2007 Cricket World Cup warm-up matches

The 2007 Cricket World Cup warm-up matches were held prior to the 2007 Cricket World Cup, between 5 March and 9 March 2007. All 16 nations that were qualified to take part in the World Cup participated in a series of matches to prepare, experiment with different tactics and to help them acclimatise to conditions in the West Indies. The warm-up matches were not classified as One Day Internationals by the International Cricket Council (ICC), despite sharing some of main features of this form of cricket, but some of the playing regulations were different from standard internationals in order to allow teams to experiment. For example, the main change allowed for thirteen different players to play in a match – nine players being allowed to both bat and bowl, with two only being able to bowl and two only being able to bat – instead of the eleven players normally allowed.

Several of the teams voiced concerns of various matters involving the stadia and practicing facilities: many of the stadiums were considered incomplete, whilst some teams claimed that the pitches were uneven, resulting in an unsafe experience to be batting in. Ultimately none of the stadia used in the warm-up games were used in any other part of the tournament except for the Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny, Jamaica, which hosted the opening ceremony but no matches.

Australia, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan were the only teams to win both of their warm-up games, whilst Bermuda, Canada, the Netherlands and Scotland did not win either of their fixtures.

Match status

None of the warm-up games were officially recognised as ODIs or List A matches by the International Cricket Council due to various changes in the rules of the game.[1] Whilst normally only 11 players are allowed to bat and field (excluding situations involving a substitute fielder),[2] 13 players were used in each team's squad for the matches – 11 of which were allowed to field at one time and 11 of which were allowed to bat (meaning players could be swapped in and out when fielding or bowling, but two players did not bat in a match).[3] In official ICC matches match referees are required to help officiate a game, but due to the changes in the rules none were appointed for any of the warm-up games.[1][4] Additionally, Man of the Match awards were not given out and no reserve days were set for these matches.

Preparation problems
Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny, Jamaica encountered technical problems before playing host to four of the warm-up matches

A number of preparation problems surfaced before the start of the World Cup. Some of the venues were not complete by the opening ceremony on 11 March 2007.[5] At Sabina Park, seats had to be removed at the newly constructed north-stand due to safety concerns.[6] At Trelawny Stadium in Jamaica, ground staff were unable to gain admission to the ground during the warm-up matches due to accreditation problems.[7]

During the Pakistan and Canada warm-up match at Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, the sight screen was knocked down and the game was delayed by over 70 minutes and reduced to 48 overs.[8] Additionally, a tear gas canister exploded at the Trinidad hotel where the Pakistan, South Africa, Canada and Ireland teams were staying.[9] The hotel had to be evacuated but no injuries were reported.

A number of concerns were expressed regarding the conditions of the pitches for the warm-up matches. During the Pakistan and South Africa warm-up game, the teams were unhappy with the condition of the pitch, claiming irregular bounce off the wicket was "treacherous".[10] In addition, a number of teams expressed concern over the slow wickets used during the warm-up matches,[11] although Cricinfo writer Sambit Bal welcomed the pitches slowing down as a method of making the battle between the batsmen and the bowlers more equal.[12]

Schedule and results

Monday 5 March 2007
5 March 2007
(scorecard)
West Indies 
268/6 (50 overs)
v
 Kenya
247/7 (50 overs)
Marlon Samuels 100
Thomas Odoyo 2/26 (6 overs)
Collins Obuya 54*
Daren Powell 2/23 (6 overs)
 West Indies won by 21 runs
Greenfield Stadium, Trelawny
Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZL) and Brian Jerling (RSA)
5 March 2007
(scorecard)
England 
286/8 (50 overs)
v
 Bermuda
45 (22.2 overs)
Jamie Dalrymple 76
Delyone Borden 3/71 (10 overs)
David Hemp 11
Jon Lewis 3/7 (4 overs)
 England won by 241 runs
Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown
Umpires: Tony Hill (NZL) and Rudi Koertzen (RSA)
5 March 2007
(scorecard)
South Africa 
192 (50 overs)
v
 Ireland
157 (44.2 overs)
Andrew Hall 67*
Trent Johnston 4/40 (10 overs)
Andre Botha 40
Charl Langeveldt 4/31 (8.2 overs)
5 March 2007
(scorecard)
Sri Lanka 
294/7 (50 overs)
v
 Scotland
135 (41.2 overs)
Kumar Sangakkara 81
John Blain 2/51 (9 overs)
 Sri Lanka won by 159 runs
3Ws Oval, Bridgetown
Umpires: Ian Howell (RSA) and Simon Taufel (AUS)

Tuesday 6 March 2007
6 March 2007
(scorecard)
India 
300/9 (50 overs)
v
 Netherlands
118 (37.5 overs)
Rahul Dravid 74
Ryan ten Doeschate 5/57 (10 overs)
Bastiaan Zuiderent 32
Yuvraj Singh 4/12 (3.5 overs)
 India won by 182 runs
Greenfield Stadium, Trelawny
Umpires: Steve Bucknor (WIN) and Asoka de Silva (SRI)
6 March 2007
(scorecard)
Australia 
290/7 (50 overs)
v
 Zimbabwe
184/7 (50 overs)
Michael Clarke 82
Sean Williams 2/48 (8 overs)
Sean Williams 44
Stuart Clark 2/33 (7 overs)
 Australia won by 106 runs
Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown
Umpires: Asad Rauf (PAK) and Billy Doctrove (WIN)
6 March 2007
(scorecard)
Pakistan 
273/8 (48 overs)
v
 Canada
196 (46.4 overs)
Mohammad Hafeez 61
Henry Osinde 2/48 (8 overs)
Qaiser Ali 37
Mohammad Hafeez 3/10 (3.4 overs)
  • Match shortened due to technical issues;[8] Duckworth-Lewis revised target to win: 274 runs in 48 overs for Canada.
6 March 2007
(scorecard)
New Zealand 
226 (47.2 overs)
v
 Bangladesh
230/8 (49 overs)
Jacob Oram 88
Abdur Razzak 4/26 (10 overs)
Tamim Iqbal 46
Daniel Vettori 3/38 (10 overs)
 Bangladesh won by 2 wickets
3Ws Oval, Bridgetown
Umpires: Mark Benson (ENG) and Steve Davis (AUS)

Thursday 8 March 2007
8 March 2007
(scorecard)
Kenya 
274/8 (50 overs)
v
 Netherlands
265/9 (50 overs)
Thomas Odoyo 73
Daan van Bunge 3/41 (10 overs)
Darron Reekers 75
Steve Tikolo 5/48 (10 overs)
 Kenya won by 9 runs
Greenfield Stadium, Trelawny
Umpires: Steve Bucknor (WIN) and Billy Bowden (NZL)
8 March 2007
(scorecard)
Bermuda 
136 (50 overs)
v
 Zimbabwe
137/4 (29 overs)
Sean Williams 72*
Dwayne Leverock 2/54 (10 overs)
 Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown
Umpires: Asad Rauf (PAK) and Rudi Koertzen (RSA)
8 March 2007
(scorecard)
Canada 
115 (32.5 overs)
v
 Ireland
116/3 (26.5 overs)
Jeremy Bray 41*
Abdool Samad 1/11 (3 overs)
 Ireland won by 7 wickets
Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, St. Augustine
Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Daryl Harper (AUS)
8 March 2007
(scorecard)
Scotland 
152/9 (50 overs)
v
 Bangladesh
153/3 (34.1 overs)
Navdeep Poonia 32
Abdur Razzak 4/41 (10 overs)
Habibul Bashar 57*
Paul Hoffmann 1/19 (6 overs)
 Bangladesh won by 7 wickets
3Ws Oval, Bridgetown
Umpires: Mark Benson (ENG) and Simon Taufel (AUS)
9 March 2007
(scorecard)
England 
197 (48.3 overs)
v
 Australia
200/5 (40.5 overs)
Michael Vaughan 62
Shaun Tait 4/33 (8.3 overs)
Adam Gilchrist 72
Monty Panesar 1/16 (6 overs)
 Australia won by 5 wickets
Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown
Umpires: Tony Hill (NZL) and Norman Malcolm (WIN)
9 March 2007
(scorecard)
South Africa 
199 (48.3 overs)
v
 Pakistan
200/3 (44.3 overs)
Loots Bosman 53
Mohammad Sami 2/13 (5 overs)
Younis Khan 79
André Nel 1/21 (7 overs)
 Pakistan won by 7 wickets
Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, St. Augustine
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Peter Parker (AUS)
9 March 2007
(scorecard)
New Zealand 
285/8 (50 overs)
v
 Sri Lanka
267 (48.2 overs)
Lou Vincent 70
Lasith Malinga 2/26 (4 overs)
Upul Tharanga 106
Scott Styris 2/44 (10 overs)
 New Zealand won by 18 runs
3Ws Oval, Bridgetown
Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Ian Howell (RSA)

Aggregate results
Team Played Won Lost
 Australia220
 Bangladesh220
 Bermuda202
 Canada202
 England211
 India220
 Ireland211
 Kenya211
 Netherlands202
 New Zealand211
 Pakistan220
 Scotland202
 South Africa211
 Sri Lanka211
 West Indies211
 Zimbabwe211

Note: Due to the change in the rules for these matches, the results did not have any effect on the ICC ODI Championship table or the ICC Associate ODI rankings.

See also

References
  1. Brian Murgatroyd (2 March 2007). "ICC confirms umpire and match referee appointments for opening stages of ICC Cricket World Cup". ICC. Archived from the original on 8 March 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2007. Note, the warm-up matches do not have ODI status and so there will be no ICC match referee in place for these games.
  2. See twelfth man in the List of cricket terms.
  3. "England bowlers demolish Bermuda". BBC. 5 March 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
  4. "ICC announces umpires and referees for World Cup". Cricinfo. 2 March 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
  5. "Some Cup venues still not ready". Jamaica Gleaner. 11 March 2007. Archived from the original on 4 June 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
  6. "A week before the opening Cricket World Cup game, chinks appear at Sabina Park". India eNews. 11 March 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. Mike Atherton (12 March 2007). "Hosts hope calm is not followed by a storm". The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
  8. "Pakistan too powerful for Canada". BBC. 6 March 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
  9. "World Cup stars in security scare". BBC. 7 March 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
  10. "Pakistan sink SA on dubious pitch". BBC. 9 March 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
  11. "England soundly beaten by Aussies". BBC. 9 March 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
  12. Sambit Bal (11 March 2007). "Let the games begin". Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 May 2007. If the pitches at the main grounds are anything like the ones in the practice matches, batsmen will have to earn their runs, and that's not a bad thing for the game,

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