Shakib becomes number-one ranked Test all-rounder

Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has become the number-one ranked all-rounder in the Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings after stellar performance with the bat and the ball against Pakistan in the Mirpur Test which finished on Wednesday.

Shakib become the first Bangladesh player to score a century and take five-for in the same Test when he scored 144 and took 6-82. This performance not only earned the 24-year-old man of the match award but has also gave him a jump of four places in the all-rounders' rankings which puts him on top of the tree.

Shakib has also improved his batting and bowling rankings.

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, Shakib has vaulted seven places to claim a career-best 31st position while in the bowling chart he has claimed seventh position after gaining two places.

The other Bangladesh batsmen to improve their rankings include captain Mushfiqur Rahim (up by one to 44th), Shahriar Nafees (up by eight to 61st) and Nasir Hossain (up by 32 to 96th).

Pakistan players have also made the best of the Mirpur Test with one-down batsman Azhar Ali and left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman achieving career-best rankings.

Azhar Ali, who scored 57 and 34, has moved up four places to 23rd position while Abdur Rehman, who took four for 51 in the second innings, has broken into the top 20 for the first time in his career and is now in 19th position.

Other Pakistan players improving their rankings include opener Taufeeq Umar (up by seven to 42nd) and fast bowlers Umar Gul (up by one to 18th) and Aizaz Cheema (up by five to 45th).

Read More

Australia's Marsh to test back injury in Twenty/20

Australian batsman Shaun Marsh will test his fitness in a Twenty20 match on Thursday evening and is confident he will be ready to go for next week's opening test against India.

The 28-year-old lefthander, who has been struggling with a debilitating lower back injury, was named in Australia's squad for the Boxing Day test on Wednesday with uncapped all rounder Dan Christian included as back-up.

After taking part in a three-day training camp for Australia's batsmen, Marsh said his back had improved considerably and should allow him to play his first test on home soil at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next Monday.

"I'm hitting the ball well, I've had a really good two or three days and I feel that I haven't lost too much of my touch since South Africa and playing tonight will give me a bit more indication of where I'm at," he told reporters on Thursday.

"I'm confident that if I can get through tonight and, with what I've done over the last (few) days, that I will be right and ready to go."

Marsh, who made his test debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year and injured himself in his third test against South Africa last month, will turn out for the Perth Scorchers against the Melbourne Renegades at the Etihad Stadium later on Thursday.

Pencilled in to replace dropped Usman Khawaja at number three in the batting order should he prove his fitness, the Western Australian said it would fulfill a lifelong ambition to play in such an iconic test match.

"To play in front of 75,000 plus fans on Monday is certainly going to be a dream of mine," said Marsh, whose father

Read More

Australia drop Hughes, Khawaja from Test squad

SYDNEY : Batsmen Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja were dumped from Australia's squad named Wednesday for next week's opening Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Selectors named a 13-man squad with Shaun Marsh, Ed Cowan and Ben Hilfenhaus included, but there was no place for injured allrounder Shane Watson and fast bowler Ryan Harris.

Chief selector John Inverarity said the size of the squad was due to the continuing uncertainty about the fitness of Marsh, who has been troubled by a back complaint.

"Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja have been omitted from the Australian team that played against New Zealand in Hobart and Marsh, Ed Cowan and Ben Hilfenhaus have been added to the squad," Inverarity said.

"Shane Watson was not considered for selection as he has not recovered sufficiently from his (hamstring/calf) injury, while Ryan Harris has not yet achieved the volume of bowling required to be available for consideration for Test selection."

Cowan was included on the strength of his 109 against India playing for a Chairman's XI in Canberra on Tuesday along with two centuries in this season's domestic Sheffield Shield and one for Australia A against the touring New Zealanders.

The Australian squad assembles in Melbourne from Thursday ahead of the Boxing Day Test start.

Australia - Michael Clarke (capt), Brad Haddin (vice-capt), Dan Christian, Ed Cowan, Ben Hilfenhaus, Michael Hussey, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

Read More

Pakistan moves into fifth position on Test Championship table

Pakistan has gained a place on the Reliance ICC Test Championship table and is now in fifth position following its 2-0 victory over Bangladesh in the two-Test series which finished in Mirpur on Wednesday.

The series victory earned Pakistan one ratings point which has put it at par with Sri Lanka on 99 ratings points. However, Pakistan has been placed above Sri Lanka after the ratings were calculated beyond the decimal point.

This is Pakistan's best rankings since March 2009 when it had claimed fifth position for a couple of months.

Pakistan now trails fourth-ranked Australia by four ratings points. Australia goes head to head with India in a four-Test series in Melbourne on Monday next. The only way Australia can drop behind Pakistan is if it loses all the four Tests of the series.

Pakistan's next Test assignment is against number-one ranked England. The three-Test series will start at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on 17 January.

England leads Pakistan by 26 ratings points and as the rankings system is weighted to reflect this difference, England's failure to win the series comfortably will mean it will drop points.

To find out exactly how the forthcoming Test series will affect the Championship table, please click here. The Test Championship table, unlike the ODI Championship table, is updated only after the end of the series

Read More

ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2012 schedule announced

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the schedule for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2012 which will take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 13 to 24 March, 2012.

Sixteen sides from across the globe will feature in the 12-day tournament which will be played at five venues - Dubai International Cricket Stadium and ICC Global Cricket Academy grounds No.1 and No.2 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Stadium and the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The 16 teams have been divided into two groups with Afghanistan, Netherlands, Canada, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Hong Kong, Bermuda, Denmark and Nepal forming Group A and Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, Namibia, Uganda, Oman, Italy and the USA comprising Group B.

The tournament winner will join Australia and the West Indies in group B of the ICC World Twenty20 2012 in September 2012 while the losing finalist will complete Group A which also includes defending champion England and 2007 winner India.

ICC's Global Development Manager, Tim Anderson, said: "This is one of the most important and prestigious events on the Pepsi ICC Development Programme's calendar in which 16 leading Associate and Affiliate Members will vie for the two available places in the ICC World Twenty20 2012 Sri Lanka.

"This final qualifier is the last step of a pathway that comprised 13 ICC regional tournaments during 2010 and 2011 and saw the involvement of over 90 ICC Associate and Affiliate members. The 72-match format has been designed to give the best sides every chance of making the final."

This will be the third ICC World Twenty20 qualifier. When it was last staged, also in the UAE in 2010, Afghanistan and Ireland claimed the qualifying spots.

Tournament format

According to the tournament format, the sides that top the two groups will feature in the 1st Qualifying Final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday 22 March at 1400 (local time) with the winner sealing a place in the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 to be staged from 18 September to 7 October.

Meanwhile, the sides that finish second and third in the two groups will play cross-over matches. The two winners of those matches will progress to the Preliminary Final to be played on 23 March at 1000 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The 2nd Qualifying Final - for the second spot in the ICC World Twenty20 2012 - will take place on the morning of 24 March at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium between the loser of the 1st Qualifying Final and the winner of the Preliminary Final.

The winners of the two Qualifying Finals will play in the tournament final on the evening of 24 March at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Background of ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier

The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier has grown in stature since it was first held in Belfast, Ireland, in August 2008. That event comprised the then six top Associate Members - Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland.

Ireland and Netherlands shared the trophy when the final was washed-out without a ball being bowled. The two sides, along with Scotland which replaced Zimbabwe, qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 which was staged at Lord's, The Oval and Trent Bridge in England. Pakistan won the tournament.

The UAE hosted the second edition in February 2010 which was contested by the top six Associate and Affiliate sides? Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland - as well as hosts UAE and United States of America (USA) who were specially invited by the ICC.

After 17 matches over six days at two venues in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan and Ireland reached the final and qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 2010 which was staged in the West Indies and won by England. Afghanistan won the qualifying tournament when it defeated Ireland by eight wickets.

Read More

Rehman excels as Pakistan make clean sweep

Abdur Rehman claimed 4-51 as Pakistan posted a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second and final cricket Test in Dhaka on Wednesday to make a clean sweep of the series.

Pakistan, who won the first Test in Chittagong by an innings and 184 runs, achieved their 103-run victory target off just 20.5 overs in the last session of the fifth day's play at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

Abdur Rehman celebrates the dismissal of Mushfiqur Rahim during the second Test.
Opener Mohammad Hafeez smashed a 52-ball 47 and Azhar Ali contributed 34, before skipper Misbah-ul-Haq finished the match with a six over long-off against Elias Sunny.

Bangladesh, trailing by 132 runs after the first innings, had been comfortably placed at 212-5 in their second innings but collapsed to 234, with left-arm spinner Rehman taking three wickets and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal two. Rehman's four-wicket haul was his best in 12 Tests.

Nasir Hossain (79) and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (53) defied the Pakistani attack for more than a session, adding 117 for the sixth wicket before falling in the space of nine runs.

Rehman removed both the well-set batsmen in four overs before accounting for Shahadat Hossain (one) in the afternoon session.

Nasir, a 20-year-old playing only his fourth Test, cracked 11 fours in his maiden half-century before being bowled by Rehman. Rahim hit seven boundaries in his ninth Test half-century.

Rahim reached his half-century when he swept Rehman for a four, but soon lost his patience, stepping out to attempt a lofted shot off the spinner to be caught by Ajmal at mid-off.

Rehman got another wicket in his next over when he dismissed Shahadat, superbly caught by Younis Khan at first slip, while Ajmal bowled Sunny and had Robiul Islam stumped to complete 50 Test wickets in the year.

Nasir and Rahim had applied themselves well in the morning session to keep the Pakistani attack at bay as the hosts added 86 runs to their overnight total of 114-5 after a delayed start due to fog.

Read More