Sachin Tendulkar looks ahead to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Sachin Tendulkar looks ahead to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

India batsman Sachin Tendulkar looks ahead to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 which will be staged in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from 19 February to 2 April.

“We’ve been performing well as a side and I think it’s important that the India team carry its momentum into the tournament next year. I think our pre-tournament preparation will be key and at the same time pre-tournament recovery is also important so that we’re raring to go once the event has started.

Sachin Tendulkar will be playing his sixth World Cup

“I think it’s difficult to say which team will do well in the tournament next year as it’s about who performs well on that given day. Whoever does well will carry the confidence with them through the tournament once they’ve won a few matches. It (World Cup) makes it a totally different ball game,” says the 37-year-old who has played in five ICC Cricket World Cups.

Joining Tendulkar on this week’s ICC cricket show are the captains of Argentina and USA who are busy preparing for the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division (WCL Div. 4) which gets under way on 14 August in Bologna, Italy.

“I think we’ve got a good team that has a wealth of young talent as well as experience,” says USA captain Steve Massiah.

“I’m confident we’ll do well. We have a good knowledge of the sides taking part and a good record against a few of them. We’re looking forward to the event that’s for sure,” says the 31-year-old.

Meanwhile, Argentina’s captain Esteban MacDermott says it has been challenging for his side to prepare for the event.

“It’s winter here in Argentina which has made it quite hard to practice but at the same time we’re used to playing in heat so I feel we’ll cope in the temperatures that we’re likely to expect in Bologna.

“We’re looking forward to the tournament and I feel I have a well-rounded team playing in this event,” says MacDermott.

Apart from the above interviews, the show has the usual round up of cricketing news and an update of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test and ODI cricket.

The weekly ICC Cricket World audio show runs for 15 minutes and has been put together by the ICC’s global broadcast partner ESPN STAR Sports.