WC opening ceremony kicks off

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DHAKA: The biggest event of the cricket- the World Cup - kicked off with a gala opening ceremony here on Thursday evening.

All eyes glued on Bangabandhu National Stadium, as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 kicked off at 5:00 pm PST with a grand ceremony that is going to feature about 4,000 performers.

The other host country Sri Lanka starts off its campaign against Canada in a Group 'A' encounter in Colombo on Sunday. For first time co-host Bangladesh, the honour has coincided with a historic occasion, as 2011 marks the silver jubilee of its first ever ODI game against Pakistan in 1986.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, who have composed the official song for the World Cup, and Sonu Nigam will represent India while Runa Laila of the Dama dam mast kalandar fame and Mila, a local pop icon, will be the prominent Bangladeshis on display. Legendary Canadian singer Bryan Adams will add variety to what promises to be a spectacular show while the culture of Pakistan will not be seen at the over two-hour ceremony.