The ten Test match playing countries and Kenya qualified for this World Cup automatically, and 5 further teams qualified via the 2005 ICC Trophy, thus gaining ODI status. The field of sixteen teams is the largest ever for the Cricket World Cup. Mello, the friendly cat is the mascot of the tournament.

Participating Teams
Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India, West Indies, England , Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Bermuda, Netherlands. 

Matches 

Day matches will be held from 9:30 to 17:15

West Indies time. The first innings will run from 9:30 – 13:00 and the 2nd innings will run from 13:45 to 17:15.

The matches will be One Day Internationals. They will be operating through normal ODI rules. All matches are 50 overs a side unless stated otherwise by the umpires or match referee. A bowler can only bowl a maximum of 10 overs per match. In the occurrence of bad weather, each side must have batted and bowled a minimum of 20 overs each otherwise the match will be declared a no-result. If each side has batting and bowled over twenty overs, the Duckworth-Lewis Method will apply in order to gain a result or modify a target. 

 

Laws of Cricket 

The Laws are intended to apply to all two innings matches; the International Cricket Council has implemented “Standard Playing Conditions for Test Matches” and “Standard Playing Conditions for One Day Internationals” to augment the Laws of Cricket. Similarly, each cricketing country has implemented Playing Conditions to govern domestic cricket. Note that the Laws do not provide for One Day or Limited Overs cricket; these modifications have been made by the Playing Conditions for One Day Internationals. Teams may agree to alter some of the rules for particular games. Other rules supplement the main laws and change them to deal with different circumstances. In particular, there are a number of modifications to the playing structure and fielding position rules that apply to one innings games that are restricted to a set number of fair deliveries.

The LG ICC cricket ratings are a widely followed system of rankings for international cricketers based on their recent performances. Until 19 January 2005 they were known as the PwC cricket ratings, when LG Electronics took over the sponsorship of the ratings system. The International Cricket Council has joined forces with LG to produce and promote the LG ICC Test Championship, the LG ICC One-Day International Championship and the LG ICC Player Rankings. The ICC Player Rankings are the official player rankings for international cricket.

The ratings were developed at the suggestion of Ted Dexter in 1987. The intention was to produce a better indication of players’ current standing in the sport than is provided by comparing their averages. Career averages are based on a player’s entire career and do not make any allowance for match conditions or the strength of the opposition, whereas the ratings are based towards recent form and account for match conditions and the quality of the opponent using statistical measures. Initially the rankings were for Test cricket only, but separate one day international rankings were introduced in 1998. 

With the Cricket World Cup coming all players are in full form and all ready to prove their mettle on the grounds. New records will be made and old ones destroyed. Yet some players leave their mark in the minds and hearts of million cricket fans. 

Here is the list of

 ·       Best Players ·       Batting Records ·       Bowling Records ·       Umpires and Referees

 

Cricket is a very popular game to nearly 2 billion people in the world. Cricket has now turned into a billion dollar sports industry. This beautiful game has produced some great cricketers over the years. It was a very difficult task to choose among hundreds of players and among them the most capable and from those the most talented and from those the most entertaining.And thus below we have compiled the list of such greats who grace the cricket at present.
Best Batsmen
Batting is one of the most exiciting part of cricket for cricket fans. A good batsman is one who can protect his wicket and at the same time score runs. The bigger the shot-selection, the better the batsman. We have made a list of the five of the greatest batsmen in the world. Well, it is a very tough thing to do. In todays cricketing world there are numerous batsman competing for the much acclaimed numero uno spot. 
Best Bowlers
Bowling is a technique by which a person (bowler) runs up to the wickets and throws the ball to the batsman, with a full arm, trying to hit the wicket to get the batsman out. There are many types of bowlers, from fast to slow, spin to swing. Spinners are slow bowlers who manage to get the ball to change direction when hitting the ground. Swingers are those bowlers who manage to get the ball to move away or towards a batsman. Good bowlers can be terribly confusing because of the way they have perfected their bowling. 
Best All-Rounders
When it comes to cricket, all rounders play a vital role behind the success of a team. An all-rounder is a cricket player who excels at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat, and most batsmen end up bowling occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines. Wicket-keepers who are also very good batsmen are considered by some to be all-rounders.