Top Associates prepare for success at ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Dubai , 25 November 2008

‘Project Sub-Continent’ well and truly underway as High Performance Programme teams make big plans for the next two years; Scotland chief executive looks forward to 2009 and beyond

The countdown is on to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 (CWC 2011) in Bangladesh , India , Pakistan and Sri Lanka . With the qualifying tournament coming up next April, the top Associates are already preparing for what will happen should they win one of the four places on offer.

Teaching players how to cope with the physical and mental strains of cricket in south Asia, devising a competitive match schedule, setting up targeted and specific training camps at the ICC Global Cricket Academy and linking with players’ representative bodies to make sure of the best possible preparation are just some of the initiatives currently underway.

The chief executives and national coaches of each of the six high performance Associate Members (Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland) met at Lord’s cricket ground in London last week for a four-day planning forum with all eyes now fixed on qualification for CWC 2011.

In what has been dubbed “Project Sub-Continent” the ICC is giving the top Associates every assistance as they look to close the gap on the Full Members ahead of cricket’s premier one-day competition.

“We all remember the exploits of Ireland during the last Cricket World Cup. That has shown what can be done and we want to ensure that the four Associates that qualify for the next one are just as competitive,” said ICC High Performance Manager Richard Done, who organised the forum.

“It doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication but thankfully those are attributes these teams have in abundance,” said Mr Done.

As part of the forum at Lord’s, the ICC held individual planning and funding sessions with representatives of each of the six cricket boards. There were also group sessions to discuss business growth management, entrepreneurial leadership, personal development and how to perform at the next level.

David Harker, the innovative chief executive of Durham County Cricket Club, gave an inspiring overview of the work that went in, both on and off the field, to turn Durham from so-called minnow to winner of the English County Championship 2008.

“The idea of ‘Project Sub-Continent’ is to develop a plan to ensure the Associate players that are at the CWC 2011 have gained the knowledge and experience to perform in those conditions,” said Mr Done.

“This would include an emphasis on batters getting practical match experience on those sorts of pitches, with an emphasis on playing spin but also how quicker bowling differs in sub-continental conditions.

“This will also link up with the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai with teams being sent on skill camps on the way to spending quality time in the sub-continent,” said Mr Done, who added the ICC was currently drafting a schedule of Associate cricket for 2009-10 to include ICC Intercontinental Cup fixtures as well as ODIs against other Associates and also Full Member opposition.

Chief Executive of Cricket Scotland Roddy Smith, who attended the forum, said: “It was an excellent opportunity to share experiences and issues with my counterparts from other ICC Associate Members as well as listening and learning from some world-renowned experts.

“Next year is so important for us with the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier followed by the ICC World Twenty20 and then an ODI with the world champions Australia . It is vital that Cricket Scotland has robust on-and-off-field plans in place.

“With the assistance of Manchester Business School and the ICC staff we believe we are well prepared for the challenges we face next year. As we enter a new funding phase from the ICC, the leading Associates must show that we are effective, well-managed governing bodies that have clear objectives and plans in place. The forum last week challenged and interrogated our plans to ensure we are on the right track,” said Mr Smith.

Two simple factors that sometimes separate the top teams from the leading Associates are fitness and fielding. One of the things that Ireland brought to the CWC 2007 was a high standard in both these areas. The forum discussed ways in which benchmarking fitness and a range of basic cricket skills could be introduced to provide targets so that improvement in player training levels and performances can be tracked.

Apart from Mr Harker, other presenters included Dave Aldred, who provided a view on the performance development of elite athletes having worked closely with several England rugby union players, particularly Jonny Wilkinson; former Leicestershire and England all-rounder Jeremy Snape, who has worked with many top players on the mental side of cricket at the highest level; and Gordon Lord, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s elite coach development manager, who continued with the national coaches’ own personal development.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Indian team facing yet another challenge

Javagal Srinath

Indian team clinching the series in Bangalore is facing yet another challenge. India had been in this position before winning the series early in the tournament .Invariably the after a series win, complacency is generally the reason for good team to lose. But if one were to look little deeper, the winning teams experimentative mode in the guise of blooding youngsters would be the reason for such loses.

In the last interview, we saw similar sentiments of trying out youngsters being echoed by Captain Dhoni and his management. If this team were to make a clean sweep, mindless changes to bring youngsters into the side better be avoided.

The gains are plenty in a 7-0 clean sweep. It will not only improve the team's ratings but also makes it a ruthless unit, ever hungry for wins.

The point I am trying to make is that, when youngsters make it into the winning sides they are expected to fill in huge gaps. It is good to shoulder responsibility on to the youngsters. But the end result has a huge bearing on the progressive minds of the youngsters.

England would play their best eleven and will look for consolation wins to salvage some prestige. If India were to make too many changes it may run the risk of losing one or two games from here.

Players like Pragyan Ojha ,Virat Kohli and semi established ones like Rohit and Raina still need time to become complete players. If the English went on to win some games from here exploiting the Indian experimentative mood, I am afraid the sense of belonging at the international level can take a serious hit. A young Pragyan Ohja playing in the winning side is twice the bowler or the same Ojha could be half the bowler when he ends up playing in a losing side. The Indian team management needs to methodically infuse youngsters into the side.

There is no need for the Indian team to change or experiment the Indian batting order. Yuvraj, Raina's, and Rohit Sharma's are fresh not having played for quite a while. Dhoni, Sachin, Gambhir are fresh coming from a resounding test series win. We know batsmen seldom need rest. But a bowler like Zaheer may need rest for a game. But if his body and mind are rearing go he should be allowed to play the rest of the series.

I understand the 2 day gap between the games could be taxing for the bowlers but optional practice could be the mantra for that. Well oiled engines like Zaheer, Ishant or in-form batsmen need not spend hours inside the nets or could even go straight from match-to-match. I hope not to see too many changes in the Indian side but may be one.

On the other hand if England does not strike back they may feel the wrath of losing the ODI's in the ensuing test matches.

They have got everything right except the batting order. Had Flintoff come up high in the batting order, England could have altered the Bangalore results.

HAWKEYE COMMUNICATIONS

ICC celebrates fifth anniversary of HIV/AIDS partnership

Dubai , 25 November 2008

Players to wear red ribbons on World AIDS Day as a show of support for people living with HIV

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will celebrate five years of raising awareness and reducing the stigma of HIV by running a series of activities to mark World AIDS Day on 1 December.

Players taking part in major international matches will wear red ribbons, as a global show of support for people living with HIV, while the India and England teams will meet young people affected by HIV ahead of the seventh ODI in Delhi .

Since 2003, when it became the first international sports organisation to form a partnership with UNAIDS, the ICC has also worked with United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations including UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI), to deliver a variety of activities aimed at raising awareness of HIV/AIDS.

Highlights of the partnership have included such profile-raising initiatives as running public service announcements featuring some of the world’s leading players including Graeme Smith, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahendra Singh Dhoni; player visits to schools and orphanages at ICC events; and an HIV-positive individual tossing the coin before the start of the Pakistan-India Test series in Rawalpindi in 2004.

Such was the level of support in 2007 at the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies and ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa , 24 separate player visits to community projects took place, illustrating the enormous player support that the ICC’s partnership on HIV/AIDS receives.

“The UNAIDS-ICC partnership is a good example of promoting social responsibility through sport,” said Michel Sidibe, deputy executive director of UNAIDS.

“The game of cricket and its players have helped to raise awareness about HIV among young people and to break down barriers of stigma in many countries,” he said.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “The ICC is proud of the contribution that cricket has made in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the past five years. We were the first international sports organisation to form a partnership with UNAIDS and by working with it and other excellent partners such as UNICEF and the GMAI we believe that we have led the way for sporting communities to make a difference on HIV/AIDS.”

“Women and children must be at the centre of the global response to AIDS,” said Ann M Veneman, executive director of UNICEF.

“UNICEF and the International Cricket Council are uniting cricket fans, teams, players and sponsors to focus on the impact of HIV and AIDS on vulnerable populations.”

Tina Hoff, vice-president and director of entertainment media partnerships at the Kaiser Family Foundation, which houses the GMAI Secretariat, said: “Through the Global Media AIDS Initiative’s partnership with ICC, broadcasters around the world have been able to leverage the popular appeal of cricket to inform audiences about AIDS and fight HIV-related stigma.

“Media companies in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia have aired special cricket-themed public service ads, covered player visits to HIV/AIDS clinics and service organisations, and included special HIV/AIDS announcements during cricket matches – all in an effort to help motivate their audiences to take action in response to this global pandemic,” she added.

The ICC’s HIV/AIDS partnership with UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative will be a focal part of the ICC’s centenary celebrations in 2009. Further details on these activities and how HIV/AIDS-awareness activities will be delivered at the ICC World Twenty20 2009 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 will be announced in due course.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Sports News

November 24, 2008

Cricket :
Hyderabad scored 282 at first innings against Tripura in the four-day Cooch Behar Trophy cricket tournament at Kolkata on Sunday last. Resuming from over night score of 140 for 3, Hyderabad scored a sizable total of 282 runs. A. Ashish Reddi scored 78, Axshat Reddi 69 and Binash Gabrial made 60 runs. Pacer Manisankar Murasing and Prabir Paul took four wickets each. Trailing by 163 runs Tripura scored 97 for 5 at second innings at stumps on day two. Samrat Singh scored 24.
Brief Score : Tripura 119 & 97/5, Hyderabad 282.

Assam routed Tripura girls by 26 runs in the Senior Women limited over cricket tournament in Kalyani, West Bengal on Sunday last. Put in to bat first, Assam scored 133 for 9 in stipulated 50 over. Mandip Kour made 24. Shyamali Debbarma and Tagori Das took two wickets each for Tripura. In reply to, Tripura bundled out only 107 runs in 46.3 over. Annapurna Das scored unbeaten 32 and Moutushi Debnath made 22. Mandip Kour bagged five for 15.
Brief Score : Assam 133/9 (50 over), Tripura 107/10 (46.3 over).

Assam beat Tripura by two wickets in C. K. Naidu Trophy Cricket tournament for under-22 boys here at Agartala on Sunday last. Set for the victory of 224 runs at he Polytechnic ground, visitor Assam touched the target by losing eight wickets. Rajib Kalita scored 52 and Abhijit S. Roy made 48. Pacer Rana Datta took three wickets for Tripura. Earlier, resuming from over night score of 192 for 6, Tripura scored 217 at second innings. Soumya Banik scored 58 and his partner opener Amit Das made 50.
Brief Score : Tripura 335 & 217, Assam 329 & 224/8.

Sports News

November 23, 2008

Cricket :
Host Tripura took vital first innings lead against Assam in the C. K. Naidu Trophy Cricket Tournament for under-22 boys here at Agartala on Saturday last. Resuming from over night score of 271 for 6, visitor Assam bundled out 329 runs at first innings. Gokul Sharma batted brilliantly and scored 112 runs. Fro Tripura, Rakesh Sharma took five and skipper Abhijit Dey bagged four wickets. Leading by six runs, Tripura scored 192 for 6 in the second innings at stumps of day three. Soumya Banik scored 58 and his partner opener Amit Das made 50. P. Sonowal took three wickets for Assam .
Brief Score : Tripura 335 & 192/6, Assam 329.

Assam beat Tripura by 127 runs in the Vijoy Merchant Trophy Cricket tournament for under-16 boys in Hailakandi , Assam on Saturday last. Set for the target of 191 runs in the last day of three-day match, Tripura bundled out only 63 runs at second innings. Kankan Das took five for 7 of winning team. Earlier, host Assam scored 142 runs of their second innings. Manashjoyti Gogoi scored 41. For Tripura, Surajit Khadim took three wickets.
Brief Score : Assam 195 & 142, Tripura 147 & 63.

Tripura bundled out only 119 runs at first innings against Hyderabad in the four-day Cooch Behar Trophy cricket tournament for under-19 boys in Kolkata on Saturday last. Decided to bat first at Eden Gardens , poor batting display by Tripura boys and bundled out quickly. Suman Majumder scored 39 and Samir Debbarma made 34. For Hyderabad , Minash Gabriel took four wickets. In reply to, Hyderabad scored 140 for 3 at stumps on day one. A. Ashish Reddy scored 78.
Brief Score : Tripura 119, Hyderabad 140/3.

Johnson celebrates nine-wicket haul by jumping 18 places in rankings

Dubai, 23 November 2008

Lee drops out of top five bowlers; Smith breaks into top 10 batsmen; progress, too, for Katich, Prince, Clarke and Taylor

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has moved up 18 places in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers after a man-of-the-match performance in the first Test against New Zealand in Brisbane .

The 27-year-old left-armer registered match figures of 9-69 in 25.3 overs – the best figures of his career to date – as Australia beat its trans-Tasman rival by 149 runs at the ’Gabba.

That effort means Johnson moves up to 12th position as he enjoys his highest rating yet, level with New Zealand ’s Daniel Vettori. And there is potential for further improvement as the second Test begins in Adelaide on 28 November – a place in the top 10 beckons.

The news is not so good for Brett Lee as the New South Welshman has slipped out of the top five bowlers into sixth position. Top spot is still occupied by Sri Lanka ’s Muttiah Muralidaran with Dale Steyn of South Africa in second place and Lee’s Australia team-mate Stuart Clark in third.

Proteas skipper Graeme Smith has broken into the top 10 following his performance in the first Test against Bangladesh at Bloemfontein . The 27-year-old hit 157 for his country in the first innings, which went a long way towards ensuring an innings victory for South Africa .

Smith gains three places to ninth in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen with Australia ’s Matthew Hayden and South Africa ’s Jacques Kallis both dropping out of the top 10.

Smith’s team-mate Ashwell Prince also gained three places, to 17th position, after an unbeaten half-century in that match, while Hashim Amla has gone up two places to 25th position after hitting a century.

For Australia, Simon Katich’s outstanding innings of 131 not out in the second innings against New Zealand was a crucial factor in his side’s victory as many of his team-mates seemed to struggle with the bat. This knock has elevated Katich up seven places and he now looks poised, in 26th position, to launch an assault on the top 20 for the first time.

Vice-captain Michael Clarke held the Australia line-up together in the first innings and was out just two runs short of what would have been his ninth Test century. However, he does gain one place in the rankings for his trouble and now sits in 14th position, ahead of England ’s Alastair Cook but behind VVS Laxman of India.

It was not a particularly memorable match for New Zealand ’s batsmen with one notable exception. Number-four batsman Ross Taylor’s efforts of 40 and 75 earn him 12 places and he now sits in 31st position on the highest rating of his life so far.

Top of the ladder is Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies, followed in second place by Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka .

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Rankings (as of 23 November)

Batsmen

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

1 ( - ) S.Chanderpaul WI 890 ! 49.08 890 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
2 ( - ) K Sangakkara SL 88 54.79 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
3 ( - ) Mohd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
4 ( - ) Mike Hussey Aus 846 64.04 921 v WI at Kingston 2008
5 ( - ) M Jayawardena SL 837 52.41 847 v Ind at Colombo (SSC) 2008
6 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 829 50.51 905 v WI at Headingley 2007
7 (+1) Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Headingley 2006
8 (-1) Ricky Ponting Aus 793 57.06 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
9 (+3) Graeme Smith SA 783 ! 50.15 783 v Ban at Bloemfontein 2008
10 (+1) Virender Sehwag Ind 765 51.96 854 v SA at Kolkata 2004
11 (-1) Jacques Kallis SA 760 55.23 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
12 (-3) Matthew Hayden Aus 744 52.04 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002
13 ( - ) VVS Laxman Ind 732 45.25 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
14 (+1) Michael Clarke Aus 715 45.89 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
15 (-1) Alastair Cook Eng 686 42.88 707 v SL at Galle 2007
16 ( - ) Sachin Tendulkar Ind 683 54.30 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
17 (+3) Ashwell Prince SA 675 43.15 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007
18 ( - ) Andrew Symonds Aus 664* 43.25 718 v WI at Antigua 2008
19 ( - ) Gautam Gambhir Ind 663* 44.39 670 v Aus at Delhi 2008
20 (-3) AB de Villiers SA 661 41.08 679 v Eng at The Oval 2008

Bowlers

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

1 ( - ) M Muralidaran SL 895 21.96 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 853 22.08 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008
3 ( - ) Stuart Clark Aus 827* 22.34 863 v WI at Bridgetown 2008
4 ( - ) Makhaya Ntini SA 782 27.94 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
5 ( - ) Ryan Sidebottom Eng 738* 25.68 769 v SA at Lord's 2008
6 (-1) Brett Lee Aus 726 30.44 811 v WI at Antigua 2008
7 ( - ) Harbhajan Singh Ind 688 30.77 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
8= ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 684 29.31 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
( - ) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
10 (+1) Monty Panesar Eng 653 31.95 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
11 (-1) Shane Bond NZ 648* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006
12= ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 641 33.29 681 v Aus at Auckland 2000
(+18) Mitchell Johnson Aus 641*! 30.50 641 v NZ at Brisbane 2008
14 (-1) Jerome Taylor WI 628*! 34.69 628 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
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) Jacques Kallis SA 608 30.82 742 v Eng at Headingley 2003
20 (-2) Zaheer Khan Ind 599 34.59 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 462 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 350 369 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

I afraid England's acclimatization in the series

Javagal Srinath

I am afraid, the England's acclimatization has come little too late in the series.
My personal experience as a player touring abroad, we bowlers found it tough to get use to required line and length. Invariably, we didn't play enough practice matches before the main games. By the time we came to terms with the local conditions, the host would be in the driver seat making the rest of the series a formality. Just like what the English position is at the moment. England winning 4 games on trot is quite a distant dream.

The Kanpur game verdict pronounced by the Duckworth Lewis formula must have made English team feel incomplete. Had the game had gone all the way down to the wire; the result could have been anybody's guess. Defending a meager score of 240, England was very much on par or even a touch in front in most part of the 2nd innings. With their bowlers coming to terms with the Indian wickets, at least the hopes should be high when they take on the field in Bangalore.

Dhoni and his men have a moved a step ahead at the strategy level. Dhoni emphasizing about Duckworth Lewis coming into play during the toss speaks volumes about the team's preparation. At this level, Cricket is not just the function of bat or the ball but playing by the law is equally important.

India not losing the wickets in the middle overs was a clear indication that the batsmen were playing keeping Duck-worth lewis in mind.

Two instances which won the match for India was scoring runs during the power-play 3 and keeping wickets intact just after that. Dhoni involvement in both partnership with Yusuf and Yuvraj had the game in control.

England bowling now looking good, its there batting order which needs a fine tweak.

Bopara coming higher up the order brought the necessary aggression .But the advantage gained by the opening partnership was nullified when Flintoff was made to play the spinners as soon as he arrived at the crease. Flintoff is at ease playing medium pacers at the beginning of his innings. Most of the English batsmen are heavy on the legs against spinners.

Innocuous spin bowling of Yuvraj and Pathan were given too much respect. Facing spinners, Pieterson and Owais Shah are fluid in the crease. Flintoff coming at number 3 and Kevin Pieterson and Owais Shash to follow, appears to be the most effective batting line up .

Stuart Board's exploits exposed Suresh Raina. With the selectors bringing Mastreo Sachin , who will walk in at Number three replacing Raina can only increase the challenge for the England bowlers. RP Singh may be a touch unlucky but Irafan will have to justify his selection. Rumours about Dhoni being unhappy about R P Singh' exclusion is rife in the news. If these rumours were to be true, then RP Singh should consider himself lucky to have a skipper who has tremendous faith in him.

Bangalore has not been a happy hunting ground for the hosts. That's one data point that England would want to reinforce in the team meeting to keep up their spirits.

England winning the match will bring back life into the series or else both the teams will have to go through the formalities.

HAWKEYE COMMUNICATIONS

Sports News

November 21, 2008

Cricket :

Sourav Dubey made a brilliant double ton of 219 runs to put Tripura in a big total of 335 runs in the first innings against Assam in the four-day C. K. Naidu Trophy cricket tournament for under-22 boys here today. Resuming from over night score of 268 for 8 at the Polytechnic ground, Sourav played brilliantly to put big total of hosts. Rana Datta scored 34. For Assam, Prakesh Bwagat took four and his partner Prasenta Sonowal bagged three wickets. In reply to, Assam scored 271 for 7 at stumps on day two. Gokul Sarma scored unbeaten 73, two opener’s P. Debnath 42 and Abhijit S. Roy made 61. Skipper Abhijit Dey took four wickets for Tripura
Brief Score : Tripura 335, Assam 271/6.

Tripura bundled out only 147 runs against Assam in the first innings of three-day Vijoy Merchant Cricket tournament for under-16 boys at Hailakandi, Assam today. In second day, Udayan Bose scored 35 and Nabajyoti Debnath made 24 for Tripura. Amlanjoyti Boruha and Kankan Das took three wickets each for hosts. Leading by 48 vital runs, Assam scored 52 for three at the end of play. In may be mention that Assam scored 195 runs in the first innings.
Brief Score : Assam 195 & 52/3, Tripura 147.

Mushfiqur Rahim receives reprimand for Code of Conduct breach

Dubai, 20 November 2008

Bangladesh ’s Mushfiqur Rahim has been officially reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the first Test against South Africa at Bloemfontein .

Mushfiqur was found guilty of showing dissent at an umpire’s decision by Alan Hurst of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees at a hearing that took place after play concluded in Bloemfontein on Thursday.

The 20-year-old was found to have breached Level 1.3 of the code which relates to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision”.

“Mushfiqur left the crease immediately but he was looking at and touching the edge of the bat as he left. That is inappropriate and clearly unacceptable after an lbw decision,” said Mr Hurst.

“The player has apologised for his actions and said he sincerely regretted this misdemeanor. This apology and his previous good record were taken into consideration,” he added.

All Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of a fine equivalent to 50 per cent of a player’s match fee.

The charge was brought by umpires Steve Davis of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Ian Gould, Marais Erasmus and Brian Jerling of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires.

Mr Hurst reached his decision after a hearing attended by the player, umpires, Bangladesh manager Mohammad ul Huque and coach Jamie Siddons. For Level 1 breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct the match referee’s decision is final and binding.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Sports News

November 20, 2008

Cricket :

Sourav Dubey struck a brilliant ton of unbeaten 153 runs to put Tripura in a sizeable total against visitor Assam in the four-day C. K. Naidu Trophy Cricket match for under-22 boys here today. Put in to bat first at the Polytechnic ground, Tripura scored 268 for 8 at stumps on day one. Sourav scored 153 (294 balls, 360 minutes, 23X4. 1X6) and his partner Rana Datta made 34. P. Sonowal took three wickets for Assam.
Brief Score : Tripura 268/8.

Host Assam bundled out 195 runs agaist Tripura in the three-day Vijoy Merchant Trophy crickt match for under-16 boys at Hailakandi, Assam today. Elected to bat first, Manish Gogoi scored 39, Sunjow Barhma 36 and Wasiqur Rahaman made 35. For Tripura, Sourav Das and Sourav Roy took two wickets each.
Brief Score : Assam 195.

Cricketers celebrate the social side of the international game

Dubai , 20 November 2008

Cricket players across the world today united for ICC Diversity Day and celebrated the unique social qualities of the sport.

This is the second annual ICC Diversity Day which highlights cricket as a game with a diverse history and a genuine social significance that goes way beyond its laws and regulations.

Cricket is a global phenomenon that brings people together in a spirit of passionate competition and mutual respect. The ICC is keen to celebrate cricket’s rich diversity, something which facilitates the coming together of people from many countries, cultures and social backgrounds and can foster greater harmony and understanding within the community.

PA announcements and big-screen messages will be played at international matches across the globe today to promote ICC Diversity Day.

“Through cricket I have been able to meet people from all over the world and am now lucky enough to be able to say that I have friends across the globe,” said India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

“Although we have to be competitive on the field of play, I think one of the most important things about respecting the Spirit of Cricket is that it’s extremely important to make friends off the field as well,” he said.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori believes that through participating in competitions such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), he has been lucky to make good friends from diverse backgrounds.

“Through playing in the IPL I was able to get to know people from all over the world and understand better their different cultures,” said Vettori.

“It is great to meet up with these friends when I am playing for my country and hopefully I will be able to maintain these friendships long after my playing career is over,” he said.

As well as bringing people together and promoting greater understanding, ICC Diversity Day also highlights the power of cricket to deliver important social messages.

To this end, the ICC has an ongoing partnership with UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative on HIV/AIDS and cricket is used as a vehicle for education and awareness in an effort to stem the spread of the virus and to reduce the stigma attached to it.

As well as that, as part of the global ICC Diversity Day celebrations Cricket Australia has been running a wide variety of activities as part of a new ‘Cricket Cares’ initiative designed to encourage Australian cricketers of all levels to give something back to the community.

At national level, Cricket Australia’s ‘Cricket Cares’ programme is partnering with the Movember Foundation and with the McGrath Foundation to encourage greater awareness of and support for male and female health issues which affect so many in the community.

The Movember Foundation encourages men to grow a moustache during the month of November in order to raise awareness and funds for men’s health – specifically the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and Beyondblue, the national depression initiative.

Tasmania and Australia fast bowler Brett Geeves is one of the players participating in the Movember initiative. He said: “I grew up watching cricket when it seemed all the great players had moustaches so it’s been a lot of fun to be involved in Cricket Australia’s ‘Cricket Cares’ partnership with Movember.

“I’ve had a go at growing a mo’ myself and I’ve also looked through the archives and put together a list of the 30 greatest moustaches in Australian cricket for the Cricket Australia website at www.cricket.com.au/cricketcares. It’s all quite light-hearted but it helps to highlight the serious issue of men’s health,” said Geeves.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “Across the ICC’s membership base, there are many social causes that use cricket to reach a diverse spectrum of people. From Papua New Guinea ’s work on HIV/AIDS, to the England and Wales Cricket Board’s social inclusion work with the Prince’s Trust, to Cricket Australia ’s tremendous health work with the Movember Foundation and the McGrath Foundation, cricket has shown it can have a positive impact on the world around us.

“Whether you are playing, spectating or administering the sport, cricket creates wonderful opportunities to meet people from many different and diverse parts of the world and to make friendships that last forever.”

Next week, the ICC will announce details about activities taking place for World AIDS Day which takes place on 1 December.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Yuvi's midas touch

Javagal Srinath

Team India is looking invincible after the second one-dayer at Indore. Now the challenge is to look up to a 7-0 whitewash. This win had some special traits where even the English team had its moments. In the end it was the high quality Indian batting and good leadership that paved way for the Indore win.

The English team continues to reel under Yuvi's spell. Players hit purple patches in their career's. Even as Gambhir is subtle and consistent, Yuvraj snatches the game away from the opponents ruthlessly. The latter's contribution could be demoralizing to an extent where the opponents surrender meekly.

Analyzing both the hundreds in the given context, perhaps the responsible knock at Indore pips the century at Rajkot. His bowling is more a reflection of his good form with the bat. Yuvi's blitzkrieg has humbled Yusufs cameo knock, Gambhir's consistency and Dhoni's leadership in this game.

This wicket was stopping and turning had India trotting at 29 for 3. It was Gambhir who really laid the foundation. Yuvraj in his interview admits that his communication with Gambhir at the centre enabled him to assess the wicket and the situation better. An important dimension of the consecutive success stories is the depth of involvement from the seniors which was quite visible. Three co-incidental interviews I heard, have brought a new perception of the team. Yuvi talking good about Gambhir, Sehwag talking about targets and the communication he was sending to the batsmen at the center. Dhoni's strong statement that, "We are trying to turn individual work into team efforts…" This is perfect team work that overrides individual achievement.

For the first time Power play 3 opted by the batting side had a definite impact on the game. During the England power play Flintoff and Pieterson almost changed the course of the game by using it very effectively.

New power play 3 is only in its seventh game and teams are trying to come to terms with this new law. If the risk factor of this seemingly batsmen friendly law is not aptly calculated, it may exact a price from the player, for his unwarranted aggression.

Dhoni's cool temperament works. Certain captains actions during crisis triggers the panic button among the bowlers. Dhoni demonstated great body language to help keep bowlers confidence intact to cross over the power play. He mixed his bowlers well to keep the batsmen guessing.

Dhoni s confidence in Yusuf Pathan has paid off. Yusuf is a ferocious hitter down the batting order. Its not easy for players who have been in and out of the side to make such a comeback. It takes an innings like this to make a player believe that he belongs to the big league. Although Stuart's form in this match was encouraging England going with 4 seamers is not working for them. A regular spinner like Graham Swan should make it into the eleven. 2 most confident batsmen Pieterson and Flintoff should move higher up the order. The idea is to have the best batsmen face maximum overs.

HAWKEYE COMMUNICATIONS

Sports News

November 19, 2008

Cricket :
Tripura lost another defeat in four-day Ranji Trophy cricket match against Vidarbha by 73 runs here today. Set for the victory target of 278 runs at the Maharaja Bir Bickram Stadium, host team bundled out only 204 runs of second innings at last day. Opener Biswajit Dey fought alone and scored 75 runs (256 balls, 307 minutes, 8X4). Nishit Shetty made 24. Skipper spinner Pritam Gandge bagged four for 58 for visitors. With this win, Vidarbha earned five points.
Brief Score : Vidarbha 224 & 203, Tripura 150 & 204.

Australia can relegate New Zealand to eighth place in Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship

Dubai, 19 November 2008

Chance for Clark to go second in bowlers list; opportunity for Black Cap players to make their move up the rankings

New Zealand will drop to eighth place in the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship if it loses both matches in the upcoming series against Australia .

Currently in seventh place behind Pakistan and ahead of the West Indies, Daniel Vettori’s team will at least have to draw one match if it is to remain above the men from the Caribbean .

If Australia wins the series 2-0 it will gain just one ratings point. This is because as the number-one ranked side in the world, it is expected to beat the seventh-placed side and so will not benefit much from doing so as the rankings are weighted accordingly.

Equally, as the lower-ranked side, if New Zealand was to win the series 2-0 it would gain no fewer than 10 ratings points and put clear water between itself and the West Indies and begin to heap pressure on Pakistan in sixth place and England one place further above it.

There is just one player in the New Zealand squad currently in the top 20 of the Reliance Mobile Test Player Rankings in either of the bowling or batting categories. As such, a lot will depend on the all-round performance of Vettori as the Black Caps captain has been in such fine form with bat and ball in recent times.

Vettori can break into the top 10 bowlers in the world with a good display in Brisbane and Adelaide and he is currently enjoying the highest rating of his career so far in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, sitting in second place behind South Africa ’s Jacques Kallis.

Australia’s Stuart Clark was injured for much of the recent tour to India but has been named in the squad for this trans-Tasman series and if he hits his straps he could move ahead of South Africa’s Dale Steyn into second position in the bowling rankings, depending on how Steyn performs against Bangladesh in that two-match series which got underway in Bloemfontein today (Wednesday).

It is unlikely, however, that either Clark or Steyn can catch the number-one bowler, Muttiah Muralidaran such is the extent of the Sri Lanka spinner’s lead at the top.

Brett Lee (in fifth place) is the only other Australia bowler in the top 30 so this series will be an opportunity for Mitchell Johnson (in 31st place) in particular to change that state of affairs while Jason Krejza (in 49th place) will feel he can make further moves up the ladder following his memorable Test debut in India, provided of course the selectors opt for the spinner rather than another seamer.

Batting-wise Australia ’s on-paper dominance over the Kiwis is more obvious. There are five Australia batsmen in the top 20 compared to none from the opposition. As such, Michael Hussey (in fourth place), Ricky Ponting (seventh), Matthew Hayden (ninth), Michael Clarke (15th) and Andrew Symonds (18th) will all feel they can make improvements if and when the opportunity presents itself.

Upcoming matches:

20-24 Nov – Australia v New Zealand (Test), Brisbane
28 Nov-2 Dec – Australia v New Zealand (Test), Adelaide

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship (as of 19 November, ahead of the series between Australia and New Zealand )

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 129
2 India 116
3 South Africa 116
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 19 November, ahead of the series between Australia and New Zealand )

Batsmen

Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating

1 S.Chanderpaul WI 890 ! 49.08 890 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
2 K Sangakkara SL 886 54.79 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
3 Mohd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
4 Mike Hussey Aus 876 66.31 921 v WI at Kingston 2008
5 M Jayawardena SL 837 52.41 847 v Ind at Colombo (SSC) 2008
6 Kevin Pietersen Eng 829 50.51 905 v WI at Headingley 2007
7 Ricky Ponting Aus 826 57.58 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
8 Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Headingley 2006
9 Matthew Hayden Aus 781 52.64 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002
10 Jacques Kallis SA 774 55.46 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
11 Virender Sehwag Ind 765 51.96 854 v SA at Kolkata 2004
12 Graeme Smith SA 739 49.23 759 v Eng at Edgbaston 2008
13 VVS Laxman Ind 732 45.25 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
14 Alastair Cook Eng 686 42.88 707 v SL at Galle 2007
15 Michael Clarke Aus 685 45.61 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
16 Sachin Tendulkar Ind 683 54.30 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
17 AB de Villiers SA 679 ! 41.61 679 v Eng at The Oval 2008
18 Andrew Symonds Aus 672* 44.65 718 v WI at Antigua 2008
19 Gautam Gambhir Ind 663* 44.39 670 v Aus at Delhi 2008
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 Ave Econ HS Rating

1 M Muralidaran SL 895 21.96 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 Dale Steyn SA 847 22.51 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008
3 Stuart Clark Aus 821* 22.89 863 v WI at Bridgetown 2008
4 Makhaya Ntini SA 760 28.22 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
5= Brett Lee Aus 738 30.44 811 v WI at Antigua 2008
Ryan Sidebottom Eng 738* 25.68 769 v SA at Lord's 2008
7 Harbhajan Singh Ind 688 30.77 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
8= Chaminda Vaas SL 684 29.31 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
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 Daniel Vettori NZ 647 33.39 681 v Aus at Auckland 2000
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 599 34.59 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
19 Anil Kumble Ind 596 29.66 859 v SL at Bangalore 1994
20 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 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

ICC task force in Zimbabwe to assess the current state of cricket

Dubai, 18 November 2008

The three-person team will make recommendations to the ICC Board on how Zimbabwe can return to playing Test cricket

The ICC task force appointed to assess the current situation of cricket in Zimbabwe has arrived in the country on a three-day fact-finding mission.

The team, led by president of the West Indies Cricket Board Dr Julian Hunte, will seek to establish the current state of cricket in Zimbabwe as it relates to the management and development of the game and also to conduct an assessment of the policies and programmes executed to date with the view to restoring the senior team to Test cricket.

It is carrying out a detailed inspection of the cricket administration, facilities, resources and capabilities in Zimbabwe , including all areas contained in the Full Member guidelines.

On behalf of the team, Dr Hunte will make recommendations to the ICC Board at its January 2009 meeting. These recommendations will include constructive strategies and initiatives to assist Zimbabwe to improve its cricket in all respects and to aid its return to Test cricket as soon as possible.

The team, which was directly appointed by the ICC Board, comprises the following ICC Directors: Dr Julian Hunte (team leader), Arjuna Ranatunga, Haroon Lorgat.

This visit to Zimbabwe from 17 to 19 November by Dr Hunte and Mr Lorgat is the first phase for the task force. It is enabling the team to meet with a wide range of cricket stakeholders in Zimbabwe and to view facilities first hand.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Sports News

November 18, 2008

Cricket :
Tripura is fighting for straight win against Vidarbha in the four-day Ranji Trophy Plate-B cricket match here. Set for the victory of 278 runs at the Maharaja Bir Bickram Stadium, Tripura scored 46 for no loss at stumps on penultimate day. Two opener’s Biswajit Dey (26) and Sourav Dubey (8) are still batting. Earlier, resuming from over night score of 30 for one, visitor Vidarbha scored 203 runs of their second innings. Ranjit Paradkar scored 50 and his partner S. Shribastav made 49. Skipper Tushar Saha and Jayanta Debnath both took four wickets spearing 65 and 54 runs respectively.
Brief Score : Vidarbha 224 & 203, Tripura 150 & 46/0.

South Africa can regain second place in Reliance Mobile ICC Championship

Dubai, 18 November 2008

Proteas must win 2-0 to do so; Kallis, Smith and de Villiers can challenge at the top while it could be time for Shahadat to make his mark

South Africa will regain second position in the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table if it beats Bangladesh 2-0 in the two-match series which gets underway in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.

India overtook Graeme Smith’s team after beating Australia 2-0 in a recent series but only by a fraction of ratings point and so if the Proteas can win both games against Bangladesh , they will gain one point and move back into second place.

However, even if South Africa wins the series 1-0, it will lose ground on Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team and it could even lose as many as seven points if it was to lose the series 2-0.

On the other hand, Bangladesh will gain 14 points if it manages to win the series 2-0 but even if it loses 1-0, it will still earn one point to go with the one it got after its recent two-match series against New Zealand.

Meanwhile, South Africa batsmen Jacques Kallis, Smith, AB de Villiers and Ashwell Prince can make further ground up the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen with good showings in the Tests. Kallis in 10th position is currently the highest-ranked Protea and the only batsman from either side in the top 10.

He is closely followed by his captain, Smith, in 12th place while de Villiers is enjoying the highest rating of his career to date in 17th spot and Prince is in 20th position. All are a long way behind number-one batsman and the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2008 Shivnarine Chanderpaul in first place.

South Africa ’s bowlers are relatively stronger with two – Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini – in the top five. It is unlikely that Steyn will overtake Sri Lanka ’s Muttiah Muralidaran into top spot but the young fast bowler can close that gap with a view to launching an assault on the number-one position in the subsequent Test series against Australia .

There are no other players from either side in the top 20 but Kallis is still the number one ranked player in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for all-rounders. He leads from New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori in second position and England ’s Andrew Flintoff in third.

For Bangladesh , fast bowler Shahadat Hossain has been in good form in the build-up to the first Test and he will no doubt feel that he can improve upon his current ranking of 42nd position.

Indeed, he is probably Bangladesh ’s form bowler at present and will take extra confidence from the fact that he has saved some of his best bowling in the past for the Proteas. Earlier this year he took 6-27 in the first innings of the first Test at Dhaka and ended up with match figures of 9-97 as South Africa won a hard-fought encounter.

Just ahead of Shahadat is the only other Bangladesh bowler of the current squad in the top 50, Mashrafe bin Mortaza in 41st place.

Upcoming matches:

19-23 Nov – South Africa v Bangladesh (Test), Bloemfontein
26-30 Nov – South Africa v Bangladesh (Test), Centurion

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship (as of 18 November, ahead of the series between South Africa and Bangladesh )

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 129
2 India 116
3 South Africa 116
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 18 November 2008, before South Africa v Bangladesh )

Batsmen

Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating

1 S.Chanderpaul WI 890 ! 49.08 890 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
2 K Sangakkara SL 886 54.79 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
3 Mohd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
4 Mike Hussey Aus 876 66.31 921 v WI at Kingston 2008
5 M Jayawardena SL 837 52.41 847 v Ind at Colombo (SSC) 2008
6 Kevin Pietersen Eng 829 50.51 905 v WI at Headingley 2007
7 Ricky Ponting Aus 826 57.58 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
8 Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Headingley 2006
9 Matthew Hayden Aus 781 52.64 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002
10 Jacques Kallis SA 774 55.46 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
11 Virender Sehwag Ind 765 51.96 854 v SA at Kolkata 2004
12 Graeme Smith SA 739 49.23 759 v Eng at Edgbaston 2008
13 VVS Laxman Ind 732 45.25 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
14 Alastair Cook Eng 686 42.88 707 v SL at Galle 2007
15 Michael Clarke Aus 685 45.61 761 v Ind at Melbourne 2007
16 Sachin Tendulkar Ind 683 54.30 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
17 AB de Villiers SA 679 ! 41.61 679 v Eng at The Oval 2008
18 Andrew Symonds Aus 672* 44.65 718 v WI at Antigua 2008
19 Gautam Gambhir Ind 663* 44.39 670 v Aus at Delhi 2008
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 Ave Econ HS Rating

1 M Muralidaran SL 895 21.96 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 Dale Steyn SA 847 22.51 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008
3 Stuart Clark Aus 821* 22.89 863 v WI at Bridgetown 2008
4 Makhaya Ntini SA 760 28.22 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
5= Brett Lee Aus 738 30.44 811 v WI at Antigua 2008
Ryan Sidebottom Eng 738* 25.68 769 v SA at Lord's 2008
7 Harbhajan Singh Ind 688 30.77 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
8= Chaminda Vaas SL 684 29.31 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
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 Daniel Vettori NZ 647 33.39 681 v Aus at Auckland 2000
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 599 34.59 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
19 Anil Kumble Ind 596 29.66 859 v SL at Bangalore 1994
20 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 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

India moves to third in Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship

Dubai, 18 November 2008

England falls to sixth on tightly packed table; back-to-back centuries shoots Yuvraj into top 10 batsmen; progress for Gayle, Chanderpaul and Sarwan in batting list while Tanvir and Taylor make gains in bowlers’ log; Flintoff slips out of the top 10 bowlers

India has moved up two places from fifth to third position on the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table after beating England in the opening two matches of the seven-ODI series currently taking place in India .

In turn, England now sits in sixth position having slipped from third following the two comprehensive defeats. Having lost three ratings points, England now sits just behind New Zealand by a fraction of a point.

However, with five matches still remaining in the series and the ODI Championship ladder very closely packed, there is plenty of time for Kevin Pietersen and his men to make amends. On the other hand, if India can continue the way it is going, it can go second in the ladder by the end of the series.

Pakistan is the other big mover this week as Shoaib Malik’s team has moved up two places to fourth following its 3-0 series win against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi .

There are now just two ratings points separating India in third position from England in sixth with South Africa just another four points ahead so expect to see plenty of movement in the coming weeks. Australia is still out in front, some 12 ratings points clear of the Proteas.

Meanwhile, India ’s players are already reaping the rewards of their early successes in the series. Yuvraj Singh, who scored centuries in both matches, has shot up the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers. The 26-year-old has gained no fewer than 11 places and now sits in sixth position as he enjoys the highest rating of his career to date.

Despite losing its series with Pakistan , West Indies ’ batsmen have made big improvements in the latest rankings. Chris Gayle, who scored two typically entertaining hundreds in the three-match series in the United Arab Emirates, gained six places into fifth position while ICC Cricketer of the Year 2008 Shivnarine Chanderpaul is just ahead of him having jumped two places to fourth.

Ramnaresh Sarwan also had a good series with the bat and has jumped seven places to 13th in the list.

Australia captain and former number-one batsman Ricky Ponting is the one to lose out in the top five as he is overtaken by Yuvraj, Gayle and Chanderpaul. The Tasmanian has been concentrating on Test cricket of late but will have ample opportunity to regain lost ground when Australia takes on South Africa and New Zealand in ODIs early in 2009.

Meanwhile, there are a number of batsmen hovering on the cusp of the top 20 after recent matches. Yunus Khan of Pakistan has gained four places to 21st position and now has the highest rating of his career so far while India ’s Gautam Gambhir has also progressed four spots and now sits just behind Yunus in 22nd place.

Also for Pakistan , Misbah-ul-Haq moves up 10 places to 31st position while wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal gains nine places to 51st position after his heroics with the bat in Abu Dhabi .

Following its successful series against Bangladesh , South Africa ’s AB de Villiers (up three places to 14th position) and Jacques Kallis (up two to 17th) are also moving in the right direction. Herschelle Gibbs, however, has slipped three spots in the latest rankings and now occupies 15th position.

The batting rankings are still headed by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni followed by Australia ’s Michael Hussey in second place and Graeme Smith of South Africa in third.

The big mover in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers is Sohail Tanvir, who has broken into the top 10 bowlers for the first time in his career after an impressive performance against the West Indies .

The 23-year-old has made rapid progress since making his ODI debut in October 2007 and his haul of seven wickets at an average of 15.14 and economy rate of 4.00 in Abu Dhabi has boosted him further to the tune of 12 places. He now sits in seventh spot, in between the Sri Lanka pair of Muttiah Muralidaran in sixth position and Chaminda Vaas in eighth.

West Indies speedster Jerome Taylor gains two places and heads into the top 10, underlying the fact that despite losing 3-0 with Pakistan, the series did not come without positives for the men from the Caribbean.

England ’s Andrew Flintoff loses five places to 13th position in the bowling rankings after taking just one wicket in the first two matches of the series at a cost of 116 runs and an economy rate of 6.10.

Chris Gayle’s bowling has also been an important aspect of the West Indies game plan of late and with his batting really firing, he has moved up three places and back into the top five of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders. That list is headed by New Zealand ’s Jacob Oram followed in second place by Flintoff.

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table (as of 18 November, after Pakistan v West Indies series, South Africa v Bangladesh series and two ODIs of India v England series)

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 131
2 South Africa 119
3 India 115
4 Pakistan 114
5 New Zealand 113
6 England 113
7 Sri Lanka 105
8 West Indies 91
9 Bangladesh 47
10 Ireland 19
11 Zimbabwe 15
12 Kenya 11

ICC One-Day Rankings (as of 18 November)

Batsmen

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

1 ( - ) MS Dhoni Ind 784 46.91 806 v WI at Kingston 2006
2 ( - ) Mike Hussey Aus 776 57.13 863 v NZ at Perth 2007
3 ( - ) Graeme Smith SA 760 40.88 792 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
4 (+2) S.Chanderpaul WI 752 40.84 764 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2008
5 (+6) Chris Gayle WI 747 40.06 804 v Aus at Mumbai 2006
6 (+11) Yuvraj Singh Ind 745 ! 37.19 745 v Eng at Indore 2008
7 (-3) Ricky Ponting Aus 740 43.24 832 v NZ at Hobart 2007
8 (-1) Kevin Pietersen Eng 729 47.83 834 v Aus at Antigua 2007
9 (-4) Mohd Yousuf Pak 727 43.19 777 v SA at Raw alp indi 2003
10 (-1) Andrew Symonds Aus 719 40.34 778 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
11 (-3) Sachin Tendulkar Ind 717 44.33 887 v Zim at Sharjah 1998
12 (-2) Matthew Hayden Aus 711 43.80 854 v Ind at Centurion 2003
13 (+7) R Sarwan WI 691 44.17 798 v Ind at St Kitts 2006
14 (+3) AB de Villiers SA 689 36.40 733 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
15 (-3) Herschelle Gibbs SA 682 36.18 750 v SL at Durban 2003
16 (-3) K Sangakkara SL 680 35.66 760 v Ind at Rajkot 2007
17 (+2) Jacques Kallis SA 679 45.27 816 v WI at Johannesburg 2004
18 (-4) Michael Clarke Aus 677 42.46 756 v SL at Melbourne 2008
19 (-3) Sanath Jayasuriya SL 675 32.69 838 v Ban at Pietermaritzburg 2003
20 (-5) Shoaib Malik Pak 674 35.61 690 v WI at Abu Dhabi 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 692 26.62 4.87 701 v SA at Trent Bridge 2008
6 ( - ) M Muralidaran SL 674 23.03 3.88 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
7 (+12) Sohail Tanvir Pak 673*! 26.00 4.81 673 v WI at Abu Dhabi 2008
8 (-1) Chaminda Vaas SL 672 27.54 4.18 861 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2004
9= ( - ) Jacob Oram NZ 664 30.14 4.39 768 v Aus at The Oval 2004
(+2) Jerome Taylor WI 664 26.46 4.68 688 v SA at Cape Town 2008
11 (-1) Brett Lee Aus 657 22.96 4.71 853 v SA at Melbourne 2006
12 (+2) Zaheer Khan Ind 652 28.71 4.84 700 v SA at Dhaka 2003
13 (-5) Andrew Flintoff Eng 650 24.56 4.39 755 v Ban at Dhaka 2003
14 (-2) Shahid Afridi Pak 644 35.04 4.63 685 v Ind at Dhaka 2008
15 (-2) Andre Nel SA 638 27.68 4.63 685 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
16 (-1) Stuart Clark Aus 632*! 27.82 4.90 632 v Ban at Darwin 2008
17 (-2) Iftikhar Anjum Pak 626 31.53 4.90 632 v Ban at Karachi 2008
18 (-3) Daren Powell WI 621 32.57 4.68 686 v Aus at St George's 2008
19 (-1) Brad Hogg Aus 611 26.84 4.52 687 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
20 ( - ) F Maharoof SL 609 24.39 4.65 671 v Eng at Dambulla 2007

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacob Oram NZ 383! 383 v Ban at Chittagong 2008
2 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 364 544 v SL at The Rose Bowl 2004
3= (+3) Chris Gayle WI 342 511 v Zim at Harare 2003
( - ) Shoaib Malik Pak 342 402 v WI at Brisbane 2005
5 (-1) Jacques Kallis SA 327 505 v WI at Bridgetown 2001

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Sports News

November 17, 2008

Cricket :
Visitor Vidarbha took vital first innings lead against Tripura in the second day of four-day Ranji Trophy Plate-B cricket match here today. Resuming from over night score of 188 for 6 at the Maharaja Bir Bickram Stadium, Vidarbha finished their first innings in 224 runs. Ranjit Paradkar scored 76 (193 balls, 264 minutes, 12X4). Skipper Tushar Saha of host team took six wickets. In reply poor batting display by Tripura boys and bundled out at only 150 runs for their first innings. Two middle order batsmen Nishit Shetty and Abhijit Dey scored 37 (80 balls, 99 minutes, 6X4) and 35 (84 balls, 105 minutes, 5X4) respectively for hosts. Vidarbha spinner Madhusudhan Acharya bagged 4 for 23 and pacer Md. Hasim took 3 for 42. Leading by valuable 74 runs, visitor Vidarbha scored 30 for one in the second innings at the end of the day. Opener Amit Deshpande is still batting, who scored 17.
Brief Score : Vidarbha 224 & 30/1, Tripura 150.

Gymnastics :
Gymnast Dipa Karmakar took three Gold and two Silver medals in the National Women Sports in Kolkata on Saturday last. Dipa bagged Gold medals from Uneven Bar, Vaulting Horse and Floor Exercise category. She also took Bronze medal from Balancing Beam. Her partner Sharmistha Malakar took Bronze medal from Uneven Bar apparatus. Earlier, Tripura bagged two Silver medals from team championship and Individual All Round category also.

Swimming :
Tripura bagged eleven medals including three Gold’s, from National Swimming Championship for disables at Colonel of Friday last. Rakesh Debbarma (50 mt. Free Style & 50 mt. Brest Stroke) in Sub-junior section and Mantu Debbarma (100 mt. Brest Stroke) in senior section took three Gold medals. Sukanta Das bagged one Silver medal from 100 meters Back Stroke and four Bronze medals from 100 meters Free Style, 100 meters Brest Stroke, 100 meters Butter Fly and 200 meters Individual Medley in senior section. Tamal Rudra Pal bagged two Bronze medals from 100 meters Brest Stroke and 100 meters Free Style in junior section. Mantu Debbarma took one Bronze from 50 meters Butter Fly in senior section.

ICC announces a change to umpire appointments for upcoming Test series in Australia

Dubai , 17 November 2008

The International Cricket Council has made a change to the previously announced umpire appointments for the upcoming Test series in Australia .

Due to travel difficulties, Steve Bucknor of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires will not be officiating in the two-match series between Australia v New Zealand due to begin on 20 November. He will be replaced by Rudi Koertzen, also of the Emirates Elite Panel, for both Tests.

All other appointments remain as previously advised.

Appointments for the other upcoming series will be announced in due course.

Australia
Series match referee – Chris Broad
20-24 Nov – Australia v New Zealand (Test), Brisbane – Rudi Koertzen and Billy Doctrove
28 Nov-2 Dec – Australia v New Zealand (Test), Adelaide – Rudi Koertzen and Billy Doctrove

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Sports News

November 16, 2008

Cricket :

Visitor Vidarbha recovered their early damage and scored a good total against Tripura in the four-day Ranji Trophy cricket match here today. Put in to bat first at the Maharaja Bir Bickram Stadium, Vidarbha scored 188 for 6 in their first innings at stumps on the opening day. Earlier, visitors lost four quick wickets just on 78 runs and felt in trouble. Then Rajit Pardkar batted brilliantly and scored unbeaten 57 runs (174 balls, 233 minutes, 9X4) to recover his team. Opener Faiz Fazal (40) and middle order S. Shribastav (34) supported him. Skipper Tushar Saha of host team bagged five wickets sparing 50 runs and his spinner partner Jayanta Debnath took another.
Brief Score : Vidarbha 188/6.

Bengal defeated Tripura by innings and 116 runs in the Colonel C. K. Naidu Trophy four-day cricket match for under-22 boys here on Sunday last. At the Polytechnic ground, training by 289 runs in the first innings, Tripura bundled out in 173 runs of the second innings also. Nirupam sen Chowdhury scored 41 (83 balls, 4X4) and Abhinandan Roy made 40 (82 balls, 7X4). For Bengal , Azaz Ansari bagged 7 for 41. Earlier, Bengal scored 423 runs of their first innings. Sufian Khan scored 90, Debopam Biswas 89 and Arnab Nandi made 83. Spinner Rakesh Sharma took 5 for 114 for Tripura.
Brief Score : Tripura 134 & 173, Bengal 423.

Football :

Tripura girls bowed out from National Junior Football Tournament for under-19 years on Saturday last. In the last quarter final match at Gurgohn in Hariyana, host team routed Tripura girls by 10-0 goals. Winning team took lead 5-0 before lemon break. Earlier, in first quarter final match, Manipur beat Tripura by 3-0 goals and Goa defeated Tripura by 1-0 goal.

Venues and teams approved for Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Divisions 6 and 7

Dubai , 16 November 2008

The ICC Development Committee has approved in principle that the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 7 (WCL Div. 7) tournament will be held in May/June 2009 in Guernsey and that the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 6 (WCL Div. 6) tournament will be held in September in Singapore .

The decisions were made as the committee gathered in Spain for one of its biannual meetings, which concluded on Sunday, and the choice of venues are now subject to appropriate finalisation of arrangements.

In arriving at the determination of which teams would participate in each tournament, the Development Committee considered the relative strength of each region given the results of the WCL Div. 5 event in Jersey earlier this year as well as the most recent regional results and the desire to recognise all five regions of the Pepsi ICC Development Programme.

The Development Committee allocated the 10 positions across the two divisions by region assigning three teams from Asia (two for WCL Div. 6 and one for WCL Div. 7), three teams from Europe (one for WCL Div. 6 and two for WCL Div. 7), two teams from Africa (one for each division), one team from the Americas (for WCL Div. 7) and one team from East Asia-Pacific (also for WCL Div. 7).

In line with current ICC regional rankings, the make-up of the two tournaments will be as follows:

Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 7, May 2009 (Guernsey): Guernsey , Nigeria , Japan , Suriname , Bahrain and Gibraltar

Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 6, September 2009 ( Singapore ): Singapore , Botswana , Norway , Malaysia and top two teams qualifying from WCL Div. 7

Further information will be released on both tournaments in due course.

About the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League:

The Pepsi ICC World Cricket League was created to provide regular global one-day cricket opportunities to those countries outside the ICC’s Full Members.

The inaugural Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 1 event took place in Nairobi in January 2007, part of a multi-tiered event which will provide competitive cricket for the sport’s developing teams.

Bermuda , Canada , Ireland , the Netherlands and Scotland joined the host nation Kenya in this event in which all the matches had official ODI status. It proved to be a resounding success, with some outstanding cricket played, and it brought considerable media attention to the leading Associate Member countries.

As well as being timed to provide the vital preparation ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007, the two leading sides from the event which reached the final, Kenya and Scotland, gained qualification for the ICC World Twenty20 2007.

Kenya defeated Scotland in the final by eight wickets, avenging an earlier defeat in the group stage to the same opposition.

In the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Three in Darwin , Australia , in mid-2007, Uganda secured the title when it defeated Argentina by 91 runs.

The top four teams from the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 2, who were Oman , UAE, Namibia and Denmark , will go forward to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which will be held in South Africa during April 2009.

Afghanistan and host Jersey were the top two teams at the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 5 in May 2008. They were promoted to the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 in October in Tanzania .

At that event, Afghanistan again performed outstandingly to defeat Hong Kong in the final, although both sides secured promotion to the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3, which will take place in Buenos Aires from 24-31 January 2009.

The Pepsi ICC World Cricket League is about more than just the top six Associate teams. It is a multi-division structure designed to afford teams of various standards the opportunity to play regular one-day cricket against similarly ranked opponents regardless of where in the world they are located.

It also ensures that the qualifying pathway for the ICC Cricket World Cup is open to the majority of the 94 ICC Associate and Affiliate members.

This new structure of one-day cricket sits on top of the regional qualifying events to create a pyramid in which all teams have an opportunity to develop and an incentive to improve.

Promotion and relegation are possible between divisions as each team seeks to move up the world cricket ratings.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC announces requests for proposals data rights area

Dubai , 16 November 2008

Seeks tie-up to 2011 for production and distribution of official ICC data from ICC events

The International Cricket Council has announced it is seeking requests for proposals (RFPs) from qualified companies interested in becoming the exclusive worldwide licensee of official ICC data.

The successful company will work closely with ICC to produce, market and distribute data from various ICC cricket events, including the ICC Cricket World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC World Twenty20.

This is the first time the ICC has looked for an official partner in this area. ICC will license the successful applicant to produce, market and distribute ICC match data to various B2B and B2C users. These rights to use this intellectual property will be licensed for the period up to 2012 in order to ensure that both ICC and its partner have a real incentive to invest in effective product and brand development.

“Licensed sports data is an area of increasing importance and its use by sports press and broadcasters is widening to include 'fan focused' offerings such as fantasy leagues,” said Campbell Jamieson, ICC General Manager – Commercial.

“Match statistics are embedded into a large number of existing products but their accuracy and reliability is not always guaranteed,” he said.

“Cricket is a sport in which scoring and statistics is a key ingredient for measuring performance. Athletes, commentators and fans are constantly seeking deeper levels of analysis and so investment in data is of growing significance. The ability for a business to promote its use of official ICC data in its product or service will give it a genuine advantage over its competitors” he said.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Full scorecard

Ranji Trophy Plate League - Group B
Tripura v Assam 2008/09 season
Played at Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium, Agartala, on 10,11,12 November 2008 (4-day match)
Toss Assam, who chose to field first
First-class debuts Deepak Sharma, RL Mali, S Purkayastha and SA Roy (Assam)

Tripura 1st innings
RH Saha b Mali 1
Sourav Dubey c Parida b Goswami 14
TK Chanda lbw b Mali 21
SD Chowdhury c Deepak Sharma b Konwar 30
NS Shetty c Roy b Konwar 11
R Banik b Katti 48
A Dey c Purkayastha b Konwar 17
R Dutta c & b Katti 54
TS Saha c Parida b Konwar 4
V Jain b Konwar 6
J Debnath not out 1
Extras (b 4, lb 2, nb 2) 8
Total (all out; 73.5 overs) 215 (2.91 runs per over)
Fall of wickets1-1 (RH Saha, 1.2 ov), 2-19 (Sourav Dubey, 4.4 ov), 3-53 (Chanda, 15.6 ov), 4-77 (Chowdhury, 27.2 ov), 5-83 (Shetty, 31.2 ov), 6-103 (Dey, 39.2 ov), 7-194 (Banik, 67.2 ov), 8-205 (TS Saha, 70.3 ov), 9-213 (Jain, 72.4 ov), 10-215 (Dutta, 73.5 ov)
Bowling
DS Goswami 15 2 46 1 3.06
RL Mali 13 6 28 2 2.15 (1nb)
S Purkayastha 9 1 27 0 3.00
A Konwar 16 2 59 5 3.68
A Katti 20.5 3 49 2 2.35 (1nb)

Assam 1st innings
NH Bordoloi lbw b Jain 0
SA Roy c Dutta b Jain 5
Deepak Sharma st Dutta b Debnath 46
JJ Martin c RH Saha b Chanda 20
RR Parida b Chanda 0
S Purkayastha c RH Saha b Debnath 77
A Katti c TS Saha b Dey 12
K Saikia c Dutta b Dey 3
DS Goswami c Banik b TS Saha 8
A Konwar not out 1
RL Mali run out (Sourav Dubey) 5
Extras (b 6, w 1, nb 11) 18
Total (all out; 72.1 overs) 195 (2.70 runs per over)
Fall of wickets1-1 (Bordoloi, 0.4 ov), 2-10 (Roy, 4.3 ov), 3-79 (Martin, 26.3 ov), 4-79 (Parida, 26.6 ov), 5-90 (Deepak Sharma, 36.2 ov), 6-148 (Katti, 56.3 ov), 7-164 (Saikia, 60.4 ov), 8-179 (Goswami, 67.6 ov), 9-189 (Purkayastha, 70.5 ov), 10-195 (Mali, 72.1 ov)
Bowling
V Jain 18 4 62 2 3.44 (3nb, 1w)
TK Chanda 8 0 24 2 3.00 (8nb)
TS Saha 23 9 34 1 1.47 (1nb)
J Debnath 12.1 0 42 2 3.45
A Dey 10 1 22 2 2.20
NS Shetty 1 0 5 0 5.00

Tripura 2nd innings
RH Saha c Parida b Katti 23
Sourav Dubey c Saikia b Mali 4
SD Chowdhury lbw b Konwar 22
NS Shetty c Purkayastha b Mali 55
R Banik b Purkayastha 12
J Debnath run out (Goswami) 10
A Dey c Saikia b Katti 6
TK Chanda not out 20
R Dutta st Saikia b Katti 0
TS Saha b Katti 0 1
V Jain b Purkayastha 21
Extras (b 2, lb 6, w 4, nb 7) 19
Total (all out; 54.3 overs; 237 mins) 192 (3.52 runs per over)
Fall of wickets1-4 (Sourav Dubey, 1.5 ov), 2-48 (Chowdhury, 15.6 ov), 3-58 (RH Saha, 18.5 ov), 4-76 (Banik, 26.2 ov), 5-96 (Debnath, 30.6 ov), 6-124 (Dey, 40.2 ov), 7-156 (Shetty, 48.4 ov), 8-168 (Dutta, 51.3 ov), 9-168 (TS Saha, 51.4 ov), 10-192 (Jain, 54.3 ov)
Bowling
DS Goswami 11 2 35 0 3.18 (2w)
RL Mali 11 1 46 2 4.18 (3nb, 1w)
A Katti 18 3 63 4 3.50 (1nb)
A Konwar 11 1 26 1 2.36
S Purkayastha 3.3 0 14 2 4.00

Assam 2nd innings (target: 213 runs)
NH Bordoloi lbw b Debnath 13
K Saikia run out (Shetty) 1
RR Parida c & b Debnath 79
JJ Martin b Debnath 45
SA Roy c Dutta b Debnath 5
Deepak Sharma not out 41
S Purkayastha not out 19
Extras (lb 1, w 2, nb 2, pen 5) 10
Total (5 wickets; 64.1 overs; 248 mins) 213 (3.31 runs per over)
Did not bat DS Goswami, A Katti, A Konwar, RL Mali
Fall of wickets1-10 (Saikia, 5.3 ov), 2-38 (Bordoloi, 15.5 ov), 3-129 (Martin, 41.6 ov), 4-137 (Roy, 43.5 ov), 5-178 (Parida, 55.3 ov)
Bowling
V Jain 7 1 19 0 2.71 (2w)
TK Chanda 2 0 13 0 6.50 (2nb)
TS Saha 23 5 60 0 2.60
J Debnath 22 3 69 4 3.13
A Dey 7 0 34 0 4.85
NS Shetty 1 0 4 0 4.00
SD Chowdhury 1 0 1 0 1.00
Sourav Dubey 1.1 0 7 0 6.00

Result Assam won by 5 wickets
Points Assam 5, Tripura 0

Full scorecard

Ranji Trophy Plate League - Group B
Services v Tripura 2008/09 season
Played at Palam A Ground, Model Sports Complex, Delhi, on 3,4,5,6 November 2008 (4-day match)
First-class debuts A Sinha (Services); Sourav Dubey (Tripura)
Toss Tripura, who chose to bat first

Tripura 1st innings
RH Saha c Tomar b Rakesh Kumar 58
Sourav Dubey c Tahir Khan b Karmakar 16
TK Chanda b Karmakar 19
NS Shetty c Reddy b Rakesh Kumar 34
R Banik lbw b Karmakar 5
SD Chowdhury c Yashpal Singh b Rakesh Kumar 0
A Dey c Tahir Khan b Karmakar 34
TS Saha c Mohanty b Rakesh Kumar 0
R Dutta c Israni b Rakesh Kumar 27
V Jain not out 6
J Debnath c Reddy b Karmakar 2
Extras (b 1, lb 7, w 3, nb 11) 22
Total (all out; 100.4 overs; 406 mins) 223 (2.21 runs per over)
Fall of wickets1-30 (Sourav Dubey, 15.6 ov), 2-80 (Chanda, 38.3 ov), 3-125 (RH Saha, 59.4 ov), 4-142 (Banik, 64.4 ov), 5-143 (Chowdhury, 65.5 ov), 6-152 (Shetty, 69.2 ov), 7-152 (TS Saha, 69.4 ov), 8-215 (Dutta, 95.4 ov), 9-215 (Dey, 98.3 ov), 10-223 (Debnath, 100.4 ov)
Bowling
Rakesh Kumar 28 8 79 5 2.82 (2nb, 2w)
Hari Prasad 15 6 30 0 2.00 (3nb, 1w)
SS Karmakar 23.4 7 44 5 1.85 (2nb)
AK Mohanty 14 4 28 0 2.00
A Sinha 11 5 21 0 1.90
Yashpal Singh 9 3 13 0 1.44

Services 1st innings
SS Tomar c & b Jain 0
Tahir Khan c RH Saha b Dey 52
D Israni c Dey b Chanda 2
Yashpal Singh c Chanda b TS Saha 9
Jasvir Singh c RH Saha b TS Saha 12
MP Reddy c & b Dey 6
A Sinha c Banik b Debnath 26
AK Mohanty b Jain 3
SS Karmakar c RH Saha b Dey 1
Hari Prasad not out 9
Rakesh Kumar b Debnath 2
Extras (b 8, lb 3, nb 5) 16
Total (all out; 75 overs; 302 mins) 138 (1.84 runs per over)
Fall of wickets1-0 (Tomar, 0.3 ov), 2-25 (Israni, 11.5 ov), 3-49 (Yashpal Singh, 24.1 ov), 4-73 (Jasvir Singh, 42.6 ov), 5-92 (Tahir Khan, 56.6 ov), 6-93 (Reddy, 58.4 ov), 7-102 (Mohanty, 63.5 ov), 8-109 (Karmakar, 66.6 ov), 9-134 (Sinha, 72.3 ov), 10-138 (Rakesh Kumar, 74.6 ov) Bowling
V Jain 17 6 33 2 1.94 (1nb)
TK Chanda 8 4 13 1 1.62 (4nb)
TS Saha 20 10 40 2 2.00
J Debnath 18 5 22 2 1.22
A Dey 11 3 16 3 1.45
SD Chowdhury 1 0 3 0 3.00

Tripura 2nd innings
RH Saha b Hari Prasad 7
Sourav Dubey lbw b Hari Prasad 24
TK Chanda lbw b Hari Prasad 4
NS Shetty lbw b Mohanty 14
R Banik lbw b Karmakar 26
SD Chowdhury b Karmakar 4
A Dey c Reddy b Sinha 29
R Dutta lbw b Karmakar 0
TS Saha lbw b Yashpal Singh 36
V Jain not out 58
J Debnath lbw b Yashpal Singh 16
Extras (b 7, lb 1, nb 4) 12
Total (all out; 68 overs) 230 (3.38 runs per over)
Fall of wickets1-13 (RH Saha, 5.3 ov), 2-21 (Chanda, 7.4 ov), 3-49 (Sourav Dubey, 17.5 ov), 4-65 (Shetty, 26.4 ov), 5-74 (Chowdhury, 31.6 ov), 6-93 (Banik, 35.5 ov), 7-93 (Dutta, 37.1 ov), 8-149 (TS Saha, 48.4 ov), 9-157 (Dey, 51.3 ov), 10-230 (Debnath, 67.6 ov)
Bowling
SS Karmakar 17 4 49 3 2.88
Hari Prasad 9 2 22 3 2.44
Rakesh Kumar 17 1 61 0 3.58 (3nb)
AK Mohanty 14 5 53 1 3.78
A Sinha 4 1 16 1 4.00
Yashpal Singh 7 0 21 2 3.00

Services 2nd innings (target: 316 runs)
SS Tomar c Dey b TS Saha 26
Tahir Khan c Banik b Debnath 21
MP Reddy st Dutta b Dey 7
Yashpal Singh c Banik b Debnath 14
AK Mohanty c Dey b TS Saha 52
Jasvir Singh c sub (B Dey) b Jain 67
D Israni c Jain b Debnath 11
A Sinha c Chowdhury b Debnath 8
SS Karmakar c Chowdhury b Jain 40
Hari Prasad b Jain 4
Rakesh Kumar not out 0
Extras (b 5, nb 6) 11
Total (all out; 100.1 overs) 261 (2.60 runs per over)
Fall of wickets1-35 (Tomar, 10.2 ov), 2-55 (Reddy, 18.2 ov), 3-55 (Tahir Khan, 19.4 ov), 4-107 (Yashpal Singh, 46.3 ov), 5-138 (Mohanty, 55.4 ov), 6-165 (Israni, 76.3 ov), 7-193 (Sinha, 81.5 ov), 8-249 (Karmakar, 93.4 ov), 9-254 (Jasvir Singh, 97.2 ov), 10-261 (Hari Prasad, 100.1 ov)
Bowling
V Jain 16.1 5 45 3 2.78 (1nb)
TK Chanda 7 2 21 0 3.00 (3nb)
J Debnath 28 6 55 4 1.96
TS Saha 31 8 80 2 2.58
A Dey 17 4 50 1 2.94
Sourav Dubey 1 0 5 0 5.00

Result Tripura won by 54 runs
Points Tripura 5, Services 0