Bresnan a concern for World Cup - Flower

Andy Flower, the England team director, has revealed that Tim Bresnan is the most serious of their lengthy injury list ahead of the World Cup. Bresnan suffered a calf injury during the second one-day international at Hobart and is one of five players to have flown home early from Australia with the most recent being Paul Collingwood. 

England's casualty list also includes Graeme Swann (back), Ajmal Shahzad (hamstring) and Chris Tremlett (side). The latter isn't part of the World Cup 15 but is a possible replacement should anyone not recover. "Probably it's Bresnan considering the sight of his injury, just above his Achilles tendon in his lower calf," Flower said when pushed on who was struggling the most. "But he's not a man who has suffered injuries, well not many injuries, in the past and hopefully he will recover very quickly and be ready somewhere near the start." 

England have been left battling to have a full-strength squad to take to the subcontinent later this month and it could be especially tight for the two warm-up matches against Canada and Pakistan. Collingwood, who suffered a back spasm at Sydney and flew out of Perth on Thursday evening, has been given paternity leave during the warm-up period along with Swann leaving the prospect of England not having 11 fit players when they arrive in Bangladesh. 

"Of course the timing of them getting back to full fitness is important for the start of the World Cup," Flower said. "We can't be absolutely certain of that at this stage but we are monitoring them on a daily basis."

Despite the rush to get Collingwood back to the UK with just four days of this tour remaining Flower wasn't overly concerned about the allrounder. He was unable to bowl at Sydney as England failed to defend a record total of 333 having hurt his back playing the final shot of the innings. Collingwood's mixture of medium-pacers and cutters are set to be important to England's World Cup although he continues to struggle for runs.

"He should be alright. He's been sent home to get looked after back in England by the specialists, his lower back needs a scan and the right sort of treatment," Flower said. "The sooner he got home the better, he wouldn't have been available for this last game anyway. He's going to a very important member of our World Cup side so we needed to get him off home early." 

With the bowling ranks currently so depleted England could reach the point next week where they have to replace players in their final 15. Having stayed fit during the series, and taken 6 for 45 at Brisbane, Chris Woakes has made a strong case to be a first reserve as he also provides some useful lower-order batting.

Steven Finn has been given his one-day international debut during this series having not originally been part of the squad until James Anderson was rested for the first three matches. He was England's most impressive seamer in Sydney, taking 2 for 51 from his 10 overs in a high-scoring encounter. Liam Plunkett, the Durham pace bowler, has also been called into the squad for the final match in Perth and arrived on Wednesday after a 40-hour journey from the Caribbean where he was part of the England Lions squad.

Dhoni unfazed by World Cup pressure

M.S. Dhoni, the India captain, has said performing under pressure has become India's strength and that will hold them in good stead for the World Cup where he admitted expectations will be high.

"What we have done in the last three years is that we have changed the meaning of pressure to responsibility and we take it as an added responsibility," Dhoni said. "Cricket is the biggest sport in India and it is widely followed. Everybody wants us to do well and we take that in a positive way. We just stick to the basics, prepare well for the game and at the end of the day we know we have got the potential to do well on the field." 

One of the questions facing the India team, who play their first match on February 19 against Bangladesh, is how they will deal with the pressure of being tournament hosts along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India have failed to get past the semi-final stage in previous World Cups played on home soil. But Dhoni said he was concentrating just on the preparation. "I am ready to prepare well for the World Cup and that is what is in my hands right now." 

Dhoni dodged the question of whether India were favourites for the tournament by saying: "For a change we won't be considered underdogs." He stuck to what has become almost a mantra for him in his time as captain in saying "processes" would take precedence over results. "I never predict much when it comes to cricket. We believe in each of us, and the support staff members are also there to help us. We believe in doing the process, so I have no prediction about the World Cup and we will just give it our best shot." 

A day after England batsman Kevin Pietersen termed his side's hectic schedule leading up to the World Cup as 'ridiculous', Dhoni admitted arriving at a balanced schedule was difficult. "The biggest thing in cricket is that we do criticise a lot. When we lose a game, even I have said in the past that we play too much cricket. To get the perfect balance is a very difficult task because there is a very thin line and it is not like technology where we can be close to perfection. It is an issue that will always be raised that either it will be a cramped schedule or there is too long a gap between games." 

India have selected seven batsmen, four seamers, three spinners and just one wicketkeeper in their 15-man squad for the World Cup, and Dhoni said there were always players bound to miss out when you have to pick just 15 players. "We have tried to keep the best squad but you can't accommodate everyone. You can only select 15 players, so you may miss some players who are key in some areas like a left-arm spinner or maybe a legspinner. It will always be a point of discussion, but what is important is that the 15 players who are selected right now make an impact on the World Cup." 

Dhoni said he wasn't thinking about the disappointing loss to Bangladesh - who are India's first opponents in the 2011 tournament - in the 2007 World Cup. "I am certainly thinking about the match [against Bangladesh] positively. We may have lost in 2007, but there are plenty of positives that we can look for like the 2003 World Cup and the entire tournament we played then. 

"As far as the gaps between the games are concerned, we all know that it is there so what is best for us is to make a good plan to utilise it in the best possible manner. Of course, we play throughout the year, which means that in between these tense games the players will get time to relax themselves and at the same time if there are some niggles you can get over it. 

"It is the biggest tournament and it is the biggest thing that happens in cricket, so it is very important that you play with the best XI that your team has. You don't want to miss many players because of injuries."

Sehwag 'fully fit' for World Cup

Virendra Sehwag ,India's vice-captain for the World Cup, has said that he is "fully fit" for the tournament that begins on February 19. Sehwag missed India's five-match one-day series following the Tests in South Africa to attend to a shoulder injury, but says his recovery is well on track.

"I was feeling some pain in my shoulder," Sehwag told Indian news channel CNN-IBN. "So [I thought it was] better to quit the South Africa one-dayers. I didn't want to get injured in South Africa tour and miss the World Cup. So I came back and went to Germany to see a couple of doctors. I got a couple of injections and now I'm fine. 

"I am going to the National Cricket Academy [in Bangalore] and will spend a couple of days there, to check everything - if I can bowl and throw also but if I can't, then I'll let them know. But yes, at the moment I'm fully fit." 

Sehwag is wary of the opening game against Bangladesh, who had derailed India's 2007 World Cup campaign with a shock win. "Because we're playing the opening game against them in Bangladesh, Bangladeshi people are expecting them to beat us again. But this time we have to prepare well … You can say it is a revenge game for us and we won't take the game lightly. We will give our best shot and we will come hard on Bangladesh." 

Sehwag was confident of India's chances against the other major teams in Group B - South Africa, England and West Indies. "When we played against England last time, we won 5-0 and against South Africa we did well in South Africa and we have done well; when Sachin Tendulkar got the double hundred [in Gwalior], we won the series. West Indies have good players like Pollard and Gayle, if they click then maybe it's difficult for us but India also have very good players."

Afridi named World Cup captain - report

Shahid Afridi has reportedly been named captain of Pakistan's World Cup squad, according to Associated Press. The decision ends weeks of uncertainty over who will lead the side in the global tournament starting later this month.

Pakistan were the only side of the 14 participating teams that hadn't named their captain when the World Cup squads were announced in January, fuelling debate over whether Misbah-ul-Haq, the Test captain, could take over from limited-overs leader Afridi. 

Afridi has been Pakistan's ODI captain over the last year but just before the New Zealand tour began, a number of key players and team management officials raised concerns with the board over his captaincy. The development placed the board in a quandary, between players and the captain, ultimately compelling them to delay the announcement of a leader. 

Earlier this week, the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had travelled to New Zealand, where the team has just completed their first one-day series win in more than two years, to hold discussions with Afridi, senior players and management officials over who should lead the side. 

Pakistan play the final match of their six-ODI series against New Zealand on Saturday in Auckland.

Bangalore to host India-England game

The ICC has confirmed the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore as the venue for the India-England World Cup game that was originally supposed to be held in Kolkata. There was no change in the date of the match - it will be held on February 27. 

"This decision now clarifies and gives us certainty over the fixture," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said. "We can now work with our various partners and stakeholders to make sure that the match - along with the rest of the tournament - is all it should be." 

In a letter to the BCCI, the ICC also outlined the pending work that had to be done to get Eden Gardens ready for the World Cup. Kolkata was originally allotted three other matches for the tournament, the first of which is on March 15. The ICC said an inspection team will visit Eden Gardens on February 7 to see the progress made before deciding on the fate on those three matches. 

The BCCI had nominated Bangalore as its preferred venue for the India-England match after the ICC had ruled out Kolkata last week. 

The India-England fixture will now be the most high profile World Cup game for Bangalore, which hosts four other group games. Only one of those feature the home team, while all of them pit a minnow against a strong side.

Australia have an outside chance, says Steve Waugh

Steve Waugh, who led Australia to victory in the 1999 World Cup, has said Australia are in with a chance to defend their World Cup crown despite inconsistent results since the start of 2010. He claimed India and Sri Lanka will be strong contenders but didn't rule out Ricky Ponting's team. "Australia have an outside chance because they have matchwinners," Waugh said at an event in Mumbai. "I don't think this is a weaker Australian side.

"It's tough decision (to predict a winner). There are seven sides capable of winning but the side that has the momentum going into the quarter-final will be good. India are the slight favourites, as they know the conditions well and will have fantastic support. Sri Lanka have a very good chance too." 

It might come as no surprise for Waugh to back the defending champions on a day when Australia pulled off their highest chase in ODIs, against England in Sydney. Australia had pocketed the seven-game series last week, and their dominant form in the ODIs after a humiliating Ashes drubbing only made Waugh confident about his countrymen. "Australia are still ranked No.1 in the world. In [Shaun] Tait, [Mitchell] Johnson and [Brett] Lee, they have the potential matchwinners. Their batsmen are also on top. Ricky is coming back from injury. Australian players are best when faced with adversity," Waugh said. 

Austrlia's winning percentage in 2010 in ODIs had taken a beating: of the 25 matches played, spread over seven series, they won 16 and lost eight including the series defeat to Sri Lanka at home. But the return to form of seniors like Michael Clarke and Lee, along with the matchwinning capabilities of Shane Watson, makes Australia a dangerous opponent. Waugh, a two-time World Cup winner including one as captain in 1999, said Lee would be the lynchpin for Australia. Lee returned for the England series after sitting out from October 2009 due to lingering elbow injury. But Lee has not compromised on pace and so far is the highest wicket-taker in the series with 11 wickets at an average of 24 in the six matches. "Lee will be my impact player. He has amazing resilience, he is bowling back at 150kph and he loves touring India" Waugh said. 

In the two World Cups held in the subcontinent (1987 and '96), Australia have won 12 of the 15 matches they've played.

Canada visa problems resolved

Canada received a timely boost ahead of the World Cup with news that visas have been granted to three Pakistan-born players who were still waiting for the Indian authorities to clear their applications. 

The squad left for Dubai for a training camp on January 28 with vice-captain Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan and Hamza Tariq still uncertain whether they would be allowed to go to India. With all now clear Canada take a full squad to the tournament and they have two warm-up games - against Bangladesh and England - ahead of their opening match against Sri Lanka on February 20. 

Cricket Canada's president, Ranjit Saini, had earlier said Canada's preparation had been damaged when the three players were prevented from attending a training tour to India last year. "We couldn't take these players to India and as a result our training plans have suffered," Saini told the Pakistan's Daily Mail earlier this month. "[It was] a source of distraction." 

Canada's first match in India is against Zimbabwe on February 28.