Cricket - Icc
ICC PLAYER OF THE MONTH NOMINEES FOR AUGUST REVEALED
Dubai (Sports Reporter): Sri Lanka batter Sonal Dinusha, England pace bowler Ollie Robinson and Bangladesh fast bowler Hasan Mahmud feature on the men’s shortlist for the ICC Player of the Month award for August, while Thailand’s Suleeport Laomi and Nannapat Koncharoenkai are in contention for the women’s honour alongside Lucy Barnett, who becomes the first player from the Isle of Man to make the shortlist.The three players in the race for the men’s award this time have impactful performances in Test cricket. Dinusha was the find of the home series against India, Robinson continued his outstanding efforts in home conditions against Pakistan and Hasan helped his team to a historic win on Australian soil.The women’s shortlist shines the spotlight on Associate players who have delivered standout performances on the international stage. Laomi and Koncharoenkai boast performances in ODIs and T20Is including the ongoing Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai while Barnett excelled in the Continental Cup in Romania.Men’s ShortlistSonal Dinusha (Sri Lanka)Dinusha was resolute in the ICC World Test Championship series against India, belying his experience of only three previous Tests. The 25-year-old left-hander amassed 420 runs including scores of 100 and 84 in the first Test in Galle that his team lost and produced scores of 103 and 133 not out to save the next Test in Colombo, becoming only the third batter in the history of the game to score twin-centuries for a team that was made to follow on.Ollie Robinson (England)Robinson was the Player of the Match in the first two Tests against Pakistan with match hauls of eight for 80 and eight for 35, helping England to take a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series. His outstanding seam bowling in English conditions saw him finish with 16 wickets at an average of 7.18, lifting him 22 slots to fifth position in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings.Hasan Mahmud (Bangladesh)Hasan was the Player of the Match in Bangladesh’s historic nine-wicket victory over Australia in Darwin that put them 1-0 up in the WTC series which was eventually drawn 1-1. He grabbed six for 55 and three for 56 in Darwin and gained 26 slots to reach 38th position in the rankings. He finished with nine wickets at an average of 19.77.Women’s shortlistSuleeporn Laomi (Thailand)The 28-year-old leg-spinner enjoyed success in both ODIs and T20Is during this period. She grabbed four ODI wickets including a haul of three for 27 in the final match of a series against Papua New Guinea that her side won 3-0 and started the Women’s Asia Cup T20 tournament with an impressive haul of three for 26 against India.Nannapat Koncharoenkai (Thailand)Koncharoenkai was the leading scorer in the T20I series against Papua New Guinea that was played in Port Moresby. She also contributed in the subsequent ODI series. She aggregated 121 runs at a strike-rate of 80.13 in ODIs and 144 at a strike-rate of 86.22 in four T20Is.Lucy Barnett (Isle of Man)Barnett, opener and captain of her side, amassed 257 runs at an average of 128.5 and an impressive strike-rate of 178.47 in four T20Is that included a knock of 123 not out off 64 balls against Norway. She was the leading run-scorer in the Continental Cup as her team reached the final. She supplemented her batting efforts with four wickets with her off-spin bowling.
GULL FEROZA FINED FOR BREACHING ICC CODE OF CONDUCT
Islamabad (Spirts News): Pakistan player Gull Feroza has been fined 10 per cent of her match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the Women’s Asia Cup Group A match against Hong Kong in Dubai on Monday.Gull was found to have breached Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “showing dissent at an Umpire’s decision during an International Match.”In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to the disciplinary record of Gull, for whom it was the second offence in a 24-month period, taking her tally of demerit points in a 24-month period to two.Gull received her earlier demerit point for an offence during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup league match against Australia on 23 June this year.Monday’s incident occurred in the fifth over of Pakistan’s innings, when Gull expressed her disappointment after being adjudged leg-before wicket, indicating to the umpire that she had edged the ball by showing her bat.Gull admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Supriya Rani Das of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.On-field umpires Rabab Ahsan and Rokeya Sultana, third umpire Shivani Mishra and fourth umpire Shathira Jakir 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.
FATIMA SANA FINED FOR BREACHING ICC CODE OF CONDUCT
Islamabad (Sports News): Pakistan captain Fatima Sana has been fined 10 per cent of her match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during a Group A match of the Women’s Asia Cup against India in Dubai on Saturday.Fatima was found to have breached Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage, or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match.”In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to the disciplinary record of Fatima, for whom it was the second offence in a 24-month period, taking her tally of demerit points in a 24-month period to two.Fatima received her earlier demerit point during the first match of a T20I series against Ireland in Dublin on 6 August 2025.The latest incident occurred in the second over of India’s innings, when Fatima, after dismissing opener Shafali Verma, gestured in the direction of the pavilion.Fatima admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Supriya Rani Das of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.On-field umpires Nimali Perera and Shathira Jakir Jesy, third umpire Rokeya Sultana and fourth umpire Rabab Ahsan 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.
INDIA TO HOST ICC WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2027
Dubai (PR): The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027 will be staged in the Indian cities of Mumbai and Vadodara from 14 to 28 February.The Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai and the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium will be the venues for the landmark tournament that will bring together six of the world’s leading women’s cricket teams - Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka.Those six teams, who qualified as per their positions in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings on the 6 July qualification cut-off date, will compete in a round-robin league, with the top two sides advancing to the final on 28 February.The tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka but will now be staged in India as Sri Lanka Cricket continues to make the requisite reforms outlined at the ICC’s Annual Conference in July.The ICC assessed three candidates - Bangladesh, India and South Africa - against its established host evaluation criteria before recommending India as the replacement host, a decision ratified by the ICC Board on 2 September.ICC Chairman, Jay Shah, said: “The ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027 marks an exciting new chapter for women’s cricket. As the inaugural edition of the tournament, it will bring together the best teams in the world in an intense, high-quality competition, while creating even greater incentive for teams to continue rising through the rankings and competing for a place on the global stage.“With a marquee ICC women’s event now taking place every year, we have a significant opportunity to build greater momentum, provide more consistency and create a stronger rhythm for the women’s game, its players and its fans around the world."
BABAR BACK IN TOP 10 OF ICC MEN’S TEST BATTING RANKINGS
Dubai (SBR): Pakistan captain Babar Azam has returned to the top 10 of the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings after two years following his team’s eight-wicket win over the West Indies in Port of Spain that helped draw the two-match ICC World Test Championship series.The 31-year-old scored 88 and 24 not out, advancing five slots to 10th position in the rankings. He had slipped out of the top 10 in September 2024 after remaining there continuously for the previous five years. Babar’s career best second position was achieved during a home series against England in December 2022.Abdullah Shafique, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten knocks of 160 and 24, has progressed 25 slots to 32nd position, overtaking players like Marnus Labuschagne, K.L. Rahul and compatriots Salman Agha and Shan Masood in the process.Brandon King of the West Indies is another player to rise in the batters’ list, up from 73rd to joint-69th despite being unable to bat in the second innings due to a back injury. He scored 46 off 50 balls in the first innings.The bowling rankings see the West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph inch up one place to 19th after finishing with three wickets in the match while Pakistan off-spinner Sajid Khan (up five places to 30th), new-ball bowler Mohammad Ali (up eight places to 85th) and left-arm spinner Ali Usman (up 58 places to 97th) have also moved up.In the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings, Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has risen three positions to 11th after scoring 32 and 71 in the second and third matches of their series against Ireland. Oman’s Hammad Mirza (up two places to 85th) and the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Rahul Chopra (up 37 places to joint-97th) have advanced following their performances in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 series in Dundee.Ireland’s seam bowler Mark Adair returns in 17th position after picking two wickets each in two matches against Afghanistan and Scotland’s Brandon McMullen is up 10 spots to joint-48th in the bowlers’ list after taking three wickets each against Canada and the UAE in Dundee.The drawn Test series in the West Indies has not helped the cause of either team as they occupy the bottom two positions in the ICC World Test Championship points table.Australia are at the top with 87.50 percentage points with seven wins and a loss in eight outings while South Africa (75.00) and New Zealand (72.22) are in second and third positions, respectively.
AZMATULLAH OMARZAI REPRIMANDED FOR BREACHING ICC CODE OF CONDUCT
Dubai (PR): Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai has been reprimanded after he was found guilty of breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second ODI against Ireland in Bready on Friday.Azmatullah was found to have breached Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during an international match.”One demerit point has been added to Azmatullah’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.The incident occurred in the 41st over of Afghanistan’s innings, when he remained at the crease for a prolonged period of time after he had been given out, gesticulating his displeasure at the decision.Azmatullah admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Dean Cosker of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.On-field umpires Gareth Morrison and Roly Black, third umpire Johnny Kennedy and fourth umpire George Brolly 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.
SEAMERS MAKE NOTABLE GAINS IN ICC MEN’S TEST BOWLING RANKINGS
Islamabad (Sports Report): Seam bowlers called the shots in the first match of the ICC World Test Championship series between the West Indies and Pakistan in Tarouba, which the home side won by 90 runs, and the movements in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings reflect that.Player of the Match Justin Greaves finished with a career-best match haul of seven for 39 and gained 21 places to reach a career-high 48th position and his team-mate Jayden Seales moved up five places to 24th after finishing with a five-for in the second innings. Greaves has also advanced eight slots to ninth in the all-rounders’ list.Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas, who has been ranked as high as third (in 2018), made his first appearance in the top 20 since late 2021 as he advanced nine places ahead to 17th after his match haul of eight for 85.The batting rankings see Pakistan captain Babar Azam move up four slots to 15th after an unbeaten 58 in the second innings while Shan Masood’s 109 in the first innings has lifted him eight places to 36th. Shai Hope’s 92 in the first innings has taken him from 51st to 39th and Kavem Hodge is up to 60th after a seven-slot gain.India captain Shubman Gill begins his third stint as the top-ranked ODI batter after New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell conceded the top spot, missing the final ODI against the West Indies in Bridgetown due to a low-grade hip strain.The New Zealand pair of Will Young (up three places to joint-38th) and Tom Latham (up five places to 46th) and the West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford (up 13 places to 45th) have moved up the batting rankings. With the ball, Namibia’s Bernard Scholtz had remarkable figures of 10-2-21-1 against the Netherlands and 10-2-14-0 against Nepal to move up five places to seventh in the ODI rankings.India’s teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has surged ahead to 48th position in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings after his Player of the Series effort in Zimbabwe helped him gallop 230 places. He finished with 151 runs in three innings that boasted a 19-ball 50 in the first match and a 49-ball 81 in the third.Others to move up the T20I rankings include Tilak Varma (up two places to sixth) and Shreyas Iyer (up seven places to 24th) in the batting rankings. Blessing Muzarabani (up 10 places to 26th) and Ravi Bishnoi (up 31 places to 41st) have advanced in the bowling rankings.
MOONEY REGAINS TOP SPOT IN ICC WOMEN’S T20I BATTING RANKINGS
Media releaseAustralia opener Beth Mooney has regained the No.1 position in the ICC Women’s T20I Batting Rankings after winning the Player of the Tournament award in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.The wicketkeeper-batter, who had also been named Player of the Tournament in the 2020 edition at home, has overtaken team-mate Georgia Voll, who had occupied the top spot since 23 March this year.Mooney won the Player of the Match award in Sunday’s final at Lord’s for a solid 64 off 49 deliveries in a seven-wicket win over England that helped her finish the tournament with 238 runs and start her fifth stint as number one. Only Karen Rolton has occupied the spot longer than Mooney, who has spent more than four years as No. 1.In other notable movements, South Africa opener Tazmin Brits has advanced three places to 11th after scoring 51 in the second semifinal against England at The Oval, while England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 75 in that match and 58 not out in the final have helped her move up five spots to 16th. Freya Kemp’s unbeaten 44 in the final has lifted her 27 spots to 63rd.The bowling rankings still see India’s left-arm spinner Shree Charani at the top of the table even as Sophie Ecclestone has leapfrogged team-mate Charlie Dean to second place after taking one wicket each in the semifinal and the final.Australia all-rounder Kim Garth’s economical spell in the final has earned her a five-slot rise to 15th position while South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp has moved back into the top 10 after a fine effort in the semifinal. Ash Gardner (up two places to 20th), Sophie Molineux (up 21 places to 66th) and Shabnim Ismail (up 29 places to 69th) are others to progress.
ICC ELITE PANEL OF MATCH OFFICIALS UNCHANGED
Dubai (Media Release): The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed that the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires and the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees will remain unchanged for the 2026-2027 international cricket season, following its annual review and selection process.After a comprehensive assessment conducted by the ICC’s Umpire Selection Panel, it has been determined that the current group of elite umpires will continue in their roles, reflecting the organisation’s satisfaction with their strong contribution over the past year.The decision reflects the ICC’s commitment to recognising and rewarding excellence, with the panels’ consistency and high standards demonstrated by members at the recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and in men’s bilateral cricket across the previous calendar year.The umpires’ outstanding on-field performances, professionalism, decision-making accuracy, and third umpiring have contributed significantly to the quality and integrity of international cricket.The Umpire Selection Panel, comprising ICC General Manager – Cricket Wasim Khan (Chair), former English Premier League referee Mike Riley, former international umpire and umpire coach Peter Manuel, and former international player and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, considered the performances of umpires and referees from across the international game before deciding to retain the existing panel.Similarly, the concurrent ICC management review of the elite referees showed that their management and leadership had been strong across the year.ICC CEO, Sanjog Gupta said: “The decision to retain the Emirates ICC Elite Panels for the 2026-27 season reflects the consistency and high standards that have come to define officiating at the international level. Over the past year, the panels have demonstrated a strong blend of accuracy, composure and professionalism, which is critical to maintaining the integrity of the game.“What stands out is not just the quality of decision-making, but the ability to operate with clarity and confidence in high-pressure situations, across formats and conditions. That consistency provides assurance to players, teams and fans alike.“On behalf of the ICC, I would like to congratulate all members of the panels on their re-selection. Their performances over the past season have fully justified this continuity, and we look forward to seeing them build further on these standards in the year ahead.”Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees (2026-27): Jeff Crowe (New Zealand), Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka), Andrew Pycroft (Zimbabwe), Richie Richardson (West Indies), Javagal Srinath (India).Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires (2026-27): Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka), Christopher Gaffaney (New Zealand), Adrian Holdstock (South Africa), Richard Illingworth (England), Richard Kettleborough (England), Nitin Menon (India), Allahuddien Paleker (South Africa), Ahsan Raza (Pakistan), Paul Reiffel (Australia), Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (Bangladesh), Rodney Tucker (Australia), Alex Wharf (England).
INDIA AND AUSTRALIA RETAIN TOP POSITIONS IN MEN’S AND WOMEN’S T20I
Dubai (Sports News): India and Australia have retained their positions at the top of the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings and the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, respectively, following the annual updates carried out on Tuesday.The latest rankings, which rate all matches played since May 2025 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent, see India’s lead over England trimmed from 14 to 13 points in the men’s table while Australia’s lead over England in the women’s rankings has reduced from 18 to 12 points.India, who retained their title in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup played in India and Sri Lanka this year, are on 275 points, still enjoying a comfortable lead over England (262) and Australia a close third with 258 points in the updated rankings, which see the top seven positions unchanged. New Zealand (247), South Africa (244), Pakistan (240) and the West Indies (233) are the other teams in the top 10 to have retained their positions.Sri Lanka have dropped six rating points and slipped below Bangladesh to ninth position and are now just one point ahead of Afghanistan while the USA have leapfrogged the Netherlands and Scotland to take 13th position. In other movements in the top 20, Nepal have overtaken the United Arab Emirates to 17th position while Oman have moved past Canada to 19th.In other notable changes, Italy have gained 11 points and moved from 26th to 23rd, Spain’s 12-point gain sees them advance from 30th to 26th, Cyprus have gained 10 points to progress from 64th to 53rd and Eswatini have gained 10 points to move from 74th to 65th.Mozambique are the biggest losers, dropping 15 places to 87th position after the latest update that sees a reduction in the number of ranked teams from 102 to 98 with Fiji, Gambia, Greece and Israel not making the cut as they did not play the requisite eight T20Is in the past three years.The Women’s T20I Rankings sees an unchanged top 16 teams with Australia No.1 with 287 points, England on 275 and India third with 264.New Zealand (253), South Africa (243) and the West Indies (238) complete the lineup from fourth to sixth with Sri Lanka (237) closing the gap to just one point while retaining seventh place. Similarly, Bangladesh are just one point behind ninth-placed Ireland after gaining five points.The USA have moved from 22nd to 20th and Germany from 35th to 29th after the latest update, that sees 78 teams ranked after having played at least eight T20Is over the past three yearsCambodia have dropped out of the rankings and need to play four more matches to regain their ranking while Peru are no longer rated as they have not played any match for three years.
Most Popular
