World Cup teams: Strengths and key players

Zimbabwe: They were once a competitive side in world cricket but the road to re-acceptance is long and winding. Their best performance came in 1999 and 2003, when they reached the Super Six stage. Their batsmen have to try to play out the 50 overs. If they manage a respectable total, then they can step-up their game with some tight fielding. Their pace attack is weak but the spin trio of Ray Price, Greg Lamb and Graeme Cremer could be dangerous.

Key men: Batsman Brendan Taylor has scored centuries against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa in the past 18 months and he will be a treat to watch. Regis Chakabva, 23, is the youngest in the squad. He top-scored with 45 when Bangladesh were defeated in Dhaka in December.

World Cup record: Played 45, Won 8, Lost 33, Tied 1, No result 3

Squad: Elton Chigumbura (captain), Regis Chakabva, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Gregory Lamb, Shingirai Masakadza, Tino Mawoyo, Christopher Mpofu, Raymond Price, Edward Rainsford, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams. Coach: Alan Butcher (England)

Source: sify sports

World Cup teams: Strengths and key players

New Zealand: They are having one of the worst runs. They were on a 11-match losing streak last year and have won only two of their past 16 ODIs. But the appointment of South African pace legend Allan Donald as the bowling coach has come at the right time. In coach John Wright, they have some one who has great knowledge about sub-continent conditions. The Kiwis can always spring a surprise.

Key man: Skipper Daniel Vettori is one of the best all-rounders in ODI. The left-arm spinner also has a great loop, which can fox even the best in the world. Middle-order batsman Kane Williamson,20, will be the one to watch out for. He scored a century on Test debut in India last year and also scored a century in Bangladesh last year.

World Cup record: Played 62, Won 35, Lost 26, No result 1

Squad: Daniel Vettori (captain), Hamish Bennett, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock. Coach: John Wright

Source: sify sports

World Cup teams: Strengths and key players

Pakistan: The side has been affected with spot-fixing controversies. But they are also a side that thrives on such controversies. They defeated New Zealand 3-2 in the ODI series recently. With experienced players like captain Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Razzaq, they have a side that has the potential to win the World Cup.

Key man: Fast bowler Umar Gul can be lethal with his swing in day-night matches. Batsman Ahmed Shehzad, 19, scored a century against New Zealand in Hamilton last month.

World Cup record: Played 56, Won 30, Lost 24, No result 2

Winners: 1992

Squad: Shahid Afridi (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Junaid Khan, Younus Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Ahmed Shehzad. Coach: Waqar Younis

Source: sify sports

World Cup teams: Strengths and key players

Sri Lanka: They are having a great run in ODIs and won every tournament in 2010 except the Asia Cup. Runners-up in 2007 and winners in 1996, they are one of the favourites and will surely be formidable on home soil.

Key men: All-rounder Angelo Matthews will surely be one of the strengths of the team. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan can also be destructive.

World Cup record: Played 57, Won 25, Lost 30, Tied 1, No result 1

Winners: 1996

Squad: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath. Coach: Travor Bayliss (Australia)

Source: sify sports

World Cup teams: Strengths and key players

The 14-team cricket World Cup will begin with the India-Bangladesh match in Dhaka Saturday. Here's a peek into the strengths of the teams, their key players and their past World Cup performances.

Group A:

Australia: The four-time champions will be looking to lift their fifth World Cup title. After losing in the Ashes, they came back strongly to win the ODI series 6-1 and proved why they are the No.1 team in ODIs.

Key man: Captain Ricky Ponting, coming out of a finger fracture, will be the key man for Australia. They don't have good spinners, but Steve Smith could cause a surprise with his leg-spins.

World Cup record: Played 69, Won 51, Lost 17, Tied 1

Winners: 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007

Squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Cameron White, Callum Ferguson, David Hussey, Tim Paine, Steven Smith, John Hastings, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Doug Bollinger, Shaun Tait. Coach: Tim Nielsen

Text: IANS
Images: AP/AFP/Getty

Source: Sifysports

Bahrain king under pressure to sack prime minister uncle

Bahrain king under pressure to sack prime minister uncle

By Adrian Blomfield, Manama

The king of Bahrain came under heavy opposition pressure to prove his newly-stated commitment to reform yesterday by sacking his unpopular uncle, the world's longest-serving prime minister.

Shia opposition leaders said they would resist a government offer of dialogue until the kingdom's Sunni rulers made a significant gesture by sacrificing Prince Khalifa, who has held his position since Bahrain's independence from Britain in 1971. They also called for the release of political prisoners.

A day after King Hamad was forced to call his army off the streets after a brutal military crackdown that killed at least seven people failed to quell the protests, the opposition has sensed momentum swinging its way.

They are also hoping to take advantage of rumoured rifts in the Al Khalifa dynasty that have pitted hardliners, including the prime minister, against a group of reformists around the king and his son, Crown Prince Salman.

The desire to see Prince Khalifa ousted is almost universally shared by the tens of thousands of protesters that reoccupied Pearl Monument, the symbolic centre of the capital Manama, after the security forces withdrew on Saturday evening.

The prime minister, whose longevity has made him a hugely powerful figure in a royal family that numbers thousands, is widely blamed for the economic and political marginalisation of Bahrain's Shia majority, which accounts for up to 70 per cent of the island kingdom's native population.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Carmelo Anthony traded to Knicks

Carmelo Anthony traded to Knicks, will join fellow All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire in New York

BY Frank Isola
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Originally Published:Monday, February 21st 2011, 10:43 PM
Updated: Tuesday, February 22nd 2011, 12:27 AM

Carmelo Anthony finally is able to call Madison Square Garden his home arena after the New York Knicks close the sweepstakes for the Nuggets' All-Star on Monday night.
Wilson Chandler (from left), Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton and Timofey Mozgov (below) are shipped to Denver for Anthony.

Carmelo Anthony is coming home and that could mean that Donnie Walsh is leaving.

James Dolan pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal for Anthony, the Brooklyn-born All-Star forward, who for months was angling for an opportunity to join forces with Amar'e Stoudemire in New York.

The price was steep as the Knicks traded Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler and rookie center Timofey Mozgov to the Denver Nuggets. They also gave Denver $3 million in cash plus a 2014 first round pick and two second round picks the Knicks acquired from Golden State in last summer's sign-and-trade with David Lee.

In a separate deal, the Knicks also traded Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry to Minnesota who in turn sent Corey Brewer to Denver.

The Knicks get Anthony - who as part of the deal will get a 3-year, $65M extension - Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman and Anthony Carter.

The deal was completed late Monday night when Dolan, the Chairman of Madison Square Garden, included Mozgov in the trade. The Nuggets had insisted on Mozgov while Walsh and head coach Mike D'Antoni felt the Knicks were giving up too much even without Mozgov in the trade.

While New York will be buzzing Wednesday when Anthony makes his Garden debut in a Knicks uniform, the trade will likely create massive upheaval in the front office.

Walsh, the Knicks president, was over-ruled on the trade by Dolan, who was being advised by Isiah Thomas. Walsh's contract expires in June and according to sources close to the 69-year-old basketball lifer, Walsh will walk away.

There are reports that the Nuggets, after making any deal with the Knicks, could send Mozgov, along with another player, to the Nets for first-round picks. That would unite Mozgov with fellow Russian Mikhail Prokhorov, who owns the Nets.

While Prokhorov could end up with the two Knicks, Dolan won the border war, not only landing Anthony but keeping him out of New Jersey.

Source: New York Daily News

New Zealand Earthquake Disaster

Feb 22 2011
At least 65 dead in New Zealand earthquake disaster

AT least 65 people have been killed in a devastating earthquake in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.

Prime minister John Key told reporters in the stricken city that the death toll was expected to rise further with more than 100 people, including as many as a dozen visiting Japanese students, thought to be trapped in the rubble as darkness - and drizzling rain - fell.

The 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch around lunchtime today, collapsing buildings and sending bricks and other heavy debris toppling into busy city streets.

Pavements and roads were cracked and split, and thousands of dazed, screaming and crying residents wandered through the streets as sirens blared.

Groups of people helped victims clutching bleedings wounds, and others were carried to private vehicles in makeshift stretchers fashioned from rugs or bits of debris.

The spire of the iconic stone Christchurch Cathedral toppled into a central city square.

The airport was closed, and Christchurch Hospital was briefly evacuated before it was deemed safe and patients were returned. Power and telephone lines were knocked out, and pipes burst, flooding the streets with water. Some cars parked on the street were buried under rubble.

Some people were stuck in office towers and firefighters climbed extension ladders to pluck people trapped on roofs to safety. A crane lifted a team of rescuers on a platform to one group of survivors in a high-rise. Plumes of gray smoke drifted into the air at several points around the city from fires burning in the rubble.

Christchurch mayor Bob Parker declared a state of emergency and ordered people to evacuate the city centre.

Source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk

New Zealand Earthquake

Breaking News!
By David Scott

New Zealand earthquake magnitude 6.3 hits Christchurch

New Zealand earthquake: a major quake hit New Zeland's second largest city Tuesday, local time. Initial reports indicate collapsed buildings and possible casualties from the New Zealand earthquake.

Initial reports from Reuters news agency indicated that there were no reports of casualties, from the magnitude 6.3 temblor.

But the New Zealand Herald is reporting casualties and major damage to downtown buildings, including the Christchurch Cathedral.

The quake occurred at 12:51 p.m., during a normal workday in Christchurch, according to the US Geological Survey. The epicenter was relatively shallow - just 3 miles deep – and close, about 6 miles from the country's second largest city, where some 26,000 full-time employees work.

"Obviously this earthquake has taken place at a time where people have been going about their daily business. We're doing everything we can to make sure that people are safe and are evacuating the central city," said New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, about an hour after the quake hit. After an emergency cabinet meeting scheduled for 3 p.m. local time, the prime minister is scheduled to fly to Christchurch.

The city was struck by a force 7.1 quake last September, Reuters reports, which caused serious damage and dented the national economy but it caused only minor injuries.

"The quake is significantly smaller than the previous Christchurch earthquake, however it was very shallow and might have been very close to the centre of the city," Civil Defence spokesman Vince Cholewa told the Herald

Source: http://www.csmonitor.com

Nir Rosen Resigns After Lara Logan Comments

Posted on: February 16th, 2011 by: Andrea0 comments

After making derogatory comments about the sexual assault on reporter Lara Logan, NYU professor Nir Rosen has resigned.

Karen J. Greenberg, Executive Director at New York University’s Center on Law and Security issued the following statement:

“Nir Rosen is always provocative, but he crossed the line yesterday with his comments about Lara Logan. I am deeply distressed by what he wrote about Ms. Logan and strongly denounce his comments. They were cruel and insensitive and completely unacceptable. Mr. Rosen tells me that he misunderstood the severity of the attack on her in Cairo. He has apologized, withdrawn his remarks, and submitted his resignation as a fellow, which I have accepted. However, this in no way compensates for the harm his comments have inflicted. We are all horrified by what happened to Ms. Logan, and our thoughts are with her during this difficult time.”

Rosen posted crude remarks on his Twitter page about the brutal sexual assault and beating Logan sustained while on assignment in Egypt for CBS.



For more information Visit:http://www.bittenandbound.com