The International Cricket Council and Yahoo!India on Thursday announced the launch of the official website of the ICC World Cup 2011 – iccevents.yahoo.com, the online destination to follow the happenings of the sporting extravaganza, starting from February 19.

The website would have live match updates, detailed match analysis, exclusive video content, engaging games and rewarding contests, an ICC release said.

Fans can also purchase ICC merchandise through the website, the release informed.

ICC General Manager (Commercial) Campbell Jamieson said he and other members of the world governing body of the game were “thrilled to be working with Yahoo! to launch an online destination that offers the exclusive ICC Cricket World Cup content in an innovative and engaging way.”

Among the content will be “Commentweeter” to get a consolidated view of Twitter updates directly from cricket fans and the top cricketers of the world in one single view, the release added.

The Aussie fans seem to have lost all faith in their national cricket team as a nationwide online survey has thrown up verdict that Australia would not win the Ashes this time around.

While a lot of fans still hoped that Australia would regain the Ashes, but 56 per cent believe the Poms will defeat the them on home soil for the first time since 1986-87.

In a poll conducted by the Sunday Herald Sun online, more than 6000 fans took part, with questions ranging from the make-up of the team for the first Test at the Gabba, starting on November 25, to whether there is too much cricket being played.

The people blamed the selectors for Aussie team sliding to No 5 position in the world Test rankings. The poll also showed that they believe that coach Tim Nielsen is a failure and should be replaced by Shane Warne. Besides, an overwhelming 74 per cent said that Michael Clarke should not become the next Test captain.

And while Michael Hussey remained a line-ball selection but Marcus North, who only last week was projected as a future captain, did not get fans’ support.

In fact, people’s verdict said that he did not even deserve to be in the team, with 69 per cent of them saying that he should be dropped.

Meanwhile, 85 per cent voted against Nathan Hauritz as the spin bowling answer for Australia and instead chose young gun Steve Smith as the preferred option.

In other shocking responses, the fans preferred Cameron White to take over Test captaincy from Ricky Ponting.

Also, they voted England’s under-fire batsman Kevin Pietersen as Australia’s biggest danger, just ahead of spinner Graeme Swann.

The other poll results showed that it was time for the selectors to show some faith in youngsters, with more than 82 per cent claiming Australia must promote youth in this summer’s Test series against England.

Most of the fans voted that the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch must be dumped for former Australian captain Greg Chappell.

Meanwhile, Test cricket was still the preferred form of the game, with 68 per cent voting in its favour. Twenty20 came in third behind the 50-over game.

However, the biggest shock of the survey came as the cricket lovers have all but given up hope on Australia winning back the Ashes this summer.

“What a disastrous build-up to the Ashes this is turning out to be,” Terry of Shellharbour posted.

While Greg Johnston, of Sydney, said: “Where’s our mongrel? We were famous for it, now we couldn’t knock a maggot off a chop!”

Even the Test captain-in-waiting Clarke took a belting from the fans again.

“Clarke is clueless as captain,” Gazza of Newcastle wrote.

Australia’s losing streak has reached seven with the SCG defeat by Sri Lanka on yesterday night. But the fans preferred to hold selectors responsible for the debacle, rather than the players, with 90 per cent claiming the selectors are not doing a good job. While 68 per cent delivered the same scathing verdict on coach Nielsen.

Fans instead want former spin king Warne as the coaching replacement.

Interestingly, the the public was divided on whether players’ wives and girlfriends should be allowed on tour, with more than 53 per cent were in favour of them joining the team over summer.

Australian media and cricket fans Monday called for Mitchell Johnson to be left out of Thursday’s third Ashes Test against England amid mounting concerns over his lack of bowling form.

The left-arm pace spearhead has been struggling with his eight wickets going for 331 runs in the opening two Tests of the series, and it got no better with match figures of 1-107 off 18.1 overs in the weekend tour match against Northamptonshire.

Pundits and cricket followers chorused that it was time to find someone else to share the new ball with the Australians already 0-1 down in the best-of-five Test series.

“It’s hard to justify Johnson’s inclusion in a four-pronged attack,” The Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter Roebuck said. “Australia cannot afford to carry a pace bowler on a wing and a prayer.

“Johnson has had a bad tour. He’s been in England for months. His action has gone to pot and his confidence is in his boots. Perhaps too much was expected.”

The Australian said Johnson “was by far the worst” of Australia’s bowlers in the three-day match at Northampton, which the tourists won by 135 runs. Fellow paceman Stuart Clark impressed to boost his chances of a recall.

“If form is any guide Johnson should be replaced by Stuart Clark for the third Test at Edgbaston, beginning on Thursday,” the newspaper’s Malcolm Conn said.

The Herald said Johnson’s “disconsolate” body language was noticeable in the Northamptonshire match.

“Every play and miss, every shot that eluded a fielder was greeted with a slumped head and a resigned slap on the thigh,” the SMH’s Chloe Saltau said.

“His long-awaited breakthrough did little to suggest he can resurrect his tour in the bearpit that is Edgbaston from Thursday, where the English batsmen will prey on his technical and mental vulnerability.”

Fans also called time on the misfiring Johnson with a majority on newspaper blog sites saying he had to go.

“When batsmen are out of form they get dropped. So should bowlers. Being 1-0 down we need five fit and in-form bowlers to win a Test,” one fan said.

“The team should be picked on form. Mitchell’s bowling form is not good, so he should stand aside until he is one of the top 11 players again,” another said.

South African cricket fans say 2008 was the most successful year for the country’s cricket team, according to an internet survey. 

The survey conducted by Cricket South Africa (CSA) found that 96 percent of the fans who took part in the exercise believe 2008 was the most successful year for the South African cricket.

The survey drew nearly 550 responses, Pakistan’s Online news agency said.

CSA CEO Gerald Majola said the online fan survey demonstrated the kind of support cricket enjoyed among the people in South Africa.

“This support is graphically illustrated in the most positive response to the online fan survey conducted on CSA’s website,” he said.

“We will study the results to ensure that we keep in touch with the fans. Their support was a critical factor in taking the Proteas to the world’s top ODI spot and second in the Test rankings, and achieving the best results in South African cricket history over the 2008-09 season,” he said.

From May last year to April 2009, the Proteas achieved unparalleled success in the history of South African cricket, including the Test series triumph in England and Australia, Majola said.

The final report on the fan survey will be released in the next few weeks, he added.