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).

MCC World Cricket Committee to meet in New Delhi

New Delhi, October 21, 2008

Sixth meeting of Committee which enforces MCC's Custodianship of the Laws of Cricket
Dravid, Kumble and Pollock to receive Honorary Life Membership of MCC
Report on the progress of MCC's consultancy to ICC on technology and umpiring
Review of Twenty20 cricket to form part of discussion

Marylebone Cricket Club's World Cricket Committee will meet in New Delhi later this week to discuss the current issues affecting the game today. The Committee will then make a series of recommendations aimed at improving the game and its governance.

Joining the discussions will be MCC's most recent recruits, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Shaun Pollock. All three, already members of MCC's World Cricket Committee, will be presented with their MCC ties following last week's decision to award each player Honorary Life Membership of the Club.

The two-day meeting, which convenes in New Delhi on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th October, will cover a range of topics from the impact that Twenty20 competitions are having on international cricket to a comprehensive review of the use of technology for the purposes of decision making.

The meeting will also hear expert opinion in a number of areas: Kumble and Dravid, both involved in the current India v Australia Test series, will give a players' verdict on the Umpire Decision Review System (a trial featured in a recent Sri Lanka v India Test series); Derek Underwood, MCC President, will ask the Committee to consider whether there is a decline in spin bowling around the world; and invited guest Inderjit Bindra will outline the successes and future direction of the Indian Premier League.

MCC World Cricket Committee Chairman, Tony Lewis, is looking forward to proceedings:

"This is the Committee's sixth meeting and we're reaping the rewards of a group of highly experienced, independent-minded cricket specialists debating the core issues in the game today. Free from considerations of politics, money and race, the MCC World Cricket Committee can and does act solely in the interest of the sport and its players. The game of cricket needs debate and forthright opinion, now more than ever, and we can expect more healthy discussion in New Delhi over the coming days."

John Stephenson, MCC Head of Cricket, will present the 'egg and bacon' ties to the newest of the Club's 18,000 Members:

"Anil, Rahul and Shaun are huge names in the sport who contribute much to the game and whose expertise is invaluable to MCC's World Cricket Committee. We are delighted to welcome them as MCC Honorary Life Members."

Following the MCC World Cricket Committee meeting in New Delhi on Sunday 26th October, a media briefing will be held with Chairman Tony Lewis and selected Committee Members in attendance. Further details on this briefing will be announced in due course.

Established in April 2006, MCC's World Cricket Committee is the only true independent voice in world cricket. It ensures that MCC is a robust custodian of the Laws of Cricket - a role the Club has performed since 1788.

The Committee is empowered to conduct research, particularly into technological advances and bio-mechanical elements of the game and its players. MCC funds this work as part of its commitment to develop cricket worldwide. All such research and development is conducted with the help of Imperial College London.

Membership of the MCC World Cricket Committee is voluntary and unpaid. Members are invited primarily because of their continued close involvement in the game, for example, current Test cricketers, media broadcasters and journalists, Test-country management and administration; all part of a performing elite in their playing days.

The full list of Committee members is as follows:

Tony Lewis (Chairman), Mike Atherton, Mike Brearley, Geoffrey Boycott ,Martin Crowe, Tony Dodemaide, Rahul Dravid, Andy Flower, Mike Gatting, Majid Khan, Anil Kumble, Shaun Pollock, Barry Richards, David Shepherd, Alec Stewart, Michael Tissera, Courtney Walsh, Steve Waugh.

Media Release

Zaheer Khan found guilty of offence contrary to Spirit of Cricket

Dubai , 21 October 2008

India fast bowler fined 80 per cent of match fee for Level 2 breach

India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been fined 80 per cent of his match fee after breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the second Test against Australia in Mohali.

At a hearing in front of match referee Chris Broad, Khan pleaded guilty to a Level 2 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 after the fall of the first wicket in Australia ’s second innings on day four of the match. Once Australia opener Matthew Hayden was dismissed by Harbhajan Singh, Khan ran from his fielding position towards the outgoing batsman. He then circled the batsman and shouted at him in an aggressive manner before returning to his team-mates.

“Clearly, this sort of behaviour is not acceptable at any level of cricket – it showed a lack of respect for the player who had been dismissed,” said Broad, who is a member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.

“Respect for the opposition was something that we talked about in the pre-series meeting I had with both captains and so it was disappointing that Zaheer behaved in this way.

“However, in considering the penalty, I took into account the fact that Zaheer had a good disciplinary record. He also pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was very apologetic while also promising not to repeat the offence.”

The charge against Khan was 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.

In attendance at the hearing were the match referee, all four umpires, Zaheer Khan and India coach Gary Kirsten.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Statement from ICC President David Morgan following the death of former umpire Nigel Plews

Dubai , 21 October 2008

It was with great regret that we learned of the death of Nigel Plews, a top-class umpire who worked hard for the good of the game, both on the field and in the committee room.

Nigel made an enormous contribution to cricket through his deep knowledge and appreciation for the game, its laws and the way it should be played. He was an advisor to the MCC and the ICC on matters relating to laws and playing regulations and made many important contributions while sitting on various committees and working groups that have had a lasting and positive impact on the game.

At the time that he was breaking through to the top level of umpiring he was something of a rarity in that he had never played first-class cricket before becoming a match official.

But this did not hold him back unduly and having played and umpired club cricket in his native Nottinghamshire, Nigel’s talent as an umpire was spotted and he was selected onto the first-class panel in England in 1982.

He quickly established himself as a highly respected match official at county level and he was appointed to his first One-Day International in 1986 in a game between England and New Zealand at Old Trafford.

The step up to the higher level was one he took in his stride and in 1988 he was appointed to his first Test, a match between England and the West Indies, also in Manchester . In total he stood in 11 Tests and 16 ODIs before finally hanging up his white coat at international level at the end of the English summer of 1996.

Nigel was a true gentleman and a great friend to umpires and others involved in the game. At 6ft 6ins he was certainly a big man but through the contribution he made to the world of cricket he can truly be described as a giant.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

NO CHANGE IN THE INDIAN TEAM

Mohali, October 21, 2008

The National Selection Committee met at Mohali to pick the Indian team for the third and fourth Tests of the ongoing series against Australia. The members of the committee chose an unchanged squad.

Indian team for the Delhi and Nagpur Tests:

Anil Kumble - Captain
M.S. Dhoni - Wicketkeeper
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambhir
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Sourav Ganguly
VVS Laxman
Harbhajan Singh
Zaheer Khan
Ishant Sharma
Amit Mishra
R.P. Singh
S. Badrinath
Munaf Patel

Amit Mishra will stay back with the Test squad, and will be replaced by Delhi's Chetanya Nanda in the Challenger Trophy.

MEDIA RELEASE

ICC confirms 2010 event in the West Indies will be World Twenty20

Dubai, 18 October 2008

Avoids crowding of ICC Champions Trophy and ICC Cricket World Cup tournaments

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat today confirmed the ICC event scheduled for 2010 in the West Indies will be a World Twenty20.

The tournament was originally scheduled to be an ICC Champions Trophy but the ICC Board agreed it would switch to the shorter format to achieve a better mix of tournaments.

It will take place between 23 April and 9 May 2010 (the same duration as the 2009 event in England) and will be staged at three venues to be chosen by the ICC Board in January 2009 following nominations from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

Explaining the decision during a visit to Mohali for the second Test between India and Australia, Mr Lorgat said: “With the ICC Champions Trophy being the final major ICC event of 2009, and the ICC Cricket World Cup being another 50 over event in 2011, it makes perfect sense to have a tournament of a different format in between.

“It means we will avoid staging the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Cricket World Cup close together, as happened in 2002-03 and 2006-07.

“We will aim to make both those events special to ensure we have a great blend of the ICC’s three majors, with two ICC World Twenty20s (2009 in England and 2010 in the West Indies) as well as an ICC Champions Trophy (in 2009) and an ICC Cricket World Cup (in 2011) over the next three years.”

Dr Julian Hunte, President of the WICB, said: “We are delighted with the decision to make the 2010 event an ICC World Twenty20 and the WICB is extremely excited to be hosting it.

“The people of the Caribbean have already been exposed to the shortest form of the game through local tournaments and they have embraced it.

“This event will allow us to take advantage of some of the outstanding stadia built or renovated for use in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup in order to showcase cricket at the elite level.”

The ICC is examining the feasibility of continuing to stage a women’s Twenty20 event at the same time as the men’s tournament (as will happen with the 2009 event in England) and the ICC Board will make a decision on that matter in due course.

The ICC Development Committee will consider the process to decide which of the leading Associate Member teams will take part in the tournament.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

I first met Sachin in the Indian team dressing room

Anil Kumble

I was 19 when I first met Sachin in the Indian team dressing room. He was just about 17. But already, by then, he was being spoken of as the kid who would go on to rewrite cricketing history, which he did, again and again. And already then, as now, he had his own internal mechanism for handling the pressure of expectations that came with the tag of being one of the best the world had seen. But I can assure you, that's tough. Every time he made a hundred, people expected a double. A 30-odd was a failure. And everyone wanted his wicket.

In the long career since those teenage days, I've watched Sachin have his ups and downs, battle injury and deal with everything with immaculate calm. It's an amazing quality, a blessing.
That calm is what has always fascinated me, apart from his game itself and the way he approaches it. Whenever there's been a bad decision, and this has happened quite a lot of times in his career, he comes back into the dressing room, sits in his place, looks at the TV screen and that's it.

There are no tantrums, no reproaches, nothing. I have never really seen him being upset with an unfair decision --- he is of course, but never shows it. As I'm exactly the opposite, I throw my bat, my helmet into a corner, wonder why it happened, Sachin's utter composure has been fascinating.

The other thing I've always admired is the way someone with his phenomenal talent takes nothing for granted and prepares meticulously for every situation. That's always been his way. If someone's got him out cheaply in a game, even an ODI, he'll make it a point to go after that bowler.

My most vivid memory of this has to be Chennai in 1998 against Australia. In the run up to the series, a lot was being said about Sachin versus Warne. Sachin had prepared by practicing a lot against LS (Sivaramakrishnan), but there, he got out early in first innings, to a big, spinning, widish delivery, driving and going to first slip instead. When he walked out in the second, India were under pressure having given away the lead and Australia breathing fire. He just took Warne on, kept hitting and slog-sweeping him and changed the course of the game. We won the match with more than half a day to spare.

But he's like that. Remember Sydney during that double hundred, when he completely cut out the drive after having gotten out on a couple of occasions driving earlier in the series? Or England when we last traveled, when he figured the opposition were baiting him to hook. So one of the world's best players of the hook shot, just eschewed it, taking everything on his chest and holding on before starting to play his shots again. He's brilliant in that sense.

Why it's something special is because usually, after being so good at something for so long, your ego tends to tell you, I can do this, play like this. He's not like that. He's got a brilliant mind and changes his game according to the pitch and the situation, at will.

And off the field, he's pretty chilled out. He laughs and jokes around a lot, and, has relaxed a lot more, especially over the last few years. You can see that he's totally enjoying his game and for those of us who've seen him over the years, that utter joy of playing the game is reflected in the person he is.

On a final note, while Sachin and I haven't had too many conversations over anything else but cricket, I've always admired him greatly. I've watched him and learnt from him, about being a player and a team man. They've been been some wonderful years.

Hawkeye/Chivach Sport

I believe India can win

Anil Kumble

With Bangalore done and dusted, from here on, this is a three-Test series. And as I sit to write this, I must say it's good to be concentrating on cricket rather than anything else. We're feeling good, as individuals and a team, there's a nice atmosphere in the dressing room, we're backing each other up and we know that if we pull this off, up next is the Kotla, where we almost always have a happy time.

The wicket here looks a good batting track, one on which the spinners will play a role as the match progresses. However, there's been some heavy rain here in the lead up to the match, so there's likely to be some movement for the faster bowlers because of the weather conditions.
It's that kind of wicket, with a little bit for everyone but whenever we've played here, we've got a big score on the board, so I'm looking forward to seeing our batters get some big ones.

This will be an ideal opportunity for them and we're all really looking forward to Sachin getting the record here, and not only doing that but going on to get a big 100. And what would really set things up for us if Gautam and Viru fire. They've got us good starts but if they are able to capitalise on those starts, then it would make a vital difference to the confidence of those waiting in the dressing room to follow them in to the middle.

While the batsmen will need to give us that platform, it's also imperative that we continue performing as a bowling unit and especially, start well . Our aim would of course, be to get Hayden out early and try and put pressure on the rest of the batsmen .

Meanwhile, as for me, I'm really hoping that I'm going to be able to play the match but while I am certainly getting better, I'll have to wait till just before the game begins to take a decision. The thing here is, I have to be completely sure I'll be fine to bowl and play not just one session or through Friday but for the next five days.

If, unfortunately, I can't go out to toss on the morrow, I can only say that I totally believe in my team and know that they have enough firepower, self-belief and confidence to pull this one off. I believe India can win here.

Hawkeye/Chivach Sport

Sports News

October 16, 2008

Cricket :

Altogether thirty cricketers were selected for trial camp of Tripura Ranji team for the year 2008-09. The camp already started with 14 cricketers at Maharaja Bir Bickram Stadium on Thursday. State Ranji coach Samir Dighe will come from Mumbai on October 18 next. It was reported that Dighe was suffering by viral fever. Selected cricketers are, Rajib Datta, Tushar Saha, Subal Chowdhury, Timir Chanda, Rajesh Banik, Jayanta Debnath, Kishor Muhuri, Sudipta Saha, Gopesh Bhowmik, Abhijit Dey, Subhrajit Roy, Sanjib Saha, Nirupam Sen, Prabir Paul, Rajib Saha, Biswajit Dey, Jiban Pal, Bappa Das, Rana Datta, Kamal Debbarma, Amit Das, Nirupam Sen Chowdhury, Kushal Acharjee, Swapan Das, Nishit Shetty, Vinit Jain, Sourav Dubey, Chetan Sachdev, Monoj Singh and Anshu Lamba.

Abhijit Dey was selected to lead Tripura team for Colonel C. K. Naidu Trophy cricket tournament of under-22 boys this year. Altogether 14 cricketers were selected against Sikkim match to be held at Gangtok from October 23 next. Selected cricketers are, Abhijit Dey (Captain), Debabrata Chowdhury (Vice-captain), Subhrajit Roy, Amit Das, Saumya Banik, Rana Datta, Rakesh Debbarma (Wicket kipper), Kamal Debbarma, Dibakar Roy Sarkar, Dilip Sing, Rakesh Sharma, Rakesh Saha, Sanjib Saha and Tapan Dey. Stand by – Abhinandan Roy, Nishitosh Roy, Nitish Chowdhury, Pradip Debbarma, Anupam Dey. Coach : Biswajit Paul.

Kushal Acharjee was selected to lead Tripura team for Vinoo Mankad Trophy cricket tournament of under-19 boys this year. Altogether 14 cricketers were selected for one-day tournament to be held at Kolkata from October 20 next. Selected cricketers are, Kushal Acharjee (Captain), Nirupam Sen Chowdhury (Vice-captain), Samrat Singha, Amit Jadav, Suman Majumder, Mani Sankar Murasing, Nirupam Sen (Wicket kipper), Swapan Das, Samir Debbarma, Prabir Paul, Ajoy Saha, Sulabh Majumder, Abhijit Chakraborty & Kisaloy Chakraborty. Stand by – Pallab Debroy, Sujit Debnath, Subrata Das, Dulan Tripura. Coach : Alok Debroy.

Jhulan and Mithali lead Indian players’ parade in Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women’s Rankings

Mumbai, 16 October 2008

India captain Jhulan Goswami has topped the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women’s Rankings for bowlers which were launched in Mumabi on Thursday.

Jhulan, who won the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award at the ICC Awards in Johannesburg in 2007, leads England fast bowler Isa Guha. The 24-year-old fast bowler has a good opportunity to open up the gap with Guha as she leads India on the tour of Australia later this month.

Jhulan is India ’s second most successful bowler with 104 wickets. Left-arm spinner Neetu David, who is India ’s most successful bowler with 144 wickets, is just behind team-mates Rumeli Dhar (12th) and Amita Sharma (13th) in 14th place.

In the batting list, former captain Mithali Raj is in second place and trails England ’s Claire Taylor by a distance. She is one of the three Indian batters in the top 20 with the other two being Jaya Sharma (13th) and Anjum Chopra (15th).

About Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women’s Rankings and women’s cricket

The rankings have been introduced as part of the ICC’s continued promotion of women’s cricket. They will initially apply to ODI cricket only and will help identify where the leading players stand in women’s international cricket to add further competition and context to their achievements.

The first set of the rankings have been released ahead of the eagerly awaited series between Australia and India to be played in Sydney and Canberra from 31 October to 9 November.

The other series to be played in the lead-up to the ICC Women’s World Cup in March 2009 include the five-match ODI series between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in Sri Lanka from 5 November to 12 November and the traditional Rose Bowl series between New Zealand and Australia in New Zealand from 1 to 12 February.

Next year will be huge for women’s cricket with the ICC Women’s World Cup to be played in Sydney , Australia , from 7 to 22 March. This will be the first time the biggest event in women’s cricket will be played under the banner of the ICC following the merger with the International Women’s Cricket Council in 2005.

Then in June, the ICC World Twenty20 in England will include a men’s and women’s competition running simultaneously. The semi-finals and final of the women’s event will be played at the same venue on the same day as the men’s tournament.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Taylor, Jhulan and Sthalekar on top of the world

Mumbai, 16 October 2008

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women’s Rankings launched in Mumbai

Claire Taylor of England , India captain Jhulan Goswami and Australia ’s Lisa Sthalekar are on top of the world in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women’s Rankings which were launched in Mumbai on Thursday.

Thirty-three-year-old Taylor spearheads a strong field of six England batters in the top 20 while fast bowler Jhulan leads the bowlers’ chart and Sthalekar is just ahead of her team-mate Shelley Nitschke in the all-rounders’ listing.

The rankings have been introduced as part of the ICC’s continued promotion of women’s cricket. They will initially apply to ODI cricket only and will help identify where the leading players stand in women’s international cricket to add further competition and context to their achievements.

Sanjay Behl, head of branding at Reliance Communications, said: “Reliance Mobile is privileged to be associated with the launch of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women’s Rankings.

“These rankings are the authoritative player rating guide, the first of its kind, which will officially recognise the talent and achievements of the game’s leading 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 expansion of the sport.

“We are excited about this encouraging development and are proud to be associated with the overall ICC Rankings for cricketers in the international arena,” he added.

David Richardson , ICC General Manager – Cricket, added: “The ICC believes that great progress has been made in the development of the women’s game since the merger with the International Women’s Cricket Council in 2005.

“Through the development of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Player Rankings, we hope to bring added profile to the leading stars in the women’s game, as part of our long-term commitment to growing the sport across the globe.

“With tournaments such as the ICC Women’s World Cup and the ICC World Twenty20 providing an exciting opportunity to bring increased attention to the game’s top players, there has never been a more exciting time in the history of women’s cricket.”

Leading batter Claire Taylor is one of 13 women cricketers to have played 100 or more ODIs and is the only female cricketer above the 800 ratings points mark. In women’s ranking terms, 800 points marks out a player as truly remarkable.

The England player heads the list clear of India ’s Mithali Raj and Lisa Sthalekar of Australia .

Taylor said: “To be number-one batsman in the world means a lot to me. It’s something that I’ve been aiming for since the World Cup in 2000, the point where I really thought I could have an impact on the game.

“However, it’s not the most important thing this year. There are personal battles to be fought against great rivals, a World Cup to contest and perhaps win and an Ashes duel to finish off what promises to be an amazing 12 months.”

Jhulan, the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2007, leads the bowling table from England ’s Isa Guha and Shelley Nitschke of Australia .

Sthalekar says she is delighted to be on top of the all-rounders’ rankings. “It’s great that the ICC is supporting women’s cricket through the launch of the player rankings. It will add interest to the women’s game and increase the profiles of the top players in the world.

“Hopefully this will give greater exposure to the women’s cricket and provide more sponsorship opportunities as well,” she said.

The first set of the rankings have been released ahead of the eagerly awaited series between Australia and India to be played in Sydney and Canberra from 31 October to 9 November.

The other series to be played in a lead up to the ICC Women’s World Cup in March 2009 includes the five-match ODI series between the Sri Lanka and West Indies in Sri Lanka from 5 November to 12 November and the traditional Rose Bowl series between New Zealand and Australia in New Zealand from 1 to 12 February.

Next year will be huge for women’s cricket with the ICC Women’s World Cup to be played in Sydney , Australia , from 7 to 22 March. This will be the first time the biggest event in women’s cricket will be played under the banner of the ICC following the merger with the International Women’s Cricket Council in 2005.

Then in June, the ICC World Twenty20 in England will include a men’s and women’s competition running simultaneously. The semi-finals and final of the women’s event will be played at the same venue on the same day as the men’s tournament.

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

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

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

Women’s ODIs before the ICC Women’s World Cup:

India in Australia
31 October – First ODI, Hurstville, Sydney
1 November – Second ODI, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
5 November – Third ODI, North Sydney Oval
8 November – Fourth ODI, Manuka Oval, Canberra
9 November – Fifth ODI, Manuka Oval, Canberra

West Indies in Sri Lanka
5 November – First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
7 November – Second ODI, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
9 November – Third ODI, Welagedara Stadium, Kurunegala
11 November – Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
12 November – Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Australia in New Zealand (Rose Bowl Series)
1 February – First ODI, Cobham Oval, Whangarei
3 February – Second ODI, Cobham Oval, Whangarei
6 February – Third ODI (d/n), Seddon Park , Hamilton
8 February – Fourth ODI, Seddon Park , Hamilton
12 February – Fifth ODI, Basin Reserve, Wellington

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Rankings (as of 16 October)

Batters

Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating

1 Claire Taylor Eng 804 39.13 820 v NZ at Blackpool 2007
2 Mithali Raj Ind 728 47.93 827 v Aus at Baroda Vadodar 2004
3 Lisa Sthalekar Aus 722 35.47 783 v NZ at Darwin 2007
4 Sarah Taylor Eng 699* 40.11 706 v Ind at Taunton 2008
5 C.M.Edwards Eng 658 37.05 694 v SA at Pretoria 2005
6 Nicola Browne NZ 653! 30.21 653 v Aus at Lincoln 2008
7 Karen Rolton Aus 620 49.54 867 v Ind at Vapi 2004
8 Alex Blackwell Aus 597! 30.46 597 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
9 S.Nitschke Aus 573*! 25.85 573 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
10 Sara McGlashen NZ 568 23.09 584 v Eng at Derby 2007
11 Haidee Tiffen NZ 557 29.50 764 v Ind at Lincoln 2006
12 Aimee Mason NZ 549 22.20 616 v Eng at Blackpool 2007
13 Jaya Sharma Ind 516 31.92 686 v Aus at Vapi 2004
14 Lydia Greenway Eng 489 22.55 512 v Aus at Sydney 2008
15 Anjum Chopra Ind 478 34.71 749 v Aus at Adelaide 2006
16 Jenny Gunn Eng 472 22.37 543 v Aus at Melbourne 2008
17= Dedunu Silva SL 468* 20.14 479 v Ind at Kurunegala 2008
Caroline Atkins Eng 468* 28.46 476 v Ind at Taunton 2008
19 Cri-Zelda Brits SA 466* 29.24 531 v NET at Stellenbosch 2008
20 Caitriona Beggs Ire 460 24.83 551 v NET at Dublin 2006

Bowlers

Rank Player Team Points Ave Econ HS Rating

1 Jhulan Goswami Ind 741 21.06 797 v Eng at Chennai 2007
2 Isa Guha Eng 720 18.43 741 v Ind at Taunton 2008
3 S.Nitschke Aus 675*! 22.27 675 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
4 Holly Colvin Eng 619* 19.90 632 v Ind at Arundel 2008
5 Jenny Gunn Eng 593 31.22 673 v Aus at Melbourne 2008
6 Emma Sampson Aus 548*! 25.17 548 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
7 Aimee Mason NZ 547 32.90 586 v Aus at Darwin 2007
8 Nicola Browne NZ 546 33.75 648 v Eng at Shenley 2007
9= Lisa Sthalekar Aus 545 29.10 602 v NZ at Brisbane 2006
Katherine Brunt Eng 545* 26.33 560 v Ind at Taunton 2008
11 Kirsten Pike Aus 540* 22.56 567 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
12 Rumeli Dhar Ind 534* 31.50 610 v SL at Dambulla 2008
13 Amita Sharma Ind 523 29.12 650 v Pak at Karachi 2005
14 Neetu David Ind 506 16.34 794 v WI at Pretoria 2005
15 Nicky Shaw Eng 502* 32.93 517 v Ind at Taunton 2008
16 Alicia Smith SA 494* 22.10 538 v Ire at Crowthorne 2008
17 Sajida Shah Pak 491* 26.48 499 v NET at Stellenbosch 2008
18= Ashlyn Kilowan SA 483*! 20.16 483 v Eng at Shenley 2008
Sarah Andrews Aus 483*! 21.62 483 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
20 Sophie Devine NZ 468*! 37.42 468 v Aus at Lincoln 2008

All-rounders

Rank Player Team Points HS Rating

1 Lisa Sthalekar Aus 393 466 v Eng at Chennai 2007
2 S.Nitschke Aus 387*/*! 387 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
3 Nicola Browne NZ 357 383 v Eng at Lincoln 2008
4 Aimee Mason NZ 300 338 v Eng at Blackpool 2007
5 Jenny Gunn Eng 280 364 v Aus at Melbourne 2008

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Kenya could rise to ninth in Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship

Dubai, 16 October 2008

Big points swings possible as the bottom three teams fight it out in Nairobi

Kenya could jump from 12th to ninth in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table if it puts together a run of stellar performances in the coming weeks.

Even though ninth-placed Bangladesh is 47 points ahead of Kenya it is possible for Steve Tikolo’s team to catch it if it beats Ireland , Zimbabwe and South Africa .

Ireland and Zimbabwe go head to head in the opening match of an ODI tri-series in Nairobi on Friday with the three teams involved playing each other twice and a final taking place in Nairobi Gymkhana on 25 October.

Given Kenya is currently on the bottom of the ODI Championship table it has the most to gain, and victories over Ireland and Zimbabwe in its opening two games would see it shoot up and overtake both in the rankings into 10th position.

And if it continues its winning ways and finishes the series unbeaten it would then go into two ODIs against South Africa with confidence sky-high. A victory in either or both of those games in Kimberley and Potchefstroom would put the semi-finalists from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 ahead of Bangladesh in ninth place.

Ireland is currently ranked in 10th spot, ahead of all the other Associate teams and Zimbabwe . After beating Kenya by an innings and 65 runs in this week’s four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match, William Porterfield’s team will be confident it can continue that could form into the one-day version of the game.

Wins over Kenya and Zimbabwe would put a big gap between the Irishmen and their nearest rivals and although they cannot quite catch Bangladesh on this occasion, they certainly can put serious pressure on Mohammad Ashraful’s team.

But conversely, because Ireland is ranked above the other two, the pressure will be on as defeats could relegate it to lowly 12th on the table.

Zimbabwe will by eyeing this tri-series as an opportunity to regain one place in the rankings and a good showing will put it back up to 10th position. However, like Ireland , captain Prosper Utseya will be anxious not to let his guard drop or his side could end up bottom of the pile.

Upcoming matches:

17 Oct – Ireland v Zimbabwe , Nairobi
18 Oct – Kenya v Ireland , Nairobi
19 Oct – Kenya v Zimbabwe , Nairobi
21 Oct – Ireland v Zimbabwe , Nairobi
22 Oct – Kenya v Ireland , Nairobi
23 Oct – Kenya v Zimbabwe , Nairobi
25 Oct – tri-series final, Nairobi

31 Oct – South Africa v Kenya , Kimberley
2 Nov – South Africa v Kenya , Potchefstroom

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table (as of 16 October 2008, ahead of 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 22

11 Zimbabwe 16

12 Kenya 0

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Results of second day of ICC Board meeting

Dubai, 15 October 2008

Dates decided for ICC Champions Trophy

SNTV to make available broadcast story

The second and final day of the ICC Board meeting took place in Dubai on Wednesday.

The major agenda item covered was as follows:

ICC Champions Trophy 2009

The Board considered the options available to slot the Champions Trophy into the Future Tours Programme in 2009 following the postponement of the event from Pakistan in September 2008 owing to safety and security concerns.

The Board received a presentation on the subject in the wake of work carried out by the Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat and ICC management, including input from ICC Full Members.

The Board agreed the ICC Champions Trophy would take place between 24 September and 5 October 2009.

It was further agreed that because the event was reduced in duration (12 days including a reserve day for the final instead of the 17 days set aside in 2008) it would be played in one city.

The ICC Board will make a final decision on the location of the event following India’s tour to Pakistan in the first part of 2009 so that it can provide certainty to teams, broadcasters, commercial partners and other stakeholders.

A full schedule and also the location for the matches will be announced in due course.

ICC President David Morgan said: “We are delighted to have slotted the ICC Champions Trophy into the FTP in 2009 thus maintaining the primacy of ICC events, and we now look forward to staging an outstanding, memorable event next September/October.

“The ICC Champions Trophy is part of a host of great ICC tournaments taking place next year, including the ICC Women’s World Cup, the ICC World Cup Qualifier and the ICC World Twenty20 for both men and women.

“All these events during the ICC Centenary year will showcase cricket in the best possible light and will help to ensure that our great game remains a strong sport growing stronger.”

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “I’m hugely encouraged by the spirit of togetherness and teamwork shown by our Members in ensuring we have found a place for the ICC Champions Trophy in next year’s calendar.

“The tournament, with its new format of the top eight teams playing in a short, sharp event, is vitally important for the world game because it allows those Members, as well as the developing cricket world, to grow the sport.

“It is part of the ICC’s commitment to the game and we can now look forward to a great event next year.”

Media note

A video news release of the meeting, including comments from both ICC President David Morgan and/or Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat, will be available through SNTV.

For details of timings please contact your regular SNTV contact.

The ICC Board consists of the chairman or president from each of the 10 Full Members plus three Associate Member representatives. Also present at ICC Board meetings is the ICC President, who chairs proceedings, the ICC Chief Executive and the ICC Vice-President, as well as, by invitation of the President, the ICC Principal Advisor.

David Morgan OBE ICC President
Sharad Pawar ICC Vice-President
Haroon Lorgat ICC Chief Executive

Creagh O’Connor Australia
Gazi Ashraf Hossain (alternate for Major General Sina Ibn Jamali)
Bangladesh
Giles Clarke England
Shashank Manohar India
Alan Isaac New Zealand
Ijaz Butt Pakistan
Arjuna Ranatunga Sri Lanka
Logan Naidoo South Africa
Dr Julian Hunte OBE West Indies
Peter Chingoka Zimbabwe

Associate Member Representatives

Neil Speight Bermuda
Samir Inamdar Kenya
Imran Khwaja Singapore

In attendance
IS Bindra ICC Principal Advisor

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Oram takes over as world’s top all-rounder in ODIs

Dubai, 15 October 2008

Mills moves into top five bowlers in Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings as Vettori slips from number one; Bracken takes over top spot while Bangladesh’s bowlers are also on the rise

New Zealand ’s Jacob Oram has moved to the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders after a series-winning performance in Bangladesh .

The big 30-year-old from Palmerston North scored 135 runs in the three matches at an average of 67.50 and took four wickets at an equally impressive average of 12.50 and the niggardly economy-rate of just 2.38.

In the process he has gained two places in the latest rankings, overtaking Andrew Flintoff of England and Pakistan ’s Shoaib Malik to register the highest rating of his career to date.

Oram has also managed to gain no fewer than eight places in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers and is back into the top 10 after showing his fellow Black Caps how to do it in Chittagong and Dhaka .

And to cap off an excellent series for him, he also gained eight places in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, moving up to 33rd position level with Sri Lanka’s Chamara Silva and just behind team-mate Jamie How, who himself has gained six places in the latest batting rankings.

Ross Taylor has gained three places to 29th position following his match-winning century in the third ODI and he is currently enjoying the highest rating of his career so far.

It was also a good series for Kyle Mills who has moved into the top five in the bowling rankings for the first time after taking five wickets at 10.83 in the series. Mills has eased past Flintoff and Stuart Broad of England , and Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralidaran of Sri Lanka and is also putting pressure on those players above him who will feel him breathing down their necks.

With Daniel Vettori slipping one place after this series, Australia ’s Nathan Bracken has gone top of the ODI bowling rankings for the first time in his career. Slow left-armer Vettori had a disappointing series by his standards, taking just one wicket in three matches at an average of 112 although his economy-rate of 4.00 was still competitive.

Bangladesh enjoyed several positive moments during the series and its victory in the first match in Dhaka helped moved Saqibul Hasan up 14 places to 25th in the bowling rankings, taking over as his country’s highest-ranked ODI bowler. But Saqibul will be looking over his shoulder at Mushrafe Mortaza (up 11 places to 31st spot) and Syed Rasel (up 15 places to 35th), who also did well in the series.

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful rose 12 places to 47th position in the batting rankings but things were not so positive for team-mate Tamim Iqbal, who dropped five places to 40th after a relatively poor series for the 19-year-old from Chittagong . The batting list is still headed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is not far ahead of Michael Hussey of Australia and South Africa ’s Graeme Smith.

ICC One-Day Rankings (as of 15 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 (+1) Nathan Bracken Aus 755 21.87 4.33 806 v SL at St George's 2007
2 (-1) Daniel Vettori NZ 733 32.05 4.17 790 v Eng at Christchurch 2008
3 (+1) M.G.Johnson Aus 707 23.46 4.72 726 v Ban at Darwin 2008
4 (-1) Shane Bond NZ 700 19.32 4.20 811 v SA at St George's 2007
5 (+4) Kyle Mills NZ 697 ! 26.00 4.63 697 v Ban at Chittagong 2008
6 (-1) Stuart Broad Eng 684* 26.21 4.77 701 v SA at Trent Bridge 2008
7 (-1) M.Muralidaran SL 674 23.03 3.88 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
8 (-1) Chaminda Vaas SL 672 27.54 4.18 861 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2004
9 (-1) Andrew Flintoff Eng 668 23.99 4.35 755 v Ban at Dhaka 2003
10 (+8) Jacob Oram NZ 664 30.14 4.39 768 v Aus at The Oval 2004
11 (-1) Brett Lee Aus 657 22.96 4.71 853 v SA at Melbourne 2006
12 (-1) Jerome Taylor WI 656 27.04 4.67 688 v SA at Cape Town 2008
13 (-1) Shahid Afridi Pak 654 34.90 4.63 685 v Ind at Dhaka 2008
14 (-1) Andre Nel SA 651 27.68 4.63 685 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
15 (-1) Zaheer Khan Ind 637 28.82 4.84 700 v SA at Dhaka 2003
16= (-1) Daren Powell WI 632 32.18 4.63 686 v Aus at St George's 2008
(-1) Iftikhar Anjum Pak 632 ! 32.49 4.87 632 v Ban at Karachi 2008
(-1) Stuart Clark Aus 632*! 27.82 4.90 632 v Ban at Darwin 2008
19 ( - ) Brad Hogg Aus 611 26.84 4.52 687 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
20 ( - ) Sohail Tanvir Pak 610* 28.11 4.92 619 v SL at Karachi 2008

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 (+2) Jacob Oram NZ 383! 383 v Ban at Chittagong 2008
2 (-1) Andrew Flintoff Eng 375 544 v SL at The Rose Bowl 2004
3 (-1) 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

Three teams for Challenger Trophy

Bangalore, October 15, 2008

The members of the National Selection Committee met at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium Karnataka State Cricket Association, Bangalore, on 12th October 2008, and selected the following teams for the Challenger Trophy, to be held at Cuttack from 23rd October 2008 to 26th October 2008.

INDIA BLUE
1. Yuvraj Singh (Captain) 8. Yogesh Takawale (WK)
2. A.Rahane 9. Ashok Dinda
3. Robin Uthappa 10. P.Sangwan
4. Virat Kohli 11. Amit Mishra
5. Dinesh Karthik (Vice-Captain-WK) 12. Arjun Yadav
6. Ravinder Singh 13. Siddarth Trivedi
7. Irfan Pathan 14. R.Ashwin

INDIA – RED
1. S.Badrinath (Captain) 8. Wriddiman Saha (WK)
2. M.Vijay 9. Praveen Kumar
3. F.Fazal 10. L.Balaji
4. Manoj Tiwari 11. Piyush Chawla
5. Rohit Sharma (Vice-Captain) 12. Vinay Kumar
6. Jaydev Shah 13. Monish Parmar
7. Abhishek Nayar 14. Parthiv Patel (WK)

INDIA – GREEN
1. Mohd.Kaif (Captain) 8. L.R.Shukla
2. Shikar Dhawan 9. Manpreet Goni
3. Naman Ojha (WK) 10. R.P.Singh
4. Suresh Raina (Vice-Captain) 11. Pragyan Ojha
5. C.Pujara 12. Rajat Bhatia
6. S.S.Tiwari 13. Abhinav Kumar (WK)
7. Yusuf Pathan 14. Pankaj Singh

MEDIA RELEASE

I decide to make a final bow

Anil Kumble

Over the past few days, given all the media attention I have received before and during the match, with various uncharitable comments on my fitness and retirement and performance as a player and captain, it does seem like I'm back in Australia again.

That time, 10 months ago, saw me unfortunately having to split my time between playing cricket and handling a host of unnecessary off-the-field issues, instead of being able to concentrate on playing the game and handling my team. I didn't really expect to have to go through this all over again, on my home turf.

What has also been somewhat unexpected is the way the Indian media seems to have delighted in analysing and sensationalising every little action, remark or gesture. Also, there's been this high praise for the way Australia played. Well, good for the Aussies, but I have a point to make here: In all the talk of aggressive, champion sides, it might make sense for someone to ask why 83 overs on a fifth day pitch wasn't enough time to finish the job.

It's perhaps easy to say one must ignore the media but for any normal person, that's a difficult ask, given the media's overwhelming presence in cricket. I would really appreciate if certain people realise that cricket is not spoken, it's played and we, the Indian team, are out to play it.
Actually, I'm pretty happy with the way things panned out after we lost the toss. From the look of the pitch, this was a track on which 600 could have been made batting first and that the Australians took five sessions and more to make about 400 is a reflection on how wonderfully well our bowling unit performed.

While the spinners played their part by keeping the Australian batsmen quiet the first two days, Ishant and Zaheer bowled with heart and spirit to shape the way this series might go.

While Zaheer has been an integral part of our strategy, to watch how Ishant has developed as a bowler, now understanding the nuances of not just bowling with the new ball but also using the old ball well at such a young age, has been a pleasure. It bodes well not just for him but also for the future of Indian cricket.

Again, with the batting, the top order got us a start but when we lost quick wickets, Harbhajan and Zaheer stood up and made sure they not only cut down the lead, but also showed everyone that our tail can handle this Australian attack with ease. It may also be noted that our four senior batsmen, Sachin and Rahul, Sourav and Laxman, all played a part in this Test. We all, especially the Australians, know what these men are capable of and I believe that when our main batsmen come to the party fully, it will fetch us big scores and hopefully, a winning platform.
So yes, I'm really, really pleased with 'the Indian way' of doing things. What people sometimes forget is that cricket is a team game. At different times, different people play a decisive role. For instance, I definitely didn't have a good game as a player, having my third Test in about 130 with no wickets and a 100 runs given but then again, I'm the only player in current cricket to have over 100 Australian scalps.

And for those who are wondering, I'm feeling good, I am hopeful the shoulder injury I picked up during the match (after bowling 40 overs in the first innings) should be fine by the second Test and that it will be business as usual thereafter. But what's infinitely more important to me is the way we've fought as a team. We've backed each other up, believed in each other and given ourselves confidence going into Mohali.

I'd like to add one final comment here, one that should hopefully settle things for a bit and let us concentrate on our cricket. I can't promise things I have no control over, but the one thing that I can guarantee is that I wont give up the fight. We won't. The belief that I have in my team, and the belief that the team has in me is what matters the most. When I decide to make a final bow, I'll go on my own terms.

Hawkeye/Chivach Sport

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women’s Rankings launch in Mumbai

Dubai, 15 October 2008

The launch of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women’s Rankings will be held in the CK Naydu Room at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai on Thursday 16 October.

David Richardson, ICC General Manager – Cricket, India captain Jhulan Goswami, ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2008 Charlotte Edwards of England and Sanjay Behl, head of branding at Reliance Communications, will take place at the same venue following the conclusion of the ceremony.

The rankings are being introduced as part of the ICC’s continued promotion of women’s cricket. The player rankings, which will initially apply to ODI cricket only, will help identify where the leading players stand in women’s international cricket and create further competition and context to their achievements.

The first set of the rankings are being to be released, ahead of the eagerly awaited women’s series between Australia and India . This is one of the major contests before the start of the ICC Women’s World Cup in March 2009.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Ireland through to third final in a row after epic last match in Nairobi

Dubai , 14 October 2008

Coach Simmons praises work of spin bowlers and the experience of seamer Johnston

After nearly a year and a half of competition, with nine teams playing a total of 28 matches, the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 came down to the last few thrilling overs on the last day of the last match before we knew who would contest the final.

As Ireland pushed for victory on day four today in Nairobi , Kenya did its best to play out for the draw that would take it to South Africa for the final against Namibia . But with just 20 minutes left in the day’s play, left-arm slow bowler Regan West trapped number-11 batsman Peter Ongondo leg before wicket and the Irish celebrations could finally begin.

It was a cruel end to what had been a brave rearguard action by the home side. Dismissed for just 186 in the first innings after Ireland ’s mammoth effort of 576-4 declared, Kenya ’s batsmen showed much more resolve the second time around and almost survived the epic 143 overs required that would have given them that all-important draw.

In the end, they battled to 327 all out with 18-year-old Seren Waters, on debut, top-scoring with 75. He was well supported by ICC Associate ODI Player of the Year 2007 Thomas Odoyo, who lasted 168 balls for his 61 runs.

But the way Ireland dominated the match after being put into bat on day one, it truly deserved this win and when it takes the field in Port Elizabeth against Namibia from 30 October to 3 November, it will be its third successive Intercontinental Cup final and it has the chance to record an unprecedented hat-trick of victories in the competition.

It was a nail-biting finish to the group stage of the competition with West, Kyle McCallan and Trent Johnston bowling 100.4 of the 135.4 overs bowled in the second innings. It was a big effort, particularly from West who finished with figures of 3-81 off 42.4. Johnston registered the best figures of the innings with 4-43 from 21 overs, wickets that included the top four Kenya batsmen.

After the game a delighted Ireland coach Phil Simmons praised the way his bowlers stuck to their task.

“Things are great,” said the 45-year-old former West Indies all-rounder.

“We still had it all to do in the second innings because it was a good track and Kenya batted very well the second time around. But our bowlers did really well to keep probing in the right areas and it paid off in the end.

“The pitch did take a bit of spin so it was always going to be up to West and McCallan to do the lion’s share of the bowling because they were getting it to turn. And I thought they did really well.”

After a period of uncertainty due to work commitments, former captain Trent Johnston made himself available for this tour and his four wickets in the second innings proved vital.

“ Trent is a great player for us and has been for a long time,” said Simmons.

“His experience really came through today and he showed the younger pace bowlers how you need to adapt as a seamer if you are to be successful on different types of wicket and in different conditions. It is great that he’s back in the team again.”

Looking forward to the final, defending champion Ireland , unbeaten in this competition since 2004, must be the clear favourite to take its third title in a row.

“I think that’s fair. We have beaten Namibia in Namibia and Kenya in Kenya so that gives us confidence. But the final is a one-off game and anything can happen so we won’t be going to PE thinking we only have to show up to win it. It’s going to be a tough game and we will have to work hard if we are going to take the cup home to Ireland again,” added Simmons.


ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 table (final)

P W L D A Pts
Namibia 7 6 1 0 0 108
Ireland 7 5 0 2 0 106
Kenya 7 4 2 0 1 96
Scotland 7 3 1 2 1 82
Netherlands 7 3 4 0 0 48
UAE 7 1 5 1 0 29
Canada 7 1 5 1 0 29
Bermuda 7 1 6 0 0 26

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Sri Lanka fined for slow over-rate in Toronto

Dubai , 14 October 2008

The Sri Lanka team has been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during its five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the final of the Twenty20 International tournament in Toronto .

Jeff Crowe of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fines after Mahela Jayawardena’s side was ruled to be two overs short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration.

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

As such, Jayawardena has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee while his players have each received 10 per cent fines.

The offence is contrary to Section J of the ICC Code of Conduct which relates to slow over-rates. For such offences, the decision of the ICC match referee is final and binding.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Results of first day of ICC Board meeting

Dubai, 14 October 2008

BCCI to meet ICL and report back to ICC Board, umpire decision review system extended, further work to be done on Future Tours Programme post-2012

The first day of the two-day ICC Board meeting took place in Dubai on Tuesday.

Issues including the rescheduling of the ICC Champions Trophy for September/October 2009 will be discussed on Wednesday.

Among the main items discussed thus far were the following:

Official and unofficial cricket

The ICC Board received an application for approval from the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

The Board resolved to adjourn its considerations to allow for discussions between Shashank Manohar, the President of The Board of Control for Cricket in India, and representatives of the ICL.

Mr Manohar agreed to provide the Board with a full written report of those discussions in due course.

New regulations governing official and unofficial cricket were also discussed following work by a sub-committee made up of ICC Head of Legal David Becker, Shashank Manohar, Giles Clarke, Norman Arendse and Lalit Modi.

It was agreed that a final draft be submitted to the directors for consideration and approval.

Umpire decision review system

The ICC Board reviewed a report on the umpire decision review system, which was trialled during the Sri Lanka – India Test series earlier this year.

It agreed to extend the trial to the following four upcoming series, pending agreement from the relevant chief executives:

New Zealand v West Indies two Tests December
India v Pakistan three Tests January/February
West Indies v England four Tests February/March
South Africa v Australia three Tests February/March

The idea of further trials would be to provide exposure to the system for as many match referees, umpires and players as possible ahead of a decision on whether it should be implemented permanently. That would be something to be debated firstly by the ICC’s Cricket Committee, in April/May next year.

Future Tours Programme (FTP) post-2012

With the current FTP due to run out in May 2012, the ICC Board discussed further the concept of an alternative structure to bilateral tours, including the possibility of an enhanced Test championship.

The concept is something that has been previously looked into by both the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) and the ICC Board during meetings in Dubai in June/July and September.

It was agreed to look at refinements to the model for further consideration by the CEC in December and then the ICC Board in January 2009.

Olympics

The Board discussed the possibility of cricket being part of a future Olympic Games.

It was agreed that ICC management continue research on the matter and present to the Board at a later date.

If cricket wished to be part of the 2020 Olympic Games then it would have to make an application to the International Olympic Committee before 2013.

ICC World Cup Qualifier 2009

The Board was told that the Emirates Cricket Board, the appointed host for the above event, had written to the ICC stating it would be unable to stage the tournament in April 2009 because not all venues required would be ready in time.

On that basis, the Board accepted the recommendation of the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee that, subject to agreement by Cricket South Africa, the event take place there, at the same time of the year as originally scheduled.

Media arrangements

A media briefing involving ICC President David Morgan and Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat will take place in Al Saker 2 at the Royal Meridien Hotel, Dubai Marina (adjacent to the Habtoor Grand Hotel) at 1230 on Wednesday 15 October following the conclusion of the meeting.

For queries on media arrangements please contact Sami-ul-Hasan on +971 50 452 8662.

The ICC Board consists of the chairman or president from each of the 10 Full Members plus three Associate Member representatives. Also present at ICC Board meetings is the ICC President, who chairs proceedings, the ICC Chief Executive and the ICC Vice-President, as well as, by invitation of the President, the ICC Principal Advisor.

David Morgan OBE ICC President
Sharad Pawar ICC Vice-President
Haroon Lorgat ICC Chief Executive

Creagh O’Connor Australia
Gazi Ashraf Hossain (alternate for Major General Sina Ibn Jamali)
Bangladesh
Giles Clarke England
Shashank Manohar India
Alan Isaac New Zealand
Ijaz Butt Pakistan
Arjuna Ranatunga Sri Lanka
Logan Naidoo South Africa
Dr Julian Hunte OBE West Indies
Peter Chingoka Zimbabwe

Associate Member Representatives

Neil Speight Bermuda
Samir Inamdar Kenya
Imran Khwaja Singapore

In attendance
IS Bindra ICC Principal Advisor

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

New Zealand stays fourth but loses three valuable ratings points

Dubai, 14 October 2008

New Zealand has retained fourth place in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table but has dropped three valuable ratings points despite its 2-1 series win over Bangladesh .

New Zealand went into the series leading Bangladesh by 71 rating points and this gap meant it was expected to win the series convincingly. As such, because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, the Black Caps’ failure to win all three ODIs has cost it three points.

New Zealand now joins India on 113 ratings points but is ahead of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.

In contrast, Bangladesh ’s victory by seven wickets in the series opener in Mirpur last week has earned it two ratings points and it now sits on 47 points – 25 ahead of 10th placed Ireland .

Bangladesh lost the second ODI by 75 runs and the third ODI in Chittagong on Tuesday by 79 runs.

The attention will now shift to the two-Test series which begins in Chittagong from Friday.

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table (as of 14 October 2008, post-Bangladesh and New Zealand 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 22

11 Zimbabwe 16

12 Kenya 0

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Hussey takes over as number-one Test batsman

Dubai, 14 October 2008

Hayden, Tendulkar, Clarke, Dravid and Sehwag all slip as Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma rocket up bowling list

Australia ’s Michael Hussey has returned to the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen after he scored 177 runs in the match, including a knock of 146 in the first innings.

Hussey (33) was placed third before this match, just behind Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka and the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2008 Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies . But his efforts in Banglalore have put him back on top, a position he held for a short time earlier this year during his side’s tour of the Caribbean .

Hussey’s team-mate Ricky Ponting stays in fourth spot in the rankings despite scoring his maiden Test century in India . However, that innings has piled the pressure on those above the Australia captain and means that it is a very close battle with just 19 ratings points separating the top five batsmen in the world.

It isn’t all good news for the batsmen though with Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke and Rahul Dravid all slipping two places. Hayden now lies in ninth spot with Clarke further back in 15th position and Dravid managing to stay in the top 20 in 18th.

VVS Laxman gains one place to 14th position but Virender Sehwag falls back one spot to 11th and Sachin Tendulkar drops back another place to 24th.

Things look better for man of the match Zaheer Khan who has gained no fewer than seven places in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers. The 30-year-old took six wickets in the match, including 5-96 in the first innings. He now sits in 11th spot in the rankings.

Anil Kumble is not so fortunate as he has lost eight places in the bowling rankings, plummeting from 10th position to 18th. The India captain bowled 51 overs in the match without picking up a wicket.

Australia ’s Mitchell Johnson is another big mover among the bowlers, gaining six places to 34th spot after a good game for the 26-year-old Queenslander in which he claimed five wickets.

India pacer Ishant Sharma also proved to be a tricky customer in Bangalore and has gained a place on the rankings for each of the seven wickets he took in the match. He now sits in 40th position and ready to make an assault on the top end of the ladder during the rest of the series.

That ladder is still led by Muttiah Muralidaran of Sri Lanka, followed closely by Stuart Clark of Australia and South Africa’s Dale Steyn.

Meanwhile, Brett Lee has moved up one place to seventh in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders. The list is headed by South Africa ’s Jacques Kallis followed in second position by Black Caps’ captain Daniel Vettori.

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Rankings (as of 14 October)

Batsmen

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

1 (+2) Mike Hussey Aus 899 69.50 921 v WI at Kingston 2008
2 (-1) S.Chanderpaul WI 890 ! 49.08 890 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
3 (-1) K.C.Sangakkara SL 886 54.79 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
4 ( - ) Ricky Ponting Aus 884 58.50 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
5 (-1) Mohd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
6 ( - ) M.Jayawardena SL 837 52.41 847 v Ind at Colombo (SSC) 2008
7 (+1) Kevin Pietersen Eng 829 50.51 905 v WI at Headingley 2007
8 (+1) Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Headingley 2006
9 (-2) Matthew Hayden Aus 796 52.91 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002
10 (+1) Jacques Kallis SA 774 55.46 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
11 (-1) Virender Sehwag Ind 765 52.08 854 v SA at Kolkata 2004
12 ( - ) Graeme Smith SA 739 49.23 759 v Eng at Edgbaston 2008
13 (+1) Andrew Symonds Aus 693* 44.65 718 v WI at Antigua 2008
14 (+1) VVS Laxman Ind 692 43.78 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
15 (-2) Michael Clarke Aus 687 45.48 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
16 ( - ) Alastair Cook Eng 686 42.88 707 v SL at Galle 2007
17 (+1) AB de Villiers SA 679 ! 41.61 679 v Eng at The Oval 2008
18 (-2) Rahul Dravid Ind 674 53.65 892 v Pak at Kolkata 2005
19= ( - ) R.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 Ave Econ HS Rating

1 ( - ) M.Muralidaran SL 895 21.96 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 ( - ) Stuart Clark Aus 860* 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 786 29.69 811 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 ( - ) Shane Bond NZ 668* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006
10 ( - ) Monty Panesar Eng 653 31.95 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
11 (+7) Zaheer Khan Ind 643 33.70 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
12 ( - ) Harbhajan Singh Ind 630 31.17 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
13 ( - ) Jerome Taylor WI 628*! 34.69 628 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
14 ( - ) James Anderson Eng 620 ! 34.51 620 v SA at The Oval 2008
15 ( - ) Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
16 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 615 32.21 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
17 ( - ) Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
18 (-8) Anil Kumble Ind 611 29.60 859 v SL at Bangalore 1994
19 ( - ) M’thew Hoggard Eng 593 30.50 795 v SL at Edgbaston 2006
20 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 592 31.22 742 v Eng at Headingley 2003

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 458 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 324 360 v Eng at Lord's 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

Kenya’s batsmen dig in as Ireland pushes for victory

Dubai , 13 October 2008

Ireland needs eight wickets on the final day of its crucial ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya at Nairobi Gymkhana in order to make it through to its third final in succession.

But having collapsed earlier in the day and following on, the home team put up a sterner resistance the second time around and finished the day on 146-2, still 246 runs behind.

But Steve Tikolo’s team cares little for runs at this stage as it does not need to win the game in order to progress to the final. Survival will be the name of the game on Tuesday when play resumes and if Tikolo and friends can resist the Irish onslaught, they will be making their way to South Africa for next month’s final against Namibia .

At the close Tikolo was still there on 41 and with him was 18-year-old Seren Waters, whose impressive knock of 65 not out (nine fours) has belied the fact that he has been making his first-class debut.

Earlier, Kyle McCallan and Regan West had taken four wickets apiece as Kenya was dismissed for 186. In the face of Ireland ’s huge first-innings total of 576-4 declared, Kenya ’s batsmen had no answer and as the pitch offered some turn for the slow bowlers, off-spinner McCallan and left-armer West did the business.

Only Tikolo (44) and Thomas Odoyo (32) looked like causing the Irish any trouble and it was no surprise when Kenya was invited to follow on when it was dismissed 392 runs short of Ireland ’s total.

It looked like Kenya might crumble again with Trent Johnston making a double breakthrough to leave the home side on 76-2. But Tikolo and Waters dug in and have put on 70 runs so far for the third wicket, making the visitors work hard in the field.

But tomorrow is another day and all Kenya has to do is survive. With Ireland pushing for outright victory, expect to see fielders crowding the bat and plenty of pressure being heaped on the batsmen. At stake is a place in the final so it looks like another enthralling day of Intercontinental Cup cricket is on the cards.

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

Coaches Hadlee and Mudassar to join ICC Global Cricket Academy

Dubai , 13 October 2008

The ICC Global Cricket Academy (GCA), based at Dubai Sports City , has announced the appointment of two world-class coaches – former Test cricketers Dayle Hadlee and Mudassar Nazar.

Both coaches will relocate to Dubai to take up their positions in early 2009.

Hadlee arrives from New Zealand Cricket (NZC) where he has been working as head bowling coach, and previously head coach of the NZC academy, while Mudassar will come into the job from his current position as director of game development for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The pair will work alongside the GCA’s director of coaching Rodney Marsh to help train and develop the best talent in world cricket. They will also work with international teams and local players to improve the standard of the sport across the United Arab Emirates .

The three coaches will design and implement specific elite programmes, provide coaching education courses and support grassroots development to make the GCA a centre of excellence, innovation and education for world cricket.

“Dayle and Mudassar are two of the best academy coaches in the world,” said Marsh.

“I can’t wait to start working with them in order to develop programmes that will help to improve cricket globally. We will have a great balance of coaching skills to offer every cricketer who comes to Dubai Sports City ,” he said.

Hadlee played 26 Test matches and 11 One-Day Internationals for New Zealand . He then moved into coaching and became one of the most respected academy and fast-bowling coaches in the game.

“I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life and I hope my contribution will have a lasting impact on cricket around the world,” said Hadlee.

“The ICC Global Cricket Academy will be a spectacular facility that will provide the best environment to develop talent and participation in the sport,” he added.

Mudassar scored more than 4,000 runs and took 66 wickets during his Test match career for Pakistan that included a stint as vice-captain. More recently he has been working at the PCB’s National Cricket Academy .

“This is a really exciting opportunity to work at the highest level of cricket coaching and development,” said Mudassar. “I am looking forward to working with elite level players, but also improving the talent within the UAE.”

The GCA will be an important focal point for international cricketing excellence and education. Situated in Dubai Sports City , the academy will provide a unique environment for coaching, game education and training in outstanding facilities with some of the games best coaches.

The GCA will also afford the opportunity to players, coaches, umpires, curators and administrators from across the ICC’s 104 Members to benefit from programmes and courses, creating a vibrant and integrated cricket community.

About ICC Global Cricket Academy

Based at Dubai Sports City , the ICC Global Cricket Academy (GCA) will be the focal point of world cricket development, offering players, coaches, umpires and trainers at all levels the opportunity to develop their education and skills.

The GCA will provide state-of-the-art facilities with indoor and outdoor pitches, complemented by the latest technology to allow coaches to assess all areas of a player’s game.

The facility will be home to some of the best cricket coaches in the world, who will work with visiting international teams as well as local players to improve the standard of cricket across the UAE.

As part of the plan to create the best training facility in the world, the GCA is reproducing a variety of pitch types, which will replicate the playing surface conditions of the UK , Asian sub-continent and Australia . The work involves importing specific types of clay, soil and turf using varying preparation and agronomic practices to replicate the characteristics of each surface.

About Dayle Hadlee

Dayle Robert Hadlee was born in Christchurch , New Zealand on 6 January 1948 and is the middle brother of Barry and Richard Hadlee. His father, Walter, played 11 Test matches for New Zealand .

Dayle Hadlee started out as a fast-medium bowler but due to repeated back problems he became a swing bowler later in his career. He played 26 Tests and 11 ODIs for New Zealand as well as representing Canterbury throughout his career.

After retiring from playing the game, Hadlee joined New Zealand Cricket working his way up through the ranks to become manager of the high-performance centre. He later took a role as head coach of the New Zealand academy.

More recently he has been working with the New Zealand senior squad as a fast bowling coach.

About Mudassar Nazar

Mudassar Nazar was born on 6 April 1956 in Lahore , Pakistan . His father, Nazar Mohammad, played 11 Test matches for Pakistan and Mudassar followed in his father’s footsteps, representing his country in 76 Tests and 122 ODIs. The all-rounder scored 4,114 runs in Tests and took 66 wickets.
After retiring, Mudassar went on to become a highly-successful coach, mainly with the Pakistan Cricket Board academy, but also as coach of the Pakistan senior team and as the national coach of Kenya , bringing the side to the final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2005.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC Board meets in Dubai on 14 and 15 October

Dubai, 12 October 2008

Umpire decision review system, Future Tours Programme post-2012, ICC Champions Trophy 2009 and official and unofficial cricket among the agenda items

The ICC Board will gather in Dubai on 14 and 15 October for one of the four meetings it holds in a year.

Among the main items on the agenda are the following:

Umpire decision review system

The ICC Board will review a report on the umpire decision review system, which was trialled during the Sri Lanka – India Test series earlier this year.

If it deems it appropriate, the Board will nominate four series for further trials of the system between now and the meeting of the ICC’s Cricket Committee, due to take place in April/May next year.

The idea of further trials would be to provide exposure to the system for as many match referees, umpires and players as possible ahead of a decision on whether it should be implemented permanently.

Future Tours Programme (FTP) post-2012

With the current FTP due to finish in May 2012, the ICC Board will discuss further the concept of an alternative structure to bilateral tours, including the possibility of an enhanced Test championship.

The concept is something that has been previously looked into by both the Chief Executives’ Committee and the ICC Board during meetings in Dubai in June/July and September.

It was previously agreed the key considerations for both the ICC Board and the CEC were and are:

· All three formats of international cricket should be protected and promoted with Test cricket identified as the pinnacle of the sport
· The “icon” Test series must be protected
· The ICC should look at ways of taking greater central ownership of international cricket outside its events or at least providing for more consistency in marketing/promotion
· The concept of an enhanced Test championship should be explored further

ICC Champions Trophy 2009

The ICC Chief Executive will present an option to the ICC Board on how the ICC Champions Trophy, postponed from September 2008, can be slotted into the FTP in 2009.

Official and unofficial cricket

The ICC President David Morgan will report to the ICC Board following his discussions with Subhash Chandra of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited concerning the Indian Cricket League.

The ICC Board consists of the chairman or president from each of the 10 Full Members plus three Associate Member representatives. Also present at ICC Board meetings is the ICC President, who chairs proceedings, the ICC Chief Executive and the ICC Vice-President, as well as, by invitation of the President, the ICC Principal Advisor.

David Morgan OBE ICC President
Sharad Pawar ICC Vice-President
Haroon Lorgat ICC Chief Executive

Creagh O’Connor Australia
Gazi Ashraf Hossain (alternate for Major General Sina Ibn Jamali)
Bangladesh
Giles Clarke England
Shashank Manohar India
Alan Isaac New Zealand
Ijaz Butt Pakistan
Arjuna Ranatunga Sri Lanka
Logan Naidoo South Africa
Dr Julian Hunte OBE West Indies
Peter Chingoka Zimbabwe

Associate Member Representatives

Neil Speight Bermuda
Samir Inamdar Kenya
Imran Khwaja Singapore

In attendance
IS Bindra ICC Principal Advisor

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Records tumble as Ireland turns the screw

Dubai , 12 October 2008

Centuries from Kevin O’Brien and Andre Botha, along with an unbeaten 92 by Andrew White gave Ireland a record first innings total in Nairobi on Sunday.

And with three Kenya wickets falling before the close, the defending champion is in a strong position going into day three of this crucial ICC Intercontinental Cup match. Put simply, with Kenya closing on 62-3, Ireland needs another 17 wickets in two days to book its place in the final.

Resuming the day on 282-3, Botha, O’Brien and White took the score on to a mammoth 578-4 before captain William Porterfield called his men ashore and put the tired Kenya fielders out of their misery. The only Ireland wicket to fall in the day was that of Botha, who finally fell for 109, as Ireland amassed the biggest innings score in its history and the third highest in the Intercontinental Cup to date.

If Botha’s departure had been cause for Kenyan optimism, it was short lived as White and O’Brien proceeded to put together an unbroken partnership of 214, an Ireland record for the fifth wicket, beating the 175 that Alec O’Riordan and Jim Harrison put on against Denmark at Castle Avenue , Dublin in June 1973.

Not to be outdone by his elder brother, Niall, who yesterday hit 135, O’Brien compiled 171 not out – his maiden first-class century and the eighth highest individual score in Irish cricket’s 153-year history. It was a knock that included seven fours and no fewer than 12 sixes. It is the most number of maximums hit by an Ireland player in one innings, beating Peter Davy, who smashed eight against the MCC at Lord’s in 1999.

But all these tumbling records will count for nought unless Ireland can secure an outright victory because such is the ICC Intercontinental Cup table, a drawn match will mean that Kenya progresses to next month’s final.

But it promises to be a tough two days for Steve Tikolo’s men as they try to save this game. Having so many runs to play with, Ireland will be hoping it does not have to bat again and that it can take the remaining 17 wickets to secure an innings victory. Kenya , on the other hand, knows it just has to keep wickets in hand and it will be through to its second ICC Intercontinental Cup final.

Play resumes on Monday morning at 1000 with Kenya on 62-3. Key man Tikolo is still there on 24 with Hiren Varaiya, who is yet to score. Alex Obanda (seven), debutant Seren Waters (18) and Rakep Patel (12) are their fallen comrades with Boyd Rankin, Peter Connell and Kyle McCallan getting their names in the wickets column for 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.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Vice-president of Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) Arindam Ganguli (right) and member of Technical Committee of BCCI Biman Bhattacharjee at Cricket Vaban,

Preparation of Tripura team for East Zone under-19 Women One Day Cricket tournament at Maharaja Bir Bickram Stadium, Agartala

O’Brien ton gives Ireland a solid start over Kenya in must-win game

Dubai , 11 October 2008

A century from opening batsman Niall O’Brien has put Ireland in a strong position after day one of the crucial ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya at Nairobi Gymkhana.

Steve Tikolo won the toss and having noted Ireland ’s brittle batting during its recent match against Namibia in Windhoek , he decided to let the visitors have first use of the track. And with Ireland captain William Porterfield back in the pavilion having scored just a single and the score 19-1, that decision initially looked justified.

But then O’Brien and Alex Cusack made the Kenyans suffer in the field, putting on an impressive 146-run partnership for the second wicket. Although he has spent most of his Ireland career to date batting at four, O’Brien has been opening the batting well for Northamptonshire in the English County Championship and has now managed to transfer that success to the international stage.

The 26-year-old Dubliner was very much the dominant partner with Cusack contributing 42 (from 178 balls). After his long vigil Cusack was eventually dismissed, caught at the wicket by Morris Ouma off the off-spin of Hiren Varaiya.

But that just brought Andre Botha to the middle and the pair proceeded to add another 70 runs. O’Brien ended up with 135 before being caught at mid-off by Lameck Onyango off the bowling of Peter Ongondo. It was O’Brien’s fifth century in the ICC Intercontinental Cup and his seventh first-class ton in total. Altogether he faced 235 balls and hit 17 fours in the innings.

If Tikolo and his team-mates thought things were going to get any easier with O’Brien gone, they were sorely mistaken. Botha was in fine form, stroking a 62-ball half-century and ending the day unbeaten on 65 (11 fours). He shared an unbroken 47-run partnership with Niall O’Brien’s younger brother Kevin (23 not out).

On the bowling front, only three wickets fell in the day but Kenya did a good job containing Ireland ’s scoring. Onyango was probably the pick of the bowlers taking 1-49 off 19 overs, including the wicket of Niall O’Brien.

This is a must-win game for defending champion Ireland if it is to make it through to its third ICC Intercontinental Cup final in succession. If Kenya takes the points for securing a first-innings lead or just thwarts Ireland ’s attempts to win the match outright, Tikolo will the one leading his men into the final against Namibia next month.

But this has been a solid start for Ireland and with a long batting line-up it is now in a good position to press home the advantage and amass a big first-innings total. Play resumes on Sunday morning at 1000.

Note: the venue and exact date of the final will depend on the result of the Kenya v Ireland match.

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

Nabi and Ahmadzai inspire Afghanistan to Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 crown

Dar Es Salaam, 11 October 2008

Promoted sides hopeful of qualification for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

A brilliant spell of spin bowling from player of the tournament Mohammad Nabi helped Afghanistan clinch the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 by 57 runs.

Nabi took 4-9 as Hong Kong was 122 all out, but it was Rais Ahmadzai who took the man-of-the-match award for the second consecutive game, meaning that Afghanistan has now won successive Pepsi ICC World Cricket League events following its win in Jersey in Division 5 in May.

And with the two finalists having secured promotion to Division 3 this week, the coaches of both Afghanistan and Hong Kong believe that their sides are capable of making it to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Kabir Khan, coach of Afghanistan , whose side recorded dramatic victories over Tanzania and Hong Kong to remain undefeated in the group stages, has genuine belief that Afghanistan is good enough to play in world cricket’s showpiece 50-over event.

“2011 is a dream – I am very hopeful about it. I want the players to be there as they really deserve to be,” said Khan, who represented Pakistan in Test and ODI cricket.

“We are taking things as they come and obviously we have to go through Division 3 to start with. Once we have achieved that target we will be through to the World Cup Qualifier and we will make another plan for that.”

Khan has already begun planning for the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3 in Argentina in January 2009, which is a six-team event involving the two qualifiers from this event, plus PNG, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Uganda. The top two sides from that event will progress to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, with the four leading Associate and Affiliate sides making it through to 2011.

“We have time on our side now. The guys have already started playing as a team. We need to raise our game a bit and be a bit fitter and be more mentally prepared for the tournament,” said Khan.

“We have options for our training camp. We could go to Pakistan or India . I would prefer to have a training camp with similar conditions to Argentina . If we have a camp in Afghanistan or Peshawar it will be winter and it will be cold, while the weather in Argentina will be warm.”

Hong Kong coach Aftab Habib, the former England Test batsman, was delighted with his side, for whom Zain Abbas, Butt Hussain and Tabarak Dar have been in excellent form with the bat all week. He thinks his side has the ability to compete at a higher level.

“I don’t want to look too far ahead but it is a dream for me and it is a dream for a lot of our players. Our next main aim is to do well in Division 3,” said Habib.

“It is an achievable dream and it is just a matter of putting in a lot of hard work. Everything is achievable. I think we are getting better and better every time we play. Coming here early has really helped us and I know we can go forward.

“The boys have to keep working hard at their skills and their fitness, as the higher level you go you obviously have to be a lot fitter as well.”

In today’s final, which is used for ranking purposes, batting first on a turning track, Afghanistan made 179 all out.

Rais Ahmadzai (49), who won the man of the match award against Italy on Friday, and Narooz Mangal (40) put on a vital partnership of 66 for the fifth wicket. Promising 16-year-old leg spinner Nizakat Khan (4-28) showed great maturity in dismissing the Afghanistan lower order.

In reply, Hong Kong started strongly but quickly fell away as Mohammad Nabi once again showcased his spinning talents.

Hamid Hassan almost finished the final in the perfect way with a hat-trick but unfortunately for him he overstepped when bowling a brilliant yorker.

In the third/fourth play-off, Italy defeated Tanzania by 70 runs at University, while Fiji secured fifth place in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 5 with a 27-run win over Jersey .

Cassim Suliman, ICC’s Regional Development Manager for Africa , paid tribute to the work of the Tanzania Cricket Association in the organisation of the week-long tournament.

“The Tanzania Cricket Association has done an excellent job in staging the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4, which provides an important opportunity for sides from across the world to gain a pathway to the ICC Cricket World Cup and play competitive cricket in a global structure,” said Suliman.

“Tanazania’s young players, many of whom have come into the game as a result of the excellent schools programme, have gained invaluable experience of playing against experienced cricketers and I am sure that this will help them improve in the future.

“With a successful ICC Africa World Cricket League Division 2 also taking place in Benoni this week, the investment in developing the game across Africa is beginning to pay dividends and a new generation of young African cricketers is emerging.”

Italy and Tanzania will now remain in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 for 2010 while Jersey and Fiji are relegated to Division 5.

Results

Final

Afghanistan beat Hong Kong by 57 runs at Anadil Burhani
Afghanistan 179 all out (Rais Ahmadzai 49, Narooz Mangal 40; Nizakat Khan 4-29)
Hong Kong 122 all out (Tabarak Dar 33; Mohammad Nabi 4-29)

Third/fourth play-off

Italy beat Tanzania by 70 runs at University
Italy 203-9, 50 overs (Nick Northcote 66, Thushara Kurukulasuriya 56; Khalil Rehemtulla 4-32)
Tanzania 133 all out, 41.3 overs (Peter Petricola 3-23; Alaud Din 3-31)

Fifth/sixth play-off

Fiji beat Jersey by 27 runs at Leaders Club
Fiji 199 all out, 49.4 overs (Joe Rika 62; Anthony Kay 4-36, Peter Gough 3-17)
Jersey 172 all out (Ryan Driver 64; Simon Jepson 3-33)

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Afghanistan and Hong Kong take a step closer to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Dar Es Salaam, 10 October 2008

Rais Ahmadzai and Butt Hussain the heroes as they help their sides secure a trip to Argentina for Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3; Jersey and Fiji relegated

Afghanistan and Hong Kong sealed promotion from the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 after securing comprehensive victories in Dar Es Salaam , Tanzania today.

Going into the final day of the group stage, three sides were in contention for promotion but Italy, knowing it needed victory over Afghanistan to finish in the top two of the table, was the team that had its dreams of playing in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 shattered when it lost by 93 runs.

Hong Kong defeated Jersey by 100 runs to seal second place in the group stages, while Fiji’s dramatic two-run win over Tanzania means that Jersey and Fiji will be relegated to Division 5 on net run-rate, as all three teams were tied on two points.

Now, if Afghanistan and Hong Kong finish in the top two of the six-team Division 3 tournament in Argentina in January, they will join 10 other sides at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, where four Associate or Affiliate Members will qualify for Asia in 2011.

Afghanistan’s Rais Ahmadzai, who was named man of the match after an excellent 68, was delighted with his side’s promotion to Division 3 and said he was determined to win the final against Hong Kong tomorrow.

“We are very happy. It’s true that there was a little bit of tension amongst the guys last night, but the coach said we should go and play positive cricket,” said Ahmadzai.

“I was just concentrating on reading the wicket when I came into bat and then hitting the bad balls. The boys have done very well with the bowling, batting and fielding.

“We will try our best to win the final – we’ve already beaten Hong Kong in this tournament and we will try our best to do it again.”

At Leaders Club, Afghanistan posted an imposing target of 235 for Italy to win after another solid, mature and at times flamboyant batting performance.

Ahmadzai led the way with an excellently paced innings, scored at more than a run a ball, and hit two of the seven sixes scored in the Afghan innings, while Ahmad Shah (52) also batted well.

In reply, Italy lost Thushara Kurukulasuriya to the first ball that he faced, before the Northcote brothers added 61 for the second wicket. But Italy ’s hopes suffered a blow when Andy Northcote (29) was run out by an excellent Rais Ahmadzai throw.

Then Hamid Hassan changed the game, first deceiving Nick Northcote with a cleverly disguised slower ball, and then earning the vital wicket of Joe Scuderi with a superb throw to run out the Italian captain.

Worse was to follow when Hemantha Jayasena was run out in the very next over without even facing a ball as panic spread through the Italian batting line-up. In the end Afghanistan was able to enjoy a comfortable victory.

Immediately after the game Joe Scuderi announced his retirement as a player, although he said he would continue as a coach.

“You can’t keep playing for ever – I’m 40 in December and my time has come now. Perhaps it is time for Italian cricket not to rely on me as much as it has done for the past 10 years,” he said.

In the other key promotion game, Butt Hussain missed out on his century in agonizing circumstances, run out backing up on 99, but his innings was instrumental in securing Hong Kong ’s passage to Division 3 in this competition.

“It was a pleasure to play such an important innings at a crucial stage for our team. It was due as I was only scoring 30 or 40 runs in my innings – I wasn’t scoring big scores,” said Butt Hussain.

After some excellent opening bowling from Ryan Driver and Anthony Kay, Hong Kong stuttered its way through the early overs under some excellent Jersey pressure.

But a 119-run partnership between Hussain and Skhawat (47) transformed the game as Hong Kong’s experience and class began to show as it made a challenging 234 all out off 49.5 overs.

If Jersey was going to have any chance of challenging Hong Kong it needed a good start, but a fine bowling display, particularly from Irfan Ahmed (3-10), ended any hopes as it was reduced to 134 all out.

Butt Hussain admitted that he was looking forward to tomorrow’s final against Afghanistan .

“We are quite even sides. Whoever plays well on the day will win the game. I cannot say who is favourite,” he said. “Whoever plays smart cricket on the day will win the match.”

In the other match of the day, Fiji finally registered its first win with a dramatic four-run defeat of Tanzania , with Simon Jepson’s five wickets helping him win the man of the match.

The results from today’s matches mean that while Hong Kong and Afghanistan are promoted to the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3, Italy and Tanzania will remain in Division 4 for 2010 while Jersey and Fiji are relegated to Division 5.

In a change of venues for tomorrow’s finals, which are used for rankings play-off purposes, Afghanistan will play Hong Kong at Anadil Burhani, Italy will play Tanzania at University and Jersey will play Fiji at Leaders Club.

Results

Hong Kong beat Jersey by 100 runs at Anadil Burhani
Hong Kong 234 all out, 49.5 overs (Butt Hussain 99, Skhawat Ali 47)
Jersey 134 all out, 50 overs (Andy Dewhurst 33 not out, Irfan Ahmed 3-10)

Afghanistan beat Italy by 97 runs at Leaders Club
Afghanistan 234 all out, 50 overs (Rais Ahmadzai 68, Ahmad Shah 54, Asghar Stanikzai 33, Mohammad Nabi 32)
Italy 141 all out, 44.4 overs (Nick Northcote 35, Hamid Hassan 3-19)

Fiji beat Tanzania by four runs at University
Fiji 182 all out, 50 overs
Tanzania 178 all out, 49.3 overs

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Tikolo ready to wake from the nightmare

Dubai , 9 October 2008

Memories of losing to Ireland in 2005 still haunt the Kenya skipper as his team prepares to exact revenge

Kenya captain Steve Tikolo has a long memory. He still recalls vividly the ICC Intercontinental Cup final of 2005 when his men needed just a draw against Ireland on the flattest of flat wickets in sunny Windhoek , Namibia .

After Tikolo and company had piled on the runs on the first day, of which the skipper scored 177, solid batting and then a clever declaration by Ireland was followed by some great slow bowling by Kyle McCallan and Andrew White meant curtains for the Kenyans.

And it still hurts. Now, could history be about to repeat itself? Going into this final group match of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 in Nairobi on Saturday such is the points table, Kenya needs just a draw against Ireland to qualify for next month’s final.

“If we draw the game or even lose having won the points for securing a first-innings lead, it will be enough,” said Tikolo.

“But we remember what happened in 2005 and we will be trying to put that right. I still have nightmares about that match,” said the 37-year-old all-rounder.

This is essentially a semi-final with the winner going through to play Namibia in the final. Sitting 10 points behind Kenya in the table, Ireland must win outright having either tied or been ahead after the first innings.

“It will not be easy for us,” said Tikolo. “We will need to play extremely well because Ireland has proved itself to be a very good side. It would mean a lot to us to get through to the final so this is a huge game.

“We recently had a couple of very valuable four-day matches against a Pakistan Academy team. They had some classy players in their team and it was useful for us to get some more practice with the longer form of the game.

“Our batsmen, in particular, do not always play the best when it comes to three or four-day cricket. They need to show more patience and spend more time out in the middle. That is where we must improve and the game against the Pakistanis definitely helped with that.

“I notice that Ireland were twice bowled out cheaply by Namibia recently so maybe their batsmen are low on confidence. We will be targeting them and trying to exploit that,” said Tikolo.

Kenya has included uncapped 18-year-old Seren Waters in the squad that otherwise is full of familiar names. Opening batsman Waters, who has played for Surrey seconds, is considered to be a bright prospect and was a leading light of Cranleigh School in England although he was born in Nairobi .

Meanwhile, Ireland comes into this game on a high after its dramatic eight-run victory over Namibia last week. The apparent fragility of the batting line-up might be a cause of concern for coach Phil Simmons but the spirit and never-say-die attitude of his players will no doubt have impressed him. And when it comes down to the business end of a tournament such as this, it is difficult to overestimate the value of that.

Squads:

Kenya: Steve Tikolo (captain), Jimmy Kamande, Alfred Luseno, Alex Obanda, Kennedy Obuya, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Thomas Odoyo, Peter Ongondo, Lameck Onyango, Elijah Otieno, Morris Ouma, Rakep Patel, Ondik Suji, Hiren Varaiya, Seren Waters, David Obuya.

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: Russell Tiffin and Marais Erasmus (Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires)

ICC Intercontinental Cup table (as of 9 October)

P W L D A Pts
Namibia 7 6 1 0 0 108 (Qualified for final)
Kenya 6 4 1 0 1 96
Ireland 6 4 0 2 0 86
Scotland 7 3 1 2 1 82
Netherlands 7 3 4 0 0 48
UAE 7 1 5 1 0 29
Canada 7 1 5 1 0 29
Bermuda 7 1 6 0 0 26

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC confirms match referee tells India and Australia to avoid inappropriate public comments

Dubai, 8 October 2008

Chris Broad speaks to captains, coaches and team management at pre-series meeting

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat: “Time for the cricket to do the talking.”

The ICC today confirmed that, ahead of the start of the India – Australia Test series, the Emirates Elite Panel Match Referee Chris Broad had spoken to representatives of both teams and told them to avoid making inappropriate public comments.

Mr Broad added that any such comments could result in a code of conduct charge being laid against the individual responsible.

Mr Broad made his remarks to both captains, coaches and team management during the scheduled pre-series meetings ahead of the first of four Test matches, starting in Bangalore on Thursday.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “The whole world has been waiting for this series with great expectations and we all want it to be remembered for all the right reasons, because of great cricket.

“There has been a long build-up to the series but now it is time for the cricket on the field to do the talking as a demonstration that Test cricket remains the pinnacle of our great game.”

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Haroon Lorgat looks forward to the excitement of the India v Australia Test series

Dubai , 8 October 2008

“It will be a feature of my tenure as ICC Chief Executive to make sure Test cricket is promoted and protected”

On the eve of the first Test between India and Australia , the level of anticipation and excitement ahead of what is the most eagerly awaited series of the year is an indication that Test cricket is still the pinnacle of the game, according to ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat.

Suggestions that the popularity of Test cricket is dwindling because of the rise of other forms of the game are proving baseless, he added.

“I am fortunate that I will be attending the second Test in Mohali and like most cricket fans around the world – not just in India or Australia – I can’t wait for this series to start. It promises to be a real cracker,” said Mr Lorgat.

“At a time when Twenty20 cricket has grown in popularity around the world, it is inspiring to see a Test series generate so much interest. I honestly do not think a bilateral ODI or Twenty20 International series could inspire this level of excitement but then Test cricket has been thrilling lovers of the game since 1877.

“The success and popularity of Twenty20 is not a bad thing for those of us who love Test cricket. On the contrary, it is a positive development and the result is that we now have three viable formats of the game at international level. Provided we take precautions to protect and promote the longest form of the game, the influence of Twenty20 can continue to be extremely good.

“So far this year we have seen some great Test cricket. First there was the India tour to Australia , which no one could say was dull! England played against New Zealand and South Africa , Australia and Sri Lanka traveled to the West Indies, the Proteas also toured Bangladesh and India , and all these Test series offered something special.

“The players showed what Test cricket is all about – courage, determination, patience, tremendous technique and great skill. I enjoy the shorter formats too but Test cricket is simply unique. It’s a fundamental part of the future of the game and it will be maintained,” said Mr Lorgat.

“Another feature of Tests of the future will be the decision review system, which we trialed during the recent Sri Lanka v India series. After a positive response, further trials will be held over the coming months to see if it’s something we should implement on a more permanent basis.

“It was not possible to hold another trial during this series because we needed to gather all the information from Sri Lanka before launching into another trial. This system is another example of something that the ICC is doing to help improve the game for players, match officials and spectators.

“I know that Tests in England and some other places are nearly always well supported. It is a challenge for all of us who love the game and who love Test cricket in particular to ensure Tests all over the world are watched by high numbers of spectators.

“In this regard, I have been encouraged by some of the ideas that have been tabled of late. We at the ICC have been looking at how we can revamp the Future Tours Programme to give Test cricket more context. Initial discussions at ICC Board level have been very encouraging with everyone agreed in principle to the idea.

“The fact remains that according to a poll carried out this year more than 90 per cent of professional players regard Test cricket as the pinnacle. It is how they will be judged in years to come and it is vital to retain that link with the great players of the past. We all have a responsibility to make sure Test cricket remains strong and that all three formats of the game can successfully coexist at international level.

“I will be making it a priority during my time as ICC Chief Executive to make sure the future of Test cricket is safeguarded. It will be a feature of my tenure that I will do everything I can to protect and promote this great game.

“I don’t know who will eventually prevail in this series between India and Australia but I am confident that we will be treated to remarkable feats of individual and collective skill that will live with us for a long time to come. Why am I so confident? Well, the world’s best players have been doing it for 131 years, why would they suddenly stop now?”

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC President confirms meeting with Indian Cricket League representatives

Dubai, 7 October 2008

Mr Morgan will now report back to ICC Board

ICC President David Morgan today confirmed he had met with Mr Subhash Chandra of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited in London to discuss the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Mr Morgan said: “The ICL had written to the ICC requesting a meeting and today that meeting took place.

“I will now report back the contents of the meeting to the ICC Board, which is gathering in Dubai on 14 and 15 October.”

The meeting took place in a cordial manner and Mr Chandra thanked Mr Morgan and the other members of his group (David Becker, ICC Head of Legal, and Jonathan Taylor of the international law firm of Bird and Bird) for attending.

Mr Chandra added his hope that when Mr Morgan presented to the ICC Board it could find a resolution to the matter.

The ICC will make no further comment on this matter ahead of the proposed Board meeting.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Chance for New Zealand to equal its best Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship ranking

Dubai, 7 October 2008

New Zealand can regain second place in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table when it goes head-to-head with Bangladesh in a three-match series, starting in Dhaka from Thursday.

New Zealand , which currently sits in fourth place, had briefly occupied second place on the table in January 2005 after it defeated Sri Lanka at home by a 4-1 margin.

Now, in order to equal that ranking, which was its best since the ODI rankings were launched in 2002, it will have to sweep the series against another team from the Asian subcontinent.

If New Zealand achieves this result, it will join South Africa on 118 ratings points but will be ahead of the Proteas when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.

This scenario also means it would be the first time since October 2005 that South Africa would drop out of the top two. However, in that case Graeme Smith’s side would not have to wait long for the chance to reclaim the lost place as it plays Kenya on 31 October and 2 November in Bloemfontein and Kimberley .

New Zealand is 71 rating points ahead of ninth-placed Bangladesh and this gap means it is expected to win the series convincingly. As such, because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, failure to win all three ODIs will mean the Black Caps will drop points. They will lose three points for a 2-1 series victory which would put them level with India but just ahead of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side by a fraction of a ratings point.

A 3-0 loss will see Daniel Vettori’s side slide to 105 and Bangladesh jump to 54 points.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, New Zealand ’s Scott Styris is the highest-ranked batsman from either side. The 33-year-old sits in 22nd place but a productive series can help him break back into the top 20.

Styris’s team-mates Brendon McCullum (25th) and Ross Taylor (32nd) are the other batsmen in top 40 and they will also be keen to overtake players ahead of them on the list.

Opener Tamim Iqbal in 35th place is Bangladesh ’s highest-ranked batsman with captain Mohammad Ashraful currently in 59th position.

Dhoni, who won the ICC ODI Player of the Year 2008 at the LG ICC Awards in Dubai last month, leads the batting chart from Mike Hussey of Australia with South Africa captain Graeme Smith in third place.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori leads the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers and will be hoping to widen the gap with second-placed Nathan Bracken of Australia with the difference already standing at 14 ratings points.

New Zealand’s Kyle Mills is in ninth spot and a good series with the ball could see him rise to as high as fifth while Jacob Oram is in 18th position and will also be hoping to make movement in the right direction.

Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak in 27th place is Bangladesh ’s highest-ranked bowler while fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza is in 42nd position.

New Zealand ’s Jacob Oram is third in the all-rounders’ list but can leapfrog Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik by putting in a good performance with both bat and ball. England ’s Andrew Flintoff leads the pack in that category by a distance.

Bangladesh – New Zealand ODI series schedule

9 October – First ODI, Dhaka
11 October – Second ODI, Dhaka
14 October – Third ODI, Chittagong

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table (as of 7 October 2008, ahead of the series between Bangladesh and New Zealand )

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 1312 South Africa 118
3 England 116
4 New Zealand 116
5 India 113
6 Pakistan 110
7 Sri Lanka 105
8 West Indies 95
9 Bangladesh 45
10 Ireland 22
11 Zimbabwe 16
12 Kenya 0

ICC One-Day Rankings (as of 7 October 2008)

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 Daniel Vettori NZ 761 31.70 4.17 790 v Eng at Christchurch 2008
2 Nathan Bracken Aus 755 21.87 4.33 806 v SL at St George's 2007
3 Shane Bond NZ 711 19.32 4.20 811 v SA at St George's 2007
4 M.G.Johnson Aus 707 23.46 4.72 726 v Ban at Darwin 2008
5 Stuart Broad Eng 684* 26.21 4.77 701 v SA at Nottingham 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 Kyle Mills NZ 663 26.74 4.68 694 v Ban at Queenstown 2007
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 Jacob Oram NZ 627 30.70 4.44 768 v Aus at The Oval 2004
19 Brad Hogg Aus 611 26.84 4.52 687 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
20 Sohail Tanvir Pak 610* 28.11 4.92 619 v SL at Karachi 2008

All-rounders

Rank Player Team Points HS Rating

1 Andrew Flintoff Eng 375 544 v SL at The Rose Bowl 2004
2 Shoaib Malik Pak 349 402 v WI at Brisbane 2005
3 Jacob Oram NZ 342 353 v Eng at Auckland 2008
4 Shahid Afridi Pak 331 360 v Ind at Dhaka 2008
5 Chris Gayle WI 323 511 v Zim at Harare

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Second place in Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship beckons for India

Dubai, 7 October 2008

Two-match winning margin will push home side above SA and close gap on Australia; chance for Ponting and Hussey to go top of batting rankings while fast bowler Clark can overtake Muralidaran; Tendulkar seeks return to top 20

India can move to second place in the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table if it beats Australia by a margin of two Tests or more in the upcoming four-match series, which gets underway in Bangalore on 9 October.

Anil Kumble’s side currently lies in third position, seven ratings points behind South Africa and 29 points behind Australia . A series win of 4-0 would see India move ahead of Graeme Smith’s men and reduce the gap with the leader to just seven points.

Scorelines of 3-0, 3-1 or 2-0 would also be enough for India to claim second position and put pressure on Australia , which has been at the top of the ICC Test Championship table for more than five years.

A 1-0 or 2-1 win for India would leave it in third position but close the gap on the Proteas to just one ratings point and Australia would come back to the chasing pack by losing eight points. Such is the weighting of the rankings where it’s designed to be particularly tough at the top, a drawn series or even a narrow Australia win would see it lose points.

But Australia can widen the gap if it wins the series by two Tests or more. A 4-0 sweep would put Ricky Ponting’s men almost out of sight, 26 points clear of its nearest rival.

On the individual front, either of Ponting and team-mate Michael Hussey could go top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen if they put in high-class performances in the middle over the coming weeks.

At present, Hussey sits in third position, just eight ratings points behind West Indies left-hander and ICC Cricketer of the Year 2008 Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Ponting is just two points further back and he will be looking to turn around his previous form in India , which historically has not been up to the high standard of his play elsewhere in the world.

With Chanderpaul not currently in action, the way is clear for one of these Australia players to make his mark on the rankings while Matthew Hayden (seventh place) and Michael Clarke (13th) can also make moves in the right direction.

India currently has three batsmen in the top 20 with Virender Sehwag (10th), VVS Laxman (15th) and Rahul Dravid (16th) all capable of improving on their current positions.

Sachin Tendulkar is currently lying in 23rd position, his lowest ranking in 15 years. With several players ahead of him not in action, he can make a quick return to the top 20 with some solid performances against Australia .

On the bowling front, Australia ’s Stuart Clark has a chance of displacing Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralidaran at the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers.

Murali has been a model of consistency throughout his career, averaging less than 22 across a career that has already lasted more than 16 years. He last slipped below the 800 ratings point mark way back in June 2000 and his career high of 920 puts him fourth in the all-time list. The 36-year-old from Kandy has been there since 28 February 2006 and it will take a monumental effort from Clark if he is to displace him now.

But the 33-year-old New South Welshman is enjoying the highest rating of his career to date and his confidence will be high after a successful tour to the West Indies earlier this year where he took 13 wickets in three matches at an average of 19.30.

Brett Lee is the other Australia fast bowler in the top five and he can push back up above the 800-point mark during this series. He will remember the part he played in Australia’s series victory over India on home turf earlier this year when he took 24 wickets – the most of any bowler on either side – and he’ll be anxious to replicate some of that form.

For its part, India has only one fast bowler in the top 20 in the shape of Zaheer Khan but on the spinning front things are much more healthy with Harbhajan Singh and captain Kumble in 12th and 10th places respectively. With that part of the rankings quite congested, expect to see plenty of movement one way or another during the series.

India v Australia Test series schedule:

9-13 Oct – first Test, Bangalore
17-21 Oct – second Test, Mohali
29 Oct-2 Nov – third Test, Delhi
6-10 Nov – fourth Test, Nagpur

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship (as of 7 October, ahead of the series between India and Australia )

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 83
8 West Indies 81
9 Bangladesh 0

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Rankings (as of 7 October)

Batsmen

Rank Player Team Points Avge HS Rating

1 S.Chanderpaul WI 890! 49.08 890 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
2 K.C.Sangakkara SL 886 54.79 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
3 Mike Hussey Aus 882 68.38 921 v WI at Kingston 2008
4= Ricky Ponting Aus 880 58.37 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
Mohd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
6 M.Jayawardena SL 837 52.41 847 v Ind at Colombo (SSC) 2008
7 Matthew Hayden Aus 834 53.51 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002
8 Kevin Pietersen Eng 829 50.51 905 v WI at Headingley 2007
9 Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Headingley 2006
10 Virender Sehwag Ind 786 52.62 854 v SA at Kolkata 2004
11 Jacques Kallis SA 774 55.46 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
12 Graeme Smith SA 739 49.23 759 v Eng at Edgbaston 2008
13 Michael Clarke Aus 723 47.06 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
14 A Symonds Aus 700* 44.65 718 v WI at Antigua 2008
15 VVS Laxman Ind 699 43.79 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
16= Rahul Dravid Ind 686 53.92 892 v Pak at Kolkata 2005
Alastair Cook Eng 686 42.88 707 v SL at Galle 2007
18 AB de Villiers SA 679! 41.61 679 v Eng at The Oval 2008
19= R.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 M.Muralidaran SL 895 21.96 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 Stuart Clark Aus 863*! 21.46 863 v WI at Bridgetown 2008
3 Dale Steyn SA 847 22.51 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008
4 Brett Lee Aus 793 29.58 811 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 Shane Bond NZ 668* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006
10= Anil Kumble Ind 653 29.34 859 v SL at Bangalore 1994
Monty Panesar Eng 653 31.95 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
12 Harbhajan Singh Ind 641 30.87 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
13 Jerome Taylor WI 628*! 34.69 628 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
14 James Anderson Eng 620! 34.51 620 v SA at The Oval 2008
15 Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
16 Andrew Flintoff Eng 615 32.21 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
17 Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
18 Zaheer Khan Ind 611 34.06 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
19 M Hoggard Eng 593 30.50 795 v SL at Edgbaston 2006
20 Jacques Kallis SA 592 31.22 742 v Eng at Headingley 2003

All-rounders

Rank Player Team Points HS Rating
1 Jacques Kallis SA 458 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 Daniel Vettori NZ 324 360 v Eng at Lord's 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

TEAM FOR INDIA'S TOUR OF AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCED

Jhulan Goswami, winner of the ICC Cricketer of the Year Award in 2007, has been named captain of the Indian team that will tour Australia to play five One-Day internationals and one Twenty20 match in October-November 2008. Former India captain Anjum Chopra has been recalled.

The members of the National (Women's) Selection Committee met at the Cricket Centre earlier today to pick the side.

THE TEAM:
1. JHULAN GOSWAMI - CAPTAIN
2. RUMELI DHAR – VICE-CAPTAIN
3. JAYA SHARMA
4. SULAKSHANA NAIK
5. MITHALI RAJ
6. ANJUM CHOPRA
7. M.D. TRISHKAMINI
8. AMITA SHARMA
9. PRIYANKA ROY
10. SNEHAL PRADHAN
11. GOUHER SULTANA
12. ANAGHA DESHPANDE
13. REEMA MALHOTRA
14. NOOSHINE-AL-KHADER
15. SEEMA PUJARE
PURNIMA RAO – MANAGER
SUDHA SHAH – COACH

STAND-BYES:
DIANA DAVID
SWARUPA KADAM
LATIKA KUMARI

MEDIA RELEASE

ICC announces possible venues in South Africa for Intercontinental Cup final

Dubai , 6 October 2008

Ground and date depends on result of last group match between Kenya and Ireland

The International Cricket Council today confirmed the two possible dates and venues for the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 final.

With one match remaining in the group stage of the tournament, only Namibia is assured of its place in the decider. Its opponent will depend on the result of the Kenya v Ireland match which takes place at Nairobi Gymkhana from 11 to 14 October.

If defending champion Ireland takes all 20 points from the match or ties on first innings before winning the game outright, it will proceed to its third final in a row. But if Kenya can win the game or even take first-innings points, it will join its fellow African side in the decider.

A Namibia v Ireland final will take place at St George’s Park , Port Elizabeth , from 30 October to 3 November while a final involving Namibia and Kenya will be held at Outsurance Oval, Bloemfontein , from 6 to 10 November.

The reason for different dates is because of varying commitments of the teams involved and the limited availability of the grounds in question. A neutral venue is preferred over one side enjoying home advantage. Last year’s final between Ireland and Canada was held at Grace Road , the home of Leicestershire County Cricket Club in England .

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

ICC announces officials for upcoming series in Canada

Dubai , 6 October 2008

The International Cricket Council today announced match referee and umpire appointments for the upcoming Twenty20 International tournament taking place in King City , Ontario from 10 to 13 October involving Canada , Pakistan , Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe .

The match referee for the series will be Jeff Crowe of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees while the on-field umpires will be Mark Benson of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Karran Bayney of the ICC Associate and Affiliate International Umpires’ Panel.

Quadrangular four-nation Twenty20 International series fixtures:

10 Oct – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe and Canada v Pakistan , King City – Jeff Crowe (match referee), Mark Benson and Karran Bayney
11 Oct – Canada v Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka v Pakistan, King City – Jeff Crowe (match referee), Mark Benson and Karran Bayney12 Oct – Pakistan v Zimbabwe and Canada v Sri Lanka, King City – Jeff Crowe (match referee), Mark Benson and Karran Bayney
13 Oct – third/fourth place play-off and final – Jeff Crowe (match referee), Mark Benson and Karran Bayney

Appointments for future series will be announced in due course.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

RANJI TROPHY 2008-09

Following is a list of the players who have sought an inter-state transfer for the 2008-09 season:

No. -Name of the Player -Transfer from -Transfer to
1-Rashmi Ranjan Parid -Orissa C.A.-Assam C.A.
2-Vikrant Yadav- Goa C.A.-Assam C.A.
3-Jacob Martin-Baroda CA-Assam CA
4-Munaf Patel -Mah C.A.- Baroda C.A.
5-Shahbaz Nadeem-J.S.C.A.-C.A.B.
6-Rahul Dewan-D.D.C.A.-Haryana CA
7-Bhavin Thakkar- Mumbai C.A.-HPCA
8-Vinit Indulkar- Mumbai C.A.-HPCA
9-Hrishikesh Kanitkar- Mah. C.A. -M.P.C.A.
10-Moondeep Mangela-Mumbai C.A.-Mah. C.A.
11-Mr. K. Shri Vasudeva-TNCA-Mah. C.A.
12-Sairaj Bahutule-Mah. C.A. -Mumbai C.A.
13-Prashant Bhoir-Mah. C.A.-Mumbai CA
14-V. Cheluvaraj-K.S.C.A.-R.S.P.B.
15-Yere Gaud K.T. -K.S.C.A.-R.S.P.B.

Foreign Players

M. Muralitharan – Sri Lanka - to represent Cricket Association of Bengal.
Dilhara Fernando – Sri Lanka – to represent Baroda Cricket Association.
Inamul Haque (Jr.) – Bangladesh – to represent Maharashtra Cricket Association.

MEDIA RELEASE

Make-up of ICC committees

Dubai , 5 October 2008

ICC President David Morgan has announced details of the ICC committee structure for the next 12 months. In addition to the Cricket Committee, whose members were appointed previously, there are four other main committees, namely the Audit Committee, Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee, Governance Review Committee and the HR and Remuneration Committee.

Audit Committee

The ICC Audit Committee will be an independent body. Following the resignation of chairman Sir John Anderson, Alan Isaac from New Zealand has been appointed to replace him. The rest of the committee will be made up of the ethics officer, Thandi Orleyn from South Africa, and two other independent members, London-based Indian Birendra Agarwal and one other, who will be nominated shortly.

Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee

Chairman – Sharad Pawar
Giles Clarke
Haroon Lorgat
David Morgan
Neil Speight

Governance Review Committee

Chairman - Creagh O’Connor until 24 October, Dr Julian Hunte thereafter
Peter Chingoka
Imran Khwaja
Shashank Manohar
Major General Sina Ibn Jamali

HR and Remuneration

Chairman – Samir Inamdar
Arjuna Ranatunga
Jack Clarke – with effect from 25 October

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Boyd bounces back to shoulder more responsibility

Dubai , 5 October 2008

Delighted Rankin completes recovery by bowling Ireland to a thrilling eight-run victory over Namibia ; sets up showdown with Kenya in Nairobi starting next Saturday

Back in May, Ireland fast bowler Boyd Rankin was told he could be out for the rest of the year as he prepared to go under the knife to remedy a serious shoulder injury. It was a frustrating time for the big Derryman as he was still trying to establish himself in first-class cricket after bursting on to the scene at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies .

But three months after the operation he was back taking wickets for the Warwickshire first team and over the past few days he has been terrifying Namibia’s batsmen with his extra bounce during what turned out to be a remarkable ICC Intercontinental Cup match in Windhoek.

His seven wickets in the match, including a career best 5-39 in the second innings, made sure Ireland snatched a barely believable eight-run victory over the previously unbeaten African side on Saturday.

The win means that if Ireland can win outright against Kenya next week while also avoiding a first-innings deficit, it will make it through to the final. In that case, it would again face Namibia in a repeat of this thrilling albeit low-scoring encounter.

It was a strange match which saw all 40 wickets falling inside two days and no batsman from either side managed to make it to 30.

“The scorecard suggests it was a bad pitch to bat on,” said the 6ft 7in Rankin. “But that’s not the case. The truth is that we just didn’t bat very well and we had to pull it back with our bowling,” he said.

That’s a bit of an understatement. Having collapsed to 69 all out the first time around, Ireland managed to struggle to 164 on the second time of asking, giving it a lead of 114 and an outside chance of victory. It was up to Rankin and his new-ball partner Peter Connell to front up for the Irish.

And they did just that. Connell (3-49) and Rankin (5-39) shared eight of the 10 wickets between them as Namibia crumbled under the pressure. Twenty-four-year-old Rankin, in particular, was impressive with his extra height offering more bounce and pace.

Former skipper Trent Johnston picked up two crucial wickets towards the end but fittingly it was Rankin who wrapped the match up as he had Kola Burger caught by Kyle McCallan for six, just nine runs short of what would have been its seventh straight win in the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08.

“When I was injured, it was a very frustrating time for me. Immediately after the operation I went home to Ireland for three weeks which helped but the rest of the time was spent in rehab and doing gym work. It was quite boring because all I wanted to do was get back out there and start bowling again.

“They told me it could take more than six months to get back to bowling but I did it in three. Now I feel I am bowling reasonably well – there is still some pain in the shoulder but the more I bowl, the stronger it is getting. It was a great feeling to be able to come back and win this match and keep our hopes alive in the competition.

“Working with Allan Donald at Warwickshire has been great. He doesn’t seek to make many technical changes during the season – that’s more for the winter. It’s more about the mental side of the game, how to work a batsman over, how to think more about the game, how to work batsmen out and take more wickets.

“It’s great to work with the likes of Allan. He was one of the best bowlers in the world and I am really learning a lot from him,” said Rankin.

The Irishmen must feel the force is with them as they head to Nairobi . They have now stretched their unbeaten run in this competition to 13 matches, a record dating back to 2004. At present, they sit 10 points behind Kenya on the ladder with that final head-to-head being the last match in this year’s event bar the final. That means Ireland needs to tie or win the first innings and then follow it up with outright victory to make it through to another decider.

“We now head to Nairobi full of confidence. It was crucial that we beat Namibia and now if we can beat Kenya we will be in another final. This win has really given us a boost,” said Rankin.

Meanwhile, Kenya can get through to its second final in the history of this competition just by taking the first-innings points. The way this competition is shaping up it looks like another thrilling match is on the cards.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Rankin shepherds Ireland to thrilling eight-run victory

Dubai , 4 October 2008

Namibia crumbles chasing low total but place in final is still secure; Irish must beat Kenya next week to join it

Ireland kept its hopes of winning a third straight ICC Intercontinental Cup by snatching a barely believable eight-run victory over Namibia in Windhoek on Saturday.

This win means that if Ireland can win outright against Kenya next week while also avoiding a first-innings defeat, it will make it through to the final. In that case, it would again face Namibia in a repeat of this thrilling albeit low-scoring encounter.

It was a strange match which saw all 40 wickets falling inside two days and no batsman from either side managed to make it to 30. A combination of poor shot selection, a swinging ball and bouncy track made sure it was the bowlers who ultimately came out on top.

Having collapsed to 69 all out the first time around, Ireland managed to struggle to 164 on the second time of asking, giving it a lead of 114 and an outside chance of victory. But the Irish attack would still have to bowl well in the face of a strong Namibia batting line-up.

And they did just that. Openers Peter Connell (3-49) and Boyd Rankin (5-39) shared eight of the 10 wickets between them as Namibia crumbled under the pressure. Warwickshire bowler and erstwhile sheep farmer Rankin, in particular, was impressive with his 6ft 7in frame giving him extra bounce and pace.

Gerrie Snyman threatened to see his side home as he hit a quick-fire 28 (14 balls, three fours, two sixes) taking Namibia up to 91-6 chasing 115 for victory. But when Snyman fell, caught by captain William Porterfield off the bowling of Rankin, it signaled the beginning of the end of the Africans.

Former skipper Trent Johnston picked up two crucial wickets towards the end but fittingly it was Rankin who wrapped the match up as he had Kola Burger caught by Kyle McCallan for six, just nine runs short of what would have been its seventh straight win in the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08.

The Irishmen must feel the force is with them as they head to Nairobi . They have now stretched their unbeaten run in this competition to 13 matches, a record dating back to 2004. At present, they sit 10 points behind Kenya on the ladder with that final head-to-head being the last match in this year’s event bar the final. That means Ireland needs to tie or win the first innings and then follow it up with outright victory to make it through to another decider.

Kenya can get through to its second final in the history of this competition just by taking the first-innings points. The way this competition is shaping up it looks like another thrilling match is on the cards.


ICC Intercontinental Cup
At: Windhoek
IRELAND 69 all out (Louis Klazinga 4-11, Gerrie Snyman 4-22) and 164 all out (Andre Botha 29, Trent Johnston 28, Regan West 27, William Porterfield 25; Kola Burger 5-60)
NAMIBIA 119 all out (Bjorn Kotze 28; Peter Connell 4-24, Boyd Rankin 2-33) and 106 all out (Gerrie Snyman 28; Boyd Rankin 5-39, Peter Connell 3-49, Trent Johnston 2-9)
Ireland (14 points) beat Namibia (six points) by eight runs


ICC Intercontinental Cup table (as of 4 October)

P W L D A Pts
Namibia 7 6 1 0 0 108
Kenya 6 4 1 0 1 96
Ireland 6 4 0 2 0 86
Scotland 7 3 1 2 1 82
Netherlands 7 3 4 0 0 48
UAE 7 1 5 1 0 29
Canada 7 1 5 1 0 29
Bermuda 7 1 6 0 0 26

Key:
Six points for first innings lead
14 points for a win (so, maximum of 20 points per match) (W)
Three points each for a draw in a match with eight or more hours lost (D)
10 points for an abandoned match (A)
Three points each for first-innings tie
Seven points each for an outright tie
Top two sides qualify for the final at a venue to be confirmed

Remaining fixture: 11-14 Oct – Kenya v Ireland , Nairobi Gymkhana

Thevenue and exact date of the final will depend on the result of the Kenya v Ireland match.

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 in October/November 2008 at a venue yet to be confirmed.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Namibia confirms place in ICC Intercontinental Cup final

Dubai , 3 October 2008

Home side leads after first innings in Windhoek as 25 wickets fall on day one

Namibia made sure of its place in the final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup by taking first-innings points against Ireland in Windhoek on Friday.

In the process Louis Burger’s men made it difficult for the defending champion, who now has to make sure it takes the outright points and then beats Kenya in Nairobi next week if it wants to make it a hat-trick of Intercontinental Cup victories.

On a day when no fewer than 25 wickets fell, Ireland was first dismissed for just 69 with Louis Klazinga (4-11) and Gerrie Snyman (4-22) making the most of the conditions.

But then Namibia fared little better being reduced to 37-7 before the tail came to the home team’s rescue and made sure first-innings points were secured. Namibia was finally dismissed for 119 with Bjorn Koetze (28) and Tobias Verwey (20) ending up as top scorers.

Peter Connell was the pick of Ireland ’s bowlers finishing with figures of 4-24 but trailing by 50 runs in such a low-scoring game is a big disadvantage and William Porterfield and his men knew they were up against it.

That reality was made even more stark when Ireland made a shaky start to its second innings losing opener Niall O’Brien without a run being scored and Alex Cusack not long after. Andre Botha and Porterfield put together a good partnership, bringing the side to 57-2 but three wickets were lost in quick succession and Ireland finished the day on 77-5, just 27 runs ahead.

Kola Burger (3-35) did the damage before the close as the home side established itself in pole position to take all 20 points on offer. Having taken the six points for its first-innings lead, Namibia is now certain of its place in what will be its first ICC Intercontinental Cup final.

Whether its opponent will be Ireland or Kenya in that decider remains to be seen but the way the defending champion is going about things, an all-Africa final looks like it could be on the cards unless a fierce rearguard action comes on day two.

ICC Intercontinental Cup
At: Windhoek (Day One)
IRELAND 69 all out (Louis Klazinga 4-11, Gerrie Snyman 4-22) and 77-5 (Andre Botha 29, William Porterfield 25; Kola Burger 3-35)
NAMIBIA 119 all out (Bjorn Kotze 28; Peter Connell 4-24, Boyd Rankin 2-33)
Ireland lead by 27 runs with five wickets remaining.

Remaining fixture: 11-14 Oct – Kenya v Ireland , Nairobi Gymkhana

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 in October/November 2008 at a venue yet to be confirmed.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Kirsten brothers go for glory at all levels of international cricket

Dubai, 3 October 2008

Peter Kirsten prepares to coach Jersey at Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4, while Gary gets ready to take on Australia

While the eyes of the cricketing world will be on Gary Kirsten next week and whether he can lead India to a home Test series triumph over Australia, for the rest of the Kirsten family their dreams are more focused at the other end of the international cricket spectrum and whether they can coach their respective sides to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

This weekend Peter Kirsten will try and help Jersey, a tiny island in between England and France, with a population of 90,000 people, try and take the next step on the road to qualification for Asia in 2011.

Jersey will be joined by Afghanistan, Fiji, Hong Kong, Italy and hosts Tanzania for a tournament that involves 18 matches over eight days.

And if Peter and his players can take that next step, in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, then that would take the island side closer to a potential meeting with Kenya, coached by another brother, Andy Kirsten, in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in April next year.

For that to happen, Jersey will have to finish in the top two of the six teams in action in Africa. That will send it to the Division 3 event in January 2009 and that will be one step from the 12-team Qualifier featuring the likes of Canada, Kenya and Scotland.

Four sides will make it from there to the ICC Cricket World Cup, with a dream of repeating the exploits of Ireland at the 2007 event.

The tournament begins on Saturday 4 October with the first round of matches with Jersey playing Tanzania while Hong Kong faces Italy and Fiji takes on Afghanistan, with the latter beating Jersey to the Division 5 title earlier this year. The final takes place on 11 October.

Peter Kirsten, who played 12 Tests and 40 ODIs for his native South Africa, admits that the brothers face very different challenges in their work with their respective national sides, but claims to already have one over his younger brother Gary.

“He might be preparing to take on the might of Australia, but he hasn’t got any victories against USA, Singapore and Guernsey,” joked Peter, who has already helped Jersey, who only became an ICC Member in 2005, through the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 and win the ICC European Championships Division 2 in his time as coach.

“We always compare notes when we speak. Gary had a great Test career and he has age on his side. It is a fabulous opportunity for him coaching India.

“It is a hugely different level of cricket but the basics remain the same – you’re still batting, bowling and fielding.”

Kirsten only became involved in Jersey cricket last year, following a speculative e-mail, after deciding that he wanted to coach away from his native South Africa.

“I basically wanted to go and coach out of South Africa and to gain a bit more experience. I’d been coaching in South Africa for the past 10-11 years so I studied quite a few websites and was pretty impressed by the structures that appeared to be present in Jersey. I asked around a few of my friends and got a good report,” said Kirsten.

“I introduced myself via e-mail and they replied to me and it went from there.

“They were on a drive to go further in world cricket and up to this stage things have gone really well for us. I thoroughly enjoy coaching Jersey.”

Kirsten believes much of his work has been focused on improving the intensity of training at this level of the game and the players, who all have full-time jobs away from cricket, have responded brilliantly to his enthusiasm and passion for coaching.

Sam Dewhurst, a 21-year-old leg-spin bowler whose brother Andy is also in the squad – Jersey have four sets of brothers in the 14-man playing party – believes that Kirsten has had a massive impact on him and his teammates.

“I think it’s huge that somebody of his calibre wants to help a developing cricket nation. It is massive for us.

“He brings a lot of experience from his playing days and passes that onto each of the players.

“He speaks to different players in different ways and he’s very good at man management. He knows what he wants and he knows how to deliver that.”

Although it is a distant dream, Peter admits it would be very special if India, Jersey and Kenya all made it to the ICC Cricket World Cup one day with the brothers in charge of the respective teams.

“That would be amazing – it would be something of a record,” he said.

“Andy coaches Kenya, who has played in World Cup competitions before, but for us there is a very long way to go. To get through this Division 4 tournament we’re going to have to play some very good cricket.”

And while his focus will very much be on helping Jersey through this tournament, he will also have one eye on the challenges that await Gary in India in the coming month.

“It is a big series for him. He hasn’t won a Test series for India yet. They drew with South Africa and they lost the Test series in Sri Lanka, although they took the one day series, but knowing him like I do, I know he would like to have a good series win at home,” said Peter.

“It is whether Gary can combine the younger players with the older players in the Test arena is his biggest challenge.

“They (India) have a class top six and if they get them working I can see the series going India’s way.”

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

The road to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 continues

Dubai , 1 October 2008

Afghanistan fast bowler hopes to fulfill ‘dream’ of qualification; Video news releases on Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 to be available for broadcasters

Six teams will try and take a step closer to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 this week when they compete in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4.

The event, which will take place in Dar Es Salaam , Tanzania from 4 to 11 October, will feature Afghanistan and Jersey , who continue their odyssey having progressed from Division 5. They will face tough tests from the likes of Fiji , Hong Kong , Italy and Tanzania if they are to finish in the top two and thus make it to Division 3 in Argentina in January 2009.

The top two sides from the Division 3 event will then progress to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in April 2009, with the top four sides from that making it to Asia in 2011 for cricket’s global showcase 50-over event.

Hong Kong, the current ACC Trophy Elite winners is coached by former England batsman Aftab Habib and will surely be one of the favourites to win the Division 4 event. That said, it is likely to be pushed all the way by Italy , who defeated the Netherlands at the 2008 European Championships Division 1 and Jersey , who is coached by former South Africa Test batsman Peter Kirsten.

While Fiji will be hopeful of qualification despite missing its inspirational all-rounder Neil Maxwell (the former Australia A player and agent to some of Australia’s leading lights) through injury, it will again be the story of Afghanistan’s bid to qualify that will perhaps attract most attention.

The focus of the side will be on just making it through to Argentina but Afghanistan bowler Hamid Hassan admits he can’t help but think about what it would mean to his country to make it the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

“It’s our dream to qualify for the 2011 World Cup,” said the fast bowler.

“I couldn’t explain the feelings of happiness and joy if we get to achieve that. It will be a matter of pride for us to be watched live by the whole world on TV while representing Afghanistan,” added the man who was one of the leading wicket-takers at the Division 5 event and who can reputedly bowl in excess of 140kph.

The Afghanistan team is benefitting from the experience of Kabir Khan, the former Pakistan international, who joined the squad earlier this month as coach. During a recent training camp in Peshawar , Pakistan he concentrated on bringing a more focused approach to the side’s notoriously cavalier style of batting. Captain Narooz Khan Mangal believes that this is already having an immediate impact.

“After playing four matches in Peshawar, the most significant improvement is that now we are capable of batting out the complete innings of 50 overs whereas in the past we used to get out within 40 overs, wasting 10 overs,” said Narooz Khan Mangal.

“Second, and more importantly, we have improved our line and length when bowling and we learned some valuable fielding tips, such as holding the ball and throwing it quickly,” he said.

Zulfikar Rehemtulla, coach of Tanzania , believes that home advantage will help his side enjoy a successful competition, as it attempts to join Argentina , Cayman Islands, Papua New Guinea and Uganda in Division 3.

“It’s a privilege to host the tournament and we are extremely happy to be the venue for this event,” said Rehemtulla.

“I think it’s our event to win, given that we have home advantage and experience of the climate in Tanzania . We have already played a lot of these teams in Darwin last year, so we know what to expect of some of them,” he added.

The Pepsi ICC World Cricket was created to provide a clearly defined structure to progress and develop, from the leading Associate countries through to some of cricket’s smallest Affiliate nations and has already become an integral part of the Pepsi ICC Development Programme.

ICC President David Morgan said: “The Pepsi ICC World Cricket League provides a pathway for the ICC’s Associate and Affiliate Members so that the dream of qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 can become a reality.

“The level of interest in the Division 5 tournament earlier this year highlighted the passion that exists for the development of cricket across the world and I expect to see an exciting and closely contested event in Dar Es Salaam as the six teams try to secure one of the two qualifying spots for Division 3 in Argentina .”

Rashid Mehmood, Franchise Director, Sub-Sahara Africa, PepsiCo International added: “PepsiCo is excited to partner with the ICC on the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League. The tournament in Dar Es Salaam provides ICC Associate and Affiliate Members with the opportunity to reach the ICC Cricket World Cup and our support of the event illustrates PepsiCo’s ongoing commitment to all levels of the game.”

While the top two sides at this event will progress to the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3, the third and fourth place winners will remain in Division 4 for 2010 while the fifth and sixth placed teams will return to Division 5 in 2010.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Ireland anxious to end Namibia ’s winning streak

Dubai , 1 October 2008

Captain Porterfield confident of victory in Windhoek with Johnston and Rankin back in the fold

The variation that exists within the Ireland team could be the key to defeating Namibia , according to captain William Porterfield.

Speaking ahead of Friday’s crucial ICC Intercontinental Cup match in Windhoek , Porterfield said Namibia would be a tough nut to crack but if his players performed to their potential he was confident of victory.

“We have pretty much a full-strength squad, which is a great boost for us,” said the 24-year-old from Donemana in Ireland ’s north-west.

“There is great variation in our batting and bowling. We are fortunate to have a number of left-handers in the batting line-up,” he said, referring to himself, Andre Botha, Niall O’Brien, John Mooney and Regan West. “No one enjoys bowling to a right-left partnership so that is certainly an advantage for us.

“Also, our bowling attack has variation. It’s good to have big Boyd (Rankin) back. He has been playing well for Warwickshire lately and he always offers something different. His extra height gives him more bounce and that could be crucial on the good batting track in Namibia .

“Having Trent ( Johnston ) back in the squad is good news for us – it’s a real boost to the strength of the squad given what he can do with both bat and ball. He enjoys the four-day format and his experience will be invaluable to me as captain. I’ve learned a lot about the four-day game playing for Gloucestershire but I will also be drawing on Trent ’s experience as well as others in the team,” said Porterfield.

With the likes of Kyle McCallan, Andrew White and Kevin O’Brien, there will be no shortage of knowledge for Porterfield’s brains trust and there will also be plenty of newer faces keen to stake their claim for an automatic place, not least the talented Gary Wilson, Andrew Poynter and Phil Eaglestone.

But facing them will be a Namibia team that is unbeaten in this year’s competition and if the defending champion is to make its third final in a row it will have to work hard against Louis Burger, Gerrie Snyman, Deon Kotze and company.

“ Namibia is a good side. They haven’t lost a game in this year’s cup and it won’t be easy to win. But if we just concentrate on doing what we do well and play to the best of our ability, the result should look after itself,” said Porterfield.

“This is a must-win game for us. Then we have to go to Nairobi and beat Kenya as well. To win the Intercontinental Cup for the third time in a row would be massive for us. We know what it feels like to win and we are hungry for more success.

“This is a big year ahead for us. Apart from the Intercontinental Cup, we will play some ODIs in Nairobi against Kenya and Zimbabwe and then in 2009 we have the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier and the ICC World Twenty20 so there will be plenty of opportunities for us.”

As it stands Namibia is almost assured of a place in the final of this