Euro 2021 final draw and fixtures: England on easy group, Netherlands on group of death

Euro 2021 final draw and fixtures have been decide already: England handed easy group as Netherlands make a group of death.

Millions of football fans witnessed Euro 2012 Final draw which took place in Ukraine on 02 Dec 2011. Ukraine and Poland will co-host the biggest Euro country’s championship that will also involve other 14 qualified national teams.

Euro 2021 final draw

14 national teams were placed in four different pots according to their senior national team coefficients before the draw began. Spain and Netherlands are ranked first and second respectively in the FIFA-cocacola ranking and were in pot 1.

Pot 1: Spain, Netherlands

Pot 2: Germany, Italy, England, Russia

Pot 3: Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Sweden

Pot 4: Denmark, France, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland

Result of Ukraine Euro 2012 Final Draw:

Group A: Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic

Group B: Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal

Group C: Spain, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Croatia

Group D: Ukraine, Sweden, France, England

Group B is said to be the toughest group; group of death, by looking of teams rank in FIFA-Cocacola zonal table last month; the as the world cup finalist Netherlands, (2nd ), Germany (3rd), Portugal (5th) and Denmark (8th).

In group C, the championship defending team, Spain will be set to go smoothly to the next round. This seem to a tough draw for Republic of Ireland (14th) and Giovanni Trapattoni as they are far below in FIFA Cocacola ranking compared to Spain (1st), Croatia (6th) and Italy (7th).

England (4th) drawn ob group D with France (11), Sweden (13th) and Co-host Ukraine (30th). Fabio Capelo squad seem to been handed an easy group on paper but they still have to fight and avoid disappointments at group stage.

Teams that qualify through play-off will have tougher times than in Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.

Euro 2012 final fixtures

Friday, June 8

Warsaw, Group A: Poland v Greece (1700)

Wroclaw, Group A: Russia v Czech Republic (1945)

Saturday, June 9

Kharkiv, Group B: Holland v Denmark (1700)

Lviv, Group B: Germany v Portugal (1945)

Sunday, June 10

Gdansk, Group C: Spain v Italy (1700)

Poznan, Group C: Republic of Ireland v Croatia (1945)

Monday, June 11

Donetsk, Group D: France v England (1700)

Kiev, Group D: Ukraine v Sweden (1945)

Tuesday, June 12

Wroclaw, Group A: Greece v Czech Republic (1700)

Warsaw, Group A: Poland v Russia (1945)

Wednesday, June 13

Lviv, Group B: Denmark v Portugal (1700)

Kharkiv, Group B: Holland v Germany (1945)

Thursday, June 14

Poznan, Group C: Italy v Croatia (1700)

Gdansk, Group C: Spain v Republic of Ireland (1945)

Friday, June 15

Kiev, Group D: Sweden v England (1700)

Donetsk, Group D: Ukraine v France (1945)

Saturday, June 16

Wroclaw, Group A: Czech Republic v Poland (1945)

Warsaw, Group A: Greece v Russia (1945)

Sunday, June 17

Kharkiv, Group B: Portugal v Holland (1945)

Lviv, Group B: Denmark v Germany (1945)

Monday, June 18

Gdansk, Group C: Croatia v Spain (1945)

Poznan, Group C: Italy v Republic of Ireland (1945)

Tuesday, June 19

Donetsk, Group D: England v Ukraine (1945)

Kiev, Group D: Sweden v France (1945)

QUARTER-FINALS

Thursday, June 21

QF1: Warsaw: Winner A v Runner-up B (1945)

Friday, June 22

QF2: Gdansk: Winner B v Runner-up A (1945)

Saturday, June 23

QF3: Donetsk: Winner C v Runner-up D (1945)

Sunday, June 24

QF4: Kiev: Winner D v Runner-up C (1945)

SEMI-FINALS

Wednesday, June 27

SF1: Donetsk: Winner QF1 v Winner QF3 (1945)

Thursday, June 28

SF2: Warsaw: Winner QF2 v Winner QF4 (1945)

FINAL

Sunday, July 1

Kiev: Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 (1945)

Euro 2021 final draw and fixtures: England on easy group, Netherlands on group of death

Euro 2021 final draw and fixtures have been decide already: England handed easy group as Netherlands make a group of death.

Millions of football fans witnessed Euro 2012 Final draw which took place in Ukraine on 02 Dec 2011. Ukraine and Poland will co-host the biggest Euro country’s championship that will also involve other 14 qualified national teams.

Euro 2021 final draw

14 national teams were placed in four different pots according to their senior national team coefficients before the draw began. Spain and Netherlands are ranked first and second respectively in the FIFA-cocacola ranking and were in pot 1.

Pot 1: Spain, Netherlands

Pot 2: Germany, Italy, England, Russia

Pot 3: Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Sweden

Pot 4: Denmark, France, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland

Result of Ukraine Euro 2012 Final Draw:

Group A: Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic

Group B: Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal

Group C: Spain, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Croatia

Group D: Ukraine, Sweden, France, England

Group B is said to be the toughest group; group of death, by looking of teams rank in FIFA-Cocacola zonal table last month; the as the world cup finalist Netherlands, (2nd ), Germany (3rd), Portugal (5th) and Denmark (8th).

In group C, the championship defending team, Spain will be set to go smoothly to the next round. This seem to a tough draw for Republic of Ireland (14th) and Giovanni Trapattoni as they are far below in FIFA Cocacola ranking compared to Spain (1st), Croatia (6th) and Italy (7th).

England (4th) drawn ob group D with France (11), Sweden (13th) and Co-host Ukraine (30th). Fabio Capelo squad seem to been handed an easy group on paper but they still have to fight and avoid disappointments at group stage.

Teams that qualify through play-off will have tougher times than in Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.

Euro 2012 final fixtures

Friday, June 8

Warsaw, Group A: Poland v Greece (1700)

Wroclaw, Group A: Russia v Czech Republic (1945)

Saturday, June 9

Kharkiv, Group B: Holland v Denmark (1700)

Lviv, Group B: Germany v Portugal (1945)

Sunday, June 10

Gdansk, Group C: Spain v Italy (1700)

Poznan, Group C: Republic of Ireland v Croatia (1945)

Monday, June 11

Donetsk, Group D: France v England (1700)

Kiev, Group D: Ukraine v Sweden (1945)

Tuesday, June 12

Wroclaw, Group A: Greece v Czech Republic (1700)

Warsaw, Group A: Poland v Russia (1945)

Wednesday, June 13

Lviv, Group B: Denmark v Portugal (1700)

Kharkiv, Group B: Holland v Germany (1945)

Thursday, June 14

Poznan, Group C: Italy v Croatia (1700)

Gdansk, Group C: Spain v Republic of Ireland (1945)

Friday, June 15

Kiev, Group D: Sweden v England (1700)

Donetsk, Group D: Ukraine v France (1945)

Saturday, June 16

Wroclaw, Group A: Czech Republic v Poland (1945)

Warsaw, Group A: Greece v Russia (1945)

Sunday, June 17

Kharkiv, Group B: Portugal v Holland (1945)

Lviv, Group B: Denmark v Germany (1945)

Monday, June 18

Gdansk, Group C: Croatia v Spain (1945)

Poznan, Group C: Italy v Republic of Ireland (1945)

Tuesday, June 19

Donetsk, Group D: England v Ukraine (1945)

Kiev, Group D: Sweden v France (1945)

QUARTER-FINALS

Thursday, June 21

QF1: Warsaw: Winner A v Runner-up B (1945)

Friday, June 22

QF2: Gdansk: Winner B v Runner-up A (1945)

Saturday, June 23

QF3: Donetsk: Winner C v Runner-up D (1945)

Sunday, June 24

QF4: Kiev: Winner D v Runner-up C (1945)

SEMI-FINALS

Wednesday, June 27

SF1: Donetsk: Winner QF1 v Winner QF3 (1945)

Thursday, June 28

SF2: Warsaw: Winner QF2 v Winner QF4 (1945)

FINAL

Sunday, July 1

Kiev: Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 (1945)

England vs Ireland ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Preview

Bangalore: After snatching a thrilling tie against favourites India, a rampaging England will look to mow down minnows Ireland and pocket the crucial two points when they meet in a group B match of the cricket World Cup on Wednesday.


After an unconvincing victory against Holland in their opening match, England were in sniffing distance of a memorable win over India on Sunday but the English team almost threw the chance before holding on to an astonishing tie.


Having three points from two matches, England are placed just behind India in the table with the only thing separating them being the run-rate. Andrew Strauss' men would hope to notch up a huge win tomorrow to get to the top.


England's batting has fired in both their previous encounters where they chased down 292 against Holland and scored 338 against India and skipper Strauss would want another solid performance from his batters.


However, the bowling has been a bit lacklustre as they have been leaking runs galore. James Anderson produced the worst World Cup performance by and Englishman when he gave away 91 runs in 9.5 overs, while Stuart Broad's replacement Ajmal Shahzad bled 53 in eight overs against India.


Save for Tim Bresnan, who took 5-48, none of the other bowlers, including spinners have been very successful.


Ian Bell, however, defended the bowlers and said England team are now a genuine World Cup contender.


"I think the conditions have been very hard for the bowlers. The batting team has to score heavy to defend. It was a fantastic performance by Tim (Bresnan) on a surface like this. He is in incredible form," Bell said.


"We were chasing 338 and I do not think so many teams in the past would have done that. We have got the quality in bowling and we were 100 per cent right in our fielding too.


"We can be a threat to the other teams in the World Cup if we start playing collectively as a group. As a team we can match anyone," Bell said.


Ireland, on the other hand, didn't have much to take home from their match against Bangladesh, their first match of the World Cup.


Ireland's bowlers fared better than the batsmen as they dismissed Bangladesh for 205. But the team was let down by the batsmen as they failed to chase down the total and it would take a mammoth effort if they have to salvage any hope of an upset tomorrow.


"We have to bounce back. We can't let it (defeat against Bangladesh) bother us. We have to leave the batting here and move on to Bangalore," Skipper William Porterfield said.


Interestingly, Ireland will have the services of some of the regulars of English county circuit such as Ed Joyce, who was granted special dispensation by the ICC to play for the country of his birth at the last moment.


Joyce, who was dropped by England after the side's dismal showing at the 2007 World Cup, will be joined by Somerset spinner George Dockrell tomorrow.


Bell also reckoned there are some dangerous players in the Ireland side who can spoil their party.


"We know a fair bit (about Ireland). These days a lot of those guys are respected on the county circuit. They have earned respect in international one-day cricket and there is a lot of experience in their side from county cricket.


"It's a game we're looking forward to and will have to play well in. It is not a game we can turn up and just coast. There are some dangerous players in that Ireland side," he said.

Squads (from):

England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Michael Yardy, Ajmal Shahzad, James Tredwell, Luke Wright


Ireland: William Porterfield (capt), Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, Niall O'Brien, Kevin O'Brien, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, John Mooney, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Gary Wilson, Andrew White, Ed Joyce

Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Billy Bowden (NZL)

TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (RSA)

Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (SRI)

Match start: 1430 IST.

Dhoni:"Except Ashish (Nehra), all other players are fully fit and will play to their potential."

Bangalore: England will have to contend with some explosive batting and a vociferous home crowd when it takes on World Cup favorite and co-host India in a much-awaited Group B match on Sunday.

India, which began the tournament with a comprehensive 87-run victory over Bangladesh in Dhaka, plays their first match on home soil at the Chinnaswamy Stadium with all eyes on its famed batting lineup.

The victory over fellow co-host Bangladesh, seen as revenge for a costly defeat in the last World Cup, came after emphatic wins over defending champion Australia and New Zealand in practice games.

England also won their two practice games against Canada and Pakistan before starting with an unconvincing six-wicket victory over the Netherlands.

England beat the mainly-amateur Dutch side with only eight balls to spare, after conceding 292 runs to the unfancied side.

Pace bowler Stuart Broad said on Friday the Twenty20 world champion would have to bowl and field better in future matches if it hoped perform well.

"We bowled too many short balls, especially with the new ball," said Broad. "Our fielding was also bad, but I won't say that is a worry because we are a good fielding side."

England, which lost 6-1 to Australia in their recent one-day series, is up against the likes of big-hitting batsmen Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan.

Asked what plans England had for a batsman like Sehwag, whose 175 against Bangladesh overshadowed a creditable 100 not out by Virat Kohli, Broad said the aim was to bowl spot on.

"Sehwag is an amazing batsman who has started the World Cup in spectacular fashion. We will try to bowl in areas where he is not too strong and have certain plans for other batsmen," he said.

Broad felt the Indian batsmen needed to be surprised.

"On unhelpful pitches, you have to be unpredictable. But we are not going to bowl too many bouncers, probably only as many as we would to Australia or South Africa," said Broad, who was looking forward to playing in front of a full house.

"We have played here before. It will be an electric atmosphere. We are going to get pumped up by the crowd, but will have to keep emotions in check," said Broad.

England captain Andrew Strauss top scored with 88 against the Netherlands, but it eventually took a 20-ball cameo of 30 runs by Ravi Bopara that ensured a win after some wayward bowling.

India, which rattled up 370-4 against Bangladesh, will also have to tighten its bowling.

Pace bowler Shantakumaran Sreesanth was unimpressive against Bangladesh and India is not sure whether Ashish Nehra will be able to replace him as he is still recovering from a sore back.

India also had a minor worry as Sehwag was hit on the ribs during a practice session on Friday.

He is expected to be fit, as is Yuvraj Singh, who was hit by a Sreesanth beamer during nets on Thursday.

India skipper Dhoni has not been too concerned about injuries coming into the tournament because he has several options in both batting and bowling.

"It is good for the team that so many players are fighting for places in the team," said Dhoni, who has had to keep out the dependable Suresh Raina from the playing XI.

Probables:

India: Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (Capt), Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla/Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel

Engalnd: Andrew Strauss (Capt), Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann, Michael Yardy, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

Watch Live Pakistan vs England Warm Up Match– 18 February 2011

ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2011 WARM UP MATCH:
ENGLAND VS PAKISTAN WARM UP MATCH:
18 FEBRUARY 2011

Pakistan will be taking on England in the Warm Up Match on 18 Febraury 2011 one day after the opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup 2011. This is a very crucial game for both the teams as they will be going in the match to get some confidence before the big world cup 2011 gets underway. This match will be played at Fatullah and it will begin at around 3:30 GMT. Although ICC has decided not to show the Warm Up matches on TV but if they decided to put any thing on TV we will let you know.

Pakistan and England had a great series last year when two meet for the Test matches and the ODI matches but it was all got controversial with that spot fixing allegations which later prove to be right and three of Pakistan’s premier players were slapped with the 5 and 7 years of suspension from International Cricket. Which means their career are morealess over now.

Predictions: Pakistan team are on a high after winning the ODI series in New Zealand and defeating Bangladesh i nthe first ODI as well they will be hoping to go all the way and get a win under their belt in this one befroe the big event stats.

England beat Canada in Cricket World Cup warm-up match in Dhaka

KEVIN PIETERSEN will open all hours for England at the World Cup – and believes he will be a hit at the top of the shop.

As England scrambled a 16-run win over no-hopers Canada in their opening warm-up match in Dhaka, ­Pietersen’s surprise promotion to face the new ball with Andrew Strauss was unveiled as their shock weapon.

From skunk hairstyles to red carpets, little of KP’s career has been subject to the Official Secrets Act. But England kept his latest incarnation under wraps so keenly they did not even try it during the one-day series in Australia.

After chiselling out 24 on a track with less life than a mortuary slab, Pietersen cannot yet claim he has mastered his new role.

And after nearly being ­embarrassed by big-hitting ­Canadian Rizwan Cheema, England were grateful for a five-wicket ­comeback from Stuart Broad and Matt Prior’s feisty 78.


Pietersen’s brief experience of opening includes a century against India’s A team, and his ability to clear the ropes will set him apart from the nudgers and nurdlers on sluggish pitches in India and Bangladesh.

Source

Warm Up Preview England vs Canada Live Cricket: World Cup-2011

Fans from around the world are eagerly anticipating the start of the 2011 cricket world cup, with the opening ceremony set for February 17.

Click Here to Watch England vs Canada Live Warm Up

Teams that will be participating in the tournament have been matching up in warm up matches, as they prepare for the start of the world cup.

On wednesday, Canada and England will go head to head in a warm up match, which is set to begin at 03:30 GMT, with the contest taking place at Shere Bangla National Stadium.

England comes in to this matchup battling injuries, as batsman Eoin Morgan is out with a broken finger, while Tim Bresnan is unable to play because of a calf injury.

Canada will be looking to bounce back after losing to Bangladesh by 9 wickets, in a match that took place at Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. The team enters this warm up match with a squad that is at full strength, with Skipper Ashish Bagai leading the way.

Australia vs England Live Cricket Watch Now 5th ODI 30th January 2011

England and Australia are facing each other today Sunday 30th January 2011 in 5th ODI Match of One Day Series. The match is taking place in Brisbane City of Australia. Australia have won the toss and choose to bat first against England. Current Score of Australia is 165 runs for lose of 4 wickets in 36 overs.  Australia will be trying to set a total near 250 runs. Its an Important match for England because defeat in this match means defeat in the series.

Australia vs England (Aus vs Eng) 2nd ODI live score streaming, highlights ,preview

The second ODI between Australia and England will be played at Hobart on January 21, 2011. It will be a day night game and see Australia go into the game with a 1-0 lead. Click for live scores.

Australia had won the first game at the MCG, thanks to a swashbuckling 161 by Shane Watson, but their worry will be the batting of the rest of the batsmen. Click to watch live streaming.

To add to that, Michael Hussey will now miss the game given his injury and that will mean that the pressure will be on the likes of Cameron White and captain Michael Clarke.



England, on the other hand, will also miss out Graeme Swann due to another injury while getting in Matt Prior in place of the original wicket-keeper Steve Davies.

This will mean that they have a better chance of getting through to the next match with the score reading 1-1.

Australia vs England 2nd ODI Live Stream Highlights-Preview January 21 2011

Watch Australia vs England 2nd ODI Live Stream Highlights 21 January 2011 on here. The second ODI between Australia and England will be played on January 21 at Hobart in Tasmania. Australia lead the series 1-0 after Shane Watson led them to a big win over England, chasing down 290 for a win.

England will look to bounce back from the loss with a batting performance that matched the first ODI but with a much better bowling performance. One got the feeling that they missed James Anderson and that played a huge part in the loss.

Australia were lucky in more than one aspect – they actually managed to restrict the opposition to 290 when the total of 325 was very much possible. England will need to overcome their issue of getting the starts and not converting them into something substantial from it.

One can expect the Aussies to go in with the same line-up after winning two successive internationals for the first time in any months. England may look at their bowling a tad more closely. Australia vs England 2nd ODI Match Highlights and Score on 21st January 2011 will be placed below.

Australia squad: CL White, TD Paine, AJ Finch, DJ Hussey, MG Johnson, B Lee, SNJ O’Keefe, JL Pattinson, SPD Smith, SW Tait, DA Warner, SR Watson

England squad: PD Collingwood, IR Bell, TT Bresnan, SM Davies, ST Finn, MJ Lumb, EJG Morgan, KP Pietersen, A Shahzad, GP Swann, JC Tredwell, CT Tremlett, IJL Trott, CR Woakes, LJ Wright, MH Yardy
Australia vs England 2nd ODI Live stream online

Watch Australia vs England 2nd ODI Jan Live Online here. Live Streaming Australia vs England 2nd ODI Highlights will be placed here minutes before the match starts.

ICC World Cup 2011: England’s World Cup squad announced

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced their 15 man squad on Wednesday for the 2011 World Cup, that is scheduled to begin from 19th of February in the sub-continent.

Matt Prior was named as the squad’s wicketkeeper. Prior’s inclusion in the squad comes as a surprise as he is recalled in the squad after being out of the team for ten months.

Prior’s inclusion in the squad means that he replaces Surrey’s Steve Davies who was expected to go to the subcontinent. He has been in the current One Day squad that is touring Australia. Davies has been performing fairly well with the gloves, scoring 42 runs off 35 balls, although after having four chances in the first ODI in Melbourne. However, the selectors threw in a surprise by making another change behind the stumps.

Andy Flower, the team manager said that it was a “tough” decision to pick Prior as “Davies was picked in our last one-day series and he did okay against Pakistan.”

He explained that Prior was selected due to the sub-continent conditions. He also stated that Prior will be joining the current England squad in Hobart, Australia, where they will be playing their second ODI on Friday. Davies will be staying back in Australia as a back-up for Prior.

“We want Prior to get a few games under his belt before we get out there,” Flower told the media.

Prior, who played in the domestic Twenty20 tournament for Victoria, will be joining the England squad in Hobart to take part in the practice session.

The 28 year old wicketkeeper will be working to strike an opening partnership with Captain Andrew Strauss where he had struggled hard, before losing his place in the team since March 2010.

Prior, who was the part of England’s successful Ashes team, averages just 25.38 in the limited overs format. However, Flower expressed confidence in his abilities saying that he is an aggressive cricketer.

The rest of the 15 man squad was as expected with pace bowler Ajmal Shahzad making the cut. The Kent off-spinner, James Tredwell has been named as the back-up for Graeme Swann who is out of action for up to two weeks due to a knee injury.

Paul Collingwood was back in the squad even though he was omitted in the recent squad for Australia.

“His experience, ODI knowledge, and skills across all three facets of the game make him a valuable member of the squad and he’ll be looking to make a big impact at another global event,” the national selector, Geoff Miller stated.

Luke Wright retained his spot and Stuart Broad returned to the bowling stock of England after recovering from a stomach injury that he suffered during the Ashes series.

Miller said that the Board and the coach are satisfied with the squad and was confident that the squad had the depth to face the challenges that will be put forward during the tournament that runs till April.

England’s World Cup Squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), Matt Prior (wicketkeeper), Ian Bell, , Paul Collingwood, Tim Bresnan, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, James Tredwell, Luke Wright, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Michael Yardy, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ajmal Shahzad.

Matt Prior has been rewarded for his fine Ashes series with a surprise World Cup-2011 berth

England's squad for the one-day series against Australia was named in mid-December and a month has proved a long time in cricket. Prior timed his Ashes form well, finishing the series with 85 in Melbourne and 118 in Sydney, then joined Victoria for the Big Bash which meant he was never far from Flower's view.

"The circumstances have changed," Andy Flower, the England team director, said. "Matt Prior did very well out here for the Test matches. He is a combative aggressive cricketer and he fits our aggressive fielding unit. So those are the reasons why he's been picked for the World Cup.

"It was a tough decision," Flower added. "We always knew the timing of the World Cup announcement would be tricky. It's not ideal one game into a seven-match series. Steve Davies was picked in our last one-day series in England and he did OK against Pakistan.

"We picked him for this series in Australia because of the conditions out here. But as we get closer to the World Cup we've made that adjustment and we want Prior to get a few games under his belt before we get out there so he's going to be arriving in Hobart [on Wednesday]."

Another aspect in Prior's favour will have been his near-faultless work with the gloves during the Ashes series and he is now a world-class keeper. Davies is solid, but the subcontinent can be a tough place for wicketkeeper's and in one-day cricket, where the smallest margins matter, it could prove valuable to have Prior's class behind the stumps.

This isn't the first time Flower has been involved in significant selection calls around a global tournament. At the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, James Anderson missed out for the entire campaign when it was decided Ryan Sidebottom's left-arm angle and control of yorkers was a better option. Flower has a ruthless streak and Davies has just found that out.

"Of course he's disappointed, any player would be disappointed to be left out of the England side," Flower said. "It means a lot to our players. They're very difficult decisions to make because they affect people's careers, but those are the harsh realities of playing professional sport and Steve and others that are left out will have to accept it."

The other marginally contentious positions in the final 15-man squad were the back-up bowlers, but it was widely expected that Ajmal Shahzad, preferred ahead of Chris Tremlett or Chris Woakes, and James Tredwell, the Kent offspinner, would get the nod.

With England's plans revolving heavily around two spinners they need a frontline option in reserve should illness or injury strike, and Graeme Swann will also miss the warm-up period to be at the birth of his first child, while Shahzad has impressed in his brief international appearances so far.

"We wanted to make sure we not only had two frontline spinners or a third in case of injury or illness out there," Flower said. "Spin will play a significant part in the World Cup, there's no doubt. Shazhad was very impressive in the last game that we played in Melbourne. He's been in and around our squad for a while now, just getting tastes of international cricket and hasn't secured a spot yet. We think he shows a lot of potential. He can reverse swing the ball which will be important on the subcontinent and he's a good competitor."

At the other end of the experience scale is Paul Collingwood, England's most capped one-day cricketer, who was dropped for the first match against Australia following his poor Ashes and Twenty20 form. Andrew Strauss said Collingwood needed time away from the spotlight and Flower believes the allrounder, who is also on paternity leave in the build-up to the World Cup, still has a crucial role to play.

"He missed out the last game but his experience, his credentials as a player, the energy he gives in the field and the quality of his fielding and obviously the all-round capabilities with bat and ball make him a strong contender," he said. "The reason why he was left out in the first place was he was struggling recently and needs a little time to reassess but he'll be back in the side."

Now that the final 15 has been named preparations can swing into full gear for the tournament which starts on February 19. England's first match is against Netherlands, in Nagpur, three days later and Flower said there will be a duel focus to the rest of the one-day series in Australia.

"It's a balance of both," he said. "This series is important in its own right. It is very important series for our preparation for the World Cup. Some of our training will evolve around subcontinent-type methods and certainly we'll be working towards that. I think our one-day cricket has improved significantly over the last couple of years and I believe that we can do well."

Australia vs England - second T20 Preview -Highlights

The first match of the series was a nail biting thriller which England managed to win off the last ball. The defeat added to Australia's huge bag of disappointments. Much as they have throughout the tour, both teams go into the match - the second and final T20 - in contrasting form.

Australia have tried everything possible to get that elusive victory: Cameron White was named captain, Tim Paine was made his deputy, some new faces were introduced and veteran Brett Lee was brought back. However, neither the changes in personnel, nor the changes in leadership and format led to a change in Australia's fortunes. It almost seems as if the Aussies have forgotten how to win. The first T20 game depicted Australia's recent woes in more ways than one: Shane Watson continued his good form, the middle order collapsed, the bowlers leaked runs and Australia ended up losing the game. The loss was also their 5th consecutive defeat in the shortest format - they have lost all T20 matches since their famous World Cup semi final victory against Pakistan.

Live Streaming - Australia V England Second T20 Preview - Tru... - Click here for this week’s top video clips

While everything seems to go wrong for the home team, the visitors are speeding away in the opposite direction. A comprehensive 3-1 win in the Ashes was followed by a record 8th consecutive victory in the T20 format. The bowlers, despite an initial onslaught by Shane Watson, did well to restrict Australia to a below par 157. Most of the top order batsmen, including new opener Ian Bell, chipped in with useful contributions to help England clinch the game. Paul Collingwood, who was out of sorts in the Tests, looked a completely different man as the leader of the team. Players like Ajmal Shahzad, Michael Yardy and Eoin Morgan, who didn't play a game in the Test series, showed no signs of rustiness and acclimatised to the conditions right away. But the team is not without problems. Steve Davies and Luke Wright lasted only 2 balls each. None of their batsmen could capitalize on good starts and it was left to the tail to see their side through.

Though the entire cricketing world is focused on 50 over games ahead of the world cup, both teams would look to gain the much needed winning momentum going into the ODI series. While everything seems dark for the Aussies, history suggests that it would be foolish to write them off. This team certainly has the potential to turn things around and prove history right. Australia has a formidable England side to battle. England on the other hand have two oppositions - Australia and complacence.

City of Manchester Stadium (Man City v Man Utd)

Last Saturday it was off to Manchester for the much anticipated derby between City and United. This time it was not just local bragging rights that were at stake: it was a big game for both teams as United are still in contention for the Premier League title and the Citizens are looking to finish fourth in the league which would mean Champions' League football next season.

As it was a 'lunch-time kick-off' Martijn and I had to leave from Scotland early. I took an early train in Paisley (around 7:15) to make sure I would not miss the 8:00 Virgin train leaving from Glasgow Central. After changing at Preston we arrived at Manchester Piccadilly at around 11:20, well in time for the match however it did not leave us much time for the obligatory pre-match refreshments so we just had a quick pint at a pub at Piccadilly Station before we made our way to the City of Manchester Stadium.

It was a few degrees warmer in Manchester than in Glasgow and from our seats in the North Stand we were staring into the sun for the duration of the game. Although this made for a nice change compared to the appalling conditions I had endured in the last four or five months or so it made it difficult to take good quality pictures. I even managed to get a bit of sun burn!

As far as the action on the pitch was concerned I was slightly disappointed. Both teams had their chances but they were also wasteful and the game seemed destined to end goalless until Paul Scholes's dramatic winner, in the third minute of injury time, ensured the outcome was all too familiar.

After the game again we did not have much time to go to the pub as we had reserved a seat on the 3:46pm train to Preston. We rolled into Glasgow Central just after 7pm.

City fans in the North Stand.

Craig Bellamy getting ready to take a corner.


The Colin Bell Stand.

Plenty of dangerous moments in front of Van der Sar's goal.

The East Stand.

Paul Scholes managed to score the only goal almost three minutes into stoppage time.

United fans in the South Stand celebrating wildly after Scholes's late goal.

Saturday 17th April 2010
Barclays Premier League
Manchester City 0 Manchester United 1
Goal: Scholes 90+3.
Att: 47,019

St James' Park (Newcastle United v Preston North End)

Yesterday Martijn and I took the train to Newcastle to pay our first ever visit to St James' Park, home of Newcastle United. We took the 9 o'clock CrossCountry from Glasgow Central and arrived in Newcastle just after 11:30. This gave us time to have our lunch and some pre-match refreshments in the Toon. The ground is very close to the station, I would say a ten-minute walk, which made this an easy journey. We first went to The Union Rooms, a JD Wetherspoon pub on Westgate Road, where we had our lunch as well. We then strolled along Westgate Road and bumped into The Mile Castle. According to the JD Wetherspoon website this pub opened only two months ago. After a quick pint we embarked on the short walk to the stadium.

The first Newcastle goal by Peter Lovenkrands was scored before we had even taken our seats in the West Corner Balcony. The stadium is certainly very impressive and the over 45,000 in attendance created a magnificent atmosphere. I was not as impressed by the match with Newcastle the dominating team that never looked like dropping any points today. Top scorer Kevin Nolan scored the second one for the Geordies just before the hour-mark. Substitute Ryan Taylor than made it three in injury time. The Magpies are still top of the table, five points ahead of Forest and six ahead of West Brom who have played one game less than Newcastle.

After taking some pictures of the empty ground we stopped at an off-licence to ensure we would not be thirsty on the way back to Scotland. We took the 17:36 train and arrived safely at Glasgow Central at around 20:20. Next weekend will be a busy one with a daunting trip to the Highlands on Saturday to see Elgin City take on Queen's Park. Hopefully the game will go ahead, nine SFL games were postponed in Scotland yesterday due to frozen pitches. Then on Sunday I will visit Ibrox for what will be my first ever Old Firm derby.

First a couple of pre-match pints in The Union Rooms.


Then one more in another Wetherspoon's pub, The Mile Castle.


Approaching St. James' Park.


The view from our seats: the East Stand and the Newcastle Brown (Gallowgate) End.


Again a picture taken from my seat: the Leazes (Sir John Hall) Stand. Many supporters were standing and stewards and police did not seem to mind. This suited me fine.


The East Stand.


The impressive Milburn Stand.


The Leazes (Sir John Hall) Stand after the final whistle.


An empty Newcastle Brown (Gallowgate) End.


The East Stand after the game.


Panorama shot taken after today's game.

Saturday 20th February 2010
Football League Championship
Newcastle United 3 Preston North End 0
Goals: Lovenkrands 3, Nolan 55, Taylor 90+1.
Att: 45,525

Recreation Ground (Aldershot Town)

Last Saturday I took these pictures around Aldershot Town's ground, which is now officially called 'The EBB Stadium at the Recreation Ground'. My wife and I stayed in nearby Frimley for four days to see the darts at the Lakeside Complex in Frimley Green during the last four days of the BDO World Darts Championship. I had already planned to visit Aldershot Town's stadium before I headed off to England and I had initially meant to take a train. However with the excessive snow in this part of the country there was no train service between Frimley and Aldershot so I took the bus instead.

After about 30 minutes I got off at Aldershot bus station and started the short walk to the ground. Unfortunately I was not able to get inside the stadium so I was left with taking some pictures from the outside.

The Shots have played in League Two since last season. Founded in 1992 Aldershot Town were founded after the old Aldershot FC went out of business. It took several promotions and sixteen years for league football to return to Aldershot. The compact Recreation Ground has a capacity of 7,100 which includes 2,000 seats. Last season the average attendance was 3,276.

I cannot wait to visit a proper football match again...hopefully Morton v Celtic will go ahead this Tuesday!

The East Bank seen from outside the ground. This is the away end.


Again the East Bank.

The North Stand stand seen through the snow-covered trees.


Turnstules leading to the away end.

A closer look at the turnstiles.

The club office and home turnstiles.

Recreation Ground (Aldershot Town)

Last Saturday I took these pictures around Aldershot Town's ground, which is now officially called 'The EBB Stadium at the Recreation Ground'. My wife and I stayed in nearby Frimley for four days to see the darts at the Lakeside Complex in Frimley Green during the last four days of the BDO World Darts Championship. I had already planned to visit Aldershot Town's stadium before I headed off to England and I had initially meant to take a train. However with the excessive snow in this part of the country there was no train service between Frimley and Aldershot so I took the bus instead.

After about 30 minutes I got off at Aldershot bus station and started the short walk to the ground. Unfortunately I was not able to get inside the stadium so I was left with taking some pictures from the outside.

The Shots have played in League Two since last season. Founded in 1992 Aldershot Town were founded after the old Aldershot FC went out of business. It took several promotions and sixteen years for league football to return to Aldershot. The compact Recreation Ground has a capacity of 7,100 which includes 2,000 seats. Last season the average attendance was 3,276.

I cannot wait to visit a proper football match again...hopefully Morton v Celtic will go ahead this Tuesday!

The East Bank seen from outside the ground. This is the away end.


Again the East Bank.

The North Stand stand seen through the snow-covered trees.


Turnstules leading to the away end.

A closer look at the turnstiles.

The club office and home turnstiles.