S.Lanka squad close to settled for World Cup: Jayawardene

Vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene said on Friday Sri Lanka's squad was close to what will be fielded in next year's World Cup.

The Sri Lankans will use Sunday's Twenty20 clash at the WACA Ground here as their final tour match preparation for a three-match one-day international series against the top-ranked Australians.

Jayawardene said Sri Lanka would use the three one-dayers, starting in Melbourne next Wednesday, to further develop the squad ahead of next February's World Cup on the sub-continent.

"There's a lot for us to gain in this series in trying a few different combinations and seeing what suits us, Jayawardene told reporters.

"I think (the squad we've brought over) is very close (to what we'll use at the World Cup).

"I think there's only two or three positions up for grabs.

"With a few of the younger boys here for us we want to give them a go against a tougher opposition and see how they come up."

Jayawardene said Australia's youthful T20 line-up possessed plenty of match-winners.

"Obviously the batting looks stronger with (David) Warner, (Shane) Watson ... Cameron White has been in pretty good form the last six months," he said.

"(But) anyone on their day can be crucial, especially Twenty20 cricket because if you make a mistake it's very difficult to come back into the game."

Coach Trevor Bayliss, who will quit his position following the World Cup, said he was satisfied with Sri Lanka's preparation for the tour, despite rain interfering in two of their three warm-up matches.

Sri Lanka beat Queensland by 112 runs in a one-day game in their first tour match but a 50-over fixture against New South Wales was abandoned without a ball being bowled, before they won a Twenty20 match against NSW on the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Brett Lee hopes for a World Cup comeback

Lee Sunday expressed disappointment at being left out of Australia's Twenty20 and One-day International side for the series against Sri Lanka and said he is now aiming for the big event in the sub-continent.

'That is definitely what I am aiming for, that is the reason I am training so hard,' Lee was quoted as saying by the Sunday Telegraph.

In a comeback match after an elbow injury, Lee playing for New South Wales (NSW) picked up two wickets and was instrumental in his team's victory against Queensland in a one-day match Friday.

Lee next plays a one-day game not before Nov 26 and he says the long gap will not help his cause of getting back to being match-fit at the earliest.

'I have got a few weeks off, which is not ideal preparation,' Lee said.

'It is disappointing but it is the way it goes. They told me they wanted me to play some more cricket. Unfortunately, I do not have any more cricket to play. I would have loved to have been playing (for Australia) but I am not. So, it is back to the drawing board and keep trying to do well whenever I get the opportunity,' he summed up.

Younus wants to bow out on World Cup high

Veteran Pakistani batsman Younus Khan has expressed the hope that his team would win a major ICC event before he hung up his boots, adding that it would be great if it would be next year's World Cup.

"It's in my mind that before I leave we win a major ICC (International Cricket Council) event and if that's the World Cup (50 overs) then it would be great," the Daily Times quoted Younus, as saying.

India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh host the World Cup from February 19 to April 2 next year, and Younus rates Pakistan as one of the favourites for the event.

"Pakistan is amongst the top four favourites to win the World Cup and I always give top ranking to my team. If we play to our potential we can win the World Cup like we won the World Twenty20," he said.

Younus, who hit a match-winning 73 in the fourth one day match which saw Pakistan to a narrow one wicket win here on Friday to level the five-match series against South Africa at 2-2, said he fulfils the senior batsman's job.

"I am one of the most senior players, so my job is to guide the team to safety and whenever I do that I am very happy and it adds to my confidence," said the veteran, who has so far played 63 Tests and 206 one-day matches for Pakistan.

"If senior players remain focussed and do their jobs then I am sure that Pakistan will make winning a habit and that's very important at international level," he added.

Younus hoped that Pakistan clinch the final match against South Africa to be played on Monday (today), saying, "We have not won a series for two years." Pakistan's last series win was against West Indies in Abu Dhabi in 2008.

"So it's important that we clinch this series and get more confidence before the World Cup," he added. (ANI)

Cricket World Cup on display as countdown begins

Morkel and Steyn, who were later joined by members of the South African and Pakistani teams, dived into the aquarium to start the ceremony which was also attended by officials of International Cricket Council (ICC).

The opening ceremony of the World Cup will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on February 17. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka jointly host the 10th World Cup from February 19 to April 2.

"It was spectacular to watch the 100-day countdown ceremony and the ICC and the three host countries are gearing up for the World Cup," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat told reporters.

Pakistan were also due to co-host the 2011 party, but were stripped of their rights due to security concerns in the volatile nation in the aftermath of the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in March last year.

Lorgat said he feels for Pakistan's fans.

"Due to unavoidable circumstances we had to shift the matches from Pakistan and I welcome all the fans there to come to Sri Lanka and support their team as they always do," said Lorgat.

Pakistan will play all its group matches in Sri Lanka.

The 43-day, 49-match tournament will be played under a new format with India hosting a majority of matches (29), including the final at the new-look Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on April 2.

Lorgat said the ICC had learnt lessons from the past World Cup, especially the problem of low turn outs due to the high prices of tickets in the last event held in the West Indies three years ago.

"I hope lessons learnt from the 2007 event will help us and we have done everything to make this event in the sub-continent a special one," said Lorgat, who also hails from South Africa.

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis hoped Pakistan do well in the World Cup.

"It was nice to begin the 100-day countdown here," said Waqar, who was Pakistan captain in the 2003 World Cup. "We still have one series to play in New Zealand and hope that we remain focused to win the mega event."

South African captain Graeme Smith said he hoped the World Cup will be a success.

"The World Cup is a prestigious event and being held in the sub-continent, where cricket is a passion, makes it a special event," said Smith whose country has never won the mega event since re-admitted to international fold in 1992 after a lengthy ban due to aparthied.

"Every team wants to win the World Cup and we will also make extra effort to win it," said Smith."

- Shahid Hashmi

Tendulkar named as the ICC's ambassador for the ICC CWC 2011

Dubai: With exactly 100 days to go, the ICC today announced the appointment of India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar the official event ambassador for cricket's flagship event, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Throughout his long and successful career to date Tendulkar has inspired hundreds of millions of cricket lovers around the world with his personality, skill, temperament and love for the game.

Since making his debut for India in 1989 at the tender age of 16, on the field he has scored more international runs than anyone else in history while also adhering faithfully to the spirit of cricket. Off the field he has always carried himself as a true champion, making him a perfect role model and one of the most recognisable and popular sportsmen of his generation.

In his role as ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 ambassador he 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 19 February to 2 April next year.

"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 said.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: "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."

Ton will boost my confidence: Kohli

Virat Kohli, who starred in India's five-wicket win on Wednesday, said he was under pressure to perform and the 118 against Australia would certainly give him a lot of confidence.

But the Delhi batsman feels this knock would still not guarantee him a place as the competition for the number three slot is quite tough.

"Honestly, I was struggling to get runs. I had not scored in last six-seven matches. I was under pressure... I was not hitting in the gaps. It was very satisfying and it gives you a lot of confidence when you score chasing under pressure," Kohli said about his third one-day century, which incidentally his best so far.

"I will not say my place is cemented. I have to keep performing well in few more chases... I have to be consistent," Kohli added.

Kohli hit a 121-ball 118 to help India register the win over Australia and take a 1-0 lead before the third and final one-dayer in Margao, Goa.

"It (the win) is a good sign, it shows we have a good bench strength. In fact, the competition to get into the side helps in developing the hunger and you score more runs," he said.

Asked whether he had matured as a batsman post his knock against the world number one, the Aussies, Kohli said, "I think, you try to learn a lot at international level.

"You try to learn from the mistakes... You tend to fail sometimes... This is part and parcel of the game... You do the basics right and train hard, it pay back."

"I didn't perform well in last two series. I could not convert my scores into big knocks. There was a struggle for a place," he added.

Kohli also thanked Yuvraj Singh who extended a fine support in building the Indian innings with a 137-run third wicket stand.

"I think, someone like him at other end helps you. He has so much experience. It takes a lot of pressure off you. I had that advantage. It was a good partnership and it set the pace for us to capitalise in the end," he said.

This was a third straight win for India in the coastal city and Kohli said, "I am really happy if it happened. and I could contribute in that."

"The mood in the dressing room was very good especially after beating them 2-0 in the Tests. It got us a lot of confidence."

Dhoni heaps praise on batsmen

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday praised the batting department for scripting a five-wicket win over Australia in the second ODI, which also helped the hosts take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

"Yuvraj (Singh) and (Virat) Kohli got us back in the game and (Suresh) Raina supported Kohli well in the end. We wanted to see how much dew was around, I thought the spinners would get more turn but it turned out to be much flatter.

"(Cameron) White took the attack apart, but with Suresh Raina at the crease with one Powerplay to go I knew we had a chance. And Yuvraj, it was very important for him to get runs," Dhoni said after the match.

Kohli smashed a career-best 118, while Raina's 71 not out and Yuvraj's 58 also played crucial roles.

"Kohli has been often criticised for giving away good starts and he batted perfectly today. We'll look to win the third game as well. We have eight to 10 games before the World Cup and we want to achieve more than just winning the games," he added.

Dhoni's opposite number Michael Clarke also credited the Indian batsmen for making the difference.

"Cameron White's innings was unbelievable, I thought 290 was enough but India chased well. We'll try to rebuild. We are disappointed with the result. We'll try to do better in the first 15 overs in the second game," he said.

However, he was happy with the efforts of his bowlers and said, "John Hastings did a fantastic job, (Mitchell) Starc has a bright future for Australia."

Meanwhile, Man of the Match Kohli said he was struggling with cramps during the winning effort.

"I was struggling with cramps in my 70s and 80s. I just wanted to drag the game as much as I could to put my team in a winning position. (Murali) Vijay suggested that I just time the ball than hit it too hard. He helped calm me down.

"With Yuvraj batting at the other end, it's always helpful because he can score quickly and take the pressure off you. We just decided to build a partnership and bank on the Powerplay," he said.

Asked about batting at the number three position, he said, "The team has shown trust in me to bat at No 3 and I'll just look to capitalise. Once the dew came in, the ball was coming on quite nicely and we tried to take advantage of that."