Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner has moved up all three lists in the ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings after a fine run with both bat and bowl in the first two matches of their ICC Women’s Championship series against Bangladesh in Mirpur.Gardner, who scored 52 runs and grabbed five wickets in the two matches, has moved up five spots to 17th in the batting rankings, entered the top five in the bowling rankings and advanced from sixth to second position in the rankings for all-rounders.In other notable movements, fast bowler Megan Schutt has inched up to second position among bowlers, left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux has re-entered the bowling rankings in joint-69th position after her match-winning three-wicket haul in the second ODI and Alana King has moved up 19 spots to 58th among batters after smashing an unbeaten 46 in the first match.Annabel Sutherland (up five places to 38th among batters) and Ellyse Perry (up six places to joint-52nd among bowlers) have also gained in the latest weekly update.Bangladesh left-arm spinner Nahida Akter, who returned figures of two for 27 in the first match, has entered the top 10 for the first time. Her previous best was 12th position, which she had attained in December last year. Nahida is presently ranked 25th in T20Is but had a career-high third position in July 2018.Off-spinner Sultana Khatun has moved up six places to be joint-52nd with Perry after finishing with three wickets in the two matches. The two wins have helped Australia consolidate their position at the top of the Women’s Championship points table. They are now on 26 points from 17 matches while South Africa are second with 20 points from 15 matches. The full standings are available here.Meanwhile, in the ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings, England captain Heather Knight has moved up five slots to 23rd position among batters after scoring 129 runs in the first three matches of the ongoing series against New Zealand, which England lead 2-1.Maia Bouchier’s 126 runs in the three matches have lifted her 43 places to 53rd position while New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr is up three places to 11th. In the bowling rankings, Sarah Glenn (up two places to second), Charlotte Dean (up eight places to 11th) and Lauren Bell (up 15 places to 18th) have all progressed.

Sports ReportDubai (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) has expressed its sorrow at the passing of former Pakistan cricket chief Shaharyar Khan at the age of 89.Shaharyar was a career diplomat who served as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chair from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2014 to 2017, also representing the PCB on the ICC Board.In a statement, ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “This is sad news for the cricket world. Shaharyar was a very prominent and important figure who contributed hugely to the development of the game over many years.“His experience as a diplomat helped him lead cricket administration very skillfully in Pakistan and he was also a respected member of the ICC Board. On behalf of the ICC, I would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends as well as to our colleagues at the PCB.” 

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is back at the top of the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings after finishing with a nine-wicket match haul in his 100th Test match. Ashwin returned hauls of four for 51 and five for 77 against England as India won by an innings and 64 runs in Dharamsala to complete a 4-1 win in the ICC World Test Championship series.Ashwin reclaimed the top spot from compatriot Jasprit Bumrah to start his sixth stint at the top of the rankings. He first became number one in December 2015. Player of the Match Kuldeep Yadav, who became the fastest Indian in terms of balls bowled to take 50 Test wickets, has risen 15 places to a career-best 16th position after finishing with seven wickets in the match.India captain Rohit Sharma (up five places to sixth) and Shubman Gill (up 11 places to a career-best 20th) have also made notable gains while Player of the Series Yashasvi Jaiswal has moved up two places to eighth after notching a half-century. Jaiswal aggregates 740 rating points after nine Tests, with only two batters having tallied more after as many Tests – Australians Don Bradman (752) and Mike Hussey (741).England players Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow have moved up a slot each in the batting rankings while spinner Shoaib Bashir has progressed 11 places to 71st position. Australia completed a 2-0 series win over New Zealand in Christchurch to take second place behind India in the WTC table and Alex Carey’s match-winning 98 not out sees him go up from 50th to 38th. Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood continued his fine run to finish with six wickets in the match, including a five-for, to make it 35 wickets at 15.31 for the season and moved to second position behind Ashwin.That equals his best-ever position in the rankings, which he first achieved in February 2017. Despite a peak bowling rating of 864 – achieved in March 2017 – Hazlewood has never been in top spot. Only Kapil Dev (877), Ryan Harris (870), Courtney Walsh (868) and Rangana Herath (866) have had higher peaks without ever reaching number one position.Matt Henry’s superb first innings figures of seven for 67 helped him advance six places to 12th and over the 700-point mark for the first time in his career. He is also up to sixth among all-rounders. Australian Mitchell Marsh (up eight places to 55th) and New Zealand players Tom Latham (up six places 35th) and Rachin Ravindra (up 10 places to 66th) are others to move up the batting rankings.In the Men’s ODI Rankings, Ireland’s Harry Tector has moved up two places to a career-best-equalling fourth position after aggregating 141 runs in the three-match series against Afghanistan while Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s series-topping 172 runs in his team’s 2-0 win, sees him move up from 24th to 22nd. Ibrahim Zadran (up three places to 14th among batters) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (up 10 places to 41st among bowlers) have also gained in the latest update.The Men’s T20I Rankings see Mohammad Waseem move up two places to 14th among batters after scoring 68 not out and Junaid Siddiqui move up 14 places to 74th among bowlers after returning four for 14 as the United Arab Emirates beat Scotland in the first T20I in Dubai.Michael Levitt of the Netherlands (up 17 places to 32nd), Najmul Hossain Shanto of Bangladesh (up two places to 33rd) and Nepal captain Rohit Paudel (up six places to 48th) are others to move up in the batting rankings while Shoriful Islam of Bangladesh (up 19 places to 39th) and Ayan Afzal Khan of the UAE (up six places to 40th) have gained in the bowling rankings.

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): Bangladesh player Towhid Hridoy has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the third T20I against Sri Lanka in Sylhet on Saturday.Towhid was found to have breached Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to displaying conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Towhid’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.The incident occurred in the fourth over of Bangladesh’s innings, when after being dismissed, Towhid turned around on his way back to the pavilion and remonstrated aggressively and inappropriately with the Sri Lankan players.Towhid admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.On-field umpires Sharfuddoula Saikat and Tanvir Ahmed, third umpire Gazi Sohel and fourth umpire Masudur Rahman levelled the charge.Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points. 

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 has approved Chamika Karunaratne as a replacement for Dasun Shanaka in the Sri Lankan squad.Karunaratne who has played 23 ODIs, was named as a replacement after Shanaka was ruled out due to a right thigh muscle injury sustained during Sri Lanka’s match against Pakistan on 10 October. The injury needs three weeks to recover.The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad.The Event Technical committee of the (name the ICC event) consists of Wasim Khan (ICC General Manager – Cricket & ETC Chair), Chris Tetley (ICC Head of Events), Hemang Amin (Acting CEO - BCCI), Gaurav Saxena (General Manager – Operations, BCCI), Russel Arnold (Independent Representative), Simon Doull (Independent Representative).

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) today revealed the latest crop of international stars shortlisted for the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month awards following an action-packed month of cricket in September.The three-person ICC Men’s Player of the Month shortlist features one of England’s prolific short-format batters and an Indian duo that were instrumental in their trophy-winning Asia Cup campaign last month.Mohammed Siraj enjoyed a return to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI rankings for bowlers in late September, and was the chief architect of India’s success in the final with a remarkable bowling display. Joining him on the shortlist is Shubman Gill, hoping to win his second Player of the Month prize after his run-scoring heroics in the Asia Cup continued into the subsequent ODI series against Australia. England’s Dawid Malan completes the lineup, nominated for the first time after a superb showing in the series against New Zealand.The shortlist for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award features a young South African duo that recorded an impressive T20I win in Pakistan, and Sri Lanka’s influential skipper, who led them to a historic T20I series victory in England.ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees for September:Shubman Gill (IND):The Indian batter has enjoyed a hugely successful 2023 so far, and could potentially be in line to win his second Player of the Month accolade after runs again came flooding in during September. The 24-year-old registered 480 runs at an average of 80 in his eight ODIs during the month, with notable highlights including a stylish century against Bangladesh in Colombo, and 74 and 104 in back-to-back games against Australia.Dawid Malan (ENG):The England batter arrived into the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in sublime form in ODI cricket, scooping the Player of the Series award in the recent victory over New Zealand at home. His scores during the series progressed with each match. After a half-century in the second fixture, he came within a whisker of three figures with 96 at the Oval, before he passed the landmark in the final outing across London at Lord’s. His 277 ODI runs in September came at an average of 92.33.Mohammed Siraj (IND):The pacer returned to the summit of the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI bowler rankings in September thanks to a glittering performance to dismantle Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final in Colombo. Siraj took 11 wickets in total across six ODIs, but his month will be remembered for the memorable way in which he tore into the defending champions, bowling them out for 50 runs, taking six wickets for 21 which included a four-wicket over.ICC Women’s Player of the Month Nominees for September:Chamari Athapaththu (SL):Sri Lanka’s iconic skipper was at the peak of her powers in the T20I series against England in September. After narrowly losing the rain-effected first contest, Athapaththu registered back-to-back Player of the Match performances to clinch their maiden victory over the home side in any format. Her trademark explosive batting and economical bowling helped restrict England to low totals in the second and third matches. A terrific 55 runs in 31 balls in the second match was followed by a match-winning 44 in 28 balls in the decisive encounter, along with three priceless England wickets.Nadine de Klerk (SA):The South African all-rounder celebrates her first nomination in the Player of the Month awards after valuable runs and wickets helped claim ODI victories over Pakistan and New Zealand last month. De Klerk chipped in with scores throughout September, only being dismissed once, and scoring 171 runs including successive half-centuries. The Player of the Series against Pakistan also impressed with the ball, recording 13 wickets in her five ODI outings at a superb average of 12.76.Laura Wolvaardt (SA):Despite losing the T20I series 3-0 against Pakistan, Wolvaardt was named Player of the Series after amassing 157 runs in her three matches. A quiet ODI series against Pakistan followed before the South African once again rediscovered her form, this time against New Zealand, striking a classy half-century before an unbeaten 124 saw her side confirm the series win and Wolvaardt claim another Player of the Series prize.

Aamir Ali JanjuaDubai (UAE): The 13th edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will see the winners of the 10-team tournament earn US$4 million, along with the trophy that they will lift at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 19 November.The runners-up will receive US$2 million, while the losing semi-finalists will get $800,000 each from the total prize pot of US$10 million. The 48-match event will be played across 10 venues from 5 October. The biggest Cricket World Cup ever will see prizes for each league match won. Teams will play each other once in a round-robin format, with the top four making it to the semi-finals.The winners of each match in the group stage will receive US$40,000 and the six teams that do not qualify for the semi-finals will receive a payment of US$100,000.

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): 16 teams are set to compete for the silverware across 41 matches from 13 January to 4 February, comprising the 11 best-placed Full Member teams at the last edition and five teams who earned their World Cup spot through regional qualification pathways - Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Scotland and USA.Five historic venues located in Colombo will stage the 15th edition of the celebrated event; the P. Sara Oval, Colombo Cricket Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Singhalese Sports Club and the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, the arena chosen to host both Semi Finals on 30 January and 1 February, and the Final on 4 February.The action starts on 13 January with three fixtures taking place on opening day. Hosts Sri Lanka take on Zimbabwe at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, while 2022 finalists England play Scotland at Colombo Cricket Club and New Zealand face off against Nepal at the P. Sara Oval.In the group listings, holders India are joined by Bangladesh, Ireland and USA in Group A. Group B consists of England, South Africa, West Indies and Scotland. Group C features Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Namibia while Group D is made up of Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand and Nepal.ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said: “The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup has a long-standing history of introducing global audiences to future stars of the sport.“Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Angelo Mathews are some of the names that made their entrance onto the world stage at this event, and we are certain to see this tradition continue as the drama unfolds across the 41 tournament fixtures.“We are thrilled to see the competition return to Sri Lanka for the first time since 2006, in what promises to be a festival of cricket with no shortage of entertainment, and we are proud to offer fans the chance to witness the action for free once more.”Tournament Director, Samantha Dodanwela said: “Sri Lanka Cricket is delighted to be welcoming this prestigious event back to Sri Lanka after 18 years. “Sri Lanka is renowned for its passionate, cricket-loving fans, and we are looking forward to giving them the opportunity to watch some of the most promising young cricketers in the world over 23 days of competition.The landmark event has been the springboard for some of the most recognisable stars of the global game. Through the history of the event, India are the most decorated with five U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup titles, Australia have won the event three times, Pakistan twice, while England, Bangladesh, South Africa and West Indies have each been crowned once.

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the 20 match officials for the League Round of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.Umpires Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson share a laugh during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between England and Sri Lanka at Sydney Cricket Ground on November 05, 2022 in Sydney, Australia.Sixteen umpires will officiate the 13th edition of the tournament, including all 12 of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and four members of the ICC Emerging Umpire Panel, they are: Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nitin Menon, Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shaid, Rod Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.The experienced list includes three of the four umpires who were appointed for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 final at Lord’s - Dharmasena, Erasmus and Tucker – with only Aleem Dar missing, who stepped down from the Elite Panel in March of this year.The Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees is represented at the event by a quartet of former international cricketers, namely, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath.Srinath will take charge of the tournament opener between the last event’s finalists, England and New Zealand on 5 October in Ahmedabad. Menon and Dharmasena will be the standing umpires, with Paul Wilson as TV umpire and Saikat taking on fourth umpire duties.The officials have been named for the entirety of the League segment, with the selections for the semi-finals and final of the tournament to be named in due course.Wasim Khan, ICC General Manager – Cricket, said: “To deliver an event of this magnitude you require high performing individuals at every level. The ICC Elite panel of umpires, referees, and emerging group of umpires involved will bring immense skills, experience and world class standards to this World Cup. We are delighted with the group that we have assembled for this tournament”.“The ICC Cricket Operations department takes great pride and effort in operating a robust and meritocratic selection procedure with the help of our Member Boards. Our competitive pathway system continues to see the development and emergence of high-quality match officials across the game. We are pleased that four members of the ICC Emerging Umpire Panel have earned the opportunity to be part of this showcase event and we wish them, and all the other match officials involved all the very best for the tournament.”Sean Easey, ICC Manager – Umpires and Referees said: “We are pleased to announce the match officials who will be overseeing the biggest ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup ever. This group is the best from around the world and will be ready to perform a challenging job, with the eyes of the global cricketing community focussed on the event.“We are confident that they will do an excellent job and wish them all the best of luck for what promises to be a World Cup to remember.” 

Sports Bulletin ReportBulawayo (Zimbabwe): An aggressive innings of 93 runs by Dhananjaya de Silva helped his team Sri Lanka to beat the Netherlands by 21 runs in an International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup Qualifier match at Bulawayo Sports Club Zimbabwe on Friday.Sri Lanka’s Captain won the toss and elected to bat first against the Netherlands. Sri Lankan batters scored 213 in 47.4 overs. Dhananjaya de Silva was the top scorer with 93 runs with the help of 8 boundaries and 2 sixes, Dimuth Karunaratne made 33 runs with 2 fours, Mahesh Theekshana smashed 28 runs with 1 four. Logan van Beek (3 for 26), and Saqib Zulfiqar (2 for 48) were only two wicket-taker bowlers for the Netherlands.While the Netherlands could make 192 runs in 40 overs. Skipper Scott Edwards was the top scorer with 67 runs not out with the help of 4 fours and 2 sixes, Wesley Barresi made 52 runs with 6 boundaries and 1 six, Bas de Leede scored 41 runs with 3 fours. Mahesh Theekshana (3 for 31), Wanindu Hasaranga (2 for 53) were wicket-taker bowlers for Sri Lanka. Dhananjaya de Silva was judged the player of the match.Summarized Scorecard:Sri Lanka (Batting): 213 runs all out in 47.4 oversDhananjaya de Silva (93 runs, 111 balls, 4x8, 6x2) Dimuth Karunaratne (33runs, 51balls, 4x2, 6x0) Mahesh Theekshana (28runs, 47balls ,4x1, 6x0)Netherlands (Bowling): Logan van Beek (3 for 26), Saqib Zulfiqar (2 for 48)Netherlands (Batting): 192 all out in 40 oversScott Edwards (67 runs not out, 68 balls, 4x4, 6x2), Wesley Barresi (52runs, 50 balls, 4x6, 6x1), Bas de Leede (41runs, 53 balls, 4x3, 6x0)Sri Lanka (Bowling):Mahesh Theekshana (3 for 31), Wanindu Hasaranga (2 for 53)