The Ireland players, on returning home from the World Cup, showed their humility by turning down a chance for an open-top bus ride through the city as a heroes welcome

Kanishkaa Balachandran

25-Feb-2013

The Ireland players, on returning home from the World Cup, showed their humility by turning down a chance for an open-top bus ride through the city as a heroes welcome. The reason? Because they felt they didn’t deserve a welcome of such a large scale with two wins out of nine games. Those who would have lined the streets of Dublin instead headed to the airport to give their team a rousing reception, the Belfast Telegraph reported.

It was a pleasant turn of events for a team full of amateurs which set off for the West Indies with pre-set plans, all of which had to be shelved. On such member of the touring party, coach Adrian Birrell, planned a family holiday to Mexico on the blissful assumption that his side wouldn’t get past the group stages. Was he complaining? Perish the thought…

"I'm glad I'm here for this homecoming,” exclaimed Birrell. “For me it is the pinnacle of my coaching career. Nothing has matched up to this. I'm very grateful to the players and very satisfied in the way we played cricket in the West Indies.”

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Ceasefire for semi-final

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have said there might be a ceasefire from their side during the duration of the team's semi-final against New Zealand in Jamaica

Nishi Narayanan

25-Feb-2013

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have said there might be a ceasefire from their side during the duration of the team's semi-final against New Zealand in Jamaica. "There may not be any attacks tonight because we are also watching the match," Tiger spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan, told AFP.

By calling a ceasefire the Tigers are imitating the spirit of ancient Greece where all the states called a truce every four years during the Olympics.

The Sri Lanka government has readjusted official functions so that the match can be watched. The government's spokesman on defence, Keheliya Rambukwella, was to host a dinner reception Tuesday, but fearing a low turnout he arranged for a widescreen TV to show the match.

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You must be my lucky star

If one ever needed confirmation that the World Cup is a massive deal in the subcontinent, here is one such example

Kanishkaa Balachandran

25-Feb-2013

If one ever needed confirmation that the World Cup is a massive deal in the subcontinent, here is one such example. Astrologers in Sri Lanka have said that a Sri Lankan win in the semi-final will be determined based on the exact time the cricketers leave their hotel, AFP reports.

In addition, the time the batsmen enter the crease and their morning schedule are also factors. There’s one small problem though. Nobody knows exactly when they’re scheduled to leave, and the astrologers are understandably desperate.

"They will definitely win if they depart at an astrologically right time," said Arisen Ahubudu, known for deciding lucky code names for military operations. According to Priyantha Ratnayake, another astrologer, the planets are smiling on Sanath Jayasuriya.

“Sanath Jayasuriya's stars are placed on a winning position and his luck should see Sri Lanka through," he said. If Sri Lanka fail, blame it on the stars.

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Delays... but only for players, not luggage

Oh dear

ESPNcricinfo staff

25-Feb-2013

Oh dear. Just when the World Cup organisation didn't seem capable of getting any worse... This time it was planes - there were delays at Grenada airport, and then there were further delays at Barbados.

As Fox Sports' Robert Craddock noted, it was "a shambolic day when it was better to be a suitcase than an international cricket star."

South Africa's bags arrived two hours ahead of the team, while Australia's luggage took 40 minutes to go directly from Grenada to St Lucia, as opposed to five hours for the squad, who were routed via Barbados. Tall players in particular suffered, with Matthew Hayden finding himself, unusually, cramped for room.

One Sri Lanka player saw the brighter side, though: "The way we are going our first look at the ground will be on match morning - from about 6000 feet." Still, Sri Lanka and New Zealand will suffer the effects more than the others; their match starts on Tuesday, a day ahead of Australia's clash with South Africa.

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Legends add to cash-strapped World Cup fans' woes

Jamie Alter

25-Feb-2013

Need an autograph? Its US$ 20 dollars. A photograph? That will set you back $100.

Barbadian cricket legends are making fans, already paying hotel rates which have trebled during the World Cup, even angrier by charging for signing an autograph book or posing for pictures.

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Ireland get ready to party at Parliament

Ireland have been rewarded for their World Cup exploits by an invitation to a reception at Parliament Buildings upon their return home

ESPNcricinfo staff

25-Feb-2013

Ireland have been rewarded for their World Cup exploits by an invitation to a reception at Parliament Buildings upon their return home. The joint invitation comes from the Democratic Unionist Party's Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, who were once sworn enemies.

"This is a real boost for grassroots cricket locally and a big encouragement for young people to take up the game," a very on-message Paisley wrote. McGuinness hinted at the party they could expect: "Irish teams and their supporters are world renowned for their willingness to celebrate sporting successes." Party on.

Ireland's players ended their World Cup adventure by giving statements, fingerprints and DNA samples to Jamaican police investigating the death of Bob Woolmer. "These tests were carried out with a view to eliminating the Ireland squad from their enquiries," a team spokesman said.

On the night Woolmer was murdered none of the Ireland squad was in the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica. The players were celebrating St Patrick's Day and the victory over Pakistan in Ocho Rios, which is "some 50 miles away".

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Koertzen to equal world record

South African umpire Rudi Koertzen will equal the world-record set by David Shepherd of officiating 172 ODIs when he stands in at the West Indies-Bangladesh Super Eights match in Barbados on April 19.

Nishi Narayanan

25-Feb-2013

In fact, Koertzen, nicknamed Slow Death, stood in his 100th ODI alongside Shepherd. “I am delighted to be in the same company as the legendary David Shepherd and that I am proud to be a South African." said Koertzen.

Gerald Majola, the CEO of Cricket South Africa, said that Koertzen's achivements had been recognised by Thabo Mbeki, the president of South Africa, when he bestowed on him the President's Sports Award. “Rudi is respected by the world’s top players and is an excellent role model for all aspiring umpires," Majola added. "We are very proud of him."

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Test of allegiance won’t worry Moody

Tom Moody is sure he won't have any problems watching Sri Lanka take on Australia

Peter English

25-Feb-2013

Tom Moody is sure he won't have any problems watching Sri Lanka take on Australia. Moody was part of two World Cup wins for Australia in 1987 and 1999, but he will be sitting in the coach’s box of Sri Lanka in Grenada on Monday.

“It's no different to any other match,” he told AFP. "Obviously I've got some good friends in the opposition side who I've played with and won a World Cup with. But at the end of the day that doesn't mean my focus and preparation is any different for the Sri Lankan team against Australia than it would be against any other team. I'm focused on winning the match and doing my job as professionally as possible.

"Coaching and playing are completely different. It's me preparing a team to perform at its best. Whether it's against my home country or not is really irrelevant.”

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Not too little ... but perhaps too late

The Ireland team have only just received thousands of good luck cards and messages sent to them nearly a month ago, following their victory against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff

25-Feb-2013

The Ireland team have only just received thousands of good luck cards and messages sent to them nearly a month ago, following their victory against Pakistan. In the wake of their victory, the southern postal service offered free postage to anyone who sent a message out to the Caribbean.

The post arrived in Jamaica just after the team had left for Guyana and then arrived in Guyana just after the Irish players had left for Barbados. The messages, then, have come just as Ireland have been on the receiving end of a few pastings.

Nevertheless, the volume and sentiment has been impressive. "It's been remarkable," says the manager Roy Torrens. "But what's more remarkable is that I understand only half the mail has been delivered so far..."

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'We might as well stay on'

Kanishkaa Balachandran

25-Feb-2013

In a perfect world, India would have been playing Pakistan on April 15 at the Kensington Oval, with the organizers laughing all the way to the bank with a 22,000 sell-out. However, the thousands of fans who planned their trip months in advance in anticipation of such a clash had to settle for Bangladesh v Ireland, thanks to the bizarre turn of events in March 17. Life must go on and to delight of the hosts, plenty chose to stay back and watch the cricket and savour the best the Caribbean has to offer.

"It is like money thrown in the bin,” one Indian supporter told AFP. “But I decided to make the most of the holidays and come and watch some cricket." The report said that 3,000-odd fans came from the United States and the United Kingdom much to the delight of local hoteliers. Some left instead for Grenada to watch Sri Lanka where tickets are available at half the original price. In a bid to fill the stands, the Kensington Oval opened its gates for an hour during Sunday’s match, allowing free entry.

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