The annual BCCI Awards Ceremony for the year 2008-09 will be held at 7:00 pm on Sunday, 6 December 2009, at the East Lawns of the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai.
The best performers in Indian cricket during the period from 1 October 2008 to 30 September 2009, will be honoured and rewarded.
A highlight of the ceremony will be the celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of the Ranji Trophy. Rajinder Goel and Amarjit Kaypee, the highest wicket-taker and scorer respectively in the first seventy-five seasons of the Ranji Trophy (1934-35 to 2008-09), will be felicitated, as will Mumbai, for being the most successful team in the competition.
Mohinder Amarnath, the chief architect of India’s 1983 World Cup triumph, will receive the Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award. He will thus emulate his father Lala Amarnath, who was the first recipient of the award in 1994.
Gautam Gambhir, the super southpaw from Delhi, will receive the Polly Umrigar Award for being India’s best international cricketer of the year. He scored 1269 runs from eight Tests @ 84.6 (inclusive of five hundreds), during the period under consideration. His most memorable efforts were 206 against Australia at Delhi, and 137 against New Zealand at Napier. He also scored 670 runs from twenty-one ODIs, and 177 runs from eight T20 Internationals, during this phase.
Amish Saheba, member of the ICC’s International Umpires’ Panel, will be the first winner of the newly-instituted annual ‘Best Umpire’ Award.
Following is the complete list of the awardees:
ANNUAL AWARDS
AWARD
WINNER
PRIZE
COL. C.K. NAYUDU LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
MOHINDER AMARNATH
Trophy and cheque for Rs. 15 lakhs
POLLY UMRIGAR AWARD – INDIA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL CRICKETER OF THE YEAR
GAUTAM GAMBHIR
Trophy and cheque for Rs. 5 lakhs
MADHAVRAO SCINDIA AWARD – HIGHEST SCORER IN THE RANJI TROPHY IN 2008-09
WASIM JAFFER (MCA)
Trophy and cheque for Rs. 1 lakh
MADHAVRAO SCINDIA AWARD – HIGHEST WICKET-TAKER IN THE RANJI TROPHY IN 2008-09
DHAWAL KULKARNI (MCA)
Trophy and cheque for Rs. 1 lakh
MADHAVRAO SCINDIA AWARD –HIGHEST WICKET-TAKER IN THE RANJI TROPHY IN 2008-09
RAVINDRA JADEJA (SCA)
Trophy and cheque for Rs. 1 lakh
M.A. CHIDAMBARAM TROPHY – BEST UNDER-16 CRICKETER OF 2008-09
CHIRAG KHURANA (MAHARASHTRA CA)
Trophy and cheque for Rs. 50,000
M.A. CHIDAMBARAM TROPHY – BEST UNDER-19 CRICKETER OF 2008-09
HARPREET SINGH (MPCA)
Trophy and cheque for Rs. 50,000
M.A. CHIDAMBARAM TROPHY – BEST UNDER-22 CRICKETER OF 2008-09
NEELKANTH DAS (CAB)
Trophy and cheque for Rs. 50,000
M.A. CHIDAMBARAM TROPHY – BEST WOMAN CRICKETER (SR) OF 2008-09
REEMA MALHOTRA (DDCA)
Trophy and cheque for Rs. 50,000
M.A. CHIDAMBARAM TROPHY – BEST WOMAN CRICKETER (JR) OF 2008-09
POONAM RAUT (MCA)
Trophy and cheque for Rs. 50,000
BEST UMPIRE - 2008-09
AMISH SAHEBA
Trophy and cheque for Rs. 50,000
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCEIN 2008-09: MUMBAI CRICKET ASSOCIATION AND PUNJAB CRICKET ASSOCIATION - Trophy.
SPECIAL AWARDS
RAHUL DRAVID FOR SURPASSING MARK WAUGH’S RECORD TALLY OF 181 TEST CATCHES AND BECOMING THE MOST SUCCESSFUL’CATCHER’ IN TESTS - Memento.
SACHIN TENDULKAR FOR COMPLETING TWO DECADES OF INTERNATIONAL CRICKET - Memento.
New Zealand aims to leapfrog Pakistan in championship table
Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena has achieved the number-one ranking in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen for the first time in his career after an epic double-century in the drawn first Test against India at Ahmedabad earlier this week.
The 32-year-old from Colombo scored a masterly 275 – his sixth double-century in 108 Tests – to leapfrog team-mate Kumar Sangakkara and India opener Gautam Gambhir.
Jayawardena, who during his mammoth knock became only the ninth batsman to complete 9,000 Test runs, is just 17 points short of becoming only the 25th batsman overall to reach the 900-point mark which, in ranking terms, is the benchmark for top batsmen.
Before Jayawardena, Australia’s Mike Hussey was the last batsman to reach the 900-point mark in the 131-year history of Test cricket when he achieved the rare distinction after the Sydney Test against India in January 2008.
Sangakkara scored 31 in Ahmedabad while Gambhir scored 1 and 114 which means that only seven points separate the two left-handers. With the second Test starting in Kanpur from Tuesday, both the stylish batsmen would be aiming to stamp their superiority over the other.
Also on the charge are the five other centurions from the Ahmedabad Test.
India’s iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar has moved up by one place to share 15th spot with England’s Kevin Pietersen, Tillakaratne Dilshan has achieved a career-best 18th position by improving his ranking by three places, Rahul Dravid has jumped five places to sit just outside the top 20 in 21st position, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has leaped three places to 30th spot and Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Prasanna Jayawardena has vaulted 20 places to 60th position.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, the only change in the top 20 is Harbhajan Singh who has slipped one place to sixth in the latest rankings while the gap between number-one ranked Dale Steyn of South Africa and Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralidaran’s has opened from 20 points to 31 points. Harbhajan took 2-189 in the first Test while Muralidaran had match figures of 3-221.
There is no change in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders as Jacques Kallis of South Africa continues to lead New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori and Mitchell Johnson of Australia.
Meanwhile, two series begin next week with the three-Test series between Pakistan and New Zealand beginning in Dunedin from Tuesday and Australia hosting the West Indies for a three-Test series with the opener in Brisbane from Thursday.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table, Pakistan sits in sixth position on 84 ratings points with New Zealand four points behind in seventh place and the West Indies in eighth-position on 76 ratings points.
If Pakistan sweeps the series, it will rocket to 93 ratings points while Vettori’s side will slip to 74 points. However, if the series result is reversed, New Zealand will rise to 87 points and Pakistan will be guaranteed eighth-position on 74 ratings points irrespective how Australia and the West Indies series pans out.
Australia’s 3-0 win will earn it just one ratings point and will take it to 117 ratings points.
The schedule of the series is:
Pakistan v New Zealand
24-28 November: First Test, Dunedin
3-7 December: Second Test, Wellington
11-15 December: Third Test, Napier
Australia v West Indies
26-30 November: First Test, Brisbane
4-8 December: Second Test, Adelaide
16-20 December: Third Test, Perth
Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship (as of 22 November, prior to the start of Pakistan – New Zealand Test series and after the first Test between India – Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad)
Rank Team Rating
1 South Africa 122
2 Sri Lanka 120
3 India 119
4 Australia 116
5 England 105
6 Pakistan 84
7 New Zealand 80
8 West Indies 76
9 Bangladesh 13
Reliance Mobile ICC Test Rankings (as of 22 November, prior to the start of Pakistan – New Zealand Test series and after the first Test between India – Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad)
Batsmen
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
1 (+2) Mahela Jayawardena SL 883! 54.67 883 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2009
2 (-1) Kumar Sangakkara SL 846 55.18 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
3 (-1) Gautam Gambhir Ind 839 54.22 847 v NZ at Wellington 2009
4 ( - ) S.Chanderpaul WI 821 49.28 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
5 ( - ) Mohammad Yousuf Pak 818 54.86 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
6 ( - ) Michael Clarke Aus 808 49.35 855 v Eng at Headingley 2009
7 ( - ) Younus Khan Pak 801 50.09 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
8 ( - ) Graeme Smith SA 782 50.33 810 v Aus at Melbourne 2008
9 ( - ) Ricky Ponting Aus 779 55.88 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
10 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 755 54.66 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
11 (+1) Thilan Samaraweera SL 744! 52.12 744 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2009
12 (-1) Ashwell Prince SA 742 47.29 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007
13= ( - ) Andrew Strauss Eng 740 44.62 769 v SA at Johannesburg 2005
( - ) AB de Villiers SA 740! 43.92 740 v Aus at Cape Town 2009
15= (+1) Sachin Tendulkar Ind 727 54.79 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
( - ) Kevin Pietersen Eng 727 49.96 909 v WI at Headingley 2007
17 ( - ) Ramnaresh Sarwan WI 704 42.32 767 v Eng at Bridgetown 2009
18 (+3) Tillakaratne Dilshan SL 700! 43.88 700 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2009
19 (-1) VVS Laxman Ind 696 45.28 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
20 (-1) Simon Katich Aus 687 43.33 720 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
Bowlers
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Econ HS Rating
1 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 844 23.70 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008
2 ( - ) Muttiah Muralidaran SL 793 22.41 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
3 ( - ) Mitchell Johnson Aus 786 28.80 825 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
4 ( - ) Makhaya Ntini SA 741 28.37 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
5 (+1) Stuart Clark Aus 710* 23.86 863 v WI at Bridgetown 2008
6 (-1) Harbhajan Singh Ind 706 30.81 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
7 ( - ) Paul Harris SA 669*! 32.60 669 v Aus at Cape Town 2009
8 ( - ) Zaheer Khan Ind 650 34.03 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
9 ( - ) James Anderson Eng 643 34.87 710 v Aus at Edgbaston 2009
10 ( - ) Graeme Swann Eng 634*! 30.39 634 v Aus at The Oval 2009
11 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 631 33.51 681 v Aus at Auckland 2000
12 ( - ) Brett Lee Aus 621 30.81 811 v WI at Antigua 2008
13= ( - ) Stuart Broad Eng 617*! 35.78 617 v Aus at The Oval 2009
( - ) Peter Siddle Aus 617*! 28.93 617 v Eng at The Oval 2009
15 ( - ) Jerome Taylor WI 614* 35.55 717 v Eng at Kingston 2009
16 ( - ) Ryan Sidebottom Eng 610* 27.70 769 v SA at Lord's 2008
17 ( - ) Danish Kaneria Pak 605 34.57 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
18 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 603 31.08 742 v Eng at Headingley 2003
19 ( - ) Chris Martin NZ 587 33.78 643 v Eng at Lord's 2004
20 ( - ) Umar Gul Pak 586* 32.40 627 v WI at Karachi 2006
All-rounders
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts HS Rating
1 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 455 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 395! 395 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2009
3 ( - ) Mitchell Johnson Aus 342*/ 384 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
4 ( - ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 282*/*! 282 v WI at St George's 2009
5 ( - ) Stuart Broad Eng 278*/*! 278 v Aus at The Oval 2009
Former Yorkshire batsman also looks ahead to England’s tour of South Africa
Former Australia bowler Jason Gillespie talks about his cricketing heroes
On this week’s ICC Cricket World radio show former England captain Michael Vaughan talks about life now he’s retired from both international and domestic cricket and he also comments on how he thinks England will do during its tour to South Africa.
He says: “Life after retirement has been good. It has given me the chance to control my own diary for first time in 18 years and it’s totally different. I didn’t have the feel and energy towards the end and I decided to give a chance to younger Yorkshire players.”
This week’s show also includes a special segment with former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie who speaks about his cricketing heroes.
Gillespie admits that his hero was big Victorian bowler Merv Hughes: “The current Australian selector, Merv Hughes, seeing him steaming and bowl and bowling long spells and never giving up, made me want to emulate him and he is my hero.”
Apart from these interviews, this week’s ICC Cricket World also includes the latest news from around the world as well as updates on the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings.
The weekly ICC Cricket World audio show runs for 15 minutes and has been put together by the ICC’s global broadcast partner ESPN STAR Sports.
Grandson says: “He would have been very honoured… we are delighted to receive the cap on his behalf”
Photographs of the presentationavailable from Getty Image
One of the best-known names in world sport, the late Don Bradman, was formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame at the Bradman Oration at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today (Thursday).
The Hall of Fame, run in association with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), recognises some of the truly great players from cricket’s long and illustrious history. And there are probably no more deserving inductees than Bradman, who dominated the sport like no other batsman before or since.
A commemorative cap was presented to Bradman’s grandson, Tom, by International Cricket Council (ICC) Director and Cricket Australia Chairman Jack Clarke while Greg Chappell, another ICC Cricket Hall of Famer who delivered the keynote speech of the evening, looked on.
“He would have been very honoured to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame,” said Tom Bradman.
“The induction recognises and contributes to a legacy of which we, the Bradman family, are extremely proud and we are delighted to receive the cap on his behalf.”
Bradman’s statistics alone are enough to explain why he is perhaps the greatest batsman of all time as he becomes the latest inductee into the Hall of Fame in this centenary year of the ICC.
He played 52 Test matches for Australia scoring 6,996 runs at an amazingaverage of 99.94. He scored 29 centuries and 13 half-centuries, thus averaging one significant score for every 1.9 innings played.
In first-class cricket he made 28,067 runs, hitting 117 centuries with an average of 95.14.
Alongside fellow Hall of Fame member WG Grace, Bradman is one of the most recognised names in cricketing history, a name synonymous with Australian cricket and stellar batting. He became a beloved Australian hero and a cultural icon, managing to transcend sport into the consciousness of the entire nation.
Born in 1908 in Cootamundra, New South Wales, he made his Test debut on 30 November 1928 in Brisbane against England, as side he faced 37 times during his Test-playing career.
Bradman still holds the record for the best batting average for an Australian against England scoring 5,028 runs at an average of 89.78.
Known affectionately as the Don, he passed away in2001, with many of his Test batting records still unsurpassed in the 53 previous years since his retirement.
One of his most well-known Ashes battles took place at Headingley against England in the third Test match where he made a remarkable total of 334 off 448 balls, an innings that included 46 fours.
Bradman played during the same era asa number of the other ICC Cricket Hall of Famers including Australia’s Ray Lindwall, Bill O’Reilly, Keith Miller, Clarrie Grimmett, Neil Harvey and England’s Wally Hammond, Jack Hobbs, Harold Larwood, Denis Compton and Len Hutton.
He captained Australia in 24 matches between 1936 and 1948, winning 15 of those games of which 11 were won against England in the Ashes series played during that time frame.
The cap presentation ceremony is a key part of the celebrations to mark the ICC’s centenary year as it acknowledges the greats of the game and the contributions they have made to ensure cricket is a great sport with a great spirit.
*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, George 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.
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame – new inductees for 2009
Wasim Akram, Clarrie Grimmett, Herbert Sutcliffe, Victor Trumper and Steve Waugh.
About the ICC centenary year
ICC President David Morgan andChief 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 FICA.
The ICC’s centenary year of 2009 is 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 (won by England), the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (won by Ireland), the ICC World Twenty20 event for men and women (won by Pakistan and England respectively) and the ICC Champions Trophy (won by Australia).
And off the field 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.
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 has been 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.
But Proteas will view series as a chance to close the gap on Australia
Graeme Smith has opportunity to put pressure on MS Dhoni and Michael Hussey in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen while Dale Steyn and Johan Botha will look to secure their top 20 status in the bowler rankings
Second-placed South Africa and England, in sixth position, start a five-match ODI series on Friday in which all-out victory over the Proteas would see the host slip to fifth in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table and England rise to third.
But if Graeme Smith’s side manages to win the series 5-0 it will close the gap between it and Australia to just two points. However, if the Proteas win 3-2, their victory margin will not be enough to maintain second place and they will slip to third behind India.
If Andrew Strauss’ side was to win the series 3-2 then it would rise to fifth in the rankings and South Africa would drop to third, again providing India with second place.
No victory scenario can see either team putting any pressure on the current table toppers Australia.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, Smith is still the highest-ranked player of either side. Placed in third, he will be looking to put pressure on the top two-placed batsmen, India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Australia’s Michael Hussey.
Further down the top 20, South Africa’s AB de Villiers (fifth), Jacques Kallis (10th) and England’s Kevin Pietersen (17th) and Paul Collingwood (18th) will be hoping for a strong series to further secure their places among the top ODI batsmen in the world.
Knocking on the door of the top 20 is South Africa’s JP Duminy who is currently placed 22nd in the rankings. Another series of good performances with the bat could see the Capetonian rise up the table.
South Africa’s Dale Steyn will be looking to work his way up from sixth place in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers and put some pressure on the likes of leader New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori and second-placed Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh.
The only other South African in the top 20 is vice-captain Johan Botha who currently sits in joint 13th place with ICC Cricketer of the Year, Australia’s Mitchell Johnson.
England has two players ranked in the top 20 of the bowler rankings, but Stuart Broad, currently ranked 15th, is unlikely to play in the opening match of the series with a shoulder injury and the next highest ranked being Andrew Flintoff at 18th, who is missing this series due to injury.
Further down the table, James Anderson (21st) and Graeme Swann (53rd) are both carrying injuries and are not certainties for the opening fixture at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday.
South Africa’s Charl Langeveldt is currently placed 37th while team-mate Roelof van der Merwe is sitting in 57th spot. Both will be hoping for a good series to push them up the rankings, especially fast bowler Langeveldt who recently returned to the Proteas side after a 19-month absence.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders the table is still topped by Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, but Kallis, who currently sits in fourth place, will be hoping to rise back up the table.
The schedule for the series is as follows:
20 Nov – First ODI, Johannesburg
22 Nov – Second ODI, Centurion
27 Nov – Third ODI, Cape Town
29 Nov – Fourth ODI, Port Elizabeth
4 Dec – Fifth ODI, Durban
Reliance Mobile ODI Championship (as of 18 November)
Rank Team Rating
1 Australia 130
2 South Africa 122
3 India 122
4 New Zealand 112
5 Pakistan 108
6 England 106
7 Sri Lanka 106
8 West Indies 76
9 Bangladesh 55
10 Zimbabwe 26
11 Ireland 25
12 Kenya 2
Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Rankings (as of 18 November)
Batsmen
Rank Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
1 MS Dhoni Ind 817 50.04 837 v Aus at Delhi 2009
2 Mike Hussey Aus 801 54.07 865 v NZ at Perth 2007
3 Graeme Smith SA 749 41.07 785 v Ind at Kolkata 2005
4 Ricky Ponting Aus 738 43.19 831 v NZ at Hobart 2007
5= AB de Villiers SA 736 39.29 750 v NZ at Centurion 2009
Chris Gayle WI 736 39.94 808 v Zim at Harare 2003
7 S Chanderpaul WI 733 41.66 778 v Eng at Guyana 2009
8 Yuvraj Singh Ind 732 37.44 786 v WI at Kingston 2009
9 S Tendulkar Ind 729 44.50 887 v Zim at Sharjah 1998
10 Jacques Kallis SA 706 45.25 818 v WI at Johannesburg 2004
11 V. Sehwag Ind 683 33.98 787 v NZ at Auckland 2003
12 Herschelle Gibbs SA 682 36.30 752 v SL at Durban 2003
13 M Yousuf Pak 672 42.79 779 v Zim at Harare 2002
14 B McCullum NZ 666! 29.42 666 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2009
15 Michael Clarke Aus 659 42.62 751 v SL at Melbourne 2008
16 K Sangakkara SL 654 35.79 755 v Pak at Colombo (RPS) 2006
17 Kevin Pietersen Eng 653 46.67 842 v Aus at Antigua 2007
18 P Collingwood Eng 641 35.12 670 v NZ at Bristol 2008
19= S Jayasuriya SL 638 32.54 841 v Ban at Pietermaritzburg 2003
G Gambhir Ind 638 37.03 702 v SL at Colombo (RPS) 2009
Bowlers
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Econ HS Rating
1 Daniel Vettori NZ 719 31.71 4.15 790 v Eng at Christchurch 2008
2 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 716! 30.36 4.03 716 v Zim at Chittagong 2009
3 Ray Price Zim 701*! 33.57 3.73 701 v SA at Centurion 2009
4 N Kulasekara SL 687 27.41 4.50 727 v NZ at Colombo (RPS) 2009
5 Kyle Mills NZ 685 26.45 4.68 723 v Aus at Melbourne 2009
6 Dale Steyn SA 659* 27.15 5.20 662 v Zim at Benoni 2009
7 Shane Bond NZ 652 20.87 4.28 810 v SA at St George's 2007
8= Shahid Afridi Pak 636 34.52 4.61 667 v Ind at Dhaka 2008
Harbhajan Singh Ind 636 32.97 4.27 738 v WI at Bridgetown 2002
10 Ajantha Mendis SL 635* 16.36 4.14 642 v SA at Centurion 2009
11= Jacob Oram NZ 630 30.76 4.37 770 v Aus at The Oval 2004
M Muralidaran SL 630 22.98 3.91 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
13= M Johnson Aus 629 26.18 4.98 729 v Ban at Darwin 2008
Johan Botha SA 629 40.20 4.51 665 v Aus at Centurion 2009
15 Stuart Broad Eng 627 26.59 5.13 703 v SA at Trent Bridge 2008
16 Nathan Bracken Aus 626 24.36 4.41 808 v SL at St George's 2007
17 Nathan Hauritz Aus 622*! 30.29 4.30 622 v Ind at Guwahati 2009
18 Andrew Flintoff Eng 617 24.38 4.39 758 v Ban at Dhaka 2003
19 M Mortaza Ban 612 29.82 4.57 653 v Zim at Dhaka 2009
20 Saeed Ajmal Pak 610*! 27.51 3.92 610 v NZ at Abu Dhabi 2009
All-rounders
Rank Player Team Pts HS Rating
1 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 453! 453 v Zim at Chittagong 2009
2 Shane Watson Aus 355! 355 v Ind at Guwahati 2009
3 Yuvraj Singh Ind 337 356 v Aus at Delhi 2009
4 Jacques Kallis SA 331 506 v WI at Bridgetown 2001
5= Shahid Afridi Pak 321 352 v Ken at Nairobi 2002
ICC President David Morgan today welcomed news of the launch of the Pakistan v Australia Test and T20I series that will take place in England during July 2010.
With international cricket not possible in Pakistan at present for security reasons, the ICC resolved to encourage members to do everything possible to ensure the game would not suffer unduly from that situation.
“The ICC welcomes this encouraging move,” said Mr Morgan.
“Of course ideally all of Pakistan’s home series would take place there but clearly that is not possible at the moment. The next best thing is for the matches to take place in neutral venues.
“The England and Wales Cricket Board, the Pakistan Cricket Board and Cricket Australia are all to be congratulated for this cooperative and innovative response to an unfortunate situation.
“For me it is another example of the great spirit that exists in our sport. For Test cricket to continue to develop and grow in popularity, it’s essential the Pakistan cricket team continues to play competitive matches. This partnership between the boards will not only enable this to happen it will also provide finances that can be invested in grassroots schemes to help safeguard cricket’s future as the number one sport in Pakistan.
“And with so many Pakistanis and Australians living in England, not to mention plenty of others who just love watching Test cricket and the ECB’s excellent track record in staging international cricket, the matches are bound to be well supported,” said Mr Morgan.
Series victory puts Sangakkara’s men top while home team needs a 2-0 win or better to move past South Africa
Gambhir and Sangakkara resume battle for the top batting spot while Muralidaran aims to regain number-one bowling position
After failing to replace Australia at the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table earlier this month, India gets a shot at the number-one spot in the longer version of the game when it goes head to head with Sri Lanka in the three-Test series which begins in Ahmedabad on Monday.
Only three ratings points separates first-placed South Africa from third-placed India in the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship and all could change as the most challenging and important format of the game returns to action after nearly 10 weeks’ break.
India will go on top of the Test table if it beats Sri Lanka by 2-0 or better. In case of a 2-0 win, India will climb to 124 ratings points (two ahead of South Africa) while a 3-0 victory will take Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side to 125 ratings points (three ahead of the Proteas).
India’s 2-0 win will drop Sri Lanka from second place to fourth position behind Australia on 115 ratings points while a 3-0 defeat will put Kumar Sangakkara’s side on 114 ratings points.
Sri Lanka also has a chance to claim the coveted number-one position. And to achieve this, it simply needs to win the series.
A 1-0 or 2-1 win will take Sri Lanka to 123 ratings points (one ahead of South Africa) while dropping India to 116 ratings points, in fourth position when ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point. A 2-0 victory will lift Sri Lanka to 125 ratings points and will drop India to 114 ratings points.
A drawn series will mean the status quo is maintained.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, ICC Test Player of the Year 2009 Gautam Gambhir and Sangakkara resume their fight for the number-one batting slot with the India opener leading the Sri Lanka captain by just nine points.
Gambhir has a modest record against Sri Lanka by his high standards as he has scored only 364 runs at an average of little over 33 in six Tests with three half-centuries. However, he has been in good form this year as in the three Tests to date, he has scored 445 runs from six innings at an average of 89.
In contrast, Sangakkara has a decent record against India as he has scored 549 runs at an average of little over 42 from 14 innings of nine Tests with two centuries and a half-century. This year, the 32-year-old from Matale has been in impressive form and has already scored 842 runs with three centuries and five half-centuries from eight Tests at an average of 60.
Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jaywardena, in seventh position, is the only other batsmen from either side inside the top 10. A productive series with the bat could potentially take him to third spot as 26 points separates the 32-year-old from Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies.
The other batsmen inside the top 20 are Sachin Tendulkar (15th), Thilan Samaraweera (16th), VVS Laxman (18th) and Tillakeratne Dilshan (19th) while outside the top 20 and eyeing an upward movement are Virender Sehwag (21st), Rahul Dravid (25th), Dhoni (33rd) and Yuvraj Singh (49th).
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, Sri Lanka’s iconic spinner Muttiah Muralidaran will be aiming to reclaim the top spot from South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn whom he trails by 16 points.
Muralidaran had slipped behind Steyn for the first time in three years back in July after missing the series against Pakistan due to a shoulder injury. Steyn had also briefly joined Muralidaran in number-one position after the second Test against India in Ahmedabad in April 2008 and had failed to go top on his own after a disappointing third and final Test against India in Kanpur.
The 37-year-old from Kandy has already taken 783 wickets and is just 17 wickets short of becoming the first bowler in the history of Test cricket to reach the 800-wicket mark. Australia’s Shane Warne retired from international cricket in January 2007 after finishing on 708 wickets while India’s Anil Kumble retired last year after taking 619 Test wickets.
India boasts two bowlers in Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan inside the top 10. Harbhajan Singh is in fifth spot with South Africa paceman Makhaya Ntini’s fourth position firmly within his sights while Zaheer sits in eighth position, 19 points behind South Africa’s left-arm spinner Paul Harris.
The bowlers outside the top 20 and aiming to improve their rankings are Ishant Sharma (21st), Ajantha Mendis (31st), S Sreesanth (35th) and Rangana Herath (45th).
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, Harbhajan is the highest-ranked player from either side in 10th spot. The list is headed by South Africa’s Jacques Kallis with New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori in second place.
The schedule of the series is:
16-20 Nov – First Test, Ahmedabad
24-28 Nov – Second Test, Kanpur
2-6 Dec – Third Test, Mumbai
Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship (as of 15 November, prior to the start of India – Sri Lanka Test series)
Rank Team Rating
1 South Africa 122
2 Sri Lanka 120
3 India 119
4 Australia 116
5 England 105
6 Pakistan 84
7 New Zealand 80
8 West Indies 76
9 Bangladesh 13
Reliance Mobile ICC Test Rankings (as of 15 November, prior to the start of India – Sri Lanka Test series)
Batsmen
Rank Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
1 Gautam Gambhir Ind 847! 54.07 847 v NZ at Wellington 2009
2 Kumar Sangakkara SL 838 54.99 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
3 S.ChanderpaulWI 821 49.28 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
4 Mohammad Yousuf Pak 818 54.86 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
5 Michael Clarke Aus 808 49.35 855 v Eng at Headingley 2009
6 Younus Khan Pak 801 50.09 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
7 Mahela Jayawardena SL 795 52.83 854 v Ban at Dhaka 2008
8 Graeme Smith SA 782 50.33 810 v Aus at Melbourne 2008
9 Ricky Ponting Aus 779 55.88 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
10 Jacques Kallis SA 755 54.66 935 v NZ at Centurion 2007
11 Ashwell Prince SA 742 47.29 756 v Pak at Centurion 2007
12= Andrew Strauss Eng 740 44.62 769 v SA at Johannesburg 2005
AB de Villiers SA 740! 43.92 740 v Aus at Cape Town 2009
14 Kevin Pietersen Eng 727 49.96 909 v WI at Headingley 2007
15 Sachin Tendulkar Ind 720 54.58 898 v Zim at Nagpur 2002
16 Thilan Samaraweera SL 707! 50.97 707 v NZ at Galle 2009
17 Ramnaresh Sarwan WI 704 42.32 767 v Eng at Bridgetown 2009
18 VVS Laxman Ind 703 45.24 753 v Aus at Sydney 2004
19 Tillekeratne Dilshan SL 695! 43.34 695 v NZ at Galle 2009
20 Simon Katich Aus 687 43.33 720 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
Bowlers
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Econ HS Rating
1 Dale Steyn SA 844 23.70 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008
2 Muttiah Muralidaran SL 828 22.19 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
3 Mitchell Johnson Aus 786 28.80 825 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
4 Makhaya Ntini SA 741 28.37 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
5 Harbhajan Singh Ind 735 30.42 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
6 Stuart Clark Aus 710* 23.86 863 v WI at Bridgetown 2008
7 Paul Harris SA 669*! 32.60 669 v Aus at Cape Town 2009
8 Zaheer Khan Ind 650 33.84 689 v Pak at Delhi 2007
9 James Anderson Eng 643 34.87 710 v Aus at Edgbaston 2009
10 Graeme Swann Eng 634*! 30.39 634 v Aus at The Oval 2009
11 Daniel Vettori NZ 624 33.52 681 v Aus at Auckland 2000
12 Brett Lee Aus 621 30.81 811 v WI at Antigua 2008
13= Stuart Broad Eng 617*! 35.78 617 v Aus at The Oval 2009
Peter Siddle Aus 617*! 28.93 617 v Eng at The Oval 2009
15 Jerome Taylor WI 614* 35.55 717 v Eng at Kingston 2009
16 Ryan Sidebottom Eng 610* 27.70 769 v SA at Lord's 2008
17 Chris Martin NZ 606 33.28 643 v Eng at Lord's 2004
18 Danish Kaneria Pak 605 34.57 723 v Eng at Multan 2005
19 Jacques Kallis SA 603 31.08 742 v Eng at Headingley 2003
20 Umar Gul Pak 586* 32.40 627 v WI at Karachi 2006
All-rounders
Rank Player Team Pts HS Rating
1 Jacques Kallis SA 455 616 v Pak at Durban 2002
2 Daniel Vettori NZ 369! 369 v SL at Galle 2009
3 Mitchell Johnson Aus 342*/ 384 v Eng at Cardiff 2009
4 Shakib Al Hasan Ban 282*/*! 282 v WI at St George's 2009
5 Stuart Broad Eng 278*/*! 278 v Aus at The Oval 2009
mbai.
