I was digging the net for more information on this year World Cup's opening ceremony, and came across an announcement by ICC that all Warm-up matches to be played on 5th, 8th and 9th March will not have ODI status.. means not an International match.

Means no live telecast of those matches..!! Oh no, wait a minute. Do I mean no sports channel anywhere on Earth will broadcast those 2007 World Cup warm up onedayers?? You bet I do. But only as per the information my resources can generate for me. I (with you) hope that I am proven wrong soon in due time, as I frankly cannot wait for this 9th WC to start.

Coming back to the topic we have here - the World Cup ceremony will be held on 11th March 07 at Trelawny multi purpose stadium in Jamaica. All the teams, officials, bands, beauties and of course - cricket fans will gather in for this 3 hour show. This - of course will be live on all world cup broadcasting channels. The only question remain is what time it will start for a television viewer like me & you. That we have to wait for.. I'll add "time note" as soon as I get hold of it, but you can read few other picks I have on ICC CWC 07 Opening Ceremony so far   

Former West Indian great - Sir Garfield Sobers (now aged 70) is the official chief guest and he will unvail the 2007 Trophy. The point you should note here is ICC doesn't invite the chief guests for a cricket match or tournament. It's the hosts who owns responsibility - to which, the WC Managing director said ~ “It is because of legends like Sir Garry that we today have the opportunity to host this event in West Indies.”

This event as I mentioned, will take place at Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium Complex, 40 kms eat of Montego Bay in Jamaica. Also called as Greenfields Stadium, it was gifted by Chinese government last year. Its said that no other countries in Caribbean came up to host this Worl dCup Ceremony - so Jamaican government joined with Chinese labourers to build this stadium with 10 thousand seats. Have a look yourself when the video starts..!!

Steve Bucknor (in his 5th WC) will read the officials' oath on the behalf of all umpires and match referees at the Opening Ceremony. Steve is a native of Jamaica where this World Cup ceremony will take place.

By Karthik Ramamurthy & Sripriya Narayanasamy (KeyResultz Ventures)

There’s a bright ray of hope for India’s chances of making the Super 8 stage of the World Cup!

Sri Lanka’s thrashing of Bangladesh by 198 runs on 21^st March at the Queen’s Park Oval has removed the Bangla Tiger’s advantage of playing the last Group Match against minnows Bermuda.

India now MUST beat Sri Lanka. Barring the miracle of Bermuda beating Bangladesh, even a rained-out match or a tie with Sri Lanka could result in India’s immediate exit. With a reserve day available however, chances of a rained-out match are remote.

If India wins -- even with the thinnest of margins, say one run -- it will be impossible for Bangladesh to pip India (see Table B below to learn exactly why).

If India wins by a comfortable margin, they could even head Group B which will give them the advantage of a better schedule in the Super 8 stage.

What exactly should India do? The following detailed analysis by Keyresultz Ventures lays out exactly what India should do, in every possible situation:

1. If India bats first.

If India scores anywhere in the range 140 to 312, they will need to win by a margin of at least 100 runs. The lower range is assumed at 140, since it is inconceivable to assume Sri Lanka being bowled out for less than 40.

If India scores anything between 313 to 440, the victory margin would have to be at least 101 runs.

2. If Sri Lanka bats first:

Depending on Sri Lanka’s score, India would have to win with anywhere between 18 to 26 overs to spare.

The following table lists the minimum overs within which India must successfully chase to surpass Sri Lanka’s NRR:

TABLE A: India Must Successfully Chase Within:

It is obvious from the table below that India’s best chance of topping Group B would be to dismiss the Sri Lankans for less than 165. The chase for top spot in the Group will therefore involve scoring at 6 runs per over or less, something certainly achievable with the plethora of power hitters in the team.

Beyond that, say a chase of 235, India would need to score at close to 8 runs per over, and that would certainly not be a risk taking.

Winning the match, after all, is more important than topping Group B, and if a frenetic scoring rate to top the group has the risk of defeat, that risk is not worth taking at all!

Table B: The impossibility of Bangladesh’s task in pipping India on Nett Run rate.

Even considering Bermuda’s lack of strength, the task for Bangladesh to better India’s Nett Run Rate is now as impossible as arriving at a conclusive, scientific explanation of the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle!

Assuming India wins by the closest of margins – on the last delivery while chasing, or by just 1 run defending a target, Bangladesh would have to do the following to pip India on Nett Run Rate:

1. If India bowled first, the Sri Lankans scored 180, and India won off the last delivery:

1. If Bangladesh, batting first, broke the world record ODI score by scoring 450, they would have to bowl out the entire Bermuda for just 15 runs!
2. If Bermuda batted first and dismissed the minnows for, say 150, they would have to score 151 in just 1 over!

2. If India batted first, scored 180 runs, and dismissed the Sri Lankans for 179:

1. If Bangladesh, batting first, broke the world record ODI score by scoring 450, they would have to bowl out the entire Bermuda for just 14 runs!
2. If Bermuda batted first and dismissed the minnows for, say 100, they would have to score 101 in just 1 over!

It is clear now, that Bangladesh’s sole hopes lie with Sri Lanka beating India, followed by Bangladesh beating Bermuda. This will leave Sri Lanka and Bangladesh having 4 points each, and the Men in Blue will have to fly back home!