Opportunity for South Africa to move ahead of India in second position

Third-ranked South Africa will be aiming to narrow the gap with number-one ranked Australia in the Reliance ICC ODI Championship when it goes head to head with fourth-ranked Sri Lanka in a five-ODI series in Paarl on Wednesday.

South Africa currently trails second-ranked India by just two ratings points but AB de Villiers' side will leapfrog Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side if it wins the series by 4-1 or better.

While a 4-1 series win will put South Africa ahead of India in second place by three ratings points, Sri Lanka will drop behind Pakistan in fifth position.

South Africa's clean sweep of the series will put it on 123 ratings points, seven behind Australia, while Sri Lanka will join England on 106 ratings points but will be placed above England when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.

In a sharp contrast, Sri Lanka's 5-0 series win will lift it to second place on 118 ratings while dropping the Proteas to fifth position on 106 ratings points.

To see how future results will affect the table, check out the ICC ODI Championship predictor function by clicking here.

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India names probable squad for West Indies tour

 

India's women's selection panel named a 20-member probable squad for the tour to West Indies. The selectors will name the final squad later. India are to play four Twenty20 Internationals and three one-day internationals.

Two of the Twenty20 Internationals during the tour will be day-night encounters.

1	Mithali Raj
2	Amita Sharma
3	Sulakshana Naik
4	Jhulan Goswami
5	Anjum Chopra
6	VedaKrishnamurthy
7	Harmanpreet Kaur
8	Archana Das
9	Diana David
10	Nooshin-Al-Khadeer
11	Sunitha Anand
12	Madhuri Mehta
13	Mandira Mahapatra
14	S. Asha
15	Ekta Bist
16	Gauhar Sultana
17	Rumeli Dhar
18	Poonam Raut
19	Mamta Kanojia
20	Subhlaxmi Sharma

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ICC back Australian Government move on cheating

 

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, yesterday expressed the ICC's support for the proposals being made by the Australian Government to establish a national framework of laws to combat cheating in sport.

In Perth to attend the Third Test Match between Australia and India, Mr Lorgat re-iterated cricket's zero tolerance attitude to cheating and added:'ICC is pleased to add its support to that of Australia's Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports (COMPPS) in support of the Australian Government's initiative to tackle cheating in sport.

'Like all sports in Australia, the ICC and its Members cherish the reputation and integrity of the game. All sport needs honest competition and while in Australia I will be restating our well known stance to the Government.

'In the past year we faced the sort of challenge which could threaten any sport and I believe we conclusively proved that we will not tolerate any threat to the integrity of the game.

'I hope our swift and decisive action to charge, provisionally suspend and eventually prosecute and ban those who dared to sully the good name of cricket as well as the subsequent criminal prosecution will serve as a deterrent in future.

'ICC had also worked effectively with the UK Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police to bring those who committed wrong to justice. Sports governing bodies need state assistance to tackle this worldwide menace and in turn we will support any Government that legislates to protect sport against cheating.

'In supporting this Australian initiative we urge other governments to consider the same to protect all sports. Needless to say we will continue to use everything within our power to ensure that any threat of corrupt activity within the game of cricket is resolutely dealt with.

"We have always stated that we will explore every possible avenue to ensure that cricket is free from corrupt activity and this initiative of the Australian Government must be commended. ICC will continue to work with the Australian Government and any other Government to protect the integrity of the sport."

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Mohsin warns England of number one pressure

 

Mohsin Khan said that England will be hard pressed to maintain their top standing.



Pakistan coach Mohsin Khan Friday warned England will feel the heat to maintain their world number one ranking against his fast-rising team in the three-Test series starting next week.



England rose to the top of ICC (International Cricket Council) Test rankings after beating India 4-0 on their home grounds last year but face a stiff challenge against a resurgent Pakistan on the slow tracks of United Arab Emirates.



Khan, a former opening batsman, said England will be hard pressed to maintain their top standing.



"I won t say they will be hugely under pressure, but definitely this kind of pressure will be there, because they have to maintain their position. Once a team or a person attains the top position that pressure exists," said Khan, 56.



Khan, who took over as interim coach after Waqar Younis quit the post in September last year, said his team was rising fast.



"Pakistan is coming up and coming up fast over the last 18 months. I am working hard with the boys who are also doing their best and we are expecting for some favourable results," said Khan.



Pakistan have not lost a Test series since losing to England on the 2010 tour.



Khan praised England s balance as they won both the side games ahead of the first Test starting here from Tuesday. England beat Pakistan Cricket Board XI by 100 runs on Friday.



"I feel that apart from England being ranked number one, which I don t care much about as rankings goes up and down, but they are a very balanced side and will pose good competition for us.



"As far as my team goes, I can happily say that we have a talented side and we have to mix up that talent with a professional attitude to counter the opposition," said Khan, who termed the series as a test for the batsmen.



"I think both teams have a good pace attack, good spinners, so it will be a test for the batsmen because both the teams have good bowlers," said Mohsin, who started his 48-Test career against England in 1977.



Khan admitted spinners would have a role in the series.



"Definitely, we have a very good spin attack, we have Saeed Ajmal, he is the world s best off-spinner, then we have Abdul Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez. But England too have a very good spin attack with (Graeme) Swann and (Monty) Panesar, so it will be a good contest," said Khan.



Panesar, a left-arm spinner, staked his claim for a place for the first time since 2009 with a haul of eight wickets in the second tour match.



Khan said he respected England as tough opponents.



"I have high respect for England, for the kind of cricket they are playing and so are we. Our captain (Misbah-ul Haq) and the team is focused so we will try to bring wonderful results for us and be very competitive," said Khan.



The three-Test series will be followed by four one-day and three Twenty20 internationals.

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Tremlet waits for England Test chance

 

Chris Tremlett said he did not expect to be selected to play in the first Test against Pakistan.



Lanky paceman Chris Tremlett said on Friday he did not expect to be selected to play in the first Test against Pakistan starting in Dubai next week due to the nature of the pitch.



The 30-year-old fast, who played the last of his ten Tests against India in July last year, took two wickets in each innings during England s 100-run win over Pakistan Cricket Board XI here on Friday.



But with a slow, spin track expected for Tuesday s opener against Pakistan, England will be keen on playing two spinners -- Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar.



The latter increased his chances of playing by taking eight wickets in the second tour match.



"The competition (for places) is tight, and you have to be on the ball all the time. I guess I m not expecting to play, but just waiting to see what happens," said Tremlett, who overcame back trouble to get a place on the tour.



Tremlett said England will assess the conditions before deciding on the final eleven for the Test.



"We ll assess conditions when we get to the stadium. All I can do is put my name in the hat. I m back fit and hope I will get selected," he said.



Tremlett said England, who won the tour opener against a ICC Combined XI by three wickets on Monday, had good work outs before the three-Test series.



"It s tough for all the guys. It s not what we re used to at home. But we ve shown in this game we ve adapted quite quickly. I think we ve got a lot out of the last two games. The guys are really happy going into the Tests," he added.



Opener Alastair Cook hit a hundred in the first innings while Jonathan Trott scored a return to form 93, while captain Andrew Strauss notched a sedate 62.



Tremlett s rival for a paceman s slot, Graham Onions, also took four wickets while left-arm spinner Panesar finished with eight wickets.



Tremlett said his eye infection had improved and did not hinder his bowling.



"It (infection) was pretty severe when I got here but it has improved, and I see the eye specialist pretty much every day. It hasn t affected my bowling too much. It s been more my batting and fielding side of things."

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England wrap up victory against Pakistan Cricket Board XI

 

As they did in Australia last winter, England’s cricketers go into the first Test having won all their warm-up games.

Momentum, winning ways, call it what you will, but Andrew Strauss’s side have harnessed the spark it brings into winning Test matches before and will trust it serves them well again here when the series against Pakistan gets under way next Tuesday.

Three-day matches are rarely resolved without a bit of collusion by the captains, but England won both theirs in Dubai with minimal interference. Friday's victory against the Pakistan Cricket Board XI was utterly comprehensive, after they dismissed their opponents for 150, a marker that cannot fail to have been noticed on the adjacent ground where Pakistan proper were practising.

Unlike the first innings, when Monty Panesar snaffled five scalps, the wickets were split equally between spin and pace. This time Panesar finished with three, but the fact that he and Graeme Swann had to work harder for their successes, and with the pace bowlers offering wicket-taking options on what was essentially a seventh-day pitch, playing two spinners in the Test is far from being a foregone conclusion.

What should not be is playing Panesar in place of Swann, who looks undercooked in both mind and body. Before his 10th over on Friday, the off-spinner was seen flexing his left quadriceps muscle, which had stiffened enough to keep him off for most of the final day in the first game. In the first Test he could be called upon to bowl at least 60 overs, so he needs to be in tip-top condition

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Dav Whatmore reaches Lahore to meet PCB officials

 

LAHORE: One of the strong contenders to coach Pakistan cricket team Dav Whatmore has reached Lahore Saturday,
Dav Whatmore reached Lahore today by a private airline to hold his final round of talks with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials who appear set to appoint the Australian as the national team's coach.

After landing at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal Airport, Whatmore avoided to talk to media men present at the airport. He is expected to meet PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf and other officials during his stay in Lahore.

The committee appointed to select the head coach for national team finalized its recommendations last week that were conveyed to the PCB.

Sources told that the PCB has 95 percent finalised Whatmore as the next head coach. However, the final appointment would take place after England series, sources added.

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India struggle at 144-6 against Aussies

 

PERTH: India's top order batting woes continued as they lost six wickets on the opening day of the third Test against Australia in Perth Friday, with Sachin Tendulkar again out cheaply.

Tendulkar's quest for an elusive 100th international hundred was back on hold after he was dismissed for just 15 as the beleaguered tourists, trailing 2-0 in the four-Test series, again fell apart.

At tea, India were 144 for six with captain M.S. Dhoni unbeaten on four and debutant Vinay Kumar on five.

The Indians went to lunch at 73 for four after being sent in and lost the key wicket of Test cricket's greatest run-scorer Tendulkar in the opening session.

But Virat Kohli and V.V.S. Laxman fought a determined rearguard action in the middle session, putting on 68 runs for the fifth wicket.

The pair rode their luck on a lively WACA wicket until Kohli miscued an attempted drive and was caught at point by Dave Warner for 44, giving Peter Siddle (3-42) his second wicket.

Laxman followed Kohli seven runs later when he was caught at first slip by Michael Clarke off Siddle for 31.

Tendulkar again looked in good early touch in the morning session, producing two elegant straight drives to the boundary in his first over.

However, he was deceived by a delivery from recalled paceman Ryan Harris that nipped back and was trapped leg before wicket.

Tendulkar has been stranded on 99 Test and one-day international centuries since scoring 111 against South Africa in the World Cup in March.

Opener Virender Sehwag's wretched series continued when he was caught in the slips by Ricky Ponting off Ben Hilfenhaus for a four-ball duck, while 39-year-old Rahul Dravid was bowled off his pads by Siddle for nine.

It was the fourth time in five innings in the series that 'The Wall' Dravid has been bowled.

Both teams went into the WACA Test with four-man pace attacks on a green-tinged wicket.

The Australians recalled left-armer Mitchell Starc at the expense of spinner Nathan Lyon, while Harris replaced the injured James Pattinson.

India left out spinner Ravi Ashwin for medium-pacer Kumar.

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