The words 'spirited' and 'plucky' will again be used to describe an Ireland performance, but this was a game they really should have won

Bangladesh celebrated their victory against Ireland as though they'd won more than one cricket match, but the significance went beyond a single result

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the Group B game between Bangladesh and Ireland in Mirpur

Shakib Al Hasan and William Porterfield know that if their team loses this game, they can pretty much bid farewell to the quarter-finals, barring rare permutations of course

On paper, this is a match between two lowly ranked sides in the ODI hierarchy, but it will have huge implications in terms of progress to the next round

The Ireland side are a better-prepared side this tournament because 2007 happened. They have been able to focus on cricket without having to bother about their other jobs, because 2007 happened. Now they will need to make 2011 happen

Shafiul Islam fell badly on his shoulder when going for a catch, and Imrul Kayes was hit on his right forearm when batting though both are expected to be fit by Friday

"We still have five matches left, and everyone is looking ahead," - Tamim Iqbal

The top Associate nation doesn't want to contribute verbally to the current debate; they want to give the ICC reasons to include them through their performances on the field

Virender Sehwag said he was not aiming to get to a double-century but just wanted to bat out the 50 overs in the World Cup opener in Mirpur

Today Virender Sehwag gave a glimpse of what can happen if he bats 50 overs in an ODI, and on evidence, the bowlers need to be afraid. Very afraid.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the World Cup Group B match between Bangladesh and India in Mirpur

A day before Bangladesh kicked off their much-anticipated World Cup campaign, they were visited in the nets by two World Cup heroes

Playing at home, Bangladesh's players will expect themselves to put it past at least one of the four big teams and make it to the quarterfinals

For a sport that has a bad history with opening ceremonies, nothing could have been more welcome than the sheer enthusiasm and passion with which Bangladesh had put together its show

Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons, always a forthright talker, didn't look to hide what went wrong, but said he wasn't too concerned with what happened in the warm-up game against Pakistan

The conditions were the most difficult Laxman had encountered in his career. Tailor-made, in other words

ESPNcricinfo previews India's chances in the 2011 World Cup

Also, Dhoni's frank but unscientific knowledge, what to say in Port Elizabeth to show dislike, and why Jozi is like Delhi, kinda, in part three of the South Africa tour diary

Yusuf Pathan has shrugged off blows to the shoulder, rescued India from dire situations, and proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with