Sri Lanka vs Pakistan World Cup Cricket 2011: Live Score Information

Sri Lanka and Pakistan are now playing against each other at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in a Group A match of the ongoing World Cup Cricket 2011. Winning the toss Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi decided to bat first.

After 39 overs, Pakistan has reached at 203 for 3. Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq are batting with 67 and 47 runs respectively. For Sri Lanka, Perera and Herath picked up a wicket each.

Cricket fans are pretty much excited with this match between two neighboring countries and they are now searching in Google for the live score of the match. So, here I am giving two website links where you can get the live score of the match:

Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/engine/current/match/433567.html

Cricket Next: http://cricketnext.in.com/

Actually, the result of this match is very important to decide who would make the quarter final from Group A which comprises of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand, Australia, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya. Well, it seems to be too early to get into the discussion of who would be the four teams from this group to go through to the knock-out round.

Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka won their first matches in the tournament as Pakistan defeated Kenya and Sri Lanka crashed Canada.

Bangladesh Clinched a Crucial Victory over Ireland in World Cup Cricket 2011

Today, Bangladesh defeated Ireland by 27 runs in a highly entertaining match at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. Winning the toss Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan decided to bat first, and two openers- Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes- got off to a flying start for Bangladesh.

However, Bangladesh failed to put on a big total on the board as no Bangladeshi batsmen could carry on after settling down on the wickets. Tamim played only 43 balls to reach 44, but his innings was brought to an end when Botha made him a catch of Porterfield. At one stage, Bangladesh lost 4 wickets at 86.

Then Mushfiqur Rahim and Raqibul Islam contributed 61 runs for the fifth-wicket partnership. However, Bangladesh fell in big trouble when Mushfiq got out for 36 and later Raqibul followed him on 38. Following their departure it looked Bangladesh may not be able to cross 200. However, in the end Naeem Islam’s 29 guided Bangladesh towards a total of 205 runs.

Andrew Botha picked up 3 wickets and 18-year-old spinner Dockrell bowled brilliantly bagging 2 wickets just for 23 runs in 10 overs. Johnston also got 2 wickets.

In reply, Ireland started off safely, but Bangladeshi spinners kept them the home side’s hopes alive. Razzak, Naeem, Shakib as well as occasional spinner Ashraful all brought their best and did not give much room to the Irish batsmen. Still, Ireland looked to be in firm control of the match when O’Brien brothers were batting.

First Niall O’Brien and then Kevin O’Brien tried their best to chase the target successfully. Niall scored 38 off 52 balls before losing his wicket to Shakib. Kevin scored a 40-ball 37 with 3 boundaries and an over boundaries, but was made a catch of substitute Shuvo by Shafiul Islam.

Later in Ireland’s innings, it was Shafiul who ensured Bangladesh’s victory picking up 4 out of Ireland’s 5 last wickets including that of Kevin O’Brien.

Tamim Iqbal, who scored 44 and took a brilliant catch to dismiss dangerous-looking Naill O’Brien, was adjudged man of the match.

Kenya needs 318 runs to win from 50 overs

Pakistan cricket team starts their World Cup campaign against Kenya on 23^rd February 2011 that is taking place at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota.

Winning the toss, Pakistan skipper chose to bat first and scored 317 runs playing in 50 overs. Despite making poor start, Pakistan could make a tough chasing score at the end and it became possible thanks to the contributions of Akmal brothers, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq.

At the beginning of the match, Kenya could make pressure over Pakistani batsmen and took two wickets just giving 12 runs in 6.5 overs. But they could not continue their dominance over Pakistani batsmen for long time. When Pakistan was under pressure then both Kamran Akmal and Younis Khan emerged as match saviors and made strong 3^rd wicket partnership and added 98 runs.

After the departure of Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq came to bat and played an important 65-run innings. Umar Akmal is the highest run scorer for Pakistan cricket team. He scored 71 runs from 52 balls including eight boundaries and 1 six.

Thomas Odoyo took three wickets alone while other four wickets were taken by Elijah Otieno, Shem Ngoche, Jimmy Kamande and Steve Tikolo.

Now, Kenya has come to chase Pakistan’s innings. They need 318 runs from 50 overs. For weak Kenya, it seems to be impossible. If they can chase the target successfully then it will be the first accident in ICC World Cup 2011.

Bangladesh will host the opening ceremony of the ICC World Cup 2011

The most exciting cricket tournament, ICC World Cup 2011, is coming closer. The tenth edition of the World Cup Cricket that will follow the ODI format will start from 19 February 2011. It will be hosted by three Test playing countries: India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Two days before the opening match that will be played between Bangladesh and India, the opening ceremony will take place (17 February 2011). It will take place at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Only 36,000 audiences can watch the match live on stadium. So, millions of people from 220 countries will have to watch it on television set.

Fans are expected to see eye flashy performances at the opening ceremony. Super stars across the world will take part in this prestigious ceremony to show their ability to entertain the audience and TV viewers.

The most expected thing will be the official song of the ICC World Cup 2011 which is thought to be performed by Shankar Mahadevan and Divya Kumar. The title of the official song is "De Ghuma Ke" which is composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio. It will be sung in three different languages: Hindi, Bangla and Sinhala.

The international advertising, marketing and public relations agency, Ogilvy and Mather, has taken the responsibility of its marketing.

It is also heard that Bryan Adams would perform at the opening ceremony of the World Cup 2011. It is not yet sure if he will perform or not as it was disclosed by his close sources. This Canadian singer should wait for official announcement if he is interested to perform at this glittering ceremony.

Fans may have heard that he is coming to the sub-continent on a tour this month. As part of his tour to India, he will be performing in the four big cities: Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and New Delhi. After that he would visit Bangladesh to take part in the World Cup opening ceremony in Dhaka.

Fans will have to wait few more days to know what will happen at the opening ceremony.

Schedule of ICC World Cup Cricket 2011

Cricket crazy people are ready to welcome the biggest cricket event, ICC World Cup 2011. The tenth edition of the One Day International format World Cup tournament will be hosted by the three South Asian test playing countries: India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It will start from 19 February 2011 with the opening match between Bangladesh and India at the Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. The tournament will continue till April 2 when two teams will fight against each other in the final round at the Wankhede stadium.

For the first time, the ICC World Cup is going to be co-hosted by Bangladesh. That is why, Bangladesh people are very much happy. Until now, Bangladesh hasn’t organized any big cricket tournament. So, it has become a big challenge for one of the co-host countries to organize it successfully. However, both India and Sri Lanka have the experience of hosting such big events. It is going to be the third times for India to host the World Cup. In the past, they hosted it two times. In 1987, India jointly hosted the World Cup tournament along with Pakistan and in 1996, the prestigious cricket tournament was co-hosted by three South Asian countries: India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

ICC has taken away Pakistan’s hosting right:

International Cricket Council authorities at first chose India and Pakistan once again to host the World Cup 2011, but due to lack of security and terrorist attack over Sri Lanka on March 3, 2009, the ICC authorities left Pakistan’s name from its hosting list and it saw the inclusion of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to get the hosting right. Pakistan was supposed to hold 14 matches, including one semi-final. Now, these matches have been divided among three co-host countries. Out of Pakistan’s 14 matches, India will be given eight, Sri Lanka will get four and Bangladesh will get two matches.

Pakistan could earn good amount of money by hosting the ICC World Cup 2011. As their hosting right was taken away from ICC authorities, Pakistan has experienced the loss of $10.5 million. It is a big amount of money and it could keep important contribution in the development of their economy.

Format:

This time, fourteen national cricket teams will be seen competing in group stage. These 14 teams have been divided into two groups with 7 teams each. Round robin format will be used in the group stage. Every team will play against each other in this round. From each group, only top four will be able to compete for the quarter-final round. However, cricket fans can see some changes in the 10^th edition of ICC World Cup. The quarter-final round will use the knock out format. Only four matches will be played in the quarter-final round and through these matches, only four teams will get the semi-final tickets. Out of four semi-finalist teams, two winners will fight for the trophy on April 2. The World Cup schedule ensures that each team can play minimum 6 matches in the group stage even if they are left our early of the tournament.

Fourteen teams will play divided into two groups. Two groups are given below:

Group A: Australia, Canada, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe.

Group B: Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Netherlands, South Africa, West Indies.

Compare to Group A, Group B looks much stronger. One of the co-host countries, Bangladesh, has been placed in this group. Bangladesh cricket team is called giant killer. They have got more victory against many big teams including, India, South Africa, West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In the previous World Cup, Bangladesh cricket team bet India in the group stage and ensured their place in the second round. Millions of Bangladeshi fans expect that their team will repeat the history once again at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur.

Venues:

International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the name of the venues on November 2, 2009 in Mumbai. Two new stadiums in Sri Lanka located in n Kandy and Hambantota are being constructed ahead of the World Cup Cricket 2011. However, Eden Gardens has lost its right to host the match between India and England as ICC authorities found it unfit. The match may be shifted to Bangalore.

Venues in India: Feroz Shah Kotla, Sardar Patel Stadium, M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Wankhede Stadium, Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Venues in Sri Lanka: R. Premadasa Stadium, Muttiah Muralitharan International Cricket Stadium, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium.

Venues in Bangladesh: Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Chittagong Divisional Stadium.

These 12 venues will conduct 49 matches.

Live TV channels:

The ICC World Cup 2011 is expected to be one of the most watched sporting events as almost 220 countries around the world would be able to watch it live on TV. ESPN Star Sports and Star Cricket have got the broadcasting rights with US$ 2 Billion.

Prize Money:

The main attraction of this World Cup will be prize money rather than trophy. The winner of the ICC World Cup 2011 will get the prize money of US$ 3 million along with the replica of the trophy while the runners-up team will get US$ 1.5. As per the decision taken at the board meeting held in Dubai on 20 April 2010, ICC would double the total amount to US$ 10 million.

News:

The pathetic news for Kolkatan people are that their home ground, Eden Gardens stadium, has been left out as the host venue of the ICC World Cup 2011 as its construction work has not been completed yet. It is though that its construction work will not be completed before February 27. The historical Eden Gardens stadium was scheduled to host the India vs England match on 27th February 2011. This match will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Opening Ceremony:

The opening ceremony of the ICC World Cup 2011 is scheduled to be held in Bangladesh on 17 February 2011. It will take place two days before the start of the tournament. The opening ceremony will be organized at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Schedule:

Date	Teams	Time	Venue
19 February 2011	India vs Bangladesh- Group B	GMT 08:30 Local Time 14:30	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
20 February 2011	Kenya vs New Zealand- Group A	GMT 04:00 Local Time 09:30 BDT 10:00	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
20 February 2011	Sri Lanka vs Canada- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota
21 February 2011	Australia vs Zimbabwe- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
22 February 2011	England vs Netherlands- Group B	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur
23 February 2011	Kenya vs Pakistan- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota
24 February 2011	South Africa vs West Indies- Group B	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
25 February 2011	Australia vs New Zealand- Group A	GMT 04:00 Local Time 09:30 BDT 10:00	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur
25 February 2011	Bangladesh vs Ireland- Group B	GMT 08:30 Local Time 14:30	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
26 February 2011	Sri Lanka vs Pakistan- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
27 February 2011	India vs England- Group B	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
28 February 2011	Canada vs Zimbabwe- Group A	GMT 04:00 Local Time 09:30 BDT 10:00	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur
28 February 2011	Netherlands vs West Indies- Group B	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
1 March 2011	Sri Lanka vs Kenya- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
2 March 2011	England vs Ireland- Group B	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
3 March 2011	Netherlands vs South Africa- Group B	GMT 04:00 Local Time 09:30 BDT 10:00	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
3 March 2011	Canada vs Pakistan- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
4 March 2011	New Zealand vs Zimbabwe- Group A	GMT 04:00 Local Time 09:30 BDT 10:00	Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
4 March 2011	Bangladesh vs West Indies- Group B	GMT 08:30 Local Time 14:30	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
5 March 2011	Sri Lanka vs Australia- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
6 March 2011	England vs South Africa- Group B	GMT 04:00 Local Time 09:30 BDT 10:00	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
6 March 2011	India vs Ireland- Group B	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
7 March 2011	Canada vs Kenya- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
8 March 2011	New Zealand vs Pakistan- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
9 March 2011	India vs Netherlands- Group B	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
10 March 2011	Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
11 March 2011	Ireland vs West Indies- Group B	GMT 04:00 Local Time 09:30 BDT 10:00	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
11 March 2011	Bangladesh vs England- Group B	GMT 08:30 Local Time 14:30	Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
12 March 2011	India vs South Africa- Group B	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur
13 March 2011	Canada vs New Zealand- Group A	GMT 04:00 Local Time 09:30 BDT 10:00	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
13 March 2011	Australia vs Kenya- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
14 March 2011	Bangladesh vs Netherlands- Group B	GMT 03:30 Local Time 09:30	Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
14 March 2011	Pakistan vs Zimbabwe- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
15 March 2011	Ireland vs South Africa- Group B	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
16 March 2011	Australia vs Canada- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
17 March 2011	England vs West Indies- Group B	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
18 March 2011	Ireland vs Netherlands- Group B	GMT 04:00 Local Time 09:30 BDT 10:00	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
18 March 2011	New Zealand vs Sri Lanka- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
19 March 2011	Bangladesh vs South Africa- Group B	GMT 03:30 Local Time 09:30	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
19 March 2011	Australia vs Pakistan- Group A	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
20 March 2011	Kenya vs Zimbabwe- Group A	GMT 04:00 Local Time 09:30 BDT 10:00	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
20 March 2011	India vs West Indies- Group B	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
23 March 2011	TBC vs TBC (A1 vs B4)- Quarter Final	GMT 08:30 Local Time 14:30	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
24 March 2011	TBC vs TBC (A2 vs B3)- Quarter Final	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
25 March 2011	TBC vs TBC (A3 vs B2)- Quarter Final	GMT 08:30 Local Time 14:30	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
26 March 2011	TBC vs TBC (A4 vs B1)- Quarter Final	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
29 March 2011	TBC vs TBC- Semi Final	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
30 March 2011	TBC vs TBC- Semi Final	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
2 April 2011	TBC v TBC- Final	GMT 09:00 Local Time 14:30 BDT 15:00	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai