Opening ceremony: World Cup opener set to dazzle

[Kinetic]

World Cup opener set to dazzle



The opening ceremony for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 promises to be a cracker and set the tone for the rest of the tournament.

By Rajarshi Gupta in Dhaka

Dhaka is braced for a sizzling opening ceremony tonight as the frenzy revolving around the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 reaches fever pitch.

The magnificent Bangabandhu Stadium gala in the Bangladesh capital will host - amongst others - Bryan Adams, leading Bollywood singer, Sonu Nigam and the Indian trinity of Shanka, Ehsaan and Loy. Glitz and glamour galore on what promises to be a night to remember.

Not that we should be surprised. ICC opening nights are usually a treat to savour and if the buzz in Dhaka is anything to go by, the 2011 edition will surpass all expectations.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE OPENING CEREMONY FROM 1730 IST

The ICC CWC 2011 anthem, 'De Ghuma Key', has already earned rave reviews from fans, and the Bangabandhu will be a sight to behold once Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy start performing the rather peppy number.

Adams, who is one of the planet's most acclaimed rock stars, will also liven up a night that promises to kick off the ICC CWC on an enthralling note. Indeed, South Africa skipper Graeme Smith has already tweeted that he is looking forward to seeing the legend in action.

Some riveting warm-up games, especially the ones featuring India, have set the tone for the latest edition of cricket's premier event. Spread across three countries, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the tournament is being seen as a litmus test for the ODI format. Going by the large number of fans who thronged the grounds for India's practice games, the mega-event looks poised to be a major success.

The focus will obviously be on some traditional rivalries and as the festivities unfurl tonight, the 14 captains, who will be present for the opening ceremony, will be eagerly looking forward to February 19, when the first match between India and Bangladesh kick starts the ICC CWC.

India and Sri Lanka are being touted as the pre-tournament favourites while Australia and South Africa enter the competition after some dominating one-day performances.

With the tournament returning to the sub-continent after 15 years, the excitement is palpable. Back in 1996, when Sri Lanka stunned the world to take the title, a new cricketing legacy was born - India were still overtly reliant on Sachin Tendulkar while Mark Taylor dictated terms for the Aussies. Pakistan were of course blessed with a fierce bowling attack and England were considered a dangerous side, always capable of upsetting a few big names. In 2011, the world order has changed and India command as much respect as Australia once did while England are fair title contenders.

The format has also gone back to the trusted knock-out stages, with quarter-finals heralding a do or die process of elimination. India skipper MS Dhoni welcomed the change and in a query from ESPNSTAR.com had claimed he was relieved to get rid of the Super Six stage: "Even if you have one or two bad games, the side still has a chance of making it to the knock-out stages and it could be anybody's game from there."

The opening ceremony of the ICC CWC 2007 set the standards for all subsequent ICC events and Dhaka is now looking to take a leaf out of the Windies' book when over 2000 dancers and performers represented all strands of West Indian music, from calypso and ragga to reggae and soca.

The opening night in Bangladesh will of course have a different flavour, but it will be one that stays with fans and players alike for years to come.

 

[Kinetic]

Dhaka ready for ICC World Cup opening ceremony

An amalgamation of some of the well-known singers from Asia and outside, along with depiction of the rich and varied culture of co-hosts India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will be the highlights of the grand opening World Cup ceremony here on Thursday.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, who have composed the official song for the World Cup, and Sonu Nigam will represent India while Runa Laila of the Dama dam mast kalandar fame and Mila, a local pop icon, will be the prominent Bangladeshis on display. Legendary Canadian singer Bryan Adams will add variety to what promises to be a spectacular show.

The fireworks and laser show will be yet another attraction, but the competing teams will be conspicuous by their absence at the 10th edition of the tournament and the third in south Asia.

Also, the culture of Pakistan, which was scratched as a co-host by the International Cricket Council (ICC) due to security reasons following the attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore in March 2008, will not be seen at the over two-hour ceremony at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Bangladesh Cricket Board CEO Manzur Ahmed also said that Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina will declare open the 45-day, 14-nation tournament, though the presence of Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman is doubtful.

"The full teams will not be there at the opening. Only the captains and the managers will be present. That is how (Indian company) Wizcraft has designed the ceremony," Ahmed told MAIL TODAY.

One major reason for the teams' absence could have been a big logistical problem in transporting teams from various parts of the three south Asian countries. But when India and Pakistan cohosted the World Cup in 1987, all competing teams lined up at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

In fact, at almost all World Cups, the teams have got together before the first match. Wizcraft, in association with Bangladesh's Asiatic Events, an advertisement firm, has designed the ceremony, but they are keeping the contents close to their chests. But sources said that Nigam, Laila and Mila will sing along with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

Ahmed gave a peep into what would be an evening of razzmatazz. "In the three segments, we will highlight the cultural heritage of the three cohosts.

And apart from that, there will be the other formalities associated with this kind of event, like speeches, some songs, fireworks, and a lot of digital display - it's a kind of laser show. It will all be high-tech. Bryan Adams is also going to sing," Ahmed said.

"There are special preparations they (Wizcraft) have been doing for one month and they have been rehearsing it here for the last one week. In the Bangabandhu Stadium, they have been doing the infrastructure and other preparations at another venue. Some of the rehearsals are being done at the army stadiums for the last one month," said the former wicketkeeper- batsman who represented Bangladesh in the 1980s.

"We will have a little more time for Bangladesh segment - 20 minutes, plus or minus - but the others segments will get about 15 minutes, plus or minus," he said.

Dhaka ready for ICC World Cup opening ceremony : Run-up to World Cup: India Today

 

[IndianArmy]

 

[twoplustwoisfour]

Why are they conducting the opening ceremony today? Usually, opening ceremonies tend to take place either just before the first match, or the night before that. Why 2 days in advance?

 

[Kinetic]

Rickshaw ride for captains in World Cup opening ceremony
Sumit Mukherjee, TNN, Feb 16, 2011, 10.06pm IST

DHAKA: Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni may find it difficult to recollect when he had last taken a rickshaw ride, but he is scheduled to take one on Thursday when captains of all the 14 participating countries are taken around the new-look Bangabandhu Stadium on tri-cycles during a glitzy opening ceremony of the 2011 World Cup.

In a nation where rickshaws continue to be the most popular mode of conveyance, it is Bangladesh's way of fusing tradition with modernity. The Pontings and Sangakkaras may find Thursday's rickshaw ride amusing but, for the 14 rickshawalas handpicked to ferry the cricketing luminaries --- it could well be a life-changing experience. As television cameras capture the moment and telecast the images to a worldwide audience, they will not only get their two minutes of fame but also become part of World Cup history, leaving the rest of their ilk to envy these chosen 14.

The much-hyped rickshaw ride is not the only thing that will be on view during the two-hour-long opening ceremony whose tickets have long been sold out. A few thousand fans who braved long queues and to buy tickets can consider themselves lucky because it offers them two shows for the price of one. The gates of the stadium will open at 2.30pm (3pm IST) and fans will be treated to a pre-show (from 4 to 6pm) before the big show gets under way with the welcome song --- O prithibi, tumi aaj chine nao (O world, it's time to know us) --- sung by local artistes.

The high point of the function is expected in the segment where Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams takes over from top singers from the three host nations --- Bangladesh, Indian and Sri Lanka --- following the formal opening of the tournament by prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has spared no effort in branding the country's image with the ICC's quadrennial showpiece event.

Three of Bangladesh's top lady singers --- Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin and Mumtaz will kick off this segment by belting out some of their chart-bursting numbers, while the mellifluous voice of Sonu Nigam will tug at our heart strings even as the 14 skippers enjoy a rickshaw ride. And there will the trio of Shankar, Ehsan and Loy to sing the theme song De Ghuma Ke (whack it will all your might) in Hindi, Bengali and English to set the tone of the competition which involves a staggering 49 matches spread over six weeks. There will also be a band from Sri Lanka to entertain the fans before Adams gives it to us straight from the heart in what promises to be a one night love affair.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which was keen to rope in Shakira for the opening ceremony, opted for Adams after the representatives of the Colombian singer reportedly asked for a cool $2 million appearance fee!

An aerial cricket show, touted to be first of its kind, promises to wow the spectators. The last time the World Cup was staged in the sub-continent in 1996, the opening ceremony at the Eden Gardens had been an unmitigated disaster. First-time co-hosts, Bangladesh, are taking every precaution to prevent any glitches. Having spruced up the nation's capital for the World Cup, the Hasina government is ready to showcase Bangladesh in a new light even as Dhaka doubles up as the capital of the cricket world for the next few days.

Rickshaw ride for captains in World Cup opening ceremony - The Times of India

 

[IndianArmy]

Why are they conducting the opening ceremony today? Usually, opening ceremonies tend to take place either just before the first match, or the night before that. Why 2 days in advance?

5pm IST ,.,,,

 

[Kinetic]

Why are they conducting the opening ceremony today? Usually, opening ceremonies tend to take place either just before the first match, or the night before that. Why 2 days in advance?

May be because the stadium should be ready for the match, though I think first India-BD match will not be held there. Or may be because they are keeping one day in hand as India-BD match starts in the afternoon of 19th.

 

[Kinetic]

Few pics...

 

[Kinetic]

Shankar Mahadevan, Sonu Nigam, Bryan Adams gonna perform....

 

[EastWest]

World Cup special: Capital gains for them all

With just two days left for World Cup action to begin, the spinoffs industry is on overdrive. Preparations started months in advance and as the clock ticks to D-Day, there's frenzy across sections of society and industry that feed off and feed into the hype. The World Cup in India is a multi-million dollar enterprise. And as the on-field battles begin, there will be many other battles taking place outside the playing arena. Boria Majumdar takes a look at what is happening around the World Cup at home and across the South Asian diaspora.

RACE FOR TRPs

The World Cup is a high TRP news event for which leading news channels have been preparing for months. For them, it is India's biggest news event of February-March 2011. Most channels have assembled their own teams for the cup, each packed with reputed cricketers and presenters who will be expected to keep viewers engaged for the 44 days of the tournament. With each channel putting together four dedicated shows during the extravaganza, this is a battle that will be fought with considerable intensity and verve. Strategies are of paramount importance. How to stand out from the others, what more to give to viewer and how to ensure that the channel gets extra eyeballs - these are questions being debated ad nauseam at channel edit meetings. Making the most of the situation are cricketers of varying stock from around the world. They are being paid between $800-1500 a day for their services and stand to earn Rs 20-25 lakh during the course of the tournament.

CUP VERSUS IPL


Over the last couple of weeks, multiple new advertisements have made their way to our drawing rooms and a series of new hoardings are ready to greet us on the roads. Every corporate in India, big or small, is looking to harness the World Cup and the IPL - back-to-back spectacles that will occupy centrestage till May 28, 2011. Perhaps the only debate among advertisers is which among the two is a safer investment option. With the unsavoury experience of World Cup 2007 continuing to haunt them, some corporates have opted to bet on the IPL. The argument is simple. In the IPL, all teams are Indian. So, unlike the World Cup, there's no danger of India crashing out early in the tournament, leaving advertisers in the lurch. Others have tended to disagree. With the World Cup format tailored to ensure India is a sure entrant into the quarter finals, many regard World Cup 2007 to be an aberration. For them, an assured Indian presence till at least the quarter-final stage - that is, till March 24 - is enough to make the World Cup an economic success. The winner in this battle between international and domestic cricket will only be decided once the IPL ends on May 28. But it surely time for the umpires to call play.

TAPPING THE DIASPORA


While the World Cup fever is peaking at home, the vibrant South Asian diaspora worldwide isn't immune to it either. Most prominent among them are the South Asian communities in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. In New York and Chicago, for example, World Cup viewing packages are a rage. Paying a couple of hundred dollars to watch the entire cup isn't a big deal and communal cup viewing in areas of South Asian concentration will soon become a reality in the American east coast. Canada isn't holding back either. Restaurants on Gerrard Street in Toronto are promoting World Cup fares and almost all of them have special cup rates and menus to attract clients for the next month-and-a-half. In Australia, almost all ethnic Indian newspapers have brought out World Cup special issues. With desi advertisers backing them up with advertisements, these issues, distributed at Indian spice stores, are doing their bit to promote the cup fever. In the UK too such activities have gathered pace over the past month. Many student hostels have subscribed to World Cup packages and in almost all of them an extra television set has been installed to avoid clashes with dedicated EPL viewers.

GREAT PITCH FOR TOURISM


Unlike the Commonwealth Games where negative publicity resulted in a dwindling of tourist interest in the event, the World Cup is the flavour of the season among Indian tour operators around the world. Many in America's Silicon Valley have created dedicated match packages - comprising twothree high-profile India matches -- for Indian software professionals working in the area. Travel agents in Australia and UK are busy fine tuning the tours they have put together for clients and for many last-minute shift in venues have caused serious problems. For example, bookings for over a 100 rooms at the Oberoi hotel in Kolkata has just been cancelled, a fallout of India-England match being shifted from Kolkata to Bengaluru. Some travel operators are still encouraging their clients to travel to Kolkata and are in turn booking them on a domestic flight from Kolkata to Bengaluru. The argument being given is that you get to see an extra Indian city at little extra cost. It's estimated that at least 15,000 international tourists will travel to India during the World Cup, giving cricket tourism a much needed boost.

RADIO GOES GAGA


With the tele-visual and the print medium doing all it can to appropriate the world cup, radio too isn't being left behind. Leading radio stations like Mirchi are launching innovative world cup contests for the best cricket jockey, a contest that has resulted in unprecedented interest among cricket fans. Prospective jocks are being encouraged to send in clips of their commentary and shortlists are being drawn up by experts with the winning jock getting to host world cup shows right through the world cup. While generating employment and unearthing new talent on the one hand, these initiatives also demonstrate the incredible currency of cricket across the country. It is, well and truly, India's single biggest national unifier.

THE HEAT IS ONLINE


As millions get ready to follow the cup online, the digital space has witnessed feverish activity over the past couple of weeks. World Cup communities are already raising the pitch on Facebook and Twitter, and dedicated cup sites have come up almost overnight. The most important challenge for all these sites is to provide real-time information, ensuring that traffic to these sites remains high.

A website that is one of ICC's official sponsors is likely to have an initial advantage. ICC's lawyers are already engaged in trying to ensure that World Cup piracy is minimized. With a huge number of pirated sites broadcasting cup action live it is a challenge that cricket's apex body faces to ensure its sponsors aren't cheated of potential revenue. These sites often disappear without a trace if they are tracked down, resulting in legal action against them an almost impossible task. In general, however, there's enough interest in the cup for other websites, especially news portals, to ensure that a steady stream of traffic keeps coming their way.

APPETIZING FARE


As the tournament gets ready to move across the subcontinent, foodies can also prepare for their very special World Cup moments to savour. From pubs and restaurants in India to eateries across the border in Dhaka and Colombo, the cricket fever has encouraged chefs to include a special World Cup fare in the menus. In Dhaka, several food joints have named new dishes after stars like Shakib and Tamim, as well as the entire team. The opening India-Bangladesh match is perhaps Dhaka's biggest social event so far in 2011. Managing a ticket to the game makes you an instant celebrity. With millions catching the action on television, it is likely they will throng the restaurants and watch the match on communal giant screens, as they pray for another upset from the home team. Bangladeshis are being urged to wear the team's World Cup cap as a way of getting behind their boys who are clearly the underdogs in the encounter. The match is the perfect holiday for the cricket-crazy nation. Eat, relax and watch is the mantra that Bangladeshis are gradually taking to in the run-up to the big day.

NEIGHBOURHOOD CUPS


In the Sunday before the World Cup, the number of para (neighbourhood) cricket tournaments in Kolkata alone was no less than 25. Each locality in the city is looking to unearth its own cricketing hero as the cup action takes over, despite Eden Gardens losing its marquee encounter. Tournaments start at 7.30am in the morning and are played through the day with the final on most occasions being a night affair. Usually, 12 to 16 teams make up the draw and entry fees of Rs 1,000 is the average. Eight-a-side games with 8-10 overs per side contests last for an hour each with no less than a thousand or more people gathering to watch the local heroes in action. The winners are instant celebrities and with corporates encouraging these initiatives, the prizes on offer are often spectacular. Schools and colleges too are not falling behind and many have seen the organization of inter /intra school/college tournaments over the last couple of weeks. These tournaments will continue all through March and have been planned in a way so that they do not clash with key World Cup games in the preliminary stage of the competition. Jockeys are hired for a running commentary and innovative scoring patterns and rules put a premium on cricketing skill in these tournaments.

SCORING ON PRINT RUNS


As with every major event, the World Cup too has brought in its wake a series of cup-specific books. From Sach written by senior journalist Gautam Bhattacharyya and launched amidst much fanfare by the Indian skipper in Bangalore, to Suvam Pal's 501 Things About Sachin Tendulkar That You Didn't Know, published by Harper Collins - Tendulkar is clearly the flavour of the season as far as publishers are concerned. Pal's book is brimming with trivia. From the name of the umpire who did duty when Sachin and Kambli scored their unbeaten 664-run partnership to how many times Sachin and Saurav were together when Sachin reached one of his career milestones, it is a dictionary on the maestro that the publisher hopes will be lapped up by Sachin fans during the cup fever. A lot of of books in Indian languages have also been timed to cash in on the frenzy and every magazine has joined the World Cup bandwagon with their own special issues. That's more reading material around than even the most passionate enthusiast can handle.

 

[twoplustwoisfour]

May be because the stadium should be ready for the match, though I think first India-BD match will not be held there. Or may be because they are keeping one day in hand as India-BD match starts in the afternoon of 19th.

I don't know how many people will watch the opening ceremony on a thursday evening. Anyways, lets hope they can match the CWG opening ceremony

 

[Kinetic]

I don't know how many people will watch the opening ceremony on a thursday evening. Anyways, lets hope they can match the CWG opening ceremony

We cannot compare cricket world cup with CWG. It will be much smaller but I am sure it will be excellent.

they

India, SL and BD jointly hosting the ceremony, so there is no 'they'.

 

[twoplustwoisfour]

India, SL and BD jointly hosting the ceremony, so there is no 'they'.

By 'they', I mean the organizers.

 

[BlackenTheSky]

Please any link for live streaming ceremony..as fast as possible...

 

[Mani2020]

Is this a sports opening ceremony or some kind of political opening ceremony . they are showing how bangla language came into being and how it became the official language .the speeches and rallies ,the political fights and lot other political stuff ,what they want to prove here

Better to make players feel relax rather then showing them all the rallies stuff and sweating them .uhhhhh