India begin 2015 WC defence with Pakistan clash

MELBOURNE: Co-hosts of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Australia and New Zealand, have been drawn in the same group for the tournament, while title-holders India will face off against long-time rival Pakistan in Adelaide on February 15, officials said Tuesday. The first match of the prestigious one-day tournament will be held in Christchurch, the New Zealand city devastated by an earthquake in 2011, when the locals take on Sri Lanka on February 14. The day-night final match will be at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 29. Australia and New Zealand are grouped with England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and two qualifiers. Title-holders India are pooled with Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland and one other qualifying team. The top four sides from each pool will go through to the knockout stage. Forty-nine matches will be played in 14 venues across the two host nations, with Australia staging 26 games at grounds in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. New Zealand will host 23 games in seven cities, including Christchurch where international cricket is set to return for the first time since the 6.3-magnitude quake which killed 185 people in 2011. Other New Zealand cities to host games are Auckland, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington. Looking ahead to the tournament, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said: “It only seems like yesterday that we won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in front of a passionate and supportive home crowd. “World Cup is a very special event for every cricketer because it only takes place every four years. Having tasted success in Mumbai in 2011, we’ll be working very hard to retain it. “I’m keenly looking forward to the tournament and confident that we’ll do well. Our recent victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 has provided the team with a lot of confidence, and I am sure this experience will help us in our preparations for the World Cup in 2015.” New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said he was encouraged by the draw. “We've had recent success over both Sri Lanka and England in one-dayers, so to face them and a qualifying team in the first three matches is certainly an encouraging draw for us,” he said. ICC President Alan Isaac, who attended the event launch in Wellington, said: “I’m delighted to be part of this historic occasion as today we officially start the countdown to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, an event that, over the past 40 years, has become a truly global event. “ICC events have established a unique place in the cricket calendar, and, as we’ve seen at our most recent events in Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom, players, sponsors, media, fans and supporters from all around the world want to be part of the spectacle. “Sport is synonymous with life in Australia and New Zealand, and both countries boast some of the best facilities in the world. With the World Cup returning to these shores for the first time since 1992, I am sure it will be an event to remember.” Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who launched the tournament in Melbourne, said the contest would likely be watched by a global television audience of one billion. “When it comes to 2015, I don't think you're going to be able to keep anyone away,” Rudd said. “This is going to be a great, great world series.” Pool A England, Australia (co-host), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand (co-host), Qualifier 2 (TBD), Qualifier 3 (TBD) Pool B South Africa, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Qualifier 1 (Ireland), Qualifier 4 (TBD) Fixtures for the cricket World Cup that will be jointly held by Australia and New Zealand from Feb. 14-March 29, 2015: Feb 14 Sri Lanka v New Zealand, Christchurch England v Australia, Melbourne Feb 15 South Africa v Zimbabwe, Hamilton India v Pakistan, Adelaide Feb 16 West Indies v Ireland, Nelson Feb 17 New Zealand v Qualifier 3, Dunedin Feb 18 Bangladesh v Qualifier 2, Canberra Feb 19 Zimbabwe v Qualifier 4, Nelson Feb 20 England v New Zealand, Wellington Feb 21 Pakistan v West Indies, Christchurch Australia v Bangladesh, Brisbane Feb 22 Sri Lanka v Qualifier 2, Dunedin South Africa v India, Melbourne Feb 23 England v Qualifier 3, Christchurch Feb 24 West Indies v Zimbabwe, Canberra Feb 25 Ireland v Qualifier 4, Brisbane Feb 26 Qualifier 2 v Qualifier 3, Dunedin Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, Melbourne Feb 27 South Africa v West Indies, Sydney Feb 28 Australia v New Zealand, Auckland India v Qualifier 4, Perth March 1 England v Sri Lanka, Wellington Pakistan v Zimbabwe, Brisbane March 3 South Africa v Ireland, Canberra March 4 Pakistan v Qualifier 4, Napier Australia v Qualifier 2, Perth March 5 Bangladesh v Qualifier 3, Nelson March 6 India v West Indies, Perth March 7 South Africa v Pakistan, Auckland Zimbabwe v Ireland, Hobart March 8 New Zealand v Qualifier 2, Napier Australia v Sri Lanka, Sydney March 9 England v Bangladesh, Adelaide March 10 India v Ireland, Hamilton March 11 Sri Lanka v Qualifer 3, Hobart March 12 South Africa v Qualifier 4, Wellington March 13 Bangladesh v New Zealand, Hamilton England v Qualifier 2, Sydney March 14 India v Zimbabwe, Auckland Australia v Qualifier 3, Hobart March 15 West Indies v Qualifier 4, Napier Pakistan v Ireland, Adelaide March 18 Quarter-final 1, Sydney March 19 Quarter-final 2, Melbourne March 20 Quarter-final 3, Adelaide March 21 Quarter-final 4, Wellington March 24 Semi-final 1, Auckland March 25 Semi-final 2, Sydney March 29 Final, Melbourne