Burger overshadows Doeschate’s effort as Namibia surges to the top of ICC Intercontinental Cup table

Dubai , 29 March 2008

Namibia surged to the top of the ICC Intercontinental Cup table when it defeated the Netherlands by seven wickets with a day to spare at the Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek on Saturday.

Left-arm pacer Kola Burger bagged a career-best 5-27 as the visitors were bowled out for 323 after being forced to follow on. Like the first innings, only nine wickets fell as Pieter Seelaar did not bat after being injured while batting on Friday.

Namibia, set a 94-run target, achieved victory in 19.3 overs with opener Andries J.Burger hitting a quickfire 38-ball 46 with five fours and a six, and Raymond van Schoor chipping in with 24.

The victory gave Namibia 20 points which put it on 68 points – two ahead of Kenya and 19 ahead of defending champion Ireland which is in third place. Namibia ’s next match is against Canada which is lying in sixth-placed on 26 points.

The feature of the day’s play was an excellent display of fast bowling by Burger, who finished with match figures of 9-71. His third five-wicket haul also helped him become the leading wicket-taker in this year's first-class tournament for the leading Associate teams with 23 wickets.

Burger received good support from Gerrie Snyman (2-84), Sarel Burger (1-47) and Craig Williams (1-17).

One of Burger’s scalps was century-maker Ryan ten Doeschate, who was the eighth batsman out after scoring a superb 116 – his 11th first-class century in 37 matches.

27-year-old Doeschate, who represents Essex in the UK county championship, batted for 290 minutes during which he received 169 balls. His innings included eight fours and three sixes.

Doeschate put on 58 runs for the fourth wicket with Eric Szwarczynski (23) and 65 runs with Peter Borren (36) for the sixth wicket. Both those batsmen fell to Burger who also accounted for Daan van Bunge (0) and captain Jeroen Smits (7).

Ultimately the Netherlands team was left with too much to do after being bundled out in its first innings.

The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception three 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 earlier this year in the 2006-07 event.

The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 will take place in November 2008 in the UAE.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Namibia on top after 17 wickets fall on day 2 in Windhoek

Dubai , 28 March 2008

Namibia put a stranglehold over the Netherlands after 17 wickets fell on the second day of the ICC Intercontinental Cup match at the Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek , Namibia on Friday.

After Namibia squandered a golden opportunity to bat the Netherlands out of the match when it was bowled out for 337 after resuming at 322-5, the pace duo of Kola Burger and Louis Klazinga shared seven wickets to restrict the tourists to 107 in reply.

Only nine wickets fell in the innings as Pieter Seelaar was hit in the face by a Gerrie Snyman bouncer. He retired hurt and has been ruled out of further participation in the match.

26-year-old Burger, playing his 19th first-class match, recorded figures of 15-1-44-4 while 23-year-old Klazinga registered figures of 11-3-25-3. Synman claimed 2-35 to follow up his 54 on Thursday.

Forced to follow on 230 runs in arrears, the Dutch put up an improved batting performance to reach 161-3 at the close of play. Ryan ten Doeschate was batting on 47 from 71 balls with four fours and two sixes. With him was Eric Szwarczynski on 1.

Together with Bas Zuiderent (52), Doeschate put on 91 runs for the second wicket. Zuiderent’s 127-ball knock was spiced with five fours.

Sarel Burger, Craig Williams and Snyman took one wicket each as the Netherlands still require another 69 runs to make Namibia bat again.

Earlier, the Netherlands fast bowler Edgar Schiferli produced an excellent spell to restrict Namibia to 337 as the home team’s first innings on the second day lasted just seven overs during which it added 15 runs.

Schiferli, who missed last year's ICC Cricket World Cup through injury, took 4-50 to take his tally of first-class wickets to 26 from eight matches. Captain Peter Borren took 2-87 while Seelaar bagged 2-71.

Craig Williams added just one to his overnight score of 71 while Bjorn Kotze departed after scoring 17.

The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception three 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 earlier this year in the 2006-07 event.

The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 will take place in November 2008 in the

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Namibia makes the Netherlands toil on day 1 in Windhoek

Dubai , 27 March 2008

Half centuries by Jan-Berrie Burger, Craig Williams, Louis Burger and Gerrie Snyman put Namibia in a commanding position against the Netherlands on the opening day of the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup in Windhoek , Namibia on Thursday.

Namibia , which lies 18 points behind leaders Kenya and just one adrift of second-placed Ireland , was 322-5 when bad light stopped play with seven overs still to be bowled.

At stumps, Williams was looking good for his maiden first-class century when he returned undefeated on 71. The 25-year-old right-hander has so far faced 150 balls and has hit four fours. With Williams was Bjorn Kotze on 16 not out.

Earlier, Peter Borren’s decision to bowl first on a good and sunny day backfired as the home team batsmen made the Dutch bowlers toil on an easy paced track.

Opener Jan-Berrie Burger led Namibia ’s run-riot when he batted beautifully and exquisitely to score a fine 81. Burger’s 89-ball innings was studded with 10 fours and two sixes.

Burger was involved in two partnerships that laid the foundation of a big first innings score. For the second wicket with Sarel Burger (26), Burger put on 94 runs and then added another 91 runs for the fifth wicket with Williams.

Snyman and Louis Burger also carried their good recent form into the match and scored sparkling half centuries. Synman clubbed seven fours and two sixes in his 46-ball 54 while Burger’s watchful 110-ball 57 included eight boundaries.

The two batsmen featured in a 54-run fourth wicket partnership.

For the Netherlands , Pieter Seelaar was the pick of bowlers on the first day. He returned figures of 21-5-71-2.

The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception three 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 earlier this year in the 2006-07 event.

The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 will take place in November 2008 in the UAE.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

High-flying Sidebottom rockets into top 10 of LG ICC Player Rankings

Dubai , 27 March 2008

Fleming signs-off in career-best 13th place as Sri Lanka duo of Sangakkara and Muralidaran in danger of losing top slots

England left-arm fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom has entered the top 10 of the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers for the first time in his career after producing a performance than earned him the Player of the Series award against New Zealand .

The 30-year-old Yorkshireman jumps 14 places to 10th position after claiming 24 wickets in the series that earned Michael Vaughan’s side a 2-1 win. Sidebottom had entered the series in 44th position and gained 34 places due to his consistent performance with the red cherry.

Sidebottom’s team-mate Monty Panesar also consolidated his position in the top 20 when he lifted four places to 16th position after his series effort of 11 wickets, including 6-126 in Napier.

Leicestershire’s Stuart Broad is the other English bowler to make an upward movement. The 21-year-old, who took 8-250 in two Tests, climbed 23 places to 63rd spot.

However, Matthew Hoggard dropped two places to 13th position and James Anderson fell five places to 38th spot while Steve Harmison stayed in 25th place. Hoggard and Harmison were both dropped after the first Test Anderson bagged 8-283 in the two Tests.

New Zealand boasts three bowlers in the top 20 but all lost ground in the latest rankings. Chris Martin, despite his effort of 11-384, dropped three places to 18th position while Shane Bond and James Franklin – both of whom were not available for the series – dropped one and two places respectively.

Captain Daniel Vettori slipped three places to 24th position after his series effort of 7-383.

The list is still headed by Sri Lanka ’s Muttiah Muralidaran but his lead over South Africa ’s Dale Steyn is trimmed to just eight points after he managed six wickets in Sri Lanka ’s 121 runs victory in Guyana on Wednesday.

With South Africa involved in a Test against India in Chennai, Steyn can leapfrog Muralidaran if he succeeds in producing a good performance.

In the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming signed-off on a high after achieving his career-best ranking. Fleming began the series the series in 16th position and ended his illustrious career in 13th place.

Fleming, who celebrates his 35th birthday next Tuesday, scored 297 runs in the series. Overall, he represented New Zealand in 111 Tests and 280 ODIs scoring 7,172 and 8,037 runs respectively.

Fleming, who also played for Middlesex, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire in the County Championship , captained the Black Caps in 80 Tests winning 28 and losing 27. The man from Canterbury also captained the Black Caps in 217 ODIs with New Zealand winning 98 and losing 106.

It was under Fleming’s captaincy that New Zealand won the ICC Champions Trophy 2000 in Nairobi when it defeated India in the final.

Daniel Vettori is New Zealand ’s next highest ranked batsman. He fell two places to 28th position while Jacob Oram stayed in 38th place. Ross Taylor continued his upward movement and jumped six places to 52nd position.

Kevin Pietersen remains England ’s top ranked batsman after his contribution of 259 runs in the series helped him retain his 10th place while Ian Bell climbed one place to 19th spot after scoring 250 runs and Andrew Strauss jumped six places to 22nd position.

However, both Alastair Cook and Paul Collingwood fell three places to 17th and 20th respectively while Michael Vaughan slipped five places to 35th position after scoring just 123 runs in the series.

The batting chart is led by Sri Lanka ’s Kumar Sangakkara who leads Australia ’s Mike Hussey by a slim margin of four ratings points. Sangakkara conceded 17 ratings points after scoring 50 and 21 in the Guyana Test.

The 30-year-old from Matale will have to bat really well in the second Test at Port of Spain in Trinidad from 3 April to again widen the gap with Hussey otherwise he will have to surrender the coveted spot to the Australian.

In the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, West Indies ’ Dwayne Bravo has achieved his career-best ranking. The 24-year-old from Trinidad climbed four places to enter the top five for the first time in his career.

LG ICC Test Rankings (as of 27 March)

Batsmen

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

1 ( - ) K.C.Sangakkara SL 916 55.99 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 ( - ) Mike Hussey Aus 912*! 78.14 912 v Ind at Adelaide 2008
3= ( - ) Ricky Ponting Aus 899 58.53 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 899 57.78 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
5 ( - ) Mohd 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 ( - ) M.Jayawardena SL 844! 52.39 844 v WI at Guyana 2008
8 (+1) Younis Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Leeds 2006
9 (-1) S.Chanderpaul WI 785 46.88 838 v SA at Cape Town 2008
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 ( - ) S.R.Tendulkar Ind 737 55.57 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
13 ( - ) Stephen Fleming NZ 725! 40.06 725 v Eng at Napier 2008
14 (+1) Graeme Smith SA 706 48.54 756 v NZ at Wellington 2004
15 (+1) Rahul Dravid Ind 704 55.11 892 v Pak at Kolkata 2005
16 (+2) Ashwell Prince SA 687 42.72 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007
17= (+2) VVS Laxman Ind 679 44.20 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
(-3) Alastair Cook Eng 679 43.46 711 v SL at Galle 2007
19 (+1) Ian Bell Eng 674 43.15 684 v SL at Kandy 2007
20 (-3) P.D.Collingwood Eng 668 42.54 730 v Aus at Adelaide 2006

Bowlers

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

1 ( - ) M.Muralidaran SL 901 21.90 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 893! 21.80 893 v Ban at Chittagong 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 754 27.96 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
6 ( - ) Anil Kumble Ind 738 28.86 859 v SL at Bangalore 1994
7 (+2) Chaminda Vaas SL 717 29.06 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
8 (-1) Shane Bond NZ 688* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006
9 (-1) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
10 (+14) Ryan Sidebottom Eng 665*! 26.60 665 v NZ at Napier 2008
11 (-1) Corey Collymore WI 646* 32.30 700 v Eng at Lord's 2007
12 ( - ) Zaheer Khan Ind 638 33.60 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
13 (-2) Matthew Hoggard Eng 637 30.50 795 v SL at Birmingham 2006
14 (-1) Andrew Flintoff Eng 621 32.02 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
15 (-1) Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
16 (+4) Monty Panesar Eng 617* 32.45 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
17 (-1) Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
18 (-3) Chris Martin NZ 609 32.66 643 v Eng at Lord's 2004
19 (-2) Irfan Pathan Ind 608 31.41 761 v SL at Delhi 2005
20 (-2) James Franklin NZ 594* 28.19 679 v SL at Christchurch 2006

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 527 616 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 300! 300 v WI at Guyana 2008
5 (+4) Dwayne Bravo WI 265 /*! 265 v SL at Guyana 2008

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC confirms meeting between Malcolm Speed and Sunil Gavaskar

London , 26 March 2008

The ICC today confirmed a meeting took place in Dubai on Wednesday between its Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed and the Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee Sunil Gavaskar.

The meeting followed discussions by the ICC Board last week concerning the potential for a conflict of interest for a person chairing the cricket committee while, at the same time, working for a media outlet.

It was agreed that Sunil will convey his views to the ICC having chaired the upcoming meeting of the ICC Cricket Committee. The ICC Board will review the matter at its next meeting, during ICC Annual Conference week.

The ICC Cricket Committee is scheduled to meet on 5 and 6 May. The ICC Annual Conference week takes place between 29 June and 4 July.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

England eyes upward movement in LG ICC Test Championship table after series win in New Zealand

Dubai , 26 March 2008

Vaughan’s men still fifth but could climb back to third if results go their way in coming weeks

On the face of it, England ’s 2-1 series win over New Zealand , confirmed in Napier on Wednesday, has had little impact on the LG ICC Test Championship table.

After all, England has remained fifth despite collecting one rating point while New Zealand stays in seventh position although it dropped one point.

However, by maintaining its slot in mid-table through its first overseas success since a 2-1 win in South Africa three years ago, Michael Vaughan’s side has given itself the chance to rise to third position in the coming weeks.

That scenario will come to pass if Sri Lanka , currently in possession of that third place, fails to win its series in the Caribbean while fourth-placed South Africa loses its series in India , which started in Chennai on Wednesday.

All these possibilities, and plenty more besides, simply serve to illustrate just how tightly packed it is below Australia , still dominant in top place in the LG ICC Test Championship table.

There are just three rating points between India (111) in second spot and England (108).

South Africa can actually go ahead of India and into second place if it wins the series between the two sides and India could drop as low as fifth if the series goes against it.

LG ICC Test Championship (as of 26 March 2007, following New Zealand – England series)

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 141
2 India 111
3 Sri Lanka 109
4 South Africa 109
5 England 108
6 Pakistan 94
7 New Zealand 91
8 West Indies 73
9 Bangladesh 1

Zimbabwe has a rating of 12 but has not played sufficient number of Test matches over the new rating period (since August 2004) to be included on the main table.

ICC MEDIA RELEAS

Namibia – Netherlands clash is a real “six-pointer” in ICC Intercontinental Cup

Dubai , 26 March 2008

Winner will be right in the mix for a final berth; loser will be forced to play catch-up

In soccer it is called a six-pointer, a match between two rivals close to each other in the listings with the winner leaping clear while the loser suddenly finds itself off the pace and facing a desperate game of catch-up.

Well, the Namibia – Netherlands match, starting in Windhoek on Thursday, is something akin to that in this year’s ICC Intercontinental Cup, the first-class tournament for the leading Associate teams.

True there are 14 points between the sides but they are next to each other in third (Namibia) and fourth (Netherlands) spots and both know that a win will not only propel it up the table but also give it momentum ahead of matches early next month as well as ensuring the loser will have to play catch-up in a major way in order to regain lost ground.

In the case of Namibia , it lies 18 points behind leaders Kenya and just one adrift of Ireland , in second position. Namibia will charge to the top of the listing if it wins in Windhoek with first innings points and it could then consolidate that lead when it goes head-to-head with Scotland the following week, again on home soil.

Given Namibia’s current track record – three wins from as many matches, against Canada, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates – it certainly appears a goal that is achievable as the African side looks to achieve a top-two placing that would earn it a spot in the final for the first time.

Looking ahead to the match, Namibia captain Louis Burger said: “One of our goals as a team is to get to the final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup and this year we have a great chance of doing just that. It is a great competition and we take it very seriously. I think we are ready.

“This is a big game for us. We are really looking forward to it because, every time we play the Netherlands , it seems to be a good game. At this stage it is like a derby for us as we tend to play them a lot.

“They (the Netherlands ) usually come very hard at us and I imagine they will do the same this time. We always go hard at them too so it should be fun.

“There is a good spirit in Namibian cricket at the moment. We play every game to win and right now it is working well for us.”

Namibia will have to make do without promising young batsman Dawid Botha, who has opted to concentrate on academia ahead of cricket, at least for this match. And Louis Burger, although philosophical, admitted his disappointment at Botha’s absence.

‘Losing Dawid is a blow for us because he is a fine player but he has committed himself to his studies so we have to plan without him,” he said. “There are a few other young guys coming through though so the future is very bright.”

Two of those players are Sean Silver and Raymond van Schoor, who, like Botha, took part in the recent ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia . Both are included in the squad for this match.

Burger also confessed to concern about conditions ahead of such a big game for both sides.

“Preparations have been hampered a little bit because over the past few weeks it has rained a lot here in Windhoek , more than usual for this time of year,” he said.

“But we are playing in a South African competition as well so whenever we go to Pretoria or Johannesburg we get our games in. We have been practicing hard for this game so I think we are ready.”

If it is a big game for Namibia then the same could be said of the encounter from a Dutch perspective.

Victory for the Netherlands would see it leapfrog over both Namibia and Ireland and into second spot, nipping at Kenya ’s coat-tails.

From Windhoek the side flies to Dubai to face the UAE and so two wins from the next two matches could see it either very much in the shake-up for a top two placing or facing a seriously uphill task to achieve that end.

The Dutch side certainly has a look of quality about it. County cricketers Ryan ten Doeschate and Alexei Kervezee are supplemented by top-order batsman and leg-spinner Daan van Bunge’s return. He has two ICC Cricket World Cups behind him while batsman Bas Zuiderent has three. And there are several others who have played at that level.

The side is now tutored by Peter Drinnen, the former Scotland coach.

Namibia (squad): Louis Burger (captain), JB Burger, Raymond van Schoor, Gerri Snyman, Deon Kotze, Bjorn Kotze, Kola Burger, Tobias Verwey, Louis Klazinga, Ian van Zyl, Craig Williams, Sean Silver, Sarel Burger, Nicolaas Scholtz.

Netherlands (from): Peter Borren, Mudassar Bukhari, Daan van Bunge, Ryan ten Doeschate, Tom de Grooth, Maurits Jonkman, Muhammad Kashif, Alexei Kervezee, Geert Maarten Mol, Edgar Schiferli, Pieter Seelaar, Jeroen Smits, Eric Szwarczynski, Bas Zuiderent.
Umpires: Jeff Luck and Russell Tiffin

ICC Intercontinental Cup table (as of 26 March)

Team P WO WI D LI LO T Points

Kenya 4 3 4 - - 1 - 66
Ireland 3 2 3 1 - - - 49
Namibia 3 3 1 - 2 - - 48
Netherlands 3 2 1 - 2 1 - 34
Canada 4 1 2 - 2 3 - 26
Scotland 3 1 1 2 1 - - 26
UAE 6 1 1 1 4 4 - 23
Bermuda 4 0 1 - 3 4 - 6

WO - outright win - 14 points
WI - lead on first innings (also retained if outright loss) - 6 points
LI - behind on first innings - 0 points
LO - outright loss - 0 points
TO - outright tie - 7 points each
TI - tie first innings - 3 pts each
D - draw - 3 pts each

Remaining fixtures:

3-6 Apr - UAE v Netherlands , Sharjah Stadium
4-7 Apr - Namibia v Scotland , Windhoek
4-7 Jul - Canada v Bermuda, Toronto (Maple Leaf)
9-12 Jul - Netherlands v Ireland , Rotterdam (VOC)
10-13 Jul - Bermuda v Scotland , TBC
16-19 Jul - Canada v Scotland , Toronto (Maple Leaf)
6-9 Aug - Ireland v Canada , TBC
7-10 Aug - Scotland v Kenya , Glasgow (Clydesdale CC)
16-19 Aug - Netherlands v Kenya , Amsterdam (VRA CC)
3-6 Sep - Bermuda v Namibia , TBC
5-8 Oct - Namibia v Ireland , TBC
12-15 Oct - Kenya v Ireland , TBC
12-16 Nov – FINAL, UAE

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Saqibal Hasan makes his move into the top 50 batsmen

Dubai, 23 March 2007

Bangladesh and Ireland players progress in LG ICC ODI Player Rankings

With none of the world’s very top players engaged in ODIs, last week was a chance for cricketers from Bangladesh and Ireland to make their impact on the LG ICC Player Rankings.

Promising all-rounder Saqibal Hasan moved into the top 50 of the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers for the first time in his career with a solid performance against Ireland . In the three ODIs played last week Saqib took five wickets at an average of 20 and an economy rate of 3.70 and in the process moved up 11 places to 49th position in the rankings.

The left-arm slow bowler from Khulna , who celebrates his 21st birthday tomorrow (Monday), also gained four places in LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders. He now sits in 11th place, just behind New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.

Things were not quite so positive for Saqib’s team-mate Abdur Razzak – the only player from either side in the top 20 of the batting or bowling rankings. He dropped one place to 17th in bowlers’ log.

Staying with the bowlers, Kyle McCallan consolidated his position as Ireland ’s top-ranked bowler gaining one place to 67th position but the off-spinner’s place is under pressure from medium-pacer Andre Botha, who moved up 11 places to 75th position, level with Bermuda ’s Dwayne Leverock.

It was also a good series for David Langford-Smith who jumped nine places and into the top 100 in 92nd position while his captain Trent Johnston gained 16 places to 111th spot.

In the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen Shahriar Nafees gained two places to 35th position, moving past Runako Morton of the West Indies and New Zealand’s Ross Taylor. Nafees averaged 102.00 in the three-match series, having hit 204 runs including a top score of 90 not out.

It was also a productive series for Nafees’ fellow opener Tamim Iqbal, whose century in the third ODI set up his side’s 3-0 series win. Tamim gained 15 places and currently stands in 67th position on the batting ladder while Mohammad Ashraful went up six places to 52nd spot, level with Pakistan ’s Salman Butt.

For Ireland , Niall O’Brien took over as his country’s highest-ranked batsman. His 73-ball 70 in the third ODI gave him a series average of 34.33 and moved him up 11 places to 80th position in the charts. He is now one place above his brother, Kevin, who lost two places during the series.

As several of the top teams are involved in Tests at present, there are no more ODIs scheduled until the West Indies takes on Sri Lanka at Port of Spain on 10 April.

LG ICC One-Day Rankings (as of 23 March)

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 Md 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 Mike Hussey Aus 736 55.60 863 v NZ at Perth 2007
7 Kevin Pietersen Eng 735 48.18 834 v Aus at Antigua 2007
8 AB de Villiers SA 733 ! 37.66 733 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
9 MS Dhoni Ind 728 45.50 806 v WI at Kingston 2006
10 S.Chanderpaul WI 721 39.62 754 v SA at Durban 1999
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 K.C.Sangakkara SL 716 36.03 760 v Ind at Rajkot 2007
14 Andrew Symonds Aus 713 39.68 778 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
15 R.R.Sarwan WI 692 44.55 798 v Ind at St Kitts 2006
16 Yuvraj Singh Ind 691 36.09 739 v WI at Port-of-Spain 2006
17 Chris Gayle WI 690 39.02 804 v Aus at Mumbai 2006
18 Jacques Kallis SA 688 45.21 816 v WI at Johannesburg 2004
19 M.Jayawardena SL 678 33.24 737 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 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 M.G.Johnson Aus 632* 25.41 4.80 659 v SL at Melbourne 2008
17 Abdur Razzak Ban 622 24.20 4.08 711 v Eng at Bridgetown 2007
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

Series against India is amongst the eagerly anticipated of my career

By Jacques Kallis

The start of every tour is exciting but the forthcoming series againstIndia is amongst the eagerly anticipated of my career.

Indian cricketis undoubtedly on the rise and there isn't much doubt that the Testsquad deserved a share of the Aussie series a couple of months ago..We all watched India tackle the Aussies head on and, controversiesaside, there was some tremendous cricket played, especially by India.

Although we were in the middle of a series against West Indies andstill had a tour of Bangladesh to come, we couldn't help thinkingahead to this tour and looking forward to it. I have nothing happy memories of touring India, even though we lostthe last series we played.

After an elongated draw in Kanpur we wereoutplayed at Eden Gardens and went down 1-0. From a personalperspective, however, scoring a century at the Asian 'home of cricket'remains one of my career highlights. I will be fascinated to see whether the pitches for the three Testswill be prepared to favour either seam or spin. Which way would Indiabe tempted to go? With Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in the squad,will they be the match winners on dry, dusting pitches? Or does the'arrival' of Ishant Sharma on the scene mean that, along withSreesanth and Irfan Pathan, India will expect their fast bowlers totake most wickets?

If I was forced to guess then I expect the 'status quo' will remain –in other words, the spinners will get their way! It is not just thequality and experience of the India spin attack which the home sideneed to consider but the quality of the South African pace attack.Dale Steyn has been a phenomenal performer this season winning the manof the series in all three Test series we have played. His strike rateis amongst the best of all time and the bad news for India(hopefully!) is that the pitch has nothing to do with his successbecause it is his pace and swing through the air which are hisgreatest weapons.

Morne Morkel is no less talented but a very different sort of fastbowler. Being as tall as he is, he is able to extract bounce from theflattest of pitches and he also has a devastating yorker which he usesas a surprise weapon to great effect. They both play for the Titanfranchise at home, they are of a similar age and they are greatfriends. Injuries and form permitting, they could well become a SouthAfrican institution for many years to come – the new Donald & Pollock,perhaps?And then, of course, there is Makhaya, a living legend. He still hasmany, many miles left in his engine and his experience on thesubcontinent will be vital. Behind them, of course, there is a blokecalled Kallis who might be able to find a bit of reverse swing in themiddle of the day when the ball's a bit older. If it swings as much asit did in Bangladesh recently then I might even pick up a few wickets!Another fascinating aspect of the series will be the presence of GaryKirsten and Paddy Upton in the opposition changing room.

Gary said recently that he wouldn't really be able to influence the tacticsagainst specific players very much because much of the South Africanteam had moved on since he retired in 2004. Well, I haven't moved onand Gary knows my game intimately!Because we both live in Cape Town and played for Western Province,Gary played a huge role in my career, particularly the formative yearswhen I was just starting out. He was a role model and mentor, later tobecome one of my best friends.

I'm not sure how I'll react when Ifirst see him again, wearing Indian team kit, but I have no doubt atall about how he will react – with complete and total control andprofessionalism. I wonder whether he'll accept the offer if I invitehim for a beer after a day's play?I had to smile when Gary was appointed coach of India. My firstthought was how Hansie Cronje used to tell him off for enjoying thebatting of Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammed Azharuddin.

Gary used tostand at mid on and become lost in a dream world of admiration. Themore our bowlers suffered, the more enchanted Gary became! I hope he has many more such days in the next two years - but startingin about a month's time!

Hawkeye Communications / Chivach Sports

ICC Champions Trophy 2008 schedule announced

Karachi , 22 March 2008

The International Cricket Council today announced the schedule and venues for this year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2008 to be played in Pakistan from 11 to 28 September.

Host Pakistan will face 2004 winner and 2006 runner-up West Indies in the opening match on 11 September (Thursday) in a Group A game at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore while defending champion and top seed Australia will open its campaign against India on 13 September (Saturday) the same venue.

Karachi and Rawalpindi are the other venues to be used in this year’s event, which is very much an elite tournament with only the top eight sides in the world competing.

As discussed at the ICC Board meeting earlier this week in Dubai , a full independent security assessment of the situation in Pakistan will be conducted in June.

As compared to the 2006 tournament when 21 matches were played over 29 days, 15 matches will be played in 17 days this year in what is a much shorter, sharper format. The first semi-final will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi on 24 September while Rawalpindi will host the second semi-final on 25 September.

Gaddafi Stadium, which hosted the final of the 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup, has been selected to stage the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2008.

In India two years ago, sides ranked seven to 10th in the LG ICC ODI Championship table as on 1 April 2006, started the tournament by contesting a preliminary round with a round-robin format. The top two sides from that preliminary round went forward to the second stage which saw the top six sides from the LG ICC ODI Championship table divided into two groups, joined by the two qualifiers from the preliminary round.

This year, the groupings were finalised on 12 March the basis of teams’ rankings in the LG ICC ODI Championship table as on 12 March which was the cut-off date for the determination of the seedings for the ICC Champions Trophy 2008. The eight teams were then split into two groups of four with a round-robin format in operation. The top two sides from each group will progress to the knock-out stage.

The following are the two groups (with seedings in brackets):
Group A: Australia (1), India (4), Pakistan (5), West Indies (8)
Group B: South Africa (2), New Zealand (3), Sri Lanka (6), England (7)

Schedule:

11 September – Pakistan v West Indies, Lahore .
12 September – New Zealand v Sri Lanka , Karachi .
13 September – Australia v India , Lahore .
14 September – England v Sri Lanka , Karachi .
15 September – South Africa v New Zealand , Rawalpindi .
16 September – West Indies v India , Karachi .
17 September – Pakistan v Australia , Rawalpindi
18 September – South Africa v Sri Lanka , Lahore .
19 September – England v New Zealand , Rawalpindi .
20 September – Pakistan v India , Lahore .
21 September – Australia v West Indies, Karachi ; England v South Africa , Rawalpindi .
24 September – 1st semi-final, Karachi .
25 September – 2nd semi-final, Rawalpindi .
28 September – final, Lahore .

Former winners:
1998 – South Africa
2000 – New Zealand
2002 – India and Sri Lanka (joint winners)
2004 – West Indies
2006 – Australia

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Ireland loses ground as Bangladesh consolidates position in LG ICC ODI Championship

Dubai , 21 March 2008

Ireland has lost eight ratings points in the LG ICC ODI Championship table following its 3-0 series defeat in Bangladesh .

Although Trent Johnston’s team remained competitive in all three ODIs in Dhaka, it was unable to reproduce the sort of form that saw it pull off a famous win over Bangladesh in Barbados during the Super Eight stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.

A Tamim Iqbal century at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Saturday made sure Bangladesh posted a daunting total of 296-7 off 50 overs. Tamim was well supported by Shahriar Nafees (54) and Mohammad Mahmudullah (49) with David Langford-Smith taking 3-53 for the Irish.

And although left-hander Niall O’Brien (70 off 73 balls) batted very well and did his best to chase down that total, Ireland eventually fell 79 runs short, an effort not helped by the fact that it suffered four run outs along the way.

The three defeats have dropped Ireland from 28 points to 20 but it does retain its 10th position in the log, just two ratings points ahead of Zimbabwe in 11th and 28 points behind Bangladesh in ninth place.

Mohammad Ashraful’s team gained two points for the series win over Ireland but it still has plenty of work to do to catch the West Indies , which lies in eighth place, some 48 points in front.

At the top of the LG ICC ODI Championship the competition is much fiercer with first-placed South Africa and Australia in second separated by a fraction of a point.

The same is true for New Zealand in third position and India in fourth while there are just four ratings points separating Pakistan in fifth spot and England in seventh with Sri Lanka sandwiched between those two in sixth place.

As several of the top teams are involved in Tests at present, there are no more ODIs scheduled until the West Indies takes on Sri Lanka at Port of Spain on 10 April.

LG ICC ODI Championship (as of 21 March)

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 48
10 Ireland 20
11 Zimbabwe 18
12 Kenya 0

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC announces umpire and referee appointments for upcoming Test and ODI series

Dubai , 20 March 2008

The ICC today announced details of umpire and match referee appointments for upcoming Test and ODI series in the West Indies and India .

Sri Lanka will kick off its tour of the West Indies with the first Test starting in Guyana from Saturday while the second Test will be played in Trinidad from 3 April.

The series will be overseen by Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees while the games will be umpired by Simon Taufel and Billy Bowden of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires.

The attention will then shift to the three-match ODI starting in Trinidad from 10 April. Taufel will stand in the entire ODI series along with local appointments.

Meanwhile, India will be hosting South Africa in a three-Test series which will be overseen by Roshan Mahanama of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.

Asad Rauf of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Tony Hill of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires will be in charge of the Chennai Test while Hill will be joined by Billy Doctrove, also from the Emirates Elite Panel, for the second Test in Ahmedabad.

Rauf will team up with Doctrove for the third Test in Kanpur .

West Indies

Series Referee – Chris Broad
22-26 March – West Indies v Sri Lanka (Test), Guyana – Simon Taufel and Billy Bowden
3-7 April – West Indies v Sri Lanka (Test), Trinidad – Simon Taufel and Billy Bowden
10 April – West Indies v Sri Lanka (ODI), Trinidad – Simon Taufel and local appointment
12 April – West Indies v Sri Lanka (ODI), Trinidad – Simon Taufel and local appointment
16 April – West Indies v Sri Lanka (ODI), St Lucia – Simon Taufel and local appointment

India

Series Referee – Roshan Mahama
26-30 March – India v South Africa (Test), Chennai – Asad Rauf and Tony Hill
3-7 April – India v South Africa (Test), Ahmedabad – Billy Doctrove and Tony Hill
11-15 April – India v Sri Lanka (Test), Kanpur – Asad Rauf and Billy Doctrove

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Results of ICC Board meeting

Dubai , 18 March 2008

Board agrees policy on Indian Premier League; 14-team format for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 agreed; technology trial approved for Test series later this year; review of KMPG forensic audit of Zimbabwe Cricket; Umpire Darrell Hair to be appointed to stand in matches involving Full Members

The ICC Board met in Dubai on Monday and Tuesday. Among the issues discussed and decisions taken were the following:

Indian Premier League (IPL)

The ICC Board has agreed upon an official policy regarding the IPL. In general terms, it was agreed that the IPL was a good concept and although the introduction of privately owned franchises introduced risks to the game, it also provided possible benefits.

The Board stressed that the concept of nation-versus-nation cricket was the lifeblood of Members and this must always be given the highest possible priority. In order to maintain that position, the ICC Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) agreed that the BCCI, as the owner of the IPL, would sign a standard-form contract with all of the ICC Members reflecting the following principles:

• Each ICC Member will have an unfettered right in its absolute discretion to lodge an objection to a player from its country playing in the IPL
• This objection can be lodged up to two years after that player’s retirement
• All such objections will be respected by the IPL and its various franchises and the player in question will not be selected to play
• Bilateral commitments of Members will take precedence over IPL fixtures
• IPL will introduce a code of conduct, an anti-corruption code and an anti-doping code that comply with ICC regulations

No request has been made by the IPL or BCCI to adjust the ICC Future Tours Programme to accommodate IPL matches. The ICC will monitor IPL’s progress over the next few years and work with the BCCI to ensure that it works in harmony with international cricket.

Zimbabwe

A detailed forensic report was produced by KPMG South Africa and KPMG Zimbabwe regarding the 2005-06 accounts of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC).

This report was considered by the ICC Audit Committee which reported to the ICC Board. In its review of the ICC Audit Committee report, the ICC Board accepted that the KPMG report had found no evidence of criminality and that no individuals had gained financially.

The Board noted, however, that the report highlighted serious financial irregularities. ZC reported to the ICC Board that it had taken substantial remedial action to correct these irregularities and would continue to do so.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 format

The ICC Board has decided upon a 14-team format for the next ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 which will be held in Pakistan , Bangladesh , India and Sri Lanka . The event will be held over a significantly shorter period than the previous one. The detailed format, venues and schedule will be finalised in due course.

The 10 Full Members qualify automatically for the event with the remaining four places going to the semi-finalists of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which will take place in Dubai in 2009.

Technology

The ICC Board approved the trialing of the increased use of technology by umpires. The trial will involve a system whereby players can request that umpiring decisions be reviewed by the TV umpire. Subject to the consent of the England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket South Africa, the trial will be conducted during the Test series between those two Members in England this year.

The ICC Cricket Committee will be charged with determining and finalising the playing conditions for the trial subject to the proviso that the method of review should incorporate the principle of consultation with, rather than referral to, the TV umpire.

Darrell Hair

The ICC Board resolved that Darrell Hair would remain on the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and would be appointed to umpire matches involving Full Member teams. This position will be reviewed at the end of March 2009.

ICC Champions Trophy 2008

The Board discussed the details of this year’s ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan . As it stands, the event will go ahead as planned from 11 to 28 September in three venues across the country, which will be finalised in due course. A full independent security assessment of the situation in Pakistan will be conducted in June.

Appointment of the next ICC CEO

As announced on Monday the ICC Board has selected South African Imtiaz Patel as its preferred candidate for the position of Chief Executive. Pending negotiations with Mr Patel it is hoped that he will take over from Malcolm Speed during the ICC’s annual conference at the end of June. Mr Speed has been ICC Chief Executive since 2001.

New ICC Director

The Board welcomed Arjuna Ranatunga to his first meeting as an ICC Director – Mr Ranatunga is the newly appointed chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket and before the meeting started he received his ICC Director’s tie from ICC President Ray Mali.

The ICC Board, which meets three times a year, is made up of the following Directors:

Ray Mali (Chairman) – ICC President
Malcolm Speed – ICC Chief Executive Officer
David Morgan – ICC President-Elect

Full Members
Creagh O’Connor – Australia
Major General Sina Ibn Jamali – Bangladesh
Giles Clarke – England
Sharad Pawar – ICC Vice-President, India (IS Bindra and Shashank Manohar attended parts of the meeting as alternates in the absence of Mr Pawar)
Sir John Anderson KBE – New Zealand
Dr Nasim Ashraf – Pakistan
Arjuna Ranatunga – Sri Lanka
Norman Arendse – South Africa
Dr Julian Hunte OBE – West Indies
Peter Chingoka – Zimbabwe

Associate Members
Samir Inamdar – Kenya
Stanley Perlman – Israel
HRH Tunku Imran – Malaysia

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Maharaja Bir Bickram Cricket Stadium, Agartala, Tripura, India

Indoor Hall of Dasharath Dev Stadium, Badharghat, Agartala, Tripura, India

Indoor Hall of Dasharath Dev Stadium, Badharghat, Agartala, Tripura India

Indoor Gym of Maharaja Bir Bickram Cricket Stadium, Agartala, Tripura, India

Ambrose, Taylor, Sidebottom and Anderson take big strides in LG ICC Player Rankings

Dubai , 18 March 2008

Jacob Oram returns to top five of all-rounders’ list after career-best ranking

Young guns Tim Ambrose and Ross Taylor, and England pace duo of Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson have taken big strides in the LG ICC Player Rankings after their impressive performances in the Wellington Test which England won by 126 runs to level the three-Test series at 1-all against New Zealand.

Ambrose , England ’s 25-year-old wicketkeeper who also won the Player of the Match award for his 102 in the first innings, jumped 30 places to 68th position while Taylor, the 25-year-old New Zealand batsman, leaped 16 places to 58th spot after his knocks of 53 and 55.

While the top 13 places in the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, led by Sri Lanka ’s Kumar Sangakkara, remain unchanged, England opener Alastair Cook and Paul Collingwood have made movements in the right direction while Ian Bell and captain Michael Vaughan have lost ground.

Cook climbed two places to 14th, just two ratings points behind New Zealand ’s 13th placed Stephen Fleming, following his contributions of 44 and 60 while Collingwood was rewarded for his efforts of 65 and 59 by rising three places to 17th spot.

Bell and Vaughan slipped one place each to 20th and 30th positions respectively while Andrew Strauss stayed at 28th spot.

Besides Taylor , Brendon McCullum was the other notable New Zealand batsman to improve his ranking. The Black Caps’ wicketkeeper climbed five places to 42nd spot but Matthew Sinclair dropped two places to 60th position and opener Jamie How slipped seven places to 79th position.

In the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin has fallen three places to 15th spot while captain Daniel Vettori sits at 21st place after dropping two positions.

England pace duo of Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson are rewarded for their excellent display with the red cherry by climbing up the ladder.

Sidebottom, who took 6-141, rose to a career-high 24th position after climbing seven positions while Anderson, who had match figures of 7-130, also jumped seven places to 33rd spot.

Jacob Oram was the only New Zealand bowler to make an upward movement when his 6-90 lifted him seven places to a career-best 31st position.

Oram’s bowling performance had a major impact on his all-rounder’s position as he jumped five places to a career-best fifth position. South Africa ’s Jacques Kallis leads the field by a distance.

LG ICC Test Rankings (as of 17 March)

Batsmen

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

1 ( - ) K.C.Sangakkara SL 933 56.37 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
2 ( - ) Mike Hussey Aus 912*! 78.14 912 v Ind at Adelaide 2008
3= ( - ) Ricky Ponting Aus 899 58.53 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 899 57.78 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
5 ( - ) Mohd 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 ( - ) M.Jayawardena SL 835 51.93 836 v Eng at Birmingham 2002
8 ( - ) S.Chanderpaul WI 816 47.31 838 v SA at Cape Town 2008
9 ( - ) Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Leeds 2006
10 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 755 48.75 909 v WI at Leeds 2007
11 ( - ) Michael Clarke Aus 744 46.45 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
12 ( - ) S.R.Tendulkar Ind 737 55.57 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
13 ( - ) Stephen Fleming NZ 710 39.81 721 v Eng at Hamilton 2008
14 (+2) Alastair Cook Eng 708 44.48 711 v SL at Galle 2007
15 (-1) Graeme Smith SA 706 48.54 756 v NZ at Wellington 2004
16 (-1) Rahul Dravid Ind 704 55.11 892 v Pak at Kolkata 2005
17 (+3) P.D.Collingwood Eng 688 43.14 730 v Aus at Adelaide 2006
18 (-1) Ashwell Prince SA 687 42.72 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007
19 (-1) VVS Laxman Ind 679 44.20 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
20 (-1) Ian Bell Eng 660 42.57 684 v SL at Kandy 2007

Bowlers

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

1 ( - ) M.Muralidaran SL 907 21.77 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 893! 21.80 893 v Ban at Chittagong 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 754 27.96 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
6 ( - ) Anil Kumble Ind 738 28.86 859 v SL at Bangalore 1994
7 ( - ) Shane Bond NZ 709* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006
8 ( - ) Matthew Hoggard Eng 695 30.01 795 v SL at Birmingham 2006
9 ( - ) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
10 ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 666 29.43 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
11 ( - ) Corey Collymore WI 653* 32.30 700 v Eng at Lord's 2007
12 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 640 32.02 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
13 ( - ) Zaheer Khan Ind 638 33.60 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
14 ( - ) Chris Martin NZ 626 32.47 643 v Eng at Lord's 2004
15 ( - ) Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
16 ( - ) Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
17 ( - ) James Franklin NZ 612* 28.19 679 v SL at Christchurch 2006
18 ( - ) Irfan Pathan Ind 608 31.41 761 v SL at Delhi 2005
19 (+1) Monty Panesar Eng 589* 32.76 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
20 (-1) Jacques Kallis SA 586 30.91 742 v Eng at Leeds 2003

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 527 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 347 359 v Eng at Hamilton 2008
3 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 327 501 v Pak at Multan 2005
4 ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 276 281 v Ind at Chennai 2005
5 (+5) Jacob Oram NZ 263*! 263 v Eng at Wellington 2008

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC Board seeks Imtiaz Patel for post of Chief Executive

Dubai , 17 March 2008

The Board of the International Cricket Council has selected South African Imtiaz Patel as its preferred candidate for the post of ICC Chief Executive.

At today’s meeting in Dubai , the Board approved the recommendation of the four-person sub-committee tasked with finding a replacement for Malcolm Speed, who has been ICC Chief Executive since 2001.

Mr Speed will step down at the ICC’s annual conference at the end of June and, subject to details being worked out, Mr Patel will be invited to take over at the same meeting for an initial period of three years.

Speaking after the conclusion of day one of the two-day meeting, ICC President Ray Mali said: “We are delighted that Imtiaz is the Board’s choice for the post of next ICC Chief Executive. I have no doubt that if he accepts the position he will do a great job.”

Mr Patel (43) is currently chief executive of SuperSport International in his native South Africa and has previously held directorships of the United Cricket Board of South Africa as well as other sports organisations including SuperSport United soccer club in Pretoria and Sharks Rugby in Kwazulu Natal.

Mr Patel is originally from the town of Schweizer Reneke in the North-West Province of South Africa. He studied education and was a teacher for four years in Soweto where he was also involved in developing cricket. He is married with two sons aged 12 and 14.

ICC President-Elect David Morgan , who will take over from Mr Mali at the annual conference, said: “I am pleased that the ICC Board has approved this appointment. We are now negotiating the details of Mr Patel’s engagement as our Chief Executive. In anticipation of an early completion to that negotiation, I do look forward to working closely with him during my presidency.

“These are exciting and busy times for world cricket and I know that Mr Patel will bring his wide range of skills and broad knowledge of the game to the table in a way that will benefit cricket as a whole.

“It was encouraging to see that the Board endorsed the sub-committee’s recommendation. Mr Patel is an outstanding candidate. Through his work at SuperSport he has been leading a television channel that has been at the forefront of cricket broadcasting for some considerable time,” said Mr Morgan.

“This has been a rigorous selection process and I am satisfied that we have exhausted every avenue to find the best person for the job. We are now in the process of negotiating the details with Mr Patel before he can be officially appointed.”

The ICC has been engaged in an extensive selection process to find the next Chief Executive. Global recruitment firm Egon Zehnder International was appointed to conduct the initial stages of the process and then it presented a short-list of candidates to the sub-committee.

The sub-committee, which consisted of Mr Mali , Mr Morgan, Sharad Pawar and Creagh O’Connor, with Dr Nasim Ashraf present as a non-voting observer, heard a presentation from Egon Zehnder International and then met to decide upon its favoured candidate. The sub-committee made its recommendation to the Board today and the candidature of Mr Patel was approved.

The ICC Board, which meets three times a year, is made up of the following Directors:

Ray Mali (Chairman) – ICC President
Malcolm Speed – ICC Chief Executive Officer
David Morgan – ICC President-Elect

Full Members
Creagh O’Connor – Australia
Major General Sina Ibn Jamali – Bangladesh
Giles Clarke – England
Sharad Pawar – India
Sir John Anderson KBE – New Zealand
Dr Nasim Ashraf – Pakistan
Arjuna Ranatunga – Sri Lanka
Norman Arendse – South Africa
Dr Julian Hunte OBE – West Indies
Peter Chingoka – Zimbabwe

Associate Members
Samir Inamdar – Kenya
Stanley Perlman – Israel
HRH Tunku Imran – Malaysia

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Proud Smith hopes South Africa is there to stay at the top of LG ICC ODI Championship table

Dubai , 15 March 2008

Ponting believes Test ranking primacy illustrates Australia 's success during the year

South Africa 's toppling of Australia from the head of affairs in the LG ICC ODI Championship has given captain Graeme Smith and his Protea team-mates more than one reason to smile.

Not only have Smith's men taken top spot from the side seen as the ODI benchmark for other line-ups but they have also ensured they will top the table on 1 April.

And that latter fact means South Africa will receive the ODI plate held by any side that reaches number one and also pocket US$175,000 by reaching the annual cut-off date in top spot.

The number one position was guaranteed by victory in the final ODI against Bangladesh which secured a 3-0 series win.

That clean sweep was enough to lift the Proteas above Australia when the teams' ratings were calculated including decimal places.

Losing out on top spot by such a narrow margin represents heartbreak for Australia, pacesetters for almost all of the past 12 months which included a third successive ICC Cricket World Cup title.

But second place still earns it US$75,000 and it also picks up US$175,000 and retains the Test mace for continuing to dominate the LG ICC Test Championship table.

With no action that will affect the Test listings ahead of the cut-off date of 1 April, Ponting and his players are 30 rating points clear of the number two side India .

Anil Kumble's side therefore collects US$75,000 for its work since April last year, including series wins against England and Pakistan and a 2-1 loss in a thrilling series against Australia .


Reflecting on South Africa 's achievement in reaching the summit in the LG ICC ODI Championship table Graeme Smith said: “I have a huge respect for Australia for what it has achieved over many years.

“It deserved the number one ranking it has held for a long period of time with the players it has had and the performances they have put in around the world.

“ Australia has been awesome at times but hopefully this will be the start of a period when South Africa will be right up there.

“We have the talent and if we can control the small things – get better as people, get better as players – those things will go a long way to proving that.”

Smith, incidentally, has had another, this time personal, reason to be happy as he assumed top spot in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen. He did that, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar of India and Ponting, after a prolific series in Bangladesh .

Expressing his satisfaction at his team's ODI form, Smith said: “Outside of winning World Cups and world championships, it (rankings) is the next most important thing.

“You have to be consistent to be ranked number one and I think we have reached that level of consistency over a period of time.

“We have performed very well and I am very proud of what the guys have achieved over the last two years,” he added.


Smith also suggested the team hitting top placing in the rankings was perhaps ahead of schedule.

“It is more of an end goal for us," he said.

“Having it now is a huge achievement. We are a fairly young country in terms of our international careers since the end of apartheid and to have the number one ranking and to have players who hold world records and other landmarks is something special for the country.

“Being number one is a reward for all of us but hopefully it is just the beginning of what is a very tough year – away series against India , England and Australia .

“Those are challenges by themselves. I am very proud of this achievement even though there is a bigger picture for all of us.

“Being number one in the world brings with it a certain respect for the game itself and for the way in which we play the game and conduct ourselves on the field. I feel that is very important in making cricket a better game.”

Australia captain Ricky Ponting believed the number one Test ranking illustrated the success of his team during the year. “During the period in question we equalled our own world-record run of 16 consecutive Test match victories," he said.

“We played some really good Test match cricket to achieve a 2-0 series victory against Sri Lanka and a 2-1 series victory against India , both at home. We won four of the six Test matches we played to secure this award and our ranking on the ICC list illustrates the success of our Test team during the year.”

Reflecting on Australia ’s performance in limited overs cricket, Ponting added: “We captured our third ICC Cricket World Cup at the start of this period, winning every game we played during the tournament.

“We had mixed ODI success this year but the 4-2 series victory against India in India and the recapturing of the Chappell-Hadlee trophy from New Zealand was a good effort by the ODI squad.”

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Oram fined for ICC Code of Conduct breach

Dubai , 15 March 2008

New Zealand left-hander found guilty of dissent, fined 20 per cent of match fee following dismissal on second day of Wellington Test

New Zealand ’s Jacob Oram has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct during the second Test against England in Wellington .

The punishment was handed down by ICC match referee Javagal Srinath of the Emirates Elite Panel following a hearing following the third day’s play on Saturday.

The player was charged under clause 2.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct which refers to “showing serious dissent at an umpire’s decision”.

The charge was laid by on-field umpires Rudi Koertzen of the Emirates Elite Panel and Steve Davis, as well as third umpire Evan Watkin. The latter two officials are both members of the Emirates International Panel.

It related to the aftermath of Oram’s dismissal, out lbw off England fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom. After umpire Davis raised the finger, the player openly showed dissent at the decision by looking at the bat first and then followed it up by a punch on the bat.

At the hearing Oram pleaded guilty to the charge and also apologised for any offence he may have caused the umpires and, in reaching his decision, Mr Srinath took into account not only that apology but also the fact that it was the player’s first appearance at a Code of Conduct hearing in seven years at international level.

On that basis he downgraded the charge to Level 1.3, “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision”, something he is entitled to do under the terms of the Code of Conduct.

Explaining his decision after the hearing, Mr Srinath said: “I took into account several factors in downgrading the charge, including the player’s previously excellent conduct, his apology at the hearing, the fact it was a spontaneous act out of character with his normal behaviour and that he did not appear to use foul or offensive language.

“However, the fact remains that when the umpire raises his finger a player must leave the crease immediately and without question no matter what he may think of the decision.”

Apart from the match referee, the hearing was attended by the three umpires named above, the player concerned and New Zealand team manager Lindsay Crocker.

A Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct carries a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and/or a fine of up to the equivalent of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee.

In the case of Level 1 breaches of the Code the match referee’s decision is final and there is no right of appeal.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Smith snatches top spot from Tendulkar in LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen

Dubai , 15 March 2008

De Villiers and Nel enter top 10 for the first time but Gibbs drops out

South Africa captain Graeme Smith has snatched top spot of the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen from India ’s Sachin Tendulkar after a magnificent performance in the series against Bangladesh which concluded in Dhaka on Friday.

Smith required a career-best rating to grab the coveted spot after starting the series on 753 points and in third place behind Tendulkar and Australia ’s Ricky Ponting. However, his series effort of 199 runs not only won him the Player of the Series award but also earned him 39 ratings points which were enough for him to leapfrog his two closest rivals into top spot.

Smith’s top place in the ODI rankings is backed up by his 14th place in the Test rankings which is evidence of the fine form his takes to India for the three-Test series starting in Chennai on 26 March.

Tendulkar’s reign at the top of the batting charts lasted less than two weeks. The 35-year-old little master from India had stormed to the top of the batting charts following his match-winning performances in the recent tri-series finals against Australia . He had scored 117 not out and 91 in Sydney and Brisbane respectively to push Ponting into second place.

With only 22 ratings points separating top placed Smith from third-placed Ponting, the positions are unlikely to change for another couple of months before Australia goes head-to-head with the West Indies in the five-match ODI staring in Kingston from 21 June.

AB de Villiers also achieved his career-best ranking and broke into the top 10 for the first time. De Villiers jumped six places to ninth position after finishing as the second leading run-getter in the series with 109 runs for which he earned 27 ratings points.

Herschelle Gibbs, however, failed to retain his place and dropped out of the top 10 after losing three places. Gibbs scored 70 runs in three matches.

Jacques Kallis, who didn’t participate in the series, also dropped from 16th position to 19th place in the batting charts. He also lost ground in the all-rounders’ list slipping three places to fifth spot from second place.

Shakibul Hasan in 49th place is the highest-ranked Bangladesh batsman after gaining five places in the series while captain Mohammad Ashraful dropped eight positions to 59th place.

In the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, South Africa ’s Andre Nel achieved a career-best ranking to enter the top 10 for the first time in his career. The 30-year-old pacer claimed seven wickets in the series to jump 10 places to sixth position.

Makhaya Ntini, who was rested from the series, dropped two places to 13th spot while Albie Morkel jumped 34 places to 73rd position after bagging six wickets in the series and Charl Langeveldt’s climbed 12 places to 23rd spot after his effort of five wickets.

Bangladesh ’s left-arm slow bowler Abdur Razzak strengthened his place in the top 20 when he gained two places to rise to 16th position while Mashrafe Mortaza jumped three places to 26th spot.

LG ICC One-Day Rankings (post South Africa– Bangladesh Series)

Batsmen

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

1 (+2) Graeme Smith SA 792! 41.11 792 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
2 (-1) S.R.Tendulkar Ind 777 44.33 887 v Zim at Sharjah 1998
3 (-1) Ricky Ponting Aus 770 43.40 832 v NZ at Hobart 2007
4 ( - ) Mohd Yousuf Pak 752 43.07 777 v SA at Rawalpindi 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 (+6) 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 (-3) H.H.Gibbs SA 718 36.53 750 v SL at Durban 2003
13 (-1) Michael Clarke Aus 717 44.04 756 v SL at Melbourne 2008
14 (-1) K.C.Sangakkara SL 716 36.03 760 v Ind at Rajkot 2007
15 (-1) Andrew Symonds Aus 713 39.68 778 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
16 (+1) R.R.Sarwan WI 692 44.55 798 v Ind at St Kitts 2006
17 (+1) Yuvraj Singh Ind 691 36.09 739 v WI at Port-of-Spain 2006
18 (+1) Chris Gayle WI 690 39.02 804 v Aus at Mumbai 2006
19 (-3) 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 (+10) Andre Nel SA 682 26.95 4.61 685 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
7 (-1) Daren Powell WI 673! 29.96 4.58 673 v SA at Johannesburg 2008
8 (-1) Brett Lee Aus 671 22.81 4.71 853 v SA at Melbourne 2006
9 (-1) M.Muralidaran SL 668 23.00 3.87 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
10 (-1) Jerome Taylor WI 660 27.17 4.74 688 v SA at Cape Town 2008
11 (-1) 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 (-2) Makhaya Ntini SA 635 24.12 4.46 782 v WI at Cape Town 2004
14= (-1) Andrew Flintoff Eng 634 25.10 4.37 755 v Ban at Dhaka 2003
(-1) Jacob Oram NZ 634 31.24 4.48 768 v Aus at The Oval 2004
16= (+2) Abdur Razzak Ban 632 24.29 4.07 711 v Eng at Bridgetown 2007
(-1) M.G.Johnson Aus 632* 25.41 4.80 659 v SL at Melbourne 2008
18 (-1) 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 (+1) Andrew Flintoff Eng 337 544 v SL at The Rose Bowl 2004
3= (+1) Chris Gayle WI 335 511 v Zim at Harare 2003
(+1) Jacob Oram NZ 335 353 v Eng at Auckland 2008
5 (-3) Jacques Kallis SA 334 505 v WI at Bridgetown 2001

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC Board to meet next week in Dubai

Dubai , 15 March 2008

The appointment of the next ICC Chief Executive, the format of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and a forensic audit of Zimbabwe Cricket among the items up for discussion

The ICC Board will meet in Dubai on Monday and Tuesday 17 and 18 March 2008 with one director, Arjuna Ranatunga from Sri Lanka Cricket, attending for the first time.

Among the topics that the Board will discuss are the following:

Appointment of the next ICC Chief Executive

With the current Chief Executive, Malcolm Speed , set to step down at this year’s ICC Annual Conference in June/July, the Board will be asked to consider a recommendation from the four-person sub-committee tasked with overseeing the appointment of his successor. The sub-committee consists of Ray Mali , David Morgan , Sharad Pawar and Creagh O’Connor.

Zimbabwe

The Board will consider the independent forensic audit of Zimbabwe Cricket, carried out by accountancy firm KPMG of South Africa.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

The ICC Board will consider the format for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 which will take place in Pakistan , India , Bangladesh and Sri Lanka .

India Premier League

A discussion will take place relating to issues surrounding the India Premier League Twenty20 tournament as well as the India Cricket League and the proposed Champions Twenty20 event.

Technology

The ICC Board will be asked to approve the trialing of more technology in aiding umpires’ decisions in a Test series later this year.

The intention is to hold a media conference in Dubai after the ICC Board meeting on Tuesday. Details will be issued in due course. As usual, a media release, detailing the results of the meeting, will be sent out after its conclusion.

On Monday, pool pictures from inside the meeting as it convenes will be available via SNTV while Getty Images will photograph the scene as the meeting convenes.

The ICC Board, which meets three times a year, is made up of the following Directors:

Ray Mali (Chairman) – ICC President
Malcolm Speed – ICC Chief Executive Officer
David Morgan – ICC President-Elect

Full Members
Creagh O’Connor – Australia
Major General Sina Ibn Jamali – Bangladesh
Giles Clarke – England
Sharad Pawar - India
Sir John Anderson KBE – New Zealand
Dr Nasim Ashraf – Pakistan
Arjuna Ranatunga – Sri Lanka
Norman Arendse – South Africa
Dr Julian Hunte OBE – West Indies
Peter Chingoka – Zimbabwe

Associate Members
Samir Inamdar – Kenya
Stanley Perlman – Israel
HRH Tunku Imran – Malaysia

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

South Africa reclaims top ODI spot from Australia

Dubai , 14 March 2008

India certain of second place in LG ICC Test Championship table

South Africa has swapped places with Australia and ensured that it will hold the top spot in the LG ICC ODI Championship table at the 1 April cut-off after convincingly wrapping up the series 3-0 against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Friday.

South Africa gained 0.720 points from the series victory and although it stayed on 127 ratings points along with Australia , this fraction of a point was enough to put it ahead of Ricky Ponting’s side by 0.191 of a point.

Both the teams were on 127 ratings points before the start of the series but Australia had its nose ahead by 0.529 of a point.

South Africa ’s achievement is significant because the side that leads the ODI Championship ladder on 1 April, receives US$175,000 for its achievement, while the side that lies second collects US$75,000.

Last year, South Africa also snatched the title just before the 1 April cut-off date, relegating Australia to second.

In the LG ICC Test Championship table, India is sure of finishing runner-up to Australia after England blew its chance of leapfrogging Anil Kumble’s side after losing the first Test to New Zealand in Hamilton .

The best result England can now achieve is a 2-1 victory which will keep it on fifth place. The only way England could have gone into second place was by winning the series 3-0.

While Australia will retain the mace and also collect the cheque for US$175,000, India will earn US$75,000 for finishing second in the LG ICC Test Championship Table at the cut-off date.

Championship (as of 14 March)

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 MEDIA RELEASE

Bermuda the big winner in ICC Development Program Annual Awards

Dubai , 13 March 2008

Associate Member Bermuda picked up two prizes in the ICC Development Program Annual awards, making it the big winner of this year’s competition.

Bermuda was awarded the Best Overall Cricket Development Program and the Photo of the year titled “It’s a Catch”.

A happy Reginald Pearman, President of the Bermuda Cricket Board, said: “I am excited and proud that Bermuda cricket has won these distinguished awards, which confirm that we are making progress in the right direction when it comes to our strategic goals.

“I am particularly pleased with the growth in our junior membership and the fact that our women’s team participated in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Stellenbosch and our youngsters appeared in the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia makes me even more proud.”

Jos Heggleman won the Volunteer of the Year Award for his outstanding contribution to the game in The Netherlands while the Hong Kong Cricket Association won the Best Cricket Promotion and Marketing Award for the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.

Cricket Indonesia ’s Tetrapak U/19 Development Program was declared the Best Junior Cricket Initiative program.

Deutscher Cricket Bund did well in the Global Awards, picking up the Best Women’s Cricket Initiative prize for its U/19 Women’s Tournament in Oldenburg , Germany .

The best Spirit of Cricket Initiative in Partnership with UNAIDS was won by the Mozambique Cricket Federation’s National Commission for School Cricket.

John Wright of Ireland and Laurie Pieters of Namibia won Lifetime Service Awards for their long and dedicated service to cricket development not only in their home countries, but also internationally, given both have served on several ICC committees.

Wright, the Honorary Secretary of the Irish Cricket Union for 10 years until stepping down this year, said: “I am extremely delighted to receive this award. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in cricket and I must admit that it is very pleasing to be acknowledged and honoured for your services.

“It has been a privilege to be part of the ICC Development Program and I wish it best of luck in the future”

ICC President Ray Mali , who served as one of the four global judges alongside Ehsan Mani (Past ICC President), Malcolm Gray (Past ICC President) and Keith Bradshaw (MCC Chief Executive and Secretary), said: “This whole process has shown once again the outstanding work being done in the development of cricket around the world.

“It was immensely difficult to select the winners but those lucky enough to be chosen reflect the contributions they have made to our wonderful worldwide sport.

“Everyone involved, winners and those not chosen, deserve immense credit for their efforts.”

The ICC Development Program Annual Awards, which began in 2002, promotes excellence in cricket development and recognises exceptional performance and service to the game in the ICC’s 91Associate and Affiliate Members.

Nominees in 2007 came from a range of levels - country, club, association, team, school and individual - highlighting the positive impact cricket is making on the lives of people from culturally diverse communities.

The Global winners:

Best Overall Cricket Development Program – Bermuda Cricket Board
Best Women's Cricket Initiative – Oldenburg U/19 Women’s Tournament ( Germany )
Best Junior Cricket Initiative – Tetrapak U/19 Development program ( Indonesia )
Best Cricket Promotional and Marketing Award – Hong Kong Cricket Sixes ( Hong Kong )
Best Spirit of Cricket Award in Partnership with UNAIDS – National Commission for School Cricket ( Mozambique )
Photo of the Year Award – “It’s a Catch” ( Bermuda )
Volunteer of the Year – Jos Heggleman (The Netherlands )
Lifetime Service Award – John Wright ( Ireland ) and Laurie Pieters ( Namibia )

Prizes – each Global award category is allocated US$2000 of equipment to be received by the winning national cricket body.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Groups confirmed for ICC Champions Trophy 2008

Dubai , 13 March 2008

The International Cricket Council today confirmed the groups for this September’s ICC Champions Trophy scheduled to take place in Pakistan .

Group A comprises of defending champion and top seed Australia along with India, Pakistan and the West Indies while Group B is made up of the winner of the inaugural event South Africa as well as New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England.

The groupings were finalised on the basis of teams’ rankings in the LG ICC ODI Championship table as on 12 March which was the cut-off date for the determination of the seedings for the ICC Champions Trophy 2008.

The ICC Development International (IDI) Board, in its September 2005 meeting, decided that the 2008 tournament would feature the eight top teams as per the LG ICC ODI Championship table exactly six months prior to the scheduled start of the tournament.

The eight teams are split into two groups of four with a round-robin format in operation. The top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals with the winners of these matches contesting the final.

The full tournament schedule and information regarding venues will be announced in due course.

The following are the two groups (with seedings in brackets):

Group A: Australia (1), India (4), Pakistan (5), West Indies (8)
Group B: South Africa (2), New Zealand (3), Sri Lanka (6), England (7)

Former winners:
1998 – South Africa
2000 – New Zealand
2002 – India and Sri Lanka (joint winners)
2004 – West Indies
2006 – Australia

ICC MEDIA RELEASE