ICC annual conference to take place in Dubai from 29 June to 4 July

Dubai , 28 April 2008

The International Cricket Council today confirmed that this year’s annual conference week would take place in Dubai .

The week, which will include meetings of the ICC Chief Executives' Committee and the ICC Board, will run from 29 June to 4 July.

The week will see David Morgan take over as ICC President and Haroon Lorgat take up the post of ICC Chief Executive Officer.

The annual conference week was originally scheduled to be held at Lord’s in London . The decision to move the location to the United Arab Emirates was made by the ICC Board on the basis that all delegates required to attend would be permitted entry.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC announces umpire and referee appointments for upcoming series

Dubai , 28 April 2008

The International Cricket Council today announced umpire and match referee appointments for the upcoming Test and ODI series in England and the West Indies .

On 15 May the Test series between England and New Zealand gets underway at Lord’s, London . Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees will oversee each of the three matches.

Simon Taufel and Steve Bucknor of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires will stand in the first Test at Lord’s. The second Test will take place between 23 and 27 May at Old Trafford, Manchester with Taufel and Darrell Hair, also of the Elite Panel, having been appointed to stand.

The third and final Test of the series takes place at Trent Bridge , Nottingham starting on 5 June. Hair and Bucknor will be the on-field umpires.

Six days after the scheduled conclusion of the third Test, the five-match ODI series will get underway at the Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street . Javagal Srinath of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees will oversee that series while Steve Davis of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires will stand in each ODI along with a local appointment.

Meanwhile, a three-Test and five-ODI series begins on 22 May at Sabina Park , Jamaica with the first Test between the West Indies and Australia . Roshan Mahanama of the Elite Panel of Match Referees will oversee the entire series.

The first Test will be umpired by Aleem Dar of the Emirates Elite Panel and Russell Tiffin of the Emirates International Panel.

The second Test in Antigua will be umpired by Mark Benson of the Elite Panel and Tiffin while the third Test in Barbados will have Benson and Dar standing in the middle.

The attention will then shift to the ODIs. These will all be umpired by Asad Rauf of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, who will stand with local appointments.

Umpires and match referee appointments for other upcoming series will be announced in due course.

England v New Zealand Test series (Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle)

15-19 May – England v New Zealand (Test), Lord’s – Simon Taufel and Steve Bucknor
23-27 May – England v New Zealand (Test), Manchester – Simon Taufel and Darrell Hair
5-9 Jun – England v New Zealand (Test), Nottingham – Darrell Hair and Steve Bucknor

England v New Zealand ODI series and T20I (Match Referee: Javagal Srinath)

13 Jun – England v New Zealand (T20I), Manchester – local appointments
15 Jun – England v New Zealand (ODI), Chester-le-Street – Steve Davis and local appointment
18 Jun – England v New Zealand (ODI), Birmingham – Steve Davis and local appointment
21 Jun – England v New Zealand (ODI), Bristol – Steve Davis and local appointment
25 Jun – England v New Zealand (ODI), Oval – Steve Davis and local appointment
28 Jun – England v New Zealand (ODI), Lord’s – Steve Davis and local appointment

West Indies v Australia Test and ODI series (Match Referee – Roshan Mahanama)

22-26 May – West Indies v Australia (Test), Jamaica – Aleem Dar and Russell Tiffin
30 May to 3 Jun – West Indies v Australia (Test), Antigua – Russell Tiffin and Mark Benson
12-16 Jun – West Indies v Australia (Test), Barbados – Aleem Dar and Mark Benson
20 Jun – West Indies v Australia (T20I), Barbados – local appointments
24 Jun – West Indies v Australia (ODI), St Vincent – Asad Rauf and local appointment
27 Jun – West Indies v Australia (ODI), Grenada – Asad Rauf and local appointment
29 Jun – West Indies v Australia (ODI), Grenada – Asad Rauf and local appointment
4 Jul – West Indies v Australia (ODI), St Kitts – Asad Rauf and local appointment
6 Jul – West Indies v Australia (ODI), St Kitts – Asad Rauf and local appointment

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC statement concerning Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed

Dubai , 25 April 2008

On paid leave until end of tenure; David Richards on assumes role as interim CEO until Haroon Lorgat takes over

ICC President-Elect David Morgan today released the following statement:

“The ICC President, Mr Ray Mali , and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Malcolm Speed , have agreed that Malcolm Speed will be on paid leave from 30 April 2008 until the end of his contract term on 4 July 2008.

“This change of plan is the result of a fundamental breakdown in the relationship between the CEO and a number of Board Members, including the President, over a variety of issues that include Zimbabwe .

“Mr David Richards on , the ICC General Manager – Cricket, will serve as interim CEO until Mr Speed’s replacement, Mr Haroon Lorgat , assumes the role at the ICC’s Annual Conference at the beginning of July.”

Mr Speed has served as the ICC’s CEO since July 2001 and is only the second person to have filled the role in the organisation’s 99-year history. He succeeded David Richards , who was CEO from 1993 to 2001.

Media note: ICC President-Elect Mr David Morgan is expected to be available to the media on Saturday 26 April. Further details will be confirmed and announced in due course.

Ahead of any briefing, there will be no further comment from the ICC on this matter.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Asoka de Silva and Steve Davis promoted to Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires

Dubai , 23 April 2008

ICC General Manager - Cricket David Richardson hopes the elevation of the pair will be an inspiration to umpires serving on the Emirates International Panel

The ICC today announced that Asoka de Silva of Sri Lanka and Steve Davis of Australia had been promoted to the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, with the pool of top officials expanding from 10 to 12.

The two umpires, who have been serving on the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires, have been elevated to the Elite Panel by the ICC Umpires Selection Panel made up of David Richardson , ICC’s General Manager – Cricket, Emirates Elite Panel ICC Chief Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle, ex-England player, coach and former first-class umpire David Lloyd and Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, the former India captain and international umpire.

De Silva has stood in 33 Tests and 76 ODIs after making his debut in 1999 and has served previously on the Elite Panel between 2002 and 2004. The 52-year-old also played 10 Tests and 28 ODIs for Sri Lanka between 1985 and 1992.

Davis , 56, has stood in 11 Tests, 71 ODIs and three T20 Internationals having made his top level debut in 1992. He has been a member of the International Panel since 2003.

Mr Richardson said: “We are delighted to confirm the elevation of both Steve and Asoka to the expanded Emirates Elite panel of ICC Umpires.

“Their promotions are a result of perseverance, hard work and commitment and I am sure these two umpires will serve as an inspiration to the other Emirates International Panel umpires who are striving hard to break into the Elite Panel.

“For Asoka, it will be his second time in the Elite Panel and he has returned after performing outstandingly on the International Panel over the past 12 months.

“Asoka brings with him a combination of playing and umpiring skills and that combination is one that we believe will serve him well in the months and years to come.

“Steve has served an apprenticeship on the fringes of the Elite Panel and his elevation reflects not only his consistency during recent years but also his excellence over the past year in particular.

“I have no doubt that the elevation of these two quality umpires will strengthen the Emirates Elite Panel,” added Mr Richardson.

Asoka de Silva said: “I am delighted to be back on the Elite Panel. Getting back there has not been easy. It has required a lot of hard work leading to good decision-making on a consistent basis and I am glad my efforts have been recognised. I am now keen to ensure I maintain the high standards I have set myself.”

Steve Davis said: “I am thrilled to be appointed to the Elite Panel as it has to be the aim of every umpire to be appointed to this select group.

“I have worked hard for this and now I look forward to concentrating on umpiring on a full-time basis. I have always enjoyed the company of those umpires already on the Elite Panel and now I have the chance to work with them all on a more regular basis. I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

The expansion of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires is one example of the enhanced management of officials being rolled out by the ICC.

The additions to the Elite Panel will allow the top umpires to get more rest away from international action while, at the same time, allowing them time to work on their skills and mentor umpires at domestic level.

Top level umpires will also be assisted by five regional umpire managers who will work with those umpires to ensure peak performance. The remuneration of officials at the highest level has also been improved to reflect their value to the game.

These developments followed recommendations made by an ICC Umpiring Task Force made up of Chairman David Morgan , the ICC President-Elect, ICC Chief Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle, Cricket Australia Cricket Manager Geoff Allardice and Mr Richardson.

And commenting on the implementation of the recommendations, Mr Richardson said: “These improvements reflect the ICC’s commitment to officialdom at the highest level and are part of our desire, at every level, to ensure our strong sport gets even stronger.”

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

TRIPURA SPORTS COUNCIL

Committee:

Chairman, TSC
Sri Keshab Majumder, Hon'ble Minister, Education (Youth Affairs & Sports) etc. Department, Tripura.

Vice-chairman

Sri Radhacharan Debbarma, Executive Member, T.T.A.D.C.
Sri Amitabha Dutta, M. L. A.

Member, TSC

Sri Kamalesh Paul, Chairperson in Council,A.M.C.
Commissioner & Secretary, Education (Youth Affairs & Sports) Department.
Director, Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of Tripura.
Director, School Education.
Sri Nirmalya Kr. Datta, President, T.C.A.
Dr. Jyotsnamoy Datta.
Sri Dilip Chakraborty.
Dr. Arunava Roy.
Sri Madhusudhan Chakraborty.
Sri Manik Saha, Vice President, Badminton Association of India.
Sri Rati Ranjan Dhar, Swimmer.
Sri Bisweswar Nandi, Gymnast.
Smt. Debabhakti Jamatia.
Secretary, Tripura University Sports Board.
Secretary, Tripura School Sports Board.

Secretary, TSC

Sri Kamal Saha.

Jt. Secretary, TSC
Sri Bimal Kr. Roy Chowdhury.

Treasure, TSC
Sri Chandan Sengupta.

Formation of District Sub-Committee of Tripura Sports Council :-

As per Decision taken by the Tripura Sports Council in its meeting held on 11-07-2006, the Sub-committee in each District has been formed for organizing sports programme and monitoring the sports programme of TSC in the respective District.

Name of the District Sub-Committee:

A. NORTH DISTRICT

1) Sri Laxman Kar, Sabhadhipati, Uttar Tripura Zilla Parishad. - Chairman
2) The Dy Director of YAS. North Dist. - Convener
3) Sri Mantosh Sinha, Sports Organizer of Kailashar. - Member
4) Sri Adhir Ghosh, Sports Organizer of Dharmanagar . - -Do-
5) Sri Chandragupta Barua, Sports Organizer of Kanchanpur . - -Do-

B. DHALAI DISTRICT

1) Sri Pankaj Chakraborty, Sabhadhipati, Dhalai Zilla Parishad . - Chairman
2) Dy. Director, Dhalai Dist. YAS. – ABS. - Convener
3) Sri Anjan Das – KMP, Chairperson, Nagar Panchyat (Kamalpur). - Member
4) Sri Bijan Paul – ABS. - -Do-
5) Sri Lalit Mohan Tripura - GNC. - -Do-
6) Sri Matilal Sukla Baidya - LTV. - -Do-

C. WEST DISTRICT

1) Smt. Sukla Sarker, Sabhadhipati, Paschim Tripura Zilla Parishad. - Chairman
2) Dy. Director, W. DYAS. - Convener
3) Sri Sukhen Saha, Melaghar, Sonamura. - Member
4) Sri Partha Saha - Officetilla, Bishalgarh. - - Do-
5) Sri Sambhu Bhattacherjee - Char Ganki, Khowai. - - Do-
6) Sri Pranab Chakraborty - Baganbazar, Teliamura. - - Do-
7) Sri Narendra Deb Barma - Agartala, Sadar. - -Do-

D. SOUTH DISTRICT

1) Smt. Maya Paul, Sabhadhipati,, Dakshin Tripura Zilla Parishad. - Chairman
2) Dy. Director, DYAS, South District. - Convener
3) Sri Dipak Choudhury, Chairman, Satchand R. D. Block Panchayet Samiti. - Sabroom
4) Sri Dipankar Sen, Ex-Chairperson, Belonia Nagar Panchayet. - Belonia
5) Sri Nitai Ch. Dey, Word Member, Udaipur- Nagar Panchayet - Udaipur
6) Sri Drishya Kr. Reang, Ex. Sports Man. -Santirbazar
7) Sri Parimal Debnath, Vice-Chairman, Amarpur Block Panchayet Samiti - Amarpur.

TRIPURA SPORTS COUNCIL

AIM & Objectives :-
Tripura Sports Council is an Advisory Body Govt. of Tripura.
Aim & Objectives of the Tripura Sports Council are to advice the government for the development of games & sports .

i) To act as Liaisons between the sports, games and youths Welfare organizations and Government.
ii) To grant recognition to such sports and youths welfare organizations as it may deem worthy of recognition.
iii) To work for the Development of selected games and sports and to go to the particular area where from Talents are coming in those particulars games/ sports and to arrange special coaching programme for them.
iv) To co-ordinate the activities of different sports, games or physical education and other welfare organization for promotion of their objectives.
v) To formulate plan and for improvement of all branches of sports, games and allied activities.
vi) To organize and promote state wise or original training or coaching camp, youth festival, sports parade, rallies etc. in collaboration with state or Sub-divisional Sports organizations .

Functions :
The following are the functions of sports council.

1) To organize Rural Sports (Block to State level).
2) To organize Women Sports (Block to State level).
3) To organize North East Sports (Block to State level).
4) To send State teams in the National Meets, Rural Sports, Women Sports, North East Sports.
5) To look after the activities of different sports Associations and monitoring the activities of Affiliated sports organizations.
6) To take steps for the development of sports infrastructure in the State.
7) To run play centers at various places of Tripura.
8) To organize coaching camps in all disciplines.
9) To give financial assistance to the recognized Affiliated Associations under T. S. C.
10) To provide Medical assistance for players.

Coaches / Physical Instructors posted to NSRCC, Agartala :-
The following Coaches are engaged in the different Coaching Centre under the control of Tripura Sports Council.


Disciplines State Coach SAI Coach Total

Table Tennis 3 - 3
Basket Ball 1 2 3
Gymnastic 9 2 11
Athletics 3 - 3
Badminton 1 1 2
Judo 1 1 2
Weight Lifting - 1 1
Volley Ball 1 1 2
Kabaddi 1 - 1
Cricket 2 - 2
Hockey 1 - 1
Hand ball 1 2 3
Swimming 3 - 3
Foot Ball 3 - 3
Body Building 1 - 1
In-charge of NSRCC 1 - 1
33 10 43

Name of Affiliated Associations :-

1. Tripura Amateur Athletic Association. 2. Tripura Foot Ball Association. 3. Tripura Gymnastic Association. 4. Tripura Amateur Swimming Association 5. Tripura Table Tennis Association 6. Tripura Badminton Association. 7. Tripura Hockey Association. 8. Tripura Basket Ball Association. 9. Tripura Volley Ball Association 10. Tripura Weight Lifting Association. 11. Tripura Power Lifting Association. 12. All Tripura Body Building Association 13. All Tripura Strength lifting Association. (Non Functioning) 14. All Tripura Chess Association. 15. Tripura Cricket Association. 16. Tripura Judo Association. 17. Tripura Amateur Hand Ball Association. 18. Tripura Amateur Kabaddi. Association. 19. Tripura Kho-Kho Association. 20. Tripura Yoga Association. 21. Karate Association of Tripura. 22. Tackwondo Association of Tripura. 23. Tripura Wrestling Association. (Non Functioning) 24. Tripura Boxing Association. 25. Tripura State Tug-of-War Association. 26. Wushu Association of Tripura.

Play Centres :
16 Play Centres are directly controlled by Tripura Sports Council where more the 950 Students are given coaching in different disciplines every day.

Disciplines :

1. Judo 2. Badminton 3. Hockey 4. Swimming
5. Volley Ball 6. Hand Ball 7. Kabaddi 8. Athletics
9. Foot Ball 10.Weight Lifting 11.Cricket 12. Basket Ball
13. Kho-Kho 14. Table Tennis 15.Gymnastics .

Name of the Play Centers under the Control of Tripura Sports Council:

1. N.S.R.C.C. 9. Jute Mill Play Centre
2. Netaji Play Centre 10. Arundhuti Nagar Play Centre
3. Pragati Play Centre 11. Indra Nagar Play Centre
4. College Play Centre 12. Sidhi Asrahm Play Centre
5. Bhagat Singh Play Centre 13. Stadium Play Centre
6. Astabal Play Centre 14. U. K. Play Centre
7. Saroj Sangha Play Centre 15. Melaghar Sports Association
8. Ranir Bazar Play Centre 16. Narsingghar Bhagat Singh Centre.

Medical Clinic :-
A Medical Clinic has been functioning in the office of the Tripura Sports Council on every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. This clinic is run by the Council in Collaboration with Indian Medical Association and Association of Sports Medicine. The players of Tripura are availing of the facilities of Treatment from this clinic.
i) Dr. J. M. Datta ii) Dr. Mrinal Bhattacharjee give free services to the players in general on every Sunday . Players are provided with medicine at free of cost as per as possible.

Future Plan of Action :-

1) 20 coaching Centres will be taken up at District Level. One Unemployed coach will be
engaged @ Rs. 2000/- as remuneration per months in each center.
2) Gymnastic Coaching Centre will be opened in each District Head Quarters.
3) Construction of Wooden Floor at NSRCC Badminton / Table Tennis Hall be taken up.
4) Talent Search cum Coaching programme has already been taken up by the renowned
coaches of SAI, Kolkata, Centre.
5) Efforts may be made to get supports from Corporate Sector and also from big
business organizations in implanting programme of TSC in a befitting manner.

Failure :-

1) Unable to reach the target at National Games.
2) Unable to conduct coaching programme through out the season.
3) Unable to provide modern sports infrastructure and scientific back-up to the upcoming players of the state.
4) Unable to provide modern equipments to our coaching centers and to the sports Associations.
5) Unable to provide financial assistance in the Sub-Division level.
6) Maintenance of NSRCC and Grounds out side of NSRCC under TSC can not be taken up effectively for paucity of fund.
7) Unable to provide residential accommodation.
8) Unable to give Incentive to the Prize winners.

Muralidaran drops out of top 10 of Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings for ODI Players for first time in over a decade

Dubai , 20 April 2008

Afridi replaces the iconic spinner while Chanderpaul and Salman Butt are rewarded for superlative batting displays

Sri Lanka ’s Muttiah Muralidaran has slipped out of the top 10 bowlers in the Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings for the first time in over a decade while West Indies ’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul has returned to the top five in batting list.

Muralidaran, who skipped the series which the West Indies won 2-0, has now slipped below Pakistan ’s Shahid Afridi who occupies 10th position.

Muralidaran, who leads the rankings for Test bowlers, was last out of the top 10 ODI bowlers in July 1997. The iconic spinner will now have a wait for a couple of months before attempting a return when the Asia Cup gets underway in Pakistan on 24 June.

In sharp contrast, Afridi has entered the top 10 for the first time in his career after a successful series against Bangladesh in which he bagged 12 wickets. The 28-year-old wrist spinner had started the series in 21st place and climbed 11 positions to join the elite company.

Also on the move is the Pakistan pace quartet of Mohammad Asif, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Iftikhar Anjum.

Asif, returning to action after a six-month layoff because of elbow injury, took five wickets in the last two matches to move 10 places to 24th position while Tanvir jumped 22 places to 26th spot, Anjum lifted seven places to 21st place and Gul climbed eight places to 31st position.

West Indies ’ Jerome Taylor has consolidated his position in the top 10 as he moves up two places to eighth spot while Dwayne Bravo gains 19 places to sit in 27th spot.

There is little joy for Bangladesh in the latest Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings. Andur Razzak, after dropping two places, remains his country’s highest ranked bowler in 28th position. Mashrafe Mortaza, however, gains two places after his series effort of eight wickets and now sits in 29th position.

The bowlers are headed by new Zealand ’s Daniel Vettori, ahead of Nathan Bracken of Australia .

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings for ODI batsmen, West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul is a top five hit after memorable performances against Sri Lanka . Chanderpaul scored an unbeaten 62, including 10 off the last two deliveries from Chaminda Vaas, in the first ODI to pull off a one-wicket victory, followed by 52 not out to seal the series in game two.

These performances have helped Chanderpaul climb five spots to share fifth place with Australia ’s Matthew Hayden.

The other big mover in the batting list is Pakistan ’s Salman Butt who jumps from 53rd place to 23rd position after his record-breaking series against Bangladesh . Butt scored a record 451 runs, the most by a Pakistani in a bilateral series, and by any one-day international batsman in a five-match series.

The batting list is led by South Africa captain Graeme Smith, ahead of India ’s Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings ODI Championship table, Sri Lanka drops two ratings points after its 2-0 defeat against the West Indies while Pakistan holds firm in fifth place but gains one ratings point for its 5-0 victory against Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka shares sixth place with England on 105 points but remains ahead of Paul Collingwood’s side when the ratings are calculated to decimal points. Pakistan has narrowed the gap with fourth-placed India to three ratings points.

West Indies has secured two ratings points and now sits on 99 points, six behind Sri Lanka and England .

ODI action will resume in June when England takes on New Zealand in a five-match series from 15 June while West Indies will go head-to-head with Australia at home, also in a five-match ODI series from 24 June, the same day that the six-team Asia Cup begins in Pakistan.

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship (as of 20 April, post Pakistan – Bangladesh and West Indies v Sri Lanka series)

Rank Team Rating

1 South Africa 127
2 Australia 127
3 New Zealand 113
4 India 113
5 Pakistan 110
6 Sri Lanka 105
7 England 105
8 West Indies 99
9 Bangladesh 47
10 Ireland 20
11 Zimbabwe 18
12 Kenya 0

Reliance Mobile ICC One-Day Rankings (as of 20 April)

Batsmen

Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating

1 Graeme Smith SA 792 ! 41.11 792 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
2 S.R.Tendulkar Ind 777 44.33 887 v Zim at Sharjah 1998
3 Ricky Ponting Aus 770 43.40 832 v NZ at Hobart 2007
4 Mohd Yousuf Pak 763 43.62 777 v SA at Rawalpindi 2003
5= S.Chanderpaul WI 740 40.24 754 v SA at Durban 1999
Matthew Hayden Aus 740 43.80 854 v Ind at Centurion 2003
7 Mike Hussey Aus 736 55.60 863 v NZ at Perth 2007
8 Kevin Pietersen Eng 735 48.18 834 v Aus at Antigua 2007
9 AB de Villiers SA 733! 37.66 733 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
10 MS Dhoni Ind 728 45.50 806 v WI at Kingston 2006
11 H.H.Gibbs SA 718 36.53 750 v SL at Durban 2003
12 Michael Clarke Aus 717 44.04 756 v SL at Melbourne 2008
13 Andrew Symonds Aus 713 39.68 778 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
14 K.C.Sangakkara SL 698 35.72 760 v Ind at Rajkot 2007
15 Yuvraj Singh Ind 691 36.09 739 v WI at Port-of-Spain 2006
16 Jacques Kallis SA 688 45.21 816 v WI at Johannesburg 2004
17 Chris Gayle WI 687 38.93 804 v Aus at Mumbai 2006
18 R.R.Sarwan WI 681 44.12 798 v Ind at St Kitts 2006
19 M.Jayawardena SL 661 33.04 737 v WI at Colombo (RPS) 2001
20 Ian Bell Eng 657 36.29 705 v Ind at Birmingham 2007

Bowlers

Rank Player Team Points Ave Econ HS Rating

1 Daniel Vettori NZ 790! 31.87 4.18 790 v Eng at Christchurch 2008
2 Nathan Bracken Aus 770 21.89 4.37 806 v SL at St George's 2007
3 Shane Bond NZ 736 19.32 4.20 811 v SA at St George's 2007
4= Chaminda Vaas SL 683 27.41 4.18 861 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2004
Kyle Mills NZ 683 26.66 4.65 694 v Ban at Queenstown 2007
6 Andre Nel SA 682 26.95 4.61 685 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
7 Daren Powell WI 680! 30.16 4.56 680 v SL at St Lucia 2008
8 Jerome Taylor WI 678 27.46 4.69 688 v SA at Cape Town 2008
9 Brett Lee Aus 671 22.81 4.71 853 v SA at Melbourne 2006
10 Shahid Afridi Pak 662! 35.00 4.61 662 v Ban at Karachi 2008
11 M.Muralidaran SL 658 23.00 3.87 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
12 M.F.Maharoof SL 644 24.39 4.65 671 v Eng at Dambulla 2007
13 Brad Hogg Aus 636 26.84 4.52 687 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
14 Makhaya Ntini SA 635 24.12 4.46 782 v WI at Cape Town 2004
15= Andrew Flintoff Eng 634 25.10 4.37 755 v Ban at Dhaka 2003
Jacob Oram NZ 634 31.24 4.48 768 v Aus at The Oval 2004
17 M.G.Johnson Aus 632* 25.41 4.80 659 v SL at Melbourne 2008
18 Harbhajan Singh Ind 615 33.51 4.18 735 v WI at Bridgetown 2002
19 Lasith Malinga SL 612 25.58 4.80 687 v Ban at Colombo (RPS) 2007
20 Peter Ongondo Ken 610! 25.14 4.34 610 v Ber at Nairobi 2007

All-rounders

Rank Player Team Points HS Rating

1 Shoaib Malik Pak 353 402 v WI at Brisbane 2005
2 Shahid Afridi Pak 348 353 v SA at Tangier 2002
3 Chris Gayle WI 339 511 v Zim at Harare 2003
4 Andrew Flintoff Eng 337 544 v SL at The Rose Bowl 2004
5 Jacob Oram NZ 335 353 v Eng at Auckland 2008

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Bangladesh fined for slow over-rate at Lahore

Dubai , 17 April 2008

Shahriar Nafees reprimanded for breach of ICC Code of Conduct

The Bangladesh team was fined for maintaining a slow over-rate while Shahriar Nafees was reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during its third ODI against Pakistan played in Lahore on 13 April.

Mike Procter of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fine after Mohammad Ashraful’s side was ruled to be one over short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration.

In accordance with the ICC Code of Conduct regulations governing over-rate penalties, players are fined five per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.

As such, Ashraful was fined 10 per cent of his match fee while each of his players received five per cent fines.

The offence is contrary to Section J of the ICC Code of Conduct which relates to slow over-rates.

In a separate incident, Shahriar was found to have breached clause 1.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings.”

The incident in question took place in the 21st over of Pakistan innings when, after misfielding, Shahriar kicked and damaged an advertising hoarding. The opener, who got a duck in Bangladesh ’s 23-run defeat, pleaded guilty in the hearing that took place at the team hotel in Lahore on 14 April.

In explaining his decision, Mr Procter said: “It was Shahriar’s third misfield in the innings and he was obviously frustrated as it was a crucial game because Bangladesh was playing to stay alive in the series.

“But it is not the sort of example that players should be setting at any time. Shahriar pleased guilty, apologized for the incident and promised not to repeat it again.”

All Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee. In the case of Level 1 breaches, the match referee’s decision is final and a player does not have a right of appeal.

The charge was brought by the two on-field umpires Steve Bucknor of the ICC Emirates Elite Panel of Umpires and Nadeem Ghauri of the ICC Emirates International Panel of Umpires, third umpire Zameer Haider, also of the ICC Emirates International Panel, and fourth umpire Ahsan Raza.

Mr Procter reached his conclusion after a hearing attended by the umpires, Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons, manager Shafiq-ul-Haque and Shahriar Nafees.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC confirms receipt of correspondence from BCCI concerning pitch for India – South Africa Test in Kanpur

Dubai , 17 April, 2007

Follows report by Emirates Elite Panel ICC Match Referee Mahanama; process now ongoing to determine whether sanction is required

The ICC today confirmed it was in receipt of correspondence from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in relation to the pitch used for the third Test match of the recently concluded series between the home side and South Africa , in Kanpur .

This is in keeping with a process of pitch monitoring guidelines which is activated when, following a match, the pitch or outfield is marked by the Emirates Elite Panel ICC Match Referee on duty as either poor or unfit.

If such a report is made – in this case the pitch was marked as poor by Emirates Elite Panel Match Referee Roshan Mahanama – then the ICC writes to the home Board – in this case the BCCI – and asks for its comments on that report. The home Board has 14 days to respond.

Once that response is received by the ICC then it is considered – along with the match video – by the ICC’s General Manager – Cricket (David Richardson) and the Emirates Elite Panel ICC Chief Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle.

They have the power to impose a sanction that can range from, at one end of the scale, a warning to the home Board (along with corrective action required), through a fine imposed on that Board, up to a withdrawal of international status for a period of time for the venue in the case of repeated offences.

The home Board has the right of appeal against any sanction imposed and that appeal would be heard by a member of the ICC’s Code of Conduct Commission. The decision of that appeal would be final and binding on both sides.

An announcement following the completion of this process will be made in due course.

The pitch saw 32 wickets fall in less than three days’ play as India won the match by eight wickets.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Reliance Mobile to sponsor ICC Rankings

Mumbai, 16 April 2008

Rankings now known as Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings

The ICC today announced that Reliance Mobile, the Mobile Services brand of India ’s largest integrated telecommunications company Reliance Communications, has become the new sponsor of the ICC Team and Player Rankings through to 2015.

The rankings will now be known as the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings and the Reliance Mobile ICC Test and Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Rankings.

Reliance Communications entered into an eight-year agreement with the ICC last year, starting with the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in South Africa . This new agreement is an extension and expansion of that long-term partnership between ICC and Reliance Communications.

Sanjay Behl, Head of Branding, Reliance Communications, said: “Reliance ADA Group is proud to be associated with the official Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings. It gives us immense pride to be part of a process which recognizes, honours and rewards the passionate endeavours of cricketers across all Test and ODI playing nations.

“Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings uphold the true values of competitive sportsmanship, unflagging team spirit and unparalleled individual talent in the game of cricket which continues to captivate the growing millions of followers all around the world.

“Reliance Mobile ’s relationship with the ICC is a long-term strategic association, providing us a platform to communicate and interact with our growing customer base in India and across the globe,” Sanjay Behl added.

Commenting on the agreement, ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed said: “We have already established an excellent relationship with Reliance Communications starting in South Africa last year with the ICC World Twenty20, and, given that relationship, we are delighted to extend it further, with Reliance Mobile becoming the sponsor of ICC Rankings.

“The ICC Rankings have established themselves as the benchmark for players and teams since their inception and they give context to every single batsman’s innings, bowling spell, Test and ODI played.

“This long term agreement with Reliance Communications is great news for cricket and is a further indication of the current good health of the game of cricket.

“Partnerships like this one with Reliance Communications are ensuring our strong sport grows even stronger,” added Mr Speed.

Each ICC Global Partner is entitled to naming rights of one of the ICC properties – the ICC Awards, the ICC Rankings, the ICC Development Programme and the ICC’s Global Cricket Academy .

About Reliance Communications: Reliance Communications Limited, founded by the late Shri Dhirubhai H Ambani (1932-2002) is the flagship company of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group currently has net worth in excess of Rs. 40,000 crore, cash flows of Rs. 9,000 crore, net profit of Rs. 5,000 crore and zero net debt.

Rated among “Asia's Top 5 Most Valuable Telecom Companies”, Reliance Communications is India 's foremost and truly integrated telecommunications service provider. The company, with a customer base of around 46.5 million including over 1.4 million individual overseas retail customers, ranks among the Top 10 Asian Telecom companies by number of customers. Reliance Communications’ corporate clientele includes 1850 Indian and multinational corporations, and over 200 global carriers.

Reliance Communications has established a pan-India, next generation, integrated (wireless and wireline), convergent (voice, data and video) digital network that is capable of supporting best-of-class services spanning the entire infocomm value chain, covering over 15,000 towns and 400,000 villages. Reliance Communications owns and operates the world's largest next generation IP enabled connectivity infrastructure, comprising over 175,000 kilometers of fibre optic cable systems in India , USA , Europe, Middle East and the Asia Pacific region.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Australia still the dominate force in ICC Test Championship table but South Africa takes ODI honours

Mumbai, 16 April 2008

Annual honours for top sides presented; India collects US$75,000 for reaching second spot in Test ladder

Australia has retained the ICC Mace for a fourth year in a row after once again finishing as the top Test side in the ICC Test Championship.

But South Africa has picked up the ICC Shield for being this year’s top-ranked side in the ICC ODI Championship.

Australia finished the 12-month period up to 31 March 30 rating points clear of India in the ICC Test Championship with four wins, one defeat and one draw in Test cricket during that time.

At the same time, the Proteas edged out Ricky Ponting’s side by a fraction of a rating point to top the ODI table, winning 21 and losing eight ODIs during the same 12-month period.

Australia and South Africa received US$175,000 each for their achievements while Ponting’s side also pocketed an additional US$75,000 for finishing as runner-up in the ICC ODI Championship after 17 wins, six loses and three no-results in the twelve-month window.

India collected US$75,000 after ending the period in question in second place in the Test table with four wins, seven draws and two defeats in Test cricket.

Ricky Ponting, former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock and India coach Gary Kirsten received the cheques in the ceremony held in Mumbai on Wednesday.

ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed congratulated the teams on their successes, saying: “ Australia deserves praise for once again being the most consistent team in Test cricket.

“The success of Ricky Ponting’s side represents a benchmark for all teams at Test level and that is reflected in its standing in the ICC Test Championship table.

“Now, with the retirement of several high-profile players, it will face a challenge to its long-held top spot and it will be fascinating to see how all teams deal with that situation in the months to come.

“In one-day cricket it has been an absorbing battle between Australia and South Africa for first place in the ICC ODI Championship table and it was a battle that went right down to the wire before Graeme Smith’s side secured that position.

“Given Australia ’s status as reigning ICC Cricket World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy holders, South Africa deserves great credit for what it has achieved.

“And India’s performances over the twelve-month period, which have lifted it to second spot in the Test table are also impressive and it will be looking to close that large gap between itself and Australia while at the same time holding off the pack of teams that are snapping at its heels.”

Reflecting on his side’s fortunes in the Test and ODI rankings, Ricky Ponting said: “I am obviously proud of the performance of my team over the year.

“We have faced a number of challenges but have met them head-on and, in terms of the Test table and the large lead we hold, it shows we have met them.

“It’s disappointing to lose the lead in the ODI Championship table but it is great incentive for us as a unit to regain that top spot and, given this coming twelve months will also see us defend our ICC Champions Trophy title, there is plenty for us to look forward to.”

Shaun Pollock said: " Australia is the benchmark in all forms of the game and especially one-day cricket with it winning three successive ICC Cricket World Cups and holding the ICC Champions Trophy.

“So, for South Africa to take over the top spot in the one-day table is a huge achievement for the playing group as well as a great honour for everyone connected with South Africa cricket.

“Now the challenge is to maintain the standards the side has set itself and with Australia and a host of other teams hot on South Africa 's heels Graeme (Smith) and his players have the perfect incentive to do that.”

Gary Kirtsen said: “It has been a tough 12 months for us as a Test team but the fact we have risen to many of the challenges put before us is reflected in our second position in the ICC Test Championship table.

“We now have to press on and try and close the gap to Australia as well as stay ahead of the sides below us and that is something to look forward to for all the players and support staff in the months ahead.”

ICC TEST CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

2004/05 – 1. Australia ; 2. South Africa
2005/06 – 1. Australia ; 2. England
2006/07 – 1. Australia ; 2. England
2007/08 – 1. Australia ; 2. South Africa

ICC ODI CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
2003-04 – 1. Australia ; 2. South Africa
2004-05 – 1. Australia ; 2. Sri Lanka
2005-06 – 1. Australia ; 2. South Africa
2006-07 – 1. South Africa ; 2. Australia
2007-08 – 1. South Africa ; 2. Australia

ICC Test Championship (as of 31 March; last year’s rankings and ratings in brackets)

Rank Teams Rating

1 (1) Australia 141 (135)
2 (4) India 111 (107)
3 (5) Sri Lanka 109 (102)
4 (6) South Africa 109 (102)
5 (2) England 107 (114)
6 (3) Pakistan 94 (108)
7 (7) New Zealand 93 (93)
8 (8) West Indies 73 (92)
9 (9) Bangladesh 1 (02)

NB: Zimbabwe has a rating of 12 but has not played sufficient number of Test matches over the new rating period to be included on the main table.

ICC ODI Championship (as of 31 March; as of 31 March; last year’s rankings and ratings in brackets)

Rank Team Rating

1 (1) South Africa 127 (127)
2 (2) Australia 127 (127)
3 (3) New Zealand 113 (115)
4 (6) India 113 (106)
5 (4) Pakistan 109 (110)
6 (5) Sri Lanka 107 (108)
7 (7) England 105 (105)
8 (8) West Indies 96 (102)
9 (9) Bangladesh 46 (44)
10 Ireland 28
11 (10) Zimbabwe 18 (22)
12 (11) Kenya 0 (0)

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Ganguly’s return means India has five batsmen in top 20

Dubai , 14 April 2008

Steyn fails to hold on to top spot and slips behind Muralidaran while player-of-the-series Harbhajan Singh continues to move in the right direction

India batsman Sourav Ganguly has returned to top 20 of the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen after a man-of-the-match performance in Kanpur which helped India win the Test by eight wickets and draw the series against South Africa 1-1.

Ganguly scored 87 and 13 not out in a low-scoring match, which helps him gain seven places on the ladder. He now sits in 17th place and is one of five India batsmen to figures in the top 20.

Interestingly, however, no India batsman appears inside the top 10 positions.

Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman are the other India batsmen to appear in the top 20. Tendulkar, who missed the last two Tests through injury, has dropped one place to 13th position while Dravid lies in 14th place, gaining one spot.

Sehwag, who became India’s top ranked player in 12th position after hitting a swashbuckling 319 in Chennai, drops two places and is now ranked 15th while Laxman, who scored 50 in Kanpur, stays in 19th spot.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who captained India in Kanpur , has climbed four places and is now ranked 39th.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith has improved his ranking by two places and is now in 12th spot after knocks of 69 and 35 at Green Park .

However, Jacques Kallis, who surged to the top of batting chart after the series in Pakistan last year in October, continues his slide and is now fifth after dropping three places, while AB de Villiers falls five places to 26th spot.

Ashwell Prince, Hashim Amla and Neil McKenzie have held steady in 23rd, 28th and 33rd positions respectively.

South Africa’s Dale Steyn squandered the opportunity to go top of the table on his own, having been level with Muttiah Muraldaran after the second Test in Ahmedabad, and drops to second place in the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers. He is, however, well ahead of his nearest rival, Australia ’s Stuart Clark.

India captain Anil Kumble remains his country’s highest ranked bowler despite dropping one place to seventh after missing the series decider because of a groin injury, while left-arm fast bowler Zaheer Khan, who also missed the series through injury, remains the second highest ranked India bowler in 14th position – a place he shares with Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif.

India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who won the player-of-the-series award for his 19 wickets, rises one place to 19th position in a congested lower half of the top 20, where just 13 ratings points separates him from 13th placed Andrew Flintoff of England.

Sehwag may have slipped in batting rankings but he has climbed eight places in the bowling list and now sits in 51st position, two places ahead of Ishant Sharma, who took five wickets in his only appearance in the series in Kanpur .

The two South Africa bowlers to make upward movements are left-arm spinner Paul Harris and fast bowler Morne Morkel who improve two and nine places respectively to 39th and 56th spots.

ICC Test Rankings (as of 14 April)

Batsmen

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave HS Rating

1 ( - ) Mike Hussey Aus 912*! 78.14 912 v Ind at Adelaide 2008
2 ( - ) Ricky Ponting Aus 899 58.53 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
3 (+1) K.C.Sangakkara SL 893 55.19 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
4 (+1) Mohd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
5 (-3) Jacques Kallis SA 877 57.14 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
6 ( - ) Matthew Hayden Aus 860 53.51 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002
7= ( - ) S.Chanderpaul WI 810 47.24 838 v SA at Cape Town 2008
( - ) M.Jayawardena SL 810 51.93 844 v WI at Guyana 2008
9 ( - ) Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Leeds 2006
10 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 784 49.74 909 v WI at Leeds 2007
11 ( - ) Michael Clarke Aus 744 46.45 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
12 (+2) Graeme Smith SA 712 48.57 756 v NZ at Wellington 2004
13 (-1) S.R.Tendulkar Ind 704 55.31 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
14 (+1) Rahul Dravid Ind 701 54.88 892 v Pak at Kolkata 2005
15 (-2) Virender Sehwag Ind 681 51.75 854 v SA at Kolkata 2004
16 ( - ) Alastair Cook Eng 679 43.46 711 v SL at Galle 2007
17= (+7) Sourav Ganguly Ind 674 42.71 713 v Aus at Adelaide 1999
( - ) Ian Bell Eng 674 43.15 684 v SL at Kandy 2007
19 ( - ) VVS Laxman Ind 672 43.82 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
20 (-2) P.D.Collingwood Eng 668 42.54 730 v Aus at Adelaide 2006

Bowlers

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave Econ HS Rating

1 ( - ) M.Muralidaran SL 897 21.95 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 (-1) Dale Steyn SA 892 21.60 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008
3 ( - ) Stuart Clark Aus 829* 21.88 843 v Ind at Perth 2008
4 ( - ) Brett Lee Aus 795 ! 29.97 795 v Ind at Adelaide 2008
5 ( - ) Makhaya Ntini SA 777 27.85 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
6 (+1) Chaminda Vaas SL 709 29.09 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
7 (-1) Anil Kumble Ind 708 29.06 859 v SL at Bangalore 1994
8 ( - ) Shane Bond NZ 688* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006
9 ( - ) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
10 ( - ) Ryan Sidebottom Eng 665*! 26.60 665 v NZ at Napier 2008
11 ( - ) Corey Collymore WI 640* 32.30 700 v Eng at Lord's 2007
12 ( - ) Matthew Hoggard Eng 637 30.50 795 v SL at Birmingham 2006
13 (+1) Andrew Flintoff Eng 621 32.02 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
14= (-1) Zaheer Khan Ind 619 33.60 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
(+1) Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
16 ( - ) Monty Panesar Eng 617* 32.45 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
17 ( - ) Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
18 ( - ) Chris Martin NZ 609 32.66 643 v Eng at Lord's 2004
19 (+1) Harbhajan Singh Ind 608 31.03 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
20 (-1) James Franklin NZ 594* 28.19 679 v SL at Christchurch 2006
All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 495 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 340 359 v Eng at Hamilton 2008
3 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 320 501 v Pak at Multan 2005
4 ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 294 300 v WI at Guyana 2008
5 ( - ) Irfan Pathan Ind 262 317 v Eng at Mohali 2006

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Congratulations to India

By Jacques Kallis

Congratulations to India. We were outplayed and a drawn series is probably a fair result, though I’m sure we’d all like another Test match to settle the result one way or the other! We still back ourselves to perform in all conditions and our season, which started in Karachi in October, has shown that we are able of adapting with two wins and a draw on the subcontinent as well as two wins at home.

Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have not played in India before and, with age on their side, South Africa will be even better placed to bid for a series win next time we return to here. I’m not sure when that is, but I want another crack! Hopefully we can avoid Kanpur next time. Two Tests here is enough!

It is extremely hard for a touring team to win here as India’s record of losing just two series in the last 20 years shows. At least I was a part of the South African team in 2000 that managed that feat so I know how good and rewarding it feels. Hopefully I will still be around for one last chance to do it again in a few years. Perhaps I’ll be bowling off-spin by then!

There has been so much talk about the pitch that I am reluctant to add to the debate, if it is a debate. I would imagine that, with India having won and squared the series, the argument should be pretty much over. It was gamble to order such a poor wicket and it could easily have backfired. If it had, then the debate would be open, but the gamble worked.

I am a traditionalist when it comes to pitches and I believe that the surface for Test match should have something for everybody. Some pace and movement for the quick bowlers, good batting conditions in the middle and then help for the spinners on the last two days.

Every South African team I have been a part of has aimed to be the best team in the world and, in order to achieve that, we have always known that the ability to play in all conditions around the world is essential.

Like India, we have been pretty dominant at home and have only lost series to Australia on our own turf. But we have also been competitive away from home beating everyone (apart from Australia!) at some point.

India should be aiming for the number one spot, too, but they will need to improve on ‘good’ piches. The only way to do that, of course, is to play more games on ‘good’ pitches. I’m sure that is a target that Gary Kirsten will have in his sights.

As far as many of us are concerned now, it’s a question of getting back to South Africa as soon as possible to play in our domestic Twenty20 competition before returning to play in the IPL. I’ll be teaming up with Dale and Mark Boucher under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy in Bangalore.

We have two days to absorb the result here and then concentrate once again. I’ll share my IPL thoughts with you before we leave!

Hawkeye Communications / Chivach Sports

India retains second place in ICC Test Championship table

Dubai, 13 April 2008

India has retained second place in the ICC Test Championship table after drawing the three-Test series against South Africa in Kanpur on Sunday.

India had come into this Test facing the possibility of slipping to fourth on the ladder after South Africa won the second Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 90 runs following a drawn first Test in Chennai.

However Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma and Virender Sehwag shared 16 wickets between them while man-of-the-match Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman stroked half-centuries to script an eight-wicket victory in Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s first match as India captain.

The series result means India has successfully defended the position it claimed at the conclusion of its tour of Australia earlier this year while South Africa now lies third after entering the series in fourth position.

The Proteas had climbed one place after Sri Lanka drew its series against the West Indies and consequently dropped two places in the Championship table.

Australia still leads the table, 30 rating points ahead of second-placed India .

There remains just five rating points between India and fifth-placed Sri Lanka .

LG ICC Test Championship (as of 13 April)

Rank Teams Rating

1 Australia 141
2 India 111
3 South Africa 109
4 England 108
5 Sri Lanka 106
6 Pakistan 94
7 New Zealand 91
8 West Indies 77
9 Bangladesh 1

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Sri Lanka’s recovery in ICC ODI Championship can start here

Dubai, 9 April 2008

Jayawardena’s team can get back into fifth but West Indies is eyeing up England ; opportunity for Sarwan and Chanderpaul to get into top 10 batsmen

Sri Lanka can move back up to fifth place in the ICC ODI Championship with a good showing in its three-match series against the West Indies, which begins on Thursday in Port-of-Spain , Trinidad and Tobago .

If Mahela Jayawardena’s team wins the series 3-0 it could move ahead of Pakistan , depending on how Shoaib Malik’s team does in the rest of its series with Bangladesh .

But should Sri Lanka slip up badly against the West Indies and lose the series 3-0, it will fall below England into seventh position, a far cry from a year ago when the Sri Lanka one-day side made it to the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in Barbados and was fourth in the ladder.

For its part, eighth-placed West Indies cannot overtake England even if it sweeps the series but it can get to within four ratings points of Paul Collingwood’s team and with a tough series coming up for England against New Zealand in June, the pressure would be on.

At the top of the ICC ODI Championship table South Africa still leads Australia by a fraction of a ratings point. Those two teams are 14 points clear at the top from New Zealand in third position and India , just behind in fourth spot.

From a players’ point of view there are five batsmen taking part in the West Indies v Sri Lanka series currently in the top 20 of the ICC ODI Player Rankings for ODI batsmen but not one is in the top 10.

The player most likely to remedy that situation is Shivnarine Chanderpaul who is in 11th position and just eight ratings points behind India ’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 10th.

Further back, in 14th position, Kumar Sangakkara will be keen to put behind him the personal disappointment of the recent Test series by scoring heavily in the ODIs. Such is the closely fought nature of that part of the rankings it is likely that a good performance for the 30-year-old would propel him into the top 10 too.

Further back, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle of the West Indies and Sri Lanka captain Jayawardena can also make good progress up the ladder. The batting list is still headed by South Africa ’s Graeme Smith, followed by Sachin Tendulkar of India in second position and Australia ’s Ricky Ponting in third.

As far as the bowling is concerned, veteran left-arm seamer Chaminda Vaas is the highest ranked bowler from either side in fourth position but Daren Powell in seventh spot and Jerome Taylor in 10th will be snapping at his heels.

Daniel Vettori of New Zealand is still on top of the bowling rankings, followed closely by Nathan Bracken of Australia in second position and New Zealand ’s Shane Bond in third.

LG’s four-year sponsorship of ICC Player and Team Rankings ended on 31 March and the new sponsor will be announced in due course.

Upcoming ODI fixtures:

10 Apr – West Indies v Sri Lanka , Port-of-Spain
11 Apr – Pakistan v Bangladesh , Faisalabad
12 Apr – West Indies v Sri Lanka , Port-of-Spain
13 Apr – Pakistan v Bangladesh , Lahore
15 Apr – West Indies v Sri Lanka , St Lucia
16 Apr – Pakistan v Bangladesh , Multan
19 Apr – Pakistan v Bangladesh , Karachi

ICC ODI Championship (as of 9 April)

Rank Team Rating

1 South Africa 127
2 Australia 127
3 New Zealand 113
4 India 113
5 Pakistan 109
6 Sri Lanka 107
7 England 105
8 West Indies 96
9 Bangladesh 46
10 Ireland 28
11 Zimbabwe 18
12 Kenya 0

ICC One-Day Rankings (as of 7 April before Pakistan v Bangladesh and West Indies v Sri Lanka series)

Batsmen

Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating

1 Graeme Smith SA 792! 41.11 792 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
2 S.R.Tendulkar Ind 777 44.33 887 v Zim at Sharjah 1998
3 Ricky Ponting Aus 770 43.40 832 v NZ at Hobart 2007
4 Mohd Yousuf Pak 752 43.07 777 v SA at Raw alp indi 2003
5 Matthew Hayden Aus 740 43.80 854 v Ind at Centurion 2003
6 Adam Gilchrist Aus 738 35.89 820 v SL at Dambulla 2004
7 Mike Hussey Aus 736 55.60 863 v NZ at Perth 2007
8 Kevin Pietersen Eng 735 48.18 834 v Aus at Antigua 2007
9 AB de Villiers SA 733! 37.66 733 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
10 MS Dhoni Ind 728 45.50 806 v WI at Kingston 2006
11 S.Chanderpaul WI 721 39.62 754 v SA at Durban 1999
12 H.H.Gibbs SA 718 36.53 750 v SL at Durban 2003
13 Michael Clarke Aus 717 44.04 756 v SL at Melbourne 2008
14 K.C.Sangakkara SL 716 36.03 760 v Ind at Rajkot 2007
15 Andrew Symonds Aus 713 39.68 778 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
16 R.R.Sarwan WI 692 44.55 798 v Ind at St Kitts 2006
17 Yuvraj Singh Ind 691 36.09 739 v WI at Port-of-Spain 2006
18 Chris Gayle WI 690 39.02 804 v Aus at Mumbai 2006
19 Jacques Kallis SA 688 45.21 816 v WI at Johannesburg 2004
20 M.Jayawardena SL 678 33.24 737 v WI at Colombo (RPS) 2001

Bowlers

Rank Player Team Points Ave Econ HS Rating

1 Daniel Vettori NZ 790! 31.87 4.18 790 v Eng at Christchurch 2008
2 Nathan Bracken Aus 770 21.89 4.37 806 v SL at St George's 2007
3 Shane Bond NZ 736 19.32 4.20 811 v SA at St George's 2007
4 Chaminda Vaas SL 699 27.26 4.19 861 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2004
5 Kyle Mills NZ 683 26.66 4.65 694 v Ban at Queenstown 2007
6 Andre Nel SA 682 26.95 4.61 685 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
7 Daren Powell WI 673! 29.96 4.58 673 v SA at Johannesburg 2008
8 Brett Lee Aus 671 22.81 4.71 853 v SA at Melbourne 2006
9 M.Muralidaran SL 668 23.00 3.87 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
10 Jerome Taylor WI 660 27.17 4.74 688 v SA at Cape Town 2008
11 M.F.Maharoof SL 653 24.39 4.65 671 v Eng at Dambulla 2007
12 Brad Hogg Aus 636 26.84 4.52 687 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
13 Makhaya Ntini SA 635 24.12 4.46 782 v WI at Cape Town 2004
14= Andrew Flintoff Eng 634 25.10 4.37 755 v Ban at Dhaka 2003
Jacob Oram NZ 634 31.24 4.48 768 v Aus at The Oval 2004
16= Abdur Razzak Ban 632 24.29 4.07 711 v Eng at Bridgetown 2007
M.G.Johnson Aus 632* 25.41 4.80 659 v SL at Melbourne 2008
18 Lasith Malinga SL 621 25.58 4.80 687 v Ban at Colombo (RPS) 2007
19 Harbhajan Singh Ind 615 33.51 4.18 735 v WI at Bridgetown 2002
20 Peter Ongondo Ken 610 ! 25.14 4.34 610 v Ber at Nairobi 2007

All-rounders

Rank Player Team Points HS Rating

1 Shoaib Malik Pak 347 402 v WI at Brisbane 2005
2 Andrew Flintoff Eng 337 544 v SL at The Rose Bowl 2004
3= Chris Gayle WI 335 511 v Zim at Harare 2003
Jacob Oram NZ 335 353 v Eng at Auckland 2008
5 Jacques Kallis SA 334 505 v WI at Bridgetown 2001

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC confirms it has spoken to three Pakistan players

Dubai , 8 April 2008

The International Cricket Council today confirmed that its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) carried out interviews with three Pakistan players, Danish Kaneria, Yunus Khan and Umar Gul.

The interviews took place in Lahore , Pakistan on 5 and 6 April. The purpose of these interviews was to seek specific information and the ACSU has confirmed that this information was provided by the players.

It was clarified that these interviews were not conducted in relation to any alleged breach of the ICC Code of Conduct.

As a matter of policy, the ICC does not comment on the specific details of the ACSU’s investigations.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Training of Women Cricketers at Agartala.

Training of Women Cricketers at Agartala.

Training of Women Cricketers at Agartala.

Umakanta Mini Football Stadium at Agartala, Tripura

Umakanta Mini Football Stadium at Agartala, Tripura

Umakanta Mini Football Stadium at Agartala, Tripura

Umakanta Mini Football Stadium at Agartala, Tripura

Raima Swimmimg pool at Dasharath Dev Stadium, Agartala.

Raima Swimmimg pool at Dasharath Dev Stadium, Agartala.

Raima Swimmimg pool at Dasharath Dev Stadium, Agartala.

Artificial climbing walls at Dasharath Dev Stadium, Agartala.

Artificial climbing walls at Dasharath Dev Stadium, Agartala.

Artificial climbing walls at Dasharath Dev Stadium, Agartala.

Ground of Maharaja Bir Bickram Cricket Stadium, Agartala

Front side of Maharaja Bir Bickram Cricket Stadium, Agartala

Club House of Maharaja Bir Bickram Cricket Stadium, Agartala.

Bengladesh players in First Agartala Marathan.

Judo training at NSRCC Agartala, Tripura.

Judo training at NSRCC Agartala, Tripura.

Judo training at NSRCC Agartala, Tripura.

Gymnastics training at NSRCC, Agartala, Tripura.

Indoor hall of Dasharata Dev Stadium, Agartala, Tripura.

Training of Women footballers at Agartala.

Soccer puja at Agartala, Tripura.

Secretary of Tripura Football Association with Sagar Sen at Agartala.

Soccer referees in training season at Agartala.

ICC confirms it has spoken to three Pakistan players

Dubai , 8 April 2008

The International Cricket Council today confirmed that its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) carried out interviews with three Pakistan players, Danish Kaneria, Yunus Khan and Umar Gul.

The interviews took place in Lahore , Pakistan on 5 and 6 April. The purpose of these interviews was to seek specific information and the ACSU has confirmed that this information was provided by the players.

It was clarified that these interviews were not conducted in relation to any alleged breach of the ICC Code of Conduct.

As a matter of policy, the ICC does not comment on the specific details of the ACSU’s investigations.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Athletics at the Dasharath Dev Stadium, Agartala.

We will be able to do that

By Anil Kumble

It was extremely disappointing to go through the Test match inAhmedabad because after the first few hours, we were always on theback foot and chasing South Africa. Frankly, when we got shot out in20 overs, it happened so quickly that we didn't even realize what washappening, while it was happening. And before we could take it all in,we'd lost all the top order.

There was certainly something in it for the faster bowlers rightthrough the game and a bit more early on, but at the same time, giventhe kind of batsmen we have, we should really have handled it. Butthis was one of those innings where things just went wrongcollectively: The outside edges would go straight to the fielders andthe inside edges onto the stumps. Still, we were in with a chance toget back into the game, when we had four batsmen down for 110 but thepartnership between de Villiers and Kallis really took the game awayfrom us.

Like I said, once you're behind a team, it's really very difficult toget back into the game. The only chance is if you get the oppositionout for 200-250 and that did not happen here.Well, it's happened and while it was a loss that hurt all of us badly,now, it's time for us to look ahead and recoup. We've had a couple ofdays off we've been talking about what to do next to try and ensure weput things in perspective and look at the task ahead, winning the Testand squaring the series.

The only snag in our plans are the injury worries, we have a couple wehave to work around --- unfortunately, my own injury is the majorconcern really --- and that is giving us some stress but hopefully,everything will be sorted out by Wednesday.

Actually, no one is unfit or anything, this has all got a lot to dowith the amount of cricket we've been playing, not actual fitnesswoes. There's not been too much rest in between and under thecircumstances, this is bound to keep happening. It's something we haveto deal with.

The wicket here has always been slow, with a low bounce and from whatI've been given to understand, nothing much has changed at the GreenPark either in terms of the ground or the conditions. A few local boyswho have played most of their cricket here, Kaifi, Piyush Chawla, RP'even if he's not part of this squad' their inputs will be useful.Let's see how things pan out. We have a fantastic record at home, anddo not want to mar it by losing a series, so how we go about playingthis game will be hugely important. We all know the responsibility wecarry and realize that the only way to do this is to get a really bigscore and have the bowlers come up with a special performance.I'm pretty positive that we will be able to do that.

Hawkeye/Chivach Sports

Cricket in Maharaja Bir Bickram Stadium.

Cricket in Indoor hall of Maharaja Bir Bickram Stadium, Agartala.

Boxing in Tripura

Boxing in Tripura

Steyn joins Murali on top of the world

Dubai, 7 April 2008

SA fast bowler takes just 22 matches to reach number one; Hussey replaces Sangakkara at top of batting list; India must win final Test to stay second on Test Championship table

South Africa pacer Dale Steyn has moved to the top of the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers after another wonderful display of fast bowling in India .

The 24-year-old from Phalaborwa has enjoyed a rapid rise in the rankings since making his debut against England in Port Elizabeth at the end of 2004. Since then he has taken 117 wickets in just 41 innings at an average of 21.41, including another eight scalps during the second Test in Ahmedabad, which his team won by an innings and 90 runs.

Steyn now has 897 ratings points and is level with Sri Lanka ’s Muttiah Muralidaran, who has been top of the bowlers’ list since February 2006. Indeed, the iconic spinner has not been out of the top five bowlers since mid-2000. He has now, however, dropped below 900 ratings points for the first time since June 2006.

Steyn now ranks 22nd in the all-time list of Test bowlers, 12 places behind the career best of compatriot Shaun Pollock but ahead of other great South African bowlers such as Allan Donald and Hugh Tayfield, who are both ranked in joint-26th position.

With one more Test left in the current series in India , Steyn has the opportunity to go top of the table on his own and also to become just the 20th bowler in the history of Test cricket to pass the magic 900-point mark in the ratings.

Other bowlers to have peaked at 897 ratings points include Ray Lindwall of Australia , Jim Laker of England and the West Indies ’ Lance Gibbs, putting Steyn in some pretty impressive company.

What makes Steyn stand out from the rest is that he has taken just 22 matches to reach the top. By contrast, it took Pollock 33 matches to do it and Donald 41.

The news is not so good for Sri Lanka ’s Kumar Sangakkara, who has slipped from the top of the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen after a relatively disappointing two-Test series in the West Indies .

His place at the top is taken by Australia ’s Michael Hussey, who is currently the only batsman in the world with more than 900 ratings points. As Hussey is still qualifying for a full rating, his points tally at the top is likely to continue to rise when he next plays Test cricket, scheduled to be against the West Indies in May.

It is very congested at the top of the batting list with just 32 ratings points separating Hussey at the top and Mohammad Yousuf of Pakistan in fifth position. Ricky Ponting of Australia and South Africa ’s Jacques Kallis share second spot, with Sangakkara fourth.

Kallis will be pushing Hussey all the way in the third and final Test against India at Kanpur and if he can reproduce the sort of performance that saw him score 132 in Ahmedabad, he could even take over at the top.

Kallis’s team-mate AB de Villiers achieved a career-best rating following his unbeaten double-century against India . The 24-year-old is now in 21st position and will be eyeing a place in the top 20 as a realistic goal for the third Test.

Proteas captain Graeme Smith is up one spot to 14th while several India batsmen, including Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, suffer the slide after a forgettable Test match from their point of view.

The news is better for India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who has moved back into the top 20 in the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers. He took four wickets in the only SA innings of the match and moved up four places in the rankings, past Kallis, Umar Gul of Pakistan and New Zealand ’s Daniel Vettori.

More positive news for India is that Irfan Pathan has moved into the top five in the ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders after being one of the few players in his team that put up a resistance against the South African onslaught in Ahmedabad.

After a match-winning innings of 86 not out against Sri Lanka in Port-of-Spain, Shivnarine Chanderpaul has moved up two places to joint-seventh position along with Mahela Jayawardena of Sri Lanka. Ramnaresh Sarwan, who shared a crucial 157-run partnership with Chanderpaul, has moved up eight places to 22nd position after his magnificent 102 under enormous pressure.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has slipped two places to fifth position on the ICC Test Championship table after only managing to draw the two-match series with the West Indies . Jayawardena’s team lost three ratings points after the series ended 1-1 and such is the congested nature of the table at present, it meant that it slipped down below South Africa and England, which are now lying in third and fourth positions, respectively.

Good news for the West Indies is that it has narrowed the gap in the Test Championship to 14 points between itself and New Zealand . Prior to England ’s 2-1 series win over the Black Caps and the West Indies’ drawn series with Sri Lanka , there were 20 points separating NZ in seventh spot and the men from the Caribbean in eighth.

India must win the third Test against South Africa if it is to avoid losing its second position in the table to the visitors. If Anil Kumble’s team draws or loses the match, which begins in Kanpur on Friday, it will drop two full places to fourth from its current position in second.

The ICC Test Championship table is updated only at the end of each series.

LG’s four-year sponsorship of ICC Player and Team Rankings ended on 31 March and the new sponsor will be announced in due course.
ICC Test Championship (as of 7 April)

Rank Teams Rating

1 Australia 141
2 India 111
3 South Africa 109
4 England 108
5 Sri Lanka 106
6 Pakistan 94
7 New Zealand 91
8 West Indies 77
9 Bangladesh 1

ICC Test Rankings (as of 7 April)

Batsmen

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave HS Rating

1 (+1) Mike Hussey Aus 912*! 78.14 912 v Ind at Adelaide 2008
2= (+1) Ricky Ponting Aus 899 58.53 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
(+2) Jacques Kallis SA 899 57.73 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
4 (-3) K.C.Sangakkara SL 893 55.19 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
5 (-1) Mhd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
6 ( - ) Matthew Hayden Aus 860 53.51 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002
7= (+2) S.Chanderpaul WI 810 47.24 838 v SA at Cape Town 2008
( - ) M.Jayawardena SL 810 51.93 844 v WI at Guyana 2008
9 (-1) Younis Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Leeds 2006
10 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 784 49.74 909 v WI at Leeds 2007
11 ( - ) Michael Clarke Aus 744 46.45 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
12 (+2) S.R.Tendulkar Ind 711 55.31 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
13 (-1) Virender Sehwag Ind 702 52.56 854 v SA at Kolkata 2004
14 (+1) Graeme Smith SA 700 48.51 756 v NZ at Wellington 2004
15 (-2) Rahul Dravid Ind 697 54.92 892 v Pak at Kolkata 2005
16 ( - ) Alastair Cook Eng 679 43.46 711 v SL at Galle 2007
17 (+1) Ian Bell Eng 674 43.15 684 v SL at Kandy 2007
18 (+1) P.D.Collingwood Eng 668 42.54 730 v Aus at Adelaide 2006
19 (-2) VVS Laxman Ind 660 43.77 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
20 (+1) Andrew Symonds Aus 656* 41.24 666 v Ind at Perth 2008

Bowlers

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave Econ HS Rating

1= ( - ) M.Muralidaran SL 897 21.95 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
(+1) Dale Steyn SA 897 ! 21.41 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008
3 ( - ) Stuart Clark Aus 829* 21.88 843 v Ind at Perth 2008
4 ( - ) Brett Lee Aus 795 ! 29.97 795 v Ind at Adelaide 2008
5 ( - ) Makhaya Ntini SA 789 27.78 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
6 ( - ) Anil Kumble Ind 715 29.06 859 v SL at Bangalore 1994
7 ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 709 29.09 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
8 ( - ) Shane Bond NZ 688* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006
9 ( - ) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
10 ( - ) Ryan Sidebottom Eng 665*! 26.60 665 v NZ at Napier 2008
11 ( - ) Corey Collymore WI 640* 32.30 700 v Eng at Lord's 2007
12 ( - ) M’thew Hoggard Eng 637 30.50 795 v SL at Birmingham 2006
13 ( - ) Zaheer Khan Ind 626 33.60 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
14 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 621 32.02 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
15 ( - ) Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
16 ( - ) Monty Panesar Eng 617* 32.45 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
17 ( - ) Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
18 ( - ) Chris Martin NZ 609 32.66 643 v Eng at Lord's 2004
19 (+1) James Franklin NZ 594* 28.19 679 v SL at Christchurch 2006
20= (+4) Harbhajan Singh Ind 577 31.48 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
(-1) Irfan Pathan Ind 577 32.26 761 v SL at Delhi 2005

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 517 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 340 359 v Eng at Hamilton 2008
3 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 320 501 v Pak at Multan 2005
4 ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 294 300 v WI at Guyana 2008
5 (+2) Irfan Pathan Ind 268 317 v Eng at Mohali 2006

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