NEW DELHI, 20 January 2005 — The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the introduction of official ratings for players yesterday.
The ICC will take over the widely accepted unofficial ratings run by Pricewaterhouse Cooper since 1987.
“From today the ICC rankings will be the official guide to the relative merits of the 10 Test playing nations,” ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed told reporters.
“The ICC will build on the same formula and methodology used by PwC for the last 18 years for the player rankings,” he said.
Rankings will be available for batsmen, bowlers and all rounders in Tests and one-dayers.
They will run alongside the ICC ratings for Test and one-day teams. The ICC Test championship was launched in May 2001 and the one-day championship started in October 2002.
Current ICC Official Cricket Rankings:
Players’ rankings:
Batsmen: 1. Jacques Kallis (RSA) 2. Rahul Dravid (IND) 3. Ricky Ponting (AUS) 4. Brian Lara (WIS) 5. Damien Martyn (AUS) 6. Virender Sehwag (IND) 7. Sachin Tendulkar (IND) 8. Matthew Hayden (AUS) 9. Kumar Sangakkara (SRI) 10. Adam Gilchrist (AUS).
Bowlers:
1. Glenn McGrath (AUS) 2. Muttiah Muralitharan (SRI) 3. Shaun Pollock (RSA) 4. Shoaib Akhtar (PAK) 5. Steve Harmison (ENG) and Anil Kumble (IND) 7. Jason Gillespie (AUS) 8. Makhaya Ntini (RSA) 9. Shane Warne (AUS) 10. Chaminda Vaas (SRI).
All-Rounders (Only Five Named):
1. Jacques Kallis (RSA) 2. Andrew Flintoff (ENG) 3. Shaun Pollock (RSA) 4. Sanath Jayasuriya (SRI) 5. Chaminda Vaas (SRI)
Test Rankings (With Points):
1. Australia 132; 2. England 109; 3. India 108; 4. Sri Lanka 103; 5. Pakistan 101; 6. South Africa 100; 7. New Zealand 93; 8. West Indies 73; 9. Zimbabwe 42; 10. Bangladesh 6.
One-Day Rankings (With Points):
1. Australia 137; 2. New Zealand 120; 3. Sri Lanka 117; 4. Pakistan 109; 5. England 109; 6. West Indies 105; 7. South Africa 101; 8. India 98; 9. Zimbabwe 58; 10. Kenya 26; 11. Bangladesh 3.
Tsunami Benefit May Be Moved Out of India in Tax Row
A one-day game planned for next month to raise funds for victims of the south Asian tsunami disaster will be moved from India unless it is granted tax exempt status, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday.
Calcutta’s Eden Gardens is likely to be the venue for the return match between a World team and an Asia XI in February. The first game held in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 10 helped raise over $11 million.
“The game is most likely to be in Calcutta, but a decision (on tax exemption) has to be made by tomorrow,” ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said. The game could be shifted to Lahore in Pakistan, Dhaka in Bangladesh or Colombo in Sri Lanka, he said. India’s finance ministry has yet to agree to a request for the proceeds of the match to be tax exempt made by the sports ministry and the Indian cricket board.
“The sports minister has spoken to the finance minister, but there has been no positive response so far,” Meenaxi Chaudhary, a senior official in the sports ministry told Reuters.
Surrey to Stage Tsunami Appeal Match
In London, English county side Surrey will stage a Twenty20 match between Asia and an international side at The Oval on June 20 to contribute to the tsunami appeal. Surrey said in a statement that the fixture had been approved by the International Cricket Council and the England and Wales Cricket Board. No teams have yet been announced but the club promised “a galaxy of international stars”.
A match between Asia and a World XI at Melbourne earlier this month raised $11.13 million for victims of the South Asian tsunami disaster.
Flintoff to Play in 5th Test After Ankle Injection
England’s all rounder Andrew Flintoff will play in the fifth and final Test against South Africa after being given an injection to help alleviate a long-term ankle problem.
“Andrew Flintoff had an injection in the ankle following a scan today,” an England media release said yesterday. “He will play in the fifth Test, and the injury will be reviewed after the match.”
