Mon, Aug 02 10 09:07 PM
Colombo, Aug 2 (PTI) Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is looking forward to next year''s ICC cricket World Cup which will be staged in the Indian sub-continent after a span of one and a half decades. "The Cricket World Cup is the ultimate limited overs competition for a cricketer as it happens only once in four years. The entire cricketing fraternity eagerly waits for this event and when it starts, everyone gets deeply involved," said Tendulkar, who will become the most capped Test batsman when he plays against Sri Lanka in his 169th match tomorrow. "It''s a completely different feeling to be part of a Cricket World Cup where the atmosphere and the buzz is very special and to be staged in the sub-continent for the first time in 15 years is a magnificent feeling," added the Indian batting maestro. With the World Cup to be co-hosted by India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said winning the the show-piece event on home soil is his biggest dream. "It can''t get any bigger than the ICC Cricket World Cup in which the best of the best enter with just one objective to take home the Cup that counts," the Indian skipper said. "It''s not only my dream to be a Cricket World Cup winner but it''s the wish of every member of Team India to put his hand on the Cricket World Cup trophy. We''ll work as hard as possible to turn our dreams into reality," Dhoni said. "This trophy has been eluding us for the past 27 years and I think we have a very good chance at home to break the drought," he added. With 200 days to go before the first ball is bowled in the World Cup, the ICC today announced the event mascot''s name as ''Stumpy'' at the P Sara stadium here ahead of the third Test between India and Sri Lanka starting tomorrow. The mascot, an elephant, has been named ''Stumpy'' after an online selection process that drew proposals from thousands of cricket fans around the world. The lucky winner will receive a cricket bat signed by the all-star quartet of Dhoni, Tendulkar, Sri Lanka'' captain Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena. "This is another milestone in the build-up to our flagship event and it''s great to see the game''s best players like Mahendra, Kumar, Sachin and Mahela looking forward to the ICC Cricket World Cup with such enthusiasm," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement. "As the excitement builds over the coming 200 days, we will see Stumpy throughout the cricket world, promoting the event and generating enthusiasm," he said.
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