Cricket: NZ World Cup bid starts with England

New Zealand will open their 2007 World Cup campaign against England in an ominous repeat of their first-round draw from the 1983 and 1996 tournaments.

The tournament schedule was announced yesterday in the West Indies, where 51 matches will be contested over 47 days, beginning with the opening match between the hosts and Pakistan in Jamaica on March 13.

Based in St Lucia for the group stage, New Zealand will play warm-up matches against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka before squaring off against England on March 16, five days after the opening ceremony. They will then prepare themselves for what should be guaranteed wins over Kenya on March 20 and Canada on March 22.

New Zealand have never won the tournament but have a proud record over their eight previous campaigns, having qualified for the semifinals in 1975, 1979, 1992 and 1999.

They would have almost certainly qualified for the last four in the 2003 tournament as well but for their decision against travelling to Nairobi to play Kenya in the preliminary stage.

Two of their least successful campaigns were in 1983 and 1996, when the New Zealanders failed to qualify for the semifinals after being drawn to play England in their first match.

The format for the tournament sees the top two teams from each of the four groups qualifying for the second-round Super 8s, where they will play each of the remaining sides - except for the team who advanced from their own group. The Super 8 stage of the tournament, which begins on March 27, will be played in Antigua, Guyana, Grenada and Barbados.

The top four teams from the Super 8s will then advance to the semifinals in Jamaica on April 24 and St Lucia on April 25.

The final will take place at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on April 28.

Defending champions Australia will launch their campaign with a poll one match against Scotland in St Kitts on March 14, before playing the Netherlands on March 18 and South Africa on March 24.

India and Sri Lanka, who have won the tournament in previous years, are expected to progress from pool two, as are pool four favourites Pakistan and the West Indies.

The draw in full

* POOL 1 (St Kitts & Nevis)

Australia, South Africa, Scotland, Netherlands
March 14 Australia v Scotland
March 16 South Africa v Netherlands
March 18 Australia v Netherlands
March 20 South Africa v Scotland
March 22 Scotland v Netherlands
March 24 Australia v South Africa

* POOL 2 (Trinidad and Tobago)

Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Bermuda
March 15 Sri Lanka v Bermuda
March 17 India v Bangladesh
March 19 India v Bermuda
March 21Sri Lanka v Bangladesh
March 23 India v Sri Lanka
March 25 Bermuda v Bangladesh

* POOL 3 (St Lucia)

New Zealand, England, Kenya, Canada
March 14 Kenya v Canada
March 16 England v New Zealand
March 18 England v Canada
March 20 New Zealand v Kenya
March 22 New Zealand v Canada
March 24 England v Kenya

* POOL 4 (Jamaica)

Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland
March 13 West Indies v Pakistan
March 15 Zimbabwe v Ireland
March 17 Pakistan v Ireland
March 19 West Indies v Zimbabwe
March 21 Zimbabwe v Pakistan
March 23 West Indies v Ireland

* Super Eight Stage: March 27-April 22 Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada, Guyana, Barbados
* Semifinal 1, Jamaica April 24;
* Semifinal 2, St Lucia April 25
* Final: Barbados, April 28