For April Fool's Day - TOP 10 Worst April Fool's Day Hoaxes Ever..

April Fool's Day Atrocities
The Top 10 Worst April Fool's Day Hoaxes Ever

#1: Hijinks of Hussein and Son

Saddam Hussein and his sons may have been ruthless, power-hungry dictators, but that didn't stop them from trying to give the people of Iraq a good chuckle every April Fool's Day. On April 1, 1998 the Babil newspaper, owned by Hussein's son Uday, informed its readers that President Clinton had decided to lift sanctions against Iraq, only to admit later that it was just joking. One can imagine the knee-slapping guffaws when readers realized how they'd been taken for a ride. The laughs continued in 1999 when Uday mischeviously announced that the monthly food rations would be supplemented to include bananas, Pepsi, and chocolate. Again, just a joke. At this point, the Husseins appear to have run out of material, because in 2000 they recycled the sanction-lifting gag, and in 2001 trotted out the ration-supplement crowd-pleaser one more time. The merciless quality with which the same joke was repeated year after year had an almost surreal quality to it. In fact, it almost makes one sympathize with Saudi Arabia's chief cleric, the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al al-Sheikh, who in 2001 decreed that the celebration of April Fool's Day should be banned altogether. It's not known if the Sheikh had his neighbor's hijinks in mind when he issued the ban.

#2: Releasing The Prisoners

Imagine reading that your husband or brother who has been held in a squalid Romanian prison for years is finally going to be released. You make the long journey to the prison and stand outside the prison gates, waiting desperately for the moment you'll be reunited with your loved one, only to hear... 'April Fools! No one's being released!' This experience happened to sixty people in April 2000 who read in the Opinia newspaper that their loved ones were going to be released from the Baia Mare prison in Romania. They made the long journey to the prison, only to learn that the paper had played an April Fool's joke on them. The Opinia later published an apology.

#3: The Phony Deadline

Glenn Howlett's colleagues at London city hall thought they had dreamed up a great gag. They sent him a memo informing him that the really big report he was working on was going to be due early, in just two weeks. The tip-off was that the memo was dated April 1st. Ha Ha. Except Howlett didn't realize it was a joke. He received the memo while on vacation and immediately cut his vacation short and phoned the office to tell everyone to start getting busy. But as he contemplated the new deadline he worked himself up into an increasing state of panic, until soon he began to experience heart palpitations. Finally he collapsed from the stress and had to take leave from work. As he was recovering he realized it just wasn't worth risking his health to finish the report, so he filed for early retirement. At which point someone told him the early deadline was just a joke. He responded by suing for damages. As a consequence of his lawsuit, city hall banned employees from pulling any more pranks.

#4: The Dead Dog

The film National Lampoon's Vacation includes a scene in which Chevy Chase ties a dog to the bumper of his car, then forgets the dog is there and drives away. Inspired by this scene, Paul Goobie tied a dead chihuahua to the bumper of his co-worker's car. His co-worker, Kevin Meloy, got in the car and drove off, unaware that the chihuahua was there. Obviously passing motorists were horrified. But what made the situation even worse was that Meloy was deaf, so he couldn't hear the other motorists frantically honking at him. Happily he drove on for miles until finally someone was able to get his attention. Police charged Goobie with unlawful disposal of a dead animal.

#5: A Fake Hanging

Randy Wood's marriage was over, but apparently he was still a little bitter about the divorce. So he decided to play a prank on his ex-wife. He called her up and asked her to come over, telling her that he had something to show her. Obligingly she drove over, only to find him hanging by a noose from a tree in his front yard. Terrifed, she immediately dialed 911. Emergency services, including firefighters, policemen, and paramedics, soon showed up. But when they went to cut Wood down they discovered he wasn't dead. He wasn't even hurt. He had strung himself up as a prank to scare his ex-wife, using a lineman's harness similar to those used by utility crews. The authorities warned that he would face a fine of up to $1,000 and a year in jail for his prank.

#6: A Fake Robbery

Sitra Walker was an employee at a clothing store in Columbus, Ohio. She had only been working there for two weeks, but already she felt that she knew the manager well enough to joke around with him. So on April 1, 2003 she called him up at his home and told him that armed men were robbing the store. The manager immediately called the police, who promptly dispatched four cruisers. Minutes later Walker phoned the manager again and screamed 'April Fools'. Too late. When the police arrived moments later they weren't amused and charged her with inducing a panic. Walker's manager fired her.

#7: Revival of the Warsaw Pact

In 1996 the Russian news agency Itar-Tass reported that the Russian parliament was debating whether to revive the Warsaw Pact. The startling report was immediately repeated by news agencies in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, causing widespread panic. A few hours later Itar-Tass admitted that it had just been joking, and apologized for any confusion it might have caused.

#8: Fake Death Report

In 1986 Israel Radio broadcast that Nabih Berri, leader of the Shi'ite Amal movement, had been assassinated. The news caused an immediate flare-up of tensions in the region. However, Israeli officials quickly denounced the report as a hoax. The false report was traced back to an army intelligence officer who had planted the news item in the broadcasts of the Israeli Army's intelligence monitoring unit, from which it had been picked up by Israel Radio. Apparently the officer had meant it as an April Fool's joke (because hey, nothing says funny like stirring up tension in the Middle-East). Israel's Defence Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, announced that the unnamed officer would be court-martialed. "Berri Berri funny," one foreign correspondent wryly commented.

In the category of 'really bad fake death reports' one must also note the time in 1998 when Boston DJ's Opie and Anthony announced that the mayor of Boston, Tom Menino, had died in a car crash. Because City Hall couldn't immediately reach the Mayor to confirm that he was actually alive, many believed the report, including members of the Mayor's family. The next day Opie and Anthony were suspended without pay.

#9: Fake Disaster Warnings

In 1999 DJs at Oregon radio station KSJJ announced that the Ochoco dam had burst, threatening downstream areas with massive flooding. What made the warning believable was that hundreds of houses in these areas had been damaged the previous year when the Ochoco Creek had flooded, so terrified homeowners who heard the news quickly prepared to flee. Later the DJs informed their listeners that it was all a joke. They had just been 'having a little fun'. The homeowners were not amused.

In the same genre of non-funny disaster warnings, there's also WNOR's 1992 April 1st report in which it warned that a large build-up of methane gas was about to cause a fiery explosion at Mount Trashmore, a landfill near Virginia Beach. Residents were warned to evacuate the area, causing the local 911 to be flooded with calls. The DJs responsible for the prank were suspended without pay for two weeks.

#10: The Iraqi Ambassador's Final Joke

On April 1, 2003, as thousands of American-led coalition troops stormed across Iraq, the Iraqi ambassador to Russia, Abbas Khalaf Kunfuth, held a press conference in Moscow. Many were expecting him to announce that Iraq conceded defeat. Instead Kunfuth chose this moment to hold a gag press conference. Holding up a piece of paper that he identified as a news flash from Reuters, he read aloud from it: "The Americans have accidentally fired a nuclear missile into British forces, killing seven." Immediately the room full of reporters went silent with shock. Then Kunfuth grinned and shouted 'April Fools!' Only a few days after this unexpected moment of levity, the Iraqi government completely collapsed.


Happy April Fool's Day..

Anil Kumble retires from One-Day Cricket..

India's most successful bowler, Anil Kumble, announced his retirement from One Day Internationals in Bangalore on Friday.




The 36-year-old leg-spinning ace picked up 337 wickets in 271 ODIs at an average of 30.89. His economy rate was a creditable 4.30.

Kumble, who began his ODI career against Sri Lanka in Sharjah (1990), was not part of the Indian eleven for the two key Group `B' matches, against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, during the side's disastrous World Cup campaign in the Caribbean.

Ironically, Kumble was the county's most economical bowler during the ODI series in South Africa this season, conceding just 3.66 runs an over. He bowled with craft and precision.

"It has been a long journey since 1990," Kumble said on Friday. He thanked his parents, brother, wife and teammates for their support.

Kumble's accuracy, subtle variations, and bounce enabled him to contain and strike in the middle-overs. In his peak, the leg-spinner also operated in the end overs, mixing his pace and using the crease. He dented line-ups with his googly and the top-spinner, apart from the leg-break. Kumble's temperament — the intense bowler rarely succumbed to pressure — was perhaps his greatest ally in tense situations.

A man for the big occasion, Kumble's finest moment arrived against the West Indies in the Hero Cup final of 1993. The genial leg-spinner's six for 12 off 6.1 overs at the Eden Gardens was a tournament-winning spell. He adapted well to the pitches outside the sub-continent. Kumble's five for 33 against New Zealand in Wellington (1994) fetched victory for India.

Kumble's combativeness was evident in his aggressive approach. "He is a fast bowler in a spinner's body," his spin partner Harbhajan Singh once said. India coach Greg Chappell often highlighted the competitive streak in the leg-spinner, comparing Kumble with the legendary Aussie fast bowler Dennis Lillee.

Among India's foremost match-winners in Tests with 547 wickets in 113 Tests at 28.65, Kumble will continue to chase his dreams in the game's longer version..

Beating the Kids - Really Funny.

Maths can be Real Funny..

India's World Cup Dream shattered by Srilanka..

Sri Lanka continued their impressive form in the World Cup with a crushing 69-run win over an Indian side miserably low on confidence by virtually knocking the 1983 champions out of the World Cup at Trinidad on Friday.

Defending 254, Sri Lanka wasted little time in wreaking havoc, with the two crafty veterans, Chaminda Vaas(who was at his abusive best after he got the wicket of Robin Uthappa) and Muttiah Muralitharan (who fielded well aswell), ripping the heart out of a brittle batting order.

Virender Sehwag hit a few lusty blows in a 46-ball 48 and Rahul Dravid prolonged the inevitable with 60 (includes 4 fours in a Lasitha Malinga over), but found zero support and India collapsed for 185 in 43.3 overs.

Sri Lanka's bowlers used their characteristic drip technique to choke India, reducing them to 105 for 4 and pushing them close to World Cup elimination. Having posted 254, exactly the same score that they managed in the semi-final of the 1996 edition, they dismissed India's top four, including the dangerous Virender Sehwag for 48, and were clear favourites at the halfway mark.

Sehwag's second successive 50-plus score, after enduring a barren period before, was an innings reminiscent of the batsman at his best. He was solid against the faster men, working the percentages and waiting for the width to exploit.

India couldn't get their innings off to a flier, even though the fiery Robin Uthappa was in the middle. The first ten deliveries he faced were dots, with Vaas offering him no room to free his arms, and a number of ambitious strikes were mistimed.

Sourav Ganguly was Vaas's next victim, being nagged out by a drip-drip technique. He couldn't summon a boundary in his 23-ball stay and fell trying to launch him over mid-off.

Sachin Tendulkar let his first two deliveries go before being castled by the third - Fernando nipped a speedy ball in from outside off and Tendulkar could only inside edge it onto the stumps. It was a moment that prompted a question: will this be his last World Cup innings?

Dravid and the rest would want to ensure that it isn't.

The tension that had built up before the match simmered throughout the first innings and Sri Lanka moved along to a competitive 254 for 6.

After a scrappy session interspersed with edges, french-cuts, prodigious swing, canny cut and gorgeous fours, there was nothing to choose between the two sides.

Earlier in the day, India won the toss and decided to make first use of a virgin pitch at the Queen's Park Oval.

Their seamers landed it in the right areas and snared out the three big wickets early - Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene were frustrated out while Kumar Sangakkara was tempted into a loose loft.

But Upul Tharanga's responsible half-century, followed by a plucky partnership between Chamara Silva and Tillakaratne Dilshan restored the balance. Their 83-run stand, mainly singles with the occasionally hit four, was the highlight of the middle overs.

India's bowlers turned in an impressive performance, 27 extras notwithstanding.

Zaheer Khan started the game just like he'd begun the 2003 World Cup final, with a wide down the leg-side to a left-handed opener, but settled down into a fine rhythm soon after.

Ajit Agarkar and Munaf Patel were the best bowlers on view and would have ended with richer hauls with a dose of good fortune.

Sachin Tendulkar surprised with his banana inswing and Sourav Ganguly chipped in with an important wicket. All had moments of frustration but Sri Lanka chipped away gamely, eking out a handy total.

Upul Tharanaga impressed all with his approach Unlike Jayasuriya, there was no brutality in the strokeplay; unlike Sangakkara, there was no exaggerated follow-through and flourish; but the efficiency of his shot-making was a joyous sight.

His dismissal brought in a couple of hardworking batsmen - Silva was beaver-like in his approach, grinding out singles and improvising fours while Dilshan, always on the look-out for runs, provided support.

Silva's third consecutive 50-plus score formed the heart of the middle overs and his cheeky glides behind the wicket irritated the bowlers.

Dilshan was the more forceful, backing away and forcing the ball through the off side. Both fell in quick succession but Russel Arnold and Chaminda Vaas, adding 38 in 23 deliveries, boosted the total beyond the 250 mark.

Only twice have teams won chasing more than 250 on this ground. India should have been the 3rd one here but that was not to be.

So Sri Lanka's WIN over India knocks out India from this edition of the World Cup unless offcourse Bermuda pulls out a miracle WIN against Bangladesh (seems highly unlikely)..

Scorecard:

Sri Lanka Innings 254-6 (50 overs)

U Tharanga lbw b Tendulkar 64
S Jayasuriya c Agarkar b Zaheer Khan 6
M Jayawardene c Dhoni b Agarkar 7
K Sangakkara c Patel b Ganguly 15
C Silva c Dhoni b Zaheer Khan 59
T Dilshan c Dhoni b Patel 38
R Arnold not out 19
C Vaas not out 19
M Muralitharan
L Malinga
D Fernando
Extras: 27 ( b-0, lb-11, nb-2, w-14)

Total: 254-6 (50 overs)

Fall of wickets:
S Jayasuriya (33-1, 7), M Jayawardene (53-2, 12.4), K Sangakkara (92-3, 23.3), U Tharanga (133-4, 32.2), T Dilshan (216-5, 45.4), C Silva (216-6, 46.1)

India O M R W

Zaheer Khan 10 0 49 2
A Agarkar 8 1 33 1
M Patel 10 1 46 1
Harbhajan Singh 10 0 53 0
S Ganguly 4 0 22 1
S Tendulkar 8 0 40 1

India Innings 185-10 (43.3 overs)

R Uthappa c and b Vaas 18
S Ganguly c Muralitharan b Vaas 7
V Sehwag c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 48
S Tendulkar b Fernando 0
R Dravid c Muralitharan b Jayasuriya 60
Y Singh run out ( Arnold ) 6
MS Dhoni lbw b Muralitharan 0
A Agarkar c Arnold b Malinga 10
Harbhajan Singh not out 17
Zaheer Khan c Malinga b Muralitharan 1
M Patel c Vaas b Dilshan 10

Extras: 8 ( b-0, lb-1, nb-0, w-7)

Total: 185-10 (43.3 overs)

Fall of wickets:

R Uthappa (25-1, 6.5), S Ganguly (43-2, 10.5), S Tendulkar (44-3, 11.3), V Sehwag (98-4, 22.5), Y Singh (112-5, 27.4), MS Dhoni (112-6, 28.1), A Agarkar (136-7, 34.4), R Dravid (159-8, 37.3), Zaheer Khan (161-9, 39), M Patel (185-10, 43.3)

Sri Lanka O M R W

C Vaas 8 1 39 2
L Malinga 8 0 39 1
D Fernando 6.2 0 32 1
M Muralitharan 10 0 41 3
S Jayasuriya 9 0 31 1
T Dilshan 2.1 1 2 1

India's Win against Bermuda ..

A Virender Sehwag century steered India to a record World Cup total as debutants Bermuda were crushed by the biggest ever one-day victory margin of 257 runs on Monday.

India piled up 413 for five before Bermuda were skittled for 156 in the Group B encounter, allowing the 1983 champions to surpass Australia's previous record winning margin of 256, achieved against Namibia in 2003.

They also eclipsed Sri Lanka's previous Cup highest total of 398 for five made against Kenya in 1996.

The result will keep alive India's qualification hopes after their shock opening game defeat by Bangladesh on Saturday.

However, they still need to defeat a formidable Sri Lankan side convincingly in their third and final group game on Friday to be in contention if three teams tie on points.

Sehwag emerged from a prolonged slump in form to blaze an 87-ball 114 for his eighth one-day hundred. He set the tone in a 202-run second-wicket stand with Saurav Ganguly (89) after Bermuda put India into bat.

Yuvraj Singh (83 off 46 balls) and Sachin Tendulkar (57 not out off 29 balls) then tore into Bermuda's lightweight bowling to pile up 122 from just 63 balls for the fifth wicket.

India's win would have been even more emphatic had it not been for Glamorgan's David Hemp, whose defiant 76 not out put India's victory celebrations on hold until the 44th over.

Paceman Ajit Agarkar and leg spinner Anil Kumble took three wickets each.

CUT LOOSE

India grabbed a golden chance to show off after Bermuda asked their shaken rivals to take first strike at the Queen's Park Oval.

Sehwag, coming in at number three despite calls to drop him from the team, cut loose to stroke his first hundred since April 2005.

The 28-year-old had scored just one fifty in his last 14 innings.

Bermuda's 17-year-old paceman Malachi Jones struck with his first delivery to remove opener Robin Uthappa (3) in the second over when policeman Dwayne Leverock flung his 19-stone frame at slip to produce a stunning one-handed catch.

Sehwag quickly turned things around as he struck 17 fours and three sixes until he mistimed a heave off paceman Kevin Hurdle and holed out to Jones at deep mid-off in the 30th over.

Ganguly, 34, looked set for a Cup record fifth hundred until he was stumped off spinner Delyone Borden, who had dropped a stiff chance off Hurdle when he was on 14.

Yuvraj and Tendulkar added 136 runs in the last 10 overs with the latter hoisting seamer Hemp over square leg for six in the final over as India became the first team to cross the 400-mark barrier in the 32-year history of the tournament.

Many records were broken and many were made in this match.Some of them are listed below:

# India's 413 for 5 broke the record for the highest total in a World Cup match. The previous highest was Sri Lanka's 398 for 5 against Kenya at Kandy in 1996. India's previous best was 373 for 6 against Sri Lanka at Taunton in 1999. Click here for the list of highest totals in World Cups.

# India's margin of victory by 257 runs broke the record for the largest margin of victory in ODIs. The previous record was Australia's 256-run win against Namibia in the 2003 World Cup. Sri Lanka also beat Bermuda by 243 runs on March 15.

# India pillaged 203 runs in the last 20 overs and 136 in the last ten overs. Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh added 122 runs off 62 balls for the fifth wicket.

# Malachi Jones became the first bowler to take a wicket with his first delivery in a World Cup when he had Robin Uthappa caught by Dwayne Leverock at slip.

# Virender Sehwag's 114 off 87 balls was his first century in World Cups, beating his previous highest of 82 in the 2003 World Cup final against Australia. He took just 81 balls to reach 100, making it the third fastest in World Cups. It was also his first one-day hundred since April 2005.

# There were five ducks in the Bermuda innings, equaling the record for most ducks in a World Cup innings. The three other instances were; England v West Indies at Lord's in 1979, Canada v Sri Lanka at Paarl in 2003 and Sri Lanka v India at Johannesburg in 2003.

# When Sourav Ganguly hit his second six during his 89, he equalled Ricky Ponting's record of 25 sixes - the most in World Cups - though Ganguly has played ten matches less than Ponting.

# Before his 57 off 29 balls today, Tendulkar had batted at No 6 only thrice, with a highest score of 36. The last time Tendulkar batted at No 6 was against Zimbabwe at Indore in November 1993.

# For the third time in four days Ponting's record of eight sixes against India in the 2003 final was under threat. First Herschelle Gibbs and then Brad Hodge smashed seven each against Netherlands and today Yuvraj hit seven before holing out while attempting the eighth.

# India's tally of 18 sixes equalled South Africa's record for most sixes in an innings. South Africa set the benchmark during their match against Netherlands on March 16.

# Dwayne Leverock's spell of 10-0-96-1 was the second most expensive 10-over spell in World Cups. The two most expensive figures are Martin Snedden's 12-0-105-2 against England in 1979 and Ashantha de Mel's 10-0-97-1 against West Indies in 1987.

# The partnership of 202 between Sehwag and Ganguly was the eighth double-century partnership in World Cups. Incidentally, four of the eight 200-plus stands belong to India.

Now lets see how the Men In Blue fare against the Lankan lions.. :)

300..Movie Review..

'300' - The movie

If you've seen the trailer, you know that the movie looks full of obscenely ridiculous action sequences that would kick unholy amounts of arse. The movie is a two hour, R-rated version of that trailer. It inspires many an exagerrated obscene comment, but it's completely deserving in doing so. 300 is adapted from the graphic novel by Frank Miller.

It tells the story of the 300 Spartan warriors led by their bad ass King Leonidas (Gerard Butler), as they stand up against the tens of thousands of Persians awaiting to conquer and absorb Sparta into the empire. The Persians are lead by Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), who figures himself a god among men. And the movie is about their battle. Sure, there's a fair amount of political intrigue amongst the Queen (Lena Headey, who looks good aswell) and a traitor among the Sparta elite (Dominic West), but really the movie is about the battle, which is a technically accomplished series of fight scenes like I have yet to see before. Seriously. You'll want to compare them to scenes from Lord of the Rings or Gladiator, but you'd be wrong. Oh my, you will be wrong. One example would be the long, unbroken shot of Leonidas fighting in the first battle, the one that doesn't cut and keeps speeding up and slowing down, was quite invigorating, and a stand out among many great epic battle sequences.

Jaw dropping, and I might even be so inclined to say awe inspiring, battle sequences. The visuals themselves, even when not involving bloodshed or carnage, are a sight to behold. Much like the previous Miller adaptation Sin City, 300 was made with generous help from all digital environments. I don't know how faithful the film is to the graphic novel, but I can say that it looks damn fine, like the novel had come to life. Although what I viewed tonight was a workprint, most of the effects and digital rendering had been completed, and it never looked obnoxiously fake at all. It's a beautiful looking movie. The actors do well for their roles, with Gerard Butler as a very convincing badass leader, even though he doesn't need to keep shouting everything as if it were a grand statement. But you know what? It doesn't matter because I'd follow him into battle any day.

Mainly because I know that he could pretty much single-handedly take care of everyone for me, but he'd know I have his back. Zach Snyder, he of Dawn of the Dead ('04) fame, directs 300 with a sure hand, telling a rock solid tale of honor and valor and mostly about kicking ass. Looking back upon the film, I'm starting to pick up on some themes that are a little freaky if you stop to think about them. (Spartans discard imperfect babies, so as to keep their army full of the strongest. This leads one to realize that the Spartans are kind of creating their own master race. And when you think of creating a master race, Nazis also come to mind. And yet, we the viewer are supposed to identify and support these Nazis. These superior soldiers who, by the way, all kind of look like He-Man action figures, and made me feel inadequate about myself..I want a 6 pack body too now..)

There is a lot one can take away from this film. But purely on a knee-jerk visceral level, it's going to be very hard to top this movie. It's an adrenaline shot to your standard epic film. It packs a lot of testosterone into a two hour gap, but when compared to the bloated epics of late (Troy, Alexander, Kingdom of Heaven), it's quite refreshing. I don't know if I can keep lavishing praise on this film. I know this much, I can't wait to see it again. It's nice to see a movie that's not afraid to do new things while at the same time telling a solid story. A story of fighting. A lot of fighting. A hell of a lot of fighting, but done so well, and in such a damn good looking movie. It's a movie that makes you excited about movies again. Hell, it reduced me to obscene fan-boy gushing like I lost my virginity or solved the world's economic crises, full of hyperbole and nonsensical ramblings. That's what this movie does!!! 300 is one hell of a film.

Please visit : http://300themovie.warnerbros.com/

India's loss to Bangladesh sparks protests by angry fans..

India's loss to Bangladesh sparks protests by angry fans

Cricket fans in several cities today gave vent to their anger at the Indian team's embarrassing loss to Bangladesh in the World Cup, burning posters and effigies of players and shouting slogans against their fallen heroes.

In wicketkeeper M S Dhoni's hometown Ranchi, about two dozen people gathered near a house being built on a plot of land given to him by the Jharkhand Governemnt and set alight an effigy to which the player's poster was pasted.

The jeering people shouted slogans and asked the government to take back the plot allotted to Dhoni, who was out for a nought in yesterday's game in the West Indies.

Following the protest, police stepped up vigil at the site and Dhoni's home at Mecon in Ranchi.

In Kanpur, cricket lovers assembled in Lal Bungalow and torched effigies of the out-of-form Virender Sehwag, Dhoni and others, while disappointed fans in Jalandhar held a protest march and burnt posters of several players, including local boy Harbhajan Singh, Sehwag, skipper Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.

India suffered a shocking five-wicket loss to the minnows and Dravid's decision to bat first drew flak from protestors in many places.

"Such a poor performance by the Indian team in its first match, that too against a weak team like Bangladesh, has broken our hearts as we organised havans for the success of the team in the World Cup," said a fan in Jalandhar.

Protesters in Allahabad called for the re-inclusion of Mohammad Kaif in the team in place of Sehwag. Fans held protests in several parts of the city, lambasting the team for its "shameful defeat" at the hands of Bangladesh.

WC Squads

Australia's World Cup Squad

Ricky Ponting (C)
Nathan Bracken
Michael Clarke
Adam Gilchrist (Wk)
Brad Haddin (Wk)
Matthew Hayden
Brad Hodge
Brad Hogg
Michael Hussey
Brett Lee
Glenn McGrath
Andrew Symonds
Shaun Tait
Shane Watson
Mitchell Johnson

England's World Cup Squad

Michael Vaughan (C)
Ed Joyce
Ian Bell
Andrew Strauss
Kevin Pietersen
Paul Collingwood
Andrew Flintoff
Paul Nixon (Wk)
Ravinder Bopara
Jamie Dalrymple
Monty Panesar
Jon Lewis
James Anderson
Liam Plunkett
Sajid Mahmood

New Zealand's World Cup Squad

Stephen Fleming (C)
Shane Bond
James Franklin
Peter Fulton
Mark Gillespie
Michael Mason
Brendon McCullum (Wk)
Craig McMillan
Jacob Oram
Jeetan Patel
Scott Styris
Ross Taylor
Daryl Tuffey
Daniel Vettori
Lou Vincent

South Africa's World Cup Squad

Graeme Smith (C)
Jacques Kallis (VC)
Loots Bosman
Mark Boucher
AB de Villiers
Herschelle Gibbs
Andrew Hall
Justin Kemp
Charl Langeveldt
Andre Nel
Makhaya Ntini
Robin Peterson
Shaun Pollock
Ashwell Prince
Roger Telemachus

Sri Lanka's World Cup Squad

Mahela Jayawardene (C)
Kumar Sangakkara (Wk)
Sanath Jayasuriya
Upul Tharanga
Marvan Atapattu
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Russel Arnold
Chamara Silva
Chaminda Vaas
Farveez Maharoof
Lasith Malinga
Dilhara Fernando
Nuwan Kulasekara
Muttiah Muralitharan
Malinga Bandara

Pakistan's World Cup Squad

Inzamam ul-Haq (C)
Younis Khan (VC)
Mohammad Hafeez
Imran Nazir
Mohammad Yousuf
Shoaib Malik
Yasir Arafat
Shahid Afridi
Kamran Akmal (Wk)
Mohammad Sami
Azhar Mahmood
Umar Gul
Danish Kaneria
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan
Rao Iftikhar Anjum

India's World Cup Squad (Go India Go..)

Rahul Dravid (Captain)
Sachin Tendulkar (Vice Captain)
Sourav Ganguly
Virender Sehwag
Robin Uthappa
Yuvraj Singh
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Wk)
Dinesh Karthik (Wk)
Anil Kumble
Harbhajan Singh
Irfan Pathan
Zaheer Khan
Ajit Agarkar
Munaf Patel
S. Sreesanth

West Indies's World Cup Squad

Brian Lara (C)
Ian Bradshaw
Dwayne Bravo
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Corey Collymore
Chris Gayle
Daren Powell
Kieron Pollard
Denesh Ramdin
Marlon Samuels
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Lendl Simmons
Devon Smith
Dwayne Smith
Jerome Taylor

Zimbabwe's World Cup Squad

Prosper Utseya (C)
Gary Brent
Justice Chibhabha
Elton Chigumbura
Keith Dabengwa
Terry Duffin
Anthony Ireland
Friday Kasteni
Stuart Matsikenyeri
Christopher Mpofu
Tawanda Mupariwa
Edward Rainsford
Vusi Sibanda
Brendan Taylor
Sean Williams

ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 Schedule

The link to the complete ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 Schedule..

http://cricketworldcup.indya.com/pdfs/MatchSchedulePrinter.pdf

Oh Pinky ..Girls might not like it..

In the Jungle..

WHO - MAN ..

Who Man

You wake up so early
Who Man u look so girly..
Coz ur hair so curly
and ur body non burly..
You wear all pink and ur farts don stink
You mix rosewater in the water u drink
And u stare at the men and at the boys u wink..
Now its time to answer did u pee in the sink??

Who man who man where ya headed to man..
Goin to the gym or waitin in the loo man..
Who man who man what r ya gonna do man
Cry in ur room or beat me with ur shoe man..


Where r u from , eastside or westbrom
All ready for the prom goin with peter or with tom??
All ready who man ur lookin so great
ur dress is all hangin coz of ur backside's weight..
Is that ur ass or is that london gate..
Go now who man and don be late..

Who man who man who r you gonna sue man
Is it gonna be me or the guy who said no to you man..
Who man who man where's the rest of ur crew man..
Are they polishin their nails or r they cookin their stew man..


Valentine's day
and your too happy to be gay
You'll find a good lay
or thats what they say..
Is it john or Abhishek
Ur very own beefcake
y don u eat what u bake
And Leave them coz ur a fake..

Who man who man u cuddle winnie the pooh man..
Isn't that fr kids y don u go to the zoo man..
Who man who man u like playin nancy drew man..
U can't lie abt it all cz whts true is true man..

You visit the malls and niagra falls
But when it comes to *** y only viagra calls..
Admit it u don have it in between ur balls
Well then its settled u may go and sleep with the dolls..
You listen to elton and you listen 2 michael jackson
Thats coz u think they are the leaders of ur pack son..
What u don understan that both of them r whack son
There is smthin which both of them lack son..

Who man who man y r u feelin so blue man..
Is it coz of the beer or coz of drinkin that glue man..
Who man who man even sherlock holmes has no clue man
God must be confused and now he'll rue man..

You wear silky socks..
and u live like goldie locks..
And u giggle when u see the jocks..
and love visitin the docks..
U always seem game
when u kno he has a name
Althou its such a shame
He thinks ur so lame..

Who man who man u travel frm new york to zhangzhou man
Just to buy cheap cosmetics and feel that deja vu man..
Who man who man u have 1 what if u had 2 man..
Its all in ur mind i was talkin abt that screw man..

Who here who there who man is present every where..
On that chair,sittin in a pair,mafia layer..
Hockey player,Chicken slayer
Dark or fair..
Mixed or rare..
Richard or gere..
Tony or blair..
Daryll or hair..
Sole or spare..


DO WE CARE..
NAH
DON U DARE..

P.S (The contents of this rhyme shun be taken too personally by anyun coz the rhymemaster is a lil whack here and cud say anythin abt anyun as long as it rhymes..)

Hit Me..

Hit me..

1 punch,2 punch,3 punch,4
5 punch,6 punch,7 punch ..more..
Thts it ur out..thts all u had in store
But im lovin it all i think im a hardcore..
Beat me with a stick or beat me with a rod
Beat me with that iron fist and steal my ipod
If u need any help jus go and call my uncle todd
He'll teach you how to hit..
He'll teach u how to spit..
He'll even teach u how to ignore all the bullshit..
but as he has grown older he's lost all his might..
He can't even walk properly u talk abt a fight..
You two over there..ur future seems bright
Now u give me a left hook and u give me a right..
U there..Tyson..Do u wanna bite..
Im not holyfield but my ear is pretty white..
Oh so ur in retirement and ur also on a diet
But i heard some rumours that you still practice by the night..

Hit me black and hit me blue
Hit me like im sufferin from bird-flu
Hit me on the nose and hit me on my face
Keep on hittin me..Don slow down the pace..

When u see that blood flowin
Ur eyes start glowin
But u start feelin tired and its starts showin
The punches keep cumin but ur breath strts blowin..
U summon your inner strength and still keep on goin..
U Keep on flyin like that 747 boein..