ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP B : WEST INDIES

The once feared West Indies are a struggling unit today. Champions in the first two World Cups, they are looking to merely cause a few ripples at the 2011 edition. The tussle between the administrators and top players has hit West Indies cricket hard. Though the issue got resolved and the likes of Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul are back in the side, performance wise the team has hit a new low.

A batsman like Gayle is a huge plus for any team. He can provide a blistering start and can be useful with the ball in the middle-overs. If veterans Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan perform to their potential and support Gayle, the team will be able to post big totals consistently. All eyes will be on maverick batsman Kieron Pollard, who is yet to replicate his T20 success in the 50-over format.

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP B : NETHERLAND

The Netherlands stunned the cricketing world by beating England in the opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 2009 and in July 20, 2010, in a one-off match shortened by rain to 30 overs a side, they beat Bangladesh by 6 wickets.

In 2007 World Cup, they made a first round exit. But in 2011 World Cup, they will be charged up to upset few teams if they play aggressively. 

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP B : ENGLAND

England's cricket fortunes nosedived in a matter of weeks. From a heady World Twenty20 championship last year to an Ashes triumph down under after 24 years, they crashed to a 1-6 defeat against Australia in the One-dayers. The loss of exciting batsman Eoin Morgan with a broken finger along with the poor form of Paul Collingwood adds to their worries.

The trio of Jimmy Anderson, Tim Bresnan and Broad have bowled consistently well in powerplays and their ability to reverse swing can be potent in the subcontinent.

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP B : BANGLADESH

Home conditions, current form, youthful vigour and a balanced team composition could make Bangladesh the side to watch out for in the cricket World Cup. Several of the present crop of players were in the side which had inflicted a shock five-wicket defeat on India in the previous edition of the World Cup in the Caribbean.

The 2007 World Cup proved to be a fairy tale of sorts for the populous South Asian nation which marched into the Super Eight where they again scalped South Africa before making an honourable exit. The showing had signaled to the cricketing fraternity that Bangladesh - which has taken part in all World Cups since 1999 - could no more be considered pushovers on the big stage.

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP B : IRELAND

Ireland, who made a dream World Cup debut by stunning Test playing nations Pakistan and Bangladesh in the 2007 edition, are looking to replicate their stupendous performance. The 15-man squad, led by seasoned batsman William Porterfield, has nine players from the sensational 2007 side. Their performance four years changed the country's approach to the sport. It is no longer a mere pastime but has grown into a thriving professional sport.

The team's batting line-up is dominated by left-handers such as Porterfield, wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien and former England player Ed Joyce, who played 27 One-day Internationals before returning to his native country. Porterfield and O’Brien have scored more than 1,000 ODI runs each and the team obviously looks up to them. Joyce's return will strengthen their batting and his experience of playing for England will come in handy.

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP B : SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa would like to bury the past and also the tag of "chokers" as they get ready for the 2011 World Cup as one of the top favourites. The Proteas suffered heartbreaking losses in the previous World Cups -- in the 1992, 1999 and 2007 semi-finals, inexplicable loss to the West Indies in the 1996 quarter-final and a forgettable 2003 when they bowed out in the first round at home.

The Proteas have made a bold move by excluding experienced wicket-keeper Mark Boucher, seamer Charl Langeveldt and all-rounder Albie Morkel. The Proteas have one of the most potent pace attack, led by fiery Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Smith and his men will take confidence from their 3-2 ODI win over co-hosts India into the mega event.

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP B : INDIA

Sachin Tendulkar holds every conceivable cricket record in an illustrious career spanning over two decades, and the only thing missing from his portfolio is the World Cup. He makes no secret that he wants to be part of a victorious India team, playing in his record sixth and probably the last World Cup this spring.

It was the shocking defeat at the hands of Bangladesh in the preliminaries that literally knocked India out of the last World Cup in the Caribbean. While the Indians try to live down that memory and the tag of favourites, the other contenders see them as the team they need to beat to win the Cup. India's strength is their batting, a line-up that has Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and their bowling, too, is in the capable hands of Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh.

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP A : ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwean cricket has been riddled with lot of controversies in the recent past. They don’t have any starry players in their line-up, and in this World Cup it won’t be any good news either unless they come up with some miracle to upset bigger teams.

Zimbabwe cricket has roped in West Indies’ Brian Lara as its batting consultant to oversee their cricketing talent and hopefully he can create some magic for the downturn side.

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP A : CANADA

Canada, coming to the sub-continent for their fourth World Cup appearance, have done precious little as compared to the other minnows. If the team has to enter the quarterfinals, their most experienced players, wicketkeeper -batsman Bagai and flamboyant all-rounder John Davison will need to fire.

Davison has a cracking 111 off 76 balls against West Indies under his name at the 2003 World Cup and also has picked 31 wickets in 27 ODIs. His off-spinners and could come handy on the slow wickets in the sub-continent and his success is critical to the team's chances.

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP A : KENYA

Kenya, the surprise semi-finalists in 2003 in South Africa, hit a new low last year as they finished at the bottom of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) World Cricket League in the Netherlands. Looking at the country's four World Cup outings, the team is capable of springing a surprise.

With veteran Steve Tikolo coming out of retirement to guide the young guns, the side captained by Jimmy Kamande has vowed to leave an impression in the mega event. Kenya would be keen on making an impact in the 10th edition of the quadrennial event

Pakistan players tested for dope

ICC's anti-doping agency has started dope testing of Pakistan player Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Kamran Akmal.

The trio were tested by International Cricket Council's drug inspectors after they returned from a practice session.

The sources, however, termed the exercise as a routine procedure ahead of any major sporting event.

"It's normal to test players before and during a tournament. Nothing fishy about it. Others will also be tested," he said.

 35-year-old Akhtar, who has been in-and-out of Pakistan side due to a spate of injuries, tested positive for a banned drug nandrolone in 2006 and was banned for five years.

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP A : PAKISTAN

Pakistan is fresh from a one-day series victory in New Zealand and their captain Shahid Afridi who is the key player in the team, would have to lead form the front. The captain hopes for an India-Pakistan Final clash and that would only be ideal for the cricket supporters in the sub continent or those around the world.

But to get there the Pakistan team needs to perform consistently though the tournament and would look forward to their captain and the experience of Razzaq and Younis Khan in times of trouble.

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP A : NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand is a talented bunch but is also highly unpredictable as history suggests. The Kiwis have the potential to spring a surprise but can also surrender meekly. With the bitter experiences of a 4-0 thrashing in Bangladesh and 5-0 whitewash in the ODI series in India last year, a semi final berth is unlikely.

The tournament will also give a chance to hard- hitting batsmen Ross Taylor and Brendan McCullum to stake their claim as the successor of Vettori, who will step down after the World Cup. With the likes of left-handed Jesse Ryder, attacking Ross Taylor reliable Scot Styris and all-rounder Jacob Oram in the team, the opponents will not underestimate New Zealand’s batting strength.

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP A : SRILANKA

A star-studded line-up and a shrewd captain make Sri Lanka favourites to win the World Cup a second time in the sub-continent - having done it in 1996. Most of the players of this generation in Sri Lanka took to cricket inspired by that famous victory of Arjuna Ranatunga's team. Muttiah Muralitharan is the lone survivor from that team.

The veteran off-spinner, who holds the record for the highest number of Test as well as One-day wickets, has already announced that he would hang up his boots after the World Cup. The Sri Lankans will rely heavily on Muralitharan and ODI specialist express-fast Lasith Malinga, who took four wickets in four balls in the previous World Cup in the West Indies.

ICC CRICKET WORLDCUP TEAMS, GROUP A : AUSTRALIA

Australia has been dominating the cricketing arena for over more than a decade and have only been recently toppled from the No 1 Test status by India. While they still hold on to their No 1 ODI ranking going into the World Cup, they aren't the same invincible team they used to be.

Once undisputed as a cricketing superpower, Australia will be out to re-establish their credentials. The departure of Adam Gilchrist, Mathew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne at almost the same time has hurt the Australians a lot and they are still looking to build a team. With the 6-1 series victory against England, Australia would go into the World Cup looking to keep the winning momentum going.