Ricky Ponting is used to playing in front of some massive crowds but the
low turnout at some matches in the Caribbean has left him nonplussed.
The first day of Australia's rain-interrupted match against West Indies
at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium attracted only 9000 fans, despite the
ground's capacity of 19,000.

Ponting believes if West Indies crash out during the Super Eights, the
spectator-count will diminish further. "I couldn't believe there wasn't
a full house for the West Indies-Australia game here the other day," he
told AFP. "I'm not sure what the reason was for that. But then,
if the West Indies do go out, there probably won't be much support
around the grounds at all which will be disappointing in a World Cup.

"Getting towards the latter stages there will be a lot of visitors
coming in from around the world but it would be nice if a lot of the
locals got out and supported the games as well. It would be great for
the Caribbean if the West Indies could make it through to the final
stages of the tournament."

The disappointment that Pakistan fans felt when their team was knocked
out of the World Cup has been echoed by members of Guyana's Muslim
community. Had Pakistan made it to the Super Eights they would have
played three matches in Guyana, but their place has been taken by
Ireland.

Wazim Karim, a Guyanese cricket-watcher, said Pakistan's early exit was
frustrating. "For the Muslims of Guyana, it was a big wound," he told
AFP after playing cricket outside his local mosque. "They are our
fellow Muslims and we would have got some good lessons in cricket and
Islam from Mohammad Yousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq."

Another fan, the coincidentally-named Mohamed Asif, said he had bought
50 tickets for Pakistan's three matches but tore them up as he had no
interest in watching Ireland. "Pakistan going home has kept the people
away from the stadium here," he said. "You know it takes someone to work
for one week to buy a Pakistan shirt here and we bought them in numbers,
but it proved useless and the Muslims of Guyana are disappointed for we
thought they had the discipline."

The dramatic conclusion to South Africa's one-wicket win against Sri Lanka led to confusion all round. At the man-of-the-match presentation Charl Langeveldt was handed the honour for his 5 for 39 (never mind the balls he survived at the end). But a few hours later the ICC apologised to Sri Lanka when it emerged that Lasith Malinga should have been jointly handed the award.

Fans in India and Pakistan are not the only ones complaining about their early World Cup departures. Major sponsors such as Pepsi are apparently rethinking their marketing campaigns based around the two sides, while advertisers in India have demanded cheaper television spots.

"We are sunk," Rajmohan Singh, a Delhi-based advertising executive, told AFP. "No one wants to advertise any more. Is there a World Cup going on? Where? My figures don't show that."

LG Electronics said it was reconsidering its global partnership with the ICC. "Our requirements were different when we signed up with cricket seven years ago," LG's Indian spokesman, Girish Rao, said. "Today, we have lot of visibility being the No. 2 brand in the Indian market. But a final decision will be taken by our parent company."

Sony Entertainment Television, which is broadcasting the tournament into India, said it was struggling to keep its advertisers. "It is a commercial contract and has to be honoured," Naresh Chahal, an official with the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, said. "When India reached the final in 2003, did Sony ask advertisers to pay a higher amount on sealed deals?"

Statistics might soon suggest Glenn McGrath has been the best bowler in World Cup history but Brian Lara, a well-qualified judge, does not agree. McGrath claimed 3 for 31 against West Indies on Wednesday to take his World Cup tally to 54 wickets – one short of Wasim Akram’s mark – from four campaigns.

Should McGrath break the record in the next game he will have hit the mark from 33 matches – three fewer than it took Akram to reach 55 dismissals. Lara, however, knows who he would rather take guard against. "For me over my 15 or 16 years of playing international cricket, Tests and one-day internationals, Wasim Akram is definitely the most outstanding bowler I've ever faced," he told AFP.

"If you play a number of World Cup matches - McGrath has been to the final in the last three World Cups, 1996, 1999 and 2003 - that means he has played a lot of games. But it doesn't take away from the fact he is an outstanding fast bowler and he deserves to be up there with the very best."

Over 2 million Bangladeshis have signed a 70-foot-long cricket bat wishing their team good luck in the World Cup. "We hope more people would be interested to sign the bat after Bangladesh qualified for the Super Eights," Shafiqul Islam, a brand manager of Akiz Group, told Reuters.

"It is the biggest bat in the world and we hope it will have a place in the Guinness Book of World Records".

	'Who will make me sit on the donkey?' © AFP

Poor Younis Khan. After all he and his team-mates endured in the Caribbean, the last thing he needed was a rude reception at Karachi airport. But that's exactly what he got, with a throng of fans and journalists barracking him. "He has brought disgrace to the country," said one fan, Mohammed Ahsan, "and he should stop playing cricket for Pakistan."

Younis was the second Pakistani to arrive home after Mohammad Yousuf, who somehow evaded the media swarm. Not Younis. "Bring a donkey for him and ask him to sit on it and roam him around the city," said Rana Majid. "Who will make me sit on the donkey?" Younis responded before creeping into a waiting vehicle by some relatives.

"Such things do happen in cricket, so why are you all so angry?" said one of the relatives. The car then sped off.

	Lasith Malinga has the best locks © Getty Images

It's not just cricket fans in India who are mourning the team's World Cup demise, AFP reports. The country's army of backstreet barbers and high-class salon stylists are also in a state of shock after seeing a lucrative sideline dry up as soon as Rahul Dravid's men made their early exit in the Caribbean.

Some people opted for a style in the manner of the wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni while others were much more outrageous. "I have had a cut showing India's map, Ganguly batting, a bat and ball and a pitch with two stumps," Bhola Sardar, a Mumbai fan, said before India were knocked out.

With India gone, it's Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga's turn in the spotlight with his bleached-blond hairstyle proving as photo-friendly as his curious low-slung round-arm action.

	Here, you can use this © AFP

A statement issued by the national security ministry said the prisoners fought off guards who wanted to search a prison cell.

“The prisoners were eventually subdued and the search of the cell was conducted resulting in a small quantity of marijuana being seized,” the statement said. “About 7.30am [local time] on Saturday, prisoners escaped into the yard by using furniture in their cell to break down the door. Prison authorities requested assistance of security forces."

With the help of the CARICOM Joint Task Force the situation was brought under control but not before several prisoners and an officer were injured. A crowd of 8000 entered Warner Park a short while later for the match.

Matthew Hayden's century against South Africa was so convincing it swayed the people of St Kitts to make him one of their own. Hayden not only left the ground as the fastest scorer of a World Cup hundred, but he was also granted honorary St Kitts citizenship and a life membership of the Royal St Kitts Golf Club.

Hayden's stay on the island lasted one more night as Australia left for Antigua to prepare for the first Super Eight match against West Indies on Tuesday. However, it was a memorable visit after he thrashed to three figures off only 66 balls. Herschelle Gibbs was also given citizenship by the country's prime minister after the game for his six sixes in an over against The Netherlands.

"It is a tremendous honour," Hayden said in The Australian. "We have really enjoyed our stay here. It is a bit of a bonus."

The ICC are keeping a stern eye on ambush marketing, according to charlierandallcricket.com – not the brand of crisps spectators eat, but almost down to that sort of level. A high-ranking ICC officer walked into the VIP bar at Beausejour in St Lucia and ordered, through habit, a rum and Coke before the enormity of his decision became apparent. Horror! The order was changed immediately to avert a crisis. It should have been “rum and Pepsi”.

Darren Gough has come out in support of the England players at the centre of Booze-gate. “I’m not going to criticise Feddie Flintoff,” he says. “Going for a drink with your team-mates is one of the realeas which allow you to cope with life on the road.” He does, however, concede that the timing of events was not spectacular.

But he believes, like Ian Botham, that the biggest mistake England made was actually getting caught. And he has these words of advice for the side: “They were wrong to go out in public, where fans who have paid thousands of pounds to travel to the Caribbean were understandably upset to see players out on the town. Next time they will probably stick to the hotel bar.” So that’s all right, then.

Just to further explode any myth, he added: “If you think cricketers retire to their rooms at 9pm with a cup or cocoa you’re on another planet.”

Allan Donald fears Glenn McGrath’s international bow could be ruined by batsmen who are no longer mesmerised by his reputation. South Africa and Australia have been sparring in the lead-up to Saturday’s game at St Kitts and Donald higlighted McGrath’s one-day performances over the past couple of months.

"It's not often batters line McGrath up, but he has been taken to,” Donald said in the Courier-Mail. “Teams will target him. No doubt they know it's his last World Cup and they will come hard at him."

Donald’s final World Cup in 2003 ended badly and he hopes McGrath hasn’t gone one tournament too far. “You don’t want to finish your career going out in the worst possible fashion,” he said. “What will take the pressure off him is that it’s not in Australia.”

Andrew Symonds has been keeping himself busy while recovering from his biceps injury, but not just by training and lounging at the team hotel. Symonds and Michael Hussey spent a day visiting a Teen Mother Centre in St Kitts, where they saw the challenges faced by single mums who returned to finish their education.

Symonds was impressed by the dedication shown by the locals. One woman even went on to study law. "We seem to live a fairly cushy life," he told AAP. "We don't see a great deal of hardship. It's very sobering to see other things that actually go on.

"You hear about these things but actually coming and seeing them and experiencing it, I think it's much-needed. It's good for your own humanity.” The visit was for the Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS campaign run in part by UNICEF and UNAIDS.

Australia have been cut to 7/4 to win the World Cup, and Ladbrokes admitted they lost money from Ireland’s upset win over Pakistan in Jamaica. Spokesman Robin Hutchison told charlierandallcricket: "We hardly took a penny on Ireland before the game, as the punters didn't think they had a prayer. But as it progressed confidence grew and we ended up losing a pretty penny.” The Irish were 8/1 to win before the match, but were backed extensively in play, including a bet of £12,000 at 5/6.

A Frenchman has been fined and sent back to France after pleading guilty to attempting to sell World Cup tickets illegally in St Lucia. He was arrested by police outside the Beausejour Stadium before the England versus New Zealand group match last Friday, and a search of his hotel room revealed a stock of more than 200 tickets for various matches in the tournament. He was fined more than £800 at Gros Islet magistrates court and deported. Ernest Hilaire, the local World Cup director, told charlierandallcricket. “He was here not because he liked cricket, but because he was a professional ticket tout."

Shaun Tait might be the baby of Australia's squad, but until he joined a Caribbean cruise it had been a long time since he’d embraced the foetal position. Tait, who has three wickets in his first two World Cup games, experienced “four hours of hell” in the choppy waters off St Kitts instead of a day of peaceful R&R.

"I spewed up about 15 times,” Tait, 24, told AAP. “There was a fair bit of vomit and what-not, so I'm not quite 100% today.

“I spent four hours in the foetal position, basically. It was a nightmare. I don't think I will be heading out again for the rest of my life." After Andrew Flintoff’s problems with England, boat rides might be next on touring teams’ banned lists.

	Catch me if you can: Malachi Jones celebrates his wicket © Getty Images

Jones, the third youngest player to feature in the World Cup, claimed the scalp of the India opener Robin Uthappa with his opening ball at the Queen's Park Oval on Monday. Dwayne Leverock, all 255 pounds (116kg) of him, dived to his right to pouch the chance.

Jones said: "I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I just tried to get my line and length. But I couldn't believe getting a wicket with my first ball."

Jones's mother and grandmother were at the ground to witness his big moment. "I was up all last night and couldn't sleep because all I wanted was to see Malachi to do something special," his grandmother Winnie told the Bermuda Royal Gazette. "But I never expected he would do anything like this. I am so proud of Malachi and this has certainly made my vacation."

	The two big hitters meet in St Kitts © Getty Images

Two men who know the feeling of hitting six sixes in an over have swapped tales of their feats. Herschelle Gibbs, who achieved the mark against The Netherlands on Friday, and Garry Sobers met in St Kitts on Monday for the handover of a US$1million cheque to the Habitat for Humanity.

Gibbs earned the money for the charity after attacking the legspinner Daan van Bunge to become the first to record the milestone in an ODI. Sobers said there was no pressure on him when he did the same to Malcolm Nash in a first-class game for Glamorgan in 1968.

“We wanted some quick runs in that match,” Sobers told AFP. “I decided to [hit six sixes] after the fifth ball which was a doubt but the umpire cleared it as six. Gibbs created history in a different arena. The World Cup is a different category.”

The donation from Johnnie Walker will go towards constructing 70 houses for homeless people in Trinidad. "It's a huge privilege to have helped a noble cause,” Gibbs said. “I am satisfied to give smiles to people."

	Protestors burn a poster of Mahendra Singh Dhoni outside his home in Ranchi © Getty Images

Similar protests were reported in Ahmedabad, where irate fans were out on the streets. They burned effigies of Rahul Dravid and screamed slogans against out-of-form batsman Virender Sehwag. "They have betrayed the faith of the entire nation," the fans chanted.

Ireland’s unpredicted success means the offspinner Kyle McCallan will have to make a special request for more time off school. The minnows are almost assured of another four weeks in the Caribbean after beating Pakistan and McCallan, a Belfast physical education teacher, is about to contact the headmistress.

"Personally I'm due to go back on April 1 and will have to ring and ask her to give me another few weeks off," McCallan told the BBC. "But it's great prestige for the school where I work and for the rest of the employers.”

McCallan is not satisfied with the team’s amazing opening, which includes a tie with Zimbabwe, and wants to add West Indies to the list of victims on Friday. "I'll be honest and say we did think we could do this,” he said. “Coach Adrian Birrell has instilled a sense of belief that we're capable of creating an upset."

After Canada’s second defeat in the tournament John Davison has called on the country’s organisation to become more professional. "The most important thing for Canadian cricket is that we get some sort of infrastructure in place," Davison told AFP.

"The Canadian Cricket Association doesn't have anyone who is employed by the association. It's basically done on a voluntary basis. If we want to compete at this level we are going to have to be semi-professional at least, if not professional."

Canada, who have one full-time player in Geoff Barnett, lost to England by 51 runs in an improved performance on Sunday. The fork-lift driver Sunil Dhaniram ensured some more fame for obscure left-arm spinners, following in the big footsteps of Bermuda’s Dwayne Leverock, by taking 3 for 41, including Kevin Pietersen.

A government ban on public gatherings was quickly forgotten in Bangladesh as
thousands of jubilant fans partied into the night after their shock World
Cup victory over India, according to AFP. Supporters roared and waved
flags on the Dhaka University campus and elsewhere in the capital to
celebrate.

"We will be the world champions," the student Harunur Rashid said. "The days
of shame are over. It's time to show what our boys can do."

An impromptu party in the heart of the Bangladesh capital defied the interim
government's ban on all marches and processions. "It's a rare day in our
cricket history," the student Rajib Ahsan said. "So who cares if there is a
ban on processions? Even the police officers watched the matches and they
also celebrated this great victory."

**

Ponting looks ahead to Super Eights

Australia have played only one game in the tournament, but they are already
worried about the new Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, which will
host three of their Super Eight games. John Buchanan says the pitches and
conditions in the West Indies are the "wildcards" and Ricky Ponting is
unsure what they will be like if they progress to the next stage.

"We don't know what we're going to get in Antigua, with the new stadium
we're playing on down there," Ponting said in The Age. "There's no
doubt if they are subcontinental-type wickets like we had in St Vincent [for
the warm-up games], the spinners are going to play a huge part."

Australia and South Africa, the group A heavyweights, have had few troubles
in St Kitts so far. Both recorded huge wins over Scotland and The
Netherlands in their first games on the tiny Warner Park.

	'Blue promotes flights of fancy' © AFP

“The yellow colour of Australian team activates joy, gives intuitional insight of opponents' weakness and is a colour of destructive decimation. Looking at the colour yellow for more than a minute can cause physiological disturbances to opponents, whereas it helps Australia to activate the motor nerves and generates energy for the muscles. It also drives away exhaustion and arthritis.”

It further advices that since India cannot change their team colours they should at least wear orange during practice as it has an antispasmodic effect on muscle cramps.

But what is going to be an intriguing encounter next is India’s clash against Sri Lanka on March 23 as it turns out that Sri Lanka too wear the wrong colour – a blue which gives the side aggression and a never-say-die attitude, but lacks consistency.

India may not be doing marvellously well at the World Cup but there are fans who want to watch the cricket without any interruptions... even marital ones. Indiatimes reported the story of Ajit Padwal, who decided to postpone his wedding so that he wouldn't miss any of the action in the West Indies. Padwal, 35, got his wedding pushed back from April 21 to April 30 as the World Cup final is scheduled for April 28. He had a tough time getting his parents and in-laws to agree. Happily, though, his fiancee Rohini was more of a sport; Padwal and her brother are crazy cricket lovers. Game on, then!

Alexei Kervezee, the 17-year-old batsman from Netherlands, is so young he says he could call Glenn McGrath “Dad”. However, McGrath is not the man Kervezee wants to meet when he plays Australia on Sunday. Ricky Ponting is his hero and he is desperate to swap shirts at the end of the game.

Kervezee says he is not worried by the challenge of facing the defending world champions. "I get anxious but I don't get too fazed about things,” he said in The Australian. "Shaun Tait will be among the quickest I have faced. But I spoke to the Scottish batsmen and they said Lasith Malinga from Sri Lanka is quicker than Tait. I have faced Malinga and he has decent wheels and bowls around 150km/h so that was good to know."

Ireland's tie with Zimbabwe involved three Australians - Trent Johnston, Jeremy Bray and Dave Langford-Smith. But what ties them to Irish cricket? Three Irish girls - Vanessa, Geraldine and Maebh - it seems.

Johnston met Vanessa when he was playing club cricket in Leinster but they then moved back to Sydney. However, the couple returned to Ireland where Johnston found he could get an Irish passport through marriage. "Ireland is home now. I love the lifestyle - the weather's different but the people are just as laid back," Johnston told the Sunday Tribune.

Bray played for New South Wales but went to Ireland when girlfriend, Geraldine, returned to care for her seriously ill father. Langford-Smith arrived in Ireland for Bray's wedding and met Maebh. "We went home for our honeymoon in December 2005 and after a few weeks I started to feel homesick - for Ireland," said Langford-Smith.

Ireland's spectacular tie with Zimbabwe has created some ripples in the otherwise cricket-disinterested Irish media.
According to RTE state radio the game has finally arrived as taxi drivers are discussing Ireland's progress at the World Cup.

"The great Irish trait of never giving in earned the cricketers a stunning tie," said the Irish Independent, "It sparked scenes of jubilation both on and off the field." The match, it added, was Ireland's finest cricketing day.

"Unbelievable. No other way to put it. Ireland's cricketer's came back from the dead to tie their first ever World Cup game," gushed the Irish Times. According to the newspaper while most people in Ireland hadn't known, prior to the match, that the country had a cricket team, Ireland in fact has 18,000 registered players and officials.

Australia and South Africa might be staying in the same St Kitts hotel, but don’t expect the fierce rivals to share breakfast. The verbal barbs over choking have not been flying during meal times as the teams’ food rooms are 30 metres apart.

The squads arrived in St Kitts on the same flight from the opening ceremony, with Ricky Ponting placed next to South Africa’s coach Mickey Arthur, and they will stay in the hotel throughout the group phase. There is no way of escaping meetings in lifts and the lobby before their crucial game on March 24, but Graeme Smith is not bothered by the sleeping and eating arrangments.

"It hasn't been a problem running into them,” Smith said in The Australian. “Relationships are good and we are pretty mature about it. The hotel is pretty big."

Pakistan's bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, the former legspinner, was taken to hospital with a suspected broken nose. Mushtaq was hurt during fielding practice when he was hit by a throw. "He is in hospital and we are waiting for X-ray reports," Pervez Mir, the Pakistan media manager, told AFP.

Scotland might have been whacked by Australia in their game on Thursday but the team received some colouful support from the stands. The cricketer's girlfriends delighted the crowd by turning up at the Warner Park ground in blue and white swim tops.

To say that cricket is merely popular in Bangladesh would be an understatement. Akiz Group, a Bangladesh-based company, claims that it has built the world’s biggest bat, big enough to gather at least one million signatures from fans across the country to inspire the national team. The bat, 70-foot (22-metre) long and eight-foot wide, began its journey on Wednesday in Rangpur in the north, and will continue till the southern city of Cox’s Bazar. A company official told AFP that that the bat was bigger than one made to inspire India in the 2003 World Cup. With a bat so massive, the players might just spot it somewhere in the horizon when they take guard at the Queens Park Oval on Saturday.

Not many World Cup teams can boast a link to Sherlock Holmes, AFP reports. The Dutch can and they'll need all the sleuth's deductive skills if they are to unravel the world No. 1 South Africa in their opening World Cup match on Friday. Holmes' creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was an avid cricketer and was part of the first team to tour The Netherlands in 1891.

The writer went on to play ten matches for MCC, eight of them at Lord's. He took only one wicket in his career but it was memorable - WG Grace for 110.

The first club in the Netherlands was formed in Utrecht by students from both The Netherlands and the Cape Colony in 1856. Despite those historic social and political links with their opponents, the Dutch will find it hard going to stop the South Africans.

Jonty Rhodes apparently burst out laughing when told Glenn McGrath still thinks South Africa can’t handle pressure. Rhodes, an assistant coach who played in four World Cups, says it’s best never to believe anything McGrath says.

"There would have been pressure on us anyway,” Rhodes told the Sydney Morning Herald. “We've been a top side in the last year. Every one of the top sides will be playing under pressure, whether they're No. 1 or six.”

Rhodes said McGrath was “being very clever”, but revealed Pollock, Gibbs, Kallis and Boucher had spoken about the near-misses of 1999 and 2003. "They were asked the question the other day in a team meeting, and they were all looking forward to putting what they have learnt in the last World Cups into practice,” he said. “It's not a case of, 'Here's another World Cup, we're damaged property'."

England's major injury worry ahead of their World Cup opener against New Zealand is James Anderson, but two other key players were in the wars during the team's training session in St Lucia on Wednesday. Paul Collingwood was stung by a bee and in the process of trying to waft it away knocked the insect towards Liam Plunkett who was also stung. However, neither player was sent for scan or x-ray.

A business solutions company in Mumbai has devised a computer model that forecasts cricket scores with apparently astounding success.

Fractal Analysis, a company that specialises in predictive analysis of customer behaviour for credit card companies, predicted a West Indies win in their opening match against Pakistan. In fact the computer model also predicted the exact scores of the two captains - Inzamam-ul-Haq and Brian Lara. "I can tell you the whole team in the office was jumping with joy last night when Lara got out for 37 and Inzamam for 36," Mukesh Badania, a consultant with the company told AFP.

The model is based on the theory that the outcome of every game and the performance of every player depends, to a degree, on what the player or the team has done in the past. To predict which team will win a particular match, the statistics of all one-day internationals played since 1996 are looked at to identify factors that have the maximum impact on the outcome of the match. Factors found to be relevant include the relative forms of the teams, their recent past record and their performances against each other.

"We started this a few months back and found that the predictions actually came out true," Badania added.

So who will win the World Cup? Keep yer hair on. It's too soon to tell it seems.

	Dwayne Leverock will bowl in Bermuda's first World Cup game on Thursday © AFP

Allison Leverock, the mother of Bermuda’s 120kg bowler Dwayne, wants the world to stop teasing her boy and focus on his spin instead of his size. Dwayne ‘Sluggo’ Leverock picked up two warm-up wickets against England and a wide load of headlines, including 'Bermuda Pie-angle', 'Lard Before Wicket' and 'Owzfat'.

His mum is not pleased and wants everyone to know he’s shed quite a few kilos to play for Bermuda, who face Sri Lanka on Thursday in their first World Cup game. “I have been angry about it,” she said in Bermuda’s Royal Gazette. “Some of them have been very cruel.

“They had a reference to Eddie Murphy's Nutty Professor. I don't think that's necessary. People see his size now. They probably don't know he's worked hard to lose a lot of weight. He was over 300 pounds at one point.”

Allison said the big genes are in both sides of the family. "He's my hero,” she said. “He was anyway. Now he's everyone's hero. I'm keeping all the papers for him and doing up a scrapbook."

As a bowler Glenn McGrath has been excellent at figuratively keeping his hand around batsmen’s throats. Now he is already looking ahead to the side’s third group game against past chokers South Africa, an outfit he believes “doesn't handle pressure as well as Australia”.

“The fact that they are ranked No. 1 means a lot more pressure to hold that position and we'll see what happens," McGrath told AFP. "I wouldn't say they are chokers but the World Cup is the big scene and we are ready for them."

The tag makes Graeme Smith laugh, but Allan Donald and Allan Border believe there are still doubts following South Africa’s string of high-profile World Cup exits.

Ricky Ponting has obviously not noticed how rival teams have been buoyed by Australia’s five-match ODI losing streak. The rest of the World – particularly Sunil Gavaskar – has celebrated Australia’s slump and some squads genuinely believe the defending champions are ready to be dethroned.

Ponting is not convinced and still thinks Australia’s recently mis-firing weapons will scare any opponent. “All the players from other teams would be fearing us more than anybody else, and hopefully through the tournament we’ll be giving teams reason to fear us,” Ponting said in the Courier-Mail. He might be right about Scotland, who Australia play in St Kitts on Wednesday, but New Zealand, South Africa and England have successfully worn away Australia’s aura over the past year.

Glenn Rogers, the Scotland spinner who was born in Australia, was stricken by typhoid in Kenya less than six weeks ago. He feared he would miss the World Cup and the chance to play against his country of birth. However, a course of tablets on his return to Scotland has done the trick and he is set to play against Australia in St Kitts on Wednesday. Read the full report on Fox Sports.

Before they could think of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bermuda, India had to contend with another obstacle: their team bus shut down last evening on the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway in the vicinity of El Socorro Junction. Kern De Freitas has all the details in the Trinidad & Tobago Express

There was some drama at St Lucia as the England and New Zealand teams snubbed an official welcome hosted by St Lucia's Governor-General last night.

Meanwhile Scotland's Majid Haq is all geed up ahead of the Australia clash on March 13.

It's 11 against 11 - if we can bowl and bat to our plans and put them under pressure we've got a chance of causing a shock. We can't afford to take any backward steps. Too many teams in the past have been beaten before going out on the park, but we aren't taking on their reputations.

Also, John Westerby from The Times finds out how love in a cold climate is making Scotland stronger.

	Raise your arms if you can make it to the Windies © Getty Images

Even the number of fans who wish to travel to the West Indies has dropped from the last time around when South Africa hosted the World Cup. Travel agent Raja Hoon said that the cost of travelling to the Caribbean, especially the cost of staying at hotels - charging between US$500-800 a night - had forced many people to rethink their plans. The travel industry, he said, had been forced to drop rates because of that. "There were at least 50,000 Indians who travelled to South Africa for the 2003 World Cup," Hoon. "We will be happy if 5000 make it this time. People are still waiting to see how India fares in the second round before making up their minds." Hoon, however, conceded that all that could change if India reached the semi-finals. "I am not a cricket fanatic to pray for our team, but this time I will be saying a few prayers."

Scotland have a couple of Australians in their squad and one of them has offered some selection suggestions for the opening game. Glenn Rogers, a left-arm spinner who was a Brisbane grade player, reckons the defending champions will need to pick Brad Hogg at Warner Park in St Kitts on Wednesday.

Australia have a pace-heavy outfit and Hogg is vulnerable whenever they run into a surface suiting the fast men, although most of the pitches so far have helped the slow bowlers. "From what I understand it's a pretty flat wicket and a small ground so there should be lots of runs,” Rogers told AAP. "I think they probably need to play ‘Hoggy’. You need that variety."

Paul Hoffmann, the Scotland fast bowler, is another Queenslander who will run into some old opponents during the David v Goliath contest. So how did he end up there? "In the summer of 1995 I played some league cricket in Wales," Hoffmann told The Scotsman. "My sister was travelling at the time, so one afternoon we were bored, sitting around, and I just said we should go for a drive up to Scotland and I remember saying to my sister: 'I wonder if they play cricket here.’”

The cricket World Cup may not swamp the planet like the football equivalent but after last night's opening ceremony it is clearly one of the biggest stories going around - and that's according to Google. The search engine's graphic for countries with a strong cricket link (UK, Australia, South Africa etc) has been handed a cricket flavour today. The site reacts to the major events, news or searches at a particular time so this is further proof of the interest which is surrounding the tournament as the first match draws closer.

	Too many fans on his plate? © Getty Images

A cricket-crazy Indian fan is threatening to kill himself if he's not allowed to sell a kidney to fund his World Cup trip. Tarun Sharma, 23, told Reuters he would set himself on fire if no one came forward to help him sell the organ.

India's cricketers' fan base spreads far and wide. Bermuda cricketer Malachi Jones is so enamoured by the quality and reputation of Sachin Tendulkar that he may not mind dropping his catch. India take on Bermuda on March 19 at the Queen's Park Oval. Expect a few star-struck faces there.

India's influence at the World Cup doesn't end with their cricketers. Jaipur-made flags would flutter in the Caribbean fields during the World Cup. Chaggan Lal and Co, is busy making thousands of official flags of the participant teams, including those to be sold to the cricket lovers at various venues.

The tournament hasn’t started but the late-night rumours about the West Indians have. Brian Lara insists he doesn’t know anything about his boys partying before the nine-wicket warm-up loss to India.

"I doubt that with the sort of importance of this tournament that that would have been the case,” he said in the Jamaica Gleaner. "I'm sure that if the management, Clive Lloyd or Bennett King, knows about it they would definitely filter it down to myself.”

Lara says his players are professional and understand the sort of preparation they need to perform at their best. They have the first chance to show their qualities when they open the tournament against Pakistan on Tuesday.

	Performers dance as fireworks illuminate the night sky during the opening ceremony of the 2007 World Cup © Getty Images

01.10GMT As the fireworks erupt overhead, and the shimmering dancers shimmer their way to the exits, it's time for the first act of the ninth World Cup to draw to a close. And you know what? I rather enjoyed that. The Caribbean has started its 50 days of festivities in grand style. Now it's time for the on-field action to begin. Join us here at Cricinfo for live and unrivalled coverage of all 51 matches, starting with West Indies against Pakistan, from Sabina Park, Kingston, on Tuesday.

01.05GMT "Wonderful world, beautiful people," sings our Jimmy, as the flags of the host nations are paraded on the outfield. And now all the cast are on the field as well. I sense a grand finale is brewing.

01.00GMT Here comes Jimmy Cliff, a modern-day reggae star, joined on stage by Tony Rebel and Dwight Richards. "People," they declare. "Let's get together and show our power all over the world." Word.

00.55GMT The stadium lights have all gone out. No, don't worry, it's deliberate. There's a special guest being beamed onto the main stage. If it's Jamaica, no party is complete without Bob Marley. Here's Redemption Song, and Three Little Birds, as sung - live - by his former backing singers, I Three. They complete their medley with the words: "Let's get together and feel alright." And you can't say fairer than that.

00.50GMT It's carnival time now - lots of silver and blue booty-shakers from Trinidad and Tobago, and some vast great king and queen costumes. Huge great floats with big teeth and wings. Mildly scary at this time of night. There are all doing a conga round the pitch now, singing "Cricket is my passion, it is in my veins..."

00.48GMT We have a veritable riot of colour on the pitch now. St Lucia's contribution are nothing short of techicolor yetis - "pitchipatchi dancers" I think they are called.

00.45GMT Bollywood has long since tuned out, but here's a little Indian music to change the mood. Lots of Asian influence throughout the Caribbean, of course, especially in Trinidad and Guyana. And lots of Chinese influence in the building of these stadia. Now we've got lots of "plantation girls" all dressed in white on the outfield. Very elegant too, as a clarinet player serenades them all. "What a pretty array of parasols."

	"Everybody come and celebrate!" © Getty Images

00.35GMT "Everybody come and celebrate," sing the singers, as the outfield turns into four shimmering circles of dancers. Nice choreography if you can get it. All the islands are getting name-checked in verse. "If you know what I mean, then scream."

00.30GMT We have 2000 yards of yellow fabric now lying on the outfield, representing "the rays of the sun". Glad we cleared that one up. Meanwhile up on the stage, lots of lovelies in very un-PC cricket garb are strutting their stuff. I thought they did away with mini-skirts for cricket around the time that England last won the (women's) World Cup.

00.25GMT One-hundred-and-eighty drummers give way to the choir. "Cricket Lovely Cricket" they all sing lustily. As well they might. That volcanic theme is still in evidence, lots of red-and-gold shimmering going on on stage.

00.20GMT A chap blows a conch-shell. That used to be the sound that summoned slaves to the fields, now it's inviting everyone to come and join in some serious fun-and-games. Some volcanic theme going on, as the players "flow down from the stage like lava". The African drums on display are being given their own "yard style".

	Stilt-cricket. A new concept for these games © Getty Images

00.12GMT Here's Sir Garfield Sobers, and the Ninth ICC Cricket World Cup has been declared officially open! And there go the fireworks, bursting against the night sky, as the cricketers leave the field and the performers take the stage once again for "an exciting display of energy".

00.11GMT Here comes Steve Bucknor to give the umpires' pledge. I can honestly say I thought, until he opened his mouth just this second, that he was a mute.

00.09GMT The players in front of the podium are starting to sway from leg to leg now. The trooping of the colour, this ain't. Here's Brian Lara to speak for the teams. "What a great honour," he begins. "We promise we shall play to the best of our ability, respect the laws, observe the rules, commit to highest standards of sportsmanship. To all the cricketers, may the best team win, and to all the visitors, may you witness one of the greatest supporting spectacles."

00.04GMT Brace yourselves. It's Percy Sonn. "The West Indies must rank as the most idyllic and stunningly aesthetic cricket-playing country in the world," announces the President of the ICC. Gosh, try saying "stunningly aesthetic" when you're drunk ...

00.00GMT Right, it's dignitary time. Here's Ernest Valentine-Banks, vice-president of the WICB. "This is what they thought was mission impossible," he intones, as the "best World Cup ever" is promised from the podium. "We have overcome the constraints of nine sovereign states, in the most ambitious event ever untaken by the collective Caribbean."

23.58GMT And everyone's in place, it's time for the World Cup song, as performed by Shaggy and Faye Ann-Lyons among others. Oh God, Mello the mascot's got a bat. What is he about to do? Can't quite hear the lyrics, although they involve "put your hands up", "love and unity", "clap your hands", "come together", "play the beautiful game" and "the rules never change". Yes, they do! What about Powerplays, supersubs, oh never mind ...

	Percy Sonn clears his throat... © Getty Images

23.56GMT Sri Lankans can't help but smile all the time, especially Muttiah Muralitharan. They are followed by Prosper Utseya's Zimbabweans, and then, finally and to a massive roar, the West Indians - "The Inaugural Champions" as Cozier reminds us, as Brian Lara files past to lead his side to their place in the line-up.

23.54GMT New Zealand plod through, proud semi-finalists on occasions too numerous to reiterate. Pakistan look cheery enough as they file past, as Craig Wright leads out the Scotland squad, followed by South Africa in green blazers with yellow pinstripes. "Twice denied the finals by freak circumstances," says Cozier. And I guess he's right.

23.52GMT Ireland somehow resist the temptation to jig their way out to the middle. Kenya, in their sharp green suits lead the African contingent. The Netherlands, on the other hand, have found themselves some hideous orange blazers. There's not a lot you can do with those national colours, I guess.

23.50GMT Canada emerge next, followed by England, who look really rather unamused by all of this. Kevin Pietersen has at least thought to bring his camera. India look much more cheerful, with Sachin Tendulkar grinning ear from ear.

23.46GMT First out are the Aussies, all bleach-blond smiles in their dapper suits and ties. Habibul Bashar leads the Bangladeshis, and the Bermudans come next, tailing a lady in a frighteningly shocking-pink "set-girl costume". Special mention is made of their heavyweight champion, Dwayne Leverock.

23.44GMT Oh God, they couldn't keep him away for ever. Here's the World Cup mascot, Mello, a sort of bear of no particular racial origin, who represents shared values. And can't bat for toffee. He's followed by Tony Cozier, who is introducing the teams. As the Parade of Teams begins.

23.40GMT "Now that we've found love, what are we gonna do?" ask Third World, rhetorically. Spread it all over the world, that's that they gonna do.

23.35GMT Three decades of music being represented, as Third World take the stage. They once opened for the Jackson Five, dontchaknow. "Everything has a value, and everything has a price. But I'm committed, baby, to keeping this love alive." Sing it brother.

23.31GMT The Prime Ministers are grinding in the VIP Seats - a sight we shouldn't have to see - as Ian Bishop collars Ricky Ponting. "I've really enjoyed the cricket experience here in the Caribbean, I'm very excited, we had a good win against England and the real stuff is around the corner." And Ponting is now a Sean Paul fan, apparently.

23.30GMT Now we go all instrumental, as a guitarist, a saxophonist and a drummer named "Sly" take up the reins. All Jamaican legends, though I've dropped my programme notes and can't name them all. "Sly and Robbie have worked with Mick Jagger and Queen Latifah" says the voiceover, helpfully.

23.29GMT The beat goes on, and onto stage comes Half Pint, with dreadlocks down to his knees, and soul in his voice. "Half Pint gives a full performance," says the voiceover. I wasn't going there, but it's safe now.

23.27GMT "Reggae is calling out to the world, as West Indies welcomes the world," intones the voiceover. I couldn't put it better myself, so I won't. Here comes Gregory Isaacs, "the cool ruler", to take over the vocal duties in his snappy red jacket and panama.

23.25GMT Time for some old-school reggae with Beres Hammond, a diffident chap in a beret, and Baju Banton, a bouncy wild-child with dreadlocks and a snazzy black-and-white shirt. "Can you play some more," they sing. I think they might just do that.

Well, it's easy to sneer about opening ceremonies, but this is genuinely entertaining without being embarrassing. Unlike the 1999 World Cup opener at Lord's, which was entertaining only because it was embarrassing. And because Tony Blair's microphone fused in the rain.

23.20GMT A multi-awardwinning ragga artist named Sean Paul is next, "a dancehall superstar" is how I think he was described, though I'm not sure what halls he dances in. His troupe seem to have taken a leaf out of the Irish book with some nimble foot movement. Very shiny costumes too. Not sure what he's singing about, but his ladies seem enthused. "Give it up to me", it would seem.

23.16GMT Ian Bishop is backstage, and reports that everyone is excited. Not as excited as Lucky Dube, the king of African reggae. It's his turn to take centre stage, accompanied by his red, yellow and green posse of singers. Those are some ample ladies. Good voices too.

23.12GMT Good grief, more Irish japery on stage! One World Cup appearance, and they take over ... Still, that's some spectacular fiddling from John Duffy, accompanied by his brother David on drums. The Duffys is what the band is called. Traditional Irish folk songs to modern pop is what they play, and they are available for weddings and barmitzvahs.

23.10GMT Ian Bishop is interviewing Chris Gayle on stage. "Hopefully West Indies can do well in the World Cup, and that everyone eats some jerk chicken while they're here. Aright." At least, that's a synopsis of what he said.

23.05GMT Time to chill things down a bit, with some mellow "Sounds of the Caribbean". We've got tabla drums and sitars up on stage, and of course, a pair of steel drums. This is a "new style of music from Trinidad" apparently. A fusion of cultures. How appropriate.
Jazzy Jones, one of Jamaica's big-time drummers, has joined the jamming session now.

23.00GMT Now it's Alyson Hinds coming at us, with some frankly outrageous booty-shaking, with Marcel Marcano adding some gruff vocals, and some bloke in a red-and-yellow flame suit adding his own style. It's going them dancing in the aisles now, in fact, that looks like Dwayne Bravo who was "feelin' hot hot hot" just then.

22.55GMT Right, now we're back with a bang, with an order to "put our hands in the air". No, it's not a hold-up, it's Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, who are "injecting some carnival spirit into proceedings". There are some Sensai costumes coming at us from Dominica, apparently. Not entirely sure what that means, but we're lovin' it nonetheless.

22.50GMT A bit of a lull in proceedings now as the sun begins to set over the Caribbean. Time for some adverts and a cup of tea. There are, how can we put it, quite a few sponsors who'd like to get their message across.

22.45GMT Begorrah, they get everywhere. Here come a gaggle of Irish dancers. Three of them to be precise. Jolly nimble on their feet they are too. Don't do a lot with their arms, but hey ho.

Ooh, they clapped for a moment there. Splendid jiggery-pokery going out on the stage. The tune sounds remarkably like the final scenes of "Last of the Mohicans" if anyone's ever seen that. Good flick.

	A bongo player sets the pace for the evening's festivities © Getty Images

"Usually when they perform, the lines between performer and audience blur," announce the voiceover people, clearly not reading from their programme notes.

22.35GMT That completes the initial greetings. Now the stage is cleared, and the big screen is devoted to the World Cup's anti-Aids message. The ICC is supporting UNICEF and UNAIDS to spread the message throughout the Caribbean, the second-most affected region in the world, after sub-Saharan Africa.

And now here comes the singer, Ashe, to put the message to music. "We've got to find a way to protect the future," she sings as she dances across the outfield with her troupe of backing singers. Quite so. "Using entertainment to encourage social change," intones the stadium announcer.

22.20GMT "This evening I am immensely proud to be a West Indian," says Chris Dehring, the chief executive of the organising committee. "This is the moment we have been planning for ten years. This is the moment that makes the sweat and tears worthwhile."

The Ht Ron Dr Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada, whose island was so devastated by Hurricane Ivan three years ago, is next up to the podium. "This is the birth of a new dawn," he announces, as he talks of the manner in which the various nations of the Caribbean have worked together to make this event happen. "Throughout our history West Indies have enjoyed and played this game in the best spirit."

Portia Simpson Miller, the first female Prime Minister of Jamaica, extends her greetings to the assembled throng. "The moment is finally here. Jamaica is a cricket-loving country, the sport is deeply embedded in our hearts and lives. We're hear to cheer on every team, as we rally round the West Indies."

22.15GMT Well, here it is. The Cricket World Cup is upon us. The cricketers of 16 nations are gathered at the Greenfields Stadium, Trelawny, the newly-built stadium on the north coast of Jamaica, to take part in the opening ceremony of the ninth Cricket World Cup. We have been serenaded by the Jamaican Military Band, who marched in the formation "CWC 07" and by the singer, Sanchez, who belted out the Jamaican national anthem.

The World Cup will cost Britain £270m in economic productivity, as revealed in a report published yesterday. "Although it will not grab the international imagination to the same extent as the soccer World Cup," Douglas McWilliams, the report's author said, "it remains the case that, even to those only half interested, watching cricket is one of the best ways of avoiding working known to man.

"Two of England's matches, against New Zealand on 16 March and against Pakistan on 30 March, are on Friday afternoons and will be very tempting to those who feel inclined to stay on in the pub after lunch."

Four years ago Michael Clarke arrived in the West Indies as a player who was so anonymous Brian Lara thought he was a reporter. The pair was being picked up at the airport in the same car and Clarke introduced himself as they waited.

"It was quite a funny meeting at first,” Clarke said in the Sun-Herald. “I was calling him Mr Lara and he thought I was a journalist. After I told him I was in the squad, he said he knew a bit about me, but he hadn't been able to put the name to the face. Brian and I got talking, and our friendship's gone from there.”

It might be Clarke’s first World Cup, but he is unlikely to go unnoticed. He is in form after 82 and 24 not out in the warm-ups and is a key part of Australia’s trophy defence.

It’s been a week for unexpected setbacks with the World Cup. A sightscreen halted play, then there was a fire scare at the South Africa and Pakistan players' hotel, then they had to play on a pitch they weren't happy with.

Now the latest news concerns the cup itself –
it’s been damaged in Calcutta. Funnily enough no party has yet come forward to take the blame.

Back with Pakistan: the players will use Urdu in press conferences, and not English, their coach Bob Woolmer has confirmed. "The Pakistani players feel comfortable in their national language," he said (in English)."They can express themselves freely in Urdu and they are proud of their language and their country. Our media manager Pervez Mir will act as interpreter during the press conferences."

Mir says such a decision is not unusual: "It happens everywhere in the world. Football players speak in French, Latin and various other languages as they feel comfortable talking to the media in their mother tongue."

	Michael Clarke's girlfriend Lara Bingle cheers Australia on at Kingstown © Getty Images

The Centre for Economics and Business Research estimates a loss of about 5% of a day's gross domestic product for each day of the World Cup.

This is despite England receiving odds of 15-2 in most quarters. Had England been the favourites, thoughts might have drifted towards depression, economically at least.

In Barbados New Zealand's players are having some problems with their digits. First Jacob Oram broke his left ring finger - adding that he was willing to amputate it for World Cup participation. Now Peter Fulton, his team-mate, has broken his left little finger while taking a catch in a warm-up match against Sri Lanka.

In St Augustine, in the warm-up match between South Africa and Pakistan at the Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, play was held up for seven minutes. With players complaining about the ball making erratic bounces, Reuters reported that Mickey Arthur and Bob Woolmer, the coaches of the two teams, even came on to the field after 16 overs to discuss the state of the pitch with umpires Peter Parker and Ian Gould. "The surface calmed down as the sun rose higher and by the afternoon the pitch had been tamed," the report added.

News has filtered in that Canada is contributing US$900,000 to the Pan American Health Organization’s Cricket World Cup (CWC) Enhanced Disease Surveillance project. "Our assistance in making the Cricket World Cup a safe and secure event is a measure of our support to both the host countries and the many thousands of visitors who will attend the games," said The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In a not so honourable aside, Canada have lost both their warm-up matches before the World Cup.

To coincide with the World Cup, during March, London will host an exhibition of cricket work by the contemporary Trinidad and Tobagan artist Wendy Nanan. The exhibition, Beyond Boundaries, runs from 1 - 30 March at the Art Worker’s Guild in London’s Bloomsbury. Click here for more information.