MUMBAI, India, CMC – West Indies will have their hands full when they clash with World No. 3 South Africa in their opening match of the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

The International Cricket Council yesterday announced the fixtures for world cricket’s major showpiece that will see the two-time champions squaring off with the Proteas in New Delhi on February 24.

West Indies, who played hosts to the last Cricket World Cup, will also face India, England, Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands in their Zone B fixtures.

“The announcement of the match schedule for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is an exciting development as not only does it allow all our stakeholders to start planning their tours but it will also remind everyone that we are getting closer to the staging of the biggest event in world cricket, where the leading cricketers from all over the globe will battle it out for the top prize in the game,” said ICC vice-president Sharad Pawar, also chairman of the tournament’s Central Organising Committee.

“The sub-continent offers some great facilities for the cricketers, spectators, sponsors and media, and with some brand new stadia to be built and others to be upgraded, the match schedule will allow the venues to focus on the task at hand to plan and implement their preparations and ensure they are ready to welcome the world to this beautiful, historic and cricket-loving region in 2011.”

West Indies will meet the Netherlands in their second game on February 28 in New Delhi before taking on Bangladesh on March 4 in Dhaka.
The Caribbean side will travel to Mohali for their next fixture against Ireland a week later before playing their fifth match in Chennai against England.

West Indies play their final match of the preliminary round against India also in Chennai.
Bangladesh and India will raise the curtain on the tournament in Dhaka on February 19 while reigning three-time champions Australia open their title defence against Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad.

Four quarter-finals will be played from March 23-26, with the two semi-finals carded for March 29-30 and the final scheduled for April 2 in Mumbai.
India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are joint hosts for the event.