Shoaib Akhtar requests for swansong appearance

KARACHI: The former Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who holds the record of world’s fastest bowler, wanted to play a farewell match this year although he announced his retirement from international cricket during the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.Shoaib Akhtar was the spearhead of Pakistan fast bowling but had a controversial international career where he not only renowned for his misbehave with the players but also his bowling action came under scrutiny.Shoaib had a poor last one day international which he played against New Zealand where incompetent Pakistani wicket keeper Kamran Akmal dropped two straight forward catches of Kiwis vice skipper Ross Taylor when he was on 0 and 4 in one over of Shoaib Akhtar.Shoaib Akhtar, then went for 28 runs in his last international over and most of them scored by Ross Taylor. The disappointed fast bowler showed his frustration on wicket keeper as both involved in unfortunate incident. The team management penalized Shoaib Akhtar for US $2,000 while Kamran Akmal was fined for US $1,000 for his role in the incident.Incidentally, former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq also announced his retirement in 2007 World Cup when Pakistan were knocked out in the group stage by minnow Ireland but Pakistan Cricket Board later called him for his farewell appearance during the home test series against South Africa and also rewarded with cash bonus.

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Watson becomes top-ranked ODI all-rounder

Australia's Shane Watson has become the top-ranked ODI all-rounder and has also achieved a career-best ranking to date in the Reliance ICC ODI Rankings which were released on Thursday at the end of Bangladesh and Australia series which finished on Wednesday.Watson has piped Shakib Al Hasan into number-one position in the all-rounders' rankings after taking three wickets and scoring 294 runs in the series. He now leads the Bangladesh captain by a comfortable 44 points margin.Watson's scores of 37, 185 not out and 72 in the series have also helped the 29-year-old Queenslander vault nine places to a career-best fourth position. He is now the highest-ranked Australia batsman with Mike Hussey staying in sixth place, captain Michael Clarke rising two places to 11th spot and former captain Ricky Ponting moving one place up to 16th position.For Bangladesh, Imrul Kayes has climbed four places to 42nd position but Shakib has slipped two places to 26th spot.In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Mitchell Johnson's seven wickets in the series have given him a lift of seven places and he now sits in sixth position. Brett Lee is the other Australia bowler who has improved his ranking as he has returned to the top 20 in 20th position after a jump of three places.The news for Bangladesh bowlers is not very good as Abdur Razzak, Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza have dropped in the latest rankings. Razzak has fallen five places to 11th position, Shakib has slipped three places to 15th spot and Mashrafe has dropped four places to 36th place.Meanwhile, India and Australia have won US$175,000 each for finishing as the number-one ranked sides in Test and ODI Championship tables, respectively at the 1 April 2011 cut-off date.India has been sitting on top of the Test Championship table since December 2009 while Australia has been occupying the number-one position on the ODI Championship table since leapfrogging South Africa and India in September 2009.In addition to the US$175,000, India has also pocketed US$75,000 for finishing as the second-ranked ODI team while South Africa has also earned US$75,000 for ending in second position in the Test Championship table at the cut-off date.
ICC ODI Championship (as of 1 April)
Rank Team Rating
1 Australia 128
2 India 120
3 Sri Lanka 119
4 South Africa 116
5 England 105
6 Pakistan 103
7 New Zealand 94
8 West Indies 68
9 Bangladesh 68
10 Ireland 42
11 Zimbabwe 37
12 Netherlands 10
13 Kenya 0
ICC Test Championship (as of 1 April)
Rank Team Rating

1 India 128
2 South Africa 117
3 England 115
4 Sri Lanka 109
5 Australia 107
6 Pakistan 90
7 West Indies 85
8 New Zealand 78
9 Bangladesh 7

ICC ODI Championship (as of 14 April, after Bangladesh and Australia ODI series)

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 129
2 India 121
3 Sri Lanka 118
4 South Africa 116
5 England 105
6 Pakistan 103
7 New Zealand 94
8 West Indies 68
9 Bangladesh 67
10 Ireland 42
11 Zimbabwe 37
12 Netherlands 10
13 Kenya 0

(Developed by Waqar Mansoor)

For information relating to the latest Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings go to http://cricketfunzzgroup.blogspot.com/2011/02/cricket-ratings.html#

Reliance ICC ODI Rankings (as of 14 April, after Bangladesh v Australia ODI series)

Batsmen

Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
1 ( - ) Hashim Amla SA 867 57.25 890 v Ind at Centurion 2011
2 ( - ) AB de Villiers SA 804 45.68 823 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2010
3 ( - ) T.Dilshan SL 761 36.61 766 v NZ at Colombo (RPS) 2011
4 (+9) Shane Watson Aus 758! 43.74 758 v Ban at Mirpur 2011
5 (-1) K.Sangakkara SL 753 38.02 755 v Pak at Colombo (RPS) 2006
6 ( - ) Mike Hussey Aus 748 51.41 865 v NZ at Perth 2007
7 (-2) Jonathan Trott Eng 737*! 55.65 737 v SL at Colombo (RPS) 2011
8 (-2) Virat Kohli Ind 733 44.40 804 v Ban at Mirpur 2011
9 (-1) MS Dhoni Ind 729 48.78 837 v Aus at Delhi 2009
10 (-1) Sachin Tendulkar Ind 712 45.16 887 v Zim at Sharjah 1998
11 (+2) Michael Clarke Aus 706 44.74 751 v SL at Melbourne 2008
12 (-2) Gautam Gambhir Ind 703 40.73 723 v NZ at Vadodara 2010
13 (-2) Virender Sehwag Ind 702 35.11 787 v NZ at Auckland 2003
14 (-2) Jacques Kallis SA 685 45.45 818 v WI at Johannesburg 2004
15 ( - ) Chris Gayle WI 673 39.06 808 v Zim at Harare 2003
16 (+1) Ricky Ponting Aus 671 42.69 831 v NZ at Hobart 2007
17 (-1) R.ten Doeschate Net 666*! 67.00 666 v Ire at Kolkata 2011
18 (-1) Yuvraj Singh Ind 665 37.62 787 v WI at Kingston 2009
19 ( - ) Ross Taylor NZ 656 36.80 698 v Aus at Adelaide 2009
20 ( - ) Andrew Strauss Eng 651 35.63 709 v Pak at Lahore 2005

Bowlers

Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Econ HS Rating

1 ( - ) Daniel Vettori NZ 701 31.48 4.12 789 v Eng at Christchurch 2008
2 ( - ) Ray Price Zim 678 33.29 3.73 722 v WI at Guyana 2010
3 ( - ) Graeme Swann Eng 667 24.81 4.52 683 v WI at Chennai 2011
4 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 663 27.62 5.11 668 v Ind at Nagpur 2011
5 ( - ) Morne Morkel SA 661 23.93 4.89 704 v Ind at Centurion 2011
6 (+7) Mitchell Johnson Aus 654 25.90 4.91 729 v Ban at Darwin 2008
7 (-1) L.Tsotsobe SA 652* 18.74 4.49 655 v Ban at Mirpur 2011
8 ( - ) Ajantha Mendis SL 644 19.56 4.27 647 v NZ at Colombo (RPS) 2011
9 ( - ) Shahid Afridi Pak 643 33.90 4.61 667 v Ind at Mirpur 2008
10 ( - ) N.Kulasekara SL 642 29.69 4.53 727 v NZ at Colombo (RPS) 2009
11 (-5) Abdur Razzak Ban 636 27.44 4.50 675 v Zim at Chittagong 2010
12 (-1) M.Muralidaran SL 633 23.08 3.93 913 v NZ at Sharjah 2002
13 ( - ) Stuart Broad Eng 631 25.69 5.18 703 v SA at Trent Bridge 2008
14 (+1) Zaheer Khan Ind 626 28.84 4.91 701 v SA at Dhaka 2003
15 (-3) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 623 29.39 4.29 717 v Zim at Chittagong 2009
16 ( - ) Umar Gul Pak 621 26.54 5.07 638 v WI at Mirpur 2011
17 ( - ) Kyle Mills NZ 618 26.03 4.73 723 v Aus at Melbourne 2009
18 ( - ) Harbhajan Singh Ind 616 33.50 4.31 738 v WI at Bridgetown 2002
19 (+1) Saeed Ajmal Pak 612* 29.30 4.36 640 v SA at Abu Dhabi 2010
20 (+3) Brett Lee Aus 611 23.00 4.71 853 v SA at Melbourne 2006

All-rounders

Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts HS Rating

1 (+1) Shane Watson Aus 428! 428 v Ban at Mirpur 2011
2 (-1) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 384 453 v Zim at Chittagong 2009
3 ( - ) Shahid Afridi Pak 367 382 v Ban at Dambulla 2010
4 ( - ) Yuvraj Singh Ind 347 358 v Ban at Mirpur 2010
5 ( - ) Jacques Kallis SA 339 506 v WI at Bridgetown 2001

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Pakistan cricket team leaves for West Indies

Updated at: 0544 PST,  Thursday, April 14, 2011

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team has left for West Indies from Lahore after completing the training camp.Talking to media before departure at Allama Iqbal airport, team manager Intikhab Alam said, "I am hopeful with young cricketers, they will perform well and InshAllah would help to win the series against West Indies."He said that young players have a golden chance to get experience and to show their performance. National cricket team would play a T-20 and a series of one-day international matches under the captaincy of Shahid Afridi, while two test matches under the captaincy of Misbah-Ul-Haq.National cricket team will start the tour of West Indies with a practice match. The practice match between Pakistan and West Indies teams will begin on 18 April.The tour would formally start from April 21 from a T-20 match.

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Gayle, Chanderpaul, Sarwan dropped for ODI series

Updated at: 0831 PST,  Thursday, April 14, 2011

MIAMI: The West Indies have dropped experienced batting trio Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan for the upcoming one-day internationals against Pakistan.A statement from the West Indies Cricket Board said the trio had been left out of squad for the opening two games in the five match series as part of a policy to encourage the development of younger players.The move comes after widespread disappointment with the displays from senior players during the recent World Cup, where West Indies again failed to impress.Nonetheless, the dropping of three former captains who have made up the bulk of the Caribbean runmaking in the past five years is a drastic move.Jamaican Gayle is 31, Sarwan is 30 and fellow Guyanese Chanderpaul is 36.Ernest Hilaire, chief executive of the board, said the aim was to bring in players who could improve on the disappointing World Cup campaign which ended with a quarter-final defeat to Pakistan."With a view to the stated goal of winning the 2015 Cricket World Cup, in the 2011-2012 phase the Selection Committee will expose players to international cricket who could potentially play a vital role in the 2015 Cricket World Cup campaign," Hilaire said.Antiguan leg spinner Anthony Martin is the only uncapped player named in the squad for the opening two games against the touring Pakistanis in St Lucia.Marlon Samuels, the 30-year-old Jamaican batsman, is named in the ODI squad for the first time since serving a two-year international ban for passing on team information to an Indian bookmaker.Among the players who will have a chance against the Pakistanis are Barbadian batsman Kirk Edwards, Guyanese leg spinner Devendra Bishoo and Trinidad opening batsman Lendl Simmons.Trinidad all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has recovered from the knee injury he sustained in the recent World Cup and returns to the squad -- he will be vice-captain to skipper Darren Sammy.After a Twenty20 game on April 21, the opening ODI games in St.Lucia take place on April 23 and 25 before two games in Barbados and the final ODI encounter in Guyana.The teams will also face off in two test matches in May in Guyana and St.Kitts before West Indies host world champions India for a single Twenty20, five ODIs, and a three test series.West Indies squad for first two ODI games v Pakistan: Darren Sammy (captain), Dwayne Bravo (vice-captain),Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Anthony Martin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Devon Thomas. (Reuters)

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Junaid Khan wants to share wicket spoils in West Indies

SWABI: He was reduced to a drinks-boy in the World Cup as his team-mates grappled with the top outfits for cricket supremacy. While he was, indeed, part of the 42-day extravaganza staged in the subcontinent, he could do no more than twiddle his thumb at the sidelines while the likes of Tendulkar, Steyn, Ponting, Yuvraj, Afridi, Malinga, Strauss and others made hay in the middle.For the shy but robust youngman from Swabi  a remote district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province  these men were larger than life icons of the game he so loved. Revered by millions around the world for their ability to win a game single-handedly, many of them inspired the rookie pacer to take up cricket as a career and instilled in him the confidence to excel on the field.He would have given his right arm to rub shoulders with these greats of the game but it was not to be. The 20-year-old Junaid Khan, however, remains undeterred by the missed opportunity. On the contrary, he appears hungrier than ever to fill his wicket-bag. “I have no regrets because I know my time will come,” says Junaid as he lumbers up during a training session at a local club. “I was not there in the original World Cup squad remember, but Sohail’s (Tanvir) injury gave me the opportunity to be part of the prestigious event and I learnt a lot.”“I feel richer in experience after being part of such a huge event. I am motivated and the techniques I have learnt from my seniors are bound to serve me better in the future.”To say that the young fast bowler didn’t make his mark at all during the mega event will be not be entirely correct. Junaid, in fact, made the critics sit-up in Pakistan’s warm-up game in Dhaka against the formidable England side when he bowled at a fair pace with swing and control to return fine figures of 3-44 in eight overs.England batsmen, riding on the back of their Ashes triumph, were never comfortable against Junaid who clean bowled the opposition’s best batsman Jonathan Trott for 9 on an absolute ripper of a delivery besides snapping up wicketkeeper Matt Prior and fast bowler Tim Bresnan.Former England player David Lloyd, admiring Junaid’s skills, said he reminded him of Mohammad Aamir and the world could shortly witness yet another sensational young fast bowler from Pakistan.The left-armer’s show in the warm-up was a testament to his immense potential as a front-ranking pacer as his more experienced teammates Shoaib Akhtar, Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal were shown scant respect by Strauss and Co on a placid Dhaka pitch.“I enjoyed bowling on the Dhaka pitch that morning,” recalled Junaid. “After a few wayward overs, I found my rhythm and getting Trott on a Yorker length ball made my day. But the wicket I would really want to get is that of Tendulkar’s, he is a real master,” says the Swabi lad who represented Abbottabad Falcons with aplomb in the Faysal Bank Cup Twenty20 event last year.Since making his first class debut in January 2007 at the age of 16 for Abottabad, Junaid has gone from strength to strength in domestic cricket. His record prior to the World Cup read as 167 wickets from just 35 matches, a prolific run by any standards. He also put up a fine show for Pakistan A matches.As he prepared for his departure to Islamabad to meet the Prime Minister in an official function arranged for the World Cup squad, Junaid said he was confident of making his mark on the tour of the West Indies next month. “I hope that I would get an opportunity to perform at the international level for my country on the forthcoming tour,” he said. “I am fully focused about this West Indies tour and really looking forward to doing well there. I am fully fit and realize my responsibilites as a fast bowler now that Shoaib bhai, Aamir and Asif aren’t available,” said Junaid.“I have seen and heard a lot about some of the West Indian players, specially Darren Bravo and Pollard. They are very talented,” said the athletically built pacer. “Of course (Chris) Gayle and (Shivnarine) Chanderpaul are big names and I am excited about facing them on the upcoming tour.”

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Shafiq seeks maiden tons on West Indies tour

KARACHI: Having cemented his place as a reliable middle-order batsman, Asad Shafiq has set his sights on scoring his maiden Test and limited-over centuries.Shafiq, who had been in and out of the Pakistan cricket team prior to the World Cup 2011, is all but certain to keep his place following a string of impressive performances at cricket’s biggest tournament.“My aim, now, is to score my maiden hundreds during the West Indies tour,” Shafiq told APP on Saturday.While the Karachi-based batsman’s highest one-day international score is 78, which came against Zimababwe during the World Cup and is his only half-century, he has played a number of crucial knocks in the middle order. One such innings came against Australia in Pakistan’s final group match, where Shafiq combined with Younis Khan and later Umar Akmal, to steer Pakistan’s chase in the vital encounter.“I learned a great deal by playing those high-intensity matches during the World Cup.”While he made vital contributions in two of Pakistan’s successful run-chases at the tournament, Shafiq was dismissed for 30 in the semi-final against India and Pakistan went on to lose the match.“Losing that match was a huge disappointment for me personally, and also for the team,” said Shafiq.With the World Cup now over, Pakistan are set to depart for the West Indies next week and Shafiq says he wants to play a few big innings for the team.“I am gaining a lot of confidence with each match and hopefully that will help me improve my performances on the tour.”The series will be Shafiq’s first tour to the Caribbean, but the 25-year-old has played two away series in the last few months. He was part of Pakistan’s ODI squad in the series against England last summer, as well as being part of the UAE-based series against South Africa. Shafiq also accompanied the team during the December-February tour of New Zealand.“The conditions (in West Indies) will be different but as a professional player, I am ready to face the challenges.”The Pakistan cricket team will leave for the Caribbean next week, after meeting with the Prime Minister in Islamabad.

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‘Windies tour to be learning curve for young ones’

LAHORE: Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said Wednesday he hoped to use the upcoming tour of the West Indies to bring on new cricketing talent for the years ahead.The team fly out to the Caribbean on Thursday for a tour that will include one Twenty20 international, five one-dayers and two Tests.With express paceman Shoaib Akhtar retired and fellow fast bowler Umar Gul rested, Pakistan have selected left-armers Junaid Khan and Sadaf Hussain – both 21 – and 20-year-old all-rounder Hammad Azam.“We have selected some youngsters for the tour in the hope that they get groomed and serve the country in the future,” Waqar said at the conclusion of a two-day training camp in Lahore.Junaid has 167 wickets in 35 first-class matches while Hussain’s tally in 18 domestic matches stands at 90.Kamran Akmal, dropped after his sloppy wicket-keeping in last month’s World Cup, made way for 29-year-old Salman Ahmed while veteran batsman Younis Khan, rested for the tour, was replaced by 20-year-old Usman Salahuddin.Salahuddin, a right-handed batsman, has scored 1505 runs in 24 domestic matches.“We are not taking the West Indies team lightly. We also have experience at our disposal and we hope to do well on the tour,” said former captain and fast bowling legend Waqar, adding that he hoped to see an improvement in his side’s batting.“Whatever shortcomings we had during the World Cup, we want to overcome. The main thing is that I want the batsmen to show improvement.”Pakistan failed to persuade former great Javed Miandad to serve as batting coach and Waqar said the team should look elsewhere.“I don’t know why we go round and round and come back to Miandad again and again. If Miandad doesn’t want to do the job then we must ask someone else for help because it is not an issue of technique, it’s an issue of slight adjustment in batsmen’s scoring runs,” said Waqar.

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Team West Indies

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***(THE GLOBAL CRICKET RATING 07 IN TEST)***

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 Physical Address: Factory Road, St John's, Antigua
Postal Address: PO Box 616W Factory Road St John's, Antigua
Main switchboard:
+ (1) 268 481 245,0
+ (1) 268 481 2451,
+ (1) 268 481 2452
General enquiry email: wicb@windiescricket.com
Website: www.windiescricket.com

 History and Origins

The first Caribbean club, St Anne's, was formed in Barbados in 1806 and soon became part of the European culture on the island through the military. But it was only in 1865 - 32 years after the abolition of slavery - that the first inter-colonial match occurred, between Barbados and Demerara, now part of Guyana. Trinidad soon joined those sides in a triangular competition, but it would only be in the latter half of the 20th Century, with the increasing availability of air travel, that such teams as Jamaica could play other islands regularly. West Indies took time to establish itself as an international side, but finally beat England in 1930, in Trinidad.

International competition
West Indies enjoy the distinction of winning the first ICC Cricket World Cup, in 1975, and then retaining the trophy in the next edition, in 1979, both trophies being held in England. It is one of the only two teams to have won the World Cup more than once, with Australia the other. It has also won the ICC Champions Trophy, their sole triumph coming in England in 2004.

Domestic structure
There are three competitions in West Indies domestic cricket, the one-day trophy - currently known as the President’s Cup - the Regional Four-Day Competition, which features first-class matches, and a T20 tournament. The Regional Four-Day Competition - which was known as the Shell Shield when introduced in 1965, and has also been called the Carib Beer Cup - comprised the six regional West Indies teams of Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands and Windward Islands plus the Combined Campuses and Colleges in 2009-10. A new Twenty20 competition – Caribbean T20 – took place in July 2010, featuring the above seven teams along with Canada.

All-time greatWhere to start with West Indies greats  "The three Ws" - Richards, Ambrose, Walsh and Lara. One man stands above them all - Sir Garfield Sobers, who had an embarrassment of natural talent. He is in the top 10 greatest batsmen of all time, with a Test total of 8032 runs at an average of 57.78 - and he accumulated them in flowing fashion. Perhaps his most memorable innings was his 365 not out against Pakistan in 1958, a record that stood until 1994 when Brian Lara eclipsed him. Sobers also took more than 200 Test wickets and, to complete the set, he could also field anywhere.

Women's cricketWest Indies is a country steeped in deep cricket tradition and, though never as high profile as the men, the women have been a useful force since the 1970s, the time when their game started to get more serious. There were two island sides in the first Women’s World Cup in 1973 - Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica - and this was also the same decade that the women made their debut in Tests. The men's board took over the game in 2005 and, although the women didn't play internationally for three years, the domestic competition was strong enough to ensure they kept their fifth-place world ranking in the 2009 World Cup. Their best showing to date in a major tournament came in 2010 when they knocked out holders England on the way to the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20 on home soil.

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Team New Zealand

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Physical Address: Level 6, 164 Hereford Street, Christchurch, New Zealand PO Box 958
Postal Address: Same as above
Main switchboard:
+ (64) 3 3662 964
Main fax :
+ (64) 3 365 7491
General enquiry email: info@nzcricket.org.nz
Website: www.blackcaps.co.nz

History
First-class cricket began in New Zealand in 1906 with the Plunket Shield, named after the governor-general, Lord Plunket. Originally a series of challenges among five regions, from 1921-22 it was a league. Shell Oil took over the sponsorship in 1975-76, and introduced a new prize, the Shell Trophy, for the same competition. Today the first-class competition is known as the State Championship, after its current sponsor, State Insurance.

International competition
New Zealand's achievements must be taken in the context of being a country with four million people, and with rugby the dominant sport. It took 40 years to win its first Test series, having debuted in 1929-30 against England, when it finally beat Pakistan 1-0 in 1969-70. There were, however, plenty of draws along the way, while the 1980s kickstarted a charge which saw it win nine series. It had seven victories in the 1990s and, the next decade, claimed another 10 wins. New Zealand has one world title under its belt; the ICC Champions Trophy, won in Kenya in 2000-01 (when it was the ICC Knockout).

Domestic cricket
There are three trophies on offer in New Zealand domestic cricket, and all are contested by the same six teams: Auckland, Canterbury, Central Districts, Northern Districts, Otago and Wellington. Teams play each other home and away in the State Championship, then the top two sides contest the final. The one-day competition is the State Shield, where the second-placed team plays the third-placed one for a spot in the final, against the top side. A Twenty20 Cup was introduced in 2006, with the top two in group stage contesting the final.

All-time great
When you think of a New Zealand great, the name that springs instantly to mind is Richard Hadlee, the fast-bowling menace who terrorized international oppositions in the 1980s. Hadlee learned to control his lightning-fast deliveries to devastating effect, taking apart England with 10 wickets in a Test in 1978 and, memorably, Australia in 1985-86 when he took 15 wickets in Brisbane. His hard-hitting batting was not to be underestimated, either. He was knighted, and also commemorated when he and his brothers and father gave their name to the Chappell-Hadlee one-day series between Australia and New Zealand.

Women's cricket
Women's cricket in New Zealand has always been strong and they played one of the first Tests, against England in 1935, and sent a side to the first Women's World Cup, in England in 1973. New Zealand Cricket was the first men's board to take over the women's game, welcoming it from 1992. The move paid dividends almost immediately: New Zealand was finalists in the World Cup for the first time the following year, while in 2000, it etched its names on the trophy, in front of home crowds. It remains a hugely competitive side, having been runners-up in the 2009 ICC Women’s World Cup and the 2009 and 2010 ICC World Twenty20 tournaments.

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Team South Africa

                                                                     

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Physical Address: The Wanderers Club, 21 North Street, Illovo Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Postal Address: PO Box 55009, Northlands 2116, South Africa Main switchboard: (27) 11 880 2810
General enquiry email: csa@cricket.co.za
Website: www.cricket.co.za

History
Cricket took hold in South Africa from the time that Great Britain began to seize control from the Dutch in the late 1700s (the whole of South African Dutch possession finally being ceded through the Anglo-Dutch Treaty in 1814). The first recognised cricket match in the history of South Africa was played on 5 January 1808 between two teams of English officers posted there. Interest accelerated sufficiently for South Africa to become the third Test nation (following in the footsteps of England and Australia) in 1889 (the same year that first-class cricket began in the country) against England at St George's Park Cricket Ground in Port Elizabeth. It was also one of the three founder Members of the ICC in 1909.

International Competition
Politics kept South Africa out of the ICC Cricket World Cup until 1992 but when it finally got its chance it was ultimately beaten by the weather as much as England in the semi-final in Sydney. The Proteas have since been subject to a succession of heartbreaking exits - none more so than in 1999 when a tie in the semi-final was enough for Australia to progress at its expense. South Africa also disappointed on home soil in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20, when it went out at the Super Eights stage. Their solitary major one-day success thus far came in 1998 when it won the first Champions Trophy in Bangladesh. It has always been a competitive Test outfit and traded positions with Australia at the top of the ICC rankings over the winter of 2008-09 when the South Africans won away before their opponents returned the favour a few months later.

Domestic Structure
A six-team franchise system was introduced in 2004-05 to replace the previous 11 teams who had been contesting the major domestic competitions. Those six teams compete in a four-day and two limited-overs tournaments. The first-class programme is called the SuperSport Series, with each team playing the others home and away. There is also a 45-over competition "the MTN Domestic Championship" along with the Standard Pro20 that began in 2003-04. 

All-time greatThere are many legendary South African bowlers and plenty of batsmen who have scored more Test runs than Graeme Pollock. Yet few, if any, of them would begrudge the left-hander his right to be called the greatest of them all. After all, it was not Pollock's fault that his time playing the game largely coincided with his nation's isolation from the international sporting arena. What is clear, however, is that when he did get the chance to play in 23 Test matches between 1963 and 1970 there were few to match either his class or run-making ability. Only Don Bradman has averaged more than Pollock's 60.97 (2256 runs with seven centuries from just 41 innings) in Test history and the Australian considered him as equaled only by Sir Garfield Sobers in terms of left-handed batsmen he watched over his lifetime.  

Women's Cricket
South Africa's ODI win:loss ratio has been climbing steadily in the wrong direction whenever they play a major side, and it failed to win a match at the 2009 ICC Cricket World Cup, bar the seventh-place play-off. It isn't so much that the nation is going backwards, however - there is plenty of natural talent - rather that the other teams are going forwards with development and financial injections. Nevertheless, the ICC has helped South Africa to get more tours and the country has learned from
other countries, such as following England in introducing a Super Fours event, and starting a Twenty20 domestic competition. It also restructured its provincial competition in 2006, mainly to reduce transport and accommodation costs.

 

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Team England

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Physical Address: Lord's Cricket Ground, London, NW8 8QZ
Postal Address: Same as above
Main switchboard:
+ (44) 207 432 1200
Website: www.ecb.co.uk

History
England invented many ball sports, including soccer, rugby and, of course, cricket, which dates back to the 16th Century. It was England's national sport by the end of the 18th century, and the game was expanded to the colonies. England is also responsible for introducing over arm bowling and one-day cricket - however inadvertently, and credit must also be shared with Australia. It also came up with the idea of professional Twenty20 matches - introduced to the counties in 2003 - which went on to take the world by storm.

International competitionFor the founder of cricket - and the country that subsequently spread it across the globe - it seems anomalous that the England's men side was yet to win a world event until its first victory in a major ICC tournament when it claimed the ICC World Twenty20 2010 title in the West Indies. In that respect, England's international success has been previously limited to Test series. In recent times, its greatest success has been winning the Ashes series at home in 2005 and 2009. However, the women's side has an outstanding recent record winning the ICC Women's World Cup, the ICC World Twenty20 and the Ashes in 2009.

Domestic cricketThere are 18 first-class counties in the English game. They are split into two divisions of nine for the County Championship, a four-day competition founded in 1889. There have been many different versions of one-day competitions - and many changes of name - but currently there are two tournaments, the two-division Pro40 League, and the 50-over four-group competition, the Friends Provident Trophy, which is also open to Ireland and Scotland. There is also a Twenty20 Cup, based on regions, which is open to the 18 first-class counties.

All-time great
It's hard to go past Ian Botham when looking for the England great. Grace could bat; Trueman could bowl but Botham had it all - fast bowling, destructive batting, useful fielding and an electric personality. All those ingredients produced a potent - and memorable - recipe which will forever be encapsulated in the words Headingley '81. Having been dropped from the captaincy, Botham flashed back to take England from almost certain defeat in the Third Ashes Test. Hair flowing, bat too, he produced an outrageously cavalier innings to seal the win from odds of 500-1. His Test record stands at 14 centuries and 383 wickets. Off the field, he became a tireless fundraiser, marching at great pace to generate money for leukaemia charities. He was knighted in 2007 for his services to cricket and charity. There were other greats like Jack Hobbs who scored 197 first class centuries. Sydney Barnes who picked up 189 wickets in 27 Test matches at 16.43, Wally Hammond and of course Jim Laker who took a record 19 for 90 against Australia in 1956.

Women's cricket
Women's cricket began in England. The first recorded match was in 1745, contested between "eleven maids of Bramley and eleven maids of Hambleton". It was another century before the first club, White Heather, was founded in 1887. The first national organisation, the Women's Cricket Association (WCA) appeared in 1926, and county cricket included territories such as East Anglia until 1997, when the competition began to look more like the men's as the WCA merged with the ECB. Under the board, the England team also changed almost beyond recognition, thanks to better funding and access to specialist trainers. England, who introduced the Women's World Cup in 1973 through captain Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, has won the coveted trophy three times and the ICC Women's WT20 title once in 2009 at home.

 

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Team Australia

 

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***(THE GLOBAL CRICKET RATING 04 IN TEST)***

**(THE GLOBAL CRICKET RATING 01 IN ODI)**

*(THE GLOBAL CRICKET RATING 05 IN T20)* 

Physical Address: 60 Jolimont Street, Jolimont, Victoria 3002, Australia
Postal Address: Same as above
Main switchboard: + (61) 3 9653 9999
General enquiry email: penquiries@cricket.com.au
Website: www.cricket.com.au

 

History
Cricket began in Australia soon after the start of colonisation in 1788, and quickly became popular in the colonies. Within a century, first-class status was achieved, with Tasmania's three-wicket victory against Launceston Racecourse in February, 1851 becoming Australia's inaugural first-class match while Victoria was already established, and the other states would join in time. Cricket's popularity soared in the 1860s, through touring teams, WG Grace's arrival in 1873 further boosting interest. Standards increased to the extent where Australia was ready to face England in a Test, in the 1876-77 season. So began Australia's illustrious international history.

International competition
In recent years, Australia has been almost unstoppable. Mark Taylor's captaincy laid the groundwork for Steve Waugh and then Ricky Ponting to take Australia on a Test crusade which saw it vanquished in a series just once between July 2001 and September 2008. But it has looked more fallible in the longer form of the game in recent times. In the one-day arena, Australia has won the ICC World Cup four times out of its nine editions to date - more than any other country - and is also current holders of the ICC Champions Trophy, with success in South Africa in 2009, after also winning the event in India in 2006. Twenty20 success has so far proved elusive but it did reach the final of the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies in 2010.

Domestic cricket
The Australian set-up is straightforward. The six states - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia - play against each other for three trophies, in four-day, one-day and 20-over cricket. The Sheffield Shield, the first-class competition, is the main prize. The one-day trophy, currently the Pura Cup, is played in a league format, while the most recent introduction was the Twenty20 competition, known as the Big Bash. Overseas players are rare in state cricket, while the sides are fed mainly through their state's grade competitions. District and country cricket is also available.

All-time great
Don Bradman, or simply The Don, needs no introduction, neither do the figures 99.94 nor the words "He's out". Both New South Wales and South Australia claim him as its own: he played the early part of his career in Bowral before relocating to Kensington. He wasn't just a great for the Australian game - Wisden pronounced him "beyond any argument, the greatest batsman who ever lived and the greatest cricketer of the 20th Century". Bradman was also accomplished in squash, golf, tennis or billiards, but he loved cricket above all, later becoming a selector and administrator of the game. He was knighted in 1949.

Women's cricket
Australia has always had a deep pool of talent to call upon, and it hosted the first women's Test, when England toured in 1934-35. Traditionally a strong side - Australia has won the ICC Women's World Cup a record five times, and held the Ashes for 42 years, until 2005. It also won the ICC Women?s World Twenty20 2010 title in the West Indies. Cricket Australia now runs the game and, under its banner, the women have had increased financial assistance.

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Chennai stunned by Punjab in IPL

Updated at: 2004 PST,  Wednesday, April 13, 2011

MOHALI: Unheralded Paul Valthaty smashed an unbeaten 120 off 63 balls as Kings XI Punjab shocked defending champions Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday. Valthaty, 27, clobbered 19 fours and two sixes in a stunning counter-attack to help Punjab overhaul an imposing 189-run target with five balls to spare for their first win in two matches.A surprise promotion to the opening slot, Valthaty single-handedly fashioned the highest successful run-chase in the ongoing Twenty20 tournament.Dinesh Karthik brought off the winning runs with a six, much to the delight of Adam Gilchrist's team, reeling under a heavy defeat to Pune in their opening match.Opener Murali Vijay earlier struck a fine 74 off 43 balls to help Chennai overcome the loss of two wickets off the first two balls of the innings.Vijay also shared a 122-run partnership for the third wicket with Subramaniam Badrinath who remained not out on 66 with eight fours, after Punjab won the toss and elected to field.Fast bowler Praveen Kumar gave Punjab the perfect start when he had in-form opening batsman Anirudha Srikkanth trapped leg before and Suresh Raina caught at midwicket the next ball.But Vijay and Badrinath brought the innings back on the track with a mix of aggression and caution and set the stage for a late assualt by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.Dhoni smashed four fours and two sixes to score 43 runs off 20 balls as his wife Sakshi cheered from the stands.

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Tendulkar named Wisden Cricketer of Year

Updated at: 1940 PST,  Wednesday, April 13, 2011

LONDON: Sachin Tendulkar has been named Wisden's Cricketer of the Year for 2010, crowning a golden month for "the little master" which also saw him play a starring role in India's World Cup triumph. Tendulkar's honour from the cricketing bible means India has won the accolade three years running following the back-to-back awards for Virender Sehwag in each of the previous two years.It follows another prolific run-scoring year for the 37-year-old, who rattled off more than 1,500 Test runs including seven Test hundreds, including a record 50th overall, in 2010.Tendulkar is also on the brink of hitting 100 international centuries, currently on 99. He also became the first player to hit a double-century in a one-day international."Wisden acknowledges his greatness by naming him as the Leading Cricketer in the World for 2010," Tendulkar's citation in Wisden read.Tendulkar's batting also saw him earn a spot in Wisden's 2010 Test XI, along with Sehwag and Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal.Other players to feature in the world XI were England off-spinner Graeme Swann and fast bowler James Anderson.However for the first time, no Australian has been included in the all-star line-up.

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Hussey, Watson take Australia to 361-8

Updated at: 1816 PST,  Wednesday, April 13, 2011

DHAKA: Michael Hussey hit an impressive hundred and Shane Watson made a quickfire half-century as Australia posted 361-8 in the third and final one-day international against Bangladesh on Wednesday.
Hussey cracked two sixes and nine fours in a 91-ball 108 for his third one-day hundred, and his first since February 2007, while opener Watson smashed three sixes and 11 fours in his 40-ball 72. Middle-order batsman Hussey was involved in two useful stands, adding 89 for the fourth wicket with skipper Michael Clarke (47) and 70 for the sixth wicket with Mitchell Johnson, who hammered 41 off just 24 balls.Hussey fell in the last over, trapped lbw by seamer Shafiul Islam, but not before boosting his team's chances of sweeping the series. Australia already hold an unbeatable 2-0 lead.Watson, who hit a record 15 sixes in his career-best 185 not out in the previous match on Monday, put the Bangladeshi attack to the sword again with his exciting strokeplay.Australia got off to a blazing start after winning the toss as Watson and make-shift opener Ricky Ponting (47) added 110 runs for the opening wicket in just 11.5 overs.Watson began aggressively, hitting Shafiul for four boundaries in an over early in his innings before pulling left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan over mid-wicket for a six to reach his half-century.The Australian opener, who completed his fifty off just 25 balls with the help of two sixes and nine fours, was bowled in the 12th over while attempting to sweep left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak.Ponting also played attractive shots during his 50-ball knock, hitting two fours and a six from a Mashrafe Mortaza over. He looked well set before being trapped lbw by Razzak.Razzak finished with 3-58 and Mortaza with 3-80.Australia rested fast bowler Brett Lee and wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin, bringing in Tim Paine and paceman James Pattinson, who made his one-day debut.Bangladesh replaced Raqibul Hasan and Rubel Hossain with Mortaza and Alok Kapali.

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Pak to groom youngsters in Windies

Updated at: 1558 PST,  Wednesday, April 13, 2011

LAHORE: Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said Wednesday he hoped to use the upcoming tour of the West Indies to bring on new cricketing talent for the years ahead.The side fly out to the Caribbean on Thursday for a tour that will include one Twenty20 international, five one-dayers and two Tests.With express paceman Shoaib Akhtar retired and fellow fast bowler Umar Gul rested, Pakistan have selected left-armers Junaid Khan and Sadaf Hussain both 21 and 20 year-old all-rounder Hammad Azam."We have selected some youngsters for the tour in the hope that they get groomed and serve the country in the future," Waqar said at the conclusion of a two-day training camp in the eastern city of Lahore.Junaid has 167 wickets in 35 first-class matches while Hussain's tally in 18 domestic matches stands at 90.Kamran Akmal dropped after his sloppy wicket-keeping in last month's World Cup, made way for 29-year-old Salman Ahmed while veteran batsman Younis Khan, rested for the tour, was replaced by 20-year-old Usman SalahuddinSalahuddin, a right-handed batsman, has scored 1505 runs in 24 domestic matches."We are not taking the West Indies team lightly. We also have experience at our disposal and we hope to do well on the tour," said former captain and fast bowling legend Waqar, adding that he hoped to see an improvement in his side's batting."Whatever shortcomings we had during the World Cup, we want to overcome. The main thing is that I want the batsmen to show improvement."Pakistan failed to persuade former great Javed Miandad to serve as batting coach and Waqar said the team should look elsewhere."I don't know why we go round and round and come back to Miandad again and again. If Miandad doesn't want to do the job then we must ask someone else for help because its not an issue of technique, its an issue of slight adjustment in batsmen's scoring runs," said Waqar.

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IPL: Tendulkar steers Mumbai to second successive win

Updated at: 1323 PST,  Wednesday, April 13, 2011

BANGALORE: Sachin Tendulkar once again carried his bat through in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the Mumbai Indians romped to their second win in a row, crushsing Royal Challengers Bangalore by nine wickets here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday. Mumbai Indians captain Tendulkar followed up his unbeaten 46 against Delhi Daredevils last week with a 55 not out as Mumbai comfortably achieved a 141-run target in Bangalore in 18.3 overs, with Tendulkar sharing 110 runs off 85 balls for the unbroken second wicket with Ambati Rayudu (63).Daniel Vettori-led Bangalore, who were asked to bat first, struggled to get momentum after the first-ball dismissal of opener Mayank Agarwal off paceman Lasith Malinga.Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan hit an unbeaten 59 to anchor the Bangalore innings adding 91 runs for the third wicket stand with AB de Villiers (38).But it proved too little in the end as Tendulkar and Rayudu matched each other in brilliant strokeplay and added 110 for the unbroken second wicket to reach the target with nine balls to spare.Tendulkar was named the player of the match but he decided to split the award with the 25-year-old Rayudu, who hit nine boundaries in his 50-ball knock. Tendulkar hit seven fours in his 55-run knock. Brief scores Royal Challengers Bangalore 140-4 in 20 overs (T. Dilshan 59 not out, AB de Villiers 38; K. Pollard 2-25, L. Malinga 2-32) lost to Mumbai Indians 143-1 in 18.3 overs (A. Rayudu 63 not out, S. Tendulkar 55 not out) by nine wickets.

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