ENGLAND'S SRI LANKA TOUR DATES AND VENUES CONFIRMED

Sri Lanka Cricket confirms itinerary of England's tour of Sri Lanka in November this year.

Sri Lanka Cricket has today confirmed the England itinerary for the tour to Sri Lanka in November and December 2014. The itinerary will comprise seven One-Day Internationals and two warm-up matches with the tour starting and finishing in the Sri Lanka capital, Colombo.
 
England ODI Tour to Sri Lanka 2014
 
Fri 21 Nov           1st warm-up v SL A (Day)                            Sinhalese Sports Club,Colombo
Sun 23 Nov         2nd warm-up v SL A (Day)                           Tamil Union Oval, Colombo
Wed 26 Nov       1st ODI (Day/Night)                                       Colombo*
Sat 29 Nov          2nd ODI (Day)                                             Colombo*
Wed 3 Dec          3rd ODI (Day/Night)                                      Hambantota
Sat 6 Dec            4th ODI (Day)                                              Colombo *
Wed 10 Dec        5th ODI (D/N)                                               Pallekelle *
Sat 13 Dec           6th ODI (Day)                                               Pallekelle *
Tue 16 Dec          7th ODI (D/N)                                               Colombo
 

ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP TROPHY TO VISIT PNG

The ICC Cricket World Cup trophy

With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 just over six months away, the International Cricket Council East Asia-Pacific office can announce that the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy will visit the shores of Papua New Guinea next month.

In a major coup for the country and the region, this will be the first time ever that the World Cup Trophy will come to a non-test playing country in the East-Asia Pacific Region.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Chief Executive, John Harnden is thrilled that the event has the opportunity to leave a legacy on one of the biggest improvers in world cricket that is also one of Australia’s closest neighbours
“We’re proud to be able to promote the event in Papua New Guinea, which only just missed out on qualifying for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. We want as many people to get involved, not only with the tournament but with cricket in the country, and what better way to showcase the tournament than through the trophy.”

PNG narrowly missed out on a spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 after finishing fourth in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier held in New Zealand earlier this year. Despite missing out on a spot in the World Cup, they still managed to improve their ranking to 16th in the world and also claim One Day International (ODI) Status.

The ICC Cricket World Cup is set to begin on the 14 February and run right through until 29 March. For further information on the tournament visit www.cricketworldcup.com.

The trophy visit will coincide with Cricket PNG’s annual event the “Don’t Drink & Drive” Legends Big Bash. Once again Cricket PNG will be bringing in some current and former international stars as they look to promoting the “Don’t Drink & Drive” campaign.

Cricket PNG General Manager, Mr. Greg Campbell, was excited to see the World Cup Trophy head to the region for the first time.

“This is an exciting time for PNG and the EAP region. Having the World Cup Trophy come to PNG is a great for the code and the country. The last time this event was in our region was more than 20 years ago and it’s not very often that the trophy of one of the World’s biggest events comes to PNG” added a happy Campbell.

India are the current holders of the trophy having beaten Sri Lanka in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.

QUALIFIERS TO PREPARE IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND FOR ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015

Afghanistan and Ireland will travel with Scotland and UAE to Australia and New Zealand in September and October 2014 to prepare for the ICC World Cup in 2015.

With 200 days to go to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, the International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that the four qualifying teams for the tournament will travel to Australia and New Zealand in September and October 2014. The tours are part of the ICC’s High Performance Programme (HPP), and will assist the qualifiers’ preparations for cricket’s pinnacle 50-over tournament.

Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will play against state and provincial sides in Australia and New Zealand, as they count down to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which will be held between 14 February and 29 March. During the tour, they will also be able to call on a number of specialist coaches and former players from both countries, to support their training and planning sessions.

The team schedules have been developed in consultation with the individual Member Boards, as well as Cricket Australia, New Zealand Cricket and their respective state and provincial associations, and will provide local fans with an early taste of what to expect next year.

The tours will get underway when the UAE, the fourth and last Associate team to qualify to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, arrives in Perth on 7 September.

Shortly after, Afghanistan will arrive in Perth on 14 September, Scotland will arrive in Hobart on 24 September, and Ireland will arrive in Queensland on 23 September.

Reflecting on the importance of these tours, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “Helping cricket’s top emerging nations to perform on the global stage is a key part of the ICC’s High Performance Programme, and these tours will provide a great opportunity for the four teams to gain valuable knowledge and experience of the conditions they will face during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

“All sides have a strong schedule of matches against high-level opposition, and we are grateful to Cricket Australia, New Zealand Cricket and their state and provincial associations for supporting the programme so fully.”

Chief Executive of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Local Organising Committee, John Harnden, said he was excited to have the teams competing in both Australia and New Zealand.

“With just 200 days to go until the first match in Christchurch, it’s pleasing to see the tournament build even further momentum. We’re looking forward to welcoming Ireland, Afghanistan, Scotland and United Arab Emirates to Australia and New Zealand in September and October,” said Mr Harnden.

“Both New Zealand and Australia have such a diverse community, which is very passionate about its varied heritage and, in many cases, is very passionate about cricket. We’ll be working hard in the communities in which the matches are playing to encourage fans to get out and support these sides prior to the tournament.”

Ireland

Ireland, the first team to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 after winning the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship (WCLC), will be making its third successive appearance at the tournament.

Ireland will play four one-day matches in Australia before travelling to New Zealand on 11 October, where it will play four more one-day games in Mount Maunganui and Christchurch.

“It promises to be a fantastic occasion for Irish cricket and their fans. The squad can’t wait to play in a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. It's going to be a wonderful tournament and I know just how much everyone is looking forward to it,” Ireland coach Phil Simmons said.

“This tour is a great opportunity for the squad to acclimatise ahead of the competition, and we’re grateful to the ICC and in particular, Richard Done, for his help in making it possible. It’ll give us some much needed match practise in Antipodean conditions against a high standard of opposition. 

“We aim to be as well prepared as possible in order to claim more headline wins against Full Members, and this tour is an important aspect in that preparation.”

Afghanistan

Afghanistan will make its maiden appearance at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 after finishing second behind Ireland in the Pepsi ICC WCLC.

The side will arrive in Perth on 14 September, the venue for its tournament clash against host Australia, before travelling to Mount Maunganui in New Zealand for four further matches. 

Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi sees the ICC High Performance Programme tours as a great opportunity for his side. “It is a huge honour for Afghanistan to be playing in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. We will do our best to justify our qualification to the tournament and that is where this pre-tournament tour will prove very useful,” said Nabi.

“Not only will we be able to familiarise ourselves with the conditions that we will face during the tournament, but we will also be able to seek guidance from former legends of the game and utilise world class facilities on offer in Australia and New Zealand.”

Scotland

Scotland, which sealed the third qualification spot when it won the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier New Zealand 2014 (CWCQ), will arrive in Hobart on 24 September.

The team’s new coach Grant Bradburn is looking forward to the tour for a number of reasons.

“With now only 200 days to go to the World Cup, excitement is building in the Scotland camp. Players are well aware already there will be healthy internal competition for places in the final 15, so every opportunity from here on in is critical for selection and preparation,” he said.

“The pre-World Cup tour to Australia and New Zealand is a valuable chance for all the associate teams to keep building playing experiences against quality opposition on conditions that we are likely to be challenged with come February.

“Together with the ICC we have been able to build a substantial preparation programme towards the World Cup. From a playing perspective we are expecting to be challenged with quality quick, swing bowling plus world class spin. These are two of the skill areas where the Scotland squad will be working hard to keep building our skills.”

The side has played in two previous ICC Cricket World Cup events (1999 and 2007), and will play two one-day matches in Hobart, before heading to the country of its historic CWCQ victory to play an additional four one-day matches, in Christchurch.

UAE

The UAE will make its second appearance at the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015, having played in the 1996 edition. It qualified for the tournament after finishing runner-up to Scotland at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2014 and its preparation schedule will include two matches in Perth, the venue for the side’s clash against ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy 2013 champion India on 28 February. 

The UAE will play six one-day matches, including one against Papua New Guinea in Darwin on 17 September.

“To play in the ICC Cricket World Cup is the dream of all cricketers; it’s the biggest event that any of us can participate in.  It has been 18 years since the UAE’s only appearance at the World Cup, and we are looking to make our mark in 2015,” said UAE coach Aqib Javed.

“The ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand in January was the team’s first taste of the local conditions, and this tour provides us with a strong programme of high-level matches and experience across a range of conditions.  It provides a really good opportunity to test ourselves - it is crucial preparation for us.”  

The full schedule of HPP tour matches will be shared in due course.

About the ICC HPP Programme

The ICC High Performance Programme (HPP) was launched in 2001 to assist the leading ICC Associate Members prepare for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003.  The major objective of the HPP is to develop the quality of HPP country on-field and off-field structures in order to close the gap between ICC Associate Member and ICC Full Member playing standards.

From 2014 to 2017, the six HPP countries are Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and the UAE, the four teams that qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, as well as Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea.

To achieve this objective, the ICC High Performance Manager, Richard Done, visits and works with the HPP countries to prioritize their own in-country strategies for their high performance programmes, competition schedules, player development pathways and off-field coaching and administrative structures.  He also engages and manages the operations of a team of specialist consultants who provide identified areas of essential support.

For more information on the ICC HPP Programme, please click here.

ICC HPP Camps

HPP camps are held for the leading Associate and Affiliate teams in the lead up to most ICC global events, and at other key times to fit in with team schedules. 

Prior to the ICC WT20 Sri Lanka 2012, a camp was held in Sri Lanka, while an HPP camp was also held in the UAE in 2011 ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, in England in 2009, ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 2009, in the UAE in March 2013 before round five of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship, and in the UAE in March 2014 ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

For more information on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, including team fixtures, please click here.

The official tournament hashtag is #cwc15.

For tickets, please visit www.cricketworldcup.com. 

A range of official hotel and ticket packages or ticket plus airport transfer packages are available to book now from ICC Travel. For more information, please visit icctravel.net.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Official Online Store is open – please go to shop.cricketworldcup.comto check out all the latest gear.

WORLD CUP GAMES FOR HAGLEY OVAL

The redeveloped Hagley Oval in Christchurch is set to host three ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 matches.

The redeveloped Hagley Oval in Christchurch is set to host three ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 matches after having had a $9 million makeover in nine months. Officially opened yesterday, the ground is also ready to host the Boxing Day Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka from December 26. 
 
Aside from the domestic programme and the Boxing Day Test, the ground will host three ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 matches including the opening match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand on February 14. With the Hadlee Pavilion and temporary seating, the ground's capacity is now close to 20,000 ahead of the tournament. 
 
"Typically a city the size of Christchurch might not have got the opening game and the opening ceremony, but they have," said ICC Cricket World Cup Head of New Zealand Therese Walsh to Sunday Star Times. "That is in recognition of the special type of role that they are going to play.
 
"We had to put an asterix next to the city . . . because there was no international cricket stadium in Christchurch. Obviously AMI Stadium was unable to be used and there was no other international cricket venue. The thinking at that time was that Canterbury Cricket would take an existing oval in Hagley Park and make it into not just a first-class venue but an international venue. There were a lot of challenges with it.
  
"Even as of last Christmas, I felt very concerned that there needed to be a lot more progress," she added. "I think of all the things with Cricket World Cup it has been the one we have lost the most sleep about. We always knew the prize was big if we could get there. It's going to be quite a proud moment."
According to New Zealand Cricket's head of cricket, Lindsay Crocker, the Boxing Day clash is the first of many games to be held there. 
'We've been through several of these recently at Nelson, Whangarei and Mt Maunganui, so we know what to expect and what they expect and we're pretty sure we, well, Canterbury Cricket, have got our bases covered,'' Crocker was quoted saying by a New Zealand website. ''This is a great setting and this is a serious Test match ground.''
 
Dunedin's University Oval picked up the Test match slack due to the absence of a ground in Christchurch, which last hosted a Test in December 2006.
 
However, the official International Cricket Council approval for the ground will be received next month when Roshan Mahanama, the ICC match referee, will be in New Zealand for the One-Day International series between New Zealand and South Africa. He is scheduled to visit Christchurch on October 19 to give it the ICC sign-off.
 
If the ICC approves of the ground and the available facilities, as anticipated, Hagley Oval will be considered as one of New Zealand's leading Test venues along with Hamilton's Seddon Park and Wellington's Basin Reserve. 

''I think it's highly unlikely we'll run Boxing Day Tests [regularly], this was just the way it panned out with the Cricket World Cup this summer, but this is certainly in contention for future Tests,'' Crocker said. ''There will be plenty of contests here and it's a bit of a dual-purpose ground."
  
In what is expected to be a busy summer, Canterbury is set to play domestic matches at the ground. The first match will be played between Scotland and Canterbury on October 17.

NARINE WITHDRAWS FROM WEST INDIES CWC SQUAD

The bowler requires more time to be able to confidently bowl for a sustained period in international cricket with his new action

Narine has taken a positive approach to his remedial work and looks forward to returning to international cricket.

St John’s, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board today announced that off spinner Sunil Narine has withdrawn from the West Indies squad for the Cricket World Cup 2015.
 
Narine has undergone intense remedial work on his bowling action and preliminary tests have shown him bowling all his deliveries under the 15 degrees flexion allowance. However he requires more time to be able to confidently bowl for a sustained
period in international cricket with his new action.
 
“Playing for Red Force and winning the NAGICO Super50 has been a big boost, but going in to the World Cup is a little too much too soon and, after consulting the WICB, for both West Indies and my sake we have decided to delay my return to international cricket until I am 100% confident in all that I do,” Narine said.
 
"Whilst I am very happy with the progress made to date with my action, and I express my thanks to the coaches working with me in Trinidad and Dr. Daryl Foster in Perth, Australia, I am withdrawing from the World Cup,” Narine explained.
 
The WICB supports Narine’s decision to withdraw from the CWC squad as to risk his exposure to the intensity of the Cricket World Cup would be both unfair to him and the West Indies squad. A replacement will be named shortly.
 
Narine has taken a positive approach to his remedial work, remains in an optimistic frame of mind and looks forward to returning to international cricket at the earliest opportunity.
 
“I would like to thank the WICB for their support and wish the West Indies team the very best for the World Cup campaign," Narine said.
 

PAKISTAN NAME FINAL 15 MAN SQUAD FOR ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015

Misbah Ul Haq to lead Pakistan in Australia and New Zealand, 23 years after Imran Khan led Pakistan to the crown down unde

The Pakistan Cricket Board announced its 15-member squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to be held in Australia and New Zealand on Wednesday(January 7). The squad contains two openers, four middle order batsmen, five pace bowlers, one spinner, two all-rounders and a wicket-keeper/batsman.
 
Sohail Khan, the seamer, who last represented Pakistan in 2011, was included. Shoiab Maqsood, Junaid Khan and Ehsan Adil have all recovered from injuries and will feature in the squad. Pakistan fans will be delighted by the presence of Shahid Afridi who will play in a fifth ICC Cricket World Cup since his debut back in 1999.



Chief Selector Moin Khan said “This is the best possible squad from the available resources, and the selectors collectively believe it has the requisite talent and skill-set to recapture the World Cup Down Under after 22 years.
 

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INDIA ANNOUNCES FINAL 15 MAN SQUAD FOR ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015

Pakistan’s campaign starts with a Pool B Match against India at the Adelaide Oval on February 15. To see Pakistan’s fixtures in full please click here.
 

Pakistan Squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Misbah-ul-Haq (capt)
Ahmed Shehzad
Younis Khan
Mohammad Hafeez
Haris Sohail
Sarfraz Ahmed
Umar Akmal
Sohaib Maqsood
Shahid Afridi
Yasir Shah
Mohammad Irfan
Junaid Khan
Ehsan Adil
Sohail Khan
Wahab Riaz

ENGLAND SQUAD UNCHANGED FOR REMAINDER OF ODI SERIES

England team in action.

England selectors today named an unchanged 14-man squad for the remaining two matches in the five match One Day International Series against Sri Lanka. England currently lead the series 2-1.

Alastair Cook (Essex) (Capt)
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Gary Ballance (Yorkshire)
Ian Bell (Warwickshire)
Ravi Bopara (Essex)
Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)
Jos Buttler (Lancashire)
Michael Carberry (Hampshire)
Harry Gurney (Nottinghamshire)
Chris Jordan (Sussex)
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)
James Tredwell (Kent) 
Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)