Fans lathi-charged in Nagpur

After fans were lathi-charged in Bangalore before the India-England match, the Nagpur fans were given the same treatment ahead of the India-South Africa clash. With both matches being the most high profile ones of the league stage, demand was expected to be sky high, but after the furore the Bangalore incident created, there weren't expected to be more such incidents.

However, ticket seekers outside the Vidharbha Cricket Association in Nagpur had to face the police baton. After the police had to resort to a lathi-charge, the ticket counter was closed. The India-South Africa clash is eagerly awaited and because of that there were many fans who had gathered to buy tickets. Ticket sales at this World Cup have come under a lot of scrutiny and criticism for the manner in which they have been made available to the fans.

Just over 10 days ago, the ICC said blocked tickets will be sold through a ballot system for the remaining World Cup 2011 matches, especially the semifinals and the final, in view of the unprecedented demands from fans. Cricket's governing body has also admitted that there were fewer number of tickets for the public through general sales, as majority of the tickets were reserved for sponsors, channel partners, clubs, and associations affiliated to the BCCI.

Source: http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/37842/fans-lathi-charged-in-nagpur

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Canada's Nitish becomes youngest WC player at 16

Nagpur: Canada's 16-year old schoolboy Nitish Kumar on Monday became the youngest cricketer to make his World Cup debut when he was drafted into the playing XI against Zimbabwe in a group match here.
Nicknamed 'Tendulkar', Nitish was born in May, 1994, four and half years after Sachin Tendulkar's international debut against Pakistan in 1989.

Interestingly, Nitish will open the innings with the oldest player of the World Cup, 40-year-old John Davison who is playing his third World Cup.
Canada now has the oldest and youngest player in the tournament with their difference of age being 24 years.
"The first time I saw Nitish was 10 years back when he was only six. I was amazed to see a six-year-old's control over his shots. Even at that age, he could hit pull shots and I felt he was a special talent," Davison, the team's best player had said about Nitish on the eve of the match.
Asked about how fascinating it will be to open the batting with someone who is two and half decades younger than him, Davison replied in jest, "We balance out the average age of the team."
Nitish plays for Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club which has the best turf wickets in the country. In fact at that very club ground, India and Pakistan used to have their annual ODI series Sahara Cup during mid-90's.
Before Nitish, the youngest player to debut in a World Cup was Ireland's George Dockrell at 18 years and 213 days.
Nitish has so far played five ODIs for Canada and made his debut against Afghanistan.

Source: http://cricketnext.in.com/news/canadas-nitish-becomes-youngest-wc-player-at-16/54801-13.html

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Preview: Australia vs New Zealand, Match 8

For many supporters of the New Zealand team, it might seem almost frivolous for the side to be carrying on in the World Cup given the massive tragedy that has hit the country in the past week. There is some truth to the saying though that 'the show must go on'. It always does, and it did for India and England in 2008 after the barbaric 26/11 attacks.

After India's epic victory in the Chennai Test then, Tendulkar had said that if the win helped people feel a little better - maybe just one percent better - then it was worth it. New Zealand will doubtless approach the rest of the World Cup in the same spirit. They will have the world's sympathy with them, and are likely to have heartfelt condolences from the Australians too. However, once the coin is tossed, both teams will be playing only to win.

For Australia, Nagpur will bring back mixed memories. It was here that they lost the Border-Gavaskar trophy to India in what was Sourav Ganguly's last Test match, and also the debut of their current spinner, Jason Krejza. The match was personally rewarding for Krejza who bagged 12 wickets, but collectively not so memorable for Australia.

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Australia: Australia started slowly against Zimbabwe, but by the time the game had ended, they were convincing victors. Their warm-up games haven't gone too well, and it was vital they got off the blocks with full steam in their opening match. However, it was the bowlers who were more responsible for making the victory a walk in the park rather than the batsmen. The bowling line-up of Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson is certainly a pacy one. When they are on song, it is even a fearsome one. But of the three, it is only Brett Lee who can be relied on to exert some control under all circumstances. Tait and Johnson can either be explosive weapons or liabilities. When you add Jason Krejza into the mix, the potential for either running through a side with quick wickets or leaking runs at an expensive rate is even more clear. However, Ponting will bank on the fact that it is unlikely for all his bowlers to have a bad day together, and if one of them does, he has the firepower to neutralize that. Of greater worry is the Australian batting, and central to that is the form of Ponting himself. It is clear that Ponting's best years as a batsman are behind him, but a key component of Australia doing well has been his runs at Number 3, which have not been forthcoming with the frequency of old. Shane Watson has become the side's most reliable batsman now, but if Australia are to do well consistently, they need Ponting to be firing. There were encouraging signs for them when he hit two fifties in the warm-up games and looked fluent against Zimbabwe before being run-out, but against tougher opposition in the cauldron of a World Cup match, will Ponting's form hold is the key question for Australia.

New Zealand: The Black Caps will have the unimaginable challenge of temporarily brushing aside their natural concerns for their fellow country-men and trying to focus on winning a cricket match. Captain Daniel Vettori has admitted that the tragedy was weighing heavily on his men, and understandably so. However, the best way they can deal with it is by a victory on the field. They have a good chance of achieving one too, with the current Australian team being far removed from the invincible outfit that took part in the previous two World Cups. In Daniel Vettori, New Zealand have the perfect candidate to trouble the Aussie batsmen with their known weakness against quality spin, and Vettori has got a good foil in Nathan McCullum. In Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill and Scott Styris they have a good batting core who can take advantage of any laxity on the part of the Aussie bowlers.

New Zealand haven't had the best of times on the cricket field, but their preparations for the World Cup got off to a great start with a knock-out punch delivered to Kenya in a match that got over almost as soon as it started. Cricket-wise, they will take confidence from their demolition of Kenya, but whether the Black Caps manage to put on even a half-decent show against Australia will depend almost entirely on how successfully they can compartmentalize their emotions.

Source: http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/37044/preview-australia-vs-new-zealand-match-8

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ICC CWC: Tour Diary from Nagpur

The Pride Hotel in Nagpur is playing host to every team that will play its match at the Jamtha Stadium.
By Faisal Kamal in Nagpur

Pride and hospitality:
Visiting teams in Nagpur have always had a pleasant stay at the Pride Hotel. Since being built 14 years ago, the splendid hotel has hosted each and every team that has visited this vibrant and bustling city. It's not surprising.

Situated in the heart of the city - 6 km from main Birdi market and 12 km drive to Jamtha - the 5-star hotel is the obvious choice for every team. Front office manager Amit Pathak revealed that the hotel is the number one choice for all sides touring Nagpur.

"Teams prefer our hospitality. Though there have been many 5-star hotels that have been built in the recent past, the teams continue to give us the honour of hosting them," said Pathak.

I recently visited the spa and the health club and guess what? There was England skipper Andrew Strauss having his hair cropped at the salon!
Pathak also recalled the time when Anil Kumble last captained the India side in a Test match against South Africa while staying in the hotel.

"Kumble and the India team stayed in our hotel. It was always fun and games when the day's play got over. Contrary to popular belief, Kumble is very relaxed and jovial when the spotlight is not on him. He always treated the staff with lot of respect," Pathak added.

Pathak also said that the staff had thrown a surprise birthday bash for Netherlands team manager Ed van Nierop, a couple of days back.

"We take special care of our players. Their personal food preferences and tastes are all taken care off. We do thorough research for each player who is going to be hosted by us," Pathak said.

So players may come and teams may go, but Pride lives on forever.

Bat for Nagpur:
While driving back from Jamtha to the city, I chanced upon cricket bats lined up at the roadside. On asking, I discovered that the bats are made for tennis-ball cricket, which is very popular in Nagpur. There are families who specialise in this art.

Known as Thoris, the artisans hail from Gujarat and cater to the cricket-playing youth of the Orange City. The bats are made from a special kind of wood called 'Sewan', timber which is imported from the Nandyal district of Gujarat.

On meeting one of the Thoris, I also got to know that the local shopkeepers buy these bats from these roadside vendors, adorn them with fancy stickers and then sell them at a higher price.

"We sell these bats for 150 or 200 bucks, but we also sell them on a mass basis to the local shopkeepers, who in turn sell these bats by hiking the price tag. But that's the way it is. This is our ancestral work and we love it," said bat-maker Govind Thori.

So the next time you are in Nagpur, either catch a game at Jamtha Stadium or buy a bat at the roadside. Either way, you will be sure to enjoy the flavor of cricket in Orangeland.

Source: http://www.espnstar.com/cricket/icc-cricket-world-cup/news/detail/item586352/ICC-CWC:-Tour-Diary-from-Nagpur/

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