Dancing in the dark © Getty Images

Mike Selvey in The Guardian leads the way:

The World Cup, the final of which began in spectacular fashion before descending into the unseemly realms of the bizarre, was awarded eventually to Australia in such farcical circumstances that it would have been no surprise to see Steve Bucknor drop his trousers to reveal polka dot underpants and inquire if there was anyone for tennis.

And Selvey also revealed some fascinating facts:

Ten of the 51 matches went down to the last over, in only three of these was the result in any doubt in that last over; 45 games were decided by winning margins of more than 45 runs or five wickets - that is, comfortably; £12.50 to £25 ticket prices hit attendances. In Guyana the price of seeing a game was equivalent to two weeks' wages; 7,000 fans had to make a day trip to St Lucia from Barbados for the Australia v South Africa semi-final. St Lucia hoteliers accepted only 14-night stays at $500 per night.

In The Daily Telegraph, Derek Pringle believes heads should roll for the shambles at the end of the final:

Unhappily for the players, as well as the thousands who selflessly gave time and effort to this blighted tournament, the chaos overshadowed Australia's victory and their incredible feat of winning three World Cups in a row. If the ICC were wooing prospective sponsors at the match, let alone their current partners for this event, they must have been appalled.

And in separate article in the same paper, the busy Pringle reflects on the much-metioned legacy of the event to the region:

The legacy is likely to be a mixed one. Safety and security were over the top, the latter geared mostly to stopping fans bringing in drink not produced by one of the major sponsors. The sight of an old lady being harried before the semi-final in Kingston as she was made to pick the label off her water bottle because it wasn't supplied by a sponsor, was pettiness gone mad. The newly-built stadiums are likely to prove controversial too. Although some were gifts from the Chinese government, others were built with loans, something bound to impact on national budgets. Unless the man in the street has done well from this World Cup, he could end up cursing it for years to come.

And also in the Telegraph, Michael Henderson, as ever, gets straight to the point:

One can only assume that the ICC care not a jot for the game's welfare, or the way it is perceived. If they did they would have ensured that this final ran its proper course: 50 overs a side. Spectators are mere serfs in the ICC's estimation. They don't care whether the grounds are empty or full so long as the telly people continue to pick up the tab.

This World Cup was a disaster, and did nothing for the friendly, cricket-loving people who hosted it. Whether it is Zimbabwe, chucking, hanging Darrell Hair out to dry, endorsing that preposterous non-event called the Champions Trophy, or mucking up the only one-day competition that matters, the ICC can always be relied upon to get it wrong.

In The Times, Christopher Martin-Jenkins writes that Speed himself is now under pressure:

Commercial concerns have overridden cricketing integrity to a dangerous degree. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was not going to miss its chance yesterday to embarrass Malcolm Speed, the Australian lawyer who retires soon as chief executive. After the call by Lalit Modi, vice-president of the BCCI, to replace Speed with a chief executive from Afro-Asia who “understands the problems of a majority of ICC members”, the honorary secretary of India’s own archaic and frequently hypocritical administration, Niranjan Shah, has criticised the council for becoming “more and more bureaucratic” and costing its members money by “unnecessarily employing so many people”. He refused to rule out a no-confidence motion against Speed’s administration at the next meeting of the chief executives in June.

Even in Australia, where the team’s victory is the main story, there is time for reflection on other aspects of the final in the Sydney Morning Herald:

At the post-match ceremony the International Cricket Council president, Percy Sonn, and its chief executive, Malcolm Speed, were jeered. Around the world bewildered TV viewers presumably shared the sentiment.

Dark ruled McGrath out of tribute over

Posted on 04/30/2007 in World Cup 2007

Ricky Ponting wanted Glenn McGrath to deliver the last over of the final, but bad light ended that plan. Jon Pierik reports on McGrath's farewell in the Courier-Mail and in the same paper Robert Craddock rates the Australian squad.

Over in The Australian Pierik writes about Adam Gilchrist’s secret squash weapon. His batting coach Bob Meuleman offers his reasons for the experimental exercise.

April 29, 2007

'One of the worst' World Cups says Chappell

Posted on 04/29/2007 in World Cup 2007

Andrew Strauss, Scyld Berry, Ian Chappell and Kumar Sangakkara dissect the 2007 World Cup in The Sunday Telegraph, and, in their deliberations, Chappell comes to the conclusion that it was the worst in the tournament's history.

Atherton: I think it's ridiculous, the number of Associate Member countries that have been involved. The World Cup should be about showcasing the very best.

Berry: Ian, you played in the first in 1975 and have seen the following tournaments, how do you rate this World Cup?

Chappell (never known for pussy-footing): One of the worst. Four decent games out of 50 is not a very high percentage: the Ireland v Zimbabwe tie, Sri Lanka's games against South Africa and England, and England against West Indies. The main reason to play a one-day game is to have a close finish. Maybe there have been a couple of other good games along the way but too many one-sided matches. One of the few good things to come out of this World Cup is that the two best teams reached the final.

Atherton goes on to say that there is too much cricket being played overall, though Strauss believes the problem lies with the scheduling.

April 28, 2007

Out-going McGrath names his best XI

Posted on 04/28/2007 in World Cup 2007

Glenn McGrath says he’s happy to go out on his own terms in his column in the Sunday Telegraph. He also lists his toughest XI to play against and tells how the prankster and selector Merv Hughes wanted to drop him.

He told me that, as I effectively replaced him in the Test side in 1994, he was looking forward to getting square by sticking the knife in and ending my Test career. He said he was disappointed I announced my retirement before he had the chance to swoop. Merv, of course, was only joking.

In the Sun-Herald David Sygall looks at a possible Australian line-up for the 2011 World Cup. Mark Waugh rates his best team of World Cup performers in the same paper.

A bloated shambles of a competition

Posted on 04/28/2007 in World Cup 2007

As the World Cup finally ends - yes, honestly – the flak continues to fly in the direction of the ICC. In The Daily Telegraph, Jim White is in no doubt about the target:

“Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the International Cricket Council, despite presiding over the most over-stretched, bloated shambles of a competition, despite his organising committee redefining the term criminally short-sighted, is to carry on, refusing so much as to contemplate handing over to someone else.”

The Mirror is equally unimpressed, despite Speed’s admission that the tournament was too long:

“He might have added that it has also been wholly uninspiring and suffered from poor attendances, a lack of decent atmosphere, too many one-sided games, and hosted by a team which dragged the tournament down even further.

How is it possible that a football World Cup involving twice as many teams can be held in far fewer than the 47 days this has taken? The answer is greed.”

Patrick Kidd in The Times notes that “wars have been declared and ended in less time than it has taken to stage the 50 matches before today’s final”. He adds some stats about what has happened since the first match back on March 13:

The average price of a house in England has risen by £4,415
A strand of human hair will have grown 1.6cm
The Earth will have travelled about 75,576,000 miles in its orbit around the Sun

Australia plan to attack Murali

Posted on 04/28/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Muttiah Muralitharan has told Brad Hogg that batsmen can't pick his wrong'un © AFP

Ricky Ponting wants wickets in hand during the middle stages of the final so they can attack Muttiah Muralitharan and the other Sri Lankan spinners.

"We can be a bit more aggressive and a bit more positive against them and try and put their slow-down sort of guys through the middle, put them under a bit pressure," he said in the Herald Sun.

Muralitharan told Brad Hogg during the week that batsmen can’t pick him. Robert Craddock says in The Australian Hogg’s wrong’un is close to being the World Cup’s most effective weapon. Craddock also profiles Tom Moody and looks at his stint coaching Sri Lanka.

In the Sydney Morning Herald Alex Brown writes how Australia-Sri Lanka clashes rate among the most spiteful match-ups in international cricket.

Simon Hughes, writing for Daily Telegraph, outlines the strategy Sri Lanka should adopt, suggesting that Muralitharan be introduced as soon as Ponting walks in.

Tim Lane says in The Age Australia are on the verge of domination not even achieved by West Indies.

Michael Clarke tells AAP facing Shaun Tait in the nets will help the Australian batsmen deal with the threat of Lasith Malinga.

Viv Richards tells Tait not to change a thing, Jon Pierik reports in The Australian.

"Tait has been reasonably erratic, but when you have an individual of that pace he is going to cause some havoc, as the South Africans found out," Richards said. "I would never, ever change the sort of action he has."

It’s Glenn McGrath’s last game of his record-breaking career and his column appears in The Hindu.

"The other record I am keen on holding on to - playing the fewest number of balls despite playing four World Cups. I have only faced four balls in World Cup cricket."

Jenny McAsey, writing in The Australian, looks back at Australia’s first World Cup triumph in 1987.

Showers are forecast for the final, according to Reuters.

Breeda Jayasuriya, mother of Sanath Jayasuriya, talks of his remarkable comeback after he retired last year from one-day internationals, in an interview to the Daily News.

Patrick Kidd, writing for The Times, pulls out some interesting figures since the 'long-drawn yawn' began 47 days ago.

Wars have been declared and ended in less time than it has taken to stage the 50 matches before today’s final

April 27, 2007

A bloated non-event leaves an empty feeling

Posted on 04/27/2007 in World Cup 2007

The World Cup might be about to finish, and Malcolm Speed is engaged in a positive-spin initiative that would make Alastair Campbell glow with pride, but the all-out assaults on the way it has been run continue unabated. In The Daily Telegraph, Michael Henderson warms to the task, explaining why there will be a rare sell-out for the final:

Embarrassed by their mismanagement of the World Cup, which has not posted a 'house full' notice until now, the International Cricket Council have rounded up corporate guests from every nook and cranny, and distributed tickets to anybody sound of mind and body who will have them.

This has been the worst tournament imaginable; short of spectators and memorable games, it has also been far too long.

The ICC have had to 'paper the house' time and again because the tickets have been prohibitively expensive for the locals. In St Lucia on Wednesday, more than 6,000 tickets were given away so that television viewers would not see a half-empty ground for the Australia-South Africa semi-final. Also, those grounds have been zealously policed by killjoys instructed to ban anything and everything that is not officially endorsed by the sponsors.

So a competition that was supposed to reflect the best of the Caribbean has been nothing less than a disaster for this part of the world, whose peoples have given so much to the game.

And Henderson, who can never be accused of courting the popular vote, then turns his attention elsewhere:

Neither Pakistan nor India advanced to the not-so-super Super Eights, and, no matter how many tears were shed by the ICC accountants, and the tournament's propagandists, that wasn't a bad thing. Far from it. There are too many cocky people in the sub-continent, particularly India, who think that the future belongs to them because they have attained such commercial clout. As Greg Chappell, their outgoing coach, reminded them on his departure, it's no use trying to match Australia on the field if your organisation off it resembles that of Zimbabwe.

April 26, 2007

McGrath a champion till the end

Posted on 04/26/2007 in World Cup 2007

	© Getty Images

Robert Craddock writes in The Australian Glenn McGrath has proved us all wrong.

Hands up if you are a cricket fan and did not have doubts over whether McGrath should be in Australia's World Cup squad. If both hands are by your side, congratulations. You are a member of a very small club. In the dying stages of the summer, McGrath looked a fading force. The speedometer was sagging below 130km/h and vengeful batsmen, stirred by years of torment, were charging him at every opportunity.

McGrath’s last game is on Saturday and Sydney’s Daily Telegraph runs a tribute to one of the greatest bowlers. Steve Waugh gives 11 bits of trivia about McGrath from the origin of his nickname to how he eats his eggs. You can even send him a message.

In the Sydney Morning Herald Tim Nielsen, the next Australia coach, enters the debate over South Africa’s failure to challenge in the World Cup semi-final.

April 25, 2007

Speed plans 40 days of feast for 2011 World Cup

Posted on 04/25/2007 in World Cup 2007

Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, is interviewed by Robert Craddock in The Australian and says he would like the next World Cup trimmed to 40 days. He also talks about ticket prices and one-sided games, but starts with the length of the event.

Do you agree it is too long? “I take a different view. I think it is a positive for the game that cricket is on the back pages while the World Cup is on rather than have an abbreviated schedule. This format with four groups of four going into eight teams and a round robin then a semi-final and a final is a good mix. It gives the associate nations a chance to make their mark and then the round robin works well.”

April 24, 2007

Waugh backs Australia but tips Gibbs 'moment'

Posted on 04/24/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Herschelle Gibbs: "His moment of truth awaits" © Getty Images

Steve Waugh, writing in the Courier-Mail, says Australia should be confident of victory against South Africa, but like all the teams they are only ten overs of poor play away from the exit.

Australia must continue to allow the process to lead to the end result and not focus on the actual winning of the World Cup, for the only way it can lose is to defeat itself by looking too far ahead.

Waugh also thinks an opponent from 1999 might have a say in the match.

I can't help but think Herschelle Gibbs will again play a pivotal role and either clean the slate from the "Headingley catch" or perhaps be the villain with a reckless piece of cricket. He is a match-winner against all countries except Australia and his moment of truth awaits.

In the Herald Sun Jon Pierik writes about Ricky Ponting, who is talking about Glenn McGrath’s World Cup weapons. "Over the last 12 to 18 months, batsmen have tried to be more aggressive against him but not too many have succeeded.”

Turn-off in 2011 awaits unless ICC has rethink

Posted on 04/24/2007 in World Cup 2007

Christopher Martin-Jenkins in The Times warns that despite widespread criticism at the bloated nature of the current World Cup, things could get worse in 2011. He explains that suggestions that the number of teams should be reduced have already been bypassed by the ICC, which has agreed it will again feature 16, and, furthermore, there will an extra two matches, taking the total to 53.

He says while the tournament may have been slammed, it has made large sums of money.

All this, however, has been gained at a high cost if the “product” is seen to be less attractive than it should be. The best cricketers in the world need a proper framework to display their skill but to those following from afar, the tournament has seemed interminable. And for interminable read, alas, boring.

All concerned with the tournament in the West Indies and certainly those watching at home are agreed on one thing: a seven-week tournament is too long. The commercial success of the world’s governing body is not in doubt. The snag is that it tends to put the cart before the horse: to consider the bottom line financially before looking after the attraction of the game itself.

Martin-Jenkins' well-argued column is unlikely to go down well among those at the top of the ICC who have been adopting an increasingly siege-mentality attitude to the flack that has been heading their way in recent weeks.

Brown, bearded and terror-struck

Posted on 04/24/2007 in World Cup 2007

It's been a bizarre World Cup for plenty covering the event but two innocent Indian journalists had another bizarre story to write home about - being nabbed for arousing suspicion in Barbados, of all places, based on the colour of their skin . Read Atreyo Mukhopadhyay's first-hand account of the incident in Hindustan Times.

But even in my nightmares, I had not imagined I would ever be unceremoniously bundled into a police car and interrogated at a police station for an hour, being treated all the time like a criminal.

Sabina Park nightmare still fresh for Braces

Posted on 04/24/2007 in World Cup 2007

New Zealand play the first semi-final at Sabina Park in Kingston, the venue of coach John Bracewell's only Test for New Zealand. As he recalls, it was a game best remembered for Richard Hadlee's six bouncers in an over to Joel Garner, and the Big Bird's not-so-generous return gift. Bracewell also recounts the power of the feared West Indies fast bowlers.

"I can remember Ian Smith coming off (Bourda) looking reasonably white. He'd got 50 and said 'Malcolm Marshall's just told me that when we get to Barbados he's going to kill me'."

Read the full piece in Stuff.co.nz

April 23, 2007

Travel delays strike semi-finalists

Posted on 04/23/2007 in World Cup 2007

Robert Craddock writes in the Courier-Mail how bags arrived at the semi-final destinations faster than the players on a day of disrupted travel in the West Indies.

Three of the four semi-finalists – Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand – were trapped on the same charter flight which was mysteriously delayed at Grenada airport and there were further delays for the teams in Barbados. Hundreds of international tourists were scouring airports throughout the Caribbean for lost bags as the worst fears of cup organisers were realised when the West Indies' fragile flights system fell apart.

April 22, 2007

Will World Cup marathon get second wind?

Posted on 04/22/2007 in World Cup 2007

Damien Fleming, who looks back at his two World Cup campaigns in the Sunday Age, wonders if this tournament will finish on a high.

They say marathon runners hit the pain barrier and get a second wind to get them to the finishing line. Can this World Cup do the same? It's been a marathon and the pain barrier has been strung out over a month, but let's hope the second wind arrives in the form of an exciting finals series.

Brett Lee has been in India where he has met Bollywood producers and senior music label officials, David Sygall writes in the Sun-Herald.

"It's all happening," Lee said. "I love music and am interested in acting. Rather than think in a few years, 'I wish I'd done this or that' I thought, 'Bugger it, I'll give it a go'."

April 20, 2007

McGrath plans fishing and flying in retirement

Posted on 04/20/2007 in World Cup 2007

	The end is near for Glenn McGrath © AFP

Glenn McGrath has only a week left in his international career and he talks to Chloe Saltau in the Sydney Morning Herald about walking away.

The next time you see McGrath, he might be fishing with his son, James, or relaxing with his family at their property near Bourke in outback NSW or getting his helicopter licence. "To be honest, I was ready to retire a few months ago but this World Cup was that extra incentive to keep going,” he said. “That I'm the leading wicket-taker at the moment means I'm not just going through the motions."

April 19, 2007

New Zealand’s skills are better than sledging

Posted on 04/19/2007 in World Cup 2007

	To talk or not to talk? © Getty Images

Stephen Fleming talks about New Zealand’s verbal approach when playing Australia ahead of the Super Eights game in Grenada on Friday.

"We've gone from open abuse, to not saying a word, to trying to be more aggressive, to being passive," Fleming said in The Australian. "We used to talk a lot about our approach towards it off the field but in some ways that detracts from the skills you need to beat them on it. It just naturally happens now that skills are what's going to beat Australia and the mental approach and the confidence that goes along with those skills."

In The Age Chloe Saltau speaks to Craig McMillan about his first attempt at life after cricket.

"I went to a couple of interviews, which I found quite intimidating, moving outside my comfort zone,” he said. “As a professional sportsman, you're in a bit of a bubble at times.”

Cricket Australia and the Australian government continue to wait for the other party to make a decision on whether the side should play a one-day series in Zimbabwe in September. The Australian carries the story.

The Barmy Army really did create a boom for Australia with Visa saying UK-issued cards spent A$551 million during the Ashes.

April 18, 2007

End of Fletcher?

Posted on 04/18/2007 in World Cup 2007

	© The Daily Mirror

As England were booed off the Kensington Oval yesterday after their feeble elimination from the World Cup, Duncan Fletcher may well have been mulling over the thought that Saturday's dead rubber against West Indies will be his last game as their coach, writes Lawrence Booth in The Guardian.

In the same newspaper David Hopps reports on how scores of England and South Africa fans were stranded in Grenada after their cruise liner to Barbados was cancelled without explanation at the last minute.

In The Times, Simon Wilde pulls no punches:

"Another World Cup, another nightmare for England. Every four years, English one-day cricket gets put up against the rest of the world and is found horribly wanting. The big spotlight is turned on them and what it reveals is an embarrassment to all. Good grief, is that really how bad we/they are? English cricket caught inflagrante. Naked in its naivety and inadequacy."

"The upshot surely, hopefully, will be the end of Fletcher," writes John Etheridge in The Sun. "If he has any pride he will resign. If not, he should be sacked."

Strauss enforces claim to captain Vaughan's crown, writes Mark Nicholas in The Daily Telegraph.

If questions must be asked of them and their fitness for purpose, they must also be posed about the manner in which they were prepared, writes Stephen Brenkley in The Independent.

How many fingers am I holding up?

Posted on 04/18/2007 in World Cup 2007

South Africa's comprehensive nine-wicket victory over England, which guaranteed them the fourth spot in the semi-final, had the newspapers of the country churn out advice on what to do next - South Africa meet Australia in the semis - and how the players' binge drinking is OK.

Michael Doman wonders in the Independent Online whether Makhaya Ntini should be brought back for the semis or straight into the final:

At grounds short on pace and bounce, Ntini has struggled to make an impact at the 2007 World Cup, claiming only six wickets at an average of 48.83 runs each in seven matches. It has been his inability to strike with the new ball which has been of concern to the selectors.

t will be a strong consideration to bring Ntini back should the Proteas reach the final in conditions which suit him. Should he replace Kemp, though, and weaken the batting, or can South Africa use wicketkeeper Mark Boucher at No 6 in the order, as they have often done in the past? It is hard to see Ntini replacing any of the four frontline seamers, all of whom have been performing well.

Neil Manthorp writes in Supercricket website that as long as the players are in control of their compromised sense after a night out drinking there is no need to make a fuss about it.

So don't make the mistake of blaming South Africa's players for drinking or staying up late at night when the real complaint is that they didn't win.

I wonder what the view of Smith and his players would be at home if they went out until 4.00am once again after the nine-wicket thrashing of England?

April 17, 2007

Critics line up Sri Lanka's tactics

Posted on 04/17/2007 in World Cup 2007

Michael Holding, Arjuna Ranatunga and Ricky Ponting were surprised by Sri Lanka’s tactics to rest Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas against Australia to improve their prospects of reaching the final. Holding’s worries about the consequences of the move in betting circles are reported on www.news.com.au

“What it does is allow people who know what is happening to get a head start if they are gambling. I have an account with Betfair and I watch a lot of different markets. Before the game started, Australia was 1-2. As soon as the toss went to air, when (Betfair) found out, Australia went to 1-5 because Muralitharan wasn't playing, Malinga wasn't playing, Vaas wasn't playing."

In The Age Chloe Saltau writes about Nathan Bracken, who picked up 4 for 19 against Sri Lanka.

England get an Irish pointer for crunch match

Posted on 04/17/2007 in World Cup 2007

"In what has already proved a bizarre tournament the real possibility exists that by tonight England, having played consistently poor cricket since they arrived in the Caribbean, will have secured a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup," writes Mike Selvey in The Guardian. "To do so they have to beat South Africa, a team that veers from sublime to ridiculous on a match-by-match basis, on the paciest pitch in the competition."

"When Fred [Flintoff] is on form, just about anything is possible. When he isn't England are insipid. With England's vital match against South Africa on the horizon this observation may pile the pressure on Flintoff's once broad shoulders, but it's the stark reality," says Vic Marks in The Guardian.

In the The Independent, Angus Fraser writes that "England are dangerous, as they proved in Australia during the Commonwealth Bank Series when they produced a remarkable victory, but they will struggle to live with the South Africans at their best. In Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood, England possess potential match-winners, but Smith's side have twice as many."

April 16, 2007

All eyes on the Catapult Kids

Posted on 04/16/2007 in World Cup 2007

Robert Craddock writes in The Australian about “the Catapult Kids” – Shaun Tait and Lasith Malinga. The pair met for the first time before the Australia-Sri Lanka game, but their opening on-field exchange was ruined by Malinga's ankle injury.

The cricket world - Tait included - marvels at Malinga's round-arm action, which he developed playing rubber ball cricket in the dusty back streets of his home town of Galle.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2007

Posted on 04/16/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Enjoying the World Cup? © Getty Images

Here are two editorials from West Indian newspapers that project contrasting veiws on the World Cup - ticket pricing, the ICC, the local organising committes and the final.

The Nation, published in Barbados, tells its readers that the event will be an enduring legacy for the country. It also chides those harping on the negative issues like high ticket prices and asks them to look at the positives - money spent on developing the Kensington Oval, massive road expansion and general enhancement that has been undertaken by the government.

Sceptics in our region tend to react as though being smaller and less affluent is somehow a hindrance on ability to be constructive and industrious.

	Or feeling cheated? © AFP

The Trinidad & Tobago Express, meanwhile unapologetically harps on ticket prices and the ICC dictatorial attitude.

Remarking on the way in which the ICC was allowed too free a hand to dictate the conduct of these games, a Trinidad and Tobago government official involved in some aspects of the arrangements, made this public comment, after the fall-out began to emerge. The people of the Caribbean were never allowed to take ownership of these games.

Such a capitulation must never be permitted in the future.

Toss crucial on Grenada's 'compost heap'

Posted on 04/16/2007 in World Cup 2007

Ian Smith has called the pitch in Grenada, where Australia will play Sri Lanka on Monday, a “compost heap”. Robert Craddock reports in the Daily Telegraph the toss could be crucial.

Muttiah Muralitharan finds Australians the toughest players to bowl to, according to Ricky Ponting in The Australian.

In the Sydney Morning Herald Chloe Saltau speaks to Arjuna Ranatunga, who thinks Sri Lanka are the only team that can beat Australia.

April 13, 2007

Marshall art lives on

Posted on 04/13/2007 in World Cup 2007

Whenever the Barbadians are reminded of Malcolm Marshall, they say that there would be none like him. From the common man on the street to officials, this one sentiment runs through all, writes Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in the Hindustan Times.

Fletcher at fault for feeble World Cup campaign

Posted on 04/13/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Will Duncan Fletcher and Michael Vaughan be walking soon? © Getty Images

Mark Ramprakash says that Duncan Fletcher has ruined England's World Cup chances. The former England batsman accuses England of lacking the boldness to win a World Cup, and believes Fletcher has failed to fulfil promises made following England's exit from the 2003 World Cup. Read more in the Guardian.

Mike Selvey, in the same publication, feels that Michael Vaughan has talked the talk, but now must walk the walk.

"The debate about the top order is starting to get tedious but, like a niggly tooth, it won't go away until something is done about it. Central to this is the tolerance afforded Vaughan, who, as captain, has been given some sort of primacy, a kind of divine right that overrides any problem of form."

According to Selvey, if Vaughan fails in England's must-win two remaining matches, there can be no logical reason for England to persist with him. Click here to read more.

April 12, 2007

Chappell waits on next move

Posted on 04/12/2007 in World Cup 2007

Greg Chappell is back in Australia and he will consider his options in the next three weeks after resigning as India’s coach. Chappell, whose health is fine, said in the Herald Sun he is planning a holiday around Australia.

“I just want some time away from it all," Chappell said. "We are just going to spend some time catching up with family all around the country and then we will work out what happens."

Surf’s up for in-form Hayden

Posted on 04/12/2007 in World Cup 2007

Matthew Hayden spent a day off surfing in Barbados, writes Jon Pierik in the Daily Telegraph.

While the waves may not have been of the same size as those he is used to surfing at Stradbroke Island, the Queenslander was rapt to enjoy the local conditions.

April 11, 2007

Time to promote free spirit Flintoff

Posted on 04/11/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Egged: Andrew Flintoff © AFP

Call it a rant, call it a rave, but Geoff Boycott wants Andrew Flintoff to bat well up the order, because he just isn't scoring any runs.

If Boycs and his mum were in charge of that scraggly outfit, free-spirited Freddie wouldn't sit at No. 6 - a place where "he finds himself needing to build an innings against the spinners and the dibbly-dobbly seamers".

Read the full article in the Telegraph here

In the Guardian, Lawrence Booth rings a similar tune by saying that Flintoff must trust his strokeplaying instincts as he strives to return to form against Bangladesh.

"While England's batting has at times resembled a dog's dinner Flintoff's World Cup contribution is a curate's egg," he writes. You really can't deny that.

April 10, 2007

Ponting breaks his own sledging rule

Posted on 04/10/2007 in World Cup 2007

	We're not meant to talk to you but ... © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting wanted Australia to keep quiet when Kevin Pietersen batted on Sunday, but he couldn’t help himself, writes Robert Craddock in the Courier-Mail.

"Pietersen's name came up at a team meeting and I had got the feeling that he is a little like Tugga [Steve Waugh], Matty Hayden and Brian Lara, in that when you have a go at them it makes them play better ... they enjoy it," Ponting said. "I actually said to the team: 'If he starts something, let him go.’ But as soon as he started, I could not help myself. I jumped all over the top of him. It wasn't great leadership as far as I was concerned. But I am not sorry I did it."

With Australia set to play a record 20 Tests next year, Chloe Saltau writes in the Sydney Morning Herald it is unlikely they will take part in a lucrative Twenty20 carnival in the West Indies.

Vaughan and Fletcher searching for magical missing ingredient

Posted on 04/10/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Under pressure: Michael Vaughan © AFP

England arrived in Barbados with Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher still insisting that the team are not far from their eureka moment, writes Richard Hobson in The Times.

The seven-wicket defeat by Australia on Sunday mirrored the two-run loss to Sri Lanka four days earlier. For some of the time England played very well, but they proved unable to put together a complete performance and, with one more reversal enough to bring elimination, time is running out, Hobson feels.

In The Independent, Angus Fraser says that Vaughan has three innings - possibly five - to save his one-day international career.

Vaughan must know that he is struggling to crack this form of the game. It is not as though he has been dynamic in domestic cricket, where he has reached three figures only three times in 258 innings. Vaughan may well take the decision out of England's hands at the end of the tournament by announcing his retirement from one-day cricket.

Click here to read more.

April 9, 2007

Upsets do happen

Posted on 04/09/2007 in World Cup 2007

"The upset means South Africa's World Cup dream is now under direct attack and that Bangladesh, who have yet to play England, Ireland and the West Indies, are still in contention for an unlikely semifinals finish," writes Richard Boock in The New Zealand Herald. "And whom should we thank for all this uncertainty? Bangladesh of course, for proving once again that there are no certainties in sport, and that upsets do happen."

April 8, 2007

England need to blow hot to beat system

Posted on 04/08/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Should Andrew Flintoff be promoted up the order? asks Mike Selvey © Getty Images

"England could still reach the semi-finals after losing to Australia, especially if South Africa continue to fall apart after their defeat by Bangladesh. Any feelings of superiority England had after winning the one-day finals in Australia were dissipated when they threw away the warm-up match in St Vincent last month," writes Scyld Berry in The Sunday Telegraph.

Also in The Sunday Telegraph, Ian Chappell says that England's chances of beating Australia depend on whether they dismiss Ricky Ponting cheaply.

"Should Vaughan continue to open, or might he profit down the order? He likes the hard ball but it is getting rid of him too often. Could Bell open as he did last year? Could Flintoff go in at the top of the order with licence to belt the daylights out of the ball?" asks Mike Selvey in The Guardian.

In The Observer, Vic Marks says that "if England are defeated today [by Australia] and are then consigned to another unsuccessful World Cup expedition, the juggernaut for change will be hard to halt."

Lara's leadership not a patch on his batting

Posted on 04/08/2007 in World Cup 2007

"Many of the qualities that have made Lara the great batsman of the past 15 years - the self-obsession, the ego, the individualism, the outrageous talent - are qualities that often do not transfer to captaincy. This World Cup has not told us much we did not already know about the Prince of Port of Spain: he is a great batsman who is singularly ill-equipped for leadership," writes Mike Atherton in The Sunday Telegraph.

Mirror, mirror on the wall

Posted on 04/08/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Has AB de Villiers been prematurely promoted to 'Golden Boy' status? asks Neil Manthorp © Getty Images

"If [Mickey] Arthur, [Graeme] Smith the rest of the senior players and management decide to try and glue the pieces back together the hard way, these may be some of the very difficult issues they could address," writes Neil Manthorp on supercricket.co.za after South Africa's loss against Bangladesh in Guyana.

* If the golden boys of the national team (Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher, Herschelle Gibbs and Makhaya Ntini) are untouchable when the team is playing well and winning, why is Andrew Hall still dispensable even when he is in the best form of his life?

* Is Shaun Pollock happy? Has he been able to cope with the murder of Bob Woolmer, one of the most powerful influences on his life and career? With a young family at home and the simmering reality that Woolmer was killed in an official, ICC sanctioned hotel, and the fact that the ICC have basically said nothing more than 'get on with the tournament' - has his equilibrium been affected?

April 7, 2007

Hit KP in the ribs

Posted on 04/07/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Ouch: Glenn McGrath strikes Kevin Pietersen © Getty Images

Australia will take aim at Kevin Pietersen’s healing ribs when they face England in the Super Eights match on Sunday, according to Chloe Saltau in the Sunday Age. Pietersen was forced to leave the Australia tour with a fracture after charging Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting would like to inflict some more pain.

"If Glenn could hit him in the ribs, break his ribs and have him retire that would be lovely," Ponting said. But Ponting said the main tactic would be to greet the dangerous Pietersen by bringing Shaun Tait into the attack.

Kyle Mills, the New Zealand fast bowler, has taken his own aim at Matthew Hayden, calling him a “bully who tends to pick on guys he perceives as weaker players”. “I can't imagine him saying anything to Shane Bond.”

Mark Waugh says in his Sun-Herald column the idea of billionaires taking cricket to a new dimension through Twenty20 is “far fetched”.

West Indies deserve better

Posted on 04/07/2007 in World Cup 2007

The 2007 World Cup has been severely criticised for its poor crowds, lack of competition and several other shortcomings but Richard Boock, in The New Zealand, herald, has come out in defence of the Caribbean.

This tournament was never going to be about massive, seething crowds. It was always going to be about colour and energy; about spirit and fun and the beauty of a game. If visiting fans haven't been plentiful or adventurous enough to seize that opportunity that's their fault. The Caribbean deserves this tournament more than any other cricketing region; the near-crime is that they hadn't been invited to host it earlier.

Also in The New Zealand Herald, Adam Parore says that "New Zealand cricket has never had a better chance to take the game by the scruff of the neck".

Nixon does a Pietersen

Posted on 04/07/2007 in World Cup 2007

Mike Gatting continues to be accosted at airports around the world with unkind questions on his sanity - why did he try the reverse sweep of Allan Border in the final of the 1987 World Cup? yet Paul Nixon on Wednesday unveiled two of the finest against Muttiah Muralitharan, writes S Ram Mahesh in The Hindu.

"It was not the biggest reverse-sweep six I have hit," said Nixon. "I hit Monty Panesar for a bigger one last year. I have probably hit 20 in my career now. I've had a bit of banter with KP (Pietersen, who has reverse-swept Murali for six). He told me that was one each. I said no, it's now about 20-1, but I suppose in proper cricket it is one each."

Also in The Hindu S Dinakar singles out Mahela Jayawardene's innovative use of the third Powerplay as the period when Sri Lanka won their Super Eights game against England.

April 6, 2007

England consider recalling Strauss

Posted on 04/06/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Andrew Strauss and Ed Joyce might be swapping spots © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan is not bothered that Andrew Strauss hasn’t played in the tournament as he considers him as an opener for the match against Australia, AFP reports.

"We've discussed it already and we have an idea of the way we are going to go because it is an area of concern," Vaughan said. “We haven't been firing at the top of the order and we have been putting batsmen under pressure. But there have been stages when we have been getting to good positions as well and not going on."

Robert Craddock writes in The Australian Ricky Ponting’s team has the chance to end Michael Vaughan’s one-day career. “England will be all but out of the World Cup if Australia wins and Vaughan, who has an ordinary one-day record, is likely to go down with the ship.”

April 4, 2007

A sap to the sponsors

Posted on 04/04/2007 in World Cup 2007

Yesterday, the World Cup organisers, stung by a barrage of criticism about their handling of the tournament, reissued a list of dos and don’ts for spectators attending matches (click here for the full list). The list was quickly ridiculed by Patrick Kidd in his blog on the website of The Times …particularly the ban on alcohol and all animals, except guide dogs:-

What if your guide dog is a St Bernard with one of those kegs of booze round his neck?

It is important that the necessary precautions are taken to ensure maximum safety and security for all patrons. How did we manage to avoid mass injuries and deaths at previous World Cups when there weren't such restrictions? For that matter, how do many of us poor cossetted souls manage to get out of bed, cross the road or stick our face in a fan without dire injury?

April 3, 2007

Australia on Bond watch

Posted on 04/03/2007 in World Cup 2007

Chloe Saltau writes in The Age about Shane Bond and New Zealand being Australia’s greatest dangers at the World Cup.

With 24 days left until the final, Robert Craddock’s comment piece in The Australian covers the problems of the event, including the length of the tournament.

The ridiculous schedule has been highlighted by Australia's justifiable decision to allow its players to leave camp for three days this week before they return for the England game on Sunday. This tournament is as much about which team can stop itself from going stir crazy in the never-ending wait for matches as it is about firing up for the big occasion.

Steve Waugh, who has been at the Laureaus Sports Awards in Spain, says Australia are favourites to beat England on Sunday.

April 2, 2007

World Cup of woe

Posted on 04/02/2007 in World Cup 2007

Today it’s The Australian’s turn to run through the problems at the World Cup.

The nightmare seems to get worse every day for organisers, sponsors and hosts. Crowds are not turning up to matches, viewers are tuning out by the millions and sponsors are running as far from the event - and the game - as possible.

The Tonk, the Sydney Morning Herald's blog, wants to know who is the best World Cup bowler.

A quagmire of issues

Posted on 04/02/2007 in World Cup 2007

It’s an almost constant gripe in the media – not to mention those attending the games - but the organisation of this World Cup appears to have set a all-time low. In The Guardian, Mike Selvey flags the issues he experienced in Antigua on Saturday. One has to assume that the ICC has stopped reading the daily deluge of criticism …

Ground security makes Checkpoint Charlie look like a farm gate and is a constant irritant for those who take advantage of park-and-ride that leaves cars several miles away from a greenfield site with huge unused parking space. Once in, spectators are stuck: exit passes are not issued, another rankle when they are forced to wait five hours for play to start. Others, largely from abroad, have been forced to purchase blocks of tickets for extraneous matches which they are unable to attend if they want to attend the final. So the ICC has the revenue in the kitty and issues "sold out" statements while viewing the empty spaces.

Apathy in Antigua

Posted on 04/02/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Where is everyone? © Getty Images

The economic importance of the World Cup to the Caribbean is unquestioned. But, as Simon Wilde in The Sunday Times comments today, “if West Indies do go out of the World Cup early, it will be a commercial disaster for the region”.

There was only one match of adult cricket taking place as well. That was on an ill-kept field less than a mile outside the village of Swetes, where Ambrose grew up and where his mother used to ring a bell every time she heard on the radio that her son had taken another Test wicket. Even from the boundary the pitch looked rough - and it certainly played rough. Balls flew through at varying heights, making it difficult for batsmen to play shots with any confidence. They took a few blows on the body.

Those waiting to bat sat on an old church pew and discussed, in patois, the merits of various West Indies players. But noone was listening to the radio for news of the progress of the West Indian reply to Sri Lanka's mammoth score. One of them wore an England shirt. I passed only one other cricket ground. Equally scrappy, it lay unused.

[…]

Interestingly, the cricket commentators on my car radio often distinguished the West Indies players by the islands from which they come. Chris Gayle was referred to as a Jamaican, Brian Lara as Trinidadian. Further evidence, perhaps, of the fragmentation of the West Indies as a unit.

April 1, 2007

A cup diminished by greed

Posted on 04/01/2007 in World Cup 2007

	© Getty Images

You have to feel for the poor old ICC. Hard as it tries, almost every aspect of the World Cup has come under fire. In fairness, it wasn’t its fault that India and Pakistan were eliminated, but everything else takes some explaining …

In The Observer, Vic Marks doesn’t hold back, and points out it’s worse in reality that it seems to TV viewers:

Television helps to disguise some of the flaws of the tournament. In between overs we can watch the tourist trailers of sun, white sand and azure seas, which are more pleasing to the eye than some of the building sites outside the grounds. More important, the cameras can be turned away from row upon row of empty seats in brand new stands.

The pricing structure here verges on the scandalous and highlights what is increasingly becoming a cancer for the modern game - rampant commercialism, which was once known more simply as greed. In Guyana, one of the poorer nations in the world, the cheapest ticket for a place on the grass is US$25 (£12.60). It can cost up to $100 for a seat.

Not only is this pricing structure greedy, it is stupid. Someone has made a major miscalculation when applying the old economic law of supply and demand. This is, inevitably, a TV World Cup - that is where the money comes from - and the TV product has been diminished. Not even the most skillful producer can hide those empty stands and the lack of atmosphere for eight hours a day.

In the Mail On Sunday, Daniel King also takes a pop at the prices:

It will be no more than the organisers deserve if the home team’s exit from the competition ... plunges the box office into deeper crisis. The cheapest ticket at grounds across the West Indies is $25, or around £13, which is just about the average weekly wage of someone working in the sugar industry in Guyana. Malcolm Speed, chief executive of the International Cricket Council, is once more in Pontius Pilate mode. He said: ‘We had to rely on the advice of the local organising committee to establish the prices of the tickets. It is, in retrospect, a little too rich for the local palate'.

In Saturday’s Daily Telegraph, Martin Johnson railed against the seemingly never-ending competition.

This World Cup is so bloated that if the Sky commentary team decided not to shave for its duration, they'd all come home with the kind of beards that would make WG Grace's resemble teenage bum fluff. There was some nonsensical blather about needing 47 days to find a winner to give the players plenty of rest, but the real reason is to keep the tills jingling for as long as possible.

And he’s not any more enamoured with the quality of TV commentary.

There are several excellent ones, and no one is better at conveying tactics and what might be taking place in a fielding captain's head than Nasser Hussain. On the other hand, there are some so-called expert summarisers, mostly with a delivery like the Speaking Clock, who specialise in the bleeding obvious.

In this field, leading by a short head from Ramiz Raja is Ranjit Fernando. Batsman plays and misses. "He nearly hit that ball, but he really didn't make contact." Batsman hits just short of fielder. "That ball was in the air for a while, but it didn't quite reach the fielder." Much more of this and there'll be no one watching on the TV either.

In The Jamaica Gleaner, the respected Tony Becca agrees:

According to the visitors, they heard about cricket in the Caribbean, they saw cricket in the Caribbean on television, they saved to come and enjoy cricket in the Caribbean and, now that they are here, cricket in the Caribbean for whatever reason, is not what they expected it to be. Here's what one Englishman said to another at the end of the first day of the West Indies/Australia match: "It is like watching cricket at Lord's. It's no bloody different."

Maybe it is too late to do something about it, but regardless of what the organisers say, the World Cup is hurting, and it is hurting, not only from the manner in which the tickets were sold to the locals, not only from the false announcements that matches were sold out, not only from the trouble, from the pushing and shoving that people have to go through now to get tickets, and not only from the fact that in terms of their music the Caribbean has been silenced, but also from the price they have to pay, or had to pay, to enter the matches.

'Ego brought Team India to its knees'

Posted on 04/01/2007 in World Cup 2007

“Do I love India?” Or do I love my state more? Are administrators thinking more about their own associations, their own grants, their own players? Inherently, a team cannot progress unless every constituent has the same objective. Gujarat, or Maharashtra, having three teams does not help India because it dilutes the stream in which young talent bathes. Not even Barbados in its prime could have possessed 45 first class standard cricketers in a year. But three teams from a state means three votes, three grants. So what then is the primary objective? Producing tough cricketers for India or protecting the vote and the grant? Yes, everybody loves India but it is conditional and that condition is hurting Indian cricket badly.

Read the entire piece by Harsha Bhogle in the Indian Express.

Ajit Wadekar hits out at critics who are baying for the seniors in the Indian team.

how can we go ahead and criticise somebody of the stature of Sourav Ganguly, the best captain India has ever produced? And Rahul Dravid? He is rated as the best batsman in any condition against any attack, on any wicket. How can we deny them their genius? How can we talk so irresponsibly? Do we really have to sacrifice these greats just because they are in their early thirties? If only a little attention was given to their fitness, by preserving their energy and not playing them in six-penny tournaments like the one in Malaysia or Timbuktu. Then you would have got a set of fit, nimble-footed, talented stars even now. Consider the average age of the team. Except maybe Bangladesh or the West Indies, India are much better off. Are the likes of Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Brian Lara, Stephen Fleming and Sanath Jayasuriya just out of their cots?

'Chappell not to blame' - Doshi

Posted on 04/01/2007 in World Cup 2007

How much of the blame should be laid at coach Greg Chappell's doorstep?

Dilip Doshi Not more than 10 per cent because I believe in a team game; its all about owning collective responsibility. What can a coach do, if his advice is not followed or strategies not implemented? It would be a crime to make a Greg the scapegoat for India's World Cup show.

Do you agree that Chappell indulged in too much experimentation?

I have heard this before. If giving youth a fair chance is experimentation, then every coach is guilty of doing so. I think Greg simply didn't have enough time to rebuild Team India.

What about the constant tinkering with the batting order?

To read, the full interview in Times of India, click here

March 30, 2007

Nets provide more frustration for Flintoff

Posted on 03/30/2007 in World Cup 2007

Andrew Flintoff is still having a tough time in the West Indies, according to David Hopps in The Guardian.

The nets at the Providence Stadium were under water a few days ago, not quite deep enough for Flintoff to dream of some more late-night watersports but damp enough to make them dangerously frisky as England practised ahead of their opening Super Eights game against Ireland. When one delivery went through the top, Flintoff stalked into a different net. The next ball flew off a length and struck him on the glove as he took evasive action. He immediately abandoned his net session and threw his bat 10 metres into the side netting.

March 29, 2007

Yee haw! Cricket power rankings!

Posted on 03/29/2007 in World Cup 2007

	'It is perhaps time to reflect on just why this event has captured the imagination of absolutely no one on the entire planet who doesn't live in Bangladesh or Jamaica' © AFP

He's finding it more difficult to care by the day, but ESPN.com's Page 2 cricket corespondent is compelled to reveal his Super Eight at what he terms the "never-ending" World Cup.

Michael Davies, a British-born television producer, feels the World Cup shouldn't have gone on after Bob Woolmer's death, but then offers ten satyrical reasons not to care about the tournament.

Sample this:

This is beyond tragic; it is sickening. I have no idea about the motives for the killing, but I can guarantee this. If Woolmer's death is related to cricket, then his killer hated sports. Had no appreciation of sports. Knew nothing of sports. To kill someone in the name of sport is to kill sport itself. This event died the moment that Bob Woolmer died.

with this:

Despite now having lived half of my life in America, despite the fact that I now pronounce schedule "skedule," shower every day and visit the dentist regularly, despite having been exposed to the pure joy that is the NFL, the NBA, the Little League World Series and even NASCAR, I still love marmite, and I still love cricket. Even if I have to watch it in a window the size of a postage stamp on my computer.

Davies doesn't care if Bangladesh beat Ireland in the final, but hopes England win.

March 28, 2007

More bruises for the World Cup

Posted on 03/28/2007 in World Cup 2007

Robert Craddock, writing in The Australian, says the lack of support for West Indies in Antigua has given the World Cup another black eye.

The opening of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium proved an anti-climax with the 20,000-seat structure barely half-full. The Antigua government did all it could to make yesterday's game a promotional hit by declaring a national holiday. But local fans have become incensed at the rules of the tournament which do not allow food, drink or musical instruments to be brought into the ground.

Chloe Saltau takes up a similar theme in The Age.

Viv Richards, who was sitting in his own stadium, praises Matthew Hayden after his 158 against West Indies. "He is a guy on top of his form and he's peaking at the right time,” Richards told AAP.

The Tonk, the Sydney Morning Herald’s blog, wonders if it has been too harsh on Hayden.

Cricket's showpiece just a sham

Posted on 03/28/2007 in World Cup 2007

Writing in The New Zealand Herald, Chris Rattue rues the ICC's decision to continue with the World Cup in the aftermath of Bob Woolmer's death.

Cricket remains in a dark cell; its showpiece a sham, feels Rattue. Sport, in the end, is supposed to be enjoyable, yet its top table invariably involves a distasteful feast.

The ICC chose to continue with this tournament in the aftermath of Woolmer's demise.To have scrapped the tournament, to have so publicly succumbed to the evils that permeate their game, would have been a disaster to their minds.

A close and difficult call, but it has given the good people of cricket, in other words the majority, a deserved chance to bring their planning to fruition. It should, unfortunately, be their last chance, although who would bet on a sport having the gumption to fully admit to its problems by scrapping this gigantic sham.

Where did world tournaments go wrong? Because they surely have.

Click here to read more.

Providence is not so divine

Posted on 03/28/2007 in World Cup 2007

	© Getty Images

The problems of Guyana’s Providence Stadium have been well documented. In The Times, Christopher Martin-Jenkins revealed that while all looks polished on the surface, underneath things are far from finished.

The West Indian reputation for getting things right only at the last minute has been taken to extremes here. At first glance the Providence Stadium, built in partnership with the India Government in a suburb on the East bank of the Demerara River half an hour’s drive from the capital, Georgetown, is a splendid facility.

So is the handsome looking “Buddy’s International” hotel that has sprung up next to it. Those staying there, however, do not, as intended, include the teams, rather guests who speak of damp cement on the walls and pneumatic drills working through the night. Across the road, the press box has poor visibility and all the signs of a desperate race to be ready on time.

In The Daily Telegraph, Simon Briggs discovered that the media might have a few problems in covering the game itself.

It takes more than a nicely tended outfield to make a decent cricket ground, however, and problems are expected with the incidentals: things like power sockets, phone lines and broadcasting facilities. The BBC team turned up to find nothing in their booth but a table and chair. Unless equipment can be shipped in from St Vincent, their commentary could end up being broadcast over crackly mobile phone lines.

And in The Age, David Hopps confirmed that all was not well.

Outside the stadium yesterday, the car park consisted of pools of water standing in tons of sand. A merchandising tent stood forlornly next to a concrete mixer and a pile of pallets. Diggers lay idle; you could spot World Cup employees by their official uniforms and harassed expressions.

A brand new problem

Posted on 03/28/2007 in World Cup 2007

In The Age Chloe Saltau writes the game is in danger of branding itself out of existence.

Australia and New Zealand will host the game's most prestigious tournament in 2015 and you can be sure it will look pretty much the same as this one, except the signs will change slightly. Like world cricket's governing body, Cricket Australia is on the warpath to ensure cricket is played in "clean venues", which means ridding the grounds, the spectators, the skies, the loos, for goodness sake, of anything that might put the noses of its commercial partners out of joint. Authorities will make no apologies for bullishly protecting their sponsors but they should not play the game's fans for fools, either.

Andy Roberts says in the Herald Sun nobody should interfere with Shaun Tait’s raw action.

The Australian’s Peter Lalor has been blogging over the government’s talks of boycotts for Australia’s tour to Zimbabwe in September.

March 27, 2007

Greg was unhappy with Cup squad - Rajan Bala

Posted on 03/27/2007 in World Cup 2007

Rajan Bala writes about the text messages he received from Greg Chappell which reveal that the Indian coach was not happy with the World Cup squad.

On February 16, after an article of mine appeared in this paper Greg sent me a SMS, which I am reproducing for the sake of the public. "Excellent article. Almost spot on. Even to the last selection meeting. I fought for youth. The senior players fought against it and the chairman went with them out of fear of media, if youth didn’t perform. Kartik will be a very good batsman and by the way is a potential leader. You are very right about Yuvi. Regards, Greg."

It was the morning of the ODI against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam. The time the SMS was received — 08.16.31. For those who did not read the article, it would be helpful for their comprehension of the situation in a context.

As far as Dinesh Kartik is concerned, I had hinted he should not be taken as a second wicketkeeper, implying he be should taken as a batsman and called as such. Hence Greg’s explanation. About Yuvraj Singh I had written, "For heaven’s sake, let nobody consider Yuvraj Singh as a future captain."

March 26, 2007

Lara and McGrath duel heads for the death

Posted on 03/26/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Brian Lara rates Glenn McGrath as highly as McGrath rates Lara © Getty Images

After 12 years of battles Brian Lara and Glenn McGrath prepare for what may be their final meeting by swapping a series of compliments.

"He was definitely the toughest fast bowler," Lara said in News Ltd papers. "He just didn't give you opportunities to score … Series after series, Glenn came at me with the same plan. He has been an outstanding competitor. Players like myself and Sachin (Tendulkar) want to be dominant, but he is one of the bowlers you don't want to face."

McGrath, who has dismissed Lara 15 times, was also generous in his praise for a man he first met on the 1995 Caribbean tour.

"I would have to rate him the best I bowled to," McGrath said. "Technically, Tendulkar was more correct but Lara was genuinely more dangerous. He has all the shots and could be very destructive. I always loved the challenge of bowling to him."

Australia cruise through the group phase

Posted on 03/26/2007 in World Cup 2007

Chloe Saltau writes in the Sydney Morning Herald about Australia’s smooth entry into the Super Eights while Robert Craddock reports in The Australian about the success of targeting Shaun Pollock.

Mark Ray, the former captain, writes in The Age about Tasmania's development from interstate rivals to Pura Cup winners.

March 25, 2007

Bravo, well done

Posted on 03/25/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Dwayne Bravo: allround talent © AFP

Cricket has taken a backseat this week, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, but the matches have gone and the players have thrilled the crowds. What this World Cup now needs is a 'good' story, and there would be non better than the home nation claiming the trophy. So far it has gone to plan, three wins out of three for West Indies and into the Super Eights with two points. One of their key players is the allrounder Dwayne Bravo, someone who has a long and impressive future ahead of him. In The Observer he gives a long interview to James Root about his childhood, his early career and his dreams.

Cricket is, and always has been, Bravo's obsession, although this is not unusual for a young West Indian. He has used what he calls his God-gifted talent to attain every one of his goals to date. 'I have always played cricket, no matter what,' he says. 'If I had a piece of stick or an orange in my hand I would always play. I loved shadow batting. I used to pick my own team. I would pick a West Indies team - in the days of Desmond Haynes, Richie Richardson, Carl Hooper and those guys - and an England team and they would compete against each other.

It ain't gonna be pretty

Posted on 03/25/2007 in World Cup 2007

	The return home will be unpleasant for Dravid and his team © AFP

India are (almost) out of the World Cup and the press back home has just begun sharpening the knives for the slaughter. The next few weeks ain't gonna be pretty for the Indian team

The Hindustan Times reports the Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad, claimed that villagers like him could play better cricket than the team. Lalu raged:

"It's shameful to see such underperformance. They all should be sacked and fresh faces must get a chance to play for the country. The top order batsmen have really been playing poor cricket."

The Times of India probed into what was wrong with Indian cricket, taking apart the players, the coach, the captain, the selectors, the board and the fact that there is too much cricket.

A system that breeds mediocrity, over-hyped stars who could put Bollywood to shame, a plethora of cricket 'academies' that spin money, but don't teach kids how to spin a ball, an army of self-proclaimed coaches with dodgy records and a variety of officials who know as much about cricket as we know about PILCOM accounts

The Telegraph, a Kolkata-based daily, puts its sarcastic foot forward and does not take kindly the fact that India's remote chance of remaining at the World Cup depends on Bermuda beating Bangladesh.

We’re familiar with the Bermuda Triangle. But, now, the eternal optimists are looking for a Bermuda Miracle! If we’ve got to depend on Bermuda to bale us out, then we may as well not play top grade cricket.

March 24, 2007

McGrath says the show had to go on

Posted on 03/24/2007 in World Cup 2007

	© Getty Images

Glenn McGrath says in his News Ltd column the organisers made the right decision to keep the World Cup running despite Bob Woolmer’s death.

I can understand the feelings of people who say the World Cup should have been abandoned out of respect to Bob but, being a great cricket man, he would have wanted it to continue and at least now we have the chance to honour his memory.

Mark Waugh takes aim at Sunil Gavaskar and defends Australia’s on-field behaviour in his Sun-Herald column.

The Australian teams I played for, and those I've watched since retiring, play hard but fair. They play within the rules while other teams, especially those from the subcontinent, don't mind pushing the rules. I cite such things as their preparedness to call for runners when maybe the batsman doesn't warrant one, or by fielding specialist fieldsmen as substitutes, as not being in the spirit of the game. And then there's examples of ball tampering.

Cricket never was the English Eden

Posted on 03/24/2007 in World Cup 2007

Michael Henderson, never one to take the safe option, writes a long article in The Daily Telegraph on Pakistan cricket and its place in the modern game.

“While India have the money to confront the old order, the Pakistanis like to portray themselves as maligned outsiders, an image their players have reinforced in the past three years by favouring a hard-line Islamic faith.”

And he finishes with a swipe at the ICC and its reaction to calls for the tournament to be scrapped.

“The ICC will disregard him, of course, arguing that the show must always go on, if only to avoid shelling out millions to compensate the television companies covering this bloated tournament.”

India's golden balls

Posted on 03/24/2007 in Indian cricket

No, we're not talking about a particular player, rather these gold and diamond-encrusted cricket balls. Yours for a snip at £35,000 each:

Each ball is comprised of 295.6g of yellow gold and is studded with 5,728 natural diamonds with a total weight of 31.5 carats. The lady weighing this one up is Bollywood actress Mahima Chaudhary.

Reportedly, two will be presented to India's best player of the World Cup and their "best interim player", whatever that means. Blingtastic.

Australia's fierce rivalry with South Africa

Posted on 03/24/2007 in World Cup 2007

Ricky Ponting speaks in his column in The Australian about the rivalry between Australia and South Africa.

“We have been staying at the same hotel as South Africa for the past nine days yet haven't had much contact. I don't make a point of stopping to spend ten minutes chatting with Jacques Kallis or Herschelle Gibbs. There are plenty of nods and glances."

Robert Craddock writes Ponting is keen to give “nightmares” to some of South Africa’s younger players.

Peter Roebuck’s column in the Sydney Morning Herald looks at Bob Woolmer’s death.

How did it come to this? How did we allow a game to become a murder scene? A respected son has been cold-bloodedly killed under the noses of the game's greatest players, in the middle of the game's most prestigious event. Until these past few days, it could hardly be imagined that any game could suffer such a loss.

March 23, 2007

The image of Jamaica

Posted on 03/23/2007 in World Cup 2007

	St Lucia will hope for a large crowd like this one when it hosts the semi-final on April 25 © Getty Images

The editors of the Jamaica Observer hope that the massive publicity generated by the murder of Bob Woolmer has not hurt the image of the nation.

We hope that now that strangulation has been confirmed, our authorities will move with all dispatch to find out and disclose who is the culprit or culprits, if they have not yet done so.

Nobody needs us to spell out how important it is to the image of Jamaica that the real culprits be found as soon as possible, to prevent us from being blamed unnecessarily for something we did not do.

Meanwhile the tourism boom expected across the Caribbean islands hosting the World Cup is yet to kick off and the locals are getting worried. The Voice, a Jamaican website based in UK, reports that the turn-out has been poor following the opening game between West Indies and Pakistan.

Prior to the start of the tournament, St Lucian’s had expected the vast majority of supporters to come from England but the consensus is that having spent a small fortune on the recent Ashes tour of Australia not as many fans would be able to afford the journey to the Caribbean.

The situation has left many feeling frantic about what the immediate future holds. With St Lucia scheduled to host a semi-final match on April 25, many will have considered themselves to have missed out if there is no change before then.

March 22, 2007

Living next door to the Woolmer investigation

Posted on 03/22/2007 in World Cup 2007

Chloe Saltau speaks to Trent Johnston, the Ireland captain, who is staying four rooms down from the one Bob Woolmer was found in at the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica.

"It's sort of spooky," Johnston said in the Sydney Morning Herald. "There wasn't too much sleep had last night after the press conference where they escalated the investigation to the level they have. It's lock your door and that sort of stuff.

"The police were down the hallway today, and it looks like the forensic guys are in there turning the place upside down. It's a strange feeling to have excitement one moment [at beating Pakistan] and then to find out that someone who was actually part of the game has passed away. It's unbelievable."

In cricket news Robert Craddock writes in the Courier Mail the South Africans want to target the spinner Brad Hogg at St Kitts on Saturday.

March 21, 2007

Many questions remain in Woolmer case

Posted on 03/21/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Mark Shields is the deputy commissioner of Jamaican police © AFP

Robert Craddock looks at the developments of the Bob Woolmer investigation in the Courier-Mail, asking a number of questions and profiling Mark Shields, the deputy commissioner of police.

Shields is known as a man of understatement in his dangerous home city, one who does not light fires for the sake of it. Shields knew the instant he walked into a press conference and announced there was suspicion that Woolmer had been murdered that he was destroying Kingston's Cricket World Cup.

He was detonating cricket's version of an atom bomb and sentencing match events to small print. Suddenly, nothing else mattered in the tournament.

News Ltd papers quote an unnamed South African player saying: “If they lay a murder charge, they may as well call the tournament off.”

The Guardian’s Omar Waraich runs through some possible causes of Woolmer’s death, but in the same paper Neil Manthorp says his passing is unlikely to be connected to the upcoming release of a new book.

In England’s Daily Telegraph Ben Fenton looks at the role of Shields, a former Scotland Yard detective, in the investigation.

Cahal Milmo of The Independent writes Woolmer made little effort to disguise his rapidly growing dissatisfaction with the side he managed.

Chloe Saltau writes in The Age about a real-life Caribbean mystery.

The Australian carries a report of the suspicious circumstances of Woolmer’s death and who they expect will be interviewed.

March 20, 2007

Thou shalt not knock the minnows

Posted on 03/20/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Going easy on the minnows? © Getty Images

TV viewers might have noticed that commentators have been very chartable to the so-called minnows during this World Cup so far. For example, when Zimbabwe were in the Caribbean in May, the experts made no attempt to hide their feelings that they were not fit to play international cricket. But even when they tied with Ireland on Saturday, there was hardly a critical word. And even when Bermuda and Netherlands, for example, have been slaughtered, the men in the box have been remarkably jolly about them.

Robert Craddock, writing in The Australian, thinks he knows why.

It is understood commentators have been told by Global Cricket Corp producers that it frowns on them denigrating the minnows. However, it is deemed acceptable for commentators to call an event a mismatch but not to say some of the nations do not deserve to be in the tournament.

Some commentators who agree with the directive and feel the minnows are a necessary part of global expansion are happy to abide by it. Others, who feel the tournament has been devalued by their presence, would rather speak their mind.

And Craddock concluded by saying that some of the players themselves are aware of the real picture.

The widespread feeling that the minnows are enjoying every moment of their matches against the big boys is wide of the mark. Several Dutch players privately conceded they feel embarrassed by their team's efforts.

Keep your eyes and ears open and see if what you are watching tallies with what you are being told.

Young Black Cap calmly embraces Cup test

Posted on 03/20/2007 in World Cup 2007

A golden duck wasn't exactly the cricket World Cup debut Ross Taylor wanted but as the Englishman who spectacularly caught him later discovered, worse things happen at sea.

Lows like that have been more than compensated by an inordinate number of highs among a career still in its formative stages – a maiden century, a century against Australia and the joy of an unprecedented Chappell-Hadlee series win over world champions Australia.

Speaking to Chris Barclay for the website stuff.co.nz, Taylor says he's enjoying anonymity despite the West Indies' reputation as a passionate cricketing destination.

	116 kilograms of pure athleticism! © AFP

Another headline screams, 'Cricket's cult figure takes off' - at closer inspection, we see its that man Dwayne Leverock, who yesterday proved that fat men can jump when he plucked a one-handed catch at slip, diving full stretch to his right.

"Amid the shock of Bob Woolmer's sudden death, British tabloid fury at "Freddie" Flintoff's drunken shenanigans and sub-continental teeth-gnashing at underperforming superstars, Leverock has become the rolled-gold feel-good hit of the Caribbean summer." writes Kai Chen.

Click here to read more.

Watson's chilling moment with destiny

Posted on 03/20/2007 in World Cup 2007

Ryan Watson, Scotland's stand-in captain, is best known as Graeme Smith's former captain while in school in South Africa. But it was one defining moment which forced him to rethink his future in the country and settle down elsewhere, one which was literally a matter of life and death.

As a 23-year old, Watson was held at gunpoint by robbers at home in - you guessed it - Johannesburg, where he was pushed into a closet, after which the thieves robbed his car. Watson recounts those chilling moments in The Scotsman.

The incident put me off a little bit, and I also didn't get a contract [in provincial cricket] that year and there were some other problems. I might go back some day, but I just live on the mentality 'see what happens'.

March 19, 2007

A cricket man through and through

Posted on 03/19/2007 in World Cup 2007

Peter Roebuck, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, says Bob Woolmer lived and died a cricketing man.

By and large the relationship was mutual because cricket enriched, almost defined, the Englishman's existence. To reflect upon his contribution is to observe its constancy and extent. In a career spanning several decades, he served in many capacities and did not fail in any of them. Had he been asked to prepare a pitch or stand as an umpire he would have agreed. Cricket was his canvas and his laboratory. Fatefully, it also became his life.

No-hopers give great hope to Irish film-maker

Posted on 03/19/2007 in World Cup 2007

In the Caribbean, The Indian Express' Sandeep Dwivedi finds out that Paul Davey, an Irish film-maker, has about ten hours of exclusive footage that tells the incredible story of 15 no-hopers who have caused one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.

Davey now plans to make a film out of Ireland's surprise success story.

Though he plans to edit his work to about 50 minutes for the festival circuit and eventual television release in cricket-playing countries, the heart-warming and still-evolving storyline could interest even big producers, Davey hopes.

March 18, 2007

Stop the minnow knocking, Ricky

Posted on 03/18/2007 in World Cup 2007

Dav Whatmore, speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, says the wins of Bangladesh and Ireland should be a lesson to the knockers, who include Ricky Ponting.

"It goes to show, given an opportunity, certain teams will grasp it if they've got some talent. It should be a bit of a lesson to everyone who is a knocker of this sort of thing. The Australian captain comes from Tasmania, and Tasmania got some good help along the way, I might add, going back.”

Robert Craddock writes in The Australian about Ireland’s upset over Pakistan and he also says teams are starting to show their true colours.

You just can't count your chickens

Posted on 03/18/2007 in World Cup 2007

	A disastrous day for Pakistan © Getty Images

Pakistan's three-wicket defeat to Ireland had fans and former players in shock and though editorials are yet to be written on the performance International Herald Tribune got together a collection of quotes from ex-players and people of Pakistan

An outspoken former test fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz termed defeat as the "worst ever point in Pakistan's cricketing history. "While watching the match live on TV, I was just cursing myself and saying, 'What's going on?'" Pakistan had lost to Bangladesh in 1999 in another upset results of the World Cup, but Nawaz said Saturday's loss had no match of it. "The wicket was suitable for seamers and Ireland won the crucial toss, but we lost fair and square without putting up a fight," he said.

Meanwhile New Zealand are celebrating almost as much as the Irish as they will no longer meet Pakistan, as they had expected, in their Super 8 tie on April 9 in Guyana. But after Ireland's performance, is it wise to celebrate? Lindsay Crocker, the New Zealand manager, hastens to explain that is not the case. Read the Herald on Sunday for more

"It shows the danger in counting your chickens, everyone looking at the groups assumes the two big teams will go through," Crocker said of Pakistan's exit. You just can't count your chickens."

March 16, 2007

The complex Australia-India relationship

Posted on 03/16/2007 in World Cup 2007

In his column in The Age Greg Baum looks at the relationship between Australia and India and wonders if “the gap can ever be bridged”.

Former Australian prime minister and cricket enthusiast Robert Menzies wrote once that Englishmen and Australians were of such like minds that "thankfully, we don't have to be too tactful". Between Indians and Australians, it is not so simple.

Jon Pierik writes in The Australian about Daryll Cullinan’s doubts over Michael Clarke and Shaun Tait.

"I would be very, very worried if [Clarke] was batting in my top four," Cullinan said. "Temperament wise, it's going to be a make-or-break World Cup for him, because there is going to come a moment where the pressure and the focus is going to be on him."

Don't look now, there's cricket to watch...

Posted on 03/16/2007 in World Cup 2007

"Why is nobody asking any questions about the political situation in Zimbabwe?" asks Andy Bull in The Guardian.

Cricket is the only activity in which Zimbabwe has an international presence. If the ever-deteriorating social, economic and political situation there is going to get any wider attention it is now. Why, then, is the silence on the matter so complete? Partly it is because most sports journalists like to keep sport and politics in separate boxes: "It is not my concern, it is not my area of knowledge and it is not my job".

Bond the enforcer

Posted on 03/16/2007 in World Cup 2007

"A common criticism made of top-flight sportsmen is that they lack perspective. Trapped in their mollycoddled little world, most have very little idea of what is taking place outside the confines of their team. Such an appraisal cannot be aimed at Shane Bond," writes Angus Fraser in The Independent.

"As a policeman you are constantly in uncomfortable situations and have to deal with them," said Bond. "It is the same as a sportsman and learning to deal with these is a bonus from doing the job. I remember doing a few raids at gang houses that weren't particularly nice and going to mortuaries. It puts bowling at someone like Kevin Pietersen into perspective."

March 15, 2007

Ooh aah, first-change McGrath

Posted on 03/15/2007 in World Cup 2007

Jon Pierik reports in the Herald Sun Glenn McGrath is set to finish his career at first change.

In a comment piece Pierik writes World Cup officials should be ashamed of the high ticket prices for local supporters in St Kitts.

Barely 3500 fans were at Warner Park Stadium, which has a capacity of 10,000. The average wage in St Kitts is about $US120 a week yet Hill tickets cost $US25 per adult, and more than $US50 for a family.

When Scotland beat Australia

Posted on 03/15/2007 in World Cup 2007

It may not have happened in St Kitts yesterday, but it has happened once before in history. The Herald's correspondent, Neil Drysdale, reflects on the moment in 1882 when the world order was turned upside-down.

The occasion is worth celebrating, not least because, exactly a month later, the majority of these same Australians were involved in one of the most significant acts in sporting history when they beat England at The Oval and proved the catalysts for a subsequent 125 years of ferocious Ashes rivalry

And he became Lawrence woe!

Posted on 03/15/2007 in World Cup 2007

According to some, he is the best-ever batsman never to realise his full potential. Lawrence George Rowe remains the biggest enigma of West Indies cricket. Mid-Day's Sanjjeev K Samyal caught up with him in Jamaica.

It was the beauty of the strokes… the flair, the timing, good hands, good feet, good eyes that co-ordinate the kind of ease against fast bowling that makes it look slow; the nimble footwork to get down the track to spinners like (Bishan) Bedi, (Erapalli) Prasanna and (BS) Chandrashekar and play them with ease. I think that’s what made the crowds come and see me. In this stadium (Sabina Park, Jamaica), I have played probably more memorable knocks than any other batsman in the West Indies.

March 14, 2007

My salad days with West Indies' summer knights

Posted on 03/14/2007 in World Cup 2007

	'All in all, the Jamaicans don’t care what he does after the game, they just want their favourite son to rock them at the ground' © AFP

Was it planned, or is it a symbolic fluke that today's Caribbean cricket carnival begins on the 40th anniversary of Sir Frank Worrell's death? Frank Keating, in the Guardian, fondly looks back at the
Caribbean influence in the most rich and significantly memorable passages of his cricket watching.

The West Indies today, and for the next two months, unites as a single entity - as it only does in its cricketing - to show its collective soul and spirit. You could say that no man was a more crucial catalyst than Sir Frank in establishing and stabilising the very cohesive essence of West Indies cricket, which is actually made up, of course, from a scattered comity of islands in the Gulf of Mexico each with disparate governance, character and cultures.

And in Mid-Day, a Mumbai-based tabloid, there's talk of how torchbearers of Kingston’s Melbourne Cricket Club are keeping the faith in their star player Marlon Samuels. They believe that their beloved Samuels can do no wrong and will never be involved in any activity that will harm his team, and no one knows Samuels better than the people out here.

March 12, 2007

Shocks and surprises

Posted on 03/12/2007 in World Cup 2007

AFP runs through some of the World Cup upsets, starting with Sri Lanka's win over India in 1979. Zimbabwe, West Indies, Australia and Bangladesh also play key parts in the tournament upsets.

In the Sydney Morning Herald Trevor Marshallsea writes about the importance of Stuart MacGill in the Pura Cup final.

Scribes in the sun

Posted on 03/12/2007 in World Cup 2007

	'Bowlers always say that it's a batsman's world, but this doesn't seem to have stopped them from nabbing the best writing jobs' © Getty Images

Tim de Lisle has written an enjoyable piece in today's Independent profiling some of the national newspaper correspondents from Britain.

Mike Selvey

THE GUARDIAN

AGED 58

Selvey has been in the job 20 years, and somehow combines it with being the father of 10-year-old triplets. Solid county bowler who had one great day for England in 1976. Had a hard act to follow in the sparkling Matthew Engel, but has pulled it off by fully reinventing himself, as signalled by his hair - once flowing, now non-existent.

Selvey captains a literate team that plays its shots right down the order: his deputy, David Hopps, could easily be a chief correspondent elsewhere. Selvey himself wields a sharp simile; is more outspoken than his immediate rivals (he has firmly pooh-poohed England's World Cup chances); and writes a fine weekly column, especially when explaining the business of bowling. Bowlers always say that it's a batsman's world, but this doesn't seem to have stopped them from nabbing the best writing jobs.

Colin Bateman

THE DAILY EXPRESS

AGED 52

The Daily Mail is famous for its consistency, while its old rival the Express lurches from one crisis to the next - but when it comes to cricket, the Express is the more settled of the two. The Mail has had many cricket writers since the late, great Ian Wooldridge and its most recent incumbent, the capable Mike Dickson, is about to revert to tennis. Meanwhile, Colin Bateman has been at the Express since 1987, the longest continuous stint of any current cricket correspondent. Not to be confused with the novelist of the same name, Bateman is genial, low-key and much respected. "Nothing gets past him," says one admiring rival. He scooped the pack on Duncan Fletcher's appointment as England coach in 1999 and broke the story that there would be an open-top bus parade in 2005. Last June, he wrote of the England team: "You can only live on past glories for so long ..." If only they had been paying attention.

March 11, 2007

Admire the greats at the Farewell Cup

Posted on 03/11/2007 in World Cup 2007

Ricky Ponting, in his column in The Australian, rates the modern greats who will probably be playing their final World Cup.

Perhaps this tournament should be rebadged the Farewell Cup, for it also is the final crack at limited-overs cricket's ultimate prize for Lara, Tendulkar and Pollock. West Indies captain Lara and India star Tendulkar are the two best batsmen I have played against. I have rated Sachin slightly ahead because technically I thought he was a bit tighter, but Lara on his day is probably more damaging.

Lyall Johnson writes in The Age about Cameron White’s disappointing end to the summer.

Sink or swim

Posted on 03/11/2007 in English cricket

	What Monty needs © AFP

England’s preparations for the World Cup have gone well, Andrew Strauss says, though Monty Panesar has fallen victim of his own enthusiasm. In the sea.

…a gentle swim in the sea at the end of a long day is perfect for relieving tired muscles and relaxing weary minds. Also, after 12 months of constant injury worries, the only real concern we have encountered so far was when Monty Panesar tried to join a few of the better swimmers on a journey to a nearby island, and had to be rescued halfway across.

Mike Atherton, though he remains hopeful of England’s chances, labels England’s preparations as shambolic.

Even Michael Vaughan has found the opportunity to trumpet his squad's claims too good to miss: "We are talking a good game at the minute, and rightly so." Well, up to a point, skipper. England have their best chance for a long time to make an impact, but only because of the general frailty of the rest. England's own preparations since the last World Cup - the last fortnight in Australia aside - have been completely shambolic and if preparation is a prerequisite for success then they have little chance. Bowling, both the consistency of it and lack of penetration, is surely too big an Achilles heel for them to go all the way. Only a short while ago Duncan Fletcher said that he felt his squad to be a year behind in their preparations, a hardly enthusiastic but probably accurate assessment.

And he highlights another example of an increasing trend at cricket grounds around the world…

The usual carnival atmosphere will not be easy to create, given the Gestapo-like rules and regulations that confront every spectator. When I took my son to watch a warm-up match this week we could not even take a bottle of water into the ground, never mind the usual paraphernalia of conches, whistles, horns, Eskies, ice and shedloads of rum that West Indian supporters traditionally associate with a day out at the cricket.

March 10, 2007

Ponting goes one-on-on with team-mates

Posted on 03/10/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Ricky Ponting has talked tactics a lot over the past couple of months © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting talks to the Sun-Herald’s Chloe Saltau about his captaincy and how he is having individual chats with his players ahead of the World Cup.

“One of the first things I did when we got here was to hold one-on-one meetings with all the players," Ponting said. "I asked them about their roles, if they were confused about their roles within the team. The responses I got were really positive.”

Peter Roebuck asks in the Sunday Age if a subcontinental team can win the World Cup while Rohit Brijnath writes about the “big, fat, overblown World Cup”.

The naming of Australia's official all-time one-day side was two weeks ago, but Mark Waugh unveils his squad in his column.

The Hoff prepares for Australia reunion

Posted on 03/10/2007 in World Cup 2007

In the Sun-Herald Paul Hoffmann, who is from central Queensland but is playing for Scotland, looks back at his run-ins with Australia’s current players. In Hoffmann’s younger days Adam Gilchrist hit him for his first six, he had Ricky Ponting dropped and picked up Andrew Symonds first ball. On Wednesday he will get another look at them in a World Cup match.

"Glenn McGrath and I opened the bowling together in a possibles-probables game at Sydney University. I chatted to him before that game, because he was a boy from the bush as well who had turned up in Sydney and lived for a year or two in a caravan. He was a real gentleman and he gave me some insoles when I told him I had struggled with shin splints."

India look to make hay at Bay

Posted on 03/10/2007 in World Cup 2007

The Hindustan Times' Pradeep Magazine soaks in the sights and sounds of Montego Bay and talks about India's cricketers gearing up for the World Cup.

The Indian cricketers who start their campaign from Trinidad almost a week from now, have to keep their minds from soaking in too much of this holiday atmosphere and remind themselves every moment of the day that they are here for the business of playing and not on a playful binge.

The story of Canada's Australian captain

Posted on 03/10/2007 in World Cup 2007

	John Davison struggled to make an impact in Australian first-class cricket but made a name for himself as Canada's World Cup hero © Getty Images

In The Australian, Jon Pierik speaks to one of the more interesting characters at the World Cup, the man who smacked the fastest World Cup century in 2003, Canada’s captain John Davison.

Born in British Columbia to Australian parents, he moved to Australia aged five weeks. "My parents were over on a teaching exchange in Vancouver. My sister and myself were born in Canada," he said. "As soon as I was born, we moved back to Australia." It was only when he applied for a passport for a school trip to New Zealand when he was 16 that he realised he wasn't officially an Australian. "I was told I had to apply for a Canadian passport. I couldn't believe it," he said.

Shane Watson tells AAP of his desire to permanently move up the order from his No. 7 position and establish himself as an opener.

"Maybe not now but, in the next year or two, to be able to stamp my authority on the top order,” Watson said. “At the moment I'll make the most of batting No.7 and contributing wherever I can with the ball and with the bat. I feel my game is definitely suited more to the top order.”

March 9, 2007

Australia still in a spin

Posted on 03/09/2007 in World Cup 2007

Jon Pierik writes in the Herald Sun about the Australian slow bowlers holding a “spin summit”.

Front-line spinner Brad Hogg and part-timers Brad Hodge and Michael Clarke had a detailed chat a day after realising how much of a key role they will have to play.

In The Australian Kevin Pietersen tells how he didn’t think Glenn McGrath was fast enough to break his rib.

March 8, 2007

Poker for fun

Posted on 03/08/2007 in English cricket

Cricketers are not afforded, for want of a better word, the same wages as footballers. But fortunately for their wives and girlfriends, they don't spend as much on gambling either. Following recent reports of a culture of gambling pervading team morale at West Ham, the Daily Mail have conducted their own investigation into the ruinous evils of poker games in the England (cricket) team.

The six poker-school regulars are batting coach Matt Maynard, who has supplied the cards and the counters, plus Michael Vaughan, Freddie Flintoff, Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood and Jon Lewis.

An England spokesman said: "The money involved is minimal. We regard it as a good relaxing way for the players to spend time bonding together out of their rooms. I don’t think anyone’s going to be too upset at being $10 down after a fun evening."

Instant dismissal for New Zealand body-slam

Posted on 03/08/2007 in World Cup 2007

In her blog Monique Devereux wonders whether New Zealand’s body-slamming wicket celebrations were behind the shock warm-up loss to Bangladesh.

If it isn't done properly it can upset the metaphysics of proceedings and I fear this is what happened yesterday. Ungainly liftoffs, bad connections, wonky landings ... it can just lead to trouble and surprise losses.

Andre Adams is also in trouble after getting a one-match ban for shaking a batsman’s helmet during a provincial game. The Press’ Geoff Longley writes it may affect his chances of going to the West Indies if Mark Gillespie is ruled out.

Lack of spin a worry for Australia

Posted on 03/08/2007 in World Cup 2007

Jon Pierik, writing in the Herald Sun, worries about Australia’s lack of quality spin options during a tournament where the pitches are expected to offer turn.

The two top-ranked sides lack a match-winning spinner, with Australia relying on left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg while the Proteas will forge ahead with an all-pace attack.

AAP reports Viv Richards saying Australia do not have the ability to hit back after losing to England and New Zealand last month.

March 7, 2007

‘Sluggo’ leaves a big early mark

Posted on 03/07/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Dwayne Leverock has already earned a large reputation © Getty Images

Bermuda’s Dwayne ‘Sluggo’ Leverock, a heavy-set full-time policeman, is the first celebrity of the World Cup after his performance against England. His story is covered in the Sydney Morning Herald, the Courier-Mail and The Australian.

Damien Fleming says Shaun Tait should be let loose during the death overs in the West Indies.

"Just unleash him on the opposition batsmen and if there's any reverse swing, even better for him," Fleming said in the Herald Sun. "He has to bowl at the death. He has a great yorker. With no Brett Lee so much hinges on Tait's performance."

The Age reports scientific evidence showing how much energy is needed to make a Test century.

March 6, 2007

The Badger is mad for it

Posted on 03/06/2007 in World Cup 2007

As a potential England wicketkeeper, Paul Nixon has been there or thereabouts for several years, but now - at the age of 36 - he is finally fully integrated into the team and eagerly awaiting his first World Cup. The Guardian's Donald McRae caught up with him.

The Badger, of course, is mad for it. He is yapping and yearning and simply gagging for it. In fact the Badger looks almost beside himself with excitement. "I'm living the dream," he chortles. "I'm that proud and amazed. After all these years I'm about to play for England in a tournament that will be watched by millions around the world. It's awesome."

NZ promise World Cup roller coaster ride

Posted on 03/06/2007 in World Cup 2007

	'An unprecedented whitewash of the undermanned Aussies provided the ideal springboard for the Caribbean' © Getty Images

In The New Zealand Herald, Chris Barclay singles out two one-day innings from New Zealand's summer that promise to elicit much of the national side's contrasting emotions during the World Cup.

In the same publication, Barclay states that Eden Park could not have provided a more appropriate launching pad for New Zealand's departure to the cricket World Cup.

The irony was certainly not lost on Craig McMillan as he sat gazing down on the oddly configured arena.After all it was where his international career and the Black Caps' World Cup prospects appeared to realign on February 18. This summer Eden Park has encapsulated all that was captivating and cringeworthy about the Black Caps.

March 5, 2007

Waugh words give Hodge hope

Posted on 03/05/2007 in World Cup 2007

Brad Hodge speaks in the Herald Sun about how a chat with Steve Waugh lifted him ahead of his first World Cup.

"We talked about cricket, talked about the Caribbean and conditions. He just said these wickets would suit me. That's a good level of confidence I can take."

In The Age Rohit Brijnath looks at Greg Chappell’s balancing act when it comes to Australia.

The Sydney Morning Herald online site mocks some baby merchandise sanctioned by Cricket Australia.

South Africa try to lose choker tag

Posted on 03/05/2007 in World Cup 2007

Mickey Arthur, the coach, laughs off Shane Warne’s comments about South Africa being chokers, but Allan Donald says he’s worried about his team in the crucial moments.

"In big games Australia are well ahead of South Africa," Donald said in the Daily Telegraph. "I think a big part of that is because on numerous occasions we just couldn't finish it off in the big time.”

March 4, 2007

The power and the glory

Posted on 03/04/2007 in World Cup 2007

	© Getty Images

On the eve of cricket's ninth World Cup, the first in the Caribbean, Vic Marks recalls the West Indies' heyday, while Viv Richards, Trevor McDonald, Brian Lara and others explain what the game means to the islands.

Recent West Indies sides have been burdened by the brilliance of their predecessors. And their current players have often seemed more concerned with the trappings of international cricket than ensuring that they are good enough to play it. Now they have the chance to redress the balance in the Caribbean, where the cricket culture that we all treasure needs bolstering.

Australia spring a leak

Posted on 03/04/2007 in World Cup 2007

	John Buchanan's techniques have often been out of the ordinary © Getty Images

Will Swanton writes in the Sun-Herald that John Buchanan has given a strong indication that leaking documents about Australia’s plans for opposition teams has been a successful mind-game during his reign as coach.

"Let's not dwell on that too much because it might be something we do again," Buchanan said when asked whether sensitive material that had been leaked, most recently in Adelaide, England and New Zealand, had all been accidents. "It can be good to get certain thoughts out there - and there are various ways that can be done."

Buchanan goes on to say that lamenting Australia's lack of real competition achieved the desired result despite the consecutive series losses that followed: it exposed Australia's weaknesses before the World Cup.

In The Sunday Age, Chloe Saltau continues a series of profiles on World Cup teams with a look at Steve Tikolo’s Kenya outfit.

March 3, 2007

Plane crashes near Australia training session

Posted on 03/03/2007 in World Cup 2007

A small plane has crashed 200 metres from where Australia were training at the Arnos Vale sports ground in St Vincent on Saturday.

Reuters reported that the single-propeller aircraft appeared to lose control in strong winds before crashing into a small river. The pilot and three passengers all emerged from the plane.

England must play power game

Posted on 03/03/2007 in World Cup 2007

Derek Pringle, writing in the Telegraph, believes that with so many new stadiums and pitches in the Caribbean, bottom-handed batsmen and quick thinkers can prosper.

The talk from within the camp is that the length of the tournament, a tortuous eight weeks, means it is important to peak at the right time. That is nonsense, and with teams taking points from the group stage through to the Super Eights, every game is vital. Indeed, England's opening match with New Zealand on March 16 will be hugely important, the winner enjoying an advantage come the second stage.

Liam Plunkett wants to win the World Cup for his ill dad.

'About nine or 10 years ago my dad had a liver transplant, but now there's a complication with his kidney and he's waiting for dialysis. He won't be able to travel to the West Indies, which is sad because it's a big thing for a father to watch his son playing for his country at the World Cup. Everything I am as a cricketer is down to my dad. He was a decent fast bowler for Marske (in the North Yorkshire South Durham League) in his day, so there must be something in the genes. But he's also my strength, a real driving force, and I wish he could be in the Caribbean because we've got a chance to pull off something special."

Farewell to the champions

Posted on 03/03/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Glenn McGrath has announced the World Cup will be his farewell and other stars could yet follow © Getty Images

The World Cup will be the end of an era, according to Robert Craddock in The Courier-Mail. He says the future might be bleak for a while after what will probably be the World Cup swansongs for stars like Glenn McGrath, Brian Lara, Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jayasuriya, Sachin Tendulkar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Sourav Ganguly, Matthew Hayden and Shaun Pollock.

Cricket is about to lose a generation of blue-bloods who have underpinned its success for the past decade. Yet there is no expectation that the generation of players below them will soar to the same stellar standards. The game is short of new stars.

Peter Wilson writes in The Australian about lingering concerns for tourists attending the World Cup.

Jamaica's new airport is not finished, the new Sabina Park stadium has been bogged down with construction delays and millions of dollars of promised beautification works never happened. There has been a malaria outbreak in the western suburbs of its capital Kingston, gang violence has killed more than 100 people in the past two months, and farmers have warned that a drought has left them struggling to provide enough food for the visitors. This week an earthquake even struck the islands.

In The Advertiser, Darren Lehmann also airs his concerns about the tournament.

March 2, 2007

Macca goes for knockout punch

Posted on 03/02/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Craig McMillan rises from the ashes © Getty Images

Craig McMillan's career has had many highs and lows and fortunately for New Zealand, he has peaked at the right time. His blazing form in the Chappell-Hadlee series and in the CB Series prior to that overshadowed the personal lows during his time away from the side, when he lost his contract and was declined a sales job with a clothing company. The only time he made the headlines was when he entered the New Zealand poker championships.

McMillan is clear about his batting role, his head space appears good and one senses that he feels valued after cracking the fastest one-day century on that crazy night in Hamilton.

"I head into this cup a lot more settled than ever before. I know what they want from me and I know how and where I'm going to bat," he said.

Read the full piece by Jonathan Millmow in Stuff.co.nz

March 1, 2007

No room for Hick, Thorpe or Lamb

Posted on 03/01/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Paul Collingwood England captain? © Getty Images

With the World Cup on the horizon it's the season for selecting one-day teams of varying sorts. The Australians have recently named their all-time XI - with no room for Allan Border - and now Mike Selvey, in The Guardian, has named his England version. There are a few surprises. No space for the likes of Graeme Hick, Allan Lamb or Nick Knight on the batting front and no Bob Willis with the ball. But his final XI looks a pretty decent side. Read the reasonings here.

Players, I believe, would have adjusted accordingly to the current demands, although I am sacrificing some agility for other quality skills. It is not the niftiest fielding side. Anyway five front-line batsmen first: Graham Gooch, Marcus Trescothick, David Gower, Pietersen and Collingwood. No room for Nick Knight, a brilliant opener and fielder, the powerful Graeme Hick nor Graham Thorpe, Neil Fairbrother or Allan Lamb, superb pacers of an innings all. Collingwood's supreme fielding and improving bowling get him in.

February 26, 2007

Barbados to Berkshire (and back again)

Posted on 02/26/2007 in West Indies cricket

The BBC have an interesting chat with Leo Jones, 75, who came to England in the 1950s...and is going back to his homeland in the Caribbean to follow West Indies host the World Cup.

"This is the first time the World Cup has been played in the West Indies," he told BBC Berkshire's Louise Chandler. "If they do get another one, I won't be around. So I can't miss this one. You have to be there."

Leo grew up in cricket-mad Barbados with the sport all around him.

"My uncles used to take me to cricket to watch them play and when I was about 12 or 13, I used to pray for one of the men not to turn up - if they were one short I'd get a chance.
Computer graphic of Kensington Oval, Barbados

"Cricket was a talent God gave to me. We had no training or anything like that, you'd learn by watching the strokes the players made and trying to imitate them."

Australian goes Dutch to take on the world

Posted on 02/26/2007 in World Cup 2007

The young Dutch allrounder, Alexei Kervezee, is regarded as a serious prospect by those in the know. At 17, he already has a Worcestershire contract and 10 ODIs under his belt, although with the World Cup approaching, his biggest tests are just around the corner, as The Melbourne Age found out when it spoke to his Australian-born coach, Peter Cantrell.

Asked by his coach to outline his goals for the tournament, Kervezee, who is known as Rowdy because he doesn't say much, did so by email. He began his letter by stating his primary goal, which was team-orientated: "At LEAST make it through to the second round, all we need to do is beat Scotland and either beat Australia or South Africa and we are through."

February 25, 2007

Vaughan battles the doubts

Posted on 02/25/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Another comeback attempt for Michael Vaughan © Getty Images

Who's the current England captain? It could be a quiz question, but the answer is still Michael Vaughan. It has been been throughout the temporary spells of Andrew Flintoff and Andrew Strauss, but such has been Vaughan's list of injuries that he's hardly been seen on the field. He managed a handful of matches in Australia before limping home, but is now gearing up for his latest return on the biggest stage of them all - the World Cup. In an interview with Brian Viner at Lord's for The Independent on Sunday he talks about his battle for fitness, the doubts and his belief he can make his mark.

Around last August or September when the knee didn't seem to be progressing, I'd just been told that I was out of the Ashes series, and someone else told me that I might not play again, that was a real low moment. And a few weeks ago when this [latest injury to his left hamstring] happened, I admit I questioned whether it was all worth it. I thought maybe someone somewhere was trying to tell me to do something else.

In The Sunday Times, David Walsh meets another of England's senior figures, but one who has only just made his way into the team. At 36, Paul Nixon was a shock selection for the CB Series but his mixture of experience and verbals played their part in the tournament victory. But he's still pinching himself that next it's the World Cup.

England, of course, needed more from Nixon. Could he get under the skin of the Aussies: be the mosquito around their heads, always buzzing but never swatted? Once he got within talking distance of them, he was in his element. “I am not a sledger, I don’t do that. All I do is drip-feed negativity into a man’s brains. Whether you use physical stuff or technical stuff, you play with their minds.”

February 23, 2007

Black Caps won, because they thought they could

Posted on 02/23/2007 in World Cup 2007

Harsha Bhogle, writing in the Indian Express, feels that Australia might bounce back strongly at the World Cup.

Australia have been a great side not just because they were the best but because they were also the toughest. The second of those qualities will now be tested. It will be folly to put them out of even your smallest short-list, for the opposition to assume that the wounds are too deep.

February 21, 2007

Hussey tips World Cup scores of 400

Posted on 02/21/2007 in World Cup 2007

Michael Hussey believes scores of up to 400 could be needed to win the World Cup, writes Iain Payten in the Daily Telegraph.

"Maybe you look at scores of 340 on those grounds," Hussey says. "They are very small, the pitch is flat and with a fast outfield maybe 370, 380 or even 400 is a more realistic score. Probably 340 is only worth 280 on an Australian field."

Malcolm Conn says in The Australian the current crop of bowlers cannot win the World Cup.

Jonathan Millmow describes on stuff.co.nz the chaotic scenes after the second of the enormous run-chases.

Alex Brown writes in the Sydney Morning Herald Australia’s recent poor form will not damage the prospects of more lucrative series with India.

Payten also speaks to Nathan Bracken, the only bowler in all four of Australia’s highest failed defences.

World Cup Babes XI

Posted on 02/21/2007 in World Cup 2007

It's official ... World Cup fever has begun! At least in the eyes of the British tabloids, who have been awoken from their midwinter slumber by England's upturn in fortunes (and Australia's fall from grace). So, trust the Super Soaraway Sun to put a different spin on it with their World Cup Babes XI. Featuring Australia's Holly Valance, India's Shilpa Shetty, New Zealand's Rachel Hunter ... and, err, Keeley.

February 17, 2007

Australia in crisis after suffering mortal blow

Posted on 02/17/2007 in World Cup 2007

Not six weeks after securing the first Ashes whitewash since 1921, Australia have lurched towards nothing less than a crisis of their own. They totter a single defeat away from losing their position at the top of the ICC one-day rankings and their prospects of retaining the World Cup are weaker than at any time in the past four years, writes Richard Hobson in The Times.

February 14, 2007

World Cup plans running out of time

Posted on 02/14/2007 in World Cup 2007

The Age carries a report from the Los Angeles Times saying the World Cup preparations are behind schedule.

Jamaica is not ready for its close-up. As host of the cup's opening ceremony in Trelawny on March 11 and semi-finals in late April, Jamaica is probably the most laggard of the Caribbean venues. None is said to be fully ready for the most logistically challenging and costly cricket tournament ever staged: 67 matches spread over 54 days at 12 venues.

In the Sydney Morning Herald Alex Brown reports Stuart Clark could link up with Shane Warne at Hampshire.

“The chance to play with Warney again would be fantastic," Clark said. "I have really enjoyed the few opportunities I have had to bowl with him in the past, and to get the chance to do that again would be great.”

Andrew Ramsey reports on Clark’s World Cup omission in The Australian.

February 11, 2007

Caribbean crew need the skipper

Posted on 02/11/2007 in World Cup 2007

Regardless of the injury concerns that surround him, Michael Vaughan has to be England's captain for the World Cup, writes Michael Atherton in The Sunday Telegraph, because he brings a calmness to the team that has been absent all winter.

The first thing [Vaughan] said publicly was "sorry", a message repeated by Duncan Fletcher in the aftermath of England's lowest point of the tour, the defeat in Adelaide on Australia Day. No matter that the coach had to be cajoled to do the interview in the first place, and be advised to apologise: it was good advice, well taken. It suggested that England had begun to confront their problems and that they were taking a more honest look at themselves - the first stage in any recovery, as any addict will tell you.

In the same paper, Scyld Berry writes that England's late-blooming one-day side should be selected en masse for the World Cup, when the squad is announced on Wednesday.

Whereas only a handful of players were guaranteed a place a fortnight ago, all the players involved in England's winning streak will be selected. Bouncing back after the drubbing they received in the Test series, and the first half of the one-day series, has been a commendable achievement which reflects most creditably on their team-spirit, work ethic and, not least, their coach Duncan Fletcher

January 29, 2007

England 'are shot to pieces'

Posted on 01/29/2007 in English cricket

In a remarkable broadside aimed at the England side in Australia, The Observer’s Vic Marks has made it quite clear where he stands. In a column which says it would be better for England to fail to qualify for the best-of-three finals in the CB Series, he writes:

It comes to something when, before the solitary one-day competition that really matters, we can seriously advocate the benefits of avoiding further fixtures to spare the England players further mental disintegration. Currently, so many of the team are shot to pieces. Their minds are dead. It is most evident among the batsmen. Bowlers can just about function mechanically, batsmen need a spark of life to react to the ball and the situation. No spark is visible.

And Marks goes on to slam the selection policies which have left Duncan Fletcher unsure of his side weeks ahead of the World Cup:

The desperate selections, the old men of county cricket, Paul Nixon and Mal Loye, are reminding us why they hadn't been chosen before. The call-up of Nixon, in particular, still grates. Choosing players primarily because they have a combative tongue, reflects the disarray in the camp.

Who knows who will keep wicket for England in the World Cup? Probably not David Graveney or Duncan Fletcher. Who knows who will bat or bowl? Who knows who will lead the side? Almost a year ago, Fletcher said that he had a good idea who 10 of his World Cup XI would be. He might be able to name four or five now.

October 20, 2006

Courtney Walsh in Ireland to promote World Cup

Posted on 10/20/2006 in World Cup 2007

Courtney Walsh, the former West Indies fast bowler, is in Ireland on October 31 to urge fans to support their country in next year’s World Cup in the Caribbean. Walsh is Jamaica’s official ambassador for the World Cup and will be joined on the trip by Robert Bryan, Jamaica Cricket 2007’s executive director, and David Shields, deputy director of tourism for the Jamaica Tourist Board.

“There is an incredibly strong cricket fan base in Ireland and we are very much looking forward to meeting and personally inviting people to come and party with us in Jamaica,” Shields said in a statement released today. “We are also gearing up across the entire island to ensure that accommodation at all levels, attractions and transport are ready so we can offer the warmest possible Caribbean welcome to visitors from across the globe.”

October 13, 2006

World Cup plans ahead of schedule

Posted on 10/13/2006 in World Cup 2007

"Fears that the World Cup in the West Indies next autumn will be a debacle have been laid to rest", writes Peter Roebuck in the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Far from falling behind in their preparations, the organisers are months ahead of schedule and expect to have everything in place before the end of the year.”

The Herald's blog The Tonk is running a competition for Ashes chants. Check it out here and see how England fans are sending spam to Australia's players here.

September 25, 2006

World Cup 'no' to sex workers

Posted on 09/25/2006 in World Cup 2007

The build-up to the World Cup continues to throw up issues … will the grounds be ready, will the infrastructure cope? But a row has broken out in Antigua over a proposal to license sex workers in the region in time for the tournament.

If people thought that being accosted by one of the ICC’s zealous anti-branding rottweilers was an issue, the Antigua Sun put them straight.

Under the Immigration and Passport Act, if an immigration officer suspects that a person is coming into the country to behave in the manner of a prostitute the officer has the authority to refuse entry.

Moves are being floated to recriminalise prostitution in time for the event – although surely the ICC should investigate the apparent links between cricket and sex – but Clyde Walker, Antigua’s chief immigration officer, had a serious warning that security officials had enough to cope with trying to "keep out terrorists, deportees, travelling criminals, and undesirables".

June 14, 2006

World Cup inhospitality

Posted on 06/14/2006 in World Cup 2007

President of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Berthia Parle has raised concerns that some of the regional resorts are grossly overstating the number of visitors expected during the World Cup, writes Horace Hines in The Jamaica Observer

"I don't think that everybody is going to get that. Certainly the semi-finals will be great as well as the finals, but I don't believe that everybody is going to see these kinds of numbers - not from overseas. You need to look at the Caribbean people as well. I think you are talking 40,000- 50,000 people maximum for everybody."

May 23, 2006

The great World Cup rip-off

Posted on 05/23/2006 in World Cup 2007

The Daily Telegraph highlights an issue facing visitors to the Caribbean for the 2007 World Cup – being ripped-off.

“Next year's World Cup in the Caribbean is threatening exploitation on a scale not seen in the region since pirates and colonial overlords plundered it hundreds of years ago. Hotels are the main culprits by tripling rack rates and their barefaced refusal to refund hefty deposits should any plans change.”

This is one of the reasons that many people from the UK are choosing to travel to Australia for the Ashes rather than taking in the World Cup. Another factor seems to be the continuing reluctance of the British to embrace the one-day game.

May 3, 2006

World Cup safety concerns

Posted on 05/03/2006 in World Cup 2007

A different take on the World Cup. Aroutis Foster, a reader of the Gleaner in Jamaica, has questioned the safety of tourists visiting the island for the tournament.

“As a Jamaican living and studying overseas, I am left pondering how the country could expect to get foreigners to come to Jamaica and enjoy the Cricket World Cup in 2007 and also reassure peaceful local residents that it is safe in Kingston, when there are headlines in the local newspapers talking about impending wars in communities such as Rockfort.”

The issue of crime on some of the islands is one that is of serious concern to the organizers, and is one that is unlikely to be resolved in the next ten months. As Foster points out:

“Jamaicans abroad as well as foreigners are afraid to visit Jamaica. People do not feel safe in Jamaica, especially in Kingston.”

April 24, 2006

'Run wid it again!'

Posted on 04/24/2006 in World Cup 2007

Edward Seaga, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, is shocked at the amount of money that Jamaica would have to cough up to host the World Cup.

The World Cup extravaganza is an excellent example of small countries with small resources trying to do what big countries do on the same lavish scale in order to show that we can throw a good party too ­ even if in our case there are massive crowds of poor and vulnerable people locked out at the gate and, the misery will be greater for the likely poor showing of our team.

The Jamaica Gleaner editorial offers a different view.

The arguments and counter arguments about the cost to the country of hosting a part of next year's Cricket World Cup tournament reflect a sad lack of appreciation by both the Government and the parliamentary Opposition of the real and potential economic benefits.

March 31, 2006

St Kitts and Nevis prepare for Aussies

Posted on 03/31/2006 in World Cup 2007

The small Caribbean islands of St Kitts and Nevis are preparing for the influx of Australia visitors expected for the 2007 World Cup, as reported by The Voice.

“The ICC Cricket World Cup will be a defining moment for our country," Skerritt told website windiescricket.com. “When we submitted our bid we had specifically wanted to host Australia, the world champions and that dream will soon be a reality.

February 21, 2006

Airline turns down World Cup sponsorship

Posted on 02/21/2006 in World Cup 2007

The World Cup is 12 months away from its opening ceremony, but they're still looking for an official airline sponsor. The Global Cricket Corporation (GCC) failed to entice Air Jamaica into securing a deal. More details at The Gleaner

January 5, 2006

Providence Stadium on course

Posted on 01/05/2006 in World Cup 2007

As has been mentioned elsewhere in the blogosphere, redevelopments for the construction of the Providence Stadium in Guyana are well on course for the 2007 World Cup. They have an official website, and a blog, both of which appear to be regularly updated.

October 24, 2005

China digs in for World Cup mission

Posted on 10/24/2005 in World Cup 2007

Geoffrey Dean reports on how Grenada has battled to recover from the destruction inflicted by Hurricane Ivan ...

The once billiard table-smooth playing area is now a bumpy field, grass knee-high in most places, with bushes and plants growing even taller

But now the Chinese are helping ensure that the National Stadium is ready for the World Cup ...