The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, the marquee event in the international cricket calendar and the 10th such event, begins in 19 days. The last time we got all dressed up was back in 2007, in the Caribbean. That tournament ended in chaos, mismanagement and tragedy, but it didn't stop Australia from winning their third consecutive World Cup (and fourth overall). The cricketing landscape has changed a lot in the last four years, and the defending champions now face their toughest campaign to retain their trophy.

That's not to say the 2011 tournament has been without its share of controversy, even before the first ball has been bowled. The International Cricket Council stripped the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata (capacity of 90,000) the right to host the India vs. England encounter because the ground would not be ready in time (despite objections and pleas by the local cricket authorities and the Board of  Control for Cricket in India). The tournament format has come under criticism for ensuring that India, as the host team and the biggest financial draw, are unlikely to face a first-round elimination (as was the case in 2007).

And then there's the duration. Even though the first game is on February 19th, the quarter-finals begin more than a  month later, March 23rd - and this after the last two World Cups came under fire for being too long. There remains criticism that the participation of Associate teams like Canada, Kenya, Ireland and the Netherlands (and, to an extent, Zimbabwe) will do more overall harm than good, with the specter of boring, one-sided matches and meaningless records being smashed (a la Bermuda's miserable 2007 tournament) unnecessarily slowing the tournament down. For their part, the Associates - especially Ireland will look to make their case that they deserve a permanent seat at the big boys' table. And if there's one Associate nation who make that case, it's Ireland.

The biggest pre-tournament controversy happened when Pakistan were stripped of their hosting rights, following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in March 2009. Pakistan are often a team that find themselves in the headlines for the wrong reasons, and losing the honor of hosting World Cup matches has dealt their reputation (and wallet) a blow that will sting for a long time to come.

But controversy and criticism aside, the game must go on, and on February 19th, India and Bangladesh will square off in the opening game in Dhaka. It will be Bangladesh's first time hosting a World Cup, and coming off a historic win against New Zealand, Bangladesh will be looking to do more than simply make up the numbers this time. I'll start my preview by looking at their team and their chances.