2009-09-02T20:04:31-04:00

Avik Chaudhary raises the bat after reaching his century, Indian Revenue v Indian Tobacco Company, BCCI Corporate Trophy, Mohali, September 2, 2009 Avik Chowdhury's battling century helped India Revenue post a competitive score © Cricinfo Ltd Related Links Players/Officials: Avik Chowdhury | PK Dharma | Gagan Khoda | Virat Kohli | Sridharan Sriram Series/Tournaments: BCCI Corporate Trophy | India Domestic Season Teams: India India Revenue had to stage two fightbacks before prevailing over Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) by six runs in Mohali and knocking them out of the BCCI Corporate Trophy. After choosing to bat, Indian Revenue's top order caved in meekly, leaving them tottering at 53 for 4 in the 16th over. Bengal's Avik Chowdhury, coming in at No. 4, rescued them with a patient, unbeaten 110. He was initially helped in the recovery by Amitabh Velaskar, who made a brisk 41 and added 86 for the fifth wicket. Still, Indian Revenue slid to 185 for 7 after 40.1 overs, and required a quick 63-run stand between Chowdhury and Ankit Sharma to post a competitive total of 255. ITC got solid contributions from their top-order batsmen and coasted to 101 for 2 by the 24th over. Left-arm spinner Ajinkya Joshi's triple-strike, though, reduced them to 138 for 4. A 84-run fifth-wicket association between Parvinder Singh (51) and Bipul Sharma (42) left ITC the straightforward task of making 34 off 32 balls with six wickets remaining. Chowdhury, though, again saved India Revenue, providing the breakthrough by removing Bipul. Medium-pacer Love Ablish struck twice in the next over, blows from which ITC couldn't recover. ITC's match against Air India Blue was washed out on Tuesday, which means they finish their league matches with two points, and no chance of making the final four. In Visakhapatanam, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation's (ONGC) strong batting line-up powered them to 329 and a comfortable 71-run victory over Madras Rubber Factory (MRF). After the openers had provided a cracking start, ONGC's middle-order consolidated the advantage. No. 4 Gagan Khoda made a quick century, and was involved in big stands with Gautam Gambhir for the third wicket and Virat Kohli for the fourth. While Gambhir made a breezy 54 that contained only four fours, Kohli favoured the big hits, slamming six sixes in addition to four fours. At 282 for 3 in the 43rd over, with Kolhi and Khoda still at the crease, ONGC were only kept down to 329 due to a double-strike from 18-year-old medium-pacer Vikram Dahiya. Another 18-year-old, PK Dharma, took five wickets, but his eight overs were clobbered for 75 runs. The MRF chase got off to a slow start, with opener S Thilak taking 43 balls for his 21 runs. When one of their key batsmen, Venugopal Rao, was dismissed in the 20th over, the score was 80 for 3 and MRF's hopes were almost extinguished. However, they fought on with the help of a century from veteran S Sriram and Gnaneswara Rao's 54. The pair took MRF along to 187 for 3 in the 37th over, but 330 proved too stiff a target against the likes of Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar. After Gnaneswara's exit, there was little support for Sriram and MRF meandered to 258 for 9 in their 50 overs. Click here for Cricinfo's report of the Group C match between India Cements and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited in Bangalore.

17 Tenacious India Revenue win tense game

2009-09-10T02:19:11-04:00

2009-08-25T01:40:11-04:00

The Ashes - England v Australia 2009 with live cricket scores and the latest news and features throughout the series.

16 The Ashes - England v Australia 2009

2009-08-25T01:40:11-04:00

2009-08-21T01:48:52-04:00

Medium-pacer Lonwabo Tsotsobe and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson have been named in South Africa's Champions Trophy squad, marking their return to international cricket. They take the place of Morne Morkel and Vaughn van Jaarsveld. Charl Langeveldt missed out on a place after failing to fully recover from a shoulder injury. Tsotsobe, who had a memorable one-day debut against Australia in January when he took 4 for 50 in Perth, missed the home series against the same opposition with a knee injury. He showed good form in the recent Emerging Players' Tournament, where he took nine wickets in four games at 28.44 and was handed a central contract in February. Peterson last played an ODI in 2007 though he was part of the Twenty20 side that beat Australia 2-0 at home this year. He has performed consistently on the domestic circuit - taking 17 wickets from eight games in the 2007-08 season, including a best of 7 for 24, and nine from four matches in the 2008-09 season of the MTN domestic championship. Morkel has had a poor year in one-dayers, taking just seven wickets in five matches at 36.57, and played only one match in the World Twenty20. Mike Procter, the selection convenor, said he had to miss out given South Africa's abundance of fast bowlers and the emergence of Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell. "Langeveldt is not fit enough yet to be considered after his shoulder surgery and Morne Morkel is the unlucky one to miss out," Procter said. "He [Morkel] is very much part of our long-term planning and has a major role to play but we would like to see more consistency from him at this stage." "The selection panel attaches great value to experience, which is well illustrated by the mentoring role Makhaya Ntini has fulfilled with Tsotsobe," Procter said. "Bringing players like Tsotsobe, Parnell and Roelof van der Merwe into a winning culture has also enabled them to mature as international cricketers quickly. We have four quality spin bowlers and two allrounders in [Jacques] Kallis and Albie Morkel to back up the seam attack. There is also batting potential most of the way down the order." South Africa squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Johan Botha, Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Albie Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof van der Merwe

15 Tsotsobe, Peterson in Champions Trophy squad

2009-08-21T01:48:52-04:00

2009-08-21T01:21:14-04:00

New Zealand opener Tim McIntosh is disappointed after missing a second Test hundred on another rain-hit day in Galle. He prevented the New Zealand batting order from falling apart with a solid 69 off 226 balls in 292 minutes but was trapped lbw by Muttiah Muralitharan. "It was very disappointing to do that much work and face that many balls and then for one ball you get out," McIntosh said after the day's play. "You want to go on and get your three figures but I am pretty happy getting some runs. I like to convert fifties to hundreds, I am a bit disappointed, but I'll take that I guess." McIntosh was trying to wear down the Sri Lankan bowlers by batting time which was New Zealand's plan to tackle the varied bowling attack. "I was trying to bat time, wear them down and make them come back after a spell if they can. First time batting out here, its different. [There's a] lack of bounce and a turning wicket. I guess I had to spend as much time as possible because I got guys around me who played quite freely. "In terms of ticking runs over at a certain rate, it became quite a challenge when you got both spinners bowling so accurately. With a semi-defensive field set it's not easy to keep attacking like you would like. I guess I spent as much time as possible trying to get partnerships going." Despite McIntosh's knock, New Zealand still lost wickets and were 281 for 8, trailing by 171 runs at the end of the day. "No one wants to lose wickets in clumps, that's what any team tries to avoid, but we didn't do that well today," said McIntosh. He had spoken to two former New Zealand batsmen, John Wright and Matt Horne, before the tour of Sri Lanka and said that their advice had "helped". "Both of them gave me some good feedback on what to expect and what the conditions are going to be like. "The time we spent with Saqlain [Mushtaq] was really good for us. We hadn't faced these sorts of deliveries before and he taught us how to look for it and how to go about playing it."

14 Plan was to bat time, says McIntosh

2009-08-21T01:21:14-04:00

2009-08-21T01:16:22-04:00

Having been dropped from the Mumbai squad for the Buchi Babu tournament, Amol Muzumdar has decided to join Assam for the upcoming domestic season. "I have given a good thought before taking the decision," Muzumdar told DNA. "Believe me it was a tough decision. There are bound to be some ups and downs in a player's career. My name was not there in the Buchi Babu squad. I felt it was some kind of an indication." The 34-year-old right-hand batsmen admitted that he had been pondering over an offer made to him by the Assam Cricket Association and said his task was made easier when he failed to make the cut for the all-India invitational tournament currently underway in Chennai. Muzumdar has played 144 first-class matches, scoring 9558 runs at 49.52. He has scored 3103 runs in the 104 List A games at 39.78. He made a disappointing 359 runs in nine matches at 27.61 last season and is 31 shy of breaking the Ranji Trophy record for the most runs, currently held by Amarjit Kaypee with 7,623. "I've not played first-class cricket since February," said Muzumdar. "My next match will be on November 3. It is a matter of nine months. It has not crossed my mind too many times. I feel will be very happy when I get there." However, Muzumdar said he would have been happier if he had broken the record playing for Mumbai. "Mumbai is always close to my heart," he said. "I would have loved to have done that with the lion crest on my cap. I've set some other goals in my career which I will try and achieve." Muzumdar said he was "lucky" to have played with three generations of players in his 16-year career for Mumbai. "I've to thank a lot of people," Muzumdar said. "My first captain Ravi [Shastri] who believed in my ability. My first coach Karsan Ghavri and lot of other guys. The three generations of cricketers are Ravi, Salil Ankola, Sanjay Manjrekar, then my friends Sairaj [Bahutule], Sameer [Dighe], Abey [Kuruvilla], Wasim [Jaffer], Vinod [Kambli] and finally with youngsters like Rohit Sharma, Abhishek Nayar and Sahil Kukreja. I will also miss the dressing room." He also said that no one in the Mumbai Cricket Association tried to reverse his decision. "Nobody. I spoke to Sachin and he was pretty okay with my decision," Muzumdar said.

13 Muzumdar quits Mumbai for Assam

2009-08-21T01:16:22-04:00

2009-08-21T01:12:07-04:00

New South Wales may be vying for Brendon McCullum's services as well, but Otago have named him in their provisional squad for the Champions League. A 19-member squad for the tournament that takes place in India starting October 8 has been named, and will be trimmed to 15 in September. McCullum made a controversial appearance for New South Wales in the Australian domestic Twenty20 final in January so that he could qualify for the Blues. He is yet to confirm which team he will play for; if he is to play for New South Wales, the Australia state side will have pay Otago US$250,000. Otago Cricket Association chief executive Ross Dykes was confident McCullum would pick his home side. "As far as I'm concerned he is playing for us," Dykes told the Otago Daily Times. "It is not something Brendon would need to confirm. He qualifies for Otago and he is mad keen to play." There are six other players with international experience in the Otago squad: Nathan McCullum, Aaron Redmond, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Craig Cumming and England allrounder Dimitri Mascarenhas. Mike Hesson, the Otago coach, was happy with the experience and strength of his squad. "Outside of our international players we have a blend of experienced campaigners like Warren McSkimming and James McMillan, mixed with some exciting younger players in left-arm-spinner Nick Beard and attacking opening batsman Hamish Rutherford," he said. Otago will start training for the Champions League at a camp in Dunedin in early September.

12 Otago include McCullum in Champions League squad

2009-08-21T01:12:07-04:00

2009-08-21T00:48:26-04:00

Half centuries from Garry Park and James Pipe could not prevent Northamptonshire from enjoying the better of proceedings on day one of the Chesterfield Festival today. Park scored 55 off 117 balls before Pipe later produced a rapid cameo of 58 off 34 deliveries after Derbyshire won the toss and elected to bat at Queen’s Park. Their contributions, however, could not save John Morris’s side from a disappointing total of 251 as debutant seamer Jack Brooks took 4 for 76 on his Championship debut for the visitors. Northamptonshire closed the day on 137 for 3 in reply, Tim Groenwald having taken two wickets. Chris Rogers and Wayne Madsen gave the Derbyshire innings a promising start as their opening stand reached 47 without alarm before Madsen was caught in the slips as he attempted to drive Johannes van der Wath. Rogers quickly followed trapped lbw by Brooks before Greg Smith and Park looked to have settled the innings, taking the score to 108 for 2 on the verge of lunch. Smith had looked in excellent touch, striking six boundaries in his 25 runs, and it was a massive and timely breakthrough for the visitors when the South African all-rounder’s cut stroke was pouched at point by Riki Wessels. Wavell Hinds (10) followed shortly after the break as his off stump was uprooted by van der Wath and Dan Redfern (4) quickly went caught behind to the same bowler. That double dismissal brought Pipe to the crease and – after starting with three boundaries in his first four deliveries – he never looked back, passing 50 for the tenth time in his Derbyshire career. Park hung around while 46 were added, scoring his seventh fifty of the current season, before he was out to a mis-judged pull shot. Further resistance came from the tail as Steffan Jones scored 22 and Mark Lawson 16, but Derbyshire’s total was some way short of what they would have expected. The three late wickets gave them hope, however, Tim Groenewald inducing a nick from Niall O’Brien (15) and trapping Stephen Peters (39) lbw while Wavell Hinds took the crucial wicket of Rob White (62 off 56 balls), also lbw.

11 Half centuries for Derbyshire duo

2009-08-21T00:48:26-04:00

2009-08-21T00:24:55-04:00

Karnavati County Cricket Club have announced – on the eve of their Chesterfield Festival of Cricket – that they are changing their name for limited overs cricket to the Derbyshire Falcons. The new limited-overs team name has been inaugurated in reference to the famous Peregrine Falcon which nests on the city of Derby’s cathedral. The new identity will take effect from the beginning of 2010. Staff at The County Ground were challenged by Chief Executive Keith Loring at the start of 2009 to come up with ideas for the team’s new name before Falcons was chosen recently from an array of different ideas. Derbyshire Falcons will become Derbyshire’s third limited-overs identity since they began life as the Scorpions in 1999, changing to the Phantoms six years later in time for the 2005 season. Peregrines are a rare breed of falcon, so much so that the species was thought to have been close to extinction in the mid 20th century. Historical records suggest that Peregrines have frequented the ancient cathedral for centuries and they made a spectacular return in 2006. Since then, they have become a feature of the building and have been the subject of much interest and debate for locals and visitors to the city. Chief Executive Keith Loring said: “The club’s new one-day cricket name’s local significance indicates that Derbyshire County Cricket Club are continuing to support and champion the local community of Derbyshire. “It will also give us the opportunity to introduce an excellent mascot which will be launched in the build up to the 2010 season. “With an extended Twenty20 tournament as well as a second limited-overs competition to look forward to in 2010, there will be some exciting action for the Falcons and our supporters throughout the season. Let’s hope that 2010 can be the year of the Falcon.” The Chesterfield Festival of Cricket, sponsored by Old Speckled Hen, meanwhile, sees Derbyshire take their challenge for success in two different competitions to one of the most picturesque surroundings in the world of first-class cricket. The festival at Queen’s Park, Chesterfield, will begin with a four day LV = County Championship match against Northamptonshire, 11am starts, from Wednesday 19th to Saturday 22nd August, as John Morris’s side, currently occupying the second promotion place, aim for what would be a crucial victory in the quest for a place in the First Division next season. This will then be followed by a NatWest Pro40 encounter against the Kent Spitfires on Sunday 23rd August, 1.45pm start, as Derbyshire aim to reproduce the kind of explosive form which saw them successfully chase down a Surrey Brown Caps total of 282 for 5 to win their most recent fixture in the competition. Supporters can benefit from a reduced price of £11 Adults, £6 Juniors if they buy in advance of the day they wish to attend, either online at www.derbyshireccc.com, over the phone on 01332 388 101 or in person either at the Club Shop at The County Ground (The Gateway Centre, Grandstand Road, Derby) or from the Tourist Information Centre in Chesterfield, situated on Rykneld Square. Admission on the gate is priced at £14 Adults, £7 Juniors. On day one of the festival (Wednesday 19th August), members of Derbyshire County Cricket Club are entitled to bring a guest for the discounted price of £8 as the club lays on a Members’ Day to thank the Members for their support in 2009. Additional members benefits include: the entitlement to a free scorecard, a £1 discount off Night Watchman Magazine, free car parking (usually £5) and 20% off in the Club Shop.

10 Karnavati to become Falcons

2009-09-10T20:40:18-04:00

2009-08-20T23:53:28-04:00

On a day when everything fell into place for Sussex after Mike Yardy won the toss the Sussex opener scored 157, beating his previous best of 134 against the same opponents in June, while Murray Goodwin ended the worst run of his county career with an unbeaten 96. Nash shared stands of 98 with Ed Joyce and 171 for the third wicket with Goodwin as Sussex enjoyed their best day of the season with the bat, closing on 326-3. Nash said: “Muz scored fluently from the first ball which helped me a lot because it took some of the pressure off. He slog swept two fours like he’s been doing for the last ten years and you just knew he was back. He looks in great nick again and everyone is so pleased for him.” Winning the toss here is always important here but with Somerset opting to play three spinners there was the hint that this might not be a typical Taunton wicket where batsmen invariably fill their boots. In fact it was more like a slow Hove pitch with only a modicum of turn. No wonder the Sussex batsmen felt at home, particularly in the evening session when they scored 134 runs. Timing was hard work, particularly in the morning, but apart from one sharp chance Nash offered to short leg on 27 which Arul Suppiah failed to cling on to the 26-year-old played pretty faultlessly. After just two hundreds in seven seasons since his debut Nash has now made three this summer and this one came a week after his match-winning 100 not out against Worcestershire. A sizeable contingent of Sussex supporters in the west country sunshine enjoyed Goodwin’s fluent contribution just as much. There were signs at Hove last week that he was finally emerging from a horrible run in which his previous highest score before yesterday was just 65.

9 Chris Nash celebrated his career-best at Taunton yesterday and then admitted he was just as pleased for the man who spent most of the day watching from the other end.

2009-08-20T23:53:28-04:00

2009-08-20T23:47:27-04:00

Rain came to Scotland's rescue on the final day of their ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Ireland in Aberdeen, ensuring that play was washed out and the hosts won first-innings points even though they were likely to be defeated had the weather stayed clear at Mannofield Park. The advantage was with Ireland at the end of the third day with Scotland on 72 for 5, needing another 226 runs with only the lower half of their batting order left. But heavy overnight showers and then some more this morning forced play to be delayed at first and finally abandoned at 2.42 pm. Scotland and Ireland claim three points each from the draw while the hosts gained another six because of a six-run first-innings lead.

8 Rain thwarts Ireland, Scotland take first-innings points

2009-08-20T23:47:27-04:00

2009-08-20T23:46:34-04:00

7 Plan was to bat time, says McIntosh

2009-08-20T23:46:34-04:00

2009-08-20T23:44:34-04:00

Sussex batsman Murray Goodwin today broke his own record for the highest score in the county's history. The 35-year-old, who went into the game against Somerset averaging just 16.58, scored an unbeaten 344 not out as Sussex piled up a massive 742-5 at tea on the second day at Taunton. Goodwin had set the previous record of 335 not out on the day Sussex won their first County Championship in 2003. His innings contained 43 fours and six sixes and he featured in a county record fourth wicket stand of 363 in 73 overs with Carl Hopkinson whose own contribution was a career-best 132. Sussex's total was also the highest in their history, eclipsing the previous record of 705-8 dec set in 1902 against Surrey.

6 Goodwin sets new record

2009-08-20T23:44:34-04:00

2009-08-20T23:44:13-04:00

It is no coincidence that Australia's Ashes resurgence has coincided with that of Peter Siddle. Thirteen wickets at 17.15 at Edgbaston, Headingley and The Oval have taken the Victorian pace man from a precarious position within the Australian attack to the leading wicket-taker in the series (20). After Lord's, Siddle's place in the Australian line-up was a major discussion point, with many calling for the dependable Stuart Clark to take his place. Ricky Ponting and Tim Nielsen, however, argued otherwise, and their faith has been rewarded with a series of aggressive, relentless performances for which Siddle is fast growing a reputation. His four wickets on Thursday owed much to persistence, and a little to fortune. Alastair Cook again proved susceptible to the ball angled across his body, pushing meekly at a delivery he might well have left, while Paul Collingwood chased a wider ball he will surely regret. Siddle's dismissals of Ian Bell and Graeme Swann were more authoritative affairs, however, and set Australia on course for a late day revival. "I'm just happy to be able to go out there with how I started series, I was a little disappointed personally," Siddle said. "To now be back on track... and getting a bit of success [is satisfying]. I don't think I had to change natural aggression. I'm feeling comfortable now and more at ease in an Ashes series." Siddle sent a scare through the Australian camp in the first session when he fell heavily in the field. He spent several minutes flexing his left knee, but bowled relatively unhindered for the remainder of the day. "I don't know about the box seat, but pretty we're in good position, having been asked to bowl first and go out there on a decent wicket," he said. "To get eight wickets and they're 300, it's a pretty even day. "It started off well with the new ball, carried through and plenty of pace. It soon flattened out and as the ball got older, it became deader and you had to work a bit harder. I don't know about them capitulating. They worked hard and after lunch we tried to be patient and we won every hour after lunch."

5 Perseverance in Siddle pays off

2009-08-20T23:44:13-04:00

2009-08-20T23:43:02-04:00

Muttiah Muralitharan created another slice of history, taking his 100th wicket at Galle, as Sri Lanka wrested a 153-run first-innings lead on another grey morning in Galle. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara then thrashed the bowling to pick up 76 from just 15 overs, after Tharanga Paranavitana had fallen cheaply to Iain O'Brien. Murali had Iain O'Brien caught behind before Thilan Thushara came back to take his fourth wicket of the innings, bowling Daniel Vettori off the inside edge as New Zealand were bowled out for 299. Vettori's had been a desperate shot, but with the hapless Chris Martin at the other end, he really had no option but to go for the single off the last ball of the over. It was desperation of another kind when Dilshan, who had clattered 92 from 72 balls in the first innings, arrived at the crease. Once again, New Zealand had no answer to his aggression, and O'Brien appeared stunned when he was hooked for six and then flayed for four through cover at the start of the innings. Paranavitana went, edging to slip, but with Sangakkara caressing gorgeous strokes through the covers, Dilshan was once again given license to flirt with the boundaries of Test-match batting. Both O'Brien and Martin suffered as the ball was cut, square-driven and pulled ruthlessly each time it was even fractionally off length. It didn't even look like he was batting on the same pitch, and by lunch, another blistering-quick half-century was on the cards. New Zealand's already hopeless-looking cause was scarcely helped by a stomach bug that ruled Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder out of action. With Tim McIntosh also feeling under the weather, permission had to be sought from the Sri Lankans so that Reece Young, the reserve wicketkeeper, could take McCullum's place behind the stumps. With others, including Martin, also feeling under the weather, it remained to be seen if New Zealand could complete the game with all men standing.

4 Dilshan helps Sri Lankan lead race past 200

2009-08-20T23:43:02-04:00

2009-08-20T23:38:57-04:00

ICC Champions Trophy will give Dhoni's team the chance to take over as number-one ODI side in the world Australia slips to third position and England jumps two spots to fourth as New Zealand drops to fifth and Pakistan sixth following annual update Shakib Al Hasan goes to third position in bowling rankings as Kumar Sangakkara returns to top 10 batsmen India has moved up to second place on the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table following the annual update. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team has jumped ahead of Australia and is now just one ratings point behind number-one-ranked South Africa after the adjustment. The annual update is carried out to ensure the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table continues to reflect recent form with older results being discarded. The table reflects all ODIs between the teams represented on the table that took place since 1 August two years ago. All matches played until the start of next August will be added to this table, so by then the ratings will be based on three years of results and, over those three years, matches played in the most recent year will carry most weight. Next August the first year of results will be dropped and this pattern is repeated each August, with the oldest of the three years of results removed to be gradually replaced with results of matches played over the following 12 months. Thus, once a year, the rankings change overnight without any new ODIs necessarily being played. India's rise in this year's update reflects its outstanding record during the past 12 months and also the dropping of a much poorer set of results in the year ending July 2007. England has fared well as a result of the update as it rises two places from sixth to fourth spot in the latest team rankings. As a consequence, New Zealand falls from fourth to fifth position with Pakistan dropping to sixth spot after losing the first two of the ongoing ODI series in Sri Lanka. Indeed, if Younus Khan's team loses the next ODI in Dambulla on Monday, it will fall below Sri Lanka into seventh spot albeit with an immediate chance to retake sixth place in the fourth and fifth ODIs of the series. Meanwhile, Kumar Sangakkara has returned to the top 10 of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen after helping his side to victory in the first and second ODIs of the current series against Pakistan. The news is not so good for Mohammad Yousuf of Pakistan who slips two places to 15th position while his team-mate Shoaib Malik and Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya also lose ground to joint-19th spot. Their loss is India's and New Zealand's gain, however, as Gautam Gambhir and Ross Taylor both move up to joint-17th position in the latest rankings. The batting list is still headed by the Indian duo of Dhoni in first place and Yuvraj Singh in second position. Australia's Michael Hussey is currently third. Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan continues his rise up the rankings and has gained two more places to third in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers. Shakib has benefited from the fact that Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralidaran has slipped two spots in the latest rankings and now sits in fifth position. The other main mover in the top 20 of the bowling list is Pakistan's Shahid Afridi, who drops three places to 12th position after the first matches of the ongoing series in Sri Lanka. Afridi's woes also extend to the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders as the 29-year-old slips one place to fourth with Shakib still the man in possession of number-one position. New Zealand's Jacob Oram benefits from Afridi's slip, moving up two places to third position. Afridi's team-mate Shoaib Malik has dropped out of the top five, slipping four places to seventh spot in the all-rounders' list. Australia's James Hopes moves into fifth position as a consequence.

3 India moved up to 2nd place on ICC ODI Championship

2009-08-20T23:38:57-04:00

2009-08-20T23:37:57-04:00

On the morning of March 3 in Lahore, the world of cricket was shaken to the core. The horrific attack on the Sri Lankan team bus, as it pulled into the Gadaffi Stadium ahead of the third day of the second Test against Pakistan, was the moment a thousand preconceptions were destroyed. Cricket's presumptions to diplomatic immunity had been mocked by the forces of evil, and as Pakistan spiralled into sporting exile and Sri Lanka's traumatised players rushed home to the bosom of their families, the obvious reaction was to wonder "what now?" for the great game. Three and a half months later, and sport's great gift for reinvention has delivered a contest that flicks two fingers at the perpetrators of the Lahore atrocity, and proves that - without wishing to overload the sentiment - the human spirit cannot be crushed by cold calculation. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will take centre stage at Lord's on Sunday for the final of the most joyful international tournament the game has arranged in years. Twenty20 may be cricket for hedonists, but after everything these two teams and their respective nations have been through of late, the need to lay on a party suddenly feels like the only serious obligation. "It is a fitting reward for the courage of the team in the way they have played the tournament," said Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka's statesmanlike captain. "All the players have got through Lahore, but what it brought home to us is that we are just the same as everyone else. Sometimes it is nice to be reminded of your mortality, especially when the press and everyone else blows you up to be more than that in this sporting culture. But we've shown no fear and we've gone to play cricket, and it's a fitting reward for that attitude." If Sri Lanka enter the final as favourites, it is only by dint of their exceptional consistency throughout the tournament. Unlike South Africa, the one-dimensional steamrollers who were spectacularly upstaged by the mercurial Pakistanis at Trent Bridge, Sri Lanka's unbeaten run owes itself, if you like, to a Barcelona-style carousel system, in which the identity of the day's gamebreaker is impossible to call until the damage has already been done. One day, Ajantha Mendis will sweep through the midfield, the next it's Lasith Malinga, while Muttiah Muralitharan's enduring class allows no liberties to be taken against his four overs. And then, every once in a while, up will pop a totally random destroyer, such as Angelo Mathews, the three-wicket wrecking ball against West Indies on Friday. And yet, Pakistan have developed some serious momentum in the latter stages of the tournament. Their captain, Younis Khan, laughed in the face of their group-stage trouncing against England, dismissing Twenty20 cricket as "fun", and later likened it to WWF wrestling as well. His comments caused consternation at the time, particularly for the thousands of passionate Pakistan fans whose presence and exuberance at all matches have been among the highlights of the competition. But internally, his words had a soothing effect on a side that had lacked meaningful match practice since a low-key one-day series in UAE. As soon as they hit their stride with a walloping of New Zealand at Lord's, Younis' impassioned defence of his star bowler, Umar Gul, in the face of ball-tampering insinuations, left no-one in any doubt as to the galvanised nature of their campaign. Gul's peerless death bowling remains one reason why Pakistan have the potential to go one step better than in 2007, when Misbah-ul-Haq's traumatic aberration delivered India a five-run victory and instigated a Twenty20 revolution. Shahid Afridi's big-game mentality and bamboozling legspin is another. Set against their wiles is the sensational form and innovative eye of Tillakaratne Dilshan, who produced his most orthodox innings of the tournament on Friday and still came within ten yards of posting the second century in Twenty20 international history. But whatever happens, it's all about to come down to 40 overs of fiesta cricket in front of a packed house at Lord's, and on this occasion, the old adage "to the victors, the spoils" somehow doesn't seem fitting. Sunday's final is not merely a celebration of cricket, it is a celebration of life. And that's a very serious reason to abandon any lingering hang-ups about the place of 20-over cricket in the grander scheme of the game, and simply get on with the important business of letting the hair down. Joie de vivre has carried these two teams into the final, and it will sustain them in victory or defeat.

2 Journey a triumph of human spirit

2009-08-20T23:37:57-04:00

2009-08-20T23:36:55-04:00

On the morning of March 3 in Lahore, the world of cricket was shaken to the core. The horrific attack on the Sri Lankan team bus, as it pulled into the Gadaffi Stadium ahead of the third day of the second Test against Pakistan, was the moment a thousand preconceptions were destroyed. Cricket's presumptions to diplomatic immunity had been mocked by the forces of evil, and as Pakistan spiralled into sporting exile and Sri Lanka's traumatised players rushed home to the bosom of their families, the obvious reaction was to wonder "what now?" for the great game. Three and a half months later, and sport's great gift for reinvention has delivered a contest that flicks two fingers at the perpetrators of the Lahore atrocity, and proves that - without wishing to overload the sentiment - the human spirit cannot be crushed by cold calculation. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will take center stage at Lord's on Sunday for the final of the most joyful international tournament the game has arranged in years. Twenty20 may be cricket for hedonists, but after everything these two teams and their respective nations have been through of late, the need to lay on a party suddenly feels like the only serious obligation. "It is a fitting reward for the courage of the team in the way they have played the tournament," said Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka's statesmanlike captain. "All the players have got through Lahore, but what it brought home to us is that we are just the same as everyone else. Sometimes it is nice to be reminded of your mortality, especially when the press and everyone else blows you up to be more than that in this sporting culture. But we've shown no fear and we've gone to play cricket, and it's a fitting reward for that attitude." If Sri Lanka enter the final as favourites, it is only by dint of their exceptional consistency throughout the tournament. Unlike South Africa, the one-dimensional steamrollers who were spectacularly upstaged by the mercurial Pakistanis at Trent Bridge, Sri Lanka's unbeaten run owes itself, if you like, to a Barcelona-style carousel system, in which the identity of the day's gamebreaker is impossible to call until the damage has already been done. One day, Ajantha Mendis will sweep through the midfield, the next it's Lasith Malinga, while Muttiah Muralitharan's enduring class allows no liberties to be taken against his four overs. And then, every once in a while, up will pop a totally random destroyer, such as Angelo Mathews, the three-wicket wrecking ball against West Indies on Friday. And yet, Pakistan have developed some serious momentum in the latter stages of the tournament. Their captain, Younis Khan, laughed in the face of their group-stage trouncing against England, dismissing Twenty20 cricket as "fun", and later likened it to WWF wrestling as well. His comments caused consternation at the time, particularly for the thousands of passionate Pakistan fans whose presence and exuberance at all matches have been among the highlights of the competition. But internally, his words had a soothing effect on a side that had lacked meaningful match practice since a low-key one-day series in UAE. As soon as they hit their stride with a walloping of New Zealand at Lord's, Younis' impassioned defence of his star bowler, Umar Gul, in the face of ball-tampering insinuations, left no-one in any doubt as to the galvanised nature of their campaign.

1 ICC Women's and Men's World Twenty20 2009 Final

2009-08-20T23:36:55-04:00