Newly appointed coach Duncan Fletcher, ahead of his first outing with the Indian team has said that the squad has the potential to perform well in the forthcoming tour of the West Indies, even though they are missing key players from their squad. Team India will play one T20 internationals, five one-day internationals and three tests series.

On the eve of the team’s departure, the Zimbabwean said that India have a plan to stay on top. He added that this tour would show the depth of talent the young players have in them. He said that the young players have the potential. However, he agreed to the fact that the team should not be complacent, as any team at home is difficult to beat.

The Indian team for the ODIs will be without Sachin Tendulkar, M.S. Dhoni, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra. The other players who have been excluded from the team are Piyush Chawla and S. Sreesanth.

Suresh Raina will be in charge of the captaincy, as Gambhir is out with an injured shoulder. Gambhir was declared the Indian skipper for the West Indies tour as MS Dhoni has been rested.

Raina spoke about the seniors’ contribution during his previous trips to the Caribbean and he has learnt on lot from those tours. He said that the seniors had performed well under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy, the last time he visited the West Indies.
When Raina was asked about captaincy, he said that he has learnt a lot while he played under Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Dhoni. He added that all of them played with a lot of honesty.

In the limited over series, Raina said he expected Manoj Tiwary, Shikhar Dhawan and Subramaniam Badrinath to give a good account of themselves before seniors return for subsequent three tests.

India’s prolific batsman Virender Sehwag is likely to be fit for India’s upcoming cricket tour of England. He underwent surgery on his injured shoulder in London last week. India and England will be playing tests, one-day international matches along with T20.

During the 2009 IPL, Sehwag picked up the injury, a slap lesion or labrum (shoulder blade) tear and did not play a single game during the World Twenty20 in England. On account of the injury, he also missed the one-day series in South Africa in January this year. In time for the World Cup 2011, he was pronounced fit, although he did not bowl during India’s prizewinning campaign.

During the current IPL season, Sehwag played 11 games captaining Delhi Daredevils but after his side’s loss to Mumbai Indians on May 7, he took the decision to withdraw from the tournament to undergo shoulder surgery in England. He is not the part of the Indian squad for the West Indies tour too.

Sehwag told an Indian newspaper that he believes he will be fit to play against England. The forthcoming series with England was the foremost reason behind his withdrawal from Indian Premier League for Delhi Daredevils. He rushed to get his shoulder operated in London. He added that after six weeks he would to London for a check-up.

He said that he expects that he should be fit in six to eight weeks and he should be okay, going by the rehabilitation programme designed for him. He said that he was already experiencing the difference each day.

The tour of England for the first time will see new India coach Duncan Fletcher take formal charge of team affairs, since replacing Gary Kirsten. He will not be at the helm in the Caribbean, because of his earlier commitments.

As soon as bookmaker prices become available, internet sports betting odds for England vs. India ODIs matches will feature soon.

With Pakistan on a high note, West Indies ended their one-day series as they claimed a squashing 10-wicket triumph over the visitors in Providence.

The hosts did not even lose a wicket as openers Lendl Simmons (77 not out) and Kirk Edwards (40no) rattled off the required runs, after dismantling Pakistan for just 139.

Pakistan gave up 23 extras, while taking only 73 deliveries to rack up the total, Simmons was in fine form, which included three sixes and seven fours, while Pakistan allowed 23 extras. For West Indies, it was a second straight win, meaning the series finishes 3-2 after Pakistan had taken an unquestionable three-match lead.

For the dazzling half century, Lendl Simmons was pronounced Man of the Match while Pakistan’s opening batsman Mohammad Hafeez was announced Man of the Series. During the course of the five-match series, he had a displayed an all-round performance, by scoring 267 runs besides taking six wickets.

Mohammad Hafeez produced a performance of any note for Pakistan. With an 83-ball 55, he continued his remarkable run of form, but the rest of the line-up surrendered meekly. They were bundled out for 139 in 41.2 overs. It was the medium-pace of Darren Sammy, with 3 for 30 in ten overs, that carved open the top-order and laid the groundwork for the win, although, Ravi Rampaul once again returned the stupendous analysis of 4 for 45.

West Indies will be locking horns against Pakistan in the 1st Test at Providence on May 12-16, 2011 (10:00 local | 14:00 GMT | 19:30 IST). As soon as bookmaker prices become available, Betting odds for West Indies v Pakistan test matches will feature.

Skipper Michael Clarke concedes his side faces an extensive, hard slog to reclaim heavyweight status, even though Australia remains the leader in one-day nation by rank.

Clarke said that his team has won many one-day games for a long period of time and the statistics for excellent reason say they are number one. After his introductory series in charge, he rolled back into Sydney having led Australia to a 3-0 sweep of Bangladesh.

To figure out how to breathe new life into the No. 5-ranked Test unit and rejuvenate a one-day line-up, the new Australia captain has four months. Australian team faced major criticism after losing in the quarterfinals to World Cup champion India.

To Clarke’s position as full-time captain, the series in Bangladesh was the ideal start after he replaced out of form and under fire Ricky Ponting. Clarke said that for him, this is almost certainly the vital time and he wants to spend as much time with the people who make a lot of decisions about their game. He added that he desires to make sure that everyone has the same goals; everyone is on same page and heading in the same direction.

Clarke commended Shane Watson, who was rewarded with the Player of the Series Award, after his performances in Bangladesh.

Former Australia legend Ian Chappell has asked former Australian captain Ricky Ponting not to share captaincy tricks with Clarke. He recommended Ponting to give a free hand to Clarke. Chappell has asked Ponting not to indulge in Clarke’s decision-making process. He added that it is meaningless having the captain resign if he is advising the terms to the new captain. As per him, Ponting should not share any of his captaincy ploys with Clarke.

India is all set to clash with their age-old opponent Pakistan on March 30, in the 2nd semifinals of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. The men in blue-exhibited great performance against the Kangaroos with bat, bowl and in fielding. India is all set for the battle at Mohali. In World cup, Pakistan has never beaten India and all eyes will be set on both teams to put on a show of exhilarating cricket. The sportsbooks are offering thrilling cricket odds for the forthcoming match. The best odds for India to win are 8/15, while best odds for Pakistan to win are 6/4.

Pakistan’s spinner Saeed Ajmal considers that the semifinal match would be an encounter between the host’s much-heralded batting line-up and Pakistan’s in-form bowling attack. Pakistan bowler Umar Gul has been behind his captain Shahid Afridi among Pakistan’s leading wicket-takers at this World Cup. Gul has claimed 14 wickets so far in the tournament. Since the 110-run Group A loss to New Zealand, veteran paceman Akhtar has not played in the tournament. In the match against NZ, he conceded 28 runs off a single over. In his absence, Pakistan has won all three matches they have played.

Ahead of Wednesday’s clash in Mohali, Wahab Riaz might get a chance but his inadequate experience on Indian pitches might be a negating factor for his selection in the final 11. Misbah-ul-Haq is another player who does not care about the history and he is not the kind who is not amazed by statistics. He is one of the anchors of Pakistan’s batting. His 83 not out against Sri Lanka is the team’s top score in the 2011 World Cup. He believes that if the numbers did not agree with the results column, then they could be meaningless.

Look out for a typical India-Pakistan clash on Wednesday, where both teams will play out of their skins for a win.

India ended Australia‘s 12-year World Cup supremacy in a highly contesting 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Quarterfinal match on Thursday. A star-studded Indian batting lineup, led by Sachin Tendulkar overwhelmed the defending champions thereby setting up a semifinal classic against archenemy Pakistan.

The Australians slouched to their worst run at the marquee limited-overs event since 1992. Within six days, they suffered back-to-back defeats to Pakistan and India, putting an end to their victorious 34 successive World Cup matches record.

Captain Ricky Ponting’s century was not enough to save the defending champions. However, by grafting 104 from 118 balls to anchor Australia’s 260 for six, Ponting answered the critics who called for him to retire or he be fired as captain.

It was a seesaw match for both the teams. After the early loss of Virender Sehwag, Tendulkar (53) and Gautam Gambhir (50) set the course. Yuvraj Singh guided the hosts home with an unbeaten 57 along with fabulous support from Suresh Raina, as India almost conspired to lose it in a jittery middle-order slide.

Ricky Ponting has maintained that Australia’s quarterfinal loss should not be interpreted as the end of an era in his country’s cricket. The Australian side looked ravaged after finishing on the losing side. There are rumors that this might be Ponting’s last World Cup game.

After the loss, Ponting also predicted that in the semifinal, India would beat Pakistan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men are strong favorites to win the Cricket World Cup title after a gap of 28 years.

In the other quarterfinal match, New Zealand will be facing South Africa on Friday, while Sri Lanka will lock their horn against England on Saturday. Cricket betting lines have received a ton of action these last few weeks and the odds for New Zealand (13/5) against South Africa (4/11); while Sri Lanka (8/15) against England (20/11).

In the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, Sri Lanka and New Zealand clash on March 18 (0900 GMT) in a Group A match, which is to be played at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Popular betting sites have picked the Lankans as the favorites to win the match. The odds for New Zealand are (23/13) and Sri Lanka (4/7).

With experienced players, Sri Lanka team stands on a very sturdy position. With seven points, Sri Lanka are third in the points table after having won three of their five matches (Lost: 1 – No Result: 1). The co-hosts enjoy the best Net Run Rate in their group (+2.705). They have already qualified for the quarterfinals.

New Zealand can give the Lankans tough times, as they seem to be in good form. In New Zealand’s final group match against Sri Lanka on Friday, Daniel Vettori and Kyle Millis will not be playing. While attempting a catch in the victory against Pakistan last week, Vettori hurt his knee. In the match against Canada last Sunday, Mills injured his left quadriceps. With four wins and a loss from five matches (NRR +1.957), New Zealand is with eight points.

New Zealand and Sri Lanka have played 72 ODIs. New Zealand lead Sri Lanka 35-32, in which 1 match was tied, while 4 matches had no results. At home, New Zealand has struggled to beat Sri Lanka. Against them, the hosts have won 12 of their 19 matches.

At the refurbished Wankhede stadium, this will be the second match. Nearly 600 runs were scored in the first match, and the pitch got flatter as the day progressed. On Friday, the pitch is expected to behave though the match will be played under lights. This ground will also host the final on April 2.

New Zealand will be a formidable opponent against Sri Lanka as they have peaked at the right time by finding the much-needed batting form, making them even more competitive.

On Wednesday 16 March, forceful Australia will lock horns against Canada in the Group A match of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. The sports betting odds highly favor the Australians. The best bet for Australia’s win is 1/41, while for Canada it is 20.

Ricky Ponting’s team still has some concerns that need to be sorted out as soon as possible. The press for selection in the knockout phase will give the players an opportunity to show the selectors to pick them for the upcoming matches in the knockout phase.

In Australia’s win over Kenya, David Hussey made way for brother Mike, but the pressure is building on but Cameron White to perform, as he failed against the Kenyans.

Canada have no hope of making the quarterfinals and they may decide to ring the changes given this is their last game, but this was their XI for the 97-run loss to New Zealand. Albeit having played one match more than the champions, Canada’s only bragging rights over the Australians, which is that Jimmy Hansra (212) and captain Ashish Bagai (186) have made it into the top 20-run scorers list. For the North Americans, medium paceman Harvir Baidwan has been a rare success story. In the wicket-takers list, he is joint-second with 12 victims, while Balaji Rao has nine scalps.

32 years ago, Australia had met Canada and since then Canada continue to be the competition’s whipping boys, while Australia have won the World Cup four times. Canada collapsed to 105 all out in the 1979 World Cup, before being thrashed by seven wickets with 204 balls to spare.

Sub continent’s cricketing giant India will be facing the mighty South Africans in a Group B match. This match will decide who tops Group B. The matter of hot topic is the state of the wicket and the composition of the two teams in this critical Group ‘B’ encounter on Saturday at the Vidharba Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur.

Against minnows, Yuvraj Singh has saved India’s blushes twice in a row now. With three uninterrupted fifties, he has clawed his way back. The critics have questioned the effectiveness of playing two stodgy batsmen, namely Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli closely. Gambhir is a class player and can score big runs, while recently Kohli has been in excellent touch.

Piyush Chawla has been the weak link in the present Indian bowling attack, although captain Dhoni has backed his leg-spinner. Ravichandran Ashwin may get a look in against South Africa.

Towards the end of the match at Chepauk against England, the South African spirit ran out. In South Africa’s reply against England’s paltry 171, the strong-willed Hashim Amla was the only batsman to cross a score of 30. During this clash, AB de Villiers will be a key player, with his spritely form and feet. Ten days of rest has been recommended to Imran Tahir. In the match against England, Morne Morkel was the pick of the bowlers with an economy of 2.28 and 2 wickets. Indians will be cautious against the fiery pace of Dale Steyn too.

India’s lack of sharp bowling and South African’s “chokers” tag suggest that this match will be a close one. Toss will be very crucial and South Africa might favor to bat first, while India would likely choose to pursue.

One of the sub continent’s strong team, Sri Lanka will face the minnows, Zimbabwe on Thursday 10 Match at Pallekele in the Group A match of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.

In the match against Australia, Kumar Sangakkara looked on course to record his 11th one-day international century but the rain came down, which left him stranded on 74 not out. It may prove extremely damaging for Zimbabwe, if the 33-year-old left-hander picks up where he left off. The match was washed away due to the heavy downpour and it left Lankan and Australian side frustrated.

Zimbabwe batting and bowling attack will be put to test against the Lankans. To avoid another embarrassment against Sri Lanka, Ray Price along with the Zimbabwean side improves significantly. On March 4, against New Zealand, their bowling was pretty ordinary.

At the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, the first match of the competition was called off after a heavy rain. The wicket is expected to be soft, which will be encouraging for players like Price and Graeme Cremer. Sri Lanka’s spin-heavy attack will definitely make the most out of the conditions. With a victory over Canada, Zimbabwe has at least put some points on the board and they will look to add a few more points to their name.

In the sub-continent or in the World Cups, Zimbabwe has not beaten Sri Lanka ever. They have managed to win only once (in 2010 at Harare) against a much weakened Sri Lankan side. An unbeaten 119 from Brendan Taylor led Zimbabweans to chase down 236 runs.

Sri Lankans, without doubt are the favorites to win the match. As per various sports betting odds, the best bet for Lankans to win is 1/20, while the best for Zimbabwe is 8.