Gambhir banned for one Test after being found guilty of conduct contrary to the Spirit of Cricket

Dubai , 31 October 2008

India opener Gautam Gambhir has received a one Test ban after being found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the third Test against Australia in New Delhi .

As a result, he will miss the final Test of the current series, starting in Nagpur from 6 November.

The player met with Emirates Elite Panel ICC Match Referee Chris Broad on Friday morning before the start of third day’s play where he was informed of the penalty. The hearing had been adjourned on Thursday evening to allow the match referee to review the evidence.

The player had pleaded guilty to a charge under Rule C1 of the Code (Level 2) which states that players shall at all times conduct play within the spirit of the game.

The incident that led to the charge being laid took place during the 51st over of India ’s first innings on day one of the Test match when there was a coming-together of Gambhir and Shane Watson.

Watson was found guilty and fined 10 per cent of his match fee on Thursday for verbally engaging with Gambhir in a manner that was not in keeping with the Spirit of Cricket.

Explaining the decision, Mr Broad said: “The decision to find Gambhir guilty of a level 2 offence is indicative of the fact that any degree of physical contact is unacceptable.

“Had Gambhir been charged with and found guilty of a charge under 2.4, due to his previous offence, I would have been obliged to impose a minimum penalty of a two-Test match ban. In the view of the umpires, the facts of this case - the lightness of the physical conduct and the element of provocation - would not justify such a penalty.

“The umpires accordingly had regard to the notes of the ICC Code of Conduct which provides for a player to be charged under Rule C1 if the circumstances of the alleged incident are not adequately covered by the listed offences.

“Whilst I concur with this view, the ICC has repeatedly told the players that deliberate physical contact between players will not be tolerated. I have also taken into account the previous offences of Gambhir and therefore, I am satisfied that the penalty imposed is an appropriate outcome in the circumstances of this matter. I hope Mr Gambhir will learn from this,” he said.

Present at the hearing was the player, the match referee, the on-field umpires Billy Bowden and Aleem Dar, third umpire Suresh Shastri and fourth umpire Sameer Bandekar , India coach Gary Kirsten and captain Anil Kumble.

The penalty for a Level 2 offence is a fine of between 50 and 100 per cent of the player’s match fee and/or a maximum ban of one Test match or two ODIs.

For Level 2 offences players have the right to appeal against an adjudicator’s decision within 24 hours of notification of that decision.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Ireland just about on top but Namibia fight hard on day one

Port Elizabeth , 30 October 2008

Louis Burger hits unbeaten 72 to leave his side on 241-9 at stumps

Defending champion Ireland will feel it has taken a big step towards making it a hat-trick of wins in the ICC Intercontinental Cup by reducing Namibia to 241-9 at the close of play on day one in Port Elizabeth .

With St George’s Park drenched in early-summer sunshine and the pitch promising to yield plenty of runs to hard-working batsmen, Louis Burger had no hesitation in batting after winning the toss.

But after a steady start between LP van der Westhuizen and JB Burger, the Irish bowlers got stuck in and having been 36-0, Namibia suddenly found itself at 37-2 with both openers back in the pavilion.

Craig Williams and Sarel Burger then steadied things and saw the Africans through to lunch with the game nicely poised on 73-2.

But Ireland ’s bowlers did well after the break. Right-arm seamer Peter Connell, who has been enjoying himself in this competition to date, got rid of them both thus taking his 21st and 22nd wickets in just his fifth match in the tournament.

Connell’s team-mates also then got in on the act with Andre Botha dismissing danger man Gerrie Snyman and Alex Cusack finding Deon Kotze’s outside edge with former captain Trent Johnston coolly taking the catch at first slip. Having been in a solid position at lunch Namibia was in serious trouble at 119-6.

If ever there was a time for the captain to stick his chest out and provide real resistance this was it. After all, it was he who had decided to take first use of the batting track. Batting at six Louis Burger knew he was all that stood between his side and potential oblivion and he did a superb job for his team.

By the close of play he was left there unbeaten on 72, having faced 158 balls and hit 10 fours and one crisp straight six off Kyle McCallan. He was provided with some support along the way, particularly by Bjorn Kotze (43) with whom he put on a crucial 91-run partnership and, in a very entertaining closing few overs, Kola Burger (22 not out).

Kola’s knock consisted of just 11 balls and included five fours as the tail-ender showed disdain for the bowlers who had given his colleagues so much strife during the day. If he shows the same determination on the second morning, Namibia may well add significantly to its overnight total of 241-9.

Of course this is not the first time Kola has sent Ireland ’s bowlers to all corners of a cricket ground. In 2006, he smashed four sixes on his way to a 20-ball 36 at Castle Avenue , Dublin so William Porterfield and his men would not have been surprised with his cameo performance today.

Afterwards, captain Louis Burger was reasonably happy with the day’s performance.

“I think 240 looks a lot better now than it did earlier today. I feel a lot of the guys didn’t value their wickets enough. At least three of the wickets that went down were due to loose shots. But overall, I am happy enough with 241 and hopefully we can go out in the morning and score a few more runs.

“If the ball is there I can certainly score a few more. I am with Kola and he can hit the ball further than me so I might leave the hitting to him and try to rotate the strike. If we can bat another 10 or 20 overs that would be ideal.

“When I got in there we 82-4 and I just wanted to stabilise the innings and bat as long as I could. I am a bit disappointed with a few of the shots the guys got out playing but eventually we got somewhere close to a competitive total and it will be up to our bowlers tomorrow to do a good job for us.”

Of Ireland ’s attack, Connell ended up with the best figures of 4-51 while big Boyd Rankin chipped in with 2-62, including a hugely important wicket to remove Bjorn Kotze.

This is a good batting wicket and a credit to the St George’s Park ground staff so Ireland ’s batsmen will want to get in early and start making a dent in the Namibia total, whatever Louis and Kola can bring it up to. Play resumes at 1030.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Shane Watson found guilty of offence contrary to Spirit of Cricket

Dubai , 30 October 2008

Australia all-rounder fined 10 per cent of match fee for Level 1 breach; Gautam Gambhir hearing adjourned until Friday morning for match referee to review evidence

Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has been fined 10 per cent of his match fee after breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the second Test against India in New Delhi .

At a hearing in front of Emirates Elite Panel match referee Chris Broad, Watson pleaded not guilty to a Level 1 charge under clause C1 of the ICC Code of Conduct which states that players “shall at all times conduct play within in the spirit of the game as well as within the Laws of Cricket”.

The incident that led to the charge being laid took place during the 51st over of India ’s first innings on day one of the Test match when there was a coming-together of Watson and India opening batsman Gautam Gambhir.

After considering the evidence, Broad found Watson guilty of verbally engaging with Gambhir in a manner that was not in keeping the Spirit of Cricket.

Broad fined Watson 10 per cent of his match fee for the offence. In cases of Level 1 offences, the match referee’s decision is final and binding and, as such, there is no right of appeal.

Present at the hearing was the player, the match referee, the on-field umpires Billy Bowden and Aleem Dar, third umpire Suresh Shastri and fourth umpire Sameer Bandekar, Australia team coach Tim Nielsen and Australia team manager Steve Bernard.

In the case of Gambhir, the hearing has been adjourned until Friday morning to allow the match referee to review the evidence. The player has pleaded guilty to a C1 Level 2 offence of not playing within the Spirit of Cricket.

An announcement of the result of the hearing will be issued in due course.

The charges against both players in this case were laid by the umpires.

The penalty for a Level 2 offence is a fine of between 50 and 100 per cent of the player’s match fee and/or a maximum ban of one Test match or two ODIs. For Level 2 offences players have the right to appeal against an adjudicator’s decision within 24 hours of notification of that decision.

Level 1 penalties range from an official reprimand and/or a fine of up to 50 per cent of the player’s match fee.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Vettori maintains upward movement in Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers

Dubai, 30 October 2008

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has gained two places in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers after good performances in the just-concluded series in Bangladesh .

The left-arm spinner recorded series figures of 14-199, including 5-66 in the rain-affected second Test in Mirpur, which has helped him climb two places to 12th in the bowlers’ listing. Vettori had started the series in 21st position and improved his ranking by nine places.

New Zealand will next embark on a tour of Australia where the opening Test of the two-Test series begins in Brisbane from 20 November. If Vettori succeeds in repeating the same form he showed in Bangladesh , he could gain at least three more places in the bowling ladder.

Fast bowler Iain O’Brien is the other big mover, gaining six places to 40th spot after series haul of 8-95, including 3-31 in Mirpur.

From Bangladesh ’s prospective, fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza has improved his ranking by one place and he now sits in 41st position while left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak has lifted two places to 80th spot.

The list is headed by Sri Lanka ’s Muttiah Muralidaran with Australia ’s Stuart Clark in second spot and Dale Steyn of South Africa in third position.

There is no change in the top 30 of Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen. But there is good news for New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder who has rocketed up 45 places to 84th position thanks to his knocks of 91 and 39 not out in Mirpur.

West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul heads the batting chart while Sri Lanka ’s Kumar Sangakkara is second and Mike Hussey of Australia third.

Vettori also gained ground on South Africa ’s Jacques Kallis in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders but remains in second position with no changes affecting the top five of that category.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship, New Zealand ’s 1-0 series win has cost it one ratings point and it now sits on 82 while the same result has earned Bangladesh its only point on the table.

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship (as of 30 October, after the conclusion of the Bangladesh – New Zealand Test series)

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 138
2 South Africa 116
3 India 109
4 Sri Lanka 108
5 England 104
6 Pakistan 100
7 New Zealand 82
8 West Indies 81
9 Bangladesh 1

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Rankings (as of 30 October, after the conclusion of Bangladesh – New Zealand Test series)

Batsmen

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

1 ( - ) S.Chanderpaul WI 890! 49.08 890 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
2 ( - ) Kumar SangakkaraSL 886 54.79 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
3 ( - ) Mike Hussey Aus 881 67.28 921 v WI at Kingston 2008
4 ( - ) Mohd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
5 ( - ) Ricky Ponting Aus 853 57.88 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
6 ( - ) M. Jayawardena SL 837 52.41 847 v Ind at Colombo (SSC) 2008
7 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 829 50.51 905 v WI at Headingley 2007
8 ( - ) Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Headingley 2006
9 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 774 55.46 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
10 ( - ) Virender Sehwag Ind 770 52.28 854 v SA at Kolkata 2004
11 ( - ) Matthew Hayden Aus 768 52.43 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002
12 ( - ) Graeme Smith SA 739 49.23 759 v Eng at Edgbaston 2008
13 ( - ) Michael Clarke Aus 692 45.50 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
14= ( - ) Andrew Symonds Aus 686* 44.65 718 v WI at Antigua 2008
( - ) Alastair Cook Eng 686 42.88 707 v SL at Galle 2007
16= ( - ) VVS Laxman Ind 679 43.55 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
( - ) AB de Villiers SA 679! 41.61 679 v Eng at The Oval 2008
18 ( - ) Rahul Dravid Ind 670 53.58 892 v Pak at Kolkata 2005
19 ( - ) Sachin Tendulkar Ind 661 54.22 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
20= ( - ) R. Sarwan WI 659 40.40 697 v Eng at Old Trafford 2004
( - ) Ashwell Prince SA 659 42.23 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007

Bowlers

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

1 ( - ) Muttiah Muralidaran SL 895 21.96 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 ( - ) Stuart Clark Aus 851* 22.06 863 v WI at Bridgetown 2008
3 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 847 22.51 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008
4 ( - ) Brett Lee Aus 764 29.98 811 v WI at Antigua 2008
5 ( - ) Makhaya Ntini SA 760 28.22 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
6 ( - ) Ryan Sidebottom Eng 738* 25.68 769 v SA at Lord's 2008
7= ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 684 29.31 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
( - ) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
9 ( - ) Harbhajan Singh Ind 665 30.96 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
10 ( - ) Shane Bond NZ 654* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006
11 ( - ) Monty Panesar Eng 653 31.95 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
12 (+2) Daniel Vettori NZ 647 33.39 681 v Aus at Auckland 2000
13 (-1) Zaheer Khan Ind 641 33.65 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
14 (-1) Jerome Taylor WI 628*! 34.69 628 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
15 ( - ) James Anderson Eng 620! 34.51 620 v SA at The Oval 2008
16 ( - ) Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
17 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 615 32.21 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
18 ( - ) Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
19 ( - ) Anil Kumble Ind 605 29.60 859 v SL at Bangalore 1994
20 ( - ) Matthew Hoggard Eng 593 30.50 795 v SL at Edgbaston 2006

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating
1 (-) Jacques Kallis SA 458 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 (-) Daniel Vettori NZ 369 369 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
3 (-) Andrew Flintoff Eng 302 501 v Pak at Multan 2005
4 (-) Dwayne Bravo WI 295/*! 295 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
5 (-) Chaminda Vaas SL 281 300 v WI at Guyana 2008

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Abdur Razzak reported with suspected illegal bowling action

Dubai , 30 October 2008

Bangladesh bowler Abdur Razzak has been reported because of a suspected illegal action.

The left-arm spinner was reported by Emirates Elite Panel umpires Daryl Harper and Asoka de Silva at the conclusion of his country’s second Test against New Zealand in Mirpur.

In their report the umpires explained they had concerns over the player’s faster ball and, having monitored it during both matches in the series, decided it was appropriate the delivery should be scrutinized further under the relevant ICC process.

That process is as follows:

· The ICC will obtain three copies of the relevant footage. One will go to the player, one to the relevant Board (in this case the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)) and one will be retained by the ICC.
· The player is required to submit to an independent analysis of his action by a member of the ICC panel of human movement specialists, appointed in consultation with the BCB.
· This analysis must take place within 21 days of the report being received by the BCB.
· The report of the analysis must be filed with the ICC within 14 days of it occurring.
· If a player is found to have bowled with an illegal action during the independent analysis then he will be banned from bowling until he undertakes remedial action and is reassessed.
· If the independent analysis finds the player guilty of bowling with an illegal action for a specific type of delivery only then he can continue to bowl in international cricket with a warning that if he is reported again then he will be banned from bowling with immediate effect.
· Until the receipt of the report of the independent analysis by the BCB then the player can continue to bowl.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Gambhir and Watson to face ICC Code of Conduct hearing

Dubai, 30 October 2008

India player Gautam Gambhir and Australia ’s Shane Watson are each to face a charge under the ICC Code of Conduct.

Gambhir has been charged under clause C1 Level 2 of the code which states that players “shall at all times conduct play within the spirit of the game as well as within the Laws of Cricket”.

Watson has been charged under the same clause, C1, but as a Level 1 offence.

The incident related to contact between Gambhir and Watson as Gambhir ran between the wickets during the 51st over of India ’s first innings on day one of the third Test in New Delhi on Wednesday. The hearing will take place after the second day’s play.

The charges were laid by on-field umpires Billy Bowden and Aleem Dar , both of the Emirates Elite Panel, and third official Suresh Shastri of the Emirates International Panel. It will be heard by Emirates Elite Panel match referee Chris Broad.

Level 2 penalties range from a fine of between 50 per cent of the player’s match fee up to 100 per cent and/or a ban of one Test or two ODIs.

Level 1 penalties range from an official reprimand and/or a fine of up to 50 per cent of the player’s match fee.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Namibia coach says his team must believe

Port Elizabeth , 29 October 2008

Johan Rudolph tells his players they belong in top division of Associates

Ireland’s Phil Simmons declares: “The cup is ours and we’re not letting go”

Self-belief and mental toughness are what will bring the ICC Intercontinental Cup to Windhoek , according to Namibia national coach Johan Rudolph.

Speaking on Wednesday, the day before the final gets underway at St George’s Park , Port Elizabeth , Rudolph said his players had the necessary ammunition to overcome the more fancied Ireland over the five days of the match.

“I honestly believe it’s a 99.9 per cent mental thing now at this stage,” said Rudolph ahead of his side’s final training session before its first ever appearance in the final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup.

“You can only coach up to a point and the key thing for me is that the guys need to buy into what we are trying to achieve… How much do they want it? They need to believe they can beat Ireland . I really believe we are at that level, we are definitely not a Division 2 side and we belong in the same league as Ireland ,” he said.

“It was good to see Louis Klasinga, Kola Burger and Gerrie Snyman get selected for the team of the tournament. It demonstrates the quality we have. Those guys have been great for us this year. But we do not just rely on them. Sorel Burger has been a rock for us – he is our banker – and the whole team is contributing.

“ Ireland have a really professional set-up and we still need to get there. As far as the threat they pose to us in this match, they have a couple of good bowlers. I don’t really know what this pitch is going to do at St George’s Park but Boyd Rankin bowled brilliantly against us in the second innings in Windhoek a few weeks ago. He got a lot of bounce.

“But we have prepared well for this match and I am looking forward to the contest. We’ll see how it goes,” added Rudolph.

Ireland ’s recent tour to Kenya was badly hit by the weather. Although it managed to get its crucial ICC Intercontinental Cup match played thus finally booking its place in the final, the scheduled ODI tri-series with Kenya and Zimbabwe was ruined due to rain with just three out of seven games going ahead.

And today, just as coach Phil Simmons wanted to put his charges through their paces in final preparation, a fine rain and chilly wind spread through Port Elizabeth and across the ground restricting the sort of work he could do with them. It was more akin to Clontarf or Stormont than southern Africa .

“The weather hasn’t given us a good chance to prepare but we will do as much as we can do. Today is just about getting sharp and making sure we are in the frame of mind for tomorrow’s game,” said Simmons, who says he is confident his side can win the cup for the third time in a row.

“ Namibia ’s danger for us is in their bowling. That is definitely their strength. If we can bat as we did in Kenya I think we’ll have things covered. Our bowling attack is getting into things, hitting the right areas and our two spinners have bowled well so we just need to counter their bowling attack and we’ll be on our way.

“To win this tournament again would show that we are still the number ones among the Associates in four-day cricket. That’s what the guys want to show after this. We are defending this trophy. It’s ours and we don’t want to let it go. That was the main motivation in our last two games against Namibia and Kenya in getting to this final and so that will be the motivation here too.”

Ian Howell from the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires will stand in the match alongside Paul Baldwin from the ICC Associate and Affiliate International Umpires’ Panel. The match referee will be David Jukes and play gets underway at 1030 (local time, 0830 GMT).

Squads:

Namibia: Louis Burger (captain), JB Burger, Kola Burger, Sorel Burger, Louis Klazinga, Bjorn Kotze, Deon Kotze, Nicolaas Scholtz, Wilbur Slabber, Gerrie Snyman, Tobias Verwey, Louis van der Westhuizen, Craig Williams.

Ireland: William Porterfield (captain), Andre Botha, Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, Phil Eaglestone, Trent Johnston, Kyle McCallan, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Andrew Poynter, Boyd Rankin, Regan West, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.

Match officials: The match will be overseen by referee David Jukes while the on-field umpires are Ian Howell (Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires) and Paul Baldwin (ICC Associate and Affiliate International Umpires’ Panel). The third umpire is Clive Joubert.

Hours of play:
First session – 1030-1230
Second session – 1315-1510
Third session – 1530-1730

The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception four years ago and now the ICC’s premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members’ cricket schedule.

Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event has evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.

Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in both events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider and Canada in the 2006-07 event.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Chance for Kenya to gain two places in Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table

Dubai, 29 October 2008

South Africa captain Graeme Smith eyes second place in batting listing while Gibbs and de Villiers aim to return to top 10

Kenya has an opportunity to gain two places in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table when it faces South Africa in a two-match ODI series in Bloemfontein on Friday 31 October and in Kimberley on Sunday 2 November.

Kenya currently sits at the bottom of the 12-team table with 14 ratings points but victory in one of the two matches will help it leapfrog Ireland and Zimbabwe into 10th position.

A 1-1 series result will lift it to 25 ratings points while an unlikely 2-0 win will take it to 42 ratings points, just five behind ninth-placed Bangladesh .

South Africa will go into the series leading Kenya by 104 rating points and this gap means it is expected to win the series convincingly. As such, because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, the Proteas’ failure to win both the ODIs would cost it heavily.

While a 2-0 win will keep South Africa in second place on 118 ratings, a 1-1 result will drop it to third place on 115 ratings points and a 2-0 defeat will see it slip to fifth position on 111 points.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, South Africa captain Graeme Smith is in third position behind India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Mike Hussey of Australia .

However, Smith can swap places with Hussey if he scores heavily in the series as he trails the Australian by just 12 points.

Likewise, Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers are also well-placed to return to the top 10 as they currently sit in 11th and 13th positions respectively.

Captain Steve Tikolo is the highest-ranked Kenya batsman in 51st position while Thomas Odoyo, who won the ICC Associate ODI Player of the Year Award in Johannesburg in 2007, is 71st.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Kenya fast bowler Peter Ongondo in 20th position is the highest-ranked bowler from either side. The 31-year-old can climb at least two places if he manages to pick a few wickets.

Off-spinner Johan Botha in 57th position is the highest-ranked South Africa bowler to figure in the series and along with Morne Morkel (69th), Albie Morkel (74th) and Dale Steyn (91st) will be eyeing upward movement.

The list is headed by Australia ’s Nathan Bracken with New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori in second spot and Mitchell Johnson, another Australian, in third.

Series schedule:

31 October – First ODI, Bloemfontein
2 November – Second ODI, Kimberley

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table (as of 29 October, before South Africa and Kenya ODI series)

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 131
2 South Africa 118
3 England 116
4 New Zealand 113
5 India 113
6 Pakistan 110
7 Sri Lanka 105
8 West Indies 95
9 Bangladesh 47
10 Ireland 19
11 Zimbabwe 15
12 Kenya 14

ICC One-Day Rankings (as of 29 October)

Batsmen

Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating

1 MS Dhoni Ind 793 47.41 806 v WI at Kingston 2006
2 Mike Hussey Aus 776 57.13 863 v NZ at Perth 2007
3 Graeme Smith SA 764 40.69 792 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
4 Ricky Ponting Aus 740 43.24 832 v NZ at Hobart 2007
5 Mohd Yousuf Pak 738 43.19 777 v SA at Rawalpindi 2003
6 S.Chanderpaul WI 733 40.49 754 v SA at Durban 1999
7 Kevin Pietersen Eng 730 47.83 834 v Aus at Antigua 2007
8 S.R.Tendulkar Ind 724 44.33 887 v Zim at Sharjah 1998
9 Andrew Symonds Aus 719 40.34 778 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
10 Matthew Hayden Aus 711 43.80 854 v Ind at Centurion 2003
11= H.H.Gibbs SA 700 36.31 750 v SL at Durban 2003
Chris Gayle WI 700 39.38 804 v Aus at Mumbai 2006
13 AB de Villiers SA 687 36.09 733 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
14 K.C.Sangakkara SL 680 35.66 760 v Ind at Rajkot 2007
15 Michael Clarke Aus 677 42.46 756 v SL at Melbourne 2008
16 Shoaib Malik Pak 676 35.75 685 v Ind at Lahore 2006
17 S.T.Jayasuriya SL 675 32.69 838 v Ban at Pietermaritzburg 2003
18 Yuvraj Singh Ind 673 35.91 739 v WI at Port-of-Spain 2006
19 R.R.Sarwan WI 667 43.87 798 v Ind at St Kitts 2006
20 Salman Butt Pak 666 39.88 689 v Ind at Dhaka 2008

Bowlers

Rank Player Team Points Ave Econ HS Rating

1 Nathan Bracken Aus 755 21.87 4.33 806 v SL at St George's 2007
2 Daniel Vettori NZ 733 32.05 4.17 790 v Eng at Christchurch 2008
3 Mitchell Johnson Aus 707 23.46 4.72 726 v Ban at Darwin 2008
4 Kyle Mills NZ 697 ! 26.00 4.63 697 v Ban at Chittagong 2008
5 Stuart Broad Eng 684* 26.21 4.77 701 v SA at Trent Bridge 2008
6 M Muralidaran SL 674 23.03 3.88 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
7 Chaminda Vaas SL 672 27.54 4.18 861 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2004
8 Andrew Flintoff Eng 668 23.99 4.35 755 v Ban at Dhaka 2003
9 Jacob Oram NZ 664 30.14 4.39 768 v Aus at The Oval 2004
10 Brett Lee Aus 657 22.96 4.71 853 v SA at Melbourne 2006
11 Jerome Taylor WI 656 27.04 4.67 688 v SA at Cape Town 2008
12 Shahid Afridi Pak 654 34.90 4.63 685 v Ind at Dhaka 2008
13 Andre Nel SA 651 27.68 4.63 685 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
14 Zaheer Khan Ind 637 28.82 4.84 700 v SA at Dhaka 2003
15= Daren Powell WI 632 32.18 4.63 686 v Aus at St George's 2008
Iftikhar Anjum Pak 632 ! 32.49 4.87 632 v Ban at Karachi 2008
Stuart Clark Aus 632*! 27.82 4.90 632 v Ban at Darwin 2008
18 Brad Hogg Aus 611 26.84 4.52 687 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
19 Sohail Tanvir Pak 610* 28.11 4.92 619 v SL at Karachi 2008
20= F Maharoof SL 609 24.39 4.65 671 v Eng at Dambulla 2007
Peter Ongondo Ken 609 25.21 4.25 610 v Ber at Nairobi 2007

All-rounders

Rank Player Team Points HS Rating

1 Jacob Oram NZ 383! 383 v Ban at Chittagong 2008
2 Andrew Flintoff Eng 375 544 v SL at The Rose Bowl 2004
3 Shoaib Malik Pak 349 402 v WI at Brisbane 2005
4 Shahid Afridi Pak 331 360 v Ind at Dhaka 2008
5 Chris Gayle WI 323 511 v Zim at Harare 2003

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 to be most widely viewed women’s cricket event of all time

Sydney, 29 October 2008

Fans in more than 100 countries can catch the action thanks to ESPN STAR Sports and its licensees

ICC President David Morgan: “Tournament is latest stage of ICC’s work increasing the profile of women’s cricket”

Video News Release of the tournament launch available through SNTV

ICC President David Morgan launched the first ever ICC Women’s World Cup in Sydney and revealed it would be the most widely viewed women’s cricket event of all time.

“At least six of the matches will be shown to a television audience spanning more than 100 countries thanks to our Broadcast Partners ESPN STAR Sports and its licensees,” he said, looking ahead to next March’s event that will feature the top eight sides in the world.

“It will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase the best of the best at the pinnacle of the sport and it is the latest stage of what we believe will be the continuing increase in the profile of women’s cricket in the months and years to come.

“There have been other world cups before this – eight in fact and, as the women’s event was first played in 1973, that means it pre-dates the first world cup for men by two years.

“But this event, to be played at six venues over 16 days, is the first to come under the ICC’s banner and it is another brick in the wall of women’s cricket, a wall that will grow taller and taller over time.”

The tournament will feature hosts and holders Australia, as well as England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

Mr Morgan said that in the three years since the ICC took control of the women’s game following its merger with the International Women’s Cricket Council in 2005, significant strides had already been made to take the game forward.

“The number of our Members with some form of organised girls or women’s activities has quadrupled in those three years,” he said.

“We have incorporated the women’s cricketer of the year award into the LG ICC Awards ceremony and two weeks ago in Mumbai we launched the Reliance Mobile ICC Women’s Player Rankings.

“And next June we have the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in England, with women’s and men’s events being staged in tandem for the first time, including both semi-finals and the final on the same days at the same venues.

“Having the Women’s World Cup take place in Australia is fitting given that the host is the defending champion and has won the title five times, more than any other side.

“And the fact it is under the ICC’s banner is not only a landmark for the sport but is also entirely appropriate as 2009 is the ICC’s centenary,” he added.

Mr Morgan thanked the ICC’s commercial partners for playing a major role in assisting the growth of women’s cricket.

“I have already mentioned ESPN STAR Sports and how it and its licensees will spread the tournament throughout the world but there are also our Global Partners Reliance Communications Limited, PepsiCo and LG Electronics, our Official Partners Emirates Airlines, Reebok and Yahoo and our Local Partner for this event, Events New South Wales.

“These organisations are vital to ensuring the ICC is able to hold an event of this scale and we thank them for their contribution to the game.

“Women’s cricket and the ICC Women’s World Cup will play a major part in ensuring 2009 will be a great year for cricket and a year which will see our strong sport continue to grow stronger,” added Mr Morgan.

A video news release of the launch of the ICC Women’s World Cup is available through SNTV.

About the Women’s World Cup

The Women’s World Cup has been running for longer than the men’s version and was first staged in England in 1973, when it was won by the hosts.

Since then there have been a further seven tournaments with Australia winning five of them (1978, 1982, 1988, 1997 & 2005), England winning once more (in 1993) and New Zealand triumphing in 2000.

The tournament has been staged twice each in England (1973 and 1993), India (1978 and 1997) and New Zealand (1982 and 2000) as well as Australia (1988) and South Africa (2005).

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC announces umpire and referee appointments for upcoming series in South Africa

Dubai , 29 October 2008

The ICC today announced details of umpire and match referee appointments for the upcoming ODI and Test series in South Africa .

South Africa will get its home season underway with two ODIs against Kenya and will then host Bangladesh for a three-ODI and two-Test series.

The ODIs will be overseen by Roshan Mahanama of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees while Nigel Llong of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires will stand along with local appointments.

Mahanama will then hand over the charge to Alan Hurst, also of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, for the Test series which will be officiated by Steve Davis of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Ian Gould of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires.

Appointments for future matches and series will be announced in due course.

South Africa
Match referee for ODI series against Kenya and Bangladesh – Roshan Mahanama
31 Oct – South Africa v Kenya (ODI), Bloemfontein – Nigel Llong and local appointment
2 Nov – South Africa v Kenya (ODI), Kimberley – Nigel Llong and local appointment
7 Nov – South Africa v Bangladesh (ODI), Potchefstroom – Nigel Llong and local appointment
9 Nov – South Africa v Bangladesh (ODI), Benoni – Nigel Llong and local appointment
12 Nov – South Africa v Bangladesh (ODI), East London , Nigel Llong and local appointment

Match referee for Test series against Bangladesh – Alan Hurst
19-23 Nov – South Africa v Bangladesh (Test), Bloemfontein , Steve Davis and Ian Gould
26-30 Nov – South Africa v Bangladesh (Test), Centurion, Steve Davis and Ian Gould

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC announces Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 Team of the Tournament

Port Elizabeth , 28 October 2008

Six countries represented with Ireland providing the most players

The International Cricket Council today announced the Team of the Tournament for the group stage of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08, the final of which takes place between Namibia , making its first appearance, and defending champion Ireland at St George’s Park , Port Elizabeth from 30 October to 3 November.

The team was selected by a specially assembled panel of experts after the coaches and captains of each of the eight competing teams were asked to make their nominations. The players who made the team will be presented with an ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-2008 Team of the Tournament award.

Not surprisingly, players from the two finalists provide most of the team but in total six countries are represented. Four of the team are from Ireland , including the 12th man, while Namibia has provided three. In addition, there are two players from Kenya and one each from Canada , the United Arab Emirates and Bermuda .

Only performances in the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 were considered and of the eight competing teams, just Scotland and the Netherlands are not represented in the dream team.

“Once all the votes from the coaches and captains had been tallied, the panel made the final selections but relied heavily on those nominations,” said ICC High Performance Manager Richard Done, who chaired the panel.

“There have been some wonderful performances in the 2007-08 event and a remarkable number of close games. It was also testament to the competitive nature of the tournament that we did not know who both finalists would be until the last day of the last match, between Kenya and Ireland at Nairobi Gymkhana earlier this month,” said Done.

“During the tournament, the members of the selection panel between them saw all the teams in action and all are hugely knowledgeable about Associate cricket, particularly the top sides. It made for some interesting discussions in debating the make-up of the team and I think the time and thought that went into that process has yielded 12 guys who have all performed outstandingly well for their teams in the 2007-08 edition of the tournament.

“The idea of the ICC Intercontinental Cup is to give players from Associate teams to opportunity to play more the longer form of the game and the four-day format has been very successful. I have noticed a lot of improvement in performances since this tournament was introduced in 2004.

“Batsmen are demonstrating better concentration and technique, bowlers are showing more patience and the fielding is also improving. It’s really encouraging as we continue to close the gap between the Test sides and the top Associates.

“Although this team won’t actually play any matches, I am pretty confident it could hold its own at a high level. This is a fine group of players named here,” he said.

The coaches and captains were asked to make the nominations from teams other than their own and they nominated players in the following categories: opening batsmen (two); top/middle-order batsmen (three); wicketkeeper (one); quick bowlers (three); spin bowlers (two) and one additional player from any category, who the coaches and captains felt was deserving of his place.

To be nominated, players must have appeared in at least four out of his team’s seven ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-2008 round-robin matches. The coaches and captains were also asked to nominate a captain from the players they picked.

To assist the coaches and captains in their deliberations, they were all provided with full statistics and averages providing the leading performances from each of the 28 matches in the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 group stage.

Once all the votes were collated the five-person panel made its selection.

Team of the Tournament 2007-08 (in would-be batting order)

Niall O’Brien ( Ireland , wicketkeeper)
Saqib Ali (UAE)
Andre Botha ( Ireland , captain)
Gerrie Snyman ( Namibia )
Kevin O’Brien ( Ireland )
Thomas Odoyo ( Kenya )
Sunil Dhaniram ( Canada )
Kola Burger ( Namibia )
Louis Klazinga ( Namibia )
Hiren Varayia ( Kenya )
Dwayne Leverock ( Bermuda )
12th man: Peter Connell ( Ireland )

The selection panel consisted of:

Richard Done (Chairman)
Ian Callender ( Europe )
Russell Tiffin ( Africa )
Mazhar Khan ( Asia )
Martin Vieira ( Americas )

The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception four years ago and now the ICC’s premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members’ cricket schedule.

Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event has evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.

Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in both events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider and Canada in the 2006-07 event.

The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 will take place from 30 October to 3 November 2008 at St George’s Park , Port Elizabeth between Namibia and Ireland .

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

I am feeling good physically

Anil Kumble

I SHOULD start by saying something I mentioned earlier also, that I am feeling good physically, the shoulder has come along well. I had a long bowl on Sunday and again on Monday and I'm feeling fine. The break between the Tests has helped me and everyone else in the team. We've all had a chance to go back home, spend some time with the family and return fresh. This is a good time of the year for everyone, a happy time. The festive season means being together with the people you love and that this always leaves you feeling good. On behalf of the team I'll take this opportunity to wish all our supporters a happy Diwali!

In these circumstances it's especially good to be at Delhi and the Ferozeshah Kotla. It's a special place for me, not least because of the 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan. But more than that, as a team we have had strong results here for so long. Every Test that I have been a part of here has been a winning one, and you can only take confidence from that. Coming to a venue where you've had success is an interesting thing for a cricketer – you don't feel any extra pressure, but still you draw the confidence of having won in the past. Of course, there is the pressure of playing international cricket, but that is there whether you're playing in Delhi or Ahmedabad or Bangalore or anywhere else.

The team has come together well after the break and we've had two very good practice sessions. Being 1-0 up is a good place to be in, but at such times preparation becomes crucial. There has been a lot of talk in the last few days about what the Australians are doing, what they are hoping to achieve and that kind of thing. For me, as captain, my team is just focussing on what we need to do. We had a very good last Test and that gave us a good indication of what we need to do well. Hopefully we can continue in that vein and wrap up the series here itself.

We know the Australians will come hard at us because that is exactly what we would do if we were 0-1 down halfway through a series. We are aware of what can happen but we have the confidence that we have the quality in bowling and batting to answer any questions they may ask of us. The advantage we have is that we are ahead, our preparations have been good, and we have the confidence of having won by a huge margin in Mohali.

It's a bit early to say anything about how this pitch will play because there's still a bit of grass on it. Of course, there is plenty of time till the first ball is bowled, and a bit of that grass may be taken off. We'll have to wait till the morning of the match to get an accurate assessment. Whatever happens with the pitch, we're keenly looking forward to the first ball of play, and that's the best frame of mind to be in.

HAWKEYE COMMUNICATIONS

Sports News

October 27, 2008

Football :
Mizoram University clinched the title of East Zone Inter University Football Tournament at Agartala on Monday last. In the last two league matches at the Umakanta Mini Stadium, Mizoram beat University of Bardhawan by 3-0 goals. In another match, Kolkata University defeated host Tripura University by 2-0 goals. Earlier, in the first four matches in league format all four teams sheared their points in three matches. Only Mizoram beat Kolkata University by 3-0 goals. After last match, Mizoram finished top with seven points and Kolkata University clinched runner's trophy with four points. Tripura finished fourth position in this tournament.
Forest Minister of Tripura Jitendra Chowdhury was present in the valedictory function.
It may be mention that Tripura University created history in the University Football tournament earlier. First time Tripura entered in to Inter Zone University Tournament this year. The tournament will be held in Goa on November 10-20 next.

Political leaders in Ireland and Namibia get behind their teams

Dubai , 27 October 2008

Political leaders from Ireland and Namibia have sent their respective national cricket teams good-luck messages ahead of the ICC Intercontinental Cup final which gets underway in St George’s Park , Port Elizabeth on Thursday.

Having won this tournament on the last two occasions, Ireland ’s players will be in confident mood ahead of the match. Even more so with the knowledge that they have the support of the whole country, both north and south of the border.

Taoiseach* Brian Cowen said: “I would like to wish captain William Porterfield and the whole Ireland team all the best as they look for their third consecutive win in the ICC Intercontinental Cup. We all fondly remember the exploits of the team during the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies last year and so it’s great to see the team is still performing very well.

“All of Ireland should be proud of what the cricket team has achieved in recent years, every member of the team should be aware that their successes do not go unnoticed.

“I believe Namibia have been playing well this year and that they have some fine players who will surely be well used to the conditions in South Africa . But, if the Irish players perform to their best, there is no reason why they can’t bring the cup home for a third time in a row,” said Mr Cowan.

Not to be outdone by their colleagues in the south of Ireland , First Minister of Northern Ireland Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness also sent their best wishes to the team.

Mr Robinson said: “I would like to wish William Porterfield and his team all the best as they strive for a remarkable hat-trick in the competition and they can be assured not only of our support but that of all sports enthusiasts.”

Mr McGuinness said: “The Ireland cricket team continues to bring sporting distinction and I send my good wishes as the players prepare for the ICC Intercontinental Cup final against Namibia in South Africa .”

And in case the Namibians were feeling left out, the Minister for Youth, National Services, Sport and Culture, Rev. Willem Konjore, is sure to be keeping a close eye on the scores from his office in Windhoek.

While some pundits may put the more experienced Irish as favourites, they would do well to remember that Namibia came top of the league table in the group stage and so need only a draw to take the title. Having come second, Ireland must force an outright victory in the final to take the cup for the third time running. In the event of a tie, the title will be shared.

“I would like to extend my best wishes to the Namibia cricket team ahead of the big game against Ireland ,” said Minister Konjore.

“I know that the team has played extremely well this year and it is a great achievement to get into this final. Coming top of the group is a tribute to all the hard work, dedication and skill that they have shown over the past 18 months or so and I’m sure they will do their country proud in Port Elizabeth.

“I know that Ireland has won this competition twice before so they will not be easy to beat but under the leadership of captain Louis Burger, I feel sure that Namibia will put up a strong challenge. Namibians should be proud of the performances of their national cricket team,” he said.

Meanwhile, the two squads and the umpires for the match have been named. Ian Howell from the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires will stand in the match alongside Paul Baldwin from the ICC Associate and Affiliate International Umpires’ Panel.

Squads:

Namibia: Louis Burger (captain), JB Burger, Kola Burger, Sorel Burger, Louis Klazinga, Bjorn Kotze, Deon Kotze, Nicolaas Scholtz, Wilbur Slabber, Gerrie Snyman, Tobias Verwey, Louis van der Westhuizen, Craig Williams.

Ireland: William Porterfield (captain), Andre Botha, Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, Phil Eaglestone, Trent Johnston, Kyle McCallan, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Andrew Poynter, Boyd Rankin, Regan West, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.

Umpires: Ian Howell (Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires) and Paul Baldwin (ICC Associate and Affiliate International Umpires’ Panel)

*Taoiseach is an Irish word meaning leader or, as in this case, Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland .

The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception four years ago and now the ICC’s premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members’ cricket schedule.

Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event has evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.

Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in both events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider and Canada in the 2006-07 event.

The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 will take place from 30 October to 3 November 2008 at St George’s Park , Port Elizabeth between Namibia and Ireland .

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC confirms Mike Procter standing down as member of Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees

Dubai , 27 October 2008

Set to take up role as Cricket South Africa convenor of selectors on 1 December 2008 after completing ICC obligations

Haroon Lorgat: “Mike carries with him the thanks and best wishes of all associated with ICC”

The ICC today confirmed that Emirates Elite Panel Match Referee Mike Procter was stepping down to take up a role as Cricket South Africa ’s (CSA) convenor of selectors.

Procter, who officiated in 47 Tests, 154 ODIs and 15 T20Is since becoming a match referee in 2002, will take up his new job on 1 December after completing his obligations with the ICC.

Those obligations are to oversee the upcoming ODI series between Pakistan and the West Indies (in Abu Dhabi ) and also Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka .

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “On behalf of the ICC I would like to thank Mike for his service as an Emirates Elite Panel Match Referee.

“Speaking from personal experience I know that his new role as CSA’s convenor of selectors, which he will assume on 1 December, will be a challenging and rewarding one.

“However, I also know that Mike will bring to it all the cricket wisdom he has acquired over more than 40 years of top-level involvement.

“His start date with CSA, arrived at after negotiations between us at the ICC and CSA chief executive Gerald Majola ahead of CSA’s announcement, allows Mike to complete his obligations as a match referee before assuming his new role.

“This is important because it sets a definitive mark between the end of one job and the start of another and, in terms of Mike’s position as a match referee, it ensures the continued integrity and independence of that role.

“Mike carries with him the best wishes for the future of all those associated with the ICC,” added Mr Lorgat.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Kenya’s Ongondo moves into top 20 bowlers in Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings

Dubai, 26 October 2008

Tikolo, Utseya and O’Brien all make upward moves as Ireland retains 10th place in Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table after rain-affected tri-series

Kenya ’s Peter Ongondo has broken back into the top 20 in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers following his team’s tri-series with Zimbabwe and Ireland in Nairobi .

Although the series was severely curtailed due to rain, and although Ongondo only took one wicket in the two matches he played, it was enough to move him ahead of South Africa ’s Makhaya Ntini and into joint-20th position, level with Farveez Maharoof of Sri Lanka .

Ntini had been just one ratings point ahead of the 31-year-old Kenyan so it didn’t take much for the fast bowler from Nairobi to squeeze past the Protea. And such is the competitive nature of the rankings, Ongondo could move up at least another two places during his side’s two-ODI series against South Africa , which takes place on Friday 31 October in Bloemfontein and Sunday 2 November in Kimberley .

Ongondo, who was ranked as high as 18th in November 2007, is the highest-ranked player in any category from the teams involved in that tri-series and given only three matches were completed out of a scheduled eight, there was not as much movement as had been anticipated.

Staying with the bowlers, Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya moves up one place to 33rd in the rankings while Kenya spinner Hiren Varaiya is up 11 places to 59th position. Zimababwe’s Christopher Mpofu had combined figures of 13-1-60-6 in the two games he played and, as a result, has gained seven places to 77th in the rankings.

The list is still headed by Australia’s Nathan Bracken with New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori in second spot and Mitchell Johnson, another Australian, in third.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, Steve Tikolo has moved up six places to 51st position following a magnificent century against Zimbabwe . His 102 off 99 deliveries made sure of victory for his side and highlighted the fact that the 37-year-old all-rounder still has plenty to offer at this level.

Other big movers in the batting charts are Stuart Matsikenyeri of Zimbabwe, who moves up five places to 59th position, Kevin O’Brien of Ireland, who gains 11 places to 68th position and Kenya’s Alex Obanda, who is up 23 places to 95th spot.

Ireland remains 10th in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table after the rain-affected series although it has lost three ratings points after losing to Zimbabwe by 156 runs.

Zimbabwe has lost one point because although it beat Ireland , it lost to the lower-ranked Kenya . The big beneficiary was the home side, which has gained 14 points for its victory over Zimbabwe (even though it had been beaten by Ireland ) and now sits just one behind Utseya’s men and five behind Ireland .

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table (as of 26 October, after tri-series involving Kenya , Ireland and Zimbabwe )

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 131
2 South Africa 118
3 England 116
4 New Zealand 113
5 India 113
6 Pakistan 110
7 Sri Lanka 105
8 West Indies 95
9 Bangladesh 47
10 Ireland 19
11 Zimbabwe 15
12 Kenya 14

ICC One-Day Rankings (as of 26 October)

Batsmen

Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating

1 MS Dhoni Ind 793 47.41 806 v WI at Kingston 2006
2 Mike Hussey Aus 776 57.13 863 v NZ at Perth 2007
3 Graeme Smith SA 764 40.69 792 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
4 Ricky Ponting Aus 740 43.24 832 v NZ at Hobart 2007
5 Mohd Yousuf Pak 738 43.19 777 v SA at Rawalpindi 2003
6 S.Chanderpaul WI 733 40.49 754 v SA at Durban 1999
7 Kevin Pietersen Eng 730 47.83 834 v Aus at Antigua 2007
8 S.R.Tendulkar Ind 724 44.33 887 v Zim at Sharjah 1998
9 Andrew Symonds Aus 719 40.34 778 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
10 Matthew Hayden Aus 711 43.80 854 v Ind at Centurion 2003
11= H.H.Gibbs SA 700 36.31 750 v SL at Durban 2003
Chris Gayle WI 700 39.38 804 v Aus at Mumbai 2006
13 AB de Villiers SA 687 36.09 733 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
14 K.C.Sangakkara SL 680 35.66 760 v Ind at Rajkot 2007
15 Michael Clarke Aus 677 42.46 756 v SL at Melbourne 2008
16 Shoaib Malik Pak 676 35.75 685 v Ind at Lahore 2006
17 S.T.Jayasuriya SL 675 32.69 838 v Ban at Pietermaritzburg 2003
18 Yuvraj Singh Ind 673 35.91 739 v WI at Port-of-Spain 2006
19 R.R.Sarwan WI 667 43.87 798 v Ind at St Kitts 2006
20 Salman Butt Pak 666 39.88 689 v Ind at Dhaka 2008

Bowlers

Rank Player Team Points Ave Econ HS Rating

1 Nathan Bracken Aus 755 21.87 4.33 806 v SL at St George's 2007
2 Daniel Vettori NZ 733 32.05 4.17 790 v Eng at Christchurch 2008
3 Mitchell Johnson Aus 707 23.46 4.72 726 v Ban at Darwin 2008
4 Kyle Mills NZ 697 ! 26.00 4.63 697 v Ban at Chittagong 2008
5 Stuart Broad Eng 684* 26.21 4.77 701 v SA at Trent Bridge 2008
6 M Muralidaran SL 674 23.03 3.88 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
7 Chaminda Vaas SL 672 27.54 4.18 861 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2004
8 Andrew Flintoff Eng 668 23.99 4.35 755 v Ban at Dhaka 2003
9 Jacob Oram NZ 664 30.14 4.39 768 v Aus at The Oval 2004
10 Brett Lee Aus 657 22.96 4.71 853 v SA at Melbourne 2006
11 Jerome Taylor WI 656 27.04 4.67 688 v SA at Cape Town 2008
12 Shahid Afridi Pak 654 34.90 4.63 685 v Ind at Dhaka 2008
13 Andre Nel SA 651 27.68 4.63 685 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
14 Zaheer Khan Ind 637 28.82 4.84 700 v SA at Dhaka 2003
15= Daren Powell WI 632 32.18 4.63 686 v Aus at St George's 2008
Iftikhar Anjum Pak 632 ! 32.49 4.87 632 v Ban at Karachi 2008
Stuart Clark Aus 632*! 27.82 4.90 632 v Ban at Darwin 2008
18 Brad Hogg Aus 611 26.84 4.52 687 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
19 Sohail Tanvir Pak 610* 28.11 4.92 619 v SL at Karachi 2008
20= F Maharoof SL 609 24.39 4.65 671 v Eng at Dambulla 2007
Peter Ongondo Ken 609 25.21 4.25 610 v Ber at Nairobi 2007

All-rounders

Rank Player Team Points HS Rating

1 Jacob Oram NZ 383! 383 v Ban at Chittagong 2008
2 Andrew Flintoff Eng 375 544 v SL at The Rose Bowl 2004
3 Shoaib Malik Pak 349 402 v WI at Brisbane 2005
4 Shahid Afridi Pak 331 360 v Ind at Dhaka 2008
5 Chris Gayle WI 323 511 v Zim at Harare 2003

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Australia receives ICC ODI Championship shield for topping Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table

New Delhi, 26 October 2008

Australia captain Ricky Ponting has been presented with the ICC ODI Championship shield following his team’s move to the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table.

Australia, which slipped behind South Africa into second place just before the 1 April cut-off following the Proteas’ 3-0 victory over Bangladesh, had regained the top spot after defeating the West Indies in the opening game of the five-match ODI series in St Vincent in June.

The shield was presented to Ponting today in New Delhi by the ICC’s Principal Advisor Inderjit Bindra ahead of the third Test starting at the Feroze Shah Kotla ground from Wednesday 29 October.

Commenting on Australia ’s receipt of the ICC ODI Championship shield, Ponting said: “It’s good for Australia to hold the ICC ODI Championship shield once again.
“Following our success in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 we were challenged at the top of the rankings by a good South Africa team but we pride ourselves on improvement and I’m pleased that we’ve played well enough recently in ODI cricket to regain this prestigious award.”

Mr Bindra said: “For me Australia has always been an exciting side and is the worthy holder of the ICC ODI Championship shield as it has shown remarkable consistency in winning 25 of the 34 ODIs, with three no-results, since April 1, 2007. “Like last year, Australia narrowly missed out on the top slot at the cut-off, but it again came back strongly. It retained the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies last year and reclaimed the number-one position by making a clean sweep of the five-match series against the West Indies . “This amazing ability to bounce back with high-quality performances has been the hallmark of this fantastic Australian side. It has proved time and time again what a dangerous opponent it is when it is trailing, be it in the rankings or in a series. “I wish Ricky and his team-mates all the best in the remaining two Tests against India and in the series back home against New Zealand and South Africa ,” he added.

James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia , said: “Regaining the ICC ODI Championship shield is something Cricket Australia is very proud of and is a strong indication of the team’s consistency in the one-day format of the game for many years now.

“We will be looking to consolidate this position during the Commonwealth Bank Series’ we will play against South Africa and New Zealand in early 2009, series that I’m sure will be closely fought against what is quality opposition.”

Mr Sanjay Behl, head of brand and marketing at Reliance Communications, said: “Reliance Communications, ADA Group, congratulates the Australian captain Ricky Ponting and his side on regaining the top spot in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship.“We are privileged to be associated with the Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings – the only authorised rankings. They promote competitiveness in the game and provide greater challenges to the players and teams to constantly push the envelope to deliver superlative performances.

“This is good for the game and the fans can now look forward to the Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings as the official reservoir of information to enable them to keep track of the performances of their favourite teams and players.“Through the rankings system, we hope that Reliance Mobile can play an important role in making the profile of individual players more prominent and contribute to the development of the sport,” he added.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Sports News

October 26, 2008

Cricket :

Due to heavy rain, the match between Tripura and Jharkhanda for under-19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy one-day cricket tournament was washout at Kolkata on Sunday last. The match was scheduled at Deshabandhu Park ground. Both the teams bagged two points each.

Tripura girls lost Orissa by one run in the under-19 one-day cricket tournament at Jamshedpur on Sunday last. Elected to bat first, Orissa bundled out 126 runs in 40 over. Madhumita Das scored 29 and Madhumanti Behera made 26. Prianka Acharjee bowled brilliantly and took five wickets just given 27 runs for Tripura. In reply to, Tripura scored 125 runs and finished their innings just one ball to go. Mouchaiti Dey score 32 and Rima Chakraborty made 21. For Orissa, Kumkum Nayar took three wickets. Brief Score : Orissa - 126/10 (40 Over), Tripura - 125/10 (49.1 over)

Tripura beat host Sikkim by 260 runs in the C. K. Naidu Toprhy cricket tournament for under-22 boys at Rangpoo on Saturday last. In the penultimate day of four-day match, Tripura declared their second innings after scoring 203 for 5. Soumya Banik scored brilliant 83 and Abhijit Dey scored 31. For Sikkim, B. Mina took three wickets. Set for the victory of 349 runs, host Sikkim bundled out only 88 runs in the second innings. Spinner Rakesh Sharma took six wickets again. He bagged twelve wickets in this match. Other three took by Dilip Singh.
Brief Score : Tripura first innings – 247, Sikkim first innings – 102, Tripura second innings – 203/5 declared, Sikkim second innings – 88.

Sports News

October 24, 2008

Football :

Tripura University created history in the University Football tournament. First time Tripura entered in to Inter Zone University Tournament this year. The tournament will be held in Goa on November 10-20 next. Tripura qualify for league tournament in East Zone Inter University Football Tournament on Friday last at Agartala. Tripura got walk over because S. K. University could not attend this tourney. Earlier, on Thursday last, Tripura routed V. B. S. Purbachal University by 6-0 goals. At Umakanta Mini Stadium, Subhash Pada Jamatia scored two and Badal reang, Prasenjit Das, Gobinda Jamatia and Brajendra Jamatia scored one each. In other matches of three another groups on Friday last, Calcutta University beat Rabindra Bharati University by 1-0 goal, Mizoram University beat NEHU by 2-1 goals and University of Bardhawan defeated Manipur University by 2-1 goals and entered in to league phase of the tournament. Now the championship will be decided by single league tournament. The final league matches will be held on October 27 next. Forest Minister Jitendra Chowdhury will present in the closing function.

Cricket :

Strong contender Bengal girls beat Tripura by five wickets in the East Zone under-19 one-day cricket tournament at Jamshedpur on Friday last. Elected to bat first at Telco ground, Tripura scored 94 for 8 in their stipulated 50 over. Moutoshi Dey scored 33 and Prianka made 12. Ruma Mondal took three wickets for Bengal. In reply to, Bengal touched the winning total by losing five wickets in 31.2 over. Mandira Mondal scored unbeaten 39. Togari Dey took three wickets for Tripura. Brief Score : Tripura – 94/8 950 over0, Bengal – 95/5 (31.2 over).

Tripura lost their third match against Sikkim by six runs in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy under-19 cricket tournament at Kolkata on Friday last. Set for the victory target of 244 runs, Tripura boys bundled out 236 runs in 49.2 over. Opener Samrat Singha scored 66 (91balls, 5X4), Amit Yadav 41 (65 balls, 3X4), Samir Debbarma 30 (33 balls, 4X4), Nirupam Sen 29 (26 balls, 1X4) and Ajay Saha made 21 (21 balls, 3X4). For Sikkim, Kanaiyalal took three wickets. Earlier, elected to bat first, Sikkim scored 243 for seven in stipulated 50 over. Nilesh scored 78. Samir Debbarma took two wickets for Tripura. Brief Score : Sikkim – 243/7 (50 over), Tripura – 236/10 (49.2 over).

Tripura took first innings lead against host Sikkim in C. K. Naidu Trophy four-day under-22 cricket tournament at Rongpoo on Friday last. Resuming from over night score of 245 for 7, Tripura finished their first innings on 247 runs on day-two. In reply to, host side bundled out 102 runs in their first innings. Md. Javad score 36. Rakesh Sahrma showed brilliant bowing display and took six wickets for 25 runs. He was supported by skipper Abhijit Dey with four for 19. Leading by 145 runs, Tripura scored 128 for two in the second innings after day-two. Soumya Banik scored unbeaten 51 with skipper Abjijit Dey batting on 28. Opener Amit Das made 41. Tripura now lead by 273 runs. Brief Score : Tripura first innings – 247, Sikkim first innings – 102, Tripura second innings – 128/2.

Hockey :
Tripura bowed out from North East Hockey Tournament at Guwahati on Friday last. In the semi-final match, Manipur beat Tripura by 7-1 goals.

Chess :
Altogether ten members Tripura team will participate in the North East Chess tournament this year. Tournament will be held on October 26 to November 01 next. Championship will be decided by 11 rounds of play. The players are – Pradip Kumar Chowdhury, Pradip Roy, Pradip Debbarma, Rajesh Krishna Debbrama, Anju Sarkar, Saini Das, Subham Das, Debotpal Dey, Animesh Debnath and Biswajit Debnath.

Sports News

October 23, 2008

Cricket :

Brilliant batting by skipper Abhijit Dey to put Tripura in commanding position against Sikkim in the C. K. Naidu under-22 four-day cricket tournament at Rongpoo on Thursday last. Tripura scored 245 for 7 after first day in first innings. Abhijit made 82 (135 balls), Dilip Singh 34, Amit das 24 and Debabrata Chowdhury scored 23. For host Sikkim, Niraj Tiwari took four wickets. Brief Score : Tripura first innings – 245/7.

Tripura girls lost their third match of East Zone under-19 one-day cricket match against host Jharkhand on Wednesday last. Elected to bat first at Telco ground, Jamshedpur, Jharkhanda scored 146 for 5 in stipulated 50 over. Avi Sahrma Sribastav scored unbeaten 43 and her partner shubha Kumari Thakur made unbeaten 33. Rita Debbarma and Tagari Debnath took two wickets each for Tripura. In Reply to, Tripura bundled out only 73 runs in 41.5 over. Mouchati Debnath and Moutushi Dey both scored 12 runs each. Avi Sharma took four and Shubha Kumari bagged three wickets for host team. Brief Score : Jharkhanda – 146/5 (50 over), Tripura – 73/10 ( 41.5 over).

Bengal beat Tripura under-19 boys by six wickets in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy one-day cricket tournament at Kolkata on Wednesday last. Decided to bat first at Eden Gardens, Tripura scored 193 for 9 in stipulated 50 over. Kaushal Acharjee scored 44 (64 balls, 3X4) and his pal Manisankar Murasing made 36 (32 balls, 1X4, 1X6). Niripum Sen scored 22 (45balls) also. Set for the victory of 194 runs, Bengal touched the target by losing four wickets in 39.2 over. Joyjit Basu made a brilliant ton of 118 runs (132 balls, 16X4) for winning team. Manisankar Murasing took two and Samir Debbarma bagged one wicket for Tripura. Brief Score : Tripura – 193/9 (50 over), Bengal – 197/4 (39.2 over).

Hockey :

Tripura entered in to Semi-final of North East Hockey tournament at Guwahati on Thursday last. In the second match, Tripura bowed out Arunachal Pradesh by 17-0 goals. Man of the match Khandra Kalai score five, Prince made four, Gotan and Miton neeted two each for Tripura. Another three goal scored by Ajay, Dulal, and Tigga. Earlier, Tripura lost their first match against host Assam by 6-0 goals.

If there could be a perfect match, it was this

Anil Kumble

If there could be a perfect match, it was this. It couldn't have got better, simply because this was a game almost everyone contributed to and of course, because we won by 320 runs, India's biggest ever win in terms of runs in Test history. It feels great.

It was that way from the start. We won the toss, the openers got us off to a blitzy start and then Rahul and Gautam batted beautifully. The time when they fell --- when India went from about 145-1 to 163-4 --- was the only blip in our game really. But soon after that, Sachin and Sourav came together in that crucial stand, which laid the perfect platform for Dhoni to come in and tee off. Even if it was a beautiful wicket to bat on, he really went after the bowling and that domination really lifted us.

After that though, our fast bowlers continued from where they had left off in Bangalore and divided the spoils. Zaheer got Hayden early and then Ishant probably made Ponting wonder what happens to him when he faces the youngster.

When you're chasing 470 and lose your two main batsmen very quickly, it's never going to be easy. But the Australian first innings was also done in by the way Amit bowled in this Test --- he bowled beautifully and not just by the debutant yardstick. All the hard yards he's done as a domestic cricketer served him well here. It's incredibly tough work, the domestic circuit and Amit serves as a perfect example of what perseverance can do.

He showed no nerves at all for a first-timer at this level and was absolutely in control from ball one. He used his variations very nicely: the way he came around and bowled a wrong 'un at Clarke showed that he's a thinking cricketer. It really makes a difference when you think and then have the confidence to try out what has occurred to you.

With an eye to the future, it also really augurs well for India that we've found someone like Amit. An orthodox bowler, he spins the ball a lot, uses his flight very nicely and frankly, it was great sitting here and watching him. I can tell you that this would have given him a lot of confidence. The first five-for I got told me that if I could get one, I could get more. Confidence is critical. As Amit's fifer has come in his first game itself plus it's against Australia, it's even better for him.
And while his bowling was a splendid revelation, let's not forget that we had two well-known faces make crucial contributions. Harbhajan bowled beautifully too and though that classical off-break that had Haddin in the first innings was my highlight, his three quick wickets in the second, in the space of 10 balls, broke any resolve Australia had. And early Tuesday morning, when Zaheer took four balls to scalp three wickets, he finished the job masterfully.

While I always thought our batters coming good was a matter of time, to bowl like this consistently, day in and day out, is heartwarming. That's the wonderful nature of this Test, it was such a total team effort. Our bowlers were able to swing the ball, theirs struggled to. Our batters hung in there, theirs mostly folded. They had their fourth opening failure in as many innings, while for us, Viru and Gautam lifted our spirits with their demolition act of Australia's attack in our second essay.

While Viru is always fun to watch, I'm especially happy that Gautam got this 100. He used to get a bit jittery and get out in the 60s and 70s and he's shown he can overcome that. When he and Viru and Ishant go into their homeground in the Delhi Test a week from now, they'll be going in all guns blazing.

It was fantastic to watch the way we approached the game and the intensity we kept up throughout. And while I unfortunately had to sit this one out, I'm raring to get going at the Kotla, my favourite Test centre.

Hawkeye/Chivach Sport

Sports News

October 22, 2008

Football :

Tripura University moved in to third round in the East Zone Inter University Football tournament here today.

Cricket :

Tripura registered second win in the East Zone under-19 girls one-day cricket tournament at Jemshedpur on Tuesday last. At Telco ground, Tripura girls beat Sikkim by five wickets. Elected to bat first, Sikkim bundled out 84 runs in 35.4 over. Rima Chakraborty bowled brilliantly and took four wickets just spear 13 runs. Rita Debbarma and Annanpurna Das bagged two wickets each. Set for the victory target of 85 runs, Tripura girls touched the winning total by losing five wickets in 36 over. Mouchati Debnath and Rima Chakraborty both scored 15 runs each. Result : Sikkim 84/10 (35.4 over) Tripura 85/5 (36 over).

Yoga :

Tripura bagged two medals in the National Yoga Championship in Chandigarh. In sub-junior boys section Suraj Sarkar bagged Silver and Sub-junior girls section Dipalika Dewan took Bronze medal. In junior girls section Suchanda Chowdhury finished fourth, senior girls section Rumpa Das fifth and same section Soma Sarkar finished sixth position. In senior boys section Prasenjit Majumder finished fifth position.

Tendulkar returns to top 20 batsmen in Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankingsfor Test batsmen

Dubai, 22 October 2008

Harbhajan spins into ninth place and is now India ’s highest-ranked bowler; Chanderpaul reclaims number one as Hussey slips;

Gambhir, Dhoni, Ganguly, Sharma, Johnson and Clarke all make gains while Vettori moves up in all three categories

Just when some people thought he was on his way out, India great Sachin Tendulkar has proved again that he still has what it takes to make an impact at the highest level.

Before the second Test against Australia he had slipped to 24th place in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, his lowest position for 15 years. But the 35-year-old proved in Mohali that he was not finished yet and after his innings of 88 and 10 not out he has broken back into the top 20 batsmen and now sits in 19th position.

It is another reason for the Mumbai man to celebrate after becoming the highest scoring Test batsman in history during that match, overtaking the record of 11,953 runs set by West Indies ’ Brian Lara.

Tendulkar now has team-mates Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in his sights as both have lost ground in the latest rankings.

At the top, the news is not so good for Australia left-hander Michael Hussey who has slipped from the number-one perch to third position. His place is taken by West Indies stalwart and ICC Cricketer of the Year 2008 Shivnarine Chanderpaul with Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka moving up to second.

Ricky Ponting has dropped one place to fifth after scoring just seven runs in the match while Virender Sehwag (up one place to 10th) and Michael Clarke (up two places to 13th) enjoyed more success in the top 20.

Other big movers include Gautam Gambhir, who moves up eight positions to 29th place after innings of 67 and 104, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who progresses seven places to 37th, and Sourav Ganguly, whose century in the first innings gave him a two-place boost to 23rd on the list.

New Zealand ’s Daniel Vettori continued his protracted run of good form with another match-winning performance for the Black Caps against Bangladesh in Chittagong . His efforts have netted him five places and a spot at 31st in the latest batting rankings.

India ’s Harbhajan Singh also enjoyed an excellent game at Mohali and his combined match statistics of 49-12-96-5 have pushed him up three places and back into the top 10 of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers. He is now India ’s top-ranked bowler, taking over from Zaheer Khan who slips one place to 12th spot.

It was also a productive match for Mitchell Johnson, who gained three places to 30th in the list, and Ishant Sharma, who has shot up eight spots to 31st position. Meanwhile, 25-year-old leg-spinner Amit Mishra has exploded on to the scene and is a new entry at number 50 after taking seven wickets in a dream debut against Australia .

The only other big mover in the top 30 bowlers is Vettori, who proved himself yet again to be world class. In an outstanding all-round individual performance in the first Test against Bangladesh , Vettori took nine wickets and registered vital innings of 55 not out and 76 as the Kiwis successfully reached their target of 317 in the fourth innings of the exciting match to win by three wickets.

Vettori now sits in 14th position in the bowling ladder, up seven places in the latest rankings.

Vettori also gained ground on South Africa ’s Jacques Kallis in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders but remains in second position with no changes affecting the top five of that category.

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Rankings (as of 22 October)

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

1 (+1) S.Chanderpaul WI 890 ! 49.08 890 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008

2 (+1) K Sangakkara SL 886 54.79 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007

3 (-2) Mike Hussey Aus 881 67.28 921 v WI at Kingston 2008

4 (+1) Mohd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006

5 (-1) Ricky Ponting Aus 853 57.88 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006

6 ( - ) M Jayawardena SL 837 52.41 847 v Ind at Colombo (SSC) 2008

7 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 829 50.51 905 v WI at Headingley 2007

8 ( - ) Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Headingley 2006

9 (+1) Jacques Kallis SA 774 55.46 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007

10 (+1) Virender Sehwag Ind 770 52.28 854 v SA at Kolkata 2004

11 (-2) Matthew Hayden Aus 768 52.43 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002

12 ( - ) Graeme Smith SA 739 49.23 759 v Eng at Edgbaston 2008

13 (+2) Michael Clarke Aus 692 45.50 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007

14= (-1) Andrew Symonds Aus 686* 44.65 718 v WI at Antigua 2008

(+2) Alastair Cook Eng 686 42.88 707 v SL at Galle 2007

16= (-2) VVS Laxman Ind 679 43.55 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004

(+1) AB de Villiers SA 679 ! 41.61 679 v Eng at The Oval 2008

18 ( - ) Rahul Dravid Ind 670 53.58 892 v Pak at Kolkata 2005

19 (+5) Sachin Tendulkar Ind 661 54.22 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002

20= (-1) R Sarwan WI 659 40.40 697 v Eng at Old Trafford 2004

(-1) Ashwell Prince SA 659 42.23 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007 Bowlers

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

1 ( - ) M Muralidaran SL 895 21.96 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007

2 ( - ) Stuart Clark Aus 851* 22.06 863 v WI at Bridgetown 2008

3 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 847 22.51 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008

4 ( - ) Brett Lee Aus 764 29.98 811 v WI at Antigua 2008

5 ( - ) Makhaya Ntini SA 760 28.22 863 v Ind at Durban 2006

6 ( - ) Ryan Sidebottom Eng 738* 25.68 769 v SA at Lord's 2008

7= ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 684 29.31 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005

( - ) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003

9 (+3) Harbhajan Singh Ind 665 30.96 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002

10 (-1) Shane Bond NZ 661* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006

11 (-1) Monty Panesar Eng 653 31.95 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007

12 (-1) Zaheer Khan Ind 641 33.65 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007

13 ( - ) Jerome Taylor WI 628*! 34.69 628 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008

14 (+7) Daniel Vettori NZ 622 33.77 681 v Aus at Auckland 2000

15 (-1) James Anderson Eng 620 ! 34.51 620 v SA at The Oval 2008

16 (-1) Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007

17 (-1) Andrew Flintoff Eng 615 32.21 810 v Pak at Multan 2005

18 (-1) Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005

19 (-1) Anil Kumble Ind 605 29.60 859 v SL at Bangalore 1994

20 (-1) M Hoggard Eng 593 30.50 795 v SL at Edgbaston 2006

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 458 616 v Pak at Durban 2002

2 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 360! 360 v Ban at Chittagong 2008

3 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 302 501 v Pak at Multan 2005

4 ( - ) Dwayne Bravo WI 295 /*! 295 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008

5 ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 281 300 v WI at Guyana 2008

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Sports News

October 21, 2008

Football :

Governor of Tripura Dinesh Nandan Sahaya kicked start the East Zone Inter University Football tournament here on Sunday last. ‘World is crazy about football. But in India cricket seems to be the most popular game’, observed the Governor in the colorful inaugural function at the Umakanta Mini Stadium. Vice-chancellor of Tripura University Dr. Arunodoy Saha, MLA Dilip Sarker and President of Tripura Football Association MLA Pabitra Kar were present in this function. Skipper of host Tripura University team Akthar Hussein took the oath on behalf of all players. After inauguration, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidlaya beat Central Agriculture University of Imphal in the first match by 5-1 goals. Ajmir Mondal scored four goals for winning team. On other side, Tripura University team registered first wins on Monday last. At Krit Bickram Institute ground, Udaipur, Tripura beat Rajib Ganghi University by 2-0 goals. Both the goal scored by skipper Akther Hussein. In another match at Umakanta Mini Stadium, Jadavpur University beat Pandit Ravi Sankar Shukla University by 3-0 goals. Six matchers were played on yesterday last in two grounds. At umakanta Mini Stadium, Rabindra Bharati University beat Berhampur University by 4-2 goals, M. G. Kashi Vidya Pith beat Tezpur University by 7-3 goals, Sambalpur University beat Magadh University by 2-0 goals. At Stable ground, Guru Gashidas University beat BRA Bihar University by 5-0 goals; University of Kalyani beat B. H. U. Varanasi by 3-0 goals and University of North Bengal beat Awadhus Pratap Singh University by 9-0 goals.

Cricket :

Tripura registered frist win in the East Zone under-19 girls one-day cricket tournament at Jemshedpur on Monday last. At college ground, Tripura girls beat Assam by four wickets. Elected to bat first, Assam bundled out 74 runs in 32.5 over. Rima Chakraborty, Rita Debbarma and Indrarani Jamatia bagged two wickets each. Set for the victory target of 75 runs, Tripura girls touched the winning total by losing six wickets in 42.3 over. Mouchati Debnath made 15; Rima Chakraborty 14 and Srabani Debnath scored unbeaten 18 runs. Result : Assam 74/10 (32.5 over) Tripura 75/6 (42.3 over).

Tripura lost their first match in Vinoo Mankad Trophy under-19 one-day cricket tournament for boys at Kolkata on Monday last. At Saltlake city ground, elected to bat first Assam scored 202 for 8 in stipulated 50 over. Amit Singha scored 32 and Sivsankar scored 37. Swapan das took three wickets and both Ajoy Saha and Samir Debbarma bagged two wickets each. In reply to, Tripura bundled out only 78 runs in 28.5 over. Manisankar Murasing scored 23, Samir debbarma 14 and Samrat Singha made 10 runs. For Assam, Krishna das took five for 14. Result : Assam 202/8 (50 over) Tripura 78/10 (28.5 over).