Finally a Victory

Finally West Indies registered its first victory in Super Eight stage of Cricket World Cup 2007 against Bangladesh. Bangladesh failed to negotiate the pace and bounce of the West Indies bowlers and crashed to a 99-run defeat in their final World Cup Super Eights match at the Kensington Oval on Thursday.

The Bangladesh bowlers did well to restrict the hosts to 230 for five in the allotted 50 overs, but floundered from the very beginning in the chase and were bowled out for 131 in 43.5 overs.

Powell claimed three wickets for 38 runs while the ever dependable Collymore accounted for two batsmen.

Now West Indies will face Enland in their final match of Super Eight stage on saturday. This is also a last international match of Brian Lara who is taking retirement after this match.

Farewell to Brian Lara

West Indies captain Brian Lara announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday ending a record-breaking career as a batsman.

Lara, said his last match for West Indies would be Saturday's World Cup match against England at the Kingston Oval.

"I've given this extensive consideration and on Saturday I will be bidding farewell to international cricket as a player," Lara told a news conference after West Indies beat Bangladesh by 99 runs in a Super Eights match on Thursday.

The 37-year-old Trinidadian holds the record for the highest Test score (400 not out) and in the first-class game (501 not out). He amassed highest career run total of 11,953 runs in 131 Tests and 10,387 runs in 298 One-Day Internationals .

Lara is the only man to have broken the record for the highest Test score, lost it and then regained it. His career would have spanned 17 years and produced some of the finest moments in the history of cricket.

Among the records that Lara holds is the one for most Test runs in an over. He made 28 off one Robin Peterson over in South Africa in 2003. He also has the third highest - 26 off one Kaneria over in that final double century of his in Pakistan. With that final double century in Pakistan, Lara joined the exclusive club of 6 men who have scored a century before lunch in a Test match.

He is the West Indies' most capped player in ODIs (299 after his final match) and second in Tests (131, Courtney Walsh played in 132). He holds virtually all the important West Indies batting records.

Before making his surprise announcement Lara had been asked to reflect on how he would like to be remembered as a player.

"I just want to be remembered as someone who went out there and tried to entertain -- it is a sport where people pay to come through the turnstiles and watch you and it is most important that someone can leave and say they have enjoyed watching Brian Lara play and enjoyed watching West Indies play.

"Another thing I am really proud of myself for is that I have been knocked down so many times as a player, as a person, and it is that strength, that I suppose comes from my parents, to be able to pick myself up each time and go out there in the face of adversity.

"That is something that I didn't read in a book or wake up in the morning with, it is deep down and it is a part of my family trait."

Our best wishes are with Brian Lara for all his future endeavor.

Four Matches are Left

Super Eight stage of Cricket World Cup 2007 is nearing to over. Four matches are left which includes a most awaited big clash between Australia and New Zealand. Both the teams are already qualified for semifinals. Other two probables are Srilanka and South Africa. So its fight for positions in Super Eight Stage only. It will be a big clash where three teams would like to meet Australia only in finals rather then semifinals.

Super Eight Matches Schedule

Here is the schedule of 24 matches in Super Eight stage of Cricket World Cup 2007.

March 27: West Indies vs Australia (Australia won)
March 28: South Africa vs Sri Lanka (South Africa won)
March 29: West Indies vs New Zealand (New Zealand won)
March 30: Ireland vs England
March 31: Australia vs Bangladesh
April 01: West Indies vs Sri Lanka
April 02: Bangladesh vs New Zealand
April 03: Ireland vs South Africa
April 04: England vs Sri Lanka
April 07: Bangladesh vs South Africa
April 08: Australia vs England
April 09: Ireland vs New Zealand
April 10: West Indies vs S Africa
April 11: England vs Bangladesh
April 12: Sri Lanka vs New Zealand
April 13: Australia vs Ireland
April 14: S Africa vs New Zealand
April 15: Bangladesh vs Ireland
April 16: Australia vs Sri Lanka
April 17: South Africa vs England
April 18: Ireland vs Sri Lanka
April 19: West Indies vs Bangladesh
April 20: Australia vs New Zealand
April 21: West Indies vs England

Super Eight's are Here

First round of Cricket World Cup 2007 is over with the final match of first round between Bangladesh and Bermuda from group B. Where Bangladesh defeated Bermuda with 7 wickets and secured a space for itself in second round.

Australia and South Africa are qualified from group A with Australia taking lead by 6 points after defeating South Africa in an interesting match which also features record of fastest century in Cricket World Cup by Mathew Hayden in 66 balls.

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are qualified from group B where Sri Lanka is leading the group tally by 6 points.

New Zealand and England are qualified from group C where New Zealand is leading the group by winning all three matches and securing 6 points.

In group D West Indies secured its place in Super Eight rounds with 6 points while Ireland also qualified for the next stage from this group.

Super Eight round will start with West Indies's match against Australia on 27th Mar 2007 at Antigua & Barbuda and also end with West Indies's match against England on 21st April 2007 at Barbados. Also Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies are already having two points each in their account as they beated South Africa, Bangladesh, England and Ireland in their first round of matches respectively.

Super Eight round will be filled with clashes between six titans and two minnows who can upset the points calculation in this stage in a same way as it happenes in first round for India and Pakistan.

All the Best to All the Teams in Super Eight Stage.