Brendon McCullum ride on T20 ranked one

McCullum pummelled 123 off 58 balls vs Bangladesh

New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum and Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal have taken over as the leading batsman and bowler in the latest Reliance ICC Twenty20 Player Rankings.
The latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings that were released on Thursday incorporate the Pakistan-Australia, India-New Zealand and England-South Africa Twenty20 series that were forerunners to the ICC World Twenty20 2012, which begins on 18 September when host Sri Lanka takes on Zimbabwe in Hambantota.

McCullum's 55-ball 91 against India in Chennai helped move him to the top of the rankings table, while David Warner's 59 for Australia against Pakistan in the third and final match at Dubai, which included six sixes, has seen him leap six places up the rankings to fourth.
Yuvraj Singh re-entered the rankings after his comeback to action following his battle against cancer. He comes into the rankings in the 15th spot and marked his return with 34 against New Zealand in Chennai. The batsman losing the most ground was England's Eoin Morgan who has fallen from the number one spot to ninth, losing eight places.
 

Last week, Saeed Ajmal became the number one ranked bowler in Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, and his six wickets in the three-match series against Australia in Dubai has helped him to take the number one spot in the world in Twenty20 cricket - overtaking England's Graeme Swann, who picked up three wickets in the three-match series against South Africa.

Saeed's overall rating of 782 points is also a career best. Meanwhile, Shane Watson moved up eight places to seventh in the bowler' table with his highest ever rating of 650. Watson also holds the number-one rank in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for all-rounders with his highest-ever rating of 475, achieved in the series against Pakistan.

Pakistan's Umar Gul has moved back into the top 20 in the bowlers' table with a four place rise to sit in 18th position.

Meanwhile, England heads into the ICC World Twenty20 2012 as the number-one ranked team on the Reliance ICC T20 Championship table. England leveled the three-match series against South Africa 1-1 with a win in the third and final match to reclaim the number one spot. South Africa, now second, however trails England by just one ratings point.
Pakistan's 2-1 series win over Australia has ensured that it retains its pre-series position of sixth, while George Bailey's team continues to be ninth in the rankings.India has slipped to seventh from fourth position after its loss to New Zealand in the only game possible in the two-match series, while Ross Taylor's side is now ranked fifth.

World cup T20: (INDIA vs AFGANISTAN) Spirited Afganistan defeted by India

They had nothing to lose, says Kohli

Sapoor Zardan (92/33)

India overcame a spirited Afghanistan side and came out victorious in their opening match of the T20 World Cup at the Premadasa in Colombo. Chasing India's 159, thanks to a splendid 50 by Kohli, the Afghans went down fighting by 23 runs but not before they gave India some heart-stopping moments along the way. 

Virat Kohli put Afghanistan’s spirited performance against India on Wednesday down to the fact that it had ‘nothing to lose’, but admitted that India had to pull up its bowling socks ahead of the tougher challenges at the ICC World Twenty20 2012.

India defeated Afghanistan by 23 runs in its Group A opener, with Kohli named the man of the match for his 39-ball 50. “It was a good wicket and they had nothing to lose,” he said. “That is also a big factor which isn’t discussed much. A team ranked lower has nothing to lose. It will bowl its heart out, have no doubts and second thoughts, no problems with the situation. In batting too, such teams come out playing their shots. If they come off, then it becomes a problem for the bowling side. These are factors too, but overall I feel we could have done better as far as the bowling unit is concerned. We could have won by a bigger margin.”

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field. India left out Harbhajan Singh and went in with their tried and trusted 7 batsmen and 4 bowler combination.

The wicket was true and had a bit of pace and bounce. The Afghanistan bowlers began well getting a bit of purchase from the wicket. The Zadran brothers, Shapoor and Dawlat were steaming in keeping the Indian openers on the backfoot. Gambhir's misery and poor form continued and he finally played on to a Shapoor delivery, poking outside the off-stump, for just 10. The tall left-armer soon struck a double blow and sent shivers down the Indian dressing room when he got rid of the dangerous Sehwag for 8. India were under pressure. Afghanistan's batting coach Umesh Patwal had said that they would love to be giant-killers. Kohli and Yuvraj took charge. They slowly but surely built the innings. Yuvraj showed everyone that he meant business when he slapped Shapoor Zardan for a six straight over his head. Virat Kohli then smacked Gulbodin Naib for the maximum - the ball crashing into the sightscreen.

The pair added 46 runs for the 3rd wicket in just 36 balls before Karim Sadiq got Yuvraj caught at backward point. Afghanistan were maintaining the pressure. Suresh Raina was dropped on 2 by Nabi - an easy caught and bowled! Kohli decided to take the initiative and danced down the track to Karim Sadiq. Sami at deep mid-wicket dropped a relatively simple chance and pushed the ball across the line for a six. Raina and Kohli made the most of the reprieves. They went after the bowling and kept getting the regular boundaries. Their cause was aided by the poor Afghanistan catching. Virat Kohli reached yet another half-century in international cricket - his fifty came off 38 balls. The Afghanistan fielders finally held onto a catch - Nabi took a skier off Kohli off the bowling of Dawlat Zardan to end a fantastic innings. Raina and Dhoni added a quickfire 34 off 22 balls. The southpaw fell in the final over for a well made 38 off 33 balls. Dhoni hit a six of the last ball to end the innings with a flourish. India ended at 159 for 5 after 20 overs.

Afghanistan made their intentions clear. Mohammad Shahzad went after Zaheer Khan. He tried to hit the first ball out of the park, but only managed a couple over wide long-off.

The openers were going after everything. They wanted to strike the Indians early and they wanted to strike them hard. Shahzad, then, as promised, did a 'Dhoni Helicopter'. He whipped Zaheer Khan over mid wicket for a boundary. Afghanistan meant business but Shahzad was taking a risk too many. Balaji was introduced into the attack and he struck in his first over getting rid of the erratic Shahzad, chancing his arm on one too many an occasion. The captain Nawroz Mangal took the initiative and swept Balaji for a towering six over mid wicket off the last ball of the powerplay. Afghanistan had moved to 52 for 1 after 7 overs and Dhoni was a worried man. He had introduced Rohit Sharma before Ashwin, preserving his leading spinner for the middle-overs. He brought in Yuvraj Singh from the other end and the comeback man struck in his first over - getting one to dart in and striking the Afghanistan captain on the pads. At the half-way mark, Afghanistan had moved to 69 for 2 requiring another 91 from the remaining 10 overs. The situation got to Karim Sadiq and he held out to Gambhir at deep square leg to give Yuvraj his 2nd wicket. His comeback got even better as he got Stanikzai caught by Dhoni off the next ball - two in two for Yuvraj!

Ashwin got rid of Shenwari in the next over and the Afghanistan house was falling like a pack of cards. In the last 5 overs, they had scored 24 runs and lost 3 wickets. Shafiqullah and Nabi added a quickfire 24 before Pathan got the former lbw. Nabi was not going to bow down though - at least not without a fight. He hit Zaheer Khan for a blistering six over extra cover. He had raced to 29 off 14 deliveries. Zaheer went for 16 in the 16th over. Afghanistan required 44 off the last 4. Mohammad Nabi finally held out to Sharma at the long-on boundary and that put an end to Afghanistan's hopes of a miraculous victory. He had made a splendid 31 off 17 deliveries. The Afghanistan innings finally folded up at 136 in 19.3 overs with Balaji picking up 2 wickets in 2 balls. India won by 23 runs but credit must be given to the Afghans for their spirit and the fight they showed. India was given a few scares. Balaji and Yuvraj picked up 3 wickets each. However, Ashwin was the pick of the Indian bowlers with figures of 2 for 20 off his 4 overs. Virat Kohli was adjudged the man of the match for his fantastic half-century with 4 fours and 2 sixes. He displayed a wide array of shots and looked confident and a man possessed at the crease. The Indians will have to sort out their opening issues though, with both Gambhir and Sehwag not getting the starts they once produced on a canter. The bowling needs some firepower as even the strong Indian batting line-up won't be able to produce a score in excess of 180 each time they go out to bat. Afghanistan take on England on the 21st while India play them on the 23rd. 

India vs Afghanistan, 3rd Match, Group A, Colombo

Afghanistan: 136-all out (19.3 Ovs)

India: 159/5 (20.0 Ovs)

India won by 23 runs

 

ICC World T20 2012

R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka

September 19, 2012

Afghanistan won the toss, and elected to field

MOM: Virat Kohli 50(39 balls)

 

SLPL 2012: Chris Gayle has been ruled out of the Sri Lankan Premier League tournament

Chris Gayle

West Indies opener Chris Gayle has been ruled out of the Sri Lankan Premier League tournament which is scheduled to start on Aug 11.

Gayle had signed up for the Uva Next franchise but will not participate in this season due to a groin injury. 

"Of course it's a blow to lose Gayle, but we are very happy with the team that we've got and we're still going to win the competition," said Tushar Bedi, CEO of the Uva Next franchise.

Gayle had been battling through a groin niggle throughout the last season but it aggravated further in the recently concluded Test series against New Zealand.

It is understood that the West Indies Cricket Board does not want to take any chances with its players in a bid to keep them fit for the World Cup T20 which is scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka in September.

Fast bowler Fidel Edwards, who was picked up by Uthura Rudras, has not been given a 'no objection certificate' (NOC) by the WICB.

Pakistan's Abdur Rehman (Uva Next) and Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan (Uthura Rudras) are the other prominent players who will not take part in the inaugural season of the SLPL.

Uthura have replaced Shakib and Fidel Edwards with Rob Quiney and Kyle Mills, while Uva Next have picked Chanderpaul, Fawad Alam and Jacob Oram as replacements.

A total of seven teams will participate in the tournament which will run from Aug 11 to Aug 31.

World Cup T20: Smith Rejected From RSA T20 Squad

Graeme-Smith

South Africa Test captain Graeme Smith was omitted from the 15-man squad to take part in the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Thursday.

The 31-year-old last played a T20 international in October 2011, but in July was named by CSA in a 30-man provisional squad for the global event.

There was, however, a place in the squad for all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who has played just one T20 international for his country since May 2010.

"We are confident that our squad will be very competitive and make South Africa proud. We have had basically the same squad together for the past year and many of them also produced stand-out performances at the Indian Premier League (IPL)," CSA selection convener Andrew Hudson said in a statement.

The World T20 starts in Sri Lanka on Sept 18 with South Africa drawn in the same group as the hosts and Zimbabwe.

In an effort to gain some valuable match practice ahead of the global showpiece, the same 15-man squad will play a three-match T20 series in England next month.

"The Proteas will also have excellent preparation for the World Twenty20 by finishing the England tour with three matches. They may be playing on a different surface to that they will find in Sri Lanka but they will be able to hone their T20 specific skills," Hudson added.
SQUAD:
AB de Villiers (captain), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Johan Botha, JP Duminy, Francois du Plessis, Jacques Kallis, Richard Levi, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Bangladesh vs Netherlands: Bangladesh lost the second match

Bangladesh lost the second and final Twenty20 international match against Netherlands at Sportpark Westvliet after the hosts squeezed home off the last ball to register a one-wicket win at Sportpark Westvliet, The Hague on Thursday

Needing to make 129, the Dutch led by opener Michael Swart, with 61, scored 131-9.

Earlier, Bangladesh were bowled out for 128 in 20 overs.

Tamim Iqbal top scored with 50 off 46 balls while Mahmudullah scored 41.

Bangladesh won the first match of the series by eight wickets on Wednesday.

Shoaib Malik in line for recall

Shoaib Malik

Pakistan selectors are planning to recall some discarded batsmen, including Shoaib Malik, to strengthen the national team's batting line up, which they feel lacks firepower, reports Press Trust of India.

Sources close to the national selectors said that in the first stage the selectors were planning to recall discarded opener Yasir Hameed, middle-order batsman Fawad Alam and Malik in the one-day squad.

Malik has been named in the national T20 squad for the Australia series and T20 World Cup but the selectors are yet to announce the one-day squad for the Australia series.

Hameed has not been selected to play for Pakistan since 2010 and Fawad has also been out of favour with the selectors.

One source said the selectors were concerned with the inconsistent form of the batsmen barring the exception of youngsters Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.

"Their feeling is that the time is right to start planning ahead to stabilise the batting line-up in the ODI and Test formats," the source said.

"Basically, the selectors feel that the batsmen are not scoring consistency and secondly they are not getting big scores as was the requirement of the team. The planning is to not only recall some discarded players like Yasir and Fawad but also give more responsibility to Malik and also try out some new faces," the source said.

The source said the selectors were worried since Pakistan will travel to South Africa for a full series early next year.

"The idea is to start rebuilding the batting line up by adding fresh players. That is one reason why the selectors have also picked the top performers of the last domestic season to attend a conditioning camp at the national cricket academy," the source said.

Hameed, who has played 25 Tests and 56 ODIs, was not considered for selection after he was involved in the News of the World interview when Pakistan were touring England in 2010.

The interview led to Hameed being banned by the PCB but later the ban was removed and he was fined half-a-million rupees.

Shakib Al Hasan no longer No 1 Test all-rounder

Shakib Al Hasan

 Bangladeshi cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has been knocked off the top of the ICC Test all-rounder rankings by South African Jacques Kallis.

In the latest rankings issued on Wednesday, Shakib, who still retains top spot in the ODI all-rounder rankings, surrendered his status as No 1 in the longer-version after South Africa's brilliant performance against England in the first Test at The Oval.

Kallis moved to the top with 421 points compared to Shakib's 407.

However, Shakib dominates the ODI all-rounders' list with 447 points.

And among the Twenty20 all-rounders the Bangladesh star is placed seventh on 186 points while Kallis is ninth on 180 points.

Match Preview: WI vs NZ, 1st Test, North Sound, Antigua

The last time West Indies won a Test series against an opposition ranked higher than them was in 2009 when they beat England 1-0. They now are favourites to beat New Zealand, a team that is ranked just one notch above them at No. 7. West Indies, who defeated New Zealand comfortably in the T20I and the ODI series, go in to the Tests with a bit of incentive as a win by any margin will help the hosts usurp their opponents into the No. 7 position in the ICC rankings.

Test cricket returns to the Sir Vivian Richards stadium for the first time since February, 2009 when a Test against England was abandoned following an unfit outfield after just 10 balls in the match. Since its return into the international arena, the stadium has hosted 4 ODIs and a couple of T20 internationals.

West Indies:

Playing in a stadium named after one of the greats of West Indies cricket, West Indies will be desperate to reverse their sliding fortunes in Test cricket, they have a huge chance now with New Zealand struggling to put through eleven fit men on the field. Chris Gayle returns to play his first Test since December, 2010. West Indies tried several opening combinations in his absence, but have hardly settled on a set combo. Adrian Barath, Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieron Powell have all been rotated along with none of them managing to claim a permanent place in the line-up. Darren Bravo and Kirk Edwards miss out due to different reasons but the good news for West Indies is that Shiv Chanderpaul is back after missing the 3rd test against England due to a side strain. Marlon Samuels showed unbelievable maturity as he emerged the best West Indian batsman on view during the tour of England and this series gives the opportunity to further enhance his claim.

The bowling has a settled look to it. Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach have become the lead pair with Tino Best to support them. Sunil Narine struggled in the cool climes of England but has proved to be difficult to play in the comforting home conditions.

New Zealand:

On the other hand, New Zealand will quietly fancy their chances. The return of some of their star players have emboldened a team that usually performs well under adversity. The visitors have had a feel of the conditions at the ground having played their lone warm up match at this venue. They struggled against a quality attack with only Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson and Kruger van wyk amongst the runs. More bad news filtered in at the end of the match with Trent Boult and Bradley Watling missing out on selection for the first Test with injuries.

Injuries apart, New Zealand will take heart from the fact that their top guns have started firing. Ross Taylor returned from injury to score a century in the fourth ODI, McCullum and Williamson spent useful time in the middle while Daniel Vettori was his usual niggardly self picking up 6 wickets in the warm-up game. Much has been spoken about Neil Wagner and the left arm pacer looks a sure shot for a debut.

Team News:

Adrain Barath and Kieron Powell will battle for one spot at the top of the order while a century in the practice match should help Narsingh Deonarine edge past Assad Fudadin for a spot in the middle order.

Injuries might just force New Zealand's hands. Neil Wagner will make his debut in all probability with Doug Bracewell and Tim Southee fighting for the third seamer's spot.

Pitch and Conditions: The pitch as well as the outfield will be under close scrutiny. On the evidence of the practice match, it should stay low and slow. Scattered showers have been predicted for the entire duration of the Test.

Quotes:

The two teams are evenly matched... both teams will be playing to win and we will do everything to achieve that (a win) - Darren Sammy is badly seeking a Test win.

A warm-up game is a warm-up game. We got what we wanted out of it - Ross Taylor does not believe that a poor outing in the warm-up match will hurt his team.

Teams:

West Indies (From):  Darren Sammy(c), Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin(w), Ravi Rampaul, Marlon Samuels, Tino Best, Adrian Barath, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Assad Fudadin, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Narsingh Deonarine

New Zealand (From): Ross Taylor(c), Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Daniel Flynn, Martin Guptill, Tim Southee, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Tarun Nethula, Brendon McCullum, Chris Martin, Kruger van Wyk(w), Daniel Vettori, Neil Wagner