The opening ceremony of the World Cup will be in Dhaka and according to ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat close to a billion people would tune in from more than 200 territories around the globe to watch the event. Also, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would be in attendanceat the Bangabandhu Stadium for the opening ceremony. “It is great that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has committed to attend the opening ceremony, indicating support at the very highest level,” Lorgat said. “The preparations for the 2011 World Cup have been going on well. All the three countries have been working as a team not as three different countries,” he added.

The ICC is yet to decide if the Ferozshah Kotla would indeed host the World Cup matches in light of the fiasco in the match versus Sri Lanka. “It is premature to speculate on the matter as there is a process in place. The BCCI has sent their response and the ICC is examining it. Now that will go to two people - Ranjan Madagulle (ICC Chief Match Referee) and David Richardson (ICC Cricket General Manager) - before a final decision is taken. So it is premature to speculate on the matter,” Lorgat said.

However Sharad Pawar stated that there would be more than adequate planning and security during the World Cup. “It is the biggest cricketing event in the sub-continent and I am sure the way the preparations have been going on, it will be a hugely successful event and security will not be an issue. India and Sri Lanka have the prior experience of hosting the World Cup and it will be a great event,” said the former BCCI chief. The 2007 World Cup accounted for huge financial losses for the ICC due to the high ticket prices in West Indies which people refused to pay for. But according to BCCI’s Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty the tickets for the 2011 World Cup will not be very expensive. “All the boards will have different ticket price policies and the revenues will also go to the respective boards. But the pricing will be done in such a way that spectators come to the stadium,” Shetty said.

India will host its first match of the 2011 World Cup on February 20th in Chennai, an encounter between New Zealand and Kenya. Incidentally, India is placed in Group B alongside South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands and will host 29 matches of the quadrennial tournament, including the semi-final as well as the final. Interestingly, the 2011 World Cup will be a week shorter than the 2007 edition West Indies.