World Cup Cocktail

Former Pakistan pacer Sarfraz Nawaz has accused the ICC of favoring the Indian team in the ongoing cricket World Cup by providing the defending champions pitches tailor made to suit their strengths.

"You look at the matches played so far in this World Cup that where India has played the pitches have been prepared to suit their strengths," Nawaz said on a TV channel show.

The outspoken and often controversial pacer said that in contrast Pakistan was being made to play on pitches which were not easy for them.

"Look at the match against Zimbabwe the pitch was double paced and had lot of bounce which goes against our strengths. I would ask the Pakistan Cricket Board to take up this issue with the ICC and find out what is going on," he said.

Luck of the Irish

Ireland's Kevin O'Brien almost lost the record of fastest century in World Cup history when South Africa's AB de Villiers was throttling the West Indies' attack at the SCG last Friday afternoon.

De Villiers reached his 100 off 52 balls and his 150 came off 64. That's the fastest 150 in one-day internationals, but his 52-ball hundred fell two balls shy of equalling O'Brien's 50-ball century against England in the 2011 World Cup.

"I was having a little afternoon nap and I woke up and he was on 78 off 41 or something like that and I thought 'Oh no!," O'Brien told cricketireland.ie.

"Thankfully he slowed up towards the end and didn't quite make it!"

Mooney's helmet boost

Ireland fast bowler John Mooney has delved into medieval history to improve his own batting helmet at the World Cup in the aftermath of the Phillip Hughes tragedy, Irish media reported on Monday.

The 33-year-old Dubliner designed an attachment, which he calls a "gorget", to protect the neck at the back and side of the head.

A "gorget", from the French word for throat, was a crucial part of suits of armour worn in the Middle Ages that protected the neck and throat.

"It's a very simple idea and it's designed to attach to existing helmets," Mooney told the Irish Independent.

"Safety is something I was very aware of before what happened to Phil."

Mooney, who sported the new design in the World Cup win over the United Arab Emirates in Brisbane last week, hopes to have the gorget approved and in production within a few months.

Murali pleads for Herath recovery time

Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralidaran pleaded on Monday for key spinner Ranjana Herath to be kept on ice for the World Cup quarter-finals after suffering a nasty injury to his finger.

The 36-year-old Herath needed four stitches in the spinning finger of his left hand after he tried to stop a full-blooded drive from England's Jos Buttler in Wellington on Sunday.

Muralidaran believes Herath can safely be rested for the remaining pool games against Australia and Scotland.

Should Herath be ruled out, as is likely, the main spinning duties will pass to Sachithra Senanayake who was included in the squad after his bowling action was cleared by the ICC.

"An injury like the one he has picked up to his spinning finger needs time to heal so I would allow him the maximum time to recover."        --Compiled