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New Delhi - Canadian rocker Bryan Adams helps kickstart the 2011 cricket World Cup on Thursday at the tournament's opening ceremony, marking the start of a gruelling six-week sporting marathon.
The 10th edition of the showpiece event is being launched in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, joint hosts of the 14-team competition along with India and Sri Lanka.
Favourites India will go into the tournament opener against Bangladesh on Saturday in Dhaka in buoyant mood after two wins in their warm-up matches, including a crushing 117-run victory on Wednesday over New Zealand.
But South African skipper Graeme Smith said the World Cup was up for grabs.
"I believe every team taking part has a chance to win, it is all very open," he said as all 14 captains gathered in Dhaka ahead of the opening ceremony.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni defended the exhausting schedule which culminates in the final at Mumbai on April 2.
"All teams are in good touch. The gap between matches will help players recover from niggles which are bound to happen. It means every team will be in good shape," he said.
Dhoni, who smashed a blazing century in his team's emphatic victory over New Zealand, said he was delighted with the win but wants his seam bowlers to up their game, despite a general view that spin will be the deciding factor.
India, though, are not the only team having problems with their fast bowlers.
Pakistan are sweating over the form and fitness of bowling spearhead Shoaib Akhtar, who is part of a pace attack already depleted by the absence of banned duo Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif.
"Shoaib is not in touch at the moment," coach Waqar Younis said. "If he gets it right against England in the next (warm-up) game, he is obviously our number one choice."
Akhtar, 35, wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, 29, and seamer Umar Gul, 26, were taken for random dope testing after a practice session on Wednesday, team manager Intikhab Alam told AFP.
"These are normal procedures and players from every team will be tested," Alam said.
Akhtar, recalled for the World Cup after being out of action for a major part of the past three years due to a spate of injuries, tested positive for a banned drug nandrolone in 2006.
There was further trouble for Akhtar after he and fellow paceman Wahab Riaz were fined 3,000 Bangladeshi taka ($42) each for returning late from a private dinner on Wednesday night.
Pakistan face England in the final warm-up match in Fatullah on Friday, a game the ageing Akhtar needs to perform in to make the team for their opener against Kenya on February 23.
England fast bowler Stuart Broad admitted he was keeping his distance from Pakistan as the teams prepared for their first meeting since the 'spot-fixing' scandal that rocked cricket and led to bans for three Pakistan players, including Aamer and Asif.
"We've not seen a huge amount of them in the hotel - we've not been going out for dinner with them particularly," Broad told reporters.
"Obviously it was a tough summer for us last year, all England players will say the same."
Meanwhile, international cricket chiefs have approved Tinashe Panyangara as a replacement for the injured Edward Rainsford in the Zimbabwe squad.
Rainsford is the eighth player to be replaced after compatriots Tinotenda Mawoyo and Sean Ervine, Australia's Nathan Hauritz and Michael Hussey, Praveen Kumar of India, England's Eoin Morgan and Sohail Tanveer of Pakistan.
The World Cup opening ceremony at Dhaka's Bangabandhu National Stadium will see around 3 500 performers putting on a colourful show reflecting Indian, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi culture.
Organisers are promising the ceremony, which also involves Indian singer Sonu Nigam and Bangladesh-based Runa Laila, will be the biggest ever.
