2015 Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremonies of the 2015 Cricket World Cup took place in New Zealand and Australia on 12 February 2015, the eve of the beginning of the World Cup hosted by them after 23 years. Two ceremonies took place at the same time, one in North Hagley Park, Christchurch in New Zealand while the other in Melbourne, Australia. Thousands of fans turned up to watch the opening ceremony in both locations. Performances There were performances showcasing the culture of each of the participating nation at both the venues. These included the following: At Christchurch * Performance by a Maori troupe. * Solo musical performances by popular Kiwi singer Hayley Westenra. * Performances by popular New Zealand musical band Shapeshifter. At Melbourne * Kandyan dance performance by a Sri Lankan troupe. * Performance by a British Bagpiper. * An Irish ''River Dance'' performance. * Performance by Pakistani artists of the popular anthem Jazba Junoon. Notable guests At Christchurch Apart ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony Fireworks, Christchurch
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striking the ball bowled at one of the wickets with the bat and then running between the wickets, while the bowling and fielding side tries to prevent this (by preventing the ball from leaving the field, and getting the ball to either wicket) and dismiss each batter (so they are "out"). Means of dismissal include being bowled, when the ball hits the stumps and dislodges the bails, and by the fielding side either catching the ball after it is hit by the bat, but before it hits the ground, or hitting a wicket with the ball before a batter can cross the crease in front of the wicket. When ten batters have been dismissed, the innings ends and the teams swap roles. The game is adjudicated by two umpires, aided by a third umpire and match r ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John Key
Sir John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand retired politician who served as the 38th prime minister of New Zealand, Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016 and as Leader of the New Zealand National Party from 2006 to 2016. After resigning from both posts in December 2016 and leaving politics, Key was appointed to the board of directors and role of chairman in several New Zealand corporations. Born in Auckland before moving to Christchurch when he was a child, Key attended the University of Canterbury and graduated in 1981 with a bachelor of commerce, Bachelor of Commerce. He began a career in the foreign exchange market in New Zealand before moving overseas to work for Merrill Lynch, in which he became head of global foreign exchange in 1995, a position he would hold for six years. In 1999 he was appointed a member of the Foreign Exchange Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York until leaving in 2001. Key entered the New Zealand Parliament ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rod Latham
Rodney Terry Latham (born 12 June 1961) is a former New Zealand cricketer. He played domestic cricket for Canterbury, and played four Tests and 33 One Day Internationals for New Zealand. He also played rugby union for Canterbury. He was born in Christchurch. He was an all rounder whose bowling style suited mostly to one-day cricket. He opened for New Zealand in the 1992 World Cup tournament. Latham played in four Test matches, scoring his only century (119) against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in 1992. Latham's son Wicketkeeper-Batsmen Tom Latham has played cricket for New Zealand in all forms of the game. International career Latham made his international debut on 1 December 1990 when he played against England in Adelaide as part of the tri-nation series which featured Australia. On debut, he scored 27 runs which featured two fours in his short innings. This was followed by a 36 * against Australia at the same venue the following day. After getting out early in his next th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chris Harris (cricketer)
Chris Zinzan Harris (born 20 November 1969) is a former New Zealand cricketer who became, over the course of the 1990s, a folk-hero in New Zealand cricket. A left-handed middle-order batsman and deliverer of right-arm Slower ball, slow-medium deliveries, Harris rescued the New Zealand team's batting on numerous occasions and his deceptive looping bowling often restricted the run rates of opposition batting line-ups. Personal life Harris's father Zin Harris was also a New Zealand international player, and his brother Ben Harris (cricketer), Ben Harris has played at first-class level. All three of these players share the family traditional name of "Zinzan", also shared by a distant relation, former All Black Zinzan Brooke. Domestic career In first-class cricket Harris has played 128 matches and scored over 7000 runs at an average of over 45, including 13 centuries with a highest score of 251*. He has taken over 120 wickets at an average of 38, with best figures of 4/22. However, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Zimbabwe National Cricket Team
The Zimbabwe national cricket team, also known as the Chevrons, represents Zimbabwe in men's international cricket and is overseen by Zimbabwe Cricket (formerly known as the Zimbabwe Cricket Union). Zimbabwe has been a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1992. As of March, 2022, Zimbabwe is currently ranked 10th in Tests, 13th in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 11th in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) by the ICC. History Before Test status Zimbabwe – known as Rhodesia until 1980 – had a national cricket team before it achieved Test status. A summary of key moments: * Rhodesia was represented in the South African domestic cricket tournament, the Currie Cup, sporadically from 1904 to 1932, and then regularly from 1946 until independence. * Following independence, the country began to play more international cricket. * On 21 July 1981, Zimbabwe became an associate member of the ICC. * Zimbabwe participated in the 1983 Cricket World Cup, as well a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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South African National Cricket Team
The South Africa national cricket team, also known as the Proteas, represents South Africa in men's international cricket and is administered by Cricket South Africa (CSA). South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), with Test, One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) status. Its nickname derives from South Africa's national flower, ''Protea cynaroides'', commonly known as the "King Protea". South Africa entered first-class and international cricket at the same time when they hosted an England cricket team in the 1888–89 season. Initially, the team was no match for Australia or England but, having gained experience and expertise, they were able to field a competitive team by the first decade of the 20th century. The team regularly played against Australia, England and New Zealand through to the 1960s, by which time there was considerable opposition to the country's apartheid policy. The ICC imposed an international ban on t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sri Lankan National Cricket Team
The Sri Lanka men's national cricket team, ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා ජාතික ක්රිකට් කණ්ඩායම, ta, இலங்கை தேசிய கிரிக்கெட் அணி) nicknamed The Lions, represents Sri Lanka in men's international cricket. It is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) status. The team first played international cricket (as Ceylon) in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation. The team is administered by Sri Lanka Cricket. Sri Lanka's national cricket team achieved considerable success beginning in the 1990s, rising from underdog status to winning the Cricket World Cup in 1996, under the captaincy of Arjuna Ranatunga. Since then, the team has continued to be a force in international cricket. The Sri Lankan cricket team reached the finals of the 20 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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New Zealand National Cricket Team
The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Named the Black Caps, they played their first Test in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. From 1930 New Zealand had to wait until 1956, more than 26 years, for its first Test victory, against the West Indies at Eden Park in Auckland. They played their first ODI in the 1972–73 season against Pakistan in Christchurch. Kane Williamson is the current captain of the team in T20I’s, Tim Southee is the current test captain as Kane Williamson stepped downs as captain in December 2022. The national team is organized by New Zealand Cricket. The New Zealand cricket team became known as the Blackcaps in January 1998, after its sponsor at the time, Clear Communications, held a competition to choose a name for the team. This is one of many national team nicknames related to the All Blacks. As of 25 November 2022, New Zealand have played 1429 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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AB De Villiers
Abraham Benjamin de Villiers (born 17 February 1984) is a former South African international cricketer. AB de Villiers was named as the ICC ODI Player of the Year three times during his 15-year international career and was one of the five Wisden cricketers of the decade at the end of 2019. He is regarded as one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the sport. AB de Villiers began his international career as a wicket-keeper-batsman, but he has played most often solely as a batsman. He batted at various positions in the batting order, but predominantly in the middle-order. Regarded as one of the most innovative and destructive batsmen in the modern era, as well as one of the greatest of all time, de Villiers is known for a range of unorthodox shots, particularly behind the wicket-keeper. He made his international debut in a Test match against England in 2004 and first played a One Day International (ODI) in early 2005. His debut in Twenty20 International cricket came i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Brendon McCullum
Brendon Barrie McCullum (born 27 September 1981) is a cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer representing New Zealand, who played all formats, including as captain. McCullum was renowned for his quick scoring, notably recording the fastest test century of all time. He is considered one of the most successful batsmen and captains of New Zealand cricket. He retired from all forms of cricket in August 2019. McCullum is currently serving as the head coach of the England Cricket Test team. McCullum is the former leading run scorer in Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket and is the first and so far only one of the two Kiwi players to have scored two T20I centuries and 2000 runs in T20I (apart from Martin Guptill). He became the first New Zealander to score a triple hundred in a Test, 302 runs against India on 18 February 2014. In 2014, he also became the first New Zealander to score 1000 test runs in a calendar year (1164). The record was bettered by Kane Williamson with ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lasith Malinga
Separamadu Lasith Malinga ( si, සෙපරමාදු ලසිත් මාලිංග; born 28 August 1983), nicknamed "Slinga Malinga", is a Sri Lankan former cricketer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest limited overs bowlers of all time. Malinga captained the Sri Lankan 2014 T20 World Cup winning side and is the only bowler to take 4 wickets in 4 balls twice in international cricket. Malinga is a right-arm fast bowler that is commonly used as a specialist death bowler, and is well known for his distinctive round-arm action, sometimes referred to as a sling action, hence his aforementioned nickname. Malinga announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 14 September 2021. Malinga's unorthodox action and dipping slower ball yorkers are credited with much of his success. He changed the dynamics and landscape of death bowling in limited overs cricket by bowling his toe crushing yorkers. He is best known for his ability to take consecutive wickets, with i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which are adapted from the novels of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien. Other notable films include the critically lauded drama ''Heavenly Creatures'' (1994), the horror comedy ''The Frighteners'' (1996), the epic monster remake film ''King Kong'' (2005), the World War I documentary film ''They Shall Not Grow Old'' (2018) and the documentary '' The Beatles: Get Back'' (2021). He is the third-highest-grossing film director of all-time, his films having made over $6.5 billion worldwide. Jackson began his career with the " splatstick" horror comedy ''Bad Taste'' (1987) and the black comedy ''Meet the Feebles'' (1989) before filming the zombie comedy '' Braindead'' (1992). He shared a nomination for Academy Award for Be ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |