Seeded nations - Australia (A1), South Africa (A2), Sri Lanka (B1), India (B2), New Zealand (C1), England (C2), Pakistan (D1), West Indies (D2)
MARCH
Group stage
Group A - All games in St Kitts & Nevis; Group B - All games in Trinidad & Tobago; Group C - All games in St Lucia; Group D - All games in Jamaica
13 Group D, West Indies v Pakistan
14 Group A, Australia v Scotland
14 Group C, Kenya v Canada
15 Group B, Sri Lanka v Bermuda
15 Group D, Zimbabwe v Ireland
16 Group A, South Africa v Netherlands
16 Group C, England v New Zealand
17 Group B, India v Bangladesh
17 Group D, Pakistan v Ireland
18 Group A, Australia v Netherlands
18 Group C, England v Canada
19 Group B, India v Bermuda
19 Group D, West Indies v Zimbabwe
20 Group A, South Africa v Scotland
20 Group C, New Zealand v Kenya
21 Group B, Sri Lanka v Bangladesh
21 Group D, Zimbabwe v Pakistan
22 Group A, Scotland v Netherlands
22 Group C, New Zealand v Canada
23 Group B, India v Sri Lanka
23 Group D, West Indies v Ireland
24 Group A, Australia v South Africa
24 Group C, England v Kenya
25 Group B, Bermuda v Bangladesh
Super Eights
27 D2 v A1, Antigua & Barbuda
28 A2 v B1, Guyana
29 D2 v C1, Antigua & Barbuda
30 D1 v C2, Guyana
31 A1 v B2, Antigua & Barbuda
APRIL
1 D2 v B1, Guyana
2 B2 v C1, Antigua & Barbuda
3 D1 v A2, Guyana
4 C2 v B1, Antigua & Barbuda
7 B2 v A2, Guyana
8 A1 v C2, Antigua & Barbuda
9 D1 v C1, Guyana
10 D2 v A2, Grenada
11 C2 v B2, Barbados
12 B1 v C1, Grenada
13 A1 v D1, Barbados
14 A2 v C1, Grenada
15 B2 v D1, Barbados
16 A1 v B1, Grenada
17 A2 v C2, Barbados
18 D1 v B1, Grenada
19 D2 v B2, Barbados
20 A1 v C1, Grenada
21 D2 v C2, Barbados
Semi-finals
24 Super Eight 2nd v 3rd, Jamaica
25 Super Eight 1st v 4th, St Lucia
Final
28 Winner SF1 v Winner SF2, Barbados
Note:It is to inform you that the scorecard of all of the matches of the Worldcup '07 will be available here.
Showing posts with label WorldCup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WorldCup. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
Windies coach upbeat on World Cup
Coach Bennett King insists West Indies can become the first ever host team to the win the World Cup.But he admits there is still work to do to prevent Australia from winning a third successive title.
"We've been winning games against really good opposition, which gives the players confidence. We've just got to maintain that consistency," said King.
"The limited-overs format at the moment suits us better. With that in mind, we're optimistic."
West Indies, who open the World Cup against Pakistan in Jamaica on 13 March, beat Australia during the group stages of the ICC Champions Trophy.
They lost to Ricky Ponting's side in the final of the tournament in India in November and have since endured a difficult tour of Pakistan.
But they return to India for a four-match series later this month in good heart.
"The limited-overs format is an interesting game. Anyone on their given day, if they have a good day, can win," King told the West Indies Cricket Board website.
"If a side has a below par game, they can lose. What we've got to make sure of is that we don't have a lot of bad games."
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Cricket team should not feel complacent ahead of World Cup
The opponent teams always look upon Pakistan as a tough side, yet the latter's 'predictable unpredictability' makes them vulnerable to unexpected defeats.
It is heartening to note that the Pakistan cricket team, in the home series against the West Indies, has exhibited overall good form, winning the Test series 2-0 and also showing good form in the five-match ODI series. West Indies came to Pakistan after finishing as runners-up to Australia twice -- in a tri-series in Malaysia in September and then in the elite eight-nation Champions Trophy in India last month.
In this backdrop, Pakistan' good show gains an added significance. The striking feature of the just-concluded ODI series is that Pakistan, who have a reputation of being poor chasers, successfully and beautifully chased two low scoring ODIs in Lahore and Faisalabad respectively. Yet, another good thing about Pakistan's play at home is that the team did well in the absence of their main pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif as also some key batsmen.
In batting Mohammad Yousuf did wonders with the willow, breaking old records and piling up some new ones. In the bowling department, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Umar Gul and Abdul Rahman fared well, restricting the West Indies to low scores on many an occasion. Moreover, the youngsters like Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Faisal Iqbal and Yasir Hameed have also fared well if not extraordinarily well.
For instance, Imran Farhat starred in Pakistan's seven-wicket win in the third One-day International match against West Indies at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan ended with three wickets and received the Man of the Match award in the same encounter.
Farhat did execute some gorgeous shots on his way to his half-century. Left-arm spinner Abdul Rahman, who made his debut in the second ODI at Faisalabad, too contributed his bit every time he played.
Yasir Hameed and Faisal Iqbal put together a valuable partnership of 62 runs for the fifth wicket taking the score from 47 for four to 109 in the fourth ODI at Multan. Yasir Hameed scored a magnificent 71 while Faisal added valuable 30 runs.
In the Multan ODI, Pakistan, batting first, piled up a reasonable total of 209 runs, and in the absence of Pakistan key middle order batsmen -- Inzamam, Younis and Yousuf -- t was not a bad total at all.
Faisal Iqbal, who was last seen in action during the controversial Oval Test in August, was called up as cover for Inzamam who injured the little finger of his left hand when he dived at cover to stop a full-blooded aerial drive from Marlon Samuels during the third match at Lahore and received three stitches. Iqbal, 24, has played 17 Tests and ODIs for Pakistan, with a hundred in each form of the game.
Though he last played a Test against England this summer -- he hit an unbeaten 58 in Pakistan's only innings of the controversial Oval Test -- he has not featured in ODI colours since October 2003.
Shahid Afridi was recalled for the Multan match and has performed well in the domestic circuit. Overall, in the ODIs Pakistan's bowlers had done their bit, restricting West Indies to low scores, their batsmen too backed it up with a competent performance on many an occasion.
However, this does not mean that all is well for Pakistan cricket. Indeed a stiff challenge is ahead for them. As such, our cricket team need not feel complacent. They need consistency both in form and approach to the game ahead of next year's World Cup to keep up their recent run of good form till the mega event.
There is no denying the fact that our players have had a good home series in both Test and One-day Internationals (ODIs) against the visiting West Indies. But honestly speaking, viewing their past track, our team has been unpredictable in its performances over the years. Keeping that in mind, the fans, though jubilant over their recent good show, are also not attaching 'great expectations' on them.
The opponent teams always look upon Pakistan as a tough side, yet the latter's 'predictable unpredictability' makes them vulnerable to unexpected defeats. We have been witness to Pakistan's inconsistent form for so long and we know that they, though capable of turning the tables on the opponents, can go from good to worse in hours rather in moments on the field and can present wins on a platter to their counterparts.
However, we wish them good luck so that they can stretch their good show to their crucial away-series in South Africa and then to the World Cup. For that they need to take every match as a must-win one. Winning the close ones is something they have excelled in the home series and they should undergo rigorous sessions of practice to perform better in the forthcoming tour to South Africa where conditions would be different than at home. They will have to try to adjust to the conditions there and to perform better under tough conditions. Beside unpredictability, Pakistan cricket also faces another dilemma of selection for the most important South African and the World Cup 2007.
Key pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Asif are with solid credentials to be part of Pakistan's World Cup campaign and have started match practice. Besides, in their absence opportunities were available for others, who took it positively.
Fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed is also expected to make his comeback after his ban ends on December 19. Some of the younger players in both batting and bowling departments of the game have shown development and that is a big positive before the quadrennial tournament to be played in the West Indies during March-April next year.
In this backdrop, the selectors must face the dilemma of who to adjust and who to leave out as right now there's an abundance of players both experienced and new talent after the home series. Moreover the buzz is that Inzamam is all set to get the World Cup captaincy. He, however, seems the right choice after the failure of Younis Khan as captain in the ICC Champions Trophy in India.
Pakistan's World Cup squad will be announced today (Sunday) when the country's top cricket officials will sit down in Karachi to take several crucial decisions. It may be mentioned here that independent observers of the game believe that Pakistan should opt for younger and fitter as well as three dimensional players for the all important coming events abroad.
Since the World Cup will be a one-day affair, Pakistan should concentrate on three-dimensional players i.e. who are good in all the three departments -- batting, fielding and bowling -- of the game", say observers.
All said and done it remains to be seen as to who makes the national squad for the all important South African tour and the World Cup 2007. One hopes for a balanced combination of experience and young talent in the greater interest of the game in Pakistan.
By Gul Nasreen
It is heartening to note that the Pakistan cricket team, in the home series against the West Indies, has exhibited overall good form, winning the Test series 2-0 and also showing good form in the five-match ODI series. West Indies came to Pakistan after finishing as runners-up to Australia twice -- in a tri-series in Malaysia in September and then in the elite eight-nation Champions Trophy in India last month.
In this backdrop, Pakistan' good show gains an added significance. The striking feature of the just-concluded ODI series is that Pakistan, who have a reputation of being poor chasers, successfully and beautifully chased two low scoring ODIs in Lahore and Faisalabad respectively. Yet, another good thing about Pakistan's play at home is that the team did well in the absence of their main pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif as also some key batsmen.
In batting Mohammad Yousuf did wonders with the willow, breaking old records and piling up some new ones. In the bowling department, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Umar Gul and Abdul Rahman fared well, restricting the West Indies to low scores on many an occasion. Moreover, the youngsters like Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Faisal Iqbal and Yasir Hameed have also fared well if not extraordinarily well.
For instance, Imran Farhat starred in Pakistan's seven-wicket win in the third One-day International match against West Indies at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan ended with three wickets and received the Man of the Match award in the same encounter.
Farhat did execute some gorgeous shots on his way to his half-century. Left-arm spinner Abdul Rahman, who made his debut in the second ODI at Faisalabad, too contributed his bit every time he played.
Yasir Hameed and Faisal Iqbal put together a valuable partnership of 62 runs for the fifth wicket taking the score from 47 for four to 109 in the fourth ODI at Multan. Yasir Hameed scored a magnificent 71 while Faisal added valuable 30 runs.
In the Multan ODI, Pakistan, batting first, piled up a reasonable total of 209 runs, and in the absence of Pakistan key middle order batsmen -- Inzamam, Younis and Yousuf -- t was not a bad total at all.
Faisal Iqbal, who was last seen in action during the controversial Oval Test in August, was called up as cover for Inzamam who injured the little finger of his left hand when he dived at cover to stop a full-blooded aerial drive from Marlon Samuels during the third match at Lahore and received three stitches. Iqbal, 24, has played 17 Tests and ODIs for Pakistan, with a hundred in each form of the game.
Though he last played a Test against England this summer -- he hit an unbeaten 58 in Pakistan's only innings of the controversial Oval Test -- he has not featured in ODI colours since October 2003.
Shahid Afridi was recalled for the Multan match and has performed well in the domestic circuit. Overall, in the ODIs Pakistan's bowlers had done their bit, restricting West Indies to low scores, their batsmen too backed it up with a competent performance on many an occasion.
However, this does not mean that all is well for Pakistan cricket. Indeed a stiff challenge is ahead for them. As such, our cricket team need not feel complacent. They need consistency both in form and approach to the game ahead of next year's World Cup to keep up their recent run of good form till the mega event.
There is no denying the fact that our players have had a good home series in both Test and One-day Internationals (ODIs) against the visiting West Indies. But honestly speaking, viewing their past track, our team has been unpredictable in its performances over the years. Keeping that in mind, the fans, though jubilant over their recent good show, are also not attaching 'great expectations' on them.
The opponent teams always look upon Pakistan as a tough side, yet the latter's 'predictable unpredictability' makes them vulnerable to unexpected defeats. We have been witness to Pakistan's inconsistent form for so long and we know that they, though capable of turning the tables on the opponents, can go from good to worse in hours rather in moments on the field and can present wins on a platter to their counterparts.
However, we wish them good luck so that they can stretch their good show to their crucial away-series in South Africa and then to the World Cup. For that they need to take every match as a must-win one. Winning the close ones is something they have excelled in the home series and they should undergo rigorous sessions of practice to perform better in the forthcoming tour to South Africa where conditions would be different than at home. They will have to try to adjust to the conditions there and to perform better under tough conditions. Beside unpredictability, Pakistan cricket also faces another dilemma of selection for the most important South African and the World Cup 2007.
Key pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Asif are with solid credentials to be part of Pakistan's World Cup campaign and have started match practice. Besides, in their absence opportunities were available for others, who took it positively.
Fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed is also expected to make his comeback after his ban ends on December 19. Some of the younger players in both batting and bowling departments of the game have shown development and that is a big positive before the quadrennial tournament to be played in the West Indies during March-April next year.
In this backdrop, the selectors must face the dilemma of who to adjust and who to leave out as right now there's an abundance of players both experienced and new talent after the home series. Moreover the buzz is that Inzamam is all set to get the World Cup captaincy. He, however, seems the right choice after the failure of Younis Khan as captain in the ICC Champions Trophy in India.
Pakistan's World Cup squad will be announced today (Sunday) when the country's top cricket officials will sit down in Karachi to take several crucial decisions. It may be mentioned here that independent observers of the game believe that Pakistan should opt for younger and fitter as well as three dimensional players for the all important coming events abroad.
Since the World Cup will be a one-day affair, Pakistan should concentrate on three-dimensional players i.e. who are good in all the three departments -- batting, fielding and bowling -- of the game", say observers.
All said and done it remains to be seen as to who makes the national squad for the all important South African tour and the World Cup 2007. One hopes for a balanced combination of experience and young talent in the greater interest of the game in Pakistan.
By Gul Nasreen
Monday, December 18, 2006
Inzamam to lead Pakistan in World Cup
KARACHI: Pakistan on Sunday confirmed Inzamam-ul-Haq as their skipper for next March’s World Cup in the West Indies, ending weeks of suspense over the team’s captaincy.“Inzamam would be our captain for the World Cup because we believe that the team needs continuity,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf said at a press conference here at the National Stadium.
Ashraf said the PCB has decided to retain the same set of officials for the tour of South Africa and the World Cup in a bid to help the team maintain its new-found stability.
Bob Woolmer would continue as Pakistan coach till the World Cup while Talat Ali has been retained as manager both for South Africa and the quadrennial tournament to be played in the Caribbean islands from March 13 to April 28.
There were strong speculations after Ashraf took over from Shaharyar Khan as the PCB chief in October that Pakistan would sack Inzamam and promote his deputy Younis Khan to head their World Cup campaign.
However, Younis blew his chances after failing to lead Pakistan in a successful manner in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy in India this fall. He has been retained as the vice-captain for the tour of South Africa and the World Cup.
Inzamam, who will turn 37 just ten days before the start of the World Cup, is one of the highest run-getter in One-day International (ODI) history with 11591 runs from 370 matches.
Parvaiz Mir, a former international cricketer-turned anchorman, has been appointed as the media manager for the World Cup.
Ashraf paid glowing tributes to Inzamam who led Pakistan to series-winning triumphs in Tests and ODIs against the touring West Indies recently.
“This team really thinks itself as a team now and I must say that the credit goes to Inzamam,” he said adding that “the internal dynamics of the team have improved over the last six weeks.”
Six weeks ago, the national cricket team was in turmoil in the wake of Younis Khan’s refusal to lead Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy and doping bans against the team’s key strike bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif.
“There is a lot of passion in this Pakistan team,” added Ashraf who praised the squad members for giving their best against the West Indies whom Pakistan beat 2-0 in the Tests and 3-1 in the one-day series.
He gave the example of Inzamam, never counted among the best fielders, saying that the way the skipper dived to save a boundary in the final match against the West Indies in Karachi on Saturday was a proof that things are getting better in the Pakistan team.
“It really pleased me how Inzamam, with three stitches on his little finger, dived to get hold of the ball,” he said.
Ashraf said that the way Pakistan are playing these days, they will be in the run for the World Cup. “The team that will show self-belief and self-confidence is going to win the World Cup and I believe this team has displayed these qualities,” he remarked.
Commenting on Mir’s appointment as media manager, he said that it was an important job and the PCB wanted a professional to do it.
“Handling the media in a mega event like the World Cup is a tough job and we believe that Parvaiz Mir with his cricket and media experience is the right man for it,” he expressed.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Lara set to retire from one-day cricket
MULTAN: West Indies' captain Brian Lara said he was unlikely to play one-day cricket again after next year's World Cup in the Caribbean.
Lara, 37, told reporters after West Indies defeated Pakistan by seven wicket in the fourth one-day international that it was important for him to get runs in the World Cup.
"As it is I don't think I will be playing one-day internationals after the tournament," he said.
Lara said West Indies' victory, which cut Pakistan's lead in the five-match series to 2-1 after the first match was abandoned, had been exceptional.
"The boys showed a lot of character today. They bowled well today," he said.
"We just need to go in with a positive frame of mind for the last game in Karachi.
"It is important we win that because it would be a big psychological boost for us before the World Cup to square the series in Pakistan.
"At the age of 37 I know what is expected of me. The form has been sketchy but I want to fire in the World Cup which is such an important tournament for us as the hosts."
What do you feel about the decision?do you feel its right?DO tell us by your comments!
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