Cricket is a great sport and the Cricket World Cup is the highlight of every cricket lover. This time the event, which is held every four years, will be even more memorable for cricket lovers living in Bangladesh.The opening ceremony will take place on February 17, 2011, 2 days prior to the first match of the World Cup.
Indian film stars don’t qualify as guests for the opening ceremony of cricket World Cup to be held on February 17 in Dhaka. Ratnakar Shetty, the Tournament Director and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of BCCI, said, “The guest list is as per ICC protocol. The only Bollywood participation will be the performers at the opening ceremony. Otherwise, there are heads of state including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, BCCI president Sharad Pawar, members and presidents of various cricket boards.”
Shetty said Indian Premier League ( IPL) owners also don’t feature on the guest list. “It is an ICC event and not BCCI,” he said.
The opening ceremony of the World Cup is themed ‘It’s Cricket Beyond Boundaries’.
Sabbas Joseph of Wizcraft Entertainment, the event managers of the opening ceremony said, “There will be folk dances that will depict the culture from all the three countries – India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is going to be a spectacular opening ceremony with more than 3000 performers taking part in it.”
Playback singer Sonu Nigam will be singing a self-composed English song ‘Rise Up for Glory’. “I used to play cricket as a child till showbiz happened. My song and performance is a tribute to my childhood, the spirit of cricket and most importantly an ode to all the legends this game has given birth to,” Sonu said. “All the captains will appear at the ceremony for the first time with me.”
Apart from Sonu Nigam, the other Indian singers who will be performing are Shankar Mahadevan along with Ehsaan and Loy. They will sing the World Cup anthem ‘De Ghuma Ke’.
Sri Lankan pop singers Baithya, Santhusth and Iraj will also feature during the ceremony.
But the highlight of the event will be Runa Laila and Bryan Adams, who will be singing their popular numbers.
“Runa Laila will be singing ‘damadam mast kalandar’ which is one of her most popular songs. Two Bangladeshi singers Shabeena Yasmin and Mumtaz will add to the local flavour,” said Joseph.
Bryan Adams, who is currently India, will of course, be the biggest attraction. “He will be flying to our event after his Hyderabad show, before he goes to Kathmandu. He will be performing all his popular songs, like ‘Summer of 69′ and ‘Let’s make a night to remember’,” said Joseph.
I am eagerly waiting for The Cricket World Cup, hope Sachin Tendulkar drive India to win the World Cup.
Source: The Times of India
