India to open 2011 World Cup campaign against Bangladesh

MUMBAI: India will clash with Bangladesh in the opening match of the 2011 World Cup in Dhaka on February 19, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.

2011 World Cup fixtures

The first match takes place two days after the opening ceremony of the 14-nation showpiece at the same venue in Dhaka on February 17, according to the schedule released by the ICC.

The final of the 43-day tournament, being co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, will take place at the renovated Wankhede stadium in India's financial capital of Mumbai on April 2.

The teams have been divided into two groups of seven each for the preliminary league, with the top four from each group advancing to the quarter-finals.

Defending champions Australia head group A which includes Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and two qualifiers, Canada and Kenya.

The other group comprises India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh and qualifiers Ireland, Netherlands.

India will host 29 matches at eight venues, Sri Lanka 12 at three venues and Bangladesh eight at two places, after Pakistan were removed as co-hosts by the ICC due to security fears in the volatile nation.

Pakistan, who were wary of playing in India due to political tensions between the two nations, will play its six league matches in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka will host five of its matches at two new venues in southern Hambantota and Pallekele, near the hill town of Kandy, where cricket stadiums are under construction.

The remaining seven games in the island nation will be held at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo.

India has picked eight regular Test centres -- Mumbai, Mohali, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi -- for its matches.

The Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka will host six matches and the opening ceremony, while two games will be played in the port city of Chittagong.

The 2011 event is a week shorter than the one held in the Caribbean in 2007 and will have 49 matches, two less than the previous tournament.

"This announcement is an important indicator of the excellent progress we are making towards our flagship event which brings together teams from all our members in nation-versus-nation action," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said.

"Preparation of venues and safety and security planning continues, and I am confident that the host countries will showcase our great sport with its great spirit in the best possible light."

ICC vice-president Sharad Pawar, who is chairman of the organising committee, said he looked forward to a great tournament.

"The sub-continent offers some great facilities for the cricketers, spectators, sponsors and media, with some brand new stadia to be built and others to be upgraded," said Pawar.

"The schedule will allow the venues to focus on the task at hand to plan and implement their preparations, and ensure they are ready to welcome the world to this beautiful, historic and cricket-loving region in 2011."

Team India is jaded, tired: Younis

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Younis Khan feels the "jaded and tired" Indian team is a perfect example of how non-stop cricket can affect a side's performance, highlighting an urgent need to "reinvent" the international calendar.

Younis said the exhaustive and gruelling schedule was leading to many fitness issues for players and also early burnout of many promising careers.

"Pakistan has not played that much cricket in the last two years due to the security issues in our country but the other teams are playing non-stop particularly commercially viable sides like India and Australia," he said.

India and Australia are currently playing a seven-match ODI series in which the hosts are trailing the world champions 2-4.

"You can see how some of the players especially Indians are looking jaded and tired. I think it would be a good idea if the administrators rethink the international calendar when they finalise the post 2012 future tours program," he added.

Younis felt fewer matches spread over lesser number of venues would help the players remain fit.

"It would be a good idea if the travelling of teams was cut down on tours and during tournaments. It would be good for players if one venue was selected to host at least two matches in a series that would cut down the travelling of teams," he said.

"It is always easier to adjust to weather conditions and other details when you play more than one match at one venue. It eases the pressure of travelling on players," Younis added.

Younis also called for the ICC to lay out mandatory breaks of at least two weeks between series and tournaments to allow players to recharge.

"I just fear that we don't have an overkill of international cricket in all three formats of the sport," he said.

Younis said while it was good that more money was coming into the sport but that there was a need to balance things.

The veteran batsman said this was one of the reasons why he was keen to see a players association formed in Pakistan.

"I think schedules can be made after due consultations with representative bodies of the players at every level," he added.

Gerrard makes unlucky Birmingham pay penalty

LIVERPOOL: Steven Gerrard inspired a Liverpool revival as the Reds fought back from a goal down to secure a 2-2 draw with Birmingham City in the Premier League here at Anfield on Monday.

Liverpool captain Gerrard, who came on shortly before half-time for Albert Riera, eventually drew the hosts level with a penalty 19 minutes from time although it looked as if David Ngog had dived to earn the spot-kick under pressure from Lee Carsley, the former Everton midfielder.

Although roared on by the crowd, Liverpool couldn't find a winner and the draw left under-pressure manager Rafael Benitez's side 11 points behind league leaders Chelsea.

Meanwhile Birmingham moved two points clear of the relegation zone.

Liverpool actually took an early lead through striker Ngog's close-range effort but rarely looked comfortable in the first half.

Christian Benitez headed in an equaliser before Cameron Jerome unleashed a stunning shot from some 35 yards to put Birmingham 2-1 up seconds before half-time.

Somdev goes down fighting to Kim

CHARLOTTESVILLE (Virginia): Somdev Devvarman saved three match points but fell short against American Kevin Kim 4-6, 7-6 (10-8), 4-6 in the final of the $50,000 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger tournament.

The Indian came back strongly after losing the first set. He saved three match points in the second set to draw level. But in the end Kim, ranked No.87, managed to edge past Devvarman in the thrilling baseline slugfest on Sunday.

"It's disappointing to lose in the finals," Somdev said.

"But it's just another match and I will learn from it. I am playing at Knoxville next and try to perform better."

Somdev, who is based here and twice won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) representing University of Virginia, said he loved every moment playing here.

"The crowd was cheering for me. It was awesome to play in front of my friends," he said.

"I love playing here and really grateful to all the support that came my way."

Second seeded Kim said he felt relieved after the match that had endless rallies.

"I thought it took me I don't how many match points to get through with the match," Kim said.

"Every match point was at least 30 balls. It was a torture."

Kim had survived a scare in the quarterfinal against another India player Sanam Singh, a University of Virginia sophomore.

Kim was leading 4-3 in the final set against Somdev when he had a fall.

"I knew once I fell to the ground, I kind of knew my chances of staying in a long rally weren't good so I kind of attacked him and that paid off."

Ashish Nehra likely to get Test recall

MUMBAI: Unless the national selection committee intends to go out of its way and experiment, which again has not quite been their style of working so far, the Test squad to be named for the three-match series against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Tuesday is expected to be completely void of any surprises. It doesn’t get easier for the captain of a troubled team and the selectors either when all major contenders for a Test berth ahead of a series are completely fit. That is exactly the case now with India where Zaheer Khan is back in good shape having played a Ranji Trophy match, Yuvraj Singh has shown some form and the speculation surrounding the fitness of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag has remained just that and nothing more. The last squad that did duty in New Zealand of 16 members is normally pruned to 14 for the home series. Which means, reserve opener Murli Vijay and medium-pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, picked as a back-up for the Kiwi tour, are likely to be omitted. Tamil Nadu medium-pacer Laxmipathy Balaji, who made a comeback during the tour of New Zealand but didn’t play a single Test may make way for Ashish Nehra. The Delhi left-arm pacer, who has been impressive since making a comeback to the limited overs squad five months ago, will in all probability be making a return to Test cricket after five years. Nehra last played at Test match against Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 2004. Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra will be the two full-time spinners with Sehwag and Yuvraj as part-time options while Zaheer will have the services of Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel when Dhoni looks for a three-pronged pace attack. Probable Squad: MS Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Amit Mishra, Ashish Nehra.

After Lee and Paine, Hopes ruled out of ODI series

MOHALI: Injury-ravaged Australia suffered yet another blow after all-rounder James Hopes was on Sunday ruled out of the remainder of the seven-match ODI series against India.

Cricket Australia said Hopes will return home to continue his recovery from a right hamstring injury he suffered during the first One-dayer at Vadodara.

CA's National Selection Panel has named pacer Clinton McKay, who impressed for Victoria Bushrangers during the inaugural Champions League Twenty20, as Lee's replacement. McKay will join the Australian squad in Hyderabad ahead of the fifth match of the series.

New South Wales all-rounder Moises Henriques, who joined the team ahead of the third ODI in New Delhi last night, will continue to remain with the squad for remainder of the series.

"James has done everything he can with medical staff to make himself available for the remaining games of the tour. However, due to compressed nature of this tour and his speed of recovery we feel now we have insufficient time to have James fully fit to take part in the remaining games of this series," Australia physio Kevin Sims said in a CA statement.

"Therefore, a decision has been made that James will return to Australia where he will continue his rehabilitation from this hamstring injury," he said.

NSP chairman Andrew Hilditch said, "With injuries to Brett Lee and James and both of these returning to Australia, the NSP has taken opportunity to add another bowler to the squad in Clinton McKay."

Hopes' returning home midway through the series comes as a big setback for Australia as they have already lost pacer Brett Lee and wicketkeeper Tim Paine.

"With Moises having played in the last ODI game and James Hopes going home, Moises will now remain with the squad in India for the duration of the series," Hilditch said.

"Clinton is a young promising bowler who has recent very good form for Victoria in Champions League Twenty20 in India. He will be well suited to Indian conditions and we believe he is another young player who benefit from experience of being in the Australian team set-up during this tour," he said.

Red Bull's Vettel wins first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

ABU DHABI: Sebastian Vettel led his Red Bull team-mate Australian Mark Webber home in an impressive one-two triumph in Sunday's season-ending

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inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the first 'day-night' race in Formula One history.

F1 race results | Drivers' standings | Constructors' standings

The 22-year-old German, in commanding form on the spectacular Yas Marina circuit, took full advantage of the early retirement of Briton Lewis Hamilton with brake problems on his McLaren Mercedes to seize his fourth win of the year.

It was the Red Bull team's fourth one-two this season, matching the record of the newly-crowned constructors' champions Brawn GP, whose new champion driver Briton Jenson Button finished third after a tense tussle with Webber over the final laps.

The result confirmed that Vettel finished the season as runner-up in the drivers' championship behind Button while Red Bull proved they are more than worthy of finishing second to Brawn in the teams' championship.

In a race that started in late afternoon sunshine, but finished under dazzling floodlights, Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello finished fourth in his expected last outing for Brawn.

German Nick Heidfeld marked his last race for the departing Sauber BMW team, which is leaving Formula One, by taking fifth ahead of Japanese Kamui Kobayashi.

Italian veteran Jarno Trulli finished seventh for Toyota and Swiss Sebastien Buemi, who was 21 on Saturday, took the final point in eighth place for Toro Rosso.

Finn Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion, making his final race appearance for Ferrari, finished down in 12th position and his team-mate veteran Italian Giancarlo Fisichella in 16th while two-times world champion Ferrari-bound Spaniard Fernando Alonso was 14th in his final race for Renault.

Hamilton, who had been a hot favourite to win, made a good start and was away clear of the field into the first corner while behind him there was a minor collision as Webber, starting third, was touched from behind by Barrichello as they went into the opening turn.

The incident damaged Barrichello's front wing, part of which flew off and lodged itself into the side-pod of his team-mate Button's following Brawn.

This split second of confusion enabled Hamilton, with the help of his KERS button, to pull away up the straight and gave Button his chance to overtake his team-mate for third.

The two Red Bulls, driven by Vettel and Webber, ran in second and third positions with some ease at this stage, giving the impression that they had the pace to take control.

Hamilton pitted after 17 laps, conceding the initiative to Vettel who pitted one lap later and emerged comfortably in front of Hamilton, who was experiencing vibrations, due to a right rear brake problem. Two laps later, it was all over for the 2008 champion and his team called him in to retire from the race.

Hamilton said: "There was a problem with the brakes. I couldn't stop the car. I was locking and locking and locking. It was harder than ever to drive the car.

"It's a shame as the car felt so good these last couple of days, but we haven't had many brake problems this year, so there you go. But I still think the whole team should be really proud of how we have recovered this season."

In among these pit stops, Button was passed on the track by an aggressive move from Kobayashi in his Toyota, the Japanese forcing his way by the new champion at the end of the long back straight.

Webber and the rest also pitted amid chaos for Red Bull and Toro Rosso when the latter team's Spanish driver Jaime Alguersuari came in and stopped at the wrong garage. He was sent straight out and after 22 laps retired when he stopped at turn 14.

All of this left the two Red Bulls out in front with Vettel leading ahead of Webber by 7.5 seconds with Kobayashi, yet to make a stop, running third and Button fourth ahead of Barrichello and Raikkonen, sixth for Ferrari, but also without making a pit-stop.

By lap 28, the sun was gone and darkness descending, giving the one billion euros circuit an ideal opportunity to demonstrate how dazzling it looks when dressed for night. The lights on the Yas hotel roof-skin switched to blue, purple and red, as if to signal the Red Bull superiority.

United double does for Blackburn

MANCHESTER: Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney ensured Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United returned to winning ways in a routine 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Rooney struck three minutes from time, converting Anderson's cross with a clinical sweeping shot into the Rovers net from six yards out, to give his side a comfortable cushion yet this was far from a vintage performance from the defending champions.

United looked out of sorts for the first half-hour, possibly the legacy of an unfamiliar line-up which Ferguson had been forced to select with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic both considered incapable of starting the game.

That left United with an unfamiliar centre-back pairing of Wes Brown and Jonny Evans although, save for a promising attack from El-Hadji Diouf which was ended by John O'Shea's well-timed tackle in the 23rd minute, there was nothing to worry that re-shaped defence in the first-half.

United, however, were similarly slow to click into gear in their attacking play and Blackburn, still smarting from the dressing down they received from manager Sam Allardyce after last weekend's five-goal defeat at Chelsea, were in no mood to repeat the mistakes made at Stamford Bridge.

Blackburn followed Allardyce's instructions to the letter, packing ten men behind the ball whenever possible, and on the odd occasion United managed to work their way through the massed Rovers ranks, visiting keeper Paul Robinson was in inspired form.

On the half hour, Antonio Valencia's right-wing cross was met by Berbatov but the Bulgarian's downward header bounced up perfectly for Robinson to acrobatically tip the ball over the crossbar.

Shortly afterwards, Berbatov, again, threatened the Blackburn goal with a low, skidding shot from 22 yards which Robinson did well to turn around his left-hand post with a smart dive.

Before the interval, Berbatov also had the ball in the net, converting Rooney's low cross, only for the 'goal' to be correctly ruled out for an offside against the England centre-forward.

Nani, who, along with Valencia on the other United wing, had put in a disappointing effort in the opening period, missed a glorious opportunity when he failed to connect with a Valencia corner late in the first-half.

With no obvious improvement at the start of the second half, and with the Old Trafford crowd starting to show increasing disquiet, United finally enjoyed the slice of good fortune their efforts just about merited.

Patrice Evra's low shot from outside the area flew directly to the feet of Berbatov, back to goal, and the forward spun instantly before depositing an unstoppable shot into the far corner of Robinson's goal, his fourth of the season, in the 55th minute.

Going behind forced Rovers into altering their game plan and Allardyce brought on attacking midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen in place of his more defensive team-mate Keith Andrews.

The change in the game's balance and shape should have brought more chances for United, who threw on young French winger Gabriel Obertan for his first taste of Premier League football in place of the disappointing Nani.

Within minutes, Obertan was sent clear by Anderson although the Frenchman could only muster a shot directly at Robinson after sprinting half the length of the field.

Rooney shot well over soon after before Obertan, astonishingly, failed to hit the target from six yards after fellow substitute Michael Owen had allowed Valencia's pass to fall into his path.

Deriba Merga retains Delhi Half Marathon title

NEW DELHI: Olympian Deriba Merga of Ethiopia defended the men's title, while Kenyan Mary Keitany won in the women's category of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon on Sunday. ( Watch Video )

Merga, who faced some stiff competition from compatriot Eshetu Wendimu and last year's runner-up Wilson Kipsang of Kenya, clocked 59:54 minutes to cover the 21.097 km and bagged $25,000 winners' purse.

Wendimu (1.00.02) finished second, followed by Kipsang (1.00.04), who was much slower due to a toe injury this year.

Reigning world champion Keitany took 1 hour 6.54 minutes to touch the finish line with Ethiopian Ayelew Wude (1.07:58) coming second, followed by compatriot Aberu Kebede (1.07:59).

Meanwhile, Armyman Deepchand Saharan (1.04:00) finished first among Indian men and overall 17th in the race, while Uttar Pradesh's Sukanya Mall (1.20:11) was the fastest woman among Indians and 22nd overall.

Each of the Indian toppers would be richer by $4,000. Earlier, the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) chief Suresh Kalmadi flagged off the race that saw 8,429 participations, including 266 foreigners.

Sachin bats for more technology in cricket

NEW DELHI: Umpires should be left to adjudge only leg-before decisions while technology takes care of the rest, according to Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.

Tendulkar, 36, who begins his 21st year in international cricket next month, even advocated rotating on-field umpires every session of a Test match to give them adequate rest, but denounced the referral system.

Tendulkar, a veteran of 159 Tests and 431 One-Day Internationals, said he was in favour of more technology in cricket to make the umpire's task more accurate.

"It is tough for the umpires to watch the no-balls and watch what's happening in the front," he was quoted as saying by a website.

"For basic line decisions, like no-balls and run outs, you must have a laser or something like that. Something like what you have in tennis to decide serves.

"You can call it (a no-ball) with a machine."

Tendulkar said bat-pad decisions can be relied on television X-ray technology called "hot spots" which clearly illustrates the first point of contact of the ball -- either pad or bat.

"They should use the hot spot for bat-pad decisions, so the main umpire has to make only the leg-before calls," he said. "I'm quite happy with the hot spot because that establishes the contact.

"For caught behind and all, the hot spot will come. Close-in catches, again the hot spot will come. You don't need a machine for clean bowled, so only the leg-before decisions is what the umpire has to concentrate on."

Tendulkar, the world's most prolific batsman, said three on-field umpires should be nominated so that they can take turns to rest for a session of a Test.

But he did not support the new referral system, where umpires get help from a colleague watching television replays to adjudicate on close decisions.

"I'm not particularly happy with the referrals because I'm not convinced of the TV angles," he said. "I wasn't happy when we first went through it (on the tour of Sri Lanka last year).