Spectacular opening in Bangladesh:

Consistency key to success

B’desh PM Hasina opens ICC WC

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared open the tenth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup during a gala ceremony which took place at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka yesterday.

The Prime Minister inaugurated the World Cup by placing her hand on a palm scanner which was then followed by a cultural performance which included artistes from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara believes that consistency will be the key to his team’s success in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup which begins in the sub continent from February 19. The Sri Lankan captain made these observations during the official opening ceremony of the mega event which took place at the Bangabandu National Stadium in Dhaka yesterday.

The 14 nation ICC flagship event co-hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka will be worked off from February 19 to April 2 with Bangladesh taking on India in the curtain raiser match at Mirpur on Saturday.

Sangakkara expressed his satisfaction with the format of the tournament which will help any good side to recover from a poor start. The 34 year old elegant left hander however noted that the biggest advantage for his team is the home conditions where most of the games will be played in familiar tracks.

The Lankans in fact will take on Canada in their opening match of the tournament on Sunday at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Sooriyawewa, Hambanthota having already notched up two wins in their warm up matches against the Netherlands and the West Indies.

The Sri Lankan captain also stated that after reaching the quarterfinals they need only two good performances to reach the second successive final. Sri Lanka emerged runners up to Australia in the 2007 World Cup held in West Indies.

Sangakkara of course noted that it was helpful to play in familiar conditions, but that did will not guarantee his team a win and need to be consistent throughout the tournament.

“One has to do better than all teams to win the tournament. It is great playing at home and in front of our own crowds. The format is such that if you make it to thee quarterfinals, you need to play great in two matches to reach a World Cup final.”

Meanwhile Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni speaking on behalf of the three host nations — India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka said that it was fitting that the tournament was being held in South Asia where cricket was a major sport.

“I welcome the other teams and hope they will enjoy our hospitality. The interest in cricket in this part of the world is unmatched. I am sure everyone will have a great time.” Dhoni said that all teams competing in the tournament are in good touch. ‘The gap between matches will help players recover from niggles which are bound to happen. It means every team will be in good shape for their matches’ added the Indian captain.

Earlier Australian captain Ricky Ponting made his remarks ahead of the opening ceremony while welcoming the cricketing fraternity to the World Cup. “On behalf of the 13 other captains, I welcome the cricket fraternity to the World Cup. It is the pinnacle of our sport and we will make sure it is a spectacle to remember.”

The 14 teams are divided into two groups for the preliminary league, with the top four in each group advancing to the knock-out rounds.

Reigning champions Australia are pooled with Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Canada in group A.

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