Cristiano Ronaldo Injured

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Ronaldo Goes Kaka

Cristiano Ronaldo Injured

The "Portuguese Piledriver", no that doesn't work...how about the "Portuguese Pistol", nah...anyway Cristiano Ronaldo, 24 year-old soccer phenom is now on his way back to the Iberian peninsula. For a record setting price, $131.5 Million, Manchester United has agreed to ship Ronaldo to Real Madrid. The idea of Ronaldo playing in the midfield with Kaka is very interesting. They both posses the trifecta of offensive skills. They are fast, with impeccable ball control, and they can finish in variety of effective ways (and Kaka is a very good passer, is that a quadfecta?). I assume the Real Madrid leadership was feeling some pressure after Barcelona won the Spanish Primera and the Champions League (not to mention a couple of other titles) this past season. There is also talk that Spanish national striker and current Valencia star David Villa will join the club. That would make perhaps the most formidable attack trio in european football.

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cristiano ronaldo skills Wallpapers

Cristiano Ronaldo skills with ball on head

Cristiano Ronaldo with ball on his head 2011

Cristiano Ronaldo with ball

Cristiano Ronaldo with ball dribbling

Cristiano Ronaldo dribbling 2011

Cristiano Ronaldo vs massi skills

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Shirts Of Lional Messi For Barcelona

Messi header barcelona 2011

Messi new shirt barcelona

Messi shirt for barcelona 2011

Messi shirt the beautiful one

Messi's favourite shirt barcelona

Massi Barcelona 2011 shirts

Messi shirt

Messi's shirt 2011

Messi kit for barcelona as striker 2011

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2011 World Cup Stats: Most Man Of The Matches (All Teams)

Ryan ten Doeschate man of the match icc world cup 2011

Mahela Jayawardene man of the match icc world cup 2011

Strauss England man of the match icc world cup 2011

Sehwag man of the match icc world cup 2011

Shahid Afridi man of the match icc world cup 2011

Umar Akmal man of the match icc world cup 2011

AB de Villiers man of the match icc world cup 2011

Player	Team	Man of the Matches won
AB de Villiers	South Africa	1
Ryan ten Doeschate	Netherlands	1
Mahela Jayawardene	Sri Lanka	1
Virender Sehwag	India	1
Tamim Iqbal	Bangladesh	1
Umar Akmal	Pakistan	1
Shane Watson	Australia	1
Hamish Bennett	New Zealand	1
Shahid Afridi	Pakistan	1

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2011 World Cup Stats: Most Wickets (All Teams)

Shahid Afridi Highest wickets taken in icc world cup 2011

Player	Team	Matches	Overs	Runs	Wickets	4w	5w	Eco	SR	Average
Shahid Afridi	Pakistan	2	18.0	50	9	1	1	2.78	12.00	5.56
Mitchell Johnson	Australia	2	18.3	52	8	2	0	2.89	13.88	6.50
Tim Bresnan	England	2	20.4	97	6	0	1	4.85	60.00	49.00
Hamish Bennett	New Zealand	2	12.0	79	6	1	0	6.58	12.00	13.17
Shaun Tait	Australia	2	16.0	69	5	0	0	4.31	19.20	13.80
Thissara Perera	Sri Lanka	2	16.0	86	5	0	0	5.38	19.20	17.20
Munaf Patel	India	2	18.2	101	5	1	0	5.61	15.00	12.00
Shafiul Islam	Bangladesh	2	15.0	90	5	1	0	6.00	18.00	18.00
Tim Southee	New Zealand	2	16.0	58	4	0	0	3.62	24.00	14.50
Imran Tahir	South Africa	1	10.0	41	4	1	0	4.10	15.00	10.25
Zaheer Khan	India	2	18.2	94	4	0	0	5.22	30.00	20.00
Jacob Oram	New Zealand	2	2.5	2	3	0	0	1.00	5.67	0.67
Dale Steyn	South Africa	1	7.3	24	3	0	0	3.43	15.00	8.00
Andre Botha	Ireland	1	9.0	32	3	0	0	3.56	18.00	10.67
Muttiah Muralitharan	Sri Lanka	2	19.0	73	3	0	0	3.84	38.00	24.33
Shakib Al Hasan	Bangladesh	2	18.0	89	3	0	0	4.94	36.00	29.67
Graeme Swann	England	2	19.3	94	3	0	0	4.95	30.00	17.50
Nuwan Kulasekara	Sri Lanka	2	16.0	80	3	0	0	5.00	32.00	26.67
Umar Gul	Pakistan	2	13.1	72	3	0	0	5.54	26.33	24.00
Thomas Odoyo	Kenya	2	10.0	66	3	0	0	6.60	20.00	22.00
George Dockrell	Ireland	1	10.0	23	2	0	0	2.30	30.00	11.50

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2011 World Cup Stats: Highest Individual Score (All Teams)

Sehwag highest score in icc world cup 2011

Player	Team	Runs	Balls	Fours	Sixes	SR	Versus	Year
Virender Sehwag	India	175	140	14	5	125.00	Bangladesh	2011
Andrew Strauss	England	158	145	18	1	108.97	-india	2011
Sachin Tendulkar	India	120	115	10	5	104.35	-england	2011
Ryan ten Doeschate	Netherlands	119	110	9	3	108.18	England	2011
AB de Villiers	South Africa	107	105	8	2	101.90	West Indies	2011
Mahela Jayawardene	Sri Lanka	100	81	9	1	123.46	Canada	2011
Virat Kohli	India	100	83	8	2	120.48	Bangladesh	2011
Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	92	87	7	1	105.75	Canada	2011
Misbah-ul-Haq	Pakistan	83	91	6	0	91.21	Sri Lanka	2011
Shane Watson	Australia	79	92	8	1	85.87	Zimbabwe	2011
Darren Bravo	West Indies	73	82	8	1	89.02	South Africa	2011
Younis Khan	Pakistan	72	76	4	0	94.74	Sri Lanka	2011
Umar Akmal	Pakistan	71	52	8	1	136.54	Kenya	2011
Tamim Iqbal	Bangladesh	70	86	3	1	81.40	India	2011
Ian Bell	England	69	71	4	1	97.18	India	2011
Misbah-ul-Haq	Pakistan	65	69	1	2	94.20	Kenya	2011
Shane Watson	Australia	62	61	6	1	101.64	New Zealand	2011
Jonathan Trott	England	62	65	4	0	95.38	Netherlands	2011
Yuvraj Singh	India	58	50	9	0	116.00	England	2011
Michael Clarke	Australia	58	55	4	0	105.45	Zimbabwe	2011
Chamara Silva	Sri Lanka	57	78	5	0	73.08	Pakistan	2011

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2011 World Cup Stats: Highest Average (All Teams)

Andrew strauss 158 runs against india 2011 world cup

Player	Team	Matches	Innings	Notouts	Runs	Average
Andrew Strauss	England	1	1	0	158	158
Sachin Tendulkar	India	1	1	0	120	120
Ryan ten Doeschate	Netherlands	1	1	0	119	119.00
Virat Kohli	India	2	2	1	108	108.00
Virender Sehwag	India	2	2	0	210	105.00
Misbah-ul-Haq	Pakistan	2	2	0	148	74.00
Shane Watson	Australia	2	2	0	141	70.50
Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	2	2	0	141	70.50
Younis Khan	Pakistan	2	2	0	122	61.00
Tamim Iqbal	Bangladesh	2	2	0	114	57.00
Mahela Jayawardene	Sri Lanka	2	2	0	102	51.00
AB de Villiers	South Africa	1	1	1	107	-

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Lionel Messi's carrier in FC barcelona

Messi is an unusual player. He is highly creative, and has the skills to take on defenders with ease. He is a versatile left-footed player who can play either in the middle or on either wing, or even as a centre forward. Although he is quite short, he is so fast and physically strong that he can cope with larger opponents. He is incredibly powerful, and a specialist in such dead ball situations as corners, free kicks and penalties. Leo Messi is cool-headed and able to assume several responsibilities in times of need. He is a player who is destined to have a very successful career in football. Lional Messi In barcelona 2011

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Lionel Messi's career in Argentina

Messi With maradona 2011

In June 2005 Messi starred for the Argentina U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship in The Netherlands, picking up the Golden Boot as top scorer with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. Despite his youth, Lionel was already being compared to Diego Maradona, one of the greatest football players of all time. On June 27, 2005 FC Barcelona renewed his contract until 2010, establishing a selling clause of €150 million.

On August 4, José Pekerman called him up to the senior Argentine national team. He made his debut against Hungary - coincientally the very same side that Maradona debuted against for Argentina. However, he only played for three minutes of the game, being shown a red card in his first attempt on goal.

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Footballer Lionel Messi Career

Messi Celebrating 2011

Club:	Matches:	Goals:
2005-06 FC Barcelona	8	3
2004-05 FC Barcelona B+A	24	7
2003-04 FC Barcelona C+B	13	5

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Footballer Lionel Messi Biography

Messi legend of world 2011 wallpaper

Messi With A Gold Trophy

Profile:

Full name: Luis Lionel Andrés Messi
Birth day: June 24, 1987
Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina
Nationality: Argentinian
Other nationality: Spanish
EU passport: Yes
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 67 kg
Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Forward
Debut: 17 November 2003


Lionel Andrés Messi (born June 24, 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine football (soccer) player.

Lionel Messi started playing football at a very early age in his hometown's Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as Lionel's parents were unable to pay for the treatment in Argentina, they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain.

In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messi made his first team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new Dragao stadium. The following championship-winning season, Messi made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, in Barcelona's derby win against Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium (0-1).

With several first team players seriously injured, the services of several reserve team players were called upon, and Messi became a regular feature of Barça squads. On May 1, 2005, he became the youngest player ever to score a league goal for FC Barcelona - against Albacete when Messi was only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old.

He was offered the chance to play for the Spain national football team, but declined, prefering to wait for the opportunity to play for the country of his birth. In June 2004 he got his chance, playing in a U-20 friendly match against Paraguay.
Lionel Messi wearing FC Barcelona's colorsIn June 2005 he starred for the Argentina U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship played in The Netherlands. Messi picked up the Golden Boot as top scorer with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. Despite his youth, Lionel has already drawn comparisons with Diego Maradona, arguably the best football player of all time.

On September 25, 2005 Messi obtained a Spanish citizenship and was finally able to make his debut in this season's Spanish First Division. He had previously been unable to play because FC Barcelona had filled up all of their quota of non-EU players.

Messi's first outing in the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp was on Sept 28 against Italian club Udinese. He impressed with some great passing and a seemingly telepathic relationship with Ronaldinho that earned him a standing ovation from the 70,000-odd Nou Camp faithful. On December of that year, the Italian newspaper Tuttosport awarded him the Golden Boy 2005 title for the best under-21 player in Europe, over Wayne Rooney and Lukas Podolski

In September 2005, Messi was given an improved and extended contract until 2014.

Messi winner

Messi childhood

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Messi said that My style is that of a child

Messi in action for world cup 2014

MADRID — Two-time world footballer of the year Lionel Messi said that he was still playing the game as he did when he was a child growing up in Argentina, in an interview with Spanish newpaper El Mundo on Saturday.
The 23-year-old - who surprisingly edged Barcelona team-mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta for the 2010 world player of the year award - said that he realised he was being well paid for what he did but he couldn't shake off his old childhood habits.
"I have changed nothing, my style of play is still that of a child," said Messi, who in contrast to Xavi and Iniesta had a disappointing World Cup as Argentina were well beaten by Germany in the quarter-finals.
"I know that above all it is my job and that I should approach it in another way, but one must not lose sight of the fact that football is a game.
"It is imperative one plays to amuse oneself, to be happy. That is what children do and I do the same thing."
Messi, who is equal top scorer with Cristiano Ronaldo in the Primera Liga with 24 goals this term, revealed that he does have moments of self doubt, belying his usual placid temperament he displays on the pitch.
"When I am angry, I go into my shell, I become mad," he said.
"But that happens more often at home, alone, than on the pitch."
Messi said he enjoyed playing centre forward far more than where he had been slotted in on the wing when he first started.
"I began playing in this position last season and it is the ideal spot, because virtually all of our play at Barcelona comes through the centre," he said.
Messi said that he ignored the criticism he had received for what are seen to be below-par performances for the national side and his superlative form for Barcelona.
"Yes, that (criticism) annoyed me.
"But, happily, these criticisms are behind me.
"I am now very at ease in the national side and would like to win the World Cup one day.
"As far as I'm concerned, you are never really a great footballer until you have won one."
Messi also dismissed any comparions between himself and legendary compatriot Diego Maradona, who almost singlehandedly inspired Argentina to the 1986 World Cup trophy and coached Messi and his countrymen at the 2010 World Cup.
"Argentina has been searching for a long time for a successor to Diego.
"There was Pablo Aimar and then Javier Saviola... But there is only one Diego and it is illusory to want to have another one."

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Chicharito Hernandez and His Goal for 2011

Chicharito Hernandez 2011

Chicharito entered the field in with only four minutes left of play, just after the Birmingham City scored the tying goal against Manchester United (1-1). Javier Hernandez had a discreet farewell to 2010, the year in which the world football met a charismatic guy with nickname of child, but the soul of a ruthless killer inside the penalty area.
Chicharito has fulfilled almost all his goals: He won the scoring title in Mexico, played in the World Cup, scored two goals (against France and Argentina), and was hired by one of the biggest clubs in the world, Manchester united. But one goal that eluded him this 2010 was to become a permanent starter for Man U.
Dimitar Berbatov is the man who stops him from achieving this goal. The arrival of Chicharito to the Red Devils has pushed the Bulgarian into bringing out the qualities Sir Alex Ferguson fell in love with a little more than two years ago, when he came from Tottenham Hotspur.
With Berbatov's goal against Birmingham, the Bulgarian hit 14 goals in the current Premier League season, a figure that places him at the head of the leading goal scorer race. His mark in British football is 15, in the 2007-2008 season with the Spurs. All indications are that he will shatter his previous record.
Hernandez is barely four in, although the difference in minutes played is gigantic. Berbatov adds 2,223 minutes in the current Premiership campaign, while Chicharito only has 602.
If one takes into account all the tournaments in which ManU participated in the second half of 2010 (Super English League Cup, Champions League competition and FA Cup), the Bulgarian is the red team's leading scorer with 15 goals but the Mexican ranks second, thanks his seven goals, besides being the only player in the team to have at least one in every tournament.
Berbatov has not scored in the League Cup and the Champions League.
Both stars compete to be the companion of Wayne Rooney in the forward line. The English star is set in stone for Ferguson, despite only having scored a few goals (two from the penalty spot). Michael Owen, Federico Macheda and Baby look relegated to a lower level. In the case of Owen, he has not played since Oct. 2, due to a hamstring injury.
The legendary Man U manager has expressed the confidence that has for Chicharito Hernandez, but at this point is not enough to overtake Berbatov, which Javier seek to overcome in 2011.

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FIFA World Cup 2014 - Expectations Flying High

rio stadium brazil 2014 world cup

The recently concluded 2010 FIFA world cup held in the African country South Africa has just arrived and gone, and everyone's has already got their eyes fixated on the host of the next world cup to be held in Brazil. All of the satellites are now redirected towards the South American continent where the action is going to be taking place. Every football loving person hopes and expects the Samba Brazilians to put up a better performance than the South Africans.
Owing to the very fact that, the Brazil is the home of football, the expectations are on a continuous rise. Having being the winner of the football world cup more than any of the other countries and being the one single nation to have the pride to have participated in all of the editions, the whole world does certainly expects to notice something out of the box coming in the year 2014. In addition, they have also won the Under-17 cup; they have grabbed the U-20 and they are also the winner of the CONCACAF nations' cup for a good number of times.
To your general knowledge, the ever so popular Maracana stadium is certainly going to be a football fan's dream place to watch the biggest event on earth. South Africa has already surprised the entire world by a supreme organization of the hitch-free tournament; they offered true world class amenities that includes the 8 quality stadiums, standard roads, top quality telecommunication services, pleasure of staying at the 5 star hotels, great tourist spots, sufficient security, etc hence setting up the pace which would be really a tough call for the immediate host to match.
They offered something which was totally unique in nature and maintained the African flavor all the way through and of all the beauties the Jabulani ball was at the same time problematic and reason to have fun. Now, the question arises what are we supposed to expect in Brazil? Are they going to offer us something which would turn make the Samba dance into a thing to commemorate al the way through? What sort of football are we looking forward to see there? It's pretty certain that FIFA clearly knows that the notion of the Jabulani ball did not function as expected - not a lot of goals were being scored; in spite, it led to majority of our favorite stars failing to perform at the world stage and thence not scoring goals. It has made the likes of stars like Lionel Messi, English star Wayne Rooney, Spanish great Fernando Torres, the likes of etc. not able to even score one single goal, owing to it's of its slippery nature and the property of not having directions.
It's certainly hoped that the FIFA World Cup 2014 host would be able to offer us with sufficient security to the players, the officials and last but certainly not the least the fans. They assured at South Africa that Brazilians have already started preparing for 2014 big phenomenon. Let's thence hope that we will have better stadiums, quality roads, good communication and quality accommodation. Then again, Brazil can't afford to perform the way they did it on the ground, and it's a no secret that the world expects a great deal out of her.

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Top 5 Nigerian Footballers in the English Premier League

Nigerian Footballers best

The English Premiership is the biggest sports franchise in the sporting world with global viewing audience scattered over the entire continents of the world. It presently consists of twenty teams that are expected to play 38 games each totaling 380 games from August to May each year.
The English Premiership has seen the influx of Non-British citizens especially Nigerians over the last couple of years. Their positive influence cannot be adequately emphasized considering the fact that they remain a major force in world football. Below is a profile of the top 5 Nigerian footballers plying their trade in English Premier League clubs.

• Dickson Etuhu

Dickson Etuhu is an attacking Midfielder with Fulham football club of England. An integral part of their first team, he helped the club reach the final of the Europa Cup in 2009, where they narrowly lost to Athletico Madrid of Spain.
He is also a member of the senior national team of Nigeria- the Super Eagles of Nigeria. It is interesting to note that Dickson Etuhu participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted by South Africa and had a fairly good tournament.

• Victor Anichebe

This Everton attacking maestro has always been a key member of David Moyes team until injury sustained during Nigeria's build up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup hampered his progress. He was a member of the Silver winning 2008 Olympic Football team that represented Nigeria at Beijing. Victor Anichebe has been used largely as a sub over the past three seasons, due to the presence of established stars like Luis Saha and Yakubu Aiyegbeni in the Everton front-line.

• Yakubu Aiyegbeni

Love him or hate him, Yakubu Aiyegbeni deserves some mention among the top Nigerian stars in the English Premier League. He has previously played for Portsmouth F.C and Middlesbrough. His appearance for Everton has however been restricted to the bench in the 2010/2011 season due a dip in form.
Yakubu earned the wrath of Nigerians at the last FIFA World Cup when he made the biggest miss of the tournament in Nigeria's third and final match against South Korea. Even though he later scored through a penalty in that same match, Nigerians back home have not forgiven him for a miss that would probably have seen Nigeria through to the next round of the World Cup.

• Osaze Odewengie

Osaze Odewengie set tongues wagging when he left Russian Club Lokomotiv Moscow for Premiership side-West Bromwich Albion in 2010. He became an instant revelation in the Premiership as he scored crucial goals in the win against Arsenal, Newcastle United and West Ham United. Osaze whose father is a Nigeria and mother Russian, opted to play for the Super Eagles and was selected for the 2004 African Nations Cup where he scored a brace against South Africa in one of the group matches. He also won silver with the Olympic team at the 2008 Olympic Games held in Beijing and recently played at the 2010 FIFA World Cup where Nigeria got bundled out in the First round.

• Obinna Nsofor

Obinna Nsofor is a striker with the English Premiership side- West Ham United. He is presently on loan from Italian side- Inter Milan where he has been for the past three seasons. He also played on loan for Malaga F.C of Spain.

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Top 5 Best and Most Effective Soccer (Football) Dribbling Moves

football dribbling moves

his is a how to guide for the Top 5 Best and Most Effective Soccer (Football) Dribbling Moves.Dribbling is one of the most important skills to possess as a Soccer player. However, if you can't get past defenders, dribbling will be relatively useless. If you want to become an effective dribbler, you will have to learn how to get past defenders using your creative dribbling abilities.
Here is a list of the top 5 best and most effective Soccer (Football) Dribbling Moves:
Please note, all these moves must be completed with a quick acceleration of pace after completed, otherwise the defender will have no problem catching up to you.
1) Roll Over
The roll over is a very basic Soccer dribbling move, however it is very effective. You dribble towards an opponent, once he makes a lunge at the ball you quickly "roll the ball over" with the bottom of your right or left foot, to the opposite side of your body, leaving your opponent lunging for thin air.
2) Step Over (Scissor)
The step over is probably one of the most common Soccer moves simply because it is so effective (when done properly). While dribbling towards an opponent, you "step over the ball" (make a circular motion around the ball) with your right or left foot, you then take a touch with your other foot in the opposite direction, and accelerate away from the defender.
3) Pirouette (Maradona)
Once an opponent makes a lunge at the ball, you will reach for the ball and pull it back with the bottom of your left or right boot, you will then proceed to turn your body 90 degrees and pull the back again a second time, with your opposite foot. You make want to look at videos of Zinedine Zidane or Maradona for a good demonstration of this Soccer move. During their Soccer careers they made this move their own.
4) In and Out
The In and Out is a simple Soccer move, but very effective when done with speed. As suggested you first take a small touch towards the inside of your body with the inside of your left or right boot. Once the opponent makes a lunch, you quickly take a touch away from your body with the outside of the same boot, and accelerate into open space.
5) Nut Meg (Panna)
The nutmeg although a riskier move, can be very effective in getting you out of trouble (you will also leave your opponent humiliated). When confronted by an opponent, the situation may arise where his/her legs are relatively wide. At this point you can proceed to pass the ball between the defenders legs and quickly accelerate to meet the ball on the other side.

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Injured Dwayne Bravo out of World Cup

The West Indies bid to win the World Cup 2011 has just suffered a major blow with all-rounder Dwayne Bravo being ruled out of the World Cup due to a knee injury. Bravo had injured his left knee during his team's seven-wicket loss to South Africa on Thursday, a leading newspaper reports.

Bravo injured in icc world cup 2011

The 27-year-old is expected to be out of cricket action for a minimum of four weeks, and will return to the Caribbean for further orthopaedic assessments and to commence rehabilitation. West Indies coach Ottis Gibson said that a replacement would be named after International Cricket Council (ICC) approval"This is a blow for us. Dwayne is our vice-captain and one of the key members of our team. He has been showing good form with the bat, and batted well against South Africa on Thursday," Gibson said.

"He is also a live-wire in the field and a reliable bowler. We wish him a speedy recovery, and hope he gets back on the field soon," he added.

West Indies had earlier lost wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh and batsman Adrian Barath to hamstring injuries. The side plays the Netherlands on Monday in the second World Cup match for both sides.

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ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - Top 10 Bowlers

Player	Mat	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BBI	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5
MG Johnson (Aus)	2	18.3	5	52	8	4/19	6.50	2.81	13.8	2	0
HK Bennett (NZ)	2	12.0	0	79	6	4/16	13.16	6.58	12.0	1	0
Shahid Afridi (Pak)	1	8.0	3	16	5	5/16	3.20	2.00	9.6	0	1
SW Tait (Aus)	2	16.0	1	69	5	3/35	13.80	4.31	19.2	0	0
Shafiul Islam (Ban)	2	15.0	1	90	5	4/21	18.00	6.00	18.0	1	0
Imran Tahir (SA)	1	10.0	1	41	4	4/41	10.25	4.10	15.0	1	0
MM Patel (India)	1	10.0	0	48	4	4/48	12.00	4.80	15.0	1	0
TG Southee (NZ)	2	16.0	2	58	4	3/13	14.50	3.62	24.0	0	0
JDP Oram (NZ)	1	2.5	1	2	3	3/2	0.66	0.70	5.6	0	0
KMDN Kulasekara (SL)	1	6.0	2	16	3	3/16	5.33	2.66	12.0	0	0

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Sachin Tendulkar bats left-handed

Sachin Tendulkar world cup 2011

Indian batting genius Sachin Tendulkar got a little adventurous during a training session on Wednesday. He decided to shirk his right-handed batting status and switched to left. He faced about a dozen balls from local bowlers and his team-mates, biffing a couple of big hits as well from his disadvantged stance.

Perhaps the move was a tribute to his former rival and West Indies batting great Brian Lara. But Tendulkar, who is known to be ambidextrous (as he signs autographs with his left hand sometimes) would not have found batting left-handed all that uncomfortable.

But the real shocker was that he played his shots without any gloves on! The devout fan would cringe at the risk the Little Master put his knuckles through in batting without the proper gear.

For the second consecutive day, Virender Sehwag didn't join the team for practice while Bhajji also sat out the day. Meanwhile, pacers Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra had light training session at the NCA gymnasium to strengthen their backs. Like Tuesday, Kirsten spent more time with the youngsters such as Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan.

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ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - Top 10 Batsmen

Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	0	4s	6s
V Sehwag (India)	1	1	0	175	175	175.00	140	125.00	1	0	0	14	5
SR Watson (Aus)	2	2	0	141	79	70.50	153	92.15	0	2	0	14	2
RN ten Doeschate (Neth)	1	1	0	119	119	119.00	110	108.18	1	0	0	9	3
Tamim Iqbal (Ban)	2	2	0	114	70	57.00	129	88.37	0	1	0	10	1
AB de Villiers (SA)	1	1	1	107	107*	-	105	101.90	1	0	0	8	2
DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	1	1	0	100	100	100.00	81	123.45	1	0	0	9	1
V Kohli (India)	1	1	1	100	100*	-	83	120.48	1	0	0	8	2
KC Sangakkara (SL)	1	1	0	92	92	92.00	87	105.74	0	1	0	7	1
AJ Strauss (Eng)	1	1	0	88	88	88.00	83	106.02	0	1	0	9	0
BJ Haddin (Aus)	2	2	0	84	55	42.00	116	72.41	0	1	0	11	0

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Who Will Win the Cricket World Cup 2011

Icc world cup 2011 teams

The team that would play their best cricket in the last three games starting from the quarter finals will win the World Cup 2011. The group of teams that would proceed to the knockout stage of the megapiece event is almost predictable. The test playing nation with the exception of Bangladesh are likely to move forward to the second stage of the tournament. There could a few hiccups here and there. Out of these eight teams, four of them are stronger than the other four, and out of these four, whoever will play their best cricket during the knockout stage of the World Cup will win the tournament.
India, Pakistan, Australia, and South Africa are the strongest teams in the tournament and are most likely to make it to the Final four with a scope for an upset or two. Apart from the strength of the teams, decisions at the toss will also play crucial role.
India is the top contender to win the World Cup because of heavyweight batting line up and vast spin bowling resources. Spin bowling is likely to play crucial role in this World Cup. Fast bowling will be ineffective on the subcontinent pitches unless the batsmen make mistakes. India has an edge over other teams because of many part time spinners in their ranks. They have a good spinner in Harbhajan and more potent part time spinners in Sehwag, Yusuf, Yuvraj, and Sachin. Raina can also bowl if he gets to play. India will have to bowl their fast bowlers in small spells. They must use all their spinners to bowl most of the overs. Sehwag will be the most effective of all the spin bowlers. Playing in familiar subcontinental conditions and Indian conditions will favor India great deal. They will be boosted by the crows support as well. But that could be a double sword edge. The crowd expectation could lead to extra pressure on the Indian batsmen. Playing before the home crowd could bring additional and undue pressure on the Indian team, but otherwise India is hot favorite to win the World Cup.
Pakistan is another hot favorite to win the World Cup. They have a mix of fighters and aggressors in their batting line up. Yunis Khan and Misbah can play the role of the anchor to perfection. The likes of Ahmad Shahzad, Kamran Akram, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, and Abdul Razzak can win the match singlehandedly with their aggressive batting. What is more they have capable hitters down the order in Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, and Umar Gul. They have good spin bowling attack with Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, and Mohammad Hafeez. Abdul Razzak can be decisive with his medium pacers. The only thing that bothers me about Pakistan is effectiveness of Shoib Akhtar for Pakistan. I wonder if he will be an asset for Pakistan or liability. I do not think Shoib Akhtar will run through the batting line ups on subcontinent wickets and if he is wayward, he will go for a lot of runs. I think Pakistan would be better off Shoib Akhtar. Remember Shoib Akhtar bowling wayward and being hit for sixes in 2003 World Cup against India, which gave momentum to the Indian innings. One advantage Pakistan has over India is that they are playing in familiar Indian and subcontinent condition without playing in front of their home crowd. That is they have the advantage of playing friendly home condition without the expectations of the home crowd.
This Australian team is fully capable of winning the fourth straight title for Australia. One would do well to remember that half-strength Australian defeated India comprehensively in a one day series a couple of seasons back. The major concern for the Australian team would be the form of Ricky Ponting. Ricky Ponting is likely going to be a liability for Australia and so may be Tendulkar for India and Shoib Akhtar for Pakistan. The key player for Australia would be Shane Watson. Shane Watson can play the central role in Australia's campaign for the World Cup title. Ferguson seems to be a good prospect in the middle order. They do not have a World class spinner. Michael clarke could be used as part-time spinners, but can he do something like Indian part-timers like Sehwag and Yuvraj or Pakistan part-timers like Mohammad Hafeez remains to be seen.
South Africa is another well balanced team with dependable batting line up, which has a mix of aggressors and anchors. If Amla can display his form from the last year and some of the South African batsmen come good South Africa will not be too far from clinching their first World Cup title. Smith and Amla can provide a great start at the top. Amla can bat through the innings and Kallis can play the role of anchor to perfection. AB De Villiers and Duminy are among the best batsmen in the middle order. Duminy could a great finisher for South Africa. South Africa also have a good spinner in Botha and surprise package in Imran Tahir.
These four teams, India, Pakistan, Australia, and South Africa are likely to make it to the Semi-Finals. There could be an exception. But only one of these four teams from India, Pakistan, Australia, and South Africa are capable of winning all the three matches in a row starting from the quarter final to the final. Hence the favorites teams to lift the World Cup in 2011 are as follows.
1. India or Pakistan
2. South Africa
3. Australia

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