World cup Opening ceremony in Bangladesh
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 tournament will begin this evening with a spectacular opening ceremony at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.
It is the largest sporting event to be staged in four decades after Bangladesh achieved independence in 1971. 14 countries will meet on one stage at the inaugural function. It consists of a cultural programme that showcases a number of traditional events among others. The inaugural function is expected to last 135 minutes. A special security plan is being implemented in an around the stadium. Thousands of members of the Bangladeshi Rapid Action Force are also deployed. Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh are co-hosting this year’s 10th Cricket World Cup event. 10 countries that have achieved the Test status and 4 aspiring countries are participating in the series. The series consists of 49 encounters and will be held in 13 stadiums.
The matches in Sri Lanka will be staged at the newly constructed Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota, and the Pallekele and Kettarama stadiums.
