Pakistan Cricket fans celebrate victory

LAHORE – Cricket enthusiasts enjoyed the one of the Cricket World Cup 2011 match played between Pakistan and West Indies on a big screen in a Cricket Mania here at the SozoWorld Cinema organised jointly by Nawa-i-Waqt Group and SozoWorld Cinema.
There was a big crowd rushed to the SozoWorld Cinema and enjoyed the match a lot on a big screen. After the victory, they started dancing, chanting slogans “Pakistan Zindabad” and greeted each other.
The fans also appreciated the Nawa-i-Waqt Group and SozoWorld’s effort of showing World Cup matches on big screens and said that it was a big-margin win against West Indies. They are very happy that Pakistan is just two-match away to clinch the World Cup trophy. This win is a gift for nation on the eve of Pakistan Day.
When a local cricket fan Ammarah Zareen was asked about to express her views, she replied: “Yahoo… we won the match. It was the best winning game for Pakistan. Defeating West Indies appeared an easy task since in the last match in which the team make history by whacking Australia. This is motivational and has raised anticipations to win the World Cup, yet the spirit of other strong teams, like South Africa must not be underestimated. As for Boom Boom Afridi, he needs to calm down on the field and need to rush for six in the first few balls. He should focus on continuity of batting. Pakistan can definitely reach and win the final if the team maintained its winning attitude.”
M Ali Nasir Chishti commented: “Pakistan had crossed a major hurdle in its way to become a world champion by defeating West Indies with a big margin and also gave a message to other cricketing nations that Pakistan is not an easy team to be defeated. I wish Pakistani team all the best for semi-final and final.”

Pakistan cricket team has "no security concerns about going to India" for World Cup semis: Waqar

The Pakistan cricket team has no security concerns over going to India for their World Cup semi-final at Mohali on March 30, coach Waqar Younis has said, adding that he is in fact happy to visit the neighbouring country.
"We have to go wherever the tournament schedule takes us. We have no security concerns about going to India. It's good to go to a neighbouring country. I am happy to go to India," The Nation quoted Waqar, as telling reporters after his team thrashed the West Indies by 10 wickets in their quarterfinal match at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.
He said that Pakistan had toured India in 1999 when the relations between both countries were not that good. "Now things are far better," he added.
Waqar felt that Pakistan would not get the same backing from the Indian crowd as they got in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but expected the presence of Pakistani fans in the Mohali stadium.
"We won't get crowd support like here or Sri Lanka but some people might cross the border to see us play. We have to play wherever the tournament takes us. We are not concerned by security," he said.
Pakistan may encounter archrivals India in the semi-final stage, if the co-hosts beat Australia in Thursday's quarterfinal in Ahmedabad.

Statistical highlights of Pakistan vs West Indies World Cup match

# Pakistan's 10-wicket win is their first at the World Cup.
# Pakistan's triumph with 175 balls to spare against West Indies is their biggest in terms of balls remaining, outstripping their victory against Canada with 119 balls to spare at Leeds on June 9, 1979.
# West Indies recorded their largest defeat in the history of the World Cup.
# Mohammad Hafeez got his first Man of the Match award in the World Cup. It is his fourth in ODIs.
# Hafeez's eighth half-century in limited overs Internationals is his first at the World Cup. His previous best at the World Cup was 49 against Zimbabwe at Pallekele on March 14, 2011.
# Pakistan posted their third win in nine games against West Indies at the World Cup - their last victory was at Bristol on May 16, 1999.
# West Indies (112) posted their lowest total against Pakistan at the World Cup - their third lowest overall, behind 93 against Kenya at Pune on February 29, 1996 and 110 against Australia at Manchester on May 30, 1999.
# For the sixth time, Pakistan have reached semifinal, emulating the record held by Australia.
# Umar Gul took his wickets' tally in the World Cup to 18 at an average of 15.27 in 10 games.
# Umar's tally of 14 wickets at 14.50 in seven matches is the second highest for Pakistan in the present World Cup competition.
# Pakistan registered their third win by ten wickets in ODIs - one each against New Zealand, Bangladesh and West Indies.
# For West Indies, the ten-wicket defeat is the fourth suffered by them in ODIs - one each against England, Australia, Pakistan and India
# Kamran Akmal's unbeaten 47 off 61 balls is his second best innings at the World Cup - his best is 55 against Kenya at Hambantota.
# Devon Smith, playing in his seventh match, has become the first West Indian to aggregate 300 runs (ave.42.85) in the 2011 edition of the World Cup.
# Shahid Afridi became the first bowler to register the feat of producing four instances of four wickets or more in a single edition of the World Cup.
# Afridi, with his tally of 21 wickets at 10.71 runs apiece in seven matches in the present tounament, has set two records - most wickets by a Pakistani bowler in a World Cup competition apart from most wickets by a captain in a single edition at the World Cup.
# Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez, with their 113-run unbroken partnership, have set a World Cup record for Pakistan for the opening wicket against West Indies.
# Shahid Afridi has become the first bowler to record two instances each of five-wicket and four-wicket hauls at the World Cup overall. Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan have produced four instances of four wicket-hauls at the World Cup.
# Afridi (4/30) registered his best bowling figures against West Indies in ODIs, bettering the 4 for 38 at Gros Islet on May 21, 2005.
# Hafeez's economy rate of 1.60 (10-3-16-2) is the best by a bowler in the present competition (minimum 30 balls).

Zardari, Gilani congratulate Pakistan cricket team on reaching World Cup semifinal

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani have congratulated the national cricket team on its big-margin win against West Indies in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal match at Mirpur, Bangladesh.
Both Zardari and Gilani commended all members of the Pakistan team on their excellent performance, and expressed the hope that they would play with the same zeal in the remaining World Cup matches, The Nation reports.
Pakistan Muslim League (N) Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, PML (Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and senior leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi also felicitated the Pakistan team for their brilliant performance in the match.
Skipper Shahid Afridi spearheaded a spin assault on West Indies on Wednesday, taking four wickets for 30 runs, leading Pakistan to a 10-wicket victory to reach the World Cup semifinal for the first time since 1999.
It has been a remarkable comeback for Pakistan, which had been knocked out in the first round of the last World Cup four years ago, and had been engulfed by a number of controversies- including the spot-fixing scandal that surfaced last August- that resulted in a ban on three key Pakistani players last month.
Cricket lovers in the country celebrated their team's victory as many of them came out on roads to celebrate the triumph, which coincided with the Pakistan Day.
Some of them were seen distributing sweets among the fans as they congratulated and greeted the Pakistan team on their superb and fantastic win against West Indies, hoping that their team will bring the World Cup trophy home and make the nation proud.

Does the Pakistan Cricket Team have the Goods to Really Win the Cup?

A devastating blow seemed to hit the Pakistani cricket team early on in their match on March 19. When Umar Gul pulled up with a what looked like a painful knee injury during the second over against Australia, Pakistan’s chances of beating the Aussies and clinching the number one spot in their group seemed to suddenly drop like a ball through Kamran Akmal’s fingers. And in a way, it was happening in the worst way possible: not by Australia outclassing them, but a cruel twist of fate. It looked like Ricky Ponting’s boys were being handed a gift from the cricket Gods.
Of course, just as quickly as Gul stuttered and stopped and black clouds swept over Pakistan, the skies miraculously cleared. After a bit of on-field medical attention by the physiotherapist, Gul was back. He kept the Aussies to just two runs in his first over and nabbed the first wicket of the match in his next over. Fortune was not on the side of the Aussies after all.
By now there should be no doubt now about the depth and talent in Pakistan’s bowling line-up. Pakistan has been cruel and miserly in giving up runs to Australia and the West Indies. The timing for this superb display of bowling prowess and intelligent captaining has been perfect: it allowed Pakistan to grab top spot in their group and thus face off against the weak Windies in Mirpur, allowing the Green Shirts to comfortably move into the semis

Pakistan 'spot-fixers' bailed to appear at Southwark crown court in May

The three Pakistan cricketers accused of spot fixing, and the agent accused of accepting £150,000 to arrange for no-balls to be bowled at specific points in a Test match, have been bailed to appear at Southwark crown court in May.
The former captain Salman Butt, 26, and the fast bowlers Mohammad Asif, 28, and Mohammad Amir, 18, attended Westminster magistrates court on Thursday accused of cheating and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments.
The players – who gave addresses in Pakistan, although Asif is staying with friends in England – were given unconditional bail. The agent Mazhar Majeed, 35, of Croydon, south London, was told to surrender his passport and not to apply for international travel documents. All four are due to appear on 20 May.
The district judge, Howard Riddle, dismissed the Crown's application for conditional bail for the three men, despite the fact that Britain has no extradition treaty with Pakistan. "Failing to attend these proceedings would destroy any possibility of playing a cricket international in the future," he said. "Their reputation is of the utmost importance. They have a very strong incentive to attend trial and defend the proceedings."
Amir's lawyer Gareth Peirce said her client had to deal with problems with British immigration in order to attend hearing, proving his determination to defend himself against the charges.
Majeed is accused of accepting £150,000 from an undercover reporter from the News of the World to conspire with the players to bowl no-balls at specific points during the fourth Test at Lord's last August.
The allegations precipitated a crisis in the world of international cricket, the shockwaves from which are still reverberating.
The three players, who appeared in court wearing dark suits and dark open-necked shirts, and Majeed face up to seven years in prison if found guilty.
The players have already appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in Lausanne, against bans imposed by the International Cricket Council.

The World Cup in Cricket

The present World Cup scenario can be contrasted with that in 1987, when Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka sprang a surprising coup and snaffled the rights to hold the competition. Since then, India has risen to become a financial giant in the cricket world; therefore, the decision to hold the competition in this region was understandable.
This time around, due to security concerns Pakistan is no longer a part of the equation; Bangladesh now makes up the trio. Despite this and the loss of key players to the notorious spot-fixing betting scandal, the Pakistani squad displays significant talent. Their cricket so far has been as volatile as dangerous; their victory against Sri Lanka was highly accomplished, while their defeat against New Zealand was lamentable. They do have the advantage of playing all their first-round matches in Sri Lanka, and the grapevine indicates that they are pleased with these circumstances – presumably due to the considerable support from the substantial Muslim minority (eight percent of the population) in Lanka – even when pitted against the local team.
Politically, Pakistan and Lanka have a measured diplomatic relationship. On 3 March 2009, when the Sri Lankan cricketers were attacked inLahore, Pakistan was not whipped up to the degree that the other cricketing nations would have been. President Mahinda Rajapaksa was quick to send a Sri Lanka Airlines plane to evacuate the cricketers from Lahore. It is therefore possible that these cricketers received guidance from the highest office in the land, because Pakistan has been a staunch ally and supplier of military hardware to Sri Lanka during the recent Eelam wars.
Of course, India too has assisted Sri Lanka in specific ways on the military front.However, the question here is not about the trilateral relationship between India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan; but about whether cricket in general, and the World Cup in particular, can soften the long-standing Indo-Pakistani animosities and suspicions. The Pakistan tour by the Indian cricket team in March 2004 was a resounding success, both in the quality of cricket, the bonds forged and the political capital gained. Alas, the cricketing camaraderie has never been strong enough to circumvent the tensions associated with such knotty issues as Kashmir and the memories that sustain cancers of distrust among substantial and influential segments of both populations.
Whatever goodwill was generated by cricket in 2004was destroyed in one swoop by the high-profile extremist attacks on targets in Mumbai in November 2008. In return, the Indian authorities went so far as to debar Pakistani cricketers from gaining any spots in the last IPL series. Cricket can be a handshake at one moment and a slap at another.
Sports nationalism, as we know, cuts both ways. It can generate excess from both players and fans. During the present series, we could conceivably see the eruption of an incident similar to the one between Symonds and Harbhajan at Sydney a few years back, when the latter referred to the former as a ‘monkey’. The ripples arising from this contretemps went across the Indian Ocean.
But we can still hope, can we not? Maybe the razzamatazz of the World Cup will soften Indo-Pakistani relations, just as it might forge a variety of bonds among the cricketing fraternity. The thrill of regulated competition, the adrenaline of big hitting, the silkiness of elegant strokes, the gasps aroused by athletic fielding and the many thrills and spills on the field will produce joy. And joy is balm.
A series of nail-biting encounters during the first round in Group A has surely stirred fans all around the world. The England-India tie was enthralling, the Irish batting that stormed the walls of their old enemy quite fantastic, England’s success in defeating the Safs a tense affair, and the Bangladeshi victory over England as tense as it was marvellous. The high-scoring match on 14 March, which saw South Africa run down India’s solid total in the last over, was yet another mind-blowing affair. Who says 50-over ODI cricket is dead? This form of the game can serve up excitement.
On the back of such matches, then, the present World Cup can lessen the diverse prejudices about Southasia that continue to reside in the minds of the cricketers from the Caribbean and the West. The oversimplified perception this region as being mysterious, unpredictable, volatile and dangerous remains strong in Western societies. This World Cup could well encourage the dilution of such sentiments, among both the cricketers and their keen cricket fans.
A handful of Bangladeshis, though, have not assisted the prospects on this front. After the Bangladesh team disappointed them with a humiliating batting collapse against the West Indies, the Bangladesh team fans stoned the players’ buses. Nonetheless, the wide geographical spread of matches will expose cricketers and media teams to a range of fantastic landscape and personalities in the three host countries.
The franchise system of the IPL has already embedded friendships among players. As players from the West savour these lands, sexual liaisons will certainly be among the benefits they enjoy. A few strong ‘matches’ will emerge from cricket matches. Shaun Tait, that country lad from South Australia, now has a steady Indian girl friend, a model whose heart he secured during the IPL. The bonds are such that my effort to interview him has to wait till November, because cricket, mate and India will keep him away from our city of Adelaide. Ferocious to batsmen – ask Dilshan – he may be, but Tait is tall and handsome too. This friendship has all the makings of a handsome bond. So, this is as good a tale as one can get to place at the tail-end of a discursive spin on the Cricket World Cup, 2011.

Share your favourite Shoaib moment

Temperamental and injury-ravaged Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar announced his decision to retire from international cricket after the World Cup, bringing to end a tempestuous career marred by several controversies.
Shoaib Akhtar bids moving adieu
The 35-year-old speedster, regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in his prime, took 178 wickets in 46 Tests and 247 in 163 ODIs in a 13-year career which started against the West Indies  in December 1997.
"I have decided to retire. Mentally I wanted to go on forever but I have decided to make way for the youngsters," an emotional Akhtar, nicknamed the 'Rawalpindi Express' because of the devastating pace he generated in his best days, told reporters in Colombo on Thursday.
For most part of his career, Shoaib was portrayed as the problem child of Pakistan cricket, beset with ball-tampering allegations, disciplinary issues, hitting team mate Mohammad Asif  with a bat in 2007, doping accusations and several other controversies.
As he gets ready to hang his boots many memories of his best and worst days in the game come to mind. Sure you too have some. Share them.

Netherland’s Peter Borren plays blame game – ICC World Cup 2011

Peter Borren, the captain of the Netherlands cricket team, has  blamed his batsmen for the poor show in their pool match of the ICC World Cup 2011 played against Bangladesh on 14th March at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong. The Dutch lost the match by a large margin of six wickets. Borren mentioned after the match that the Dutch batsmen did not perform up to their potential and in fact panicked when they went to the crease and could not establish a respectable score.
Borren was one of the four batsmen who were run out during the innings, which had a very negative impact on the outcome of the game for the Dutch. It’s always said that a Captain should lead from the front and should set an example for his team-mate. Borren was unable to do that during the match and was part of the batting line-up collapse that broke the Netherlands back.
On the other hand, the match was very important for the survival of the Bangladesh team in the tournament, losing the match meant they would have easily been kicked out of the event. This did not deter the Bengal Tigers and they played an excellent match and outclassed their opponents in all parts of the game.
The Netherland won the toss and elected to bat on a placid wicket, which was full of runs, they started off cautiously and the openers took the score to 28 runs before they lost Wesley Barresi at 9.1 overs. The next wicket contributed just nine runs, Tom Cooper joined Eric Szwarczynski at the crease and steadied the innings when the drama started. Szwarczynski was the first one who ran himself out after playing a patient knock of 28 runs scored in 87 balls followed by Cooper who was also out in the same manner for 29 runs.
Four of the top line batsmen were gone for 79 runs in 25.1 overs while Ryan ten Doeschate was keeping his end secure. He had a reasonable partnership of 34 runs with Alexei Kervezee for the fifth wicket before the later went left him at a score of 113 runs. ten Doeschate was the only one who gave the impression of a solid batsman as the wickets kept tumbling at the other end. He remained unbeaten on 53 runs while three out of five batsmen went for a duck, the other two could not get into the double digits and two of them were run out.
Abdur Razzak was the main wicket taker for Bangladesh with three scalps to his name while three other bowlers came out with a wicket each. Bangladesh chased the target easily in 41.2 overs with splendid batting from Imrul Kayes who remained unbeaten on 73 runs as Shahriar Nafees scored 37 runs and Junaid Siddique contributed 35 runs. Bangladesh won the match by six wickets and kept their chances alive for the quarter finals as they have yet to play a game against South Africa on 19th of March.
The Netherlands have appeared in five games in the tournament, losing all of them and they are currently at the bottom of the table in group B. They will play their last pool match on 18th March against the formidable Irish team who has shown class and courage by beating England.
Borren has appeared in all five matches played by the Duthch team and has scored 89 runs at an average of 22.25 runs with the best of 38 runs and has claimed two wickets. His performances have been mediocre so far, to say the least. He must lead his men from the front and should come out with his best against Ireland and win the one and only match for his nation to gain lost pride.

Pakistan capable of winning World Cup, says Aravinda de Silva

COLOMBO: Former Sri Lanka captain Aravinda de Silva believes that if Pakistan play consistently then the 1992 champions can go on to win World Cup-2011.
Legendary Test batsman de Silva said on Thursday that Pakistan has the firepower to go all the way in the 14-nation tournament.
"I think Pakistan are capable of winning the World Cup," said de Silva, who was one of the architects of Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup triumph.
"Their team has some good players but what Pakistan needs is to have more consistency in their game. I think if they can do that then they will have a very good chance of winning the title," he added.
De Silva, who scored 6,361 runs from 93 Tests and also amassed 9,284 runs from 308 One-day Internationals during an illustrious international career, stressed that there are no favourites in the World Cup.
"The results that we have seen so far in this tournament have made it clear that there are no favourites to win the World Cup.
"Any team that peaks at the right time and gives its best when it matters is going to win the title," said de Silva, who was Man of the Match of the 1996 World Cup final.
De Silva believes that a number of exciting matches in this tournament have proved that there is no danger to the one-day format.
"We have seen some really exciting matches in this World Cup and it's apparent that cricket fans are really enjoying this competition. It also shows that the one-day format is still very popular," he said

Shoaib Akhtar to retire after World Cup 2011

Pakistan's fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is set to retire from international cricket after the ongoing ICC World Cup 2011.
The Rawalpindi Express, who is presently in Colombo, is expected to announce his decision on Thursday (today).
The 35-year-old right-arm bowler made his first international appearance in December 1997 against West Indies.
He was involved in a number of controversies pertaining to his action, injuries as well as discipline.
Akhtar, who was recalled for the World Cup after being out of action for a major part of the last three years due to a spate of injuries, had tested positive for a banned drug nandrolone in 2006.
He was also amongst the first players to be taken for random dope testing ahead of this World Cup, according to a source.
A few days before the start of the 2011 World Cup, Akhtar expressed his determination to make an impression during the tournament, which he said would be his last.
"I am still bowling 145-150 (kilometres per hour). I am touching it easily, so look, it's my last World Cup and I am going to try to do well whatever it's in my ability to do well," Akhtar said.
"I am going to go out there to push it and I will push it to the limit and that's how it is going to be,"

Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar reveals he'll retire from international cricket after World Cup

Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar will retire from international cricket after the World Cup, bringing an end to one of the most colorful careers in the sport.
'I have decided to say goodbye,' said Akhtar. 'This World cup is my last and the coming matches in the tournament will  be last few of my international career.'
Akhtar, who made his international debut in 1997 in a test match against the West Indies, is regarded as one of the fastest bowlers ever to play the game. But his career has been plagued by injuries and, more recently, off-field issues with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Akhtar's teammates hugged him in the dressing room before captain Shahid Afridi also embraced the paceman as they walked onto the field for a training session at R. Premadasa Stadium.
'I would have loved to continue, perhaps forever, but I must make way for the youngsters to take over,' Akhtar said, then added dramatically: 'With this announcement it feels like it's my first death.'
Pakistan play defending champion Australia at Colombo on Saturday in the last match in Group A. Both teams have already qualified for the quater finals.
Akhtar played in 46 test matches and took 178 wickets while in 163 one-day internationals he has captured 247 wickets.
Despite struggling with his fitness after knee surgery in Australia two years ago, Pakistan selectors picked Akhtar for the World Cup.
But his performance has been mixed in the tournament.
He has taken only three wickets in the three 2011 World Cup matches and was rested for the games against Canada and Zimbabwe.
His last over in the 110-run loss to New Zealand went for 28 runs when Ross Taylor hit the paceman for three sixes and two fours.
Pakistan team management fined Akhtar for breaking a team curfew when the team played two World warm-up matches in Bangladesh last month.

England vs South Africa: Broad's fiery spell helps Eng win

England clinched cliffhanger against South Africa by six runs here at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Cheapuk, Chennai on Sunday.
Eng vs SA: Live scorecard and commentary
In a nail-biting encounter, South Africa was all out for 165 runs.
England bowlers defended the moderate total of 171 runs brilliantly and bundled out Proteas for 165 runs.
After getting good start, South African middle order collapsed like a house of cards. Hasim Amla was the top scorer with 42 runs.
Stuart Broad picked up crucial four wickets to guide his side towards victory. With this win, England has strengthened its position in Group B.
Earlier, South Africa restricted 171 runs in a Group B match here at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
Electing to bat, England has disastrous start as they lost openers in the very first over of the match. South African skipper Graeme Smith’s trick of opening the bowling with spinner Robin person proved fruitful. Peterson dismissed English skipper Andrew Strauss (0) and Kevin Pietersen (2) in his first over.
Later Peterson provided third jolt to England by scalping Ian Bell for 5 runs.
Tottering at 15/3, English middle order batsmen Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara started damage control work cautiously.
Bopara proved his inclusion worthy as he added crucial 99 runs with Trott. Trott scored 52 runs before dismissed by Imran Tahir.
England’s innings collapsed after end of Bopara’s sensual knock of 60 runs.
Imran tahir was the most successful bowler. He took four wickets and is second highest wicket (11) taker in this World Cup. Robin Peterson scalped three batsmen while Morne Morkel claimed two wickets. Dale Steyn took one wicket.

Preview
England has witnessed most ups and downs in the World Cup 2011. In the World Cup Opener, they faced Netherlands and Dutch team scored mammoth 292 against the English Side.
In the Second match of the Group B, they played a tie game against India followed by humiliating defeat against minnows Ireland.
However, nothing is lost for England in this World Cup but they have made their way rather complex. They have played three matches and have just three points. England has been playing South Africa on Sunday. Later, they will play West Indies and Bangladesh.
The confidence level of England team has been severely dented by Kevin O’Brien’s brilliant knock (113 off 63 balls). It will not be a cakewalk for England to win their three remaining games. Andrew Strauss-led English side needs two victories to secure the quarterfinal berth.
As far as England vs South Africa match is concerned, Proteas have registered clinical victories in their two first games against West Indies and Netherlands.
South Africa is one of the strong sides in this World Cup. It will be a big task for Coach Andy Flower and skipper Strauss to defeat South Africa here at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Cheapuk in Chennai.
Despite of chasing big total and scoring over 300 marks in the last three games, England’s middle order is struggling. The toothless bowling attack is another area of concern for the English team.
On the other hand, South African pacers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel are firing with full cylinder and inclusion of Imran Tahir has added additional variety in their bowling department.
In batting department, AB de Villiers is carrying his superb form in the prestigious tournament. He scored two consecutive hundred against West Indies and Netherlands.
Stats:
England has one reason to cheer that they defeated South Africa 2-1 in their last series in 2009-10.
In the 2007 World Cup, South Africa thrashed England by nine wickets.
Team report:
English pacer James Anderson has been struggling with form and it is expected that Ajmal Shahzad may replace him in the final XI.
South Africa may rest Robin Peterson to include experienced Johan Botha in the side.
Pitch report:
The pitch at Cheapuk stadium is believed to be a batting friendly track but it also helps spinners as the game progresses. Team should bat first after winning the toss.
Favourites: South Africa born English player Kevin Pietersen will prove instrumental against Proteas.

England beat South Africa by 6 runs

England are back on track after winning this close contest against South Africa. They next face England in their next encounter. Proteas on the other side would be very disappointed to lose the game after coming so near to win. They would be facing the Indian team in their next match and would want to win that one.

Imran Khan sees World Cup as most open yet

Pakistan's former World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan has said this year's tournament is the most open he has seen.
Imran, who skippered Pakistan to victory in 1992, said the opening matches in the Feb 19-April 2 tournament being held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had highlighted the fact that no team stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field.
"This is perhaps the most wide open World Cup I have seen and after the results of the India and England match and the way Ireland upset England I don't think there are any clear favourites," he told Reuters on Friday.
Ireland pulled off one of the biggest shocks in the 36-year history of the event by beating England by three wickets on Wednesday in Bangalore after being set 328 to win. England and co-hosts India tied on Sunday.
"The pitches in all three countries will support the batsmen more as the month progresses and it is very hot and humid at this time of the year. So you need to have maximum wicket-taking bowlers in your side to do well," he said.

PURE PACE

He pointed out that India's bowling was exposed in their game against England.
"Teams which don't have variety and pure pace in their bowling and prefer to rely more on batting all-rounders are already facing problems," he added.
The former cricketer-turned politician felt that Ireland were capable of causing more upsets in Group B before the quarter-finals. Kevin O'Brien scored the fastest ever World Cup century in 50 balls.
"The century by Kevin O'Brien was one of the best one-day innings I have seen in my life. The Irish are a fighting unit and I don't think you can rule them out of contention by any stretch of the imagination," Imran said.
"Teams which have the mental strength to chase down 300 plus totals have to be respected."
He said Pakistan's shoddy performance against Canada on Thursday which they only won by 46 runs was a wake-up call for the players but still backed his compatriots to make the quarter-finals.
"To me the real contests will start from the knockout stage. I think the International Cricket Council (ICC) need to rethink the format for future World Cups."
Imran said the ICC needed to help associate members build up domestic structures in their countries rather than just providing them opportunities to play in international competition.
"Unless these minnows don't have proper domestic cricket they can't come up," he said.
The ICC said before the tournament started that it would reduce the number of teams playing from 14 to 10 for the next edition in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.

New Zealand vs Zimbabwe - 18th Match, New Zealand won by 10 wkts

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 squad for New Zealand
Daniel Vettori, Hamish Bennett, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 squad for Zimbabwe
Elton Chigumbura, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Sean Ervine, Greg Lamb, Shingirai Masakadza, Chris Mpofu, Ray Price, Edward Rainsford, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams, Regis Chakabva
New Zealand openers completed another 10-wicket comfortable win for their side in this tournament as Brendon Mcullum and Martin Guptil chased down the target of 163 comfortably with both remaining undefeated.
This was second 10-wicket win for the Black Caps after chasing down Kenyan total of 69 runs without losing any wicket in their first game of the tournament.
The target was achieved in 34th over with Mcullum and Man of the Match Guptil remaining not out on 76 runs including six fours and two sixes and 86 runs punctuated seven hits to the fence and two towering sixes respectively.
Both were in tremendous form and didn’t do anything silly mixing aggression with level-headed batting to make life difficult for hapless Zimbabwean bowlers. They attacked fast bowlers and handled spinners with authority putting the loose balls away and defending the good ones to round off the professional performance their bowlers had given during Zimbabwean batting.
The pair played some crisp shots using their feet against spinners and putting them off line to complete Kiwi all-round brilliance in the match. It was, earlier, New Zealand bowlers, aided by terrific fielding display, who helped their side to fold Zimbabwe for 162 runs in the first inning.
After losing toss, Kiwi bowlers kept taking wickets regularly and bowled according to a well thought plan to thwart any ambitions of Zimbabwean players of posting a big score on a batting beauty.
Good work from fast bowlers upfront was backed by their spinners with fielders diving around to prevent Zimbabwe to get easy runs and running two batsmen out.
Zimbabwe had a bad start to the innings with their opener Charles Coventry run-out in the first over followed by fall of wickets in a quick succession.
All the Kiwi bowlers bowled their heart out with Tim Southee claiming three wickets and skipper Daniel Vettori and Kyle Mills playing his first match of the tournament getting two wickets each.
Gentle medium pace of Scott Styris also worked for New Zealand chipping in with an important wicket of Brendon Taylor.
It was Brendon Taylor at the top and Prosper Utseya in the lower order who prevented Zimbabwe from further embarrassment by putting up a resistance against Kiwi bowling.
Taylor scored 44 runs off 57 balls with four hits to the fence while Utseya fought hard for his 65-ball 36 to give bowlers something to bowl at Kiwi batsmen. Zimbabwean batsmen appeared to be defensive against Kiwi bowling making it easy for New Zealand to get on to the top.
Vettori was brilliant and immaculate with his flight and variations getting his both his wickets in his firsts over and running out Lamb in his next over thanks to nifty work in front of wickets at non-strike end. Fast bowlers were on the spot with their line and length making it difficult for batsmen to score freely.
Man of the Match: Martin Guptil (New Zealand)