Dhaka, February 18
The International Cricket Council on Friday backed their decision to restrict the next World Cup to 10 top teams, saying minnows were better suited playing the Twenty20 format.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the World Twenty20 will be increased to 16 teams instead of 12, while the 50-over World Cup will be trimmed down to 10 from the current 14.

"We have felt in the past few years that Twenty20 is the best format to develop the game world-wide and it provides a better environment for competition," Lorgat said.

"The 50-over format is more skill-based and suitable for the top teams." Lorgat's views, ahead of the 50-over World Cup starting on Saturday, is bound to further anger the minnows, who believe they are being muscled out in favour of the Test-playing nations.

Cricket Kenya chief executive Tom Sears said the ICC will not be acting in the interests of the game if the smaller teams were locked out of the next World Cup.

"If we have to improve on the standards, there is no point of denying us the opportunity of competing at the top level," Sears said. "We had a meeting with the other associate countries during the World Cup training camp in Dubai last week, and we plan to raise the matter again at the World Cup.

"We are disturbed about the whole issue," he added.

In an interview with the Wisden Cricketer magazine, Sears termed the decision as "scandalous and bloody ridiculous". "I've no desire to be diplomatic... Not to let anyone else in is scandalous. It's all about money, power and votes - and that's not good for cricket," he said.

Former Kenyan captain Steve Tikolo and batsman Collins Obuya have also voiced their concern, saying the World Cup remained vital for the development of associate nation cricket.

While there have been some hugely lop-sided contests down the years, there have also been some memorable "giantkillings". Kenya became the first non-Test playing team to reach the semifinals in 2003, and Ireland produced their biggest upset over Pakistan in the 2007 tournament in the West Indies. — AFP

Mumbai, February 18
Indian opener Virender Sehwag has conceded that his axing from the Indian team four years ago forced him to look inwards and make changes in his game which eventually paid him rich dividends.

"When I got dropped from the team in 2007, nobody expected the selectors to drop me but they did because of poor form. That's when I changed my game both in terms of thinking and playing style. I started thinking on how to make my way back into the team," Sehwag was quoted as saying in a media release.

The swashbuckling batsman, who very nearly scored a Test triple ton in a single day's play after his comeback, was responding to a query about 'Change the Game moment' in his career as part of soft drinks major Pepsi's World Cup campaign.

"I got a chance and that's when I proved myself again; I saved a test match for India when I scored 150 not out in Adelaide against Australia.

"I had just scored 20 runs in 2 hours...can you imagine Sehwag scoring 20 runs in two hours? That was not how I played, but I changed my game just to save the Test match," he pointed out.

Sehwag, who was dropped in early 2007 from the ODI squad and later from the Test team too before storming his way back into the team, mentions improvisation as the key to his altered game. — PTI

Dhaka, February 18
Hosts India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will play their knock-out matches at home if they advance to the quarterfinal stage of the World Cup, International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat said today. Lorgat also said that if two host nations face each other, the side placed higher in the pre-tournament seeding will get preference, which means India will play all its knock-out ties on home soil if they get past the preliminary stage.

"I can confirm that the three host countries will play the knock-out rounds on their own grounds," Lorgat told reporters ahead of tomorrow's tournament opener between India and Bangladesh in Mirpur. ICC's decision means the original schedule, according to which the specific World Cup quarterfinal matches were marked, will be changed depending on where the hosts finish.

As per the schedule, the quarter-final matches are as follow: A1 v B4 (Mirpur), A2 v B3 (Ahmedabad), A3 v B2 (Mirpur) and A4 v B1 (Colombo). But now, as per the decision, India will play its quarterfinal match in Ahmedabad, irrespective of where they finish in Group B. The March 24 quarterfinal at the Gujarat city is between third-placed team in group B and the second team in group A.

So if India finish second, they will take on the third-placed team from group A. But even if Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men do not finish third in group B, they will still play in Ahmedabad against a side which will not know their venue till the last league match ends on March 20. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will play their final eight match in Colombo on March 26, unless they face India. In such a scenario India will get pre-tournament seeding preference and will play in Ahmedabad. — PTI

Jamshedpur, February 18
The women's football summit clash will be a repeat of the last edition's final when defending champions Orissa and Manipur clash for the top honours in the 34th National Games at the JRD Tata Sports complex here tomorrow.

In the second semi-final match in the second session, Manipur trounced Tamil Nadu 2-0 after the first half went barren. Centre-forward M Mandakini Devi, who represented India in the 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka, drew the first blood for the winners when she grabbed the ball and scored in the 55th minute.

Tamil Nadu put up some resistance but Manipur's strong defence denied them the opportunity to score. The north-eastern team continued to be on the offensive with as many as three close moves but the effort went in vain as their players shot wide off the target.

However, striker S Rinaroy Devi, who represented India under-17 and Under-19, converted in the 65th minute after the team was awarded a free kick when the rival team member tackled her from behind.

Earlier, Orissa thrashed West Bengal 6-0 in the first semi-final played in the first session in the same venue today. — PTI

Gurgaon, February 18
A short session with coach Jamie Gough in between his first and second rounds did the trick for Shiv Kapur as he jumped to tied second in the Euros 1.8 million Avantha Masters at the DLF Golf and Country Club here today.

After struggling though an even-par 72 in the first round, he compiled a flawless 65, the best round of the tournament so far, to move into contention at seven-under 137 at the midway stage of India's biggest golfing event.

The second round of the Avantha Masters was still incomplete on account of the Thursday's three and a half hour delay to which another 20 minutes were added today.

The clubhouse leader Rafael Cabrera-Bello of Spain played 30 holes today to complete the first round in 67 and a second round 69 to move to eight-under 136. Kapur (72-65), Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat (70-67), Denmark's Mark Haastrup (71-66) and England's Robert Coles (70-67) were all tied at second at seven-under 137.

Kapur, who came to the club at the crack of dawn to complete the nine holes remaining from his first round, was at the club till well past 3.30 pm after playing 27 holes. — PTI

Patiala, February 18
Delhi defeated services in the north zone one day Ranji Trophy match by 11 runs at Dhruv Pandove Cricket Stadium to bag 5 points in the league table, here today. In the 43 over match, curtailed due to wet conditions, the Delhi team played well and emerged winners in a low scoring encounter.

Batting first the Delhi team was all out for 187 runs in 42.3 overs with main contributions coming from AR Julka 43, Mithun Manhas 24, PK Mehra 23. SJ Singh claimed 4 for 36 in the allotted 9 overs. 

BRIEFLY

Fire officials not happy with Wankhede
Mumbai: Expressing displeasure at the non-compliance of fire safety norms at the revamped Wankhede stadium, venue of the 2011 World Cup final, the city fire brigade department today said it will seek a reply from the Mumbai Cricket Association in this regard. "We will soon write a letter to the MCA stating there is a need to comply with fire safety norms at the stadium. Once they abide by the terms we would again conduct an inspection," Chief Fire Officer Uday Tatkare said. — PTI