South Africa breathing down Australia’s neck

Dubai, 26 January 2009

Victory in fifth ODI will put Proteas top of Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship
Plenty at stake for India and Sri Lanka ahead of series while Zimbabwe and Kenya fight it out at the foot of the ladder

South Africa will go top of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table if it wins the fifth and final match of the ongoing series against Australia.

Victory for the Proteas in that match, which is scheduled to take place in Perth on Friday, would give them a 4-1 series win and put them level with Australia on 125 ratings points. However, South Africa would be just ahead of its host by a fraction of a ratings point (124.85 points compared to Australia’s 124.64).

Of course Australia would have an immediate opportunity to win back the number-one position as there is a gap of just two days between the final ODI of the South Africa series and the first of five matches against New Zealand.

South Africa won the fourth ODI of the series by eight wickets in Adelaide on Monday and as a result moved to within three ratings points of Australia at the top of the table.

The Proteas are also pushing Ricky Ponting’s team at the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship and if it wins next month’s home Test series, which gets under way in Johannesburg on 26 February, it will go top of that table as well.

Topping the table means a side can call itself the number-one team in the world and it also means prize money.

Whichever side leads the ODI Championship table on 1 April will collect US$175,000 with the runner-up pocketing US$75,000. The same is true of the Test Championship meaning South Africa will walk away with US$350,000 if everything goes its way over the coming two months.

Equally, Australia could be that much richer if it manages to turn around its results in time and hold on to the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship mace and ODI Championship shield come the all-important date of 1 April.

Meanwhile, India can make it a three-horse race if it has a good series with Sri Lanka. The first of those five matches gets underway on Wednesday in Dambulla and if India wins all five, it will finish the series on 123 ratings points and in real contention at the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table.

Where exactly that would put Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team in relative terms depends on how the Australia v South Africa series concludes and then how Ricky Ponting’s men perform against New Zealand.

India could even go top of the rankings before long if all results go its way and it makes a winning start to its own series against New Zealand early in March.

There is also plenty at stake for Mahela Jayawardena and his men. Currently poised in seventh position just one ratings point behind England, Sri Lanka has just come off the back of a successful 2-1 series victory in Pakistan and it could end up third in the table if it wins the India series 5-0.

That scoreline would yield seven points for Sri Lanka and would drop India down below the Black Caps into fifth position. Such is the competitive nature of the ODI Championship these days that there are just 19 points separating first place from seventh. It looks like it’s going to be an exciting year ahead at the top of the table.

And then there is an equally tight battle going on down at the foot of the ladder with three teams – Ireland, Zimbabwe and Kenya – separated by just eight ratings points.

Zimbabwe is in Mombasa at present with its five-ODI series against Kenya beginning there on Tuesday with two matches scheduled for the port city followed by three more in Nairobi. Zimbabwe recently showed some good form against Bangladesh and were it to win the series 4-1 or 5-0, it would go above Ireland and back into the top 10.

But Kenya, too, has the opportunity to go 10th. If Steve Tikolo’s team can win the series 4-1 or better it will jump two places to leave Ireland in 11th position and Zimbabwe propping up the table in 12th spot.

Upcoming fixtures:

27 Jan – Kenya v Zimbabwe (ODI), Mombasa
28 Jan – Sri Lanka v India (ODI), Dambulla
29 Jan – Kenya v Zimbabwe (ODI), Mombasa
30 Jan – Australia v South Africa (ODI), Perth
30 Jan – Sri Lanka v India (ODI), Colombo
31 Jan – Kenya v Zimbabwe (ODI), Nairobi
1 Feb – Australia v New Zealand (ODI), Perth
1 Feb – Kenya v Zimbabwe (ODI), Nairobi
2 Feb – Sri Lanka v India (ODI), Colombo
4 Feb – Kenya v Zimbabwe (ODI), Nairobi
5 Feb – Sri Lanka v India (ODI), Colombo
6 Feb – Australia v New Zealand (ODI), Melbourne
8 Feb – Australia v New Zealand (ODI), Sydney
8 Feb – Sri Lanka v India (ODI), Colombo
10 Feb – Australia v New Zealand (ODI), Adelaide
13 Feb – Australia v New Zealand (ODI), Brisbane

Previews for future ODI series, including that between Australia and New Zealand, will be sent out in due course.

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship (as of 26 January)

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 126
2 South Africa 123
3 India 119
4 New Zealand 113
5 Pakistan 111
6 England 108
7 Sri Lanka 107
8 West Indies 91
9 Bangladesh 46
10 Ireland 19
11 Zimbabwe 17
12 Kenya 11

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

In-form Kulasekara up to second in ODI bowling rankings

Dubai, 25 January 2009

Sri Lanka pace man claims best rating of career after another fine series

Bangladesh’s Shakib and Mashrafe break into top 10; Shakib knocks Oram off number-one all-rounder spot; Pakistan’s Salman Butt returns to top 20 of Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen

Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Kulasekara has raced up the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers to second position with yet another good performance in his side’s successful series in Pakistan.

The 26-year-old fast bowler took impressive match figures of 3-17 off seven overs in the third ODI in Lahore to go with his previous match figures in Karachi of 2-31. Kulasekara’s jump of four places sees him overtake team-mate Muttiah Muralidaran and push Australia’s Nathan Bracken into third place. New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori still tops the table.

It’s a fine achievement for Kulasekara who has enjoyed a remarkable few months with Sri Lanka. Since securing a regular place in the team back in April 2008, he has played 24 ODIs taking 40 wickets at an average of 18.00. He has shown particularly good form during that time against the West Indies, India, Zimbabwe and now Pakistan.

Further down the top 20, Bangladesh’s top bowlers Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza have also made impressive gains to join the top 10. Shakib has climbed a substantial 15 places to take sixth position, while Mashrafe has also climbed 15 places to ninth place. They took three wickets each during the final ODI against Zimbabwe in Dhaka to aid them in their rise up the rankings.

Slightly further down, another Sri Lanka bowler, Ajantha Mendis, has climbed three places to 13th position while Pakistan’s Umar Gul has secured a leap of nine places to 16th spot. Gul’s rise comes after taking a total of 10 wickets at an average of 13.30 in his side’s three-match series against Sri Lanka.

Things are not so positive for Gul’s team-mate Sohail Tanvir, however, as the 24-year-old left-armer took just one wicket for 85 runs in the two matches he played in the series. Sohail slides 10 places down the tightly packed rankings to 17th as a result.

Meanwhile, Salman Butt has made good progress for Pakistan in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen. The 24-year-old’s 100 not out and 62 in the two Karachi ODIs have helped him take joint 15th place with his captain Shoaib Malik.

Shoaib has climbed one place in the rankings to share that position after a half-century during the second ODI.

Just above Shoaib and Butt, is South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs has who has taken 14th place with a jump of four places after his important contributions for South Africa in his side’s current one-day series in Australia.

Gibbs’s team-mate AB de Villiers has dropped four rankings places to 18th position but will be aiming to improve his position with the final two matches in the five-match ODI series against Australia.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting has regained fifth spot in the rankings while West Indies captain Chris Gayle still tops the table followed by India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Further down the batsmen’s rankings Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan has shot up 14 places to claim 29th spot after two quality innings in the three-match ODI series against Pakistan. The 32-year-old managed 76 in Karachi and 137 not out in Lahore in the final match where Sri Lanka secured victory by 234 runs.

Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams has also risen in the rankings after his side’s series against Bangladesh, he has climbed 23 places to 47th and can look to improve on that position as his side heads into its one-day series against Kenya in Mombasa that starts on Tuesday.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Player Rankings for all-rounders, Bangladesh’s Shakib has also had a big impact. Shakib has knocked New Zealand’s Jacob Oram off the top spot and has also managed to push England’s Andrew Flintoff into third place.

The top five also includes Pakistan captain Shoaib and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis in joint fourth. Kallis will undoubtedly be keen to push his way back up the rankings with the final two ODIs in Adelaide and Perth looming large on the horizon.

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Player Rankings (as of 25 January)

Batsmen

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Average Highest Ranking

1 ( - ) Chris Gayle WI 783 40.63 804 v Aus at Mumbai 2006
2 ( - ) MS Dhoni Ind 779 46.84 806 v WI at Kingston 2006
3 ( - ) S.Chanderpaul WI 769 ! 41.14 769 v NZ at Napier 2009
4 (+1) Graeme Smith SA 749 40.88 792 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
5 (+1) Ricky Ponting Aus 747 43.27 832 v NZ at Hobart 2007
6 (-2) Mike Hussey Aus 746 54.41 863 v NZ at Perth 2007
7 ( - ) Yuvraj Singh Ind 744 37.16 754 v Eng at Bangalore 2008
8 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 730 48.36 834 v Aus at Antigua 2007
9 ( - ) Mohd Yousuf Pak 716 43.19 777 v SA at Rawalpindi 2003
10= ( - ) Andrew Symonds Aus 708 40.34 778 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
(+1) Sachin Tendulkar Ind 708 44.26 887 v Zim at Sharjah 1998
12 (+1) Jacques Kallis SA 705 45.44 816 v WI at Johannesburg 2004
13 (-1) R Sarwan WI 696 44.17 798 v Ind at St Kitts 2006
14 (+4) Herschelle Gibbs SA 689 36.16 750 v SL at Durban 2003
15= (+1) Shoaib Malik Pak 683 35.70 690 v WI at Abu Dhabi 2008
(+10) Salman Butt Pak 683 39.77 698 v SL at Karachi 2009
17 (-2) K Sangakkara SL 682 35.88 760 v Ind at Rajkot 2007
18 (-4) AB de Villiers SA 678 36.04 733 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
19 (+1) Virender Sehwag Ind 665 33.27 774 v NZ at Auckland 2003
20 (-1) Michael Clarke Aus 663 42.22 756 v SL at Melbourne 2008

Bowlers

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave Econ Highest Ranking

1 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 754 31.74 4.16 790 v Eng at Christchurch 2008
2 (+4) N Kulasekara SL 749*! 25.42 4.21 749 v Pak at Lahore 2009
3 (-1) Nathan Bracken Aus 745 22.36 4.32 806 v SL at St George's 2007
4 ( - ) M Muralidaran SL 714 22.51 3.87 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
5 (-2) Kyle Mills NZ 704 25.90 4.62 713 v WI at Wellington 2009
6 (+15) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 687 ! 30.05 4.02 687 v Zim at Dhaka 2009
7 (-2) Mitchell Johnson Aus 682 24.18 4.80 726 v Ban at Darwin 2008
8 (-1) Stuart Broad Eng 673 27.58 4.94 701 v SA at Trent Bridge 2008
9 (+15) M Mortaza Ban 671 29.82 4.57 678 v Ind at Port-of-Spain 2007
10 (-1) Andrew Flintoff Eng 662 24.69 4.38 755 v Ban at Dhaka 2003
11= (-1) Jerome Taylor WI 660 26.26 4.67 688 v SA at Cape Town 2008
(-1) Zaheer Khan Ind 660 28.63 4.84 700 v SA at Dhaka 2003
13 (+3) Ajantha Mendis SL 652* 10.88 3.68 659 v Pak at Karachi 2009
14 (-2) Brett Lee Aus 647 22.96 4.71 853 v SA at Melbourne 2006
15 (-2) Jacob Oram NZ 645 30.25 4.38 768 v Aus at The Oval 2004
16 (+9) Umar Gul Pak 640 ! 25.24 4.92 640 v SL at Lahore 2009
17 (-10) Sohail Tanvir Pak 639* 27.34 4.93 673 v WI at Abu Dhabi 2008
18= (-2) Daren Powell WI 636 31.60 4.70 686 v Aus at St George's 2008
(-5) Chaminda Vaas SL 636 27.54 4.18 861 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2004
20 (-2) Andre Nel SA 629 27.68 4.63 685 v Ban at Dhaka 2008

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 (+2) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 403! 403 v Zim at Dhaka 2009
2 (-1) Jacob Oram NZ 368 383 v WI at Queenstown 2008
3 (-1) Andrew Flintoff Eng 366 544 v SL at The Rose Bowl 2004
4= ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 340 505 v WI at Bridgetown 2001
( - ) Shoaib Malik Pak 340 402 v WI at Brisbane 2005

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Pakistan drops to fifth as Sri Lanka makes presence felt again

Dubai, 25 January 2009

Black Caps benefit from Pakistan’s misfortune in Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship

Pakistan has slipped one place in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table following its 2-1 series defeat at home to Sri Lanka.

Although Shoaib Malik’s team won the first ODI of the series in Karachi thanks to a brilliant unbeaten century by Salman Butt, it then proceeded to lose the second and third matches after impressive displays by the visitor.

That means Pakistan loses three ratings points and drops below New Zealand into fifth place on the table.

For its part, Sri Lanka has gained two ratings points from that series and as a result stays in seventh position but it is now just one point behind England in sixth spot.

With a five-match ODI series coming up against India beginning on Wednesday there is every chance Mahela Jayawardena and his men can make further progress if they continue their good form against Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team.

Sri Lanka is a team with a proud one-day pedigree having won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1996 and was runner-up the last time around in the West Indies. During that event in April 2007 it was ranked as high as fourth in the world so no doubt the players will feel they belong further up that ladder than seventh.

Meanwhile, despite winning the series against Zimbabwe 2-1 Bangladesh lost one ratings point to 46 but has maintained its place in ninth position in the rankings. Zimbabwe is now just two ratings points behind 10th-placed Ireland having gained a point from that series.

There will be plenty of opportunities for change at the bottom of the table with Zimbabwe heading to 12th-placed Kenya for a five ODI series beginning in Mombasa on Tuesday.

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship (as of 25 January)

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 128
2 South Africa 122
3 India 119
4 New Zealand 113
5 Pakistan 111
6 England 108
7 Sri Lanka 107
8 West Indies 91
9 Bangladesh 46
10 Ireland 19
11 Zimbabwe 17
12 Kenya 11

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

XXIII NORTH EAST GAMES

AGARTALA, TRIPURA FROM 4 – 7, FEBRUARY 2009
The XXIII North East Games ‘09 for North East Region is scheduled in Tripura from 4-7 February, 2009.

All the North Eastern States are requested to send their entries immediately to the Organising Secretary, XXIII North East Games ’09, C/o.–Secretary, Tripura Sports Council, Organizing Secretary, Tripura Agartala- 799001. The Specimen copy of the Entry will be sent separately on receipt from SAI. The entries in prescribed form, in triplicate, may reach to the Organizing Secretary latest by 15th Jan. ’09.

The details of the disciplines for which Competitions will be held are given below :-

Athletics
Men/Women
100M., 200M., 400M., 800M., 1500M., 5000M., 10,000M. 4x100M. Relay, Discus Throw, Shot Put, Javelin Throw, Long Jump, Hogh Jump and Triple Jump, 10 Km. Walk (Men only), 4 x400 M. Relay.

Badminton
Men/Women
Individual, Double and Team Championship.

Swimming
Men/Women
Men :-Free Style : 50 M 100M 200M 400M
Breast Stroke : 50 M 100M 200M
Butterfly : 50 M 100M 200M
Back Stroke : 50 M 100M 200M
Individual Medley : 200M
Free Style Relay : 4x100M
Medley Relay : 4x100M
Women :-Free Style: 50M 100M 200M 400M
Breast Stroke : 50 M 100M 200M
Butterfly : 50 M 100M 200M
Back Stroke : 50 M 100M 200M
Individual Medley : 200M
Free Style Relay : 4x100M
Medley Relay : 4x100M

Table Tennis
Men/Women
Individual, Double and Team Championship.

Judo
Men/Women
Men : Below 52 Kg. Below 56 Kg. Below 60 Kg. Below 66 Kg. Below 73 Kg. Below 81 Kg. Above 81 Kg. Open.
Women: Below 40 Kg. Below 44 Kg. Below 48 Kg. Below 52 Kg. Below 63 Kg. Above 63 Kg. Open.

Football
Men/Women
Team Championship

Gymnastics
Men/Women
Men :- Floor Exercise, Vaulting Table, Parallel Bar, Roman Ring, Pommel Horse, Horizontal Bar.
Women :- Floor Exercise, Beam Balance, Vaulting Table, Un-Even Bar.

Weight Lifting
Men/Women
Men :- 56 Kg. 62 Kg. 69 Kg. 77Kg. 85Kg. 94Kg. 105Kg. +105 Kg.
Women :- 48 Kg. 53 Kg. 58 Kg. 63Kg. 69Kg. 75Kg. +75 Kg.

Boxing
Men Only
48 Kg. 48-51Kg. 51-54Kg. 54-57Kg. 57-60Kg.
60-64Kg. 64-69Kg. 69-75Kg. 75-81Kg.
81-91Kg. 91 Kg. +

Hockey
Men Only
Team Championship

Eligibility Conditions :
The participants in the competitions should necessarily be the residents of the North-East Region for the last five years. A certificate showing the places of residence issued by a Panchayat Officer/Tahashilder or a first class Magistrate and signed by the Director of State Sports Department will have to be produced, in original, for each competitor to participate.
Age :
There will be no age restriction for participations in the Festival. This will enable the States to nominate the best available sports persons in various competitions.
Rules for the Competitions :
The competitions in the disciplines covered by the Festival will be conducted strictly in accordance with the rules of the games as approved by the concerned National Sports Federation and applicable to the National Championship.
Size of the Contingent :
The contingent from a State for participating in the Games should not exceed 179 including officials, there will, however, be no restriction on an individual participating in more than one event in a particular discipline or more than one discipline at his/her own risk. The discipline wise maximum limit of participants and officials from a State will be as under :

Reception Venue : Women’s College, Agartala.

Venues for the Competitions :

The venues for the competitions and opening and closing ceremony will be at the following locations :
Opening Ceremony :- U. K. Mini Stadium, Agartala.
Closing Ceremony :- Dasarath Dev Sports Complex, Badharghat Stadium, Agartala.
Discipline Venues (The Competitions venues at Agartala will be within 2 Km. from the heart of the Town)
1. Football - Men & Women - Kailashar, North Dictrict, Tripura
2. Weight Lifting - Men & Women - Dharmanagar, North District, Tripura
3. Judo - Men & Women - NSRCC, Agartala
4. Table Tennis - Men & Women - NSRCC, Agartala
5. Gymnastics - Men & Women - NSRCC, Agartala
6. Athletics - Men & Women - Dasarath Dev Sports Complex, Agartala
7. Swimming - Men & Women - Dasarath Dev Sports Complex, Agartala
8. Badminton - Men & Women - Dasarath Dev Sports Complex, Agartala
9. Hockey - Men - Police Ground, A.D. Nagar., Agartala
10. Boxing - Men - Astabal Ground, Agartala.
Facilities Offered :
Free Board and lodging for the participants and officials as per number eligible will be provided for the days of the competitions and one day before inauguration and one day after conclusion of the competition. Travel expenses for to and fro Journey of participants and officials from the respective State HQ to Agartala by 2nd class Railway and ordinary Bus through the shortest route will be reimbursed. Payment will be made to the leader of the State contingent. For this purpose, necessary authority letter issued by the Directorate of State Sports Department concerned may be sent along with the leader of the State contingent.
Transportation :
Participating team may reach Dharmanagar Railway Station where they will find a Reception Centre. Participating team will be brought by road from Dharmanagar to Agartala (180 km.) . State contingents arriving by Bus on their own will find another Reception Centre at Churaibari at the border with Assam where they will be advised by volunteers as how to reach Agartala (170 km.). State contingents will report to the main Reception Centre at Women’s College, Agartala from where they will be taken to the selected venues of accommodation by local transport.
The participants are advised to bring light bedding with Mosquito net.
There will be transport arrangement for the participants to reach the venues of competitions and back to their camp everyday for the Games. February may be quite cold and therefore all concerned may have sufficient warm clothing’s.
Food:
At all the places of Stay, there will be catering arrangement for breakfast, lunch, dinner and for light refreshment. The Organizing Committee will arrange catering. No arrangement for self cooking will be permissible.
Climate:
Day time will be pleasant in the first week of February and night colder cold. During this period maximum temperature may be 26.8c and minimum 10.8c. The Director of Youth Affairs & Sports of the respective States are requested to kindly send the entries so that it reaches the Organizing Secretary by 15th Jan. ‘09.
State Flags :
The States are requested to send through the leader of the contingent two flags in the size of 6’ X 4’ for use in the march past and for hosting at the main venue of the competitions.

Pakistan fined for slow over-rate in Karachi ODI

Dubai, 21 January 2009

The Pakistan team was fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during its 129-run defeat against Sri Lanka in the second ODI in Karachi on 21 January.

Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fines after Shoaib Malik’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, Shoaib was fined 20 per cent of his match fee while his players 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

ICC announces umpire and referee appointments for upcoming ODI series in Sri Lanka and Australia

Dubai, 21 January 2009

The International Cricket Council has announced the referee and umpires who will officiate in the upcoming ODI series in Sri Lanka and Australia.

The five-ODI series between Sri Lanka and India will get underway in Dambulla on 28 January. The head of the playing control team for this series will be Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.

Brian Jerling of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires will stand in all five matches along with local appointments.

Meanwhile, Perth is the location for the first of five ODIs between Australia and New Zealand in a series that gets underway on 1 February. Roshan Mahanama, also of the Emirates Elite Panel, will be the match referee for that series while Steve Bucknor of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires will stand in all five matches with local appointments.

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

Sri Lanka
Series match referee – Chris Broad
28 Jan – Sri Lanka v India (ODI), Dambulla – Brian Jerling and local appointment
30 Jan – Sri Lanka v India (ODI), Dambulla – Brian Jerling and local appointment
2 Feb – Sri Lanka v India (ODI), Colombo – Brian Jerling and local appointment
5 Feb – Sri Lanka v India (ODI), Colombo – Brian Jerling and local appointment
8 Feb – Sri Lanka v India (ODI), Colombo – Brian Jerling and local appointment

Australia
Series match referee – Roshan Mahanama
1 Feb – Australia v New Zealand (ODI), Perth – Steve Bucknor and local appointment
6 Feb – Australia v New Zealand (ODI), Melbourne – Steve Bucknor and local appointment
8 Feb – Australia v New Zealand (ODI), Sydney – Steve Bucknor and local appointment
10 Feb – Australia v New Zealand (ODI), Adelaide – Steve Bucknor and local appointment
13 Feb – Australia v New Zealand (ODI), Brisbane – Steve Bucknor and local appointment

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Mumbai FC beat Mohammedan 3-0

Mumbai, 20 January 2009

In an action packed match of the postponed ONGC I league round
XI played at Mumbai's Cooperage ground Mumbai FC overcame the Kolkata
outfit Mohammedan Sporting 3-0 on Tuesday. Both the teams played
aggressively but it was Mumbai outfit that were better side and had
controlled the proceedings of the game.

Mohammedan Sporting attacked early on and got a chance to score in the
9th minute but Jyoti Kumar failed to convert the chance as he was late
in putting the ball past the defender and the Mumbai FC custodian. But
Mumbai FC known for their counter attack got their piece of share too
in the 10th minute. But Felix was late in responding to the cross that
Abel Hammond delivered from the left flank.

But the day certainly belonged to the hosts as in the 35th minute
Mumbai outfit took the lead. Riston Rodrigues received the ball just
outside the box and he placed it at far post leaving Mohammedan
Sporting custodian Tharangachan diving to his left in vain but failed
to stop the ball from entering the back of the net.

The Kolkata outfit though got chances but their problem of converting
the chances persisted and their foreigner Mike Okoro was off color and
Jyoti Kumar never got any chance to display his skills. Their wingers
were ineffective and there was a lack of coordination within the team.
Mumbai FC extended the lead in the 44th minute as Kulothungan tapped
the ball past Achan after receiving the ball from Hammond inside the
six yard box. The second blow shook the already tottering confidence
of the Kolkata outfit and Coach Shabbir Ali used all his three
substitutes but none of them proved effective enough.

With already 2-0 up there was no looking back for the Mumbai outfit
as the ball was seen more in the Mohammedan half and Mumbai outfit
strikers entering into the Kolkata den time and again. Mumbai FC took
a 3-0 lead in the 74th minute and this time also it was Hammond who
set the ball for Abhishek Yadav. Hammond's back cross from the left
flank had Abhishek Yadav unmarked and he had no problems in converting
the chance set by the Ghanian striker.

This was the fifth consecutive defeat for the Kolkata outfit in the I
League and Mumbai FC as predicted continued their winning streak from
their last encounter where they had defeated Punjab outfit JCT. The
victory will certainly boost up the confidence of Mumbai FC when they
take on Kolkata giant Mohun Bagan in the XIIth round of the I League
at the Cooperage Stadium, Mumbai on January 23.

MEDIA RELEASE

Jeepmen beat Dempo 3-1

Mumbai, 19 January 2009

Dempo paid the price once again of playing with long passes as
the Jeepmen defeated the Goan outfit 3-1 in the XIth round of the I
League match which was rescheduled after the Mumbai terror attacks at
the Cooperage Stadium, Mumbai on Monday.

The Mumbai outfit though didn't have better ball possession as
compared to Dempo but it was Rafi who put Mahindra in the lead in the
39th minute. But Dempo had to wait till the second half to score the
equalizer.

The start of the match witnessed Mahindra starting on an attacking
note and keeping the Goan outfit defence at bay. But it was Dempo who
had the first chance of taking the lead. In the 11th minute, Ranty
Martins gave a cross to Jaquim Abrnaches from the left flank.
Abranches managed to get the ball past Mahindra custodian Subhasish
Roy Chowdhary but his left footer was away from the post.
The chance shook the hosts as 17th minute saw Mahindra getting into
the act and Md. Rafi was left unmarked as he received the ball near
the half line from the right flank. But he failed to shoot as Indian
defender Mahesh Gawli was alert enough to stop Rafi from putting the
ball past Dempo custodian VP Satish Kumar.

Jeepmen came close to taking the lead in the 23rd minute when a cross
from Md. Rafi from inside the box had Chidi Edeh unmarked but the
striker failed to connect the ball and missed out on a chance that
could have given them the much needed lead.

But Mahindra didn't have to wait longer as in the 39th minute Steven
Dias passed the ball to Sukhwinder Singh after Mahindra received a
free kick and Sukhwinder's powerful low right footer had Satish Kumar
diving on to his right to give the possession to Chidi Edeh who just
tapped the ball to pass it on to Mohammed Rafi. Dempo defenders failed
to mark Rafi and he had no problems in giving the Jeepmen a 1-0 lead.
With a 1-0 lead in the first half it was expected that Mahindra were
expected to win the encounter as they were a more composed side and
the Jeepmen strikers were taking full advantage of the shaky Dempo
defence line up.

But in the 49th minute Dempo pulled on back as Ranty Martins powerful
left footer rebounded off the bar and an alert Beto headed ball in to
score the equalizer. It was something that Mahindra didn't expect. And
the equalizer woke the Jeepmen as in the 78th minute saw Mahindra
taking the lead. Douhou through ball to Chidi had the later unmarked
and he took full advantage of the situation as he put the ball past
the Satish Kumar to give his team a 2-1 lead. And Mahindra's Douhou
netted in the 83rd minute to seal the fate of the game.
Both the Nigerians were back in action and this time it was Douhou who
netted in the ball. Chidi's cross from the right flank had Douhou
inside the box and a perfect far post header gave Mahindra a 3-1 lead
to seal the game in Mahindra's favor.

MEDIA RELEASE

Mumbai FC host Mohammedan Sporting

Mumbai, 19 January 2009

Mumbai will host Mohammedan Sporting at Cooperage Stadium,Mumbai, on Tuesday at the second game of the postponed I-League fixture. The match was scheduled to be played in November but was rescheduled due to one of the terror attacks.Mumbai FC till now have fared well in their first ten games of the I-League. They won their first three games, which was followed by two consecutive losses and then came the four draws and ended with a thrilling victory over JCT.The Mumbai outfit has had a trend of continuing the form from their previous encounters, be it a draw, loss or a victory. Even in the Federation Cup, they drew all their games which clearly indicates the way the team plays.

Mumbai FC won their first three games through their gritty midfield,their strong defence and their men upfront scoring goals. But as the league progressed, the goals dried up for Mumbai FC and they have managed to score only 11 goals. The strike duo of Felix Aboagye and Abel Hammond, have slowly but gradually lost out on their form and the
team often allows the opposition to take control of the game as the encounter progresses. But a positive thing for the Mumbai outfit is that they ended their I-League campaign on a high with a brilliant 3-2 win over JCT despite being down by two goals.

Mohammedan Sporting's campaign hasn't been that great as well. The Kolkata outfit has failed to stand up to the expectations and their striker Theodore Sunday has failed to replicate the form which he showed in the Kolkata League where he finished as the topscorer with 11 goals. The Liberian has been a big flop for the Kolkata side and has been injured for most parts. Mike Okoro also seems to have lost the class he once possessed while at East Bengal under Subhash Bhowmick. The positives for the team have been Satyajit Bose and goalkeeper Tharangachan Tungshang. The former showed some of his class in the Federation Cup while the north eastern custodian has put in some commendable performances.

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Sri Lanka can jump over England and Pakistan in ODI rankings

Dubai, 19 January 2009

Jayawardena’s men eye fifth place in ICC Championship table; Vettori returns to summit of Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers as Mendis breaks into top 20; Shakib reaches third in all-rounders’ list

Sri Lanka will move up two places to fifth in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table if it beats Pakistan in all three ODIs coming up in Karachi and Lahore.

Mahela Jayawardena’s team currently lies in seventh position following a tour of mixed results in Bangladesh. In a tri-series that also involved Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka lost one match to the home side but later exacted revenge in what was a thrilling and closely fought final.

Now Sri Lanka is in Karachi for the first ODI on 20 January knowing that a 3-0 result in the series will ensure it leap-frogs both Shoaib Malik’s men and also sixth-placed England.

However, the reverse result would relegate Sri Lanka from its current tally of 105 ratings points to 102 which would still be significantly ahead of eighth-placed West Indies, which has 91 points to its name at present.

Victory for Pakistan in the series will ensure it keeps the pressure on India and a 3-0 win for Shoaib will put his team within one point of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side.

The Bangladesh v Zimbabwe series is underway today (19 January) in Dhaka with the visiting team hoping to move past Ireland into 10th place in the ODI Championship. To do this it needs to win the series 2-1 or 3-0 while a 1-2 defeat will still gain it one ratings point but that would not be enough to overtake the Irish.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Nathan Bracken has slipped below Daniel Vettori at the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers after the first two ODIs against South Africa. Kyle Mills has received a similar boost as his captain meaning New Zealand can now boast two bowlers in the top three.

In the two games so far, Bracken has taken one wicket at an average of 87.00 and that was enough to let the Black Caps’ skipper back to top spot.

The two left-armed trans-Tasman rivals have been trading places for some weeks now and with three ODIs still remaining in the current series, not to mention five coming up between Australia and New Zealand next month, there is no sign of an end to that yo-yoing just yet.

Mills has benefited from the fact that Muttiah Muralidaran of Sri Lanka and Australia’s Mitchell Johnson have fallen back. Murali was not his usual dominant self in Bangladesh, taking four wickets in three matches, while Johnson was not in the Australia ODI squad for the first two matches of the South Africa series.

There is better news, however, for Murali’s spin partner Ajantha Mendis. The winner of Emerging Player of the Year 2008 at the LG ICC Awards has taken another leap and broken into the top 20 for the first time in his career.

His seven wickets, taken at an impressive average of 10.85, have gained him nine places in the rankings to joint-16th position, level with West Indies’ Daren Powell.

Of course, it was a competitive tri-series for host team Bangladesh as the home side beat Sri Lanka on one occasion and almost did so again in the final.

The main beneficiary of Bangladesh’s success was Shakib Al Hasan, who has broken into the top five in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders. The 21-year-old scored 153 runs in the series at an average of 76.50 and a strike-rate of better than a run a ball while also managing to collect five wickets for 69 runs at an average of 13.80 and an economy-rate of just 2.65.

That effort has gained him three places in the all-rounders’ list, putting him above Jacques Kallis of South Africa and Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik but still behind Jacob Oram of New Zealand in first place and England’s Andrew Flintoff second. He has also moved up 10 places to 34th in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen.

Speaking of the batting rankings, Ricky Ponting has gained one place to sixth in the list while Kallis has gained three places to 13th spot. India’s Sachin Tendulkar is up one place to 11th position.

The news is not so good for Michael Hussey, who drops one place to fourth with Shivnarine Chanderpaul benefiting from his misfortune. Also, Protea Herschelle Gibbs has fallen three places to 18th position.

A notable big mover in the latest batting chart is Australia opener Shaun Marsh, whose innings of 79 and 78 in the first ODIs of the series have earned him 31 places and he now sits in 32nd position, nicely poised for further gains if his impressive form holds.

Upcoming ODI fixtures (to end of January):

19 Jan – Bangladesh v Zimbabwe (ODI), Mirpur
20 Jan – Pakistan v Sri Lanka (ODI), Karachi
21 Jan – Bangladesh v Zimbabwe (ODI), Mirpur
21 Jan – Pakistan v Sri Lanka (ODI), Karachi
23 Jan – Bangladesh v Zimbabwe (ODI), Mirpur
23 Jan – Australia v South Africa (ODI), Sydney
24 Jan – Pakistan v Sri Lanka (ODI), Lahore
26 Jan – Australia v South Africa (ODI), Adelaide
27 Jan – Kenya v Zimbabwe (ODI), Mombasa
28 Jan – Sri Lanka v India (ODI), Dambulla
29 Jan – Kenya v Zimbabwe (ODI), Mombasa
30 Jan – Australia v South Africa (ODI), Perth
30 Jan – Sri Lanka v India (ODI), Dambulla
31 Jan – Kenya v Zimbabwe (ODI), Nairobi

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship (as of 19 January)

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 130
2 South Africa 120
3 India 119
4 Pakistan 114
5 New Zealand 113
6 England 108
7 Sri Lanka 105
8 West Indies 91
9 Bangladesh 47
10 Ireland 19
11 Zimbabwe 16
12 Kenya 11

ICC One-Day Rankings (as of 19 January 2009)

Batsmen

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

1 ( - ) Chris Gayle WI 783 40.63 804 v Aus at Mumbai 2006
2 ( - ) MS Dhoni Ind 779 46.84 806 v WI at Kingston 2006
3 (+1) S.Chanderpaul WI 769 ! 41.14 769 v NZ at Napier 2009
4 (-1) Mike Hussey Aus 757 55.35 863 v NZ at Perth 2007
5 ( - ) Graeme Smith SA 752 40.88 792 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
6 (+1) Ricky Ponting Aus 750 43.33 832 v NZ at Hobart 2007
7 (-1) Yuvraj Singh Ind 744 37.16 754 v Eng at Bangalore 2008
8 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 730 48.36 834 v Aus at Antigua 2007
9 ( - ) Mohd Yousuf Pak 727 43.19 777 v SA at Rawalpindi 2003
10 ( - ) Andrew Symonds Aus 712 40.34 778 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
11 (+1) Sachin Tendulkar Ind 708 44.26 887 v Zim at Sharjah 1998
12 (+1) R Sarwan WI 696 44.17 798 v Ind at St Kitts 2006
13 (+3) Jacques Kallis SA 695 45.38 816 v WI at Johannesburg 2004
14 ( - ) AB de Villiers SA 690 36.52 733 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
15 (+2) K Sangakkara SL 678 35.84 760 v Ind at Rajkot 2007
16 (+3) Shoaib Malik Pak 674 35.61 690 v WI at Abu Dhabi 2008
17 (+3) Yunus Khan Pak 673 ! 34.50 673 v WI at Abu Dhabi 2008
18 (-3) Herschelle Gibbs SA 672 36.03 750 v SL at Durban 2003
19 (-2) Michael Clarke Aus 667 42.22 756 v SL at Melbourne 2008
20 (+1) Virender Sehwag Ind 665 33.27 774 v NZ at Auckland 2003

Bowlers

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

1 (+1) Daniel Vettori NZ 754 31.74 4.16 790 v Eng at Christchurch 2008
2 (-1) Nathan Bracken Aus 737 22.31 4.33 806 v SL at St George's 2007
3 (+2) Kyle Mills NZ 704 25.90 4.62 713 v WI at Wellington 2009
4 (-1) M Muralidaran SL 703 22.66 3.87 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
5 (-1) Mitchell Johnson Aus 700 23.46 4.72 726 v Ban at Darwin 2008
6 ( - ) N Kulasekara SL 699*! 26.26 4.24 699 v Ban at Dhaka 2009
7= ( - ) Stuart Broad Eng 673 27.58 4.94 701 v SA at Trent Bridge 2008 ( - ) Sohail Tanvir Pak 673*! 26.00 4.81 673 v WI at Abu Dhabi 2008 9 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 662 24.69 4.38 755 v Ban at Dhaka 2003
10= ( - ) Jerome Taylor WI 660 26.26 4.67 688 v SA at Cape Town 2008
( - ) Zaheer Khan Ind 660 28.63 4.84 700 v SA at Dhaka 2003
12 ( - ) Brett Lee Aus 650 22.96 4.71 853 v SA at Melbourne 2006
13= ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 645 27.54 4.18 861 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2004
(+1) Jacob Oram NZ 645 30.25 4.38 768 v Aus at The Oval 2004
15 ( - ) Shahid Afridi Pak 644 35.04 4.63 685 v Ind at Dhaka 2008
16= (+1) Daren Powell WI 636 31.60 4.70 686 v Aus at St George's 2008
(+9) Ajantha Mendis SL 636*! 10.21 3.57 636 v Ban at Dhaka 2009
18 (-2) Andre Nel SA 632 27.68 4.63 685 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
19= ( - ) Iftikhar Anjum Pak 626 31.53 4.90 632 v Ban at Karachi 2008
(-1) Stuart Clark Aus 626* 27.82 4.90 632 v Ban at Darwin 2008

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacob Oram NZ 368 383 v WI at Queenstown 2008
2 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 366 544 v SL at The Rose Bowl 2004
3 (+3) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 361! 361 v SL at Dhaka 2009
4= (+1) Jacques Kallis SA 342 505 v WI at Bridgetown 2001
(-1) Shoaib Malik Pak 342 402 v WI at Brisbane 2005

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

South Africa fined again for slow over-rate in T20I in Brisbane

Dubai, 14 January 2009

The South Africa team was fined for the second successive time for maintaining a slow over-rate during its six-wicket defeat against Australia in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) in Brisbane on 13 January.

Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fines after Johan Botha’s side was ruled to be one over short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration.

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

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

Botha and his team had received similar fines for being one over short in the first T20I match in Melbourne on Sunday 11 January which Australia won by 52 runs.

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

Matt Hayden confirms his place among the all-time greats of the game

Dubai, 14 January 2009

Queenslander’s career-high rating puts him 10th in Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen and 18th in ODI list

Australia’s Matthew Hayden, who has just retired from representative cricket, can now look back on an international career that puts him in the top 10 Test batsmen and top 20 ODI batsmen of all-time, according to the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings.

Hayden’s highest Test rating of 935 came during the Ashes series of 2002-03 and puts him level in 10th position with South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and just behind four others, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara and a West Indian triumvirate consisting of legends Clive Walcott, Viv Richards and Garry Sobers.

Hayden’s one-day performances put him 18th in the all-time Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen with a career- high rating of 854 points, a tally that puts him level with New Zealand’s Glenn Turner and just behind Sri Lanka’s Aravinda de Silva.

To put this in perspective, only 25 batsmen in the history of the game have amassed 900 rating points or more in Test cricket while just 20 have passed the 850-point mark in ODIs. The full all-time lists can be viewed at www.iccreliancerankings.com.

Hayden’s achievements in the game are remarkable. In 103 Tests he scored 8,625 runs at an average of 50.73, including 30 centuries and 29 fifties. His highest score of 380 against Zimbabwe at the WACA in 2003 was a world record at the time and at his best he was an impossibly aggressive and mentally strong player who loved to dominate bowling through brute force.

He twice scored centuries in four successive Tests, putting him in an exclusive club of just three batsmen who have achieved that feat (the others being Don Bradman and Ken Barrington) and he passed the 1,000-run mark in a calendar year on five occasions.

He played 161 ODIs, scoring 6,133 runs at an average of 43.80. An obvious highlight was when he smashed 10 sixes on his way to an unbeaten 181 against New Zealand in the last ODI of the 2006-07 Chappell-Hadlee series. Then, later in 2007 he was the leading run-scorer at the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, knocking off 659 runs at an average of 73.22.

Indeed, 2007 was a great year for the Queenslander which resulted in him winning the ODI Player of the Year at the prestigious ICC Awards. This accolade was made all the more significant considering a year earlier he was not even in the Australia one-day team.


All-time Reliance Mobile ICC Test Player Rankings (as of 14 January 2009)

Rank Player Team HS Rating

Rank Player Team HS Rating

1 Don Bradman AUS 961 v India, 06/02/1948
2 Len Hutton ENG 945 v West Indies, 30/03/1954
3= Jack Hobbs ENG 942 v Australia, 19/08/1912
3= Ricky Ponting AUS 942 v England, 01/12/2006
5 Peter May ENG 941 v Australia, 23/08/1956
6= Clyde Walcott WI 938 v Australia, 11/06/1955
6= Viv Richards WI 938 v England, 27/03/1981
6= Garry Sobers WI 938 v India, 13/01/1967
6= Kumar Sangakkara SL 938 v England, 01/12/2007
10= Matthew Hayden AUS 935 v England, 07/11/2002
10= Jacques Kallis SA 935 v New Zealand, 18/11/2007
12 Mohammad Yousuf PAK 933 v West Indies, 27/11/2006
13= Graeme Pollock SA 927 v Australia, 19/02/1970
13= Everton Weekes WI 927 v New Zealand, 03/03/1956
15= Dudley Nourse SA 922 v England, 07/06/1951
15= Doug Walters AUS 922 v South Africa, 19/02/1970
17= Neil Harvey AUS 921 v South Africa, 06/02/1953
17= Michael Hussey AUS 921 v West Indies, 23/05/2008
19 Denis Compton ENG 917 v Australia, 08/07/1948
20 Sunil Gavaskar IND 916 v England, 30/08/1979

All-time Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Player Rankings (as of 14 January 2009)

Rank Player Team HS Rating

1 Viv Richards WI 935 v Pakistan, 02/12/1985
2 Zaheer Abbas PAK 931 v New Zealand, 20/06/1983
3 Greg Chappell AUS 921 v New Zealand, 03/02/1981
4 David Gower ENG 919 v New Zealand, 15/06/1983
5 Dean Jones AUS 918 v West Indies, 09/03/1991
6 Javed Miandad PAK 910 v Sri Lanka, 08/10/1987
7 Brian Lara WI 908 v Pakistan, 26/03/1993
8= Desmond Haynes WI 900 v New Zealand, 23/04/1985
8= Gary Kirsten SA 900 v Australia, 19/10/1996
10 Allan Lamb ENG 897 v Pakistan, 02/03/1985
11 Gordon Greenidge WI 895 v India, 07/12/1983
12 Sachin Tendulkar IND 887 v Zimbabwe, 13/11/1998
13 Michael Bevan AUS 885 v England, 17/01/1999
14 Kepler Wessels AUS 872 v Sri Lanka, 23/01/1985
15= Michael Hussey AUS 863 v New Zealand, 28/01/2007
15= Graham Gooch ENG 863 v Pakistan, 22/11/1987
17 Aravinda de Silva SL 861 v Pakistan, 11/04/1997
18= Matthew Hayden AUS 854 v India, 15/02/2003
18= Glenn Turner NZ 854 v Sri Lanka, 13/06/1983
20 Mark Waugh AUS 852 v New Zealand, 11/03/1996

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Gayle blows away the competition

Dubai, 14 January 2009

West Indies captain claims number one spot in Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen from India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni

New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori slips to second in bowlers’ list; Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Kulasekara breaks into top 10 for first time

West Indies captain Chris Gayle has stormed his way back to the number one place in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen after a series of fine performances against New Zealand.

The 29-year-old Jamaican has gained five places in the rankings to knock India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Australia’s Michael Hussey down to second and third place.

Gayle managed an impressive 135 off 129 balls – including nine fours and five sixes – in the final ODI against New Zealand in Napier and although his side lost the match there was some consolation in his elevation to the position of number-one ODI batsman in the world.

The big left-hander was last ranked number one nearly five years ago (in April 2004) but he has not been out of the top 20 since the middle of 2002.

Gayle’s ascension sees the likes of South Africa’s Graeme Smith and India’s Yuvraj Singh slip down the rankings, with Smith, currently ranked fifth, likely to fall even further with injury forcing him out of the upcoming Australia v South Africa five-match series due to start on Friday 16 January.

However, Hussey has the opportunity to push back up the rankings from third with the upcoming series against South Africa. Also aiming to clamber back up the rankings will be Hussey’s captain, Ricky Ponting, currently occupying seventh position in the table. A return to the top five is not out of the question for the Tasmanian.

South Africa’s AB de Villiers will also be looking to improve his current ranking of 14. The 24-year-old is currently struggling with a bruised hip but will be looking to take part in the first ODI in Melbourne on Friday.

De Villiers’ in-form team-mate Jean-Paul Duminy will also be eyeing a higher spot in the rankings. Duminy, currently ranked 43rd, has had an extremely good run with the bat in Australia and has the potential to climb the rankings in the coming weeks.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has slipped from the number one spot to second. Vettori briefly went top after a good start to the ODI series with the West Indies but his 0-45 in the final match in Napier has meant he has lost his place by the narrowest of margins.

Australia’s Nathan Bracken has replaced Vettori at the top of the rankings and will be looking to strengthen his hold at the head of the table as he prepares for the South Africa series. Bracken and Vettori are only separated by a single point and if Bracken performs well in the coming weeks there is potential for him to further cement his lead.

Meanwhile, Bracken’s team-mate Mitchell Johnson has gained one place to go fourth in the rankings and if he performs well against South Africa he, too, has the opportunity to leapfrog Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralidaran in third place.

It is better news for Muralidaran’s team-mate, Nuwan Kulasekara, who has broken into the top 10 for the first time in his career. The 26-year-old had been playing for his side in the tri-series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe taking 3-13 against Zimbabwe on 12 January in Dhaka and gaining seven places in the process to take sixth spot.

Zimbabwe’s captain Prosper Utseya has returned to the top 20 after taking 2-22 against Bangladesh and 1-28 against Sri Lanka in his side’s recent involvement in the tri-series in Dhaka.

Bangladesh’s Saqibul Hasan has gained four places on the rankings to go 23rd and has a chance to improve his ranking further when the hosts face Sri Lanka in the final match of the series today.

Back in New Zealand, Mark Gillespie has gained 12 places in the rankings to go 37th after taking match figures in the final ODI against the West Indies of 4-58.

Looking ahead to Friday when Australia will face South Africa, the Proteas’ Makhaya Ntini will be hoping to be in the starting line-up at the MCG. The 31-year-old fast bowler is hovering close to the top 20, currently occupying 27th spot in the table. Captain Johan Botha will also be looking to improve on his current ranking of 32nd in the table.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for all-rounders, Gayle has increased his ranking by one to take fourth place, forcing South Africa’s Jacques Kallis into fifth spot.

However, there is no change in the leaders of the all-rounders, with New Zealand’s Jacob Oram in first place and England’s Andrew Flintoff in second.


Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Player Rankings (as of 14 January)

Batsmen

Rank (Change) Player Team Points Average Highest Ranking

1 (+5) Chris Gayle WI 783 40.63 804 v Aus at Mumbai 2006
2 (-1) MS Dhoni Ind 779 46.84 806 v WI at Kingston 2006
3 (-1) Mike Hussey Aus 776 57.13 863 v NZ at Perth 2007
4 ( - ) S.Chanderpaul WI 769 ! 41.14 769 v NZ at Napier 2009
5 (-2) Graeme Smith SA 760 40.88 792 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
6 (-1) Yuvraj Singh Ind 744 37.16 754 v Eng at Bangalore 2008
7 ( - ) Ricky Ponting Aus 740 43.24 832 v NZ at Hobart 2007
8 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 730 48.36 834 v Aus at Antigua 2007
9 ( - ) Mohd Yousuf Pak 727 43.19 777 v SA at Rawalpindi 2003
10 ( - ) Andrew Symonds Aus 719 40.34 778 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
11 ( - ) Matthew Hayden Aus 711 43.80 854 v Ind at Centurion 2003
12 ( - ) S Tendulkar Ind 708 44.26 887 v Zim at Sharjah 1998
13 ( - ) R Sarwan WI 696 44.17 798 v Ind at St Kitts 2006
14 ( - ) AB de Villiers SA 689 36.40 733 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
15 (+1) Herschelle Gibbs SA 682 36.18 750 v SL at Durban 2003
16 (+1) Jacques Kallis SA 679 45.27 816 v WI at Johannesburg 2004
17= (-2) K Sangakkara SL 677 35.91 760 v Ind at Rajkot 2007
(+1) Michael Clarke Aus 677 42.46 756 v SL at Melbourne 2008
19 ( - ) Shoaib Malik Pak 674 35.61 690 v WI at Abu Dhabi 2008
20 ( - ) Yunus Khan Pak 673 ! 34.50 673 v WI at Abu Dhabi 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 754 31.74 4.16 790 v Eng at Christchurch 2008
3 ( - ) M Muralidaran SL 721 22.60 3.87 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
4 (+1) Mitchell Johnson Aus 707 23.46 4.72 726 v Ban at Darwin 2008
5 (-1) Kyle Mills NZ 704 25.90 4.62 713 v WI at Wellington 2009
6 (+7) N Kulasekara SL 684*! 27.12 4.23 684 v Zim at Dhaka 2009
7= (-1) Stuart Broad Eng 673 27.58 4.94 701 v SA at Trent Bridge 2008
(-1) Sohail Tanvir Pak 673*! 26.00 4.81 673 v WI at Abu Dhabi 2008
9 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 662 24.69 4.38 755 v Ban at Dhaka 2003
10= (-2) Jerome Taylor WI 660 26.26 4.67 688 v SA at Cape Town 2008
( - ) Zaheer Khan Ind 660 28.63 4.84 700 v SA at Dhaka 2003
12 (-1) Brett Lee Aus 657 22.96 4.71 853 v SA at Melbourne 2006
13 (-1) Chaminda Vaas SL 652 27.54 4.18 861 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2004
14 ( - ) Jacob Oram NZ 645 30.25 4.38 768 v Aus at The Oval 2004
15 ( - ) Shahid Afridi Pak 644 35.04 4.63 685 v Ind at Dhaka 2008
16 ( - ) Andre Nel SA 638 27.68 4.63 685 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
17 ( - ) Daren Powell WI 636 31.60 4.70 686 v Aus at St George's 2008
18 ( - ) Stuart Clark Aus 632*! 27.82 4.90 632 v Ban at Darwin 2008
19 ( - ) Iftikhar Anjum Pak 626 31.53 4.90 632 v Ban at Karachi 2008
20 (+8) Prosper Utseya Zim 618 51.39 4.03 651 v Ban at Harare 2006

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacob Oram NZ 368 383 v WI at Queenstown 2008
2 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 366 544 v SL at The Rose Bowl 2004
3 ( - ) Shoaib Malik Pak 342 402 v WI at Brisbane 2005
4 (+1) Chris Gayle WI 336 511 v Zim at Harare 2003
5 (-1) Jacques Kallis SA 327 505 v WI at Bridgetown 2001

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

New Zealand eyes second place in Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship

Dubai, 13 January 2009

South Africa now challenges Australia for number-one ODI spot

New Zealand has maintained its pressure on fourth-placed Pakistan in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship after winning its rain-marred ODI series against the West Indies. And such is the competitive nature of the rankings, the Black Caps could take second place if they continue their winning ways.

New Zealand won the five-match series 2-1 which has kept it on 113 ratings points, just one point behind Pakistan.

However, if West Indies had won the Napier ODI on Tuesday, New Zealand would have dropped to 109 ratings points which would have made its task of regaining the number-two spot, a position it last held in January 2005, extremely difficult.

With New Zealand set to play 10 ODIs over the next couple of months – five in Australia and five at home against India – it is justified in eyeing second place but to convert that dream into reality, it will have to put up strong performances against two of the best sides in the world.

Two rained-off matches may have denied the Black Caps a chance to leapfrog Pakistan but it can still go past Shoaib Malik’s side in fourth place as early as 21 January if Pakistan ends up on the losing side in the opening game of the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in Karachi.

In that scenario, Pakistan would drop to fifth place on 112 ratings points while Sri Lanka would also move ahead of sixth-placed England. However, if Pakistan comes back to beat Sri Lanka 2-1, it will stay in fourth place while Sri Lanka will also remain in seventh place behind England.

Meanwhile, South Africa, after missing an opportunity to replace Australia at the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table, now has a chance to snatch the number-one ODI spot from Ricky Ponting’s side.

But this can only be achieved if Johan Botha’s team wins the series 4-1 or 5-0. In case of a 4-1 series result, both the teams would be tied on 125 points each but the Proteas would be placed higher by a fraction of a point.

If South Africa sweeps the series, it will go top on 128 ratings points while Australia will drop to 122 ratings points.

On the other side of the coin, if Australia wins the series 5-0 South Africa will slip behind India on 114 ratings points. And if Pakistan defeats Sri Lanka 2-1, South Africa will be fourth on the table as Pakistan will occupy third place on 115 ratings points.

These are the potential scenarios coming out of the Australia and South Africa ODI series:

If Australia wins 5-0, Australia will jump to 136 ratings points while South Africa will drop to 114 ratings points

If Australia wins 4-1, Australia will go to 133 ratings points while South Africa will drop behind second-placed India on 117 ratings points

If Australia wins 3-2, Australia will concede one ratings point and slip to 130 while South Africa will go one point clear of India in second place

If South Africa wins 3-2, Australia will drop to 127 ratings points while South Africa will climb to 122 ratings points

If South Africa wins 4-1, South Africa and Australia will be tied on 125 ratings points each but the Proteas will be placed higher by a fraction of a point

If South Africa wins the series 5-0, the Proteas will gain nine ratings points and will jump to 128 ratings points while Australia will slip to 122 ratings points, just three ratings points ahead of third-placed India.

While the ICC Test Championship is only updated at the end of each series, the ICC ODI Championship table is updated after every match.

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship (as of 13 January)

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 131
2 South Africa 119
3 India 119
4 Pakistan 114
5 New Zealand 113
6 England 108
7 Sri Lanka 107
8 West Indies 91
9 Bangladesh 44
10 Ireland 19
11 Zimbabwe 17
12 Kenya 11

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Dubai, 13 January 2009

ICC announces umpire and referee appointments for upcoming ODIs in Bangladesh and Pakistan
The ICC today announced details of umpire and match referee appointments for the upcoming ODI series in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Immediately after the ongoing triangular series in Mirpur, which also involves Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, Bangladesh will take on Zimbabwe in a three-match ODI series which will be refereed by Alan Hurst from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.

The matches will be umpired by Zameer Haider of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires along with local appointees.

Meanwhile, Pakistan plays Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series which starts in Karachi from 21 January. The series will be refereed by Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel while all the matches will be umpired by Nigel Llong of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires along with local appointees.

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

Bangladesh
ODI series match referee – Alan Hurst

19 Jan – Bangladesh v Zimbabwe (ODI), Mirpur – Zameer Haider and local appointment
21 Jan – Bangladesh v Zimbabwe (ODI), Mirpur – Zameer Haider and local appointment
23 Jan – Bangladesh v Zimbabwe (ODI), Mirpur – Zameer Haider and local appointment

Pakistan
ODI series match referee – Chris Broad

21 Jan – Pakistan v Sri Lanka (ODI), Karachi – Nigel Llong and local appointment
24 Jan – Pakistan v Sri Lanka (ODI), Lahore – Nigel Llong and local appointment
27 Jan – Pakistan v Sri Lanka (ODI), Multan – Nigel Llong and local appointment

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Top performers named in provisional squads for ICC Women’s World Cup 2009

Dubai, 13 January 2009

Australia and New Zealand to make final touches to their preparations in the Rose Bowl Series while Sri Lanka and Pakistan to warm up in tri-series in Bangladesh

The best of the best in women’s cricket have been named in the provisional squads for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 to be held in Australia from 7 to 22 March.

In ICC events, participating teams are expected to submit their provisional squads 60 days prior to the start of the tournament while the teams are expected to name their final 15-player squads 30 days before the first match.

The top three ODI batters in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings – Claire Taylor of England, Australia’s Lisa Sthalekar and Mithali Raj of India – have all been named in the provisional squads along with leading bowlers Isa Guha of England, Shelley Nitschke of Australia and India’s Jhulan Goswami.

Also featuring are Karen Rolton of Australia, who won the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2006, the 2008 winner England’s Charlotte Edwards, New Zealand’s Haidee Tiffin, Ashlyn Kilowan and Alicia Smith of South Africa, Sajida Shah of Pakistan and Dedunu Silva and Shashikala Siriwardena of Sri Lanka.

Australia and New Zealand will make final touches to their World Cup preparations by playing in the Rose Bowl Series in New Zealand from 1 to 12 February while Pakistan and Sri Lanka will warm up for the most prestigious event in women’s cricket by participating in the triangular series in Bangladesh from 3 to 18 February.

England, which submitted its 15-player squad in October, along with India, South Africa and the West Indies, has no ODIs planned in a lead up to the tournament.

The ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 will see the world’s top eight teams – hosts and holders Australia, along with England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies – compete at six venues across New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

ESPN STAR Sports, the ICC’s broadcast partner, will cover all seven matches that will take place at North Sydney Oval, including the final. This will ensure that the event will be the most widely viewed to date, with the coverage to be aired in more than 100 countries.

The format of the event sees the teams divided into two groups. Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies and South Africa are in Group A while India, England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are in Group B.

The top three sides in each group go forward to the Super Six stage where each side then plays the teams which have qualified from the other group. The top two sides from the Super Six go forward to the final.

The provisional squads for all eight participating teams are:

AUSTRALIA – Karen Rolton (captain) Sarah Andrews, Alex Blackwell, Kate Blackwell, Melissa Bulow, Kris Britt, Jessica Cameron, Renee Chappell, Leonie Coleman, Lauren Ebsary, Sarah Edwards, Rene Farrell, Jodie Fields, Corrinne Hall, Rachel Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jessica Jonassen, Delissa Kimmence, Shelley Nitschke, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Kirsten Pike, Leah Poulton, Emma Sampson, Clea Smith, Lisa Sthalekar, Selina Tainton, Jo-Ann Verrall, Elyse Villani, Julie Woerner.

ENGLAND – Charlotte Edwards (captain), Caroline Atkins, Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin, Lydia Greenway, Lauren Griffiths, Isa Guha, Jenny Gunn, Laura Marsh, Beth Morgan, Ebony-Jewel Rainford-Brent, Nicola Shaw, Anya Shrubsole, Claire Taylor, Sarah Taylor.

INDIA – Amita Sharma, Anagha Deshpande, Anjum Chopra, Asha Rawat, Devika Palshikar, Diana David, Gouhar Sultana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jaya Sharma, Jhulan Goswami, Lalita Sharma, Latika Kumari, Mithali Raj, Murugesan Thirushkamini, Niranjana Sankaramani, Nooshin Al-Khadeer, Pallavi Bharadwaj, Priti Dimri, Priyanka Roy, Punam Raut, Ria Chaudhury, Rumeli Dhar, Reema Malhotra, Rajeshwari Goyal, Seema Pujare, Sindhu Basu, Snehal Pradhan, Sravanthi Krishnamurthy, Sulakshana Naik, Swarupa Kadam.

NEW ZEALAND – Haidee Tiffin (captain), Suzie Bates, Kate Broadmore, Nicola Browne, Sarah Burke, Abby Burrows, Emma Campbell, Rachel Candy, Amanda Cooper, Sophie Devine, Anna Dodd, Luch Doolan, Maria Fahey, Rosamond Kember, Victoria Lind, Frances Mackay, Katey Martin, Aimee Mason, Sara McGlashan, Beth McNeill, Louise Milliken, Prashilla Mistry, Rowan Milburn, Rachel Priest, Katherine Pulford, Sian Ruck, Amy Satterthwaite, Sarah Tsukigawa, Megan Wakefield, Anna Wilkins.

PAKISTAN – Almas Akram, Asmavia Iqbal, Armaan Khan, Bibi Nahida, Bismah Maroof, Javeria Wadood, Kainat Imtiaz, Mariam Hassan Shah, Marina Iqbal, Mehwish Tariq, Naila Nazir, Nazia Sadiq, Nida Rashid, Sabeen, Sajida Shah, Salma Faiz, Sana Gulzar, Sana Mir, Sana Zeeshan, Sania Iqbal, Sukhan Faiz, Sumaiya Siddiqui, Syeda Nain Abidi, Sadia Yousaf, Syeda Batool Fatima Naqvi, Sumaira Sajid, Qanita Jalil, Urooj Mumtaz, Wajiha Sundas, Zeba Hussain.

SOUTH AFRICA – Olivia Anderson, Susan Benade, Cri-Zelda Brits, Trisha Chetty, Moseline Daniels, Denisha Devnarain, Shandre Fritz, Alison Hodgkinson, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Ashlyn Kilowan, Marcia Letsoalo, Sunette Loubser, Dane van Niekerk, Mignon Du Preez, Alicia Smith, Melissa Smook, Claire Terblanche, Daleen Terblanche, Kirstie Thomson, Charlize van der Westhuizen, Yolandi van der Westhuizen.

SRI LANKA – Sanduni Abeyawickrama, Suwini de Alwis, Chamari Atapaththu, Chamika Bandara, Dushyanthi Dedunu, Sandamali Dolawatta, Shereena Faizer, Hiruka Fernando, Rose Fernando, Sumudu Fernando, Sajeewani Galagedara, Chandima Gunerathna, Gayathri Kariyawasam, Nirosha Kumari, Eshani Lokusooriya, Ama Kanchana, Lasanthi Madushani, Dilani Manodara, Chamari Polgampola, Udeshika Prabodini, Deepika Rasangika, Dumila Ramma Waduge, Maduri Samudika, Chamani Seneviratne, Dedunu de Silva, Shashikala Siriwardena, Prabha Udawatta, Prasadini Weerakkodi, Sripali Weerakkodi, Chandi Wickremasinghe.

WEST INDIES – Merissa Aguilleira, Kirbyina Alexander, Melisia Billingy, Shemaine Campbelle, Phernel Charles, Maria David, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Keila Elliott, Pearl Etienne, Afy Fletcher, Erva Giddings, Geneille Greaves, Cordel Jack, Stacy-Ann King, Pamela Lavine, Debbie-Ann Lewis, Tracey Miller, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Juliana Nero, Gaitri Seetahal, Shakera Selman, Zaheeda Samdally, Nicole Samuel, Danielle Small, Charlene Taitt, Stefanie Taylor, Joann Vansertima, Vanessa Watts.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Bangladesh catches the Spirit of Cricket in style

Dubai, 13 January 2009

David Richardson says Bangladesh has set high standards for ICC centenary celebrations

ICC General Manager – Cricket and former South Africa wicketkeeper David Richardson has congratulated the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for celebrating its Catch the Spirit week during the triangular one-day series in Mirpur.

During the Bangladesh Catch the Spirit week, Mr Richardson watched the series opener between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, interacted with a range of ICC’s stakeholders including the Bangladesh Cricket Board and local media, and participated in the HIV/AIDS-awareness programme which was organised by UNICEF and was also attended by the Bangladesh Goodwill Ambassador Mohammed Ashraful and Sakib Al Hasan as well as Zimbabwe players Raymond Price and Vusimuzi Sibanda.

Mr Richardson also attended a special centenary youth game at the Bangladesh Sports Institute (BKSP).

Mr Richardson carried the Catch the Spirit flag which will fly to the ICC Members across the globe to promote the centenary and the spirit of cricket.

Reflecting on his participation in the Bangladesh Catch the Spirit week, Mr Richardson said: “The thing that impresses me most about Bangladesh is the level of enthusiasm for the game and they are never short of it. Every time I go there, I find the same passion and commitment which is pleasing.

“The BCB has made significant progress in setting up an infrastructure capable of supporting cricket played at the highest level.

“The Bangladesh Cricket Board organised some fantastic activities to celebrate 100 years of international cricket and were an excellent reflection of the passion for cricket in the country.

“As a Full Member of the ICC, Bangladesh is in the top 10 and has a responsibility to perform on and off the field in a fashion of a top 10 country.

“I think every series in 2009, no matter where it is played, will take on an increased significance because it’s the ICC centenary year. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the diversity and global appeal of the game.

“Bangladesh’s Catch the Spirit week has set a great example for other members to follow,” he said.

BCB Director of Media and Communications, Mohammad Jalal Yunus, said: “The BCB is delighted to have played such an active role in commemorating the ICC centenary and celebrating the spirit of cricket.

“Cricket is something which unites the country and the Catch the Spirit activities this week have demonstrated our commitment and passion to this great game.”

About the ICC centenary year

ICC President David Morgan and Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat officially launched the ICC centenary year in Sydney, Australia on 2 January by announcing the formation of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, in association with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA).

The ICC’s centenary year will be a global celebration with events taking place around the world to reflect all that is great about the game.

On the field these events include the ICC Women’s World Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, the ICC World Twenty20 event for men and women and the ICC Champions Trophy.

And off it there will be the opening of the ICC Global Cricket Academy and the inauguration of the ICC’s new headquarters, both of which are in Dubai, and an ICC cricket history conference at St Antony’s College, Oxford in the United Kingdom in July.

The ICC will also be celebrating the contribution of volunteers across the world through the award of 1,000 centenary medals and will announce new developments to its social responsibility partnership on HIV/AIDS.

During the course of 2009, each of the ICC’s 104 Members will be hosting activities inspired by the special spirit of cricket as part of the global Catch the Spirit centenary celebration.

To promote this theme and the launch of the ICC’s centenary year website, www.catchthespirit.com, stars of the international game have named their “Catch the Spirit” moments which best encapsulate the spirit of cricket.

Among those stars that can be seen on the website, Yuvraj Singh of India speaks of his experiences in Pakistan – India matches and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis reflects on his side’s famous chase of 438 to beat Australia in an ODI in Johannesburg.

During the course of the year fans will be able to upload their own “Catch the Spirit” moments onto the website, so supporters across the world can celebrate the spirit of cricket.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

South Africa fined for slow over-rate in T20I in Melbourne

Dubai, 13 January 2009

The South Africa team was fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during its 52-run defeat against Australia in the first Twenty20 International (T20I) in Melbourne on 11 January.

Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fines after Johan Botha’s side was ruled to be one over short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration.

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

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

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

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

From Australia, Catch the Spirit flag now travels to Bangladesh

Dubai, 9 January 2009

Following the launch of the ICC centenary year in Sydney last week, the Catch the Spirit flag will now travel to Bangladesh which will celebrate its Catch the Spirit week during the triangular ODI series to be staged in Mirpur from 10 to 16 January.

The flag, which will fly to ICC Members across the globe to promote the centenary and the spirit of cricket, will be carried by ICC General Manager – Cricket and former South Africa wicketkeeper David Richardson.

Throughout the year, the ICC will be asking people to sign the flag as it makes its way throughout the cricket world.

That process began in Sydney where former captains Tony Greig (England), Richie Benaud, Mark Taylor, Ian Chappell, Stephen Waugh, Bill Lawry, Ian Healy and Shane Warne (Australia) and women's players Lisa Sthalekar (Australia) and Isa Guha and Holly Colvin (England) and several other cricketing figures all supplied their autographs.

By the end of the year the flag will represent a year in the life of world cricket.

During the Bangladesh Catch the Spirit week, Mr Richardson will also watch the tri-nation series opener between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe on Saturday and interact with a range of stakeholders including the Bangladesh Cricket Board and local media.

The Catch the Spirit activities in Bangladesh will include:

· Free match access for selected school children
· On-field cricket demonstration from young players
· HIV/AIDS awareness-raising activities
· Catch the Spirit flag signing and stakeholder interaction

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Vettori reclaims top spot in Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers

Dubai, 9 January 2009

Black Caps skipper takes back number one place from Nathan Bracken; Oram slips six places while Chris Gayle also falls in batting and all-rounder list

Zimbabwe can gain one place in Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship during tri-series as Sri Lanka has England in its sights

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has made a superb start to 2009 by becoming the number-one ranked ODI bowler in the world again.

The left-arm spinner, who turns 30 later this month, has taken six wickets in the first three matches of the current series against the West Indies at an impressive average of just 12.33 and a thrifty economy rate of 3.08. In the process he has moved above Australia’s Nathan Bracken into top spot in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers.

It is not the first time Vettori has been at the summit, having spent much of the first half of last year in first position. But Bracken toppled him in June 2008, coincidentally also while playing against the West Indies, but now the 31-year-old New South Welshman has been consigned to second spot once again.

Nevertheless, Bracken has the perfect opportunity to retake number-one place having been named in Australia’s one-day squad for the upcoming five-ODI series against South Africa.

Things are continuing to go well for Vettori’s team-mate Kyle Mills as his four wickets claimed in the series so far have earned him another place and put him in fourth, just ahead of Mitchell Johnson of Australia.

West Indies fast bowler Daren Powell has managed to move up two places to 17th position in the bowling rankings following a good start to the ODI series in New Zealand for him.

The big mover is young Black Cap Tim Southee who has managed to gain 20 places to put him in 75th position.

It’s not such good news for Jacob Oram, however. The big all-rounder has slipped six places to 14th in the bowling rankings after taking just one wicket in the series so far, at an average of 45.00.

Oram still clings on to number-one position in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders although he has lost ground to England’s Andrew Flintoff in second position.

Another top-class player who has not fired on all cylinders during this series to date is West Indies talisman Chris Gayle. The hard-hitting left-hander has lost one place in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen and has dropped out of the top five, into sixth position.

His place has been taken by India’s Yuvraj Singh, who returns to the top five after a brief spell occupying sixth place. Top spot is still reserved for Yuvraj’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is closely followed by Michael Hussey of Australia in second place and Proteas’ captain Graeme Smith in third.

Gayle has also dropped two places to fifth spot in the all-rounders’ list with South Africa’s Jacques Kallis the man to benefit from Gayle’s misfortune.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe can move up one place to 10th in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table if it beats Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in two matches coming up in Dhaka.

On Saturday Prosper Utseya’s team will take on the host at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur lying some six ratings points behind Ireland on the table.

A win there and another against Mahela Jayawardena’s Sri Lanka on Monday would not only put Zimbabwe in the final of that short triangular ODI series but would also move the African team ahead of Ireland on the log.

On the other hand, defeats in both those games would close the gap between Zimbabwe in 11th spot and Kenya in 12th to just one ratings point. And with Zimbabwe scheduled to play three more ODIs against Bangladesh later this month, there will be opportunities for plenty of movement up or down the list depending on how it performs.

Sri Lanka will keep the pressure on England in sixth position with three wins in the tri-series. At the moment Jayawardena and his men are just behind England and could draw level on 108 ratings points if they come out on top although would probably remain in seventh spot by a fraction of a point.
But defeat will put Sri Lanka under more pressure from behind particularly if the West Indies fares well in the remaining two ODIs in the ongoing series in New Zealand.

The tri-series and the following three-match showdown with Zimbabwe presents Bangladesh with the opportunity to gain ground on the West Indies in eighth spot. At the moment Mohammad Ashraful’s side is some 45 ratings points behind and will not catch the men from the Caribbean this month but a good showing will certainly put it on the right track.

Tri-series fixtures in Bangladesh

10 Jan – Bangladesh v Zimbabwe (ODI), Dhaka
12 Jan – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe (ODI), Dhaka
14 Jan – Bangladhes v Sri Lanka (ODI), Dhaka
16 Jan – Final

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship (as of 9 January)

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 131
2 South Africa 119
3 India 119
4 Pakistan 114
5 New Zealand 112
6 England 108
7 Sri Lanka 107
8 West Indies 92
9 Bangladesh 47
10 Ireland 19
11 Zimbabwe 13
12 Kenya 11

ICC One-Day Rankings (as of 9 January)

Batsmen

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

1 ( - ) MS Dhoni Ind 779 46.84 806 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 ( - ) S Chanderpaul WI 749 40.86 764 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2008
5 (+1) Yuvraj Singh Ind 744 37.16 754 v Eng at Bangalore 2008
6 (-1) Chris Gayle WI 742 39.82 804 v Aus at Mumbai 2006
7 ( - ) Ricky Ponting Aus 740 43.24 832 v NZ at Hobart 2007
8 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 730 48.36 834 v Aus at Antigua 2007
9 ( - ) Mohd Yousuf Pak 727 43.19 777 v SA at Rawalpindi 2003
10 ( - ) Andrew Symonds Aus 719 40.34 778 v Ind at Nagpur 2007
11 ( - ) Matthew Hayden Aus 711 43.80 854 v Ind at Centurion 2003
12 ( - ) Sachin Tendulkar Ind 708 44.26 887 v Zim at Sharjah 1998
13 ( - ) R Sarwan WI 702 44.38 798 v Ind at St Kitts 2006
14 ( - ) AB de Villiers SA 689 36.40 733 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
15 ( - ) K Sangakkara SL 687 36.07 760 v Ind at Rajkot 2007
16 ( - ) Herschelle Gibbs SA 682 36.18 750 v SL at Durban 2003
17 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 679 45.27 816 v WI at Johannesburg 2004
18 ( - ) Michael Clarke Aus 677 42.46 756 v SL at Melbourne 2008
19 ( - ) Shoaib Malik Pak 674 35.61 690 v WI at Abu Dhabi 2008
20 ( - ) Younis Khan Pak 673 ! 34.50 673 v WI at Abu Dhabi 2008

Bowlers

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

1 (+1) Daniel Vettori NZ 766 31.55 4.15 790 v Eng at Christchurch 2008
2 (-1) Nathan Bracken Aus 755 21.87 4.33 806 v SL at St George's 2007
3 ( - ) M Muralidaran SL 717 22.69 3.87 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
4 (+1) Kyle Mills NZ 713 ! 25.83 4.59 713 v WI at Wellington 2009
5 (-1) Mitchell Johnson Aus 707 23.46 4.72 726 v Ban at Darwin 2008
6= ( - ) Stuart Broad Eng 673 27.58 4.94 701 v SA at Trent Bridge 2008
( - ) Sohail Tanvir Pak 673*! 26.00 4.81 673 v WI at Abu Dhabi 2008
8 ( - ) Jerome Taylor WI 667 26.26 4.67 688 v SA at Cape Town 2008
9 (+1) Andrew Flintoff Eng 662 24.69 4.38 755 v Ban at Dhaka 2003
10 (+1) Zaheer Khan Ind 660 28.63 4.84 700 v SA at Dhaka 2003
11 (+1) Brett Lee Aus 657 22.96 4.71 853 v SA at Melbourne 2006
12 (+1) Chaminda Vaas SL 655 27.54 4.18 861 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2004
13 (+1) N Kulasekara SL 652*! 28.64 4.28 652 v Zim at Harare 2008
14 (-6) Jacob Oram NZ 651 30.25 4.38 768 v Aus at The Oval 2004
15 ( - ) Shahid Afridi Pak 644 35.04 4.63 685 v Ind at Dhaka 2008
16 ( - ) Andre Nel SA 638 27.68 4.63 685 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
17 (+2) Daren Powell WI 637 31.74 4.65 686 v Aus at St George's 2008
18 (-1) Stuart Clark Aus 632*! 27.82 4.90 632 v Ban at Darwin 2008
19 (-1) Iftikhar Anjum Pak 626 31.53 4.90 632 v Ban at Karachi 2008
20 ( - ) Harbhajan Singh Ind 617 32.97 4.19 735 v WI at Bridgetown 2002

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacob Oram NZ 375 383 v WI at Queenstown 2008
2 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 366 544 v SL at The Rose Bowl 2004
3 ( - ) Shoaib Malik Pak 342 402 v WI at Brisbane 2005
4 (+1) Jacques Kallis SA 327 505 v WI at Bridgetown 2001
5 (-2) Chris Gayle WI 326 511 v Zim at Harare 2003

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

ICC President David Morgan: Australia – South Africa series again illustrates Test cricket’s viability

Dubai, 8 January 2009

“With India close behind the top two sides in the Reliance Mobile Test Championship table, cricket has entered an era of exciting competition at elite level”

“It’s up to everyone – players, match officials, administrators, commercial partners and spectators – to ensure feel-good factor continues”

“Sydney was an outstanding Test in an outstanding series and credit should go to all those involved”

ICC President David Morgan today said the thrilling Test series between Australia and South Africa once again illustrated the continued viability of the longest form of the game.

He said the 2-1 success for the Proteas showed cricket had entered an era of exciting competition at elite level.

And he urged all those involved in the game – players, administrators, match officials and spectators – to do all they could to sustain the current buzz around the sport.

Mr Morgan, in Sydney alongside ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat to watch the home side’s 103-run third Test win over the visitors, said: “The whole Australia – South Africa series and a host of other matches around the world over the past few weeks and months are ample illustrations of the continuing value and relevance of Test cricket in the modern era.

“For sustained drama, no format of any other sport can match it. It truly is a test – of skill, courage and stamina, and once again we saw all of that in abundance in Sydney, an outstanding Test match in an outstanding series.

“Congratulations should go to all those involved – South Africa for its first series win on Australian soil, Australia for its success in the final Test that ensured it continued to top the Reliance Mobile Test Championship table and the players and officials for helping to ensure the series was played in a great spirit.

“The players clearly want and enjoy Test cricket. It is the yardstick by which they measure themselves against past and current players and the records will be there in years to come.

“And the public in Sydney also demonstrated a significant appetite for the oldest format with more than 110,000 turning up to witness the action, even though the home side had already lost the series.

“As the global governing body for the sport, the ICC’s role is to work with our members to harness and sustain that type of enthusiasm where it already exists and to develop it where it may not.

“One way of doing just that is to explore how we can make the format even more attractive and relevant and the introduction of an enhanced Test championship is one option in that regard. The ICC Board is continuing to look at potential models for such a championship and that work will continue in 2009.

“In the short term, the result of the series in Australia has set things up beautifully for the return encounter in South Africa starting in late February, with the winners topping the Reliance Mobile Test Championship table.

“And with India hard on the heels of those two sides we have entered an era of exciting competition at the elite level, something that has to be a great thing for our great sport.

“With so much high-quality action to come over the next few months, including the ICC World Twenty20 for men and women, the ICC Champions Trophy, the ICC World Cup Qualifier and the ICC Women’s World Cup as well as a host of outstanding bilateral series, cricket has a fantastic opportunity to portray itself in an outstanding light in 2009, the ICC’s centenary year.

“Cricket is in the fortunate position of having three viable forms of the game at international level and with all of those formats producing great, high-quality action all around the world our sport has a positive feel to it at the moment.

“It is up to everyone – players, match officials, administrators, commercial partners and the public – to ensure the feeling is sustained. And if it is then our strong sport really will continue to grow stronger,” added Mr Morgan.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Clarke scales new heights in Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings

Dubai, 8 January 2009

Australia vice-captain breaks into top five; Hashim Amla and Simon Katich join top 20 for first time; Brett Lee drops to lowest ranking since January 2007

Australia’s Michael Clarke has risen further in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen and has broken into the top five for the first time in his career.

The 27-year-old right-handed batsman has jumped four places to fifth after managing scores of 138 and 41 against South Africa in Sydney to help seal victory over the Proteas in the final Test of the three-match series.

Also on the rise, South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Simon Katich of Australia have joined the top 20 for the first time in their careers.

Amla has climbed four places to 19th position after registering two half-centuries in the match while Katich shares 20th spot with West Indies captain Chris Gayle after scores of 47 and 61.

Meanwhile, rival captains, Graeme Smith of South Africa and Australia’s Ricky Ponting, have failed to retain their places.

Smith has dropped two places in the rankings to ninth, despite bravely coming out to bat at number 11 for his side in the second innings of the Sydney Test after breaking his left hand in the first innings of the game while Ponting has slipped one place to seventh after scores of 0 and 53.

Higher up the table Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara has dropped from second to third after managing a total of 59 runs against Bangladesh in his side’s victory in Chittagong.

Sri Lanka’s captain Mahela Jayawardena has dropped two places from fourth to sixth after a couple of disappointing innings with the bat.

The table is still headed by the West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Outside of the top 20, Sangakkara and Jayawardena’s team-mate Tillakaratne Dilshan has gained six places in the rankings to 25th position after scoring heavily in both innings. The 32-year-old scored 162 in the first innings and 143 in the second and he appears to be closing in on his previous best ranking which was 23rd position back in March 2006.

Also gaining ranking places after the Bangladesh series is the host’s wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim who has reached his best ranking to date in 57th place.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralidaran still tops the table followed by South Africa’s Dale Steyn while those immediately below them make moves.

South Africa’s Makhaya Ntini has dropped two places to fifth in the rankings after ending up with disappointing match figures in Sydney of 1-168. Australia’s Mitchell Johnson jumps over Ntini to take fourth place in the rankings after collecting figures of 4-118.

However, Australia’s Brett Lee has dropped to 10th position, his lowest ranking since January 2007, after being forced to withdraw from the final Test with an ankle injury. As a player loses one per cent of his rating for missing every match, it is his worst ranking since he held 15th place in January of 2007 after Australia had faced England in Sydney.

There is mixed news for Australia’s young guns Peter Siddle and Nathan Hauritz. While Siddle, the 24-year-old fast bowler, has rocketed 18 places to 49th after match figures of 8-113, off-spinner Hauritz has dropped 10 places to 64th after managing to claim just one wicket for 115 runs.

Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas has gained three places to go seventh in the table after recording figures of 3-37 against Bangladesh in the final Test match in Chittagong. Vaas’s rise means the three players ahead of him – Harbhajan Singh of India, Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar and Lee – have slipped one place each.

Further down the table, Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis has jumped eight places and shares 23rd position with Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul after claiming 7-128 against Bangladesh. It is the 23-year-old’s best rating of his career so far as he continues to impress on the international stage.

As Mendis is still qualifying for a full rating (a bowler is eligible for a full rating once he reaches 100 Test wickets), he has a good chance of breaking in the top 20 if he puts up another strong performance when he next represents Sri Lanka in the Test match arena.

South Africa’s Jacques Kallis still leads the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders followed by New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori in second position. Vaas’s good performance has pushed him above Dwayne Bravo of the West Indies into fourth position on his own after the two had been deadlocked on the same number of ratings points.

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Player Rankings (8 January 2008)

Batsmen

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

1 ( - ) S.Chanderpaul WI 900 ! 49.71 900 v NZ at Napier 2008
2 ( - ) Mohd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
3 (-1) K.Sangakkara SL 859 54.37 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
4 (+1) Kevin Pietersen Eng 832 50.48 905 v WI at Headingley 2007
5 (+4) Michael Clarke Aus 825! 49.40 825 v SA at Sydney 2009
6 (-2) M. Jayawardena SL 819 52.36 854 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
7 (-1) Ricky Ponting Aus 810 56.87 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
8 ( - ) Younis Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Headingley 2006
9 (-2) Graeme Smith SA 797 50.57 810 v Aus at Melbourne 2008
10 ( - ) Gautam Gambhir Ind 771*! 49.35 771 v Eng at Mohali 2008
11 ( - ) Mike Hussey Aus 761 59.36 921 v WI at Kingston 2008
12 (+1) Virender Sehwag Ind 729 51.06 854 v SA at Kolkata 2004
13 (-1) Jacques Kallis SA 726 54.57 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
14 ( - ) Ashwell Prince SA 709 45.68 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007
15 ( - ) Andrew Strauss Eng 705 42.37 769 v SA at Johannesburg 2005
16= ( - ) Sachin Tendulkar Ind 683 54.27 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
( - ) VVS Laxman Ind 683 44.45 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
18 ( - ) Matthew Hayden Aus 675 50.73 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002
19 (+4) Hashim Amla SA 671! 41.30 671 v Aus at Sydney 2009
20= ( - ) Chris Gayle WI 670! 39.60 670 v NZ at Napier 2008
(+4) Simon Katich Aus 670! 43.43 670 v SA at Sydney 2009

Bowlers

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

1 ( - ) M.Muralidaran SL 887 21.95 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 845 23.08 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008
3 (+1) Stuart Clark Aus 782* 22.96 863 v WI at Bridgetown 2008
4 (+1) Mitchell Johnson Aus 756* 28.62 779 v SA at Perth 2008
5 (-2) Makhaya Ntini SA 755 28.22 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
6 ( - ) Ryan Sidebottom Eng 723* 25.68 769 v SA at Lord's 2008
7 (+3) Chaminda Vaas SL 689 29.22 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
8 (-1) Harbhajan Singh Ind 686 30.88 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
9 (-1) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
10 (-1) Brett Lee Aus 673 30.81 811 v WI at Antigua 2008
11 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 653 33.09 681 v Aus at Auckland 2000
12 ( - ) Zaheer Khan Ind 630 34.04 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
13 ( - ) Shane Bond NZ 629* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006
14 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 621 32.12 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
15= ( - ) Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
( - ) Monty Panesar Eng 619 32.88 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
17 ( - ) Jerome Taylor WI 618* 35.14 628 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
18 ( - ) Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
19 ( - ) James Anderson Eng 611 35.22 622 v Ind at Chennai 2008
20 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 589 31.12 742 v Eng at Headingley 2003

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 428 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 347 369 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
3 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 305 501 v Pak at Multan 2005
4 ( - ) Chaminda Vaas SL 284 300 v WI at Guyana 2008
5 (-1) Dwayne Bravo WI 283 /* 295 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

West Indies batsman Pollard receives reprimand for Code of Conduct breach

Dubai, 7 January 2009

West Indies batsman Kieron Pollard has been officially reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his side’s third ODI against New Zealand at Wellington.

At a hearing that took place after the match on Wednesday, Javagal Srinath of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees found Pollard guilty of causing damage to a dressing room.

The 21-year-old was found to have breached Level 1.2 of the code which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, group equipment of fixtures and fittings”.

After giving his decision, Mr Srinath said: “Pollard damaged the door glass in the dressing room with his bat after he returned to the pavilion after being given out lbw by umpire Mark Benson in the 22nd over of the innings. That is inappropriate behaviour and clearly unacceptable as the players are expected to accept and respect the umpires’ decision.

“The player pleaded guilty to the charge and apologised for his actions to New Zealand Cricket. This apology and the fact he is relatively early in his career 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. For all Level 1 breaches, the match referee’s decision is final and binding.

The incident was brought to the attention of the match referee by both New Zealand Cricket’s cricket administrative manager Tim Murdoch and the West Indies cricket manager Omar Khan.

Mr Srinath reached his decision after a hearing attended by the player, Omar Khan and Mr Murdoch.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Bangladesh pair Ashraful and Mushfiqur fined for ICC Code of Conduct breaches in Chittagong Test

Dubai, 7 January 2009

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim have both been fined after breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the third day’s play in the second Test against Sri Lanka.

Ashraful has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee while Mushfiqur has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee.

The penalties were handed down by Jeff Crowe of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees on Wednesday following hearings which were held in Chittagong on Tuesday after the conclusion of the Test which Sri Lanka won by 465 runs.

Ashraful was found to have breached Level 1.5 of the code which relates to “excessive appealing” while Mushfiqur was found guilty of a charge under Level 2.5 of the code which deals with “charging or advancing towards the umpire in an aggressive manner when appealing”.

The charges were laid by the two on-field umpires Steve Bucknor of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Nigel Llong of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires, third umpire Nadir Shah, who is also a member of the international panel, and fourth umpire Anisur Rahman.

Both breaches occurred after the first ball of the 78th over of Sri Lanka’s second innings when Mushfiqur’s appeal for a caught behind against Sri Lanka batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan off the bowling of Mehrab Hossain Junior was turned down.

After the appeal was rejected, Mushfiqur ran towards the umpire while appealing before stopping about six metres in front of the batsman while Ashraful started appealing from his place at midwicket and finished near to the pitch, about 20 metres from his original position.

Ashraful was fined after Mr Crowe had spoken to him following similar actions in the first Test. During the second Test, the match referee was also forced to speak to Bangladesh openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes following similar conduct, something the on-field umpires had also had words with them about at the time.

Commenting on his findings, Mr Crowe said: “Mohammad Ashraful is the captain of the team and needs to lead with responsibility and patience when an umpire is making a decision.

“Having spoken to him earlier in the series about a similar reaction, he was fully aware of what was acceptable and therefore, pleaded guilty to the charge.

“Mushfiqur conceded in the hearing that it was unacceptable behaviour when he clearly left his position from behind the stumps, charged and ended up appealing some six metres away directly towards the umpire. This sort of appealing is intended to place unnecessary pressure on the umpire and has no place in the same.”

The hearing was attended by the players charged, as well as Bangladesh manager Shafique Haque, coach Jamie Siddons and the four umpires.

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 while Level 2 breaches carry a minimum penalty of a fine of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee up to a fine of all that fee and/or a one-Test match or two-ODI ban.

A player does have a right of appeal in the case of Level 2, 3 and 4 offences. Such an appeal must be lodged in writing with the ICC’s legal counsel within 24 hours of the decision being handed down.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Australia clings on to first place after win in Sydney

Dubai, 7 January 2009

But South Africa will go top if it wins return series which begins next month

Australia has survived at the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table following its 103-run victory over South Africa in the third and final match of the series in Sydney.

But the pressure is still on Ricky Ponting’s team as the gap at the top has been closed to just five ratings points following the historic 2-1 series defeat.

It is the first time South Africa has won a Test series in Australia and it sets up a fascinating return series, the first Test of which gets underway on 26 February in Johannesburg. Any sort of victory in that three-match series will see the Proteas go top of the rankings.

As it was victory for Graeme Smith and his men in Sydney would have been enough to put them top but Australia dug deep in the final match of the series to keep the chasing pack at bay.

With India very much in the ascendency there are now just eight points separating first place from third with all three teams very much in contention for the right to be called the number-one Test side in the world.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka strengthened its hold on fourth place in the rankings following its 2-0 series win in Bangladesh.

After it had been pushed very hard in the first Test in Dhaka, Mahela Jayawardena’s team proved far too strong the second time around and finally ran out winners by 465 runs in Chittagong.

That win gave Sri Lanka another ratings point to put it within 10 of India and six ahead of England, which recently lost an away series 1-0 to India.

Pakistan is another three points further back in sixth place while the West Indies is still just ahead of New Zealand by a fraction of a point following the recent drawn series in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship (as of 7 January)

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 126
2 South Africa 121
3 India 118
4 Sri Lanka 109
5 England 103
6 Pakistan 100
7 West Indies 81
8 New Zealand 81
9 Bangladesh 0

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ICC launches ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in association with FICA

Sydney, 2 January 2009

Key part of ICC centenary celebrations

Partnership with FICA to honour and recognise game’s greatest achievers

Selection process to involve as many of game’s stakeholders as possible

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat today announced the formation of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, in association with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), as part of the ICC’s centenary year celebrations.

Speaking in Sydney on Friday at the launch of those celebrations, Mr Lorgat said the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame would provide the chance for the game to recognise its greatest achievers.

“Given a key theme of the ICC’s centenary year is celebrating the game’s heritage then the foundation of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is an entirely logical step,” he said.

“It will provide a means of recognising the historical contribution of past players, officials and even institutions in making cricket what it is today, a great sport with a great spirit.

“The ICC has already worked with FICA through the LG ICC Awards and looks forward to this new collaboration which will help to ensure the success of this outstanding project,” added Mr Lorgat.

The initial intake of inductees are the 55 players* named in the FICA Hall of Fame, which ran between 1999 and 2003, and their career statistics and biographies can be found at the new ICC centenary website, also launched today, at www.catchthespirit.com.

This will be supplemented by a select group of inductions each year, starting in 2009 when the newcomers will be announced during the LG ICC Awards ceremony.

The initial inductees (or, in the case of those who have passed away, their relatives) will be presented with a commemorative ICC Cricket Hall of Fame cap at an appropriate stage during the ICC centenary year.

And those living members of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame will also have the chance to help choose new inductees, part of an inclusive selection process.

Mr Lorgat said: “We have studied numerous halls of fame in other sports to see what works and what doesn’t and how best we can achieve our goal, to recognise the game’s greatest achievers.

“We want to ensure that as many of the game’s stakeholders as possible, including current ICC Cricket Hall of Famers and members of the public, get the chance to have their say in the process of choosing the game’s true legends,” he added.

FICA Chief Executive Tim May said that he was delighted that FICA and the ICC had agreed to invigorate the FICA Hall of Fame concept and enter a joint venture to launch a fresh Hall of Fame, to be known as the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in association with FICA.

“FICA believes it is important to honour the outstanding contributions many individuals have made to the game,” said Mr May.

“The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in association with FICA is obviously the appropriate forum to do so and we are delighted to join with the ICC in this great venture,” he added.

Inductees reacted positively to their inclusion.

Former Australia wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh was the first Hall of Famer to receive his commemorative cap, doing so from ICC President David Morgan in Sydney on Friday, and afterwards he spoke of his delight to be considered among the elite from the game’s history.

“I’m deeply honoured to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame,” he said.

“Being recognised in this way is humbling, especially when I look at the names of the players in this list and think about those who will join it in the years to come.

“It (the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame) is another way of showing what a great history our game has and anything that does that has to be a good thing.”

Ex-Australia captain Allan Border said: “I am extremely honoured and excited to be named in the initial induction of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

“The privilege of being named alongside so many wonderful cricketers and to look at some of the names who have graced this game is truly a special feeling.”

Sir Ian Botham, the former England captain, said: “It is a great honour and I am very pleased to be included in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. It’s very nice of the people to appreciate and acknowledge what you have achieved in the game.”

Former Australia captain and India coach Greg Chappell said: “Like many other youngsters growing up in Australia I dreamed of emulating the feats of my boyhood heroes Neil Harvey, Richie Benaud, Norman O’Neill, Ray Lindwall and the greatest cricketer in my time, Sir Garfield Sobers, so, to be recognised alongside some of the greats of the game is a great honour.”

Ex-India captain Sunil Gavaskar said: “To be recognised by the premier authority in the game, the ICC, and that, too, in its centenary year, is an honour indeed.

“It is a privilege and I am overwhelmed and humbled to be included in such august company as Sir Donald Bradman and the one and only Sir Garry Sobers.”

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan said: “It’s kind of an icing on the cake for having a good career. I am truly honoured to have been included with icons from the older generation and stalwarts from my era.”

The launch of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame forms part of a range of events during the ICC’s centenary year of 2009. The year is intended to be a global celebration with numerous events taking place to reflect all that is great about the game.

ICC Cricket Hall of Fame – initial inductees (55):

Sydney Barnes, Bishan Bedi, Alec Bedser, Richie Benaud, Allan Border, Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Donald Bradman, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Denis Compton, Colin Cowdrey, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Lance Gibbs, Graham Gooch, David Gower, WG Grace, Tom Graveney, Gordon Greenidge, Richard Hadlee, Walter Hammond, Neil Harvey, Ron Headley, Jack Hobbs, Michael Holding, Leonard Hutton, Rohan Kanhai, Imran Khan, Alan Knott, Jim Laker, Harold Larwood, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Clive Lloyd, Hanif Mohammad, Rodney Marsh, Malcolm Marshall, Peter May, Javed Miandad, Keith Miller, Bill O’Reilly, Graeme Pollock, Wilfred Rhodes, Barry Richards, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts, Garfield Sobers, Brian Statham, Fred Trueman, Derek Underwood, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Frank Woolley, Frank Worrell.

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ICC launches centenary year in Sydney

Sydney, 2 January 2009

Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat: “Cricket gets plenty right, has plenty to celebrate and has plenty to look forward to”

“The game faces challenges but so does every other major global sport”

“Emerging stars, three great formats, medium-term financial security and the evidence of history are all reasons to smile, as is the great spirit in which cricket is played and enjoyed by millions of people across the world”

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat today launched the global governing body’s centenary year with a simple message: “Cricket is a game that gets plenty right, has plenty to celebrate and has plenty to look forward to.”

Mr Lorgat, speaking at the Sydney Cricket Ground alongside ICC President David Morgan ahead of the start of tomorrow’s Australia – South Africa Test match, said the ICC faced ongoing challenges as it moved into its second hundred years of existence.

But he believed the international game’s three formats, its medium-term financial security and the emergence of a new generation of leading players, as well as the evidence of history and the great spirit in which cricket was played and enjoyed by millions of people across the world, were all reasons for the game to wear a collective smile of pride.

“As the ICC enters its second century, the game faces challenges – safety and security, player workload, balancing formats, ensuring a competitive balance between ICC Members, staying on top of corruption and plenty more besides,” said Mr Lorgat.

“But then again cricket has always faced challenges just as big, if not bigger, than those currently confronting us – Bodyline, illegal bowling actions in the 1950s and 1960s and corruption, to name just three. And, as a successful global sport, cricket will not be unique in facing such significant challenges.

“The key we all need to remember is that cricket has always dealt with those past challenges and is now, as a result, stronger than ever.

“We are perhaps the only sport with three viable forms of the game at international level and we are about to launch the world’s first Global Cricket Academy in Dubai with state-of-the-art facilities for the world.

“And, as a governing body that ploughs all money earned back to its Members, we have just begun investing US$300 million into the development of the game among our second and third tier Members, the biggest commitment to grow a sport outside of soccer.

“Greats of the game like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shaun Pollock and Brian Lara may have moved on but the recent performances of the likes of Ajantha Mendis, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma suggest the future is in good hands.

“The start of the ICC’s centenary year gives us all the chance to reflect on the past and look to the future. When I do that I see a game that’s played and enjoyed in a great spirit by millions of people across the world, gets plenty right, has plenty to celebrate and has plenty to look forward to,” he added.

The ICC’s centenary year of 2009 is intended to be a global celebration with events taking place around the world to reflect all that is great about the game.

On the field these events include the ICC Women’s World Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, the ICC World Twenty20 event for men and women and the ICC Champions Trophy.

And off it there will be the opening of the ICC Global Cricket Academy and the inauguration of the ICC’s new headquarters, both in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, the launch of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in association with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), and an ICC History Conference at St Antony’s College, Oxford in the United Kingdom in July.

The ICC will also be celebrating the contribution of volunteers across the world through the award of 1000 centenary medals and will announce new developments to its social responsibility partnership on HIV/AIDS.

During the course of 2009, each of the ICC’s 104 Members will be hosting activities inspired by the special spirit of cricket as part of a global “Catch the Spirit” centenary celebration.

To promote this theme and the launch of the ICC’s centenary year website, www.catchthespirit.com, leading international stars have named their “Catch the Spirit” moments which best encapsulate the spirit of cricket.

Among those stars that can be seen on the website, Yuvraj Singh of India speaks of his experiences in Pakistan – India matches and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis reflects on his side’s famous chase of 438 to beat Australia in an ODI in Johannesburg.

During the course of the year fans will be able to upload their own “Catch the Spirit” moments onto the website, so supporters across the world can celebrate the spirit of cricket.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE

Hussey drops to lowest ranking in nearly three years as Clarke takes his place in top 10

Dubai, 1 January 2009

Western Australian out of top 10 for first time since 2006; Michael Clarke achieves career-best rating to reach ninth; Dale Steyn closes gap on Muttiah Muralidaran

Australia’s Michael Hussey has dropped out of the top 10 of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, after a run of low scores in the two Tests played so far against South Africa.

Hussey, now ranked 11th, still averages 59.04 at Test level but has only managed a total of 10 runs in his last four innings. The last time he was ranked this low in the Test batsmen rankings was back in March 2006, when he was 14th after playing South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban.

Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke has reached the highest rating of his career to date following the Melbourne Test having climbed three places to break into the top 10. The 27-year-old New South Welshman scored 88 not out in the first innings of Australia’s defeat to South Africa at the MCG.

Meanwhile, Australia captain Ricky Ponting has climbed back up the rankings to sixth after impressive knocks of 101 and 99 in Melbourne. Ponting has leap-frogged his opposite number in the South Africa side, Graeme Smith, who has risen one spot to seventh.

Australia’s Matthew Hayden and South Africa’s AB de Villiers have each dropped two places after the Melbourne Test and have been overtaken by India’s Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman who assume joint-16th place.

Outside of the top 20, South Africa’s Jean-Paul Duminy has shot up the rankings by 62 places to 47th after his remarkable debut Test century. The left-handed batsman produced an outstanding knock of 166 to put his side in a commanding position after the first innings, with the match eventually ending in a nine-wicket victory for the Proteas.

Having played two Tests, the 24-year-old from Cape Town is now averaging 108.50 with the bat after a great start to his career at the top level.

Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful have both risen up the Test batsmen rankings after fine displays against Sri Lanka in the first Test in Dhaka. Shakib climbs 23 places to 55th spot while Ashraful gains eight places to 56th position.

The list is still headed by Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies, who is currently the only batsman in the world with 900 ratings points or more.

Meanwhile in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, South Africa’s Dale Steyn has narrowed the gap at the top of the table between himself and Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralidaran.

Currently 39 points separate the two bowlers and with both men having two more Tests to play in their respective series, there is every opportunity for the gap to widen or decrease further.

Australia’s injured fast bowler Brett Lee has dropped two places to ninth after ending the Melbourne Test with match figures of 0-117. Elsewhere, India’s Harbhajan Singh has climbed one place to seventh while Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas has dropped one place to 10th.

Also involved in the Bangladesh series, Vaas’s team-mate Dammika Prasad has climbed 10 spots to 56th in the rankings. Just above Prasad is Australia’s Nathan Hauritz who has shot up 19 places after the Melbourne Test match to 54th.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, Vaas climbs one place to joint-forth place with the West Indies’ Dwayne Bravo. There is no change at the top of the table, which is still headed by South Africa’s Jacques Kallis followed by New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.

ICC Test Player Rankings (as of 1 January 2009)

Batsmen

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

1 ( - ) S.Chanderpaul WI 900! 49.71 900 v NZ at Napier 2008
2= (+1) Mohd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
( - ) K. Sangakkara SL 880 54.79 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
4 ( - ) M. Jayawardena SL 854! 52.84 854 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
5 ( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 832 50.48 905 v WI at Headingley 2007
6 (+3) Ricky Ponting Aus 827 57.20 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
7 (+1) Graeme Smith SA 810! 50.71 810 v Aus at Melbourne 2008
8 (-1) Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Headingley 2006
9 (+3) Michael Clarke Aus 772! 48.06 772 v SA at Melbourne 2008
10 ( - ) Gautam Gambhir Ind 771*! 49.35 771 v Eng at Mohali 2008
11 (-5) Mike Hussey Aus 753 59.04 921 v WI at Kingston 2008
12 (-1) Jacques Kallis SA 749 54.95 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
13 ( - ) Virender Sehwag Ind 729 51.06 854 v SA at Kolkata 2004
14 ( - ) Ashwell Prince SA 716 45.68 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007
15 ( - ) Andrew Strauss Eng 705 42.37 769 v SA at Johannesburg 2005
16= (+2) Sachin Tendulkar Ind 683 54.27 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
(+2) VVS Laxman Ind 683 44.45 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
18 (-2) Matthew Hayden Aus 678 50.92 935 v Eng at Brisbane 2002
19 (-2) AB de Villiers SA 676 41.78 692 v Aus at Perth 2008
20 ( - ) Chris Gayle WI 670! 39.60 670 v NZ at Napier 2008

Bowlers

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

1 ( - ) M. Muralidaran SL 897 21.92 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 858 22.66 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008
3 ( - ) Makhaya Ntini SA 796 27.85 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
4 ( - ) Stuart Clark Aus 790* 22.96 863 v WI at Bridgetown 2008
5 ( - ) Mitchell Johnson Aus 741* 28.58 779 v SA at Perth 2008
6 ( - ) Ryan Sidebottom Eng 723* 25.68 769 v SA at Lord's 2008
7 (+1) Harbhajan Singh Ind 686 30.88 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
8 (+1) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003
9 (-2) Brett Lee Aus 680 30.81 811 v WI at Antigua 2008
10 (-1) Chaminda Vaas SL 676 29.36 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
11 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 653 33.09 681 v Aus at Auckland 2000
12 ( - ) Zaheer Khan Ind 630 34.04 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
13 ( - ) Shane Bond NZ 629* 22.39 778 v WI at Auckland 2006
14 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 621 32.12 810 v Pak at Multan 2005
15= ( - ) Mohammad Asif Pak 619* 23.13 710 v SA at Cape Town 2007
( - ) Monty Panesar Eng 619 32.88 721 v WI at Chester-le-St 2007
17 ( - ) Jerome Taylor WI 618* 35.14 628 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008
18 ( - ) Danish Kaneria Pak 614 33.90 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
19 ( - ) James Anderson Eng 611 35.22 622 v Ind at Chennai 2008
20 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 597 30.98 742 v Eng at Headingley 2003

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points HS Rating

1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 447 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 347 369 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
3 ( - ) Andrew Flintoff Eng 305 501 v Pak at Multan 2005
4= (+1) Chaminda Vaas SL 283 300 v WI at Guyana 2008
( - ) Dwayne Bravo WI 283 /* 295 v Aus at Bridgetown 2008

ICC MEDIA RELEASE