World Cup Cocktail

One of Pakistan's finest opening batsmen and current chief selector, Aamir Sohail feels this World cup will heavily rely on openers and it will be challenging for them to perform under new rules on fast and bouncy pitches of Australia and New Zealand.

“I think this WC will heavily rely on openers as they have to set the tone. It is not going to be easy for them on fast and bouncy pitches of Australia and New Zealand,” Sohail said.

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When asked which team has the best opening combination in the tournament, Sohail named Australia and South Africa.

He also said that he was amused by India's decision to include two left-arm spinners in the squad.

WC computers stolen

Five ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 laptops loaded with betting information have been stolen in Christchurch just days before the showpiece tournament opens. Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Gary Knowles confirmed the theft overnight from Hagley Netball Centre, which volunteers have been using as a base to issue accreditation passes.

"They contained no information that could breach security," Mr Knowles said at a press conference outlining police preparations ahead of the tournament co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia.

"They will not impact, in any way, here or Australia in terms of security. They are securely protected. We would just like to get those back."

A security guard was on duty at the time of the theft, police have confirmed.

Jam-packed crowds likely

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is set to kick off with a bang, with capacity crowds tipped to roll into four venues over two days across Australia and New Zealand.

Two matches have already sold out, while only limited tickets remain for the games in Melbourne and Hamilton.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Local Organising Committee chief executive John Harnden said he was delighted with the response from fans.

“We've already sold over 825,000 tickets a few days before the first ball is being bowled.”

'Nervous nineties' are real

Researchers have found that cricketers hedge their bets when they are nearing milestone scores.

In a statistical analysis of one day international matches from 1971-2014, QUT researchers found that when batsmen neared major milestones they significantly reduced their strike rate until they hit the magic number. Then, once batsmen reach their milestone, their strike rate increased by 45 per cent and their rate of dismissal almost doubles

"All the players want to win, but batsmen have also personal rewards which has only limited impact on the team," he said.

"Going from 99 to 100 is just one run for the team but it's huge for them," Page said.      -- Compiled