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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

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.

An unpredictable pitch and disciplined Australian bowling limited Pakistan to 91 for 3 at the halfway mark of their innings in the penultimate Group A match at Centurion. Kamran Akmal led Pakistan’s charge with a patient innings of 44 but his dismissal off Shane Watson in the 19th over prompted a slowing of the run-rate as Pakistan struggled to contend with Australia’s medium-pacers.

Akmal and Shahid Afridi, promoted in place of Imran Nazir, began the innings on a positive footing, pouncing on the short-pitched offerings of Peter Siddle and weathering the early storm of Brett Lee. Lee exploited the variable bounce to good effect but much of the pressure generated at his end was undone by Siddle, who conceded 22 runs from three loose overs.

The introduction of Mitchell Johnson into the attack prompted a reversal of Australia’s fortunes. Johnson’s first delivery surprised Afridi for pace and bounce, resulting in a top-edge and a diving catch for James Hopes at backward-square. The Australians might have capitalised soon after but for Nathan Hauritz’s fumble of an Akmal mis-hit at deep cover, leaving Akmal and Younis Khan to reel off a methodical second-wicket partnership of 45.

With a half-century in sight, Akmal chopped a shorter delivery from Watson onto his stumps to signal the start of Australia’s counter-attack. Younis, in particular, struggled to adapt to the pace of the Centurion wicket and Australia’s slower seamers, and it came as little surprise when he fell attempting to push the pace off Hopes for 18 (from 49 deliveries).

Shoaib Malik appeared more assured than his captain at the crease and signalled his intent early with a sublime six over long-on off the bowling of Hopes. Yousuf, meanwhile, began his innings cautiously, requiring eight deliveries before contributing his first run to the Pakistani total.

Pakistan’s middle-over struggles appeared to justify Ricky Ponting’s decision to send the Group A front-runners in to bat on Wednesday. Australia generally fancy themselves as total defenders rather than pursuers but recent heavy rain convinced Ponting to allow his seamers first use of the pitch.

Another Champions Trophy campaign, another string of dope-related developments for Pakistan. While the returning Mohammad Asifs dope test here on Thursday wasnt surprising given the pacers dalliance with stimulants in the past, there was some good news too as Imran Nazir was cleared of using performance-enhancing substances just in time for the opening game.
Nazir was given emergency medical treatment earlier this week, reportedly for a congenital breathing problem , using proscribed drugs which were on the ICCs list of banned substances. Reportedly , the ICC agreed to let Nazir play against West Indies on Wednesday only
after a lot of convincing.
Asifs dope test at the Witwatersrand University grounds here, though, was a no-brainer . During the 2006 Champions Trophy, Asif had tested positive for nandrolone. He again tested positive during the inaugural IPL in June 2008 and on his way home was caught with a small quantity of opium at the Dubai airport. Asif had been serving a back-dated , one-year ban for the IPL offence. The PCB mandarins must be keeping fingers crossed and hoping there are no problems this time around.

India Will Miss Explosive Batsmans Spinning Skills Too

Another subdued practice session, another day of eerie silence. Team India is still coping with the unexpected loss of Yuvraj Singh and rejigging the middle order is on top of their list of priorities. However, with the Pakistan clash looming, the absence of Yuvrajs big-hitting talents could prove easier to tide over than his recently-developed skills as a part-time slow bowler.

yuvraj singh

Kevin Pietersens pie-chucker took two hat-tricks during the second edition of the Indian Premier League on South African soil and has bowled 194 overs in 56 games in the last two years. It is in the past year, though, that his bowling skills have gone up a notch as he bagged 12 wickets at 30.91. In the past 17 ODIs, he has even bowled his full quota of 10 overs twice, both away from home, at Christchurch and at Colombo, where he finished with a three-wicket haul against New Zealand at 3.10.
In Hamilton this year, he bowled nine overs in the fourth ODI at an economy rate of 4.44, picking up one wicket. Yuvrajs loopy tweakers have enabled MS Dhoni to play one specialist spinner in Harbhajan Singh more often than not and that luxury would have come in handy on a dry surface like at the Supersport Park in Centurion , where India play two crucial league games against Pakistan and Australia.
Now, either Yusuf Pathan or Suresh Raina will have to step up, with the only other part-time option being replacement Virat Kohli, who is expected to arrive only on Friday morning.
While Dhoni finds his hands tied on this fifth-bowler dilemma, there will be discussions aplenty on how to plug the yawning gap in the middle order. Dhoni might have to step up to the plate and return to his aggressive ways, but then who will play finisher as skillfully as the skipper has in the recent past Sachin Tendulkar too might have to attempt to play steadfastly throughout. Gambhir is back as opener but with Yuvrajs match-winning presence unavailable in the latter stages, will Dravid be under more pressure to up the ante
In the context of the upcoming Pakistan game, too, Yuvrajs absence acquires relevance. He was man of the series in Indias last full series against Pakistan. Besides , during the memorable 2003 World Cup game at Centurion, in a match made memorable by Sachin Tendulkars 98, Yuvraj had scored a crucial, unbeaten 50 as India successfully chased 273. The ground will miss his presence in this reprise of that big clash.
Incidentally, the batsmen is expected to stay back in South Africa for a while and has been advised rest.

ICC ODI TEAM RANKING

Afridi Takes Hot Seat After Younis Is Ruled Out Of Opener

Pakistan will be again hoping that Shahid Afridis maverick batting style does not extend to his man-management skills when the team takes on the latest minnows of world cricket on Wednesday. Following a prolonged and ugly contract dispute with the board, the West Indies have arrived here without any of their leading players making a mockery of their proud Champions Trophy record but that puts the onus on Pakistan to roll through with ease before the big game against India on Saturday.
Though all eyes are on Mohammad Asif and how he copes on his return, Afridi has suddenly found himself in the hot seat in the absence of regular ODI skipper Younis Khan, who has been ruled out of this Johannesburg encounter because of a hairline fracture on the little finger of his right hand. Younis is still hoping to recover before the big India game but in the meantime, Afridi has to shoulder the responsibility of transplanting his recent run of T20 luck into Pakistans Champions Trophy campaign and quickly whip an oddball outfit into battle-ready mode.
If Younis doesnt recover in time, Afridi will even need to carve out ways to better Pakistans record on South African soil, including leading from the front to avert those frustrating batting collapses which have plagued the team in a year in which they have lost eight out of 13 ODIs. The adrenaline rush of the World T20, though, remains an inspiration, but above all, Afridi is hoping his straightforward manner of functioning will have the intended effect. He is also at pains to point out that the Mad Max of the past has mellowed considerably.
Theres good and bad wins. Smiles and cries. More of the latter for me, he said on Tuesday, Its a struggle, similar to what life is like. Its an honour to be playing for Pakistan, and its a dream come true to become captain.
Responsibility has matured me. I still enjoy cricket , the reckless strokeplay I try and avoid now. We need 100% effort. We dont have time to experiment. I hope to come up to expectations, I already captained before.
The rush of blood, though, cant be contained for long, especially when the topic veers to India. India have been lucky to win against us in ICC events, he said, tongue firmly in cheek, before recapturing his new-found poise: They are a very balanced outfit, I enjoy playing them the most.
Anticipation is quietly building for that game and Afridi, who has appeared in four Champions Trophy events, the most by any player in the Pakistan squad, will be hoping to again inveil his unique blend of magic and madness come Saturday . In the meantime, Floyd Reifers accidental tourists better watch out.

Team yet to decide on Asif

Disgraced pace bowler Mohammad Asif on Tuesday completed a 12-month ban, which was imposed on him for failing a dope-test during the inaugural Indian Premier League, but the Pakistan team management is yet to decide about playing him in the Champions Trophy. That decision will be taken by the team management. We have to be absolutely sure that he is ready both mentally as well as physically for a comeback to international cricket, team manager Yawar Saeed said from Johannesburg.
It has been hard 12 months for me, but I have learnt from my mistakes Asif said. I dont think I could get a better platform than the Champions Trophy to make my comeback. And I have always liked bowling on the South African pitches, Asif said

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) has compensated two Indian Premier League franchisees Team Rajasthan and Team Chennai with a sum of Rs 22 crore each, as compensation for the cancellation of the Champions League Twenty20, which got cancelled last year due to the 26/11 attack in Mumbai.
As a part of the compensation package, we have decided to compensate these teams because the Champions League got cancelled last year, IPL chairman Lalit Modi told TOI on Monday.
Incidentally, the other six teams Victoria and Western Australia (Australia), Titans and Dolphin (South Africa), Middlesex (England) and Sialkot Stallions (Pakistan ) were supposed to take part in the competition are yet to get any financial succour from their respective national boards.

Whether you agree or not, I firmly believe that cricket is still a gentlemans game. And even though I am not averse to change, I do feel the best way for the game to be played at the highest level is when it is played country versus country, and not club against club.
Ever since international cricket started way back in the 19th century, international games have always been followed more. Just look at the following that the Ashes or an India-Pakistan or an Australia-New Zealand series generates across the globe. The closely fought series recently between India-Australia and Australia-South Africa have also proven that these series are as much followed across the globe as the other rubbers that I mentioned earlier. Even nationals of those respective nations based in countries where cricket is hardly played closely monitor scores of their home teams ties. And believe it or not, I have always experienced that especially when it comes to non-cricketing regions (untapped markets , for those who refer to the game as business), people are more interested in Test cricket than one-dayers . Just to cite an example, go to any cricket academy or a gully cricket match anywhere in the globe and youll see people betting on the outcome of the Ashes, and not the T20 Champions League. So, those who fear Test cricket is nearing its death should keep their eyes and ears open instead of mouth.
And you dont need an expert to tell you that Test matches can NEVER be played between two clubs. Sometimes I just dont understand the purpose behind promoting so much club (franchisees) cricket for that matter. Twenty20 is a welcome change but its overdose, especially in the club format, can always prove to be futile for its shelf life.
Those who have been promoting the shortest format have been talking so much about things like audience span. For them, audience prefers much shorter games so a 20-over-aside just like a game of football will generate more audience interest than a Test match or an ODI.
But let me tell you that golf one of the most popular sports globally is never played three or four hours a day. Just like a Test match, it is played eight hours a day, four days a week. And people call the sport gripping just like a Test match. Every form has its beauty and that of Test cricket is testing cricketers endurance, fitness, skills and consistency . Even among the television viewers, iconic Test series continue to capture the imagination of the cricket fan.

Zimbabwes Charles Coventry equalled the highest individual One-day International score on Sunday, but it also became the highest ODI score in a losing cause. Coventrys big-hitting party was gatecrashed by Tamim Iqbal, who helped Bangladesh wrap up the five-match series 3-1 on Sunday.
Coventry blasted an unbeaten 194 to equal former Pakistan opener Saeed Anwars 12-year record as Zimbabwe piled up 312-8 in their 50 overs. But Bangladesh opener Tamim then hit his countrys highest individual score of 154 as the tourists took victory with 13 balls to spare.
Coventry, playing his 15th ODI, dominated Zimbabwes innings with the next highest score being a modest 37. Coventry hit seven sixes and accelerated from 129 in the 42nd over to 180 in the 47th as fans wondered if he would become the first player in history to hit a ODI double century. But he had to settle for a share of Anwars record, although Bangladesh could have dismissed him earlier when Mahmudullah dropped him at square leg on 137.