India open 2011 World Cup against Bangladesh
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.
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 here.
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.
MUMBAI,AFP
|