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The cricket world is shifting gears to begin one of the more exciting
tournaments, the Cricket World Cup event that is due to take part next
year.
Asia won the bid to host the tournament on its continent after a lengthy
process in 2006.
However, in 2009, the ICC ruled that Pakistan would be stripped of its rights
as co-host due to ongoing security concerns, especially after terrorist attacks
that took place in Lahore during the Sri Lanka tour in 2009.
The games have thus been rescheduled as follows:
- India will host 29 Cricket World Cup matches in eight different venues.
These include the final match and one semi final match. The final will take
place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
- Sri Lanka will host 12 different matches in three venues, including one
semi final.
- Bangladesh will host eight matches at two venues. In addition, the
opening ceremony on February 18 will take place in Bangladesh.
The semi finals will take place at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri
Lanka and the PCA Stadium in Mohali, India.
India is scheduled to play Bangladesh in the opening match on February 19th,
while world champion, Australia will take on Zimbabwe on February 21.
All in all, there will be 49 matches crammed into a 43 day cricket
extravaganza, and betting markets are gearing to accommodate the millions of
cricket fans hoping to win big by backing their favorite teams.
The two groups comprised of participating teams are as follows:
Group A: Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada, Kenya
Group B: Bangladesh, India, England, Ireland, South Africa, West Indies,
Netherlands
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