Countdown begins for the ICC World Cup opening ceremony

FOR CRICKET fans final hours of the countdown has begun for the much awaited opening ceremony of ICC World Cup which will be held in Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on February 17. The ceremony will be telecast live across 220 countries on major sports channels.

For the opening ceremony, the entire city has been decked up and the government has already declared February 17 as a public holiday from 2 pm onwards. The excitement can be felt in the air as it is the first time ever that Bangladesh will be co-hosting an international event along with Sri Lanka and India.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the ceremony which will include 14 nations vying for the top spot lasting for 42 days. The ceremony is scheduled to last for 135 hours. Bangladesh will also host eight world cup matches including two quarterfinals, six in Dhaka and two in the port city of Chittagong.

The cricket stadium in Dhaka will have a performance by Bryan Adams from Canada, which will be his first time ever in Bangladesh. He is the only western artist, who will perform at the grand opening on the evergreen song ‘Summer of 69' that will make this event an unforgettable experience.

Others who are going to perform include Indian musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, who will croon the official song of the ICC World Cup 2011, 'De Ghuma Ke', Runa Laila, Bhappi Lahri, Usha Uthup, and Sonu Nigam. The tickets for ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 opening ceremony will be available from February, 13,  2011 in Dhaka Bank at price ranges from 1000 to 35000 taka.

Price of Tickets :

1. Normal Local Gallery : 1000 taka.

2. International Gallery : 10000 taka.

3. Grand tickets : 20000 taka.

4. Hospitality Box tickets : 35000 taka.

The total number of audience expected to witness the Opening Ceremony Event Live at the Bangabandhu Stadium currently stands at 40,000. At the moment, the Bangladeshi capital is the focal centre of the entire cricketing world.

Wizcraft International Entertainment which had managed Commonwealth Games 2010 opening and closing ceremonies is an integral part of core team that has developed the concept for opening ceremony along with the organising committee.