NEW DELHI - Minnows have always sprung a surprise in the cricket World Cup, inspired by individual brilliance. Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Canada are again looking to players who can change the course of a match single-handedly.

SYDNEY - England skipper Andrew Strauss has admitted he had the job ahead of finding the right balance for his bowling attack after they were unable to defend 6-333, as most of his frontline bowlers are injured.

ISLAMABAD - Mudassar Nazar, former director of game development for the Pakistan Cricket Board, has expressed his utter disbelief at the mediocre planning by the PCB and its selectors for the World Cup 2011, and said Pakistan are unlikely to win the tournament, as the selected squad is "simply not strong enough."

NEW DELHI - Squash player Dipika Pallikal has climbed to 24 in the world rankings to become the highest-ranked Indian women in the sport.

DHAKA - Bangladesh Thursday gave car owners here one week to give their old vehicles a fresh coat of paint to make them shine in time for the ICC World Cup tournament.