kolkata	N/A
Fri Mar 18 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	38th Match, Group A - New Zealand v Sri Lanka Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai	N/A
Sat Mar 19 03:30 GMT | 09:30 local	39th Match, Group B - Bangladesh v South Africa Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Sat Mar 19 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	40th Match, Group A - Australia v Pakistan R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Sun Mar 20 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	41st Match, Group A - Kenya v Zimbabwe Eden Gardens, Kolkata	N/A
Sun Mar 20 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	42nd Match, Group B - India v West Indies MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	N/A
Wed Mar 23 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	Quarter Final - TBC v TBC (A1 v B4) Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Thu Mar 24 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Quarter Final - TBC v TBC (A2 v B3) Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad	N/A
Fri Mar 25 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	Quarter Final - TBC v TBC (A3 v B2) Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Sat Mar 26 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Quarter Final - TBC v TBC (A4 v B1) R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Tue Mar 29 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Semi Final - TBC v TBC R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Wed Mar 30 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Semi Final - TBC v TBC Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh	N/A
Sat Apr 2 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Final - TBC v TBC Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai	N/A

Let the marathon begin :lol.

[Atko]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

With all the bi-lateral one day series now over all attentions turn to the world cup. 14 teams and 49 matches as well as a dozen or so warm up matches means we'll be getting quite a fix of 50 over cricket over the next 7 weeks or so. In fact, after this competition I would imagine we'll all be bored of 50 over cricket forever :lol. The format is pretty simple. Two groups of 7, top 4 make the QF's where it becomes a knockout tournament. So basically we've got 7 weeks of ODI's which basically produces just 7 meaningful matches :eyes. Let's just hope it doesn't end in the farcical way the last one did :lol. In the UK it's all live on Sky although I don't see anything that says the warm up matches are being shown. Warm up schedule:

Sat Feb 12 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	Kenya v West Indies R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Sat Feb 12 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	Bangladesh v Canada Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong	N/A
Sat Feb 12 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Ireland v New Zealand Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur	N/A
Sat Feb 12 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	South Africa v Zimbabwe MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	N/A
Sat Feb 12 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Sri Lanka v Netherlands Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Sun Feb 13 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	India v Australia M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Tue Feb 15 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	Ireland v Zimbabwe Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur	N/A
Tue Feb 15 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	Bangladesh v Pakistan Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Tue Feb 15 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Australia v South Africa M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Tue Feb 15 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Kenya v Netherlands Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Tue Feb 15 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Sri Lanka v West Indies R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Wed Feb 16 03:30 GMT | 09:30 local	Canada v England Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah	N/A
Wed Feb 16 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	India v New Zealand MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	N/A
Fri Feb 18 03:30 GMT | 09:30 local	England v Pakistan Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah	N/A

Tournament schedule:

Sat Feb 19 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	1st Match, Group B - Bangladesh v India Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Sun Feb 20 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	2nd Match, Group A - Kenya v New Zealand MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	N/A
Sun Feb 20 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	3rd Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Canada Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota	N/A
Mon Feb 21 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	4th Match, Group A - Australia v Zimbabwe Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad	N/A
Tue Feb 22 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	5th Match, Group B - England v Netherlands Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur	N/A
Wed Feb 23 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	6th Match, Group A - Kenya v Pakistan Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota	N/A
Thu Feb 24 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	7th Match, Group B - South Africa v West Indies Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	N/A
Fri Feb 25 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	8th Match, Group A - Australia v New Zealand Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur	N/A
Fri Feb 25 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	9th Match, Group B - Bangladesh v Ireland Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Sat Feb 26 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	10th Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Pakistan R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Sun Feb 27 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	11th Match, Group B - India v England M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Mon Feb 28 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	12th Match, Group A - Canada v Zimbabwe Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur	N/A
Mon Feb 28 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	13th Match, Group B - Netherlands v West Indies Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	N/A
Tue Mar 1 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	14th Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Kenya R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Wed Mar 2 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	15th Match, Group B - England v Ireland M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Thu Mar 3 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	16th Match, Group B - Netherlands v South Africa Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh	N/A
Thu Mar 3 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	17th Match, Group A - Canada v Pakistan R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Fri Mar 4 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	18th Match, Group A - New Zealand v Zimbabwe Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad	N/A
Fri Mar 4 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	19th Match, Group B - Bangladesh v West Indies Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Sat Mar 5 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	20th Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Australia R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Sun Mar 6 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	21st Match, Group B - England v South Africa MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	N/A
Sun Mar 6 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	22nd Match, Group B - India v Ireland M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Mon Mar 7 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	23rd Match, Group A - Canada v Kenya Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	N/A
Tue Mar 8 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	24th Match, Group A - New Zealand v Pakistan Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Wed Mar 9 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	25th Match, Group B - India v Netherlands Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	N/A
Thu Mar 10 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	26th Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Fri Mar 11 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	27th Match, Group B - Ireland v West Indies Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh	N/A
Fri Mar 11 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	28th Match, Group B - Bangladesh v England Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong	N/A
Sat Mar 12 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	29th Match, Group B - India v South Africa Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur	N/A
Sun Mar 13 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	30th Match, Group A - Canada v New Zealand Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai	N/A
Sun Mar 13 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	31st Match, Group A - Australia v Kenya M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Mon Mar 14 03:30 GMT | 09:30 local	32nd Match, Group B - Bangladesh v Netherlands Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong	N/A
Mon Mar 14 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	33rd Match, Group A - Pakistan v Zimbabwe Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Tue Mar 15 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	34th Match, Group B - Ireland v South Africa Eden Gardens, Kolkata	N/A
Wed Mar 16 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	35th Match, Group A - Australia v Canada M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	N/A
Thu Mar 17 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	36th Match, Group B - England v West Indies MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	N/A
Fri Mar 18 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	37th Match, Group B - Ireland v Netherlands Eden Gardens, Kolkata	N/A
Fri Mar 18 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	38th Match, Group A - New Zealand v Sri Lanka Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai	N/A
Sat Mar 19 03:30 GMT | 09:30 local	39th Match, Group B - Bangladesh v South Africa Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Sat Mar 19 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	40th Match, Group A - Australia v Pakistan R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Sun Mar 20 04:00 GMT | 09:30 local	41st Match, Group A - Kenya v Zimbabwe Eden Gardens, Kolkata	N/A
Sun Mar 20 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	42nd Match, Group B - India v West Indies MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai	N/A
Wed Mar 23 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	Quarter Final - TBC v TBC (A1 v B4) Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Thu Mar 24 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Quarter Final - TBC v TBC (A2 v B3) Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad	N/A
Fri Mar 25 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local	Quarter Final - TBC v TBC (A3 v B2) Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Sat Mar 26 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Quarter Final - TBC v TBC (A4 v B1) R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Tue Mar 29 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Semi Final - TBC v TBC R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	N/A
Wed Mar 30 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Semi Final - TBC v TBC Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh	N/A
Sat Apr 2 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local	Final - TBC v TBC Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai	N/A

Let the marathon begin :lol.

Bloody hell, a two-month competition. That must be the longest one-off sporting event in the world?

[RussP]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 .....and the final is being held at the "Wankhede" Stadium:lol:lol:lol

[PerryPFC]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 There's always one... Russ! :spank

[Otter4]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 Two top batsman outrights Tharanga @ 33/1 will hill 1 point each way 19 Feb 2011 - World Cup - Top Tournament Batsman - Top Tournament Batsman Morne van Wyk @*100/1**EW @ 1/4 1-5 .25 point each way with so many matches and some potentially very one sided clashes I really am only interested in players in the top 3. I also want someone who is used to conditions in the sub continent, who is guaranteed to play and who is in form. I also would prefer a steadier sort of batsman who won't give their wicket away and someone who plays for a team who is likely to reach the semi finals at least. Tharanga ticks all these boxes and he also ticks my price value box. Odds of 20/1 and below are too skinny for me I'm afraid, however 33/1 looks big! He will open so will definately bat in every match , he is the backbone who dilshan, jayawdene and sangakarra bat around and I also think Sri lanka are dark horses to win the world cup. He did the business for me in the windies series largely because when he gets in he scores big which could be very big against some of the minnows he will face. Van wyk is far more speculative but he looked good for safrica against India - if he plays he will be too big at 100/1 - but he will play top three. Not convinced but worth a dabble at the price.

[Otter4]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 19 Feb 2011 - ICC World Cup 2011 - Outright - Outright Sri Lanka @*5/1**EW @ 1/2 1-2 2 points e/w Sri lanka are one of the home sides and have pretty muuch every base covered in the team. They have a great solid opener in tharanga, a dasher in Dilshan two top drawer batsmen in Jayawardene and Sangakarra, solid middle order in Samaraweera , an explosive allrounder in Matthews, top spinners in Herath, Mendis and Murali and a paceman in Malinga to name a few. There backup players are also pretty handy and will have home support early on whilst being in familiar territory the deeper the tournament gets. They are an absolute shoe in for quarter finals and from there on in will become a bit of a lottery in my eyes! The top 8 teams are all capable of beating each other in a one off match - however what the Sri lankans will have in their favour us crowd support, experience, conditions and players to suit the conditions as well as a settled team with no real question marks. At 5/1 I'm happy to back what I consider to be a very settled , experienced and talented squad of players.

[Tyler]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 - 3pts Bangladesh to Reach the Quarter Finals 7/4 Ladbrokes Bookmakers are starting to get their markets up ahead of the World Cup now and one that I have seen quite a lot lately is the 'Will the Top 8 make the Quart Finals?' line. I was thinking about this and I can't help but feel that not all 8 of them will. If you cast your mind back four years ago, Ireland and Bangladesh both made the Super 8's at the expense of bigger cricketing nations such as India and Pakistan whilst in 2003, Kenya, unexpectedly made the Super 6's. Now I know a LOT has changed in the past four years and the format is a bit different this time around but this World Cup is so wide open with no real clear favourite going into it that I can't help but feel the same thing will happen again. One of the lesser playing nations will reach the quarter finals and I think the team in the best position to do so is Bangladesh. Their Group consists of India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Holland & Ireland and I generally do feel that they have what it takes to pick up wins against the latter two and maybe even the West Indies and/or an under-pressure England side. Their ODI form in 2010 doesn't speak volumes for them but they still have a few players with world cup experience and the Indian Sub-Continent pitches will be not too dis-similar to what they experience back home. If they impress in their warm up matches then I can only see this price shortening so am willing to take this now. I really don't know if I'm going mad with this or if this is actually a viable shout so in that respect, would love to hear other peoples thoughts. Generally speaking you'd say that outside of the major 8, Bangladesh are the best side going so at 7/4 I'd say there's a bit of value. Will be interesting to see what others think.

[Wales08]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 Early days but i fancy Zimbabwe to do well on the sub continent and i may take the 5/1 for them to qualify.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

Early days but i fancy Zimbabwe to do well on the sub continent and i may take the 5/1 for them to qualify.

Likewise mate :ok.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

Bloody hell' date=' a two-month competition. That must be the longest one-off sporting event in the world?[/quote'] It's stupidly long mate. Ok it's fine for us punters as we've got 7 weeks of solid cricket to get stuck into but as a tournament it's a ridiculous length of time for what is basically a 7 match event when all is said and done. It's just got 42 build up matches to the main 7 :\.

[Atko]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

It's stupidly long mate. Ok it's fine for us punters as we've got 7 weeks of solid cricket to get stuck into but as a tournament it's a ridiculous length of time for what is basically a 7 match event when all is said and done. It's just got 42 build up matches to the main 7 :\.

We were discussing this at work today (I work on the sportsdesk of a newspaper) and nobody could believe how many pointless matches this tournament will throw up. India's not a small country, and the amount of travelling teams will be doing is astonishing. As you said though, it throws up plenty of betting opportunities for us. I shall be taking a few of your selections just to get me through this orgy of cricket!

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

We were discussing this at work today (I work on the sportsdesk of a newspaper) and nobody could believe how many pointless matches this tournament will throw up. India's not a small country' date=' and the amount of travelling teams will be doing is astonishing. As you said though, it throws up plenty of betting opportunities for us. I shall be taking a few of your selections just to get me through this orgy of cricket![/quote'] You'll be surprised to know this tournament is actually 2 matches and 2 days shorter than the last world cup :lol. England's travelling is ridiculous. Begins in Bangladesh then goes to India then back to Bangladesh then back to India again. Totally unnecessary really.

[Atko]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

You'll be surprised to know this tournament is actually 2 matches and 2 days shorter than the last world cup :lol. England's travelling is ridiculous. Begins in Bangladesh then goes to India then back to Bangladesh then back to India again. Totally unnecessary really.

Well at least the organisers are learning, albeit slowly ;)

[Wales08]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 6 days after the final and the IPL starts!! :eek

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

6 days after the final and the IPL starts!! :eek

As does the English county season :dude. One early outright for me in the World Cup. 2pts E.Joyce Top Ireland Tournament Batsman 10/3 Boylesports I expected this to be one team an Irish firm were clocked on to but it's not the case. Edmund Joyce is a cut above this level in all fairness. I believe he's a high class player who wouldn't be too far away from the England one day side were he still going down that route in his career. I think he can play test cricket, I rate him that highly. Admittedly Ireland have some decent players in their squad for this in the likes of the skipper Porterfield and Niall O'Brien the keeper but Joyce just has that extra class. Since he moved to Sussex he's probably got even better too. He's now a solid one day performer and has World Cup experience with England and actually has an ODI ton to his name against Australia down under which emphasises for anyone who isn't sure that he can play. I wasn't sure how he was going to fare back in the Irish set up initially but in their two warm up matches thus far he's batted at 3 for them and scored 45 against Zimbabwe and 56 against Kenya so it's like he's never been away. He'll have faced all the bowlers in this tournament with England or in county cricket and at 10/3 he's a good deal bigger than I expected him to be so I'm happy to take him to be the top Irish runscorer in the world cup as my first outright bet of the tournament.

[Charlie Wong]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 World cup top batsman going with 3 each way. Virat Kohli 33/1 EW Boylesports 4places @1/4odds no ones place is guaranteed with the batting power India have at their disposal, impressed with Kohli in the ODI series Vs South Africa, this lad looks like he's the real deal, used to conditions, could be a key man in India's chances of lifting the trophy. Ian Bell 66/1 EW Boylesports 4places @1/4odds In great form in all formats for England, with Morgan out injured, Bell and Trott look like the guys who look to accumulate runs for the side. He may even open with Strauss. David Hussey 66/1 EW Bet365 5 places @1/4 odds Could be potential value here, Ponting looks likely to return in place of Ferguson, Older brother Mike is out injured, imo David's role in the middle order is vital to Australia's fortunes. Got some time and runs in the middle in the 6-1 thrashing of England too.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 Kohli's on my radar too Wongy. Just waiting to see where he bats because I'd like him to be in the top 3 but I can't see him being :(.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 One more from me because I think the price is too big and it's not without a good chance either. 1pt Zimbabwe Stage of Elimination - Quarter Finals 6/1 Coral I don't think Zimbabwe will be too disappointed with the group they are in. Sri Lanka and Australia will be away and gone but Pakistan are completely hit and miss and then there's New Zealand who look little more than a shambles at the minute. I can't possibly believe the Kiwi's will have any confidence at all when they get off the plane for this world cup knowing they lost 9 successive ODI's to Bangladesh and India late last year when they were last in the sub-continent. Zimbabwe are probably still flying under the radar a bit but if they can score runs, and in these slow conditions there's no reason why they can't, then I think they'll be quite competitive. They have an array of spinners which will stand them in good stead and we've seen in 2010 in ODI series against West Indies and South Africa that they were far from embarassed in them. You would have to say over a 6 match period for one of the lesser nations to qualify it would be asking a lot but I think if it is to happen it will happen in Group A with the insecurities of Pakistan & NZ. Coral's 6/1 is twice as big as Ladbrokes and William Hill and at least 1pt bigger than the next industry best price. At 6/1 it's well worth a dabble because I don't think Zimbabwe will be disgraced in this world cup at all.

[PerryPFC]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

One more from me because I think the price is too big and it's not without a good chance either. 1pt Zimbabwe Stage of Elimination - Quarter Finals 6/1 Coral I don't think Zimbabwe will be too disappointed with the group they are in. Sri Lanka and Australia will be away and gone but Pakistan are completely hit and miss and then there's New Zealand who look little more than a shambles at the minute. I can't possibly believe the Kiwi's will have any confidence at all when they get off the plane for this world cup knowing they lost 9 successive ODI's to Bangladesh and India late last year when they were last in the sub-continent. Zimbabwe are probably still flying under the radar a bit but if they can score runs, and in these slow conditions there's no reason why they can't, then I think they'll be quite competitive. They have an array of spinners which will stand them in good stead and we've seen in 2010 in ODI series against West Indies and South Africa that they were far from embarassed in them. You would have to say over a 6 match period for one of the lesser nations to qualify it would be asking a lot but I think if it is to happen it will happen in Group A with the insecurities of Pakistan & NZ. Coral's 6/1 is twice as big as Ladbrokes and William Hill and at least 1pt bigger than the next industry best price. At 6/1 it's well worth a dabble because I don't think Zimbabwe will be disgraced in this world cup at all.

Is that an exact stage of elimination? or a minimum? I.E if they were to win there Qtr Final... would the bet be a loser? Its unlikely but in a one-off elimination game... anything is possible!!

[Westy]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

Kohli's on my radar too Wongy. Just waiting to see where he bats because I'd like him to be in the top 3 but I can't see him being :(.

It wouldn't surprise me if come Feb 19th, Kohli is carrying the drinks. That sounds ludicrous after his performances over the last 12 months or so but if India's full XI are fit, it will be tough to fit Kohli in. Yusuf Pathan has made himself undroppable after his recent performances which leaves either Yuvraj or Raina as the men in danger. But I can't see the former being dropped so I guess the warm up games will be a straight battle between Kohli and Raina. A couple of decent showings from Raina could give him the nod since he has a proven track record in subcontinental conditions behind him.

[Tyler]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 Right been thinking for weeks ahead of this tournament over these, finally whittled them down to ones I am the most confident of. Probably be back with more later but here are the first couple anyway: - 1pt ew Sri Lanka To Win the World Cup 9/2 (1/2, 1-2) via Bet365 This World Cup really is wide open and the fact that it is now a knock-out straight after the group stages really does mean anyone can win it. I fancy Sri Lanka though. As far as batting is concerned, theyre pretty much covered in every respect. Tharanga and Dilshan up top followed by Sangakkara Jayawardene, Silva, Matthews etc is a formiddable top order which packs both power and class. Malinga and Murali in the bowling department brings pace, control and plenty of wickets in home conditions which will suit them down to the ground. Not forgetting the likes of Mendis & Kula who add all of the above too. Expect them to breeze through the group and handle whoever they get in the quarters. The semi could be a stumbling block for them but I really do think they will at least get to the final, at these odds, I back them to do so. - 2pts Daniel Vettori Top New Zealand Bowler 5/2 via Ladbrokes Think there is considerable value here as the general price dotted around bookmakers stands at 6/4. We all know that spin will play a key role on these slow, sub-continent pitches and there's not many out there better than Vettori. In their recent tour to Bangladesh, Vettori was only one wicket behind Kyle Mills in the standings for most NZ wickets and I'm sure he'll be up there again in similar conditions. As captain as well, he usually gives himself the full allotment of overs and thus provides himself the greatest opportunity to strike. He can call upon masses of experience too and I just feel the others in the New Zealand bowling attack are abit too hit-and-miss to be contenders for top wicket taker over the whole tournament. - 3pts Ed Joyce Top Ireland Batsman 3/1 via Bet365 Kev beat me to this last night so not a great deal to add in that respect. With all minnows, there are a few players that just immediately stand out. Joyce is Ireland's without doubt and should take this hopefully without too much fuss. He has been to the World Cup with England before and plays regularly in the county circuit. Scored well in the warm-up matches so far too so will look to him to score runs for Ireland in over the next month or so. Take this at 3/1 too. - 1pt ew Harbhajan Singh Top Tournament Bowler 22/1 via Sportingbet (1/4, 1-4) I alluded earlier to how important spin will be in the tournament this year so it wouldn't surprise me to see a spinner as the Top Bowler. For this market I was trying to think of good spinners that play in teams that will be there at the end of the tournament and Harbhajan fits right into that bracket. India are a team that likes to use a lot of bowlers in limited over-cricket (sometimes using up to seven in one match) however despite this, Harbhajan always seems to bowl his full 10 overs. His variation should be too much for some and I expect him to get a few wickets, especially in the group stages. Looking around, Swann, Murali and Vettori could be in with a shout but I will go with Harbhajan to thrive in his home conditions.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

Is that an exact stage of elimination? or a minimum? I.E if they were to win there Qtr Final... would the bet be a loser? Its unlikely but in a one-off elimination game... anything is possible!!

Yeah it's an exact stage of elimination. They would be likely to face India or South Africa in the QF's and they ain't winning that even with the best will in the world. Sportingbet's 4/1 is a safer option if you are worried about a QF win but I'm happy enough with the QF exit :ok.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

It wouldn't surprise me if come Feb 19th' date=' Kohli is carrying the drinks. That sounds ludicrous after his performances over the last 12 months or so but if India's full XI are fit, it will be tough to fit Kohli in. Yusuf Pathan has made himself undroppable after his recent performances which leaves either Yuvraj or Raina as the men in danger. But I can't see the former being dropped so I guess the warm up games will be a straight battle between Kohli and Raina. A couple of decent showings from Raina could give him the nod since he has a proven track record in subcontinental conditions behind him.[/quote'] Couldn't agree more Westy hence my reluctance to pull the trigger at the minute. He's the sort of player who needs to be in the top 3 and unless there's an injury I don't see him being. Like you say Yuvraj and Yusuf have 4 and 6 wrapped up and 5 is between him and Raina. Raina's bigger hitting and bowling potential could swing it his way but even so I don't think Kohli would score as well at 5 because it doesn't suit his game as much. Still got 10 days to think about it mind :ok.

[Wales08]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 I may have to take South Africa at 11/2 quite soon as i can't see that price holding up that long. My picks will be in a few days. Can't wait for this!

[Charlie Wong]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 Top Bowler Brett Lee 28/1 EW Sportingbet 4 places @ 1/4 odds Binga is in the twilight of his career, he'll want to go out in style, he has had success on sub continent wicketts in the past and is still Australias strike bowler, Tait and Johnson are handful on their day but Lee is more consistent and i can see him taking plenty of scalps with the new ball and at the death, especially against the 'lesser' nations.

[travisbickle]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 Top Runscorer Hasim Amla 18/1 Paddy Power This really is a stand out bet.ODI average of 59.88 with a strike rate of 93.53.I really fancy South Africa to do well and this guy will open the batting and his technique is suited to the sub continent.

[Otter4]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 I was tempted by Kohli as well but didnt for the same reasons as you guys mentioned

	Single	1		Bangladesh Tournament Specials – Top Team Batsman	Shakib Al Hasan @ 9/2	–
		1		Australia Tournament Specials – Top Team Bowler	Jason Krejza @ 6/1	–
		1		West Indies Tournament Specials – Top Team Bowler	Sulieman Benn @ 9/2	–
		1		South Africa Tournament Specials – Top Team Bowler	Imran Tahir @ 11/2	–
	Single	1		New Zealand Tournament Specials – Top Team Bowler	Daniel Vettori @ 15/8

Gone for a range of 2 point bets here with Hills. The common theme is spin bowlers. Im surprised by the prices for bowlers like Benn, Tahir and Krejza. All are attacking spin bowlers and will have a big part to play for their countries. At their prices I think they represent great value, especially as I think some of the pacemen will be rested for some of the lesser nations! Vettori picks himself on the subcontinent! Shakib has become a consistent batsman for Bangladesh and at the price is much more reliable than Tamim Iqbal who blows hot and cold!

[RuleBritannia]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

Top Runscorer Hasim Amla 18/1 Paddy Power This really is a stand out bet.ODI average of 59.88 with a strike rate of 93.53.I really fancy South Africa to do well and this guy will open the batting and his technique is suited to the sub continent.

Hi mate, Good to see you posting, and don't mean to be fickle, but when did you take the 18/1 from Paddy Power? (or see it if you didn't take it and are merely relaying a tip). Reason I ask is, Amla has been top price 16/1 for a couple of days or so now, and I know this because I myself have a huge interest in him and am on him too.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011

I was tempted by Kohli as well but didnt for the same reasons as you guys mentioned

	Single	1		Bangladesh Tournament Specials – Top Team Batsman	Shakib Al Hasan @ 9/2	–
		1		Australia Tournament Specials – Top Team Bowler	Jason Krejza @ 6/1	–
		1		West Indies Tournament Specials – Top Team Bowler	Sulieman Benn @ 9/2	–
		1		South Africa Tournament Specials – Top Team Bowler	Imran Tahir @ 11/2	–
	Single	1		New Zealand Tournament Specials – Top Team Bowler	Daniel Vettori @ 15/8

Gone for a range of 2 point bets here with Hills. The common theme is spin bowlers. Im surprised by the prices for bowlers like Benn, Tahir and Krejza. All are attacking spin bowlers and will have a big part to play for their countries. At their prices I think they represent great value, especially as I think some of the pacemen will be rested for some of the lesser nations! Vettori picks himself on the subcontinent! Shakib has become a consistent batsman for Bangladesh and at the price is much more reliable than Tamim Iqbal who blows hot and cold!

Good luck with those Otter mate. I've got this feeling South Africa won't play Imran Tahir much. Hope I'm wrong as it would be good for him to get some bowling in before joining the Hampshire 2011 destruction crew but Smith seems to love Botha and Peterson :(.

[Lahrio]

Re: Cricket: ICC World Cup 2011 I'm liking the Amla bet as well, the only thing that worries me is they are in the tougher of the groups. Batsmen from Australia and SL will likely only have to play against 1 top quality bowling attack in the whole group stage (each other) while SA will have to play 2-3. I guess that's why the price is fairly high. But players like Amla can score runs against anyone, so I think I will take the 16/1 now on offer.