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Essex’s Ravinder Bopara, Danish Kaneria, Andre Nel and Ryan ten Doeschate are gearing up for the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, which starts next week.

The four have all arrived in the Caribbean with their respective nations to prepare for the showpiece tournament with a series of warm-up matches.

Bopara (England), Nel (South Africa) and ten Doeschate (Netherlands) must wait a while longer but Kaneria could feature in the competition opener for Pakistan against West Indies on March 13 in Jamaica.

ten Doeschate was the first of the Essex contingent to make his mark in the warm-up matches when he took 5-57 wickets for the Netherlands in their match against India in Jamaica on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old struck with his first delivery to dismiss Sourav Ganguly as he came away with a wicket maiden at the end of his opening over. He followed that up by swinging one through the defences of Virender Sehwag in his next over before returning to claim three more wickets in his second spell. Despite scoring 31 in his team’s reply, the all-rounder could not prevent the Netherlands crashing to a 182-run defeat.

Netherlands bowling coach Ian Pont had earlier backed ten Doeschate to shine during the World Cup:

“Ryan is a world-class performer when he’s playing well. He won games with his batting and fielding for Essex last year, and now his bowling is back on track he’s a real contender as one of the stars of the tournament. We are targeting South Africa first - not least since we have three players with SA connections. There’s a determination to get amongst them and make things difficult. Pressure is on them as new world number ones and also after failing to get out of their group at the last World Cup, on home soil. I’ll be giving Andre Nel some friendly stick too.

“It will be a great experience for everyone associated with Netherlands cricket. But Ryan has the chance to show what he can do at the highest level of all. He’s one of those characters that thrives on challenges. And I wouldn’t put it past him to show his best against the best.”

Meanwhile, Essex Batting Coach Graham Gooch backed England’s decision to select Ravinder Bopara in his column for the ‘Essex Cricket’ magazine:

“I think Bopara’s selection is justified because he’s a good back-up for Paul Collingwood and you need players in your top order who can bat and bowl. I think he would do a good job even if I might be a little bit biased. If Collingwood got injured then they would have had no one to replace him (if Bopara hadn’t been selected) of a player who can bat in the top six and bowl a bit – the sort of job that Ravi does for us at Essex.

“I did put it to him a few years ago that if got selected to play one-day cricket for England then in an ironical sort of way it would be his bowling that gets him in the team, although that’s not his main suit. The fact he is an all-rounder makes him attractive to England because if he was a straight batsman he would be competing with a lot of other players.”

Follow the World Cup at www.essexcricket.org.uk

The Essex CCC website will be featuring our ‘fantastic four’ extensively over the next month and a half as they do battle in the Caribbean.

Bopara and ten Doeschate will be offering their own thoughts on the World Cup in the ‘Essex Cricket Blog’, which launches later this week.

You can get their initial thoughts ahead of the tournament in exclusive interviews with the Essex CCC website (log on to the home page to read them).

There will also be all the latest news of the exploits of Kaneria and Nel as Essex await their arrivals at The Ford County Ground soon after their World Cup campaigns end.

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Never been to the Caribbean before; coming for ICC Cricket World Cup 2007; want to know the best restaurants, places to party and what’s happening while you’re in town?

There’s now the perfect companion for fans attending the Event, especially first-time guests from outside the region.

The ICC CWC 2007 Official Visitor’s Guide to the West Indies is now available at bookstores and other retailers throughout the region. It will also be sold by concessionaires as well as itinerant vendors at CWC matches.

A compact, full-colour pocket reference of the Caribbean, the book features 140 pages of current information which visitors will find useful as they traverse the nine Host Venues, following the ICC Cricket World Cup. Produced by Jamaica-based companies, Great House Publishing and MAPCO Printers, it showcases a number of elements regarding the countries staging CWC matches, including:

• Overview of the Territories

• ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 Match Schedule & related information

• Things to See & Do

• Restaurants & Pubs

• Beaches of the West Indies

• Carnival

• Historic Sites, Museums, etc.

• Entertainment & Nightlife

• Environmental/Wildlife Attractions

• Essential phone directories (taxis, emergency, etc.)

“This is a unique product which has been put together with input from the tourism organisations in the nine Host Venues to present the region’s attractions, services and amenities to the global community. It’s the brainchild of West Indian people – in the West Indies – and it will be an excellent road map for visitors to the Caribbean as they plot how to spend their time outside of Cricket World Cup matches.

“We are pleased to have had the opportunity to contribute to the tournament through CWC’s Licensing & Merchandising programme and proud to offer fans this high-quality publication,” said Director of Great House Publishing, Michael Grant.

“We’ve been able to condense attractions, calendars, the CWC Match Schedule, restaurants, essential stadium info and critical telephone numbers for every country into the Visitor’s Guide. It’s a comprehensive digest of the countries hosting Cricket World Cup matches.”

Commercial Director, Stephen Price, congratulated Great House Publishing and MAPCO Printers on a sterling job, noting that once again “home-grown Caribbean talent has come to the party and seized the opportunity to be involved in a world-class event”.

The ICC CWC 2007 Official Visitor’s Guide to the West Indies is being distributed in Jamaica by Novelty Trading and MAPCO Printers and in the Eastern Caribbean by Trinidadian style magazine, MACO, and its distribution company, Moving Magazines Caribbean Limited.

For more information on this Official Publication, contact Michael Grant at (876) 490-7111 or micgrant@ix.netcom.com.

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A captivating and colourful showcase of the Caribbean’s diverse culture will be the highlight of the Opening Ceremony for ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.

Scenes representative of the vibrant lifestyle and heritage of the region will unfold on stage at the March 11 celebration to welcome the world to the tournament – starting with a medley of calypso, dancehall, mento, reggae, ska, soca and other musical genres.

The three-hour presentation at Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium in Jamaica will include a variety of dance sequences, stilt walkers enacting a cricket match – with commentary by the renowned Tony Cozier – a mass choir and fire blowers. There will also be an energetic drum score by a visiting troop from South Africa, symbolising the link between the previous ICC Cricket World Cup and this year’s Event.

“Rehearsals are going well and everyone is working hard to make this a successful and unforgettable start to the Cricket World Cup. It will be a fusion of Caribbean talent, traditions and ethnicities and therefore a tribute to the rich cultures of the Host Venues and the region as a whole,” said Event Manager for the Opening Ceremony, Martin Lewis.

Carnival, which is celebrated annually in several regional countries, will be a central theme of the evening’s proceedings and various scenes will see characters – such as revellers, a shaggy bear and plantation girls – ‘playing mas’ and depicting the merriment of these occasions and the Mello flavour of life in the Caribbean.

“This will be the first taste of the Cricket World Cup that the world receives and we want to convey the creative and warm spirit of our people and show them what they can expect for the two months that they are our guests,” continued Lewis, adding that some of the region’s top entertainers will participate as well.

“We will disclose the depth of the entertainment package in the coming days but I can tell you that it will involve some of the best in the business and will be a salute to the region’s musical legacy.”

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