This month India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh collectively play host to the 2011 Cricket World Cup – the cricketing world’s premier tournament.

The six-week cricket feast will be hosted by 13 cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru (Bangalore), Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Mohali, Mumbai (Bombay), Nagpur, and New Delhi (all in India); Colombo, Hambantota, and Kandy in Sri Lanka; and Chittagong and Dhaka in Bangladesh.

The World Cup sees 14 teams battling for supremacy in the One-Day International format of the game. Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada, and Kenya feature in Group A, while India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, and the Netherlands are the teams in Group B.

The tournament kicks off when India travels to Dhaka on February 19 to take on Bangladesh – the side that beat them in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. Bangladesh, which has proved hard to beat at home, will relish the opportunity to upset the tournament favourites.

The final will be contested at the revamped Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2.

Tickets for the World Cup are available through the International Cricket Council (ICC), while Qatar Airways has a comprehensive flight network that will deliver you to numerous cities in the three countries.

As any cricket follower would know, the game has religion-like status on the Subcontinent. Attending a World Cup match at a stadium with 80,000 screaming fanatics may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but for many it will prove the experience of a lifetime. The atmosphere at any international cricket match in the region is electric, and the World Cup is guaranteed to entertain both on and off the field.

The 2011 tournament will be the tenth in the history of World Cup Cricket. Reigning World Champion Australia has won it on four occasions, the West Indies came out on top twice, and India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have each been victorious once.

South Africa, an excellent one-day side but repeatedly labelled as ‘chokers’, has never won the Cricket World Cup; neither has England. Australia clinched the last three Cups, but is low in confidence after recently losing the Test cricket Ashes to traditional rival England for the third time in succession. England’s comfortable victory at last year’s Twenty20 World Cup and its good showing at the Ashes will certainly inspire belief in its players that this year could be their turn for Cricket World Cup glory. But throw in the mercurial Pakistanis and the skilful Sri Lankans and the race for the trophy is wide open.

But more than just for the cricket itself, this World Cup represents a fantastic opportunity for visitors to explore Southern Asia. India’s sights and sounds need little introduction; Sri Lanka was ranked number one in The New York Times ‘Places to see in 2010’; and Bangladesh is a hidden gem of a tourist destination that boasts beautiful countryside, fantastic shopping opportunities, and an economy that is growing at a rapid rate. So miss this tournament at your peril.