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England has moved up a place while South Africa has dropped a position in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table at the end of their series on Friday.
England’s 2-1 series win with washed out matches in Johannesburg and Durban, has earned it three ratings points which has helped it go ahead of Pakistan in fifth position while the series loss has pushed South Africa behind India into third spot.
World champion Australia continues to enjoy a comfortable eight-point advantage over second-placed India but the middle of the table is quite congested with only 13 ratings points separating third-placed South Africa with seventh-placed Sri Lanka.
And with India to go head to head with Sri Lanka in the five-ODI series in Rajkot from 15 December, there could be more reshuffle depending how the series pans out.
A 5-0 clean sweep will take India to 126 ratings points, four behind Australia, while Sri Lanka’s 5-0 series win will put both the sides on 115 ratings points. Sri Lanka’s 3-2 series win will lift it to 110 ratings points and will drop India to 119 ratings points but ahead of South Africa.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, South Africa’s AB de Villiers and Paul Collingwood of England have achieved career-best rankings to date.
De Villiers, who scored 145 runs in the three ODIs, has climbed two places to third position while Collingwood, who won the player of the series award for his 193 runs, has rocketed six places to 12th position in the latest rankings which were released on Friday.
However, the news is not so good for South Africa captain Graeme Smith and former England captain Kevin Pietersen. Smith, after scoring just 68 runs in the series, has dropped five places to eighth spot while Pietersen has fallen four places and out of the top 20 in 21st position after managing just 52 runs.
The batting list is still headed by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni while Mike Hussey of Australia is in second position.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, England fast bowlers Stuart Broad and James Anderson have stormed up the order.
Broad, who took six wickets in two matches, has leaped eight places to seventh position while Anderson, who was the most successful bowler of the series with eight wickets, has rocketed 13 places to share ninth spot with Dale Steyn of South Africa who has slipped two places.
South Africa off-spinner Johan Botha has returned to the top 10 after climbing three places to 10th position.
The bowlers’ list is still headed by New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori with Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan in second spot and Ray Price of Zimbabwe in third place.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, Collingwood has climbed three places and now sits just outside the top five in seventh position.
Shakib Al Hasan leads the field with Shane Watson of Australia second, India’s Yuvraj Singh third and a three-way tie for fourth spot between Jacques Kallis of South Africa, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and New Zealand’s Jacob Oram.

Rank Team Rating
1 Australia 130
2 India 122
3 South Africa 119
4 New Zealand 112
5 England 109
6 Pakistan 108
7 Sri Lanka 106
8 West Indies 76
9 Bangladesh 55
10 Zimbabwe 26
11 Ireland 25
12 Kenya 2

Incongruously, India have risen to the top in a format some would accuse them of neglecting – and their low frequency of Tests could cause them to lose their crown sooner rather than later. They are only the third team, after Australia and South Africa, to reach the summit of the ICC’s Test rankings since they were introduced in 2001 but their time there could be brief because of a schedule that contains only two Tests in the next 11 months.
Which means the duration of their reign will be determined by how their closest rivals, South Africa and Australia, fare in the next few months. “It is a bit of a concern, as we play only two Test matches in the next six months, so it will be tough for us to maintain the position,” MS Dhoni said after India’s victory in Mumbai. “I can’t do anything about the schedule. It is good to play Test cricket, at the same time we are here to play whatever cricket we are asked to play.”
Before their 2-0 victory, India were ranked third with 119 points after Sri Lanka and chart-toppers South Africa (122). The two consecutive innings victories in Kanpur and Mumbai earned India five points, taking them two clear of South Africa, while Sri Lanka slipped below Australia to fourth place.
During the period in which India have only two Tests – against Bangladesh – to maintain a hold on their No. 1 position, South Africa play at least four and Australia eight. A 2-0 win against Bangladesh isn’t likely to give India too many ratings points either, so they could be overtaken depending on how South Africa do against England, and how Australia go against West Indies and Pakistan at home, and in the away series in New Zealand and against Pakistan in England.
What is certain is that India will end 2009 as the No. 1 Test side because even a 3-0 victory for Australia in the ongoing series against eighth-ranked West Indies will give them only one point, taking their tally to 117, and no improvement in position.
India’s immediate threat is South Africa, but they will have to beat England by a 2-0 margin or better to reclaim the No. 1 spot. A 2-0 or 3-1 victory for South Africa will take them marginally ahead of India, 3-0 will given them 126 points, and 4-0 will extend their lead over India by three. However, if England win 1-0 or 2-1, South Africa’s tally will reduce to 117, increasing India’s lead by seven points.
If South Africa fail to recapture the top spot against England, India’s reign will receive an extension because even if Australia blank Pakistan 3-0 at home, following a 3-0 win against West Indies, their ratings points will increase only by three to 119. They will then need to win in New Zealand and beat Pakistan in England – an away series for Australia – to move up the ladder.

The PCB hopes the task force set up by the ICC would help revive its international cricketing reputation, which has been battered by security fears. Earlier this year, the ICC established the task force to ensure that Pakistan would host international cricket in the future, security conditions permitting. The PCB was initially reluctant to accept the help of the task force when the idea was floated in February, but was now pinning its hopes of recovery on the efforts of the game’s governing body.

“Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, will be apprising the task force about the issues being faced in our cricket and hopes that through the efforts of the task force, the best possible solutions can be worked out for Pakistan,” a release from the board said. “The efforts of David Morgan [the ICC president], Giles Clarke [the England and Wales Cricket Board chairman] and the other members are greatly appreciated by the PCB at a time when Pakistan cricket is facing its toughest challenges.”

The task force, which will convene in Dubai on Friday and Saturday, is headed by Clarke and includes former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja, former England captain Mike Brearley, and former Sri Lankan captain Ranjan Madugalle among its other members.

Several countries have refused to tour Pakistan due to security fears. Cricket in the country was dealt a severe blow when the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in Lahore in March this year, killing eight people and injuring five visiting players. The 2009 Champions Trophy was moved out of Pakistan to South Africa, while the country lost its share of 2011 World Cup matches later.

It’s a venue that Pakistan’s bowlers have enjoyed more than those from any other side over the last two decades, and they celebrated the Basin Reserve’s fiftieth Test in fitting style, destroying New Zealand’s top order with another clinical performance that left them superbly placed to level the series. After extending their first innings to 264, thanks largely to Kamran Akmal’s enterprising 70, the bowlers immediately got down to business, exploiting the conditions and the huge flaws in the techniques of the New Zealand batsmen, bundling them out for 99 and taking their overall lead to 229 by stumps.

Save for a brief four-over period when New Zealand took the last three Pakistan wickets and a spell just before close of play, the day belonged entirely to the visitors. Mohammad Aamer did his now customary trick of taking a wicket in his first over – is he the new first-over specialist after Daryl Tuffey? – and consistently bowled in the mid-140s, Mohammad Asif operated in his usual channel around off and seamed the ball both ways, Umar Gul was the perfect first-change bowler offering New Zealand no respite, while Danish Kaneria befuddled the lower order with his bag of tricks.

While the four-pronged bowling attack gave little away, New Zealand put in yet another shambolic batting display, as their poor defensive techniques and shot selection were ruthlessly exposed. None of their batsmen came to terms with the ball seaming around in both directions, and they made it worse for themselves with some poor strokeplay. None was more guilty than Brendon McCullum, who chased his first ball – a wide one – and edged to second slip when New Zealand had already lost five wickets with little on the board.

From the moment Aamer started his first over, it was clear New Zealand would have their hands full. His fourth ball to Guptill swung back and rapped him on the pads; the next one left him, clipped the edge, and New Zealand’s opening pair had failed to last the first over for the third time in three innings.

That was one of two overs Pakistan bowled before lunch and the slide continued after the break. Asif flummoxed Tim McIntosh and forced an inside edge to short leg, and should have had Daniel Flynn in similar fashion had Salman Butt not dropped a regulation catch. Ross Taylor was the only batsman to play with confidence – he raced to 30 from 40 balls, showing decisive footwork and driving confidently through the off side off the fast bowlers. His judgement failed him, though, when Gul slipped in an indipper that took the off stump after Taylor left it alone.

Peter Fulton was a walking wicket once again, shuffling indecisively to a straight and full one on the stumps, but New Zealand really crumbled after tea, going from 85 for 4 to 99 all out in the space of six overs. It’s a fate that has often befallen New Zealand sides of the past against Pakistan, and this time it was Asif who started the slide. Flynn’s painstaking knock ended when he was trapped in front of off by one that straightened – the review failed to save him – and when McCullum fell next ball, Asif was on a hat-trick. Vettori averted it, but was, for once, unable to lead another rearguard effort as Kaneria snuffed out the tail in a trice. More than just the three wickets he got, what would have worried Vetorri was the amount of turn he extracted from the second-day pitch.

Apart from Taylor, the one batsman who was comfortable batting on the surface was Kamran Akmal, who showed plenty of skill and aggressive intent in his 70. His 64-run stand with Gul – the largest of the innings – kept New Zealand in the field much longer than they would have liked in the opening session. Both batsmen went after the bowling, with Kamran lacing drives confidently through the covers to bring up his second half-century of the series. When New Zealand did get Rudi Koertzen to raise the finger against Kamran, the lbw decision was overturned on review, with replays suggesting it would have gone over the top of the stumps.

Throughout the day, the bounce on the track kept the bowlers interested: the last 30 minutes was a huge test for Pakistan’s batsmen, with O’Brien, who bowled an inspired spell, exceeding 140 kph, peppering the batsmen with plenty of short deliveries, and getting Butt with one such delivery that had him all tangled up and gloving to Taylor in the slips.

Imran Farhat was consumed by the pace and movement too but, despite that lion-hearted effort, the story of the day remained New Zealand’s abject collapse. In their last two Tests at this ground, Pakistan have had one bowler winning them the match – it was Wasim Akram in 1994 and Shoaib Akhtar in 2003. The spoils were shared this time around, but the end result could be just as emphatic for Pakistan.

Bravo third Test century ensured a healthy total for West Indies but their fighting efforts were overshadowed by a controversial umpiring review that ended Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s push for a hundred. West Indies must win to keep the series alive and Bravo’s 104 gave them hope, although on a good batting surface six opening-day wickets wasn’t a bad result for Australia.

At stumps, West Indies had moved to 6 for 336, which augured well for a better contest than in Brisbane. Darren Sammy provided some late-afternoon highlights with a pair of sixes down the ground off Nathan Hauritz and he was 44 not out at the close, with Brendan Nash also on 44, having earlier retired hurt.

Bravo rode his luck to reach triple figures after being dropped three times but Chanderpaul’s fortune ran out when he was on 62. Chanderpaul was given out caught-behind off Shane Watson and was the victim of a successful review for Australia after Mark Benson initially denied Australia’s appeal.

Hot Spot did not carry the right angle to show an edge but a camera view from the long-on region seemed to show a slight deflection as the ball passed the bat. It was far from conclusive evidence and nor was the decision a blatant shocker – those are the calls the review system is designed to eradicate – but the third umpire Asad Rauf was convinced and sent Chanderpaul on his way.

Chanderpaul had earlier survived a similar review off Doug Bollinger on 38, when again the evidence was inconclusive despite the Australians being utterly convinced that he had edged the ball. The eventual dismissal was a major blow for West Indies and things went from bad to worse when in the same over Denesh Ramdin played on to give Watson his second wicket.

Watson was pleased to redeem himself after his comical mishap gave Bravo a reprieve on 59. Bravo hooked Peter Siddle and Watson tried to snare the catch at deep square leg but stumbled back and lobbed the ball up as he realised he would step over the boundary. He tried to reclaim the catch after jumping back into the field of play but stumbled and parried the ball over for six.

Bravo had already been dropped twice on 46, though both were tough chances – a caught-and-bowled that rocketed back to Siddle and an edge off Hauritz that ricocheted off Brad Haddin and was missed by Michael Clarke at slip. Bravo wasn’t about to be discouraged from playing his shots and brought up both his half-century and his hundred with drives that sailed over the bowler’s head and away to the boundary.

But Bravo was being far from irresponsible in his strokeplay; he was patient and waited for his opportunities, and a crunching, classic cover-driven boundary off Watson was especially attractive. It was his first Test century in four years, since he made 113 in Hobart in 2005-06, and though he eventually missed a straight ball from Hauritz and was bowled, it was just the sort of innings that West Indies needed to lift their spirits after their innings loss at the Gabba.

He had the perfect ally in Chanderpaul, who had looked out of sorts in Brisbane but here compiled his first half-century in his past eight Test innings. As expected, Chanderpaul scored the majority of his 54 runs behind the wicket but also drove well and enjoyed a lovely clip off his toes for four through midwicket off Mitchell Johnson.

The 116-run stand was comfortably West Indies’ best partnership of the series, which made it all the more frustrating for them that it was ended in such debatable style. The pair had come together after Nash retired hurt on 20 during the lunch break, having been struck on the arm by his former flat-mate Johnson in the final over before the interval.

It left West Indies in a spot of bother after they lost three wickets in the opening session, including Ramnaresh Sarwan, whose return from a back injury ended on 28 when he drove Johnson on the up to Clarke at point. The early damage came from Bollinger, who had been waiting 11 months for his second Test and picked up two wickets in his first five overs.

Bollinger’s first two went for 18 as Chris Gayle, who had chosen to bat, launched an early assault. The bowler’s confidence improved when Adrian Barath (3) pushed a catch to gully and the major prize followed when Gayle tried to cut too close to his body and was surprised by extra bounce, which was unusual for an Adelaide pitch, and was caught behind for 26.

There was no doubt about that decision. If only the same could have been said later in the day.

The Indian board has extended by six months its current contract with Sahara India to sponsor the national team after its inability to find any alternative sponsors. N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, said the extension was granted on the basis of the present terms and conditions by the marketing committee, headed by the president Shashank Manohar.

“A fresh tender will be issued, before the expiry of the extension period, inviting bids for the team sponsorhip,” Srinivasan said.

Sahara’s contract was to have ended on December 31 this year, and had already been extended by three months.

Reports indicate that one stumbling block in finding a new sponsor was the base price the BCCI deemed fit for the deal. While the previous contract with Sahara was a four-year-deal signed in 2006 for Rs 400 crore, the BCCI is now asking companies to top that and fork out around $35 million (about Rs 162 crore) annually.

The board also awarded the title and ground rights for the two Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka to WSG at Rs 3.15 crore per match.

The BCCI also said that any party that strikes a deal with it for the IPL, will have to submit a bank guarantee for the full value of the deal with immediate effect. This includes Multi Screen Media, for IPL telecast rights, and Entertainment Sports Direct (ESD), which won the IPL theatrical rights.

Sachin Tendulkar and Vangipurappu Laxman struck half centuries as India continued to torment Sri Lanka in the third and final test on Friday after Virender Sehwag fell seven runs short of a record-breaking third triple century.

Sehwag resumed on his overnight score of 284 but was caught and bowled by Muttiah Muralitharan for 293, before Tendulkar (53) and Laxman (62) helped India carve out a commanding first innings lead of 236 by tea on the third day.

Sri Lanka struck back by claiming four wickets after lunch before skipper Mahendra Dhoni (21) and Zaheer Khan (3) guided India to 629 for seven in their pursuit of a victory that would secure their spot at the top of the test rankings.
Starting the day on 443-1 in reply to Sri Lanka’s first-innings 393, India lost Sehwag in the fourth over, much to the disappointment of an expectant and packed Brabourne Stadium.

Left-arm paceman Chanaka Welegedara struck in his first over of the day when he had overnight batsman Rahul Dravid caught behind for 74 to briefly raise Sri Lankan hopes of a revival.
However, Laxman, who hit eight fours, and Tendulkar shared in a 71-run stand for the fourth wicket to pile on the agony before Nuwan Kulasekara broke the stand after lunch when Tendulkar played on to the stumps.

Muralitharan, playing in his last overseas test, had Laxman caught at mid-on before Rangana Herath forced a chancy Yuvraj Singh to be caught at mid off for 23.
Muralitharan then bowled Harbhajan Singh, who bottom edged a reserve sweep onto the stumps, for one before Dhoni and Zaheer guided the hosts to the break.

Sehwag, only the third batsman to score two triple centuries after Australia’s Don Bradman and West Indian Brian Lara, had shared in double century stands with opener Murali Vijay (87) and Dravid on the second day to put India in command.
India hold a 1-0 after they won the second test by an innings and 144 runs. The first test ended in a draw.

Ricky Ponting has credited his bowlers, and particularly Doug Bollinger, with rescuing Australia in Mohali to level the series 2-2. The Australians appeared to be in trouble when India were 78 for 1 in the 15th over, chasing 251 for victory, but in his fifth ODI Bollinger grabbed three wickets to set up Australia’s triumph.

“I thought Bollinger was outstanding,” Ponting said after the match. “He came on and his wickets probably brought us back into the game.”

Bollinger finished with 3 for 38 from his nine overs and helped restrict the scoring while his fellow left-armer Mitchell Johnson leaked runs. Shane Watson grabbed three wickets in the lower order when India were threatening a late fightback, and combined with two sharp run-outs from Ponting it added up to a strong performance in the field.

“It was good to get a couple of run-outs,” Ponting said. “Yuvi and I had a chat in the field and he called me a little bit slow, but I got one back on him tonight. We have worked hard on our fielding and I thought it has been at its best in the whole series tonight.

“It’s surely a good win for us, coming up short with the bat, but bowling and fielding very well. Peter Siddle got only five overs in the game which means we thought things out really well. The series is level again, it has been up and down all the way through and no team has been able to grab the momentum.”

Ponting said it was disappointing that Australia had failed to make the most of a strong start with the bat – four of their top five scored 40 or more. However, nobody else reached double figures and the innings fell away dramatically, with the final wicket falling for 250 in the 50th over.

“We felt we had missed out on a few runs out there with the bat,” he said. “At one stage it looked like we would get close to 300, but we didn’t capitalise on the Powerplay. We lost a few wickets leading up to our powerplay again and that’s been a bit of a problem for us through the series so far. But the boys bowled exceptionally well tonight.”

Australia were also fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during their 24-run victory. They were ruled to be two overs short of their target at the end of the match after time allowances were taken into consideration. Ponting was fined 20% of his match fee while his players received 10 % fines.

India’s powerful batting line-up has often had to compensate for errant bowling and slack fielding in the past but the tables were turned in Mohali. MS Dhoni praised his bowlers for restricting Australia to 250; he said the fielding effort was India’s best in the last one-and-a-half years; but he criticised the batsmen for a lack of partnerships which ultimately led to a 24-run defeat in the fourth ODI.

“It was a good effort by the bowlers to restrict them to a total like 250,” Dhoni said. “We got a decent start to our chase also. But subsequently, we failed as a batting unit. We should have batted the full 50 overs but that was not possible because we kept losing wickets at regular intervals.”

Dhoni defended his decision to field, saying the dew factor would have made it difficult for the bowlers to grip the ball under lights. “Dew is a big factor that always plays on your mind. From overs 15-40, generally the spinners do the job for us. That would have been taking a risk. Of course, it can backfire as well, so it’s difficult to choose. But we knew in Mohali, the wicket would not break much and ball would come nicely onto the bat with a bit of dew. I think our bowlers did a great job and 251 is something we should have scored.”

India’s chase had a terrific start with Virender Sehwag caning Mitchell Johnson for 30 runs off 14 balls. Australia began to fight back after Sehwag fell but India were on course while Sachin Tendulkar was batting. However, his dismissal for 40 – the highest score of the innings – was the beginning of the end as wickets fell frequently thereafter.

“We badly needed some partnerships going,” Dhoni said. “We got the start but we could not take advantage of that. If at least one batsman got going, it would have made things easy.”

Dhoni also said the younger batsmen like Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli would need to learn how to overhaul a difficult target. “Raina today got out to a beautiful delivery, while Jadeja was run out after a mix-up,” Dhoni said. “Batting at No. 6 or 7 is not easy, since you don’t get much opportunity to bat. You cannot pace your innings either, for you have to play according to the platform given to you. Sometimes, you have to accelerate or keep a partnership going. They are still inexperienced and I hope they learn from their mistakes.”

On the decision to send Kohli at No. 3, Dhoni said: “The best way to give someone an opportunity is to let him bat higher. At No. 6 or 7, you score 20-30 in quick time or can get out for 10-12 also. I think it’s important to give them a chance. Virat is a talented batsman, good on the field and brings in lot of energy.”

India’s defeat in Mohali prevented them from taking Australia’s No. 1 ranking in ODIs and the gap between the teams is now three points. The next match is in Hyderabad on November 5.

Graham Manou will replace injured wicketkeeper Tim Paine for Australia’s one-day series in India, Cricket Australia said on Thursday. Paine fractured the ring finger of his right hand during Wednesday’s second ODI against India in Nagpur.

Manou, who acted as a back-up for injured wicketkeeper Brad Haddin during this year’s Ashes Test series in England, will leave for India late on Thursday, CA said.

“Tim Paine has a fractured finger from the game last night and is unable to take any further part in the series. He will return to Australia as soon as the replacement arrives in India,” chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said in a statement.