2011 ICC World Cup Ambassador,Cricket Legend Sachin Tendulkar

Iconic Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who is set to become only the second player in the history of cricket to play six ODI World Cups, was today named the official ambassador of the event to be held in the sub-continent next year.

Tendulkar will be called upon to promote and support a variety of ICC initiatives for the tournament, which is the third biggest sporting event in the world and will take place in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka from February 19 to April 2 next year, the ICC said in a statement.

“There are just 100 days to go and I am really looking forward to playing in another Cricket World Cup,” said Tendulkar, who will join Pakistan’s Javed Miandad as the only other player to take part in six World Cups.

“In terms of limited-overs cricket, the ICC Cricket World Cup is the highest level you can play so it is always a thrill to take part in such an important and widely followed event.

“The fact that the 2011 event will be staged here in the sub-continent makes it even more special for me and I am keen to ensure we play well. As a team we would be doing everything we can to win the world cup on home soil,” he added.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said the governing body was lucky to get the support of a player of Tendulkar’s stature.
“We are very lucky to have such an extraordinary player as Sachin supporting our flagship event.

“I don’t think any other player has inspired a nation like he has and the respect and affection he enjoys goes way beyond his native India. Many other athletes and sports fans around the globe admire what he consistently achieves and what he does for cricket,” Lorgat said.

Throughout his two-decade long career, Tendulkar has inspired millions of cricket lovers around the world with his skill, temperament and love for the game.

Since making his debut for India in 1989 at the tender age of 16, he has scored more international runs than anyone else in history while also adhering faithfully to the spirit of cricket.

Tendulkar has scored 14,292 runs in 172 Tests, while amassing 17,598 in 442 ODIs.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Probable semi-finalists

 With the 2011 World Cup around the corner, speculation on the probable champions has started to rise. Australia has dominated the competition for a long time winning the Cup 3 consecutive times, in 1999, 2003 and 2007. This time, however, many fear that the 4-time World Cup winners will face a much stiffer challenge to reclaim the title.


An interesting fact to notice is that in all their previous three wins, Australia has faced the three Asian giants in the final. 1999 was the year when Wasim Akram’s Pakistan failed miserably after scoring just 132 runs in the final. The 2003 final saw Indian bowlers being smashed to all parts of the ground in South Africa. In 2007, Sri Lanka were hoping to replicate their 1996 World Cup win but failed.

Another stat regarding Asian teams in the tournament is that in the previous 5 ICC World Cups, there has been an Asian team in the Final. In 1992, Pakistan won their only ODI World Cup under the influential captaincy of Imran Khan. In the following 1996 competition, Sri Lanka beat Australia in the final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Pakistan.


Considering the fact that the 2011 World Cup is being played in Asia, the three mighty Asian teams have a good chance of winning the tournament. The list of for probable semi-finalists, however, is easily topped by India.

1. India: One of the greatest batsmen of all time, Sir Viv Richards, has labelled India as the favourites for the 2011 tournament. Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, India has developed a formidable team which will be difficult to beat on home soil. A batting line up which includes the little master Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yousaf Pathan, Dhoni and the inform Virat Kohli, can demolish any bowling attack. Perhaps the only worry the Indian camp has is the lack of pace in their bowling attack which is held together by only Zaheer Khan.

2. Australia: Australia might not be as strong a team as they were a couple of years back, nonetheless, it is still hard to rule out a team which has made it to the final in the previous four attempts. The Kangaroos have managed to reach the final of the World Cup 6 times in the 9 tournaments held so far. As a Captain, Ricky Ponting has a remarkable 100% record in the competition. Australia have won all 22 matches played under his leadership. Their experience in the tournament is bound to come in handy even with this less high profile team.

3. Sri Lanka: This will be spin-wizard Muttiah Muralitharan’s final World Cup outing and he will surely be looking to end his illustrious ODI career on a high. On World Cup pitches, which are expected to support spin bowling, Murali’s magic can single-handedly win games for Sri Lanka. He will be supported by the Lasith Malinga in the bowling department, who will be looking to exploit batsmen with his reverse swing. The batting will be anchored by Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene and players like Tillakaratne Dilshan will look to impose themselves on the opposition.

4. Pakistan: Most people will be surprised to see this name in the list as Pakistan has failed to secure an ODI series win since 2008. However, given the fact that the World Cup will be played in conditions similar to Pakistan, this unpredictable team has the ability to cause an upset. With players like captain Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Akhtar, who can win matches single-handedly, Pakistan can go on to win their second World Cup title.

Sachin Tendulkar became the first man to score 50 Test centuries

India on Monday celebrated the record-breaking feats of Sachin Tendulkar after the champion batsman scored an unprecedented 50th Test century.

President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led the glowing tributes even as India faced almost certain defeat in the first cricket Test against South Africa at Centurion.
Tendulkar was unbeaten on 107 as India ended day four still 30 runs behind with two second innings wickets in hand and hoping the predicted rain on Tuesday would save them the match.
But Indians back home appeared little concerned by the team’s precarious position in the Test, confirming the widely held belief that defeat did not matter as long as Tendulkar scored a century.
The 37-year-old is the most prolific batsman in history with a record 46 one-day hundreds to go with his 50 Test centuries since he entered the international arena back in 1989.
“It is an amazing achievement to play for the country for over two decades and still continue to be the team’s anchor,” Prime Minister Singh said.
“Sachin makes all of us so very proud.”
The 50-ton feat was flashed on the front pages of leading newspapers and television channels rounded up past and present cricketers to speak on the batsman they compared to the legendary Don Bradman of Australia.
“Don of a new era” screamed the front page of the Times of India, which devoted three pages to the master’s achievements under catchy headlines like “Batman Forever” and “Sachincredible”.
“Legend, 50 times over”, the Hindustan Times wrote on its front page, while the Indian Express headlined its story “Sachin cricket enters 51st century”.
Tendulkar’s consistency over a 21-year period earned high praise with former captain Sourav Ganguly calling him the “best batsman ever” ahead of the late Bradman, who retired in 1948 with a Test batting average of 99.94.
“It’s an unbelievable achievement by an unbelievable cricketer,” Ganguly said, adding that the man now dubbed ‘Ton’dulkar by the media could still be playing beyond 40.
“Believe me, age is not a factor in this game till you are 40. He is not finished yet by any means. Cricket remains his passion.”
India’s South African coach Gary Kirsten, who played against Tendulkar in the 1990s, admired the batsman’s commitment to the sport.
“The key to his success is his approach to the game, his humility to learn and try to do better all the time,” Kirsten was quoted as saying by Indian media at Centurion.
“For him, a Test match begins two days earlier, preparing for it. He wants to face the maximum number of balls at the nets. You will not see him play a loose shot at the nets.
“He is focused all the time, he wants to do better all the time,” said Kirsten.
Tendulkar has scored seven Test centuries this year, during which he also notched up the first double-century in the history of one-day cricket.
“It’s been a phenomenal year for him,” said Kirsten. “I think he is playing better than ever.”