Epic encounter ends in thrilling tie

On an evening that simply beggared belief, England tied with India in an incredible finale in Bangalore.Andrew Strauss was England's inspiration, producing an extraordinary 158 from 145 balls, the highest score by an English batsman in World Cup history, as England threatened the unthinkable, and set off in full pursuit of India's seemingly unobtainable total of 338 - a score that had been made...

Cooper and ten Doeschate keep Netherlands steady

The Netherlands batting line-up blended obdurate resistance with a measure of flair on an easy-paced wicket to push along to a solid 119 for 2 at the halfway mark of their World Cup opening fixture against England at Nagpur. After a lively cameo from the rookie wicketkeeper, Wesley Barresi, it was left to the established pair of Tom Cooper and Ryan ten Doeschate to keep the scoreboard ticking in...

World Cup could cement Afridi's captaincy credentials

Until 2009, the words Shahid Afridi and captaincy were used only in the lingo of left-field cranks in Pakistan. Captaincy, they said, would settle down an intrinsically hyper man; the rest, in generally exasperated tones, asked how such a personality could bring any stability to ten others?Those leftists won when he took over first as T20 captain in 2009 and then again when he became ODI...

Ponting hopes Hussey's exclusion won't hurt

Michael Hussey was Australia's most prolific batsman in the Ashes series but was injured in the first game of the one-day series against England © Getty Images Enlarge Related LinksPlayers/Officials: Michael Hussey | Ricky PontingSeries/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World CupTeams: Australia Ricky Ponting hopes Australia's decision to leaveMichael Hussey at...

No complacency for bullish Pakistan

At some level it probably suits Pakistan that the focus on them at these big dos is usually on the circus of controversy and scandal that travels with them. "Look here come Pakistan after the death of their coach, here come Pakistan after the spot-fixing brouhaha, here come Pakistan after the terror attacks, here come Pakistan with their 17th captain this month." Generally, it tends to be overlooked...

Australian pace too much for Zimbabwe

Australia began their World Cup campaign on a winning note, wrapping up an easy 91-run win over a Zimbabwean outfit that had no answer to the pace battery of Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson, who finished as the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 19. Zimbabwe had put in a spirited display in the field to keep Australia to 262 for 6 on a good batting wicket, but they never looked like chasing...

Jayawardene ton sinks outclassed Canada

For the many who slammed the ICC's decision to expel Associates from the next World Cup, this was a bad day. After Kenya were embarrassed by a modest New Zealand team, Canada desperately needed to showcase why minnow teams belong on the global stage. Instead they were overwhelmed by 210 runs against Sri Lanka, who opened their World Cup campaign as emphatically as their co-hosts...

Australia v Zimbabwe, Group A, World Cup 2011, Ahmedabad Confident Australia seek winning start

Match FactsFebruary 21, AhmedabadStart time 14:30 local time (09:00 GMT)Big PictureAustralia enter uncharted territory as they open their tenth World Cup campaign at Motera in Ahmedabad. For the first time in a cricketing generation, they come into the competition without the favourites tag to weigh them down, and while the expectations of their fans will still be high, a fourth consecutive world...