​The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that following remedial work and reassessment, the bowling action of Zimbabwe’s Brian Vitori has been found to be legal, and the left-arm fast bowler can now resume bowling in international cricket.
 
As Vitori has cleared an independent reassessment of his bowling action after serving a 12-month suspension, if he is reported again, it will be deemed as his first offence.

​Liam Banks and Will Jacks slammed fine centuries as England completed a massive 282 runs victory over Canada in a Group C match today, a result that ensured Bangladesh also qualified for the Super League at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup.
 
England completed the league with three wins to top the group while Bangladesh qualified as the second team after their wins over Canada and Namibia, who will figure in the Plate championship which gets underway on Monday.

​Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy took four for 20 and Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten 90 to help India fashion a 10-wicket victory over Zimbabwe, while opener Nathan McSweeney slammed 156 and fast bowler Jason Ralston produced a record haul of seven for 15 as Australia thumped Papua New Guinea by 311 runs as the two former champions progressed to the Super League quarterfinals from Group B on the seventh day of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2018 on Friday.
 
Also joining in the Super League quarterfinals were former champions Pakistan who defeated Sri Lanka by three wickets in a Group D match. Pakistan will now wait for the outcome of the Afghanistan versus Ireland match on Saturday in Whangarei to find out if they will top the group or finish runners-up.

The South African sides in this year’s Champions League Twenty20 competition have a tough time on the sub continent with neither the Dolphins or Cape Cobras  able to pick up a win so far.

Midway through the group stages of the competition, both sides have lost two games apiece, which means the pressure is on the Cobras when they face the Barbadoes Tridents in Mohali today.

Skipper Justin Ontong and his side face a win or bust scenario with a loss here against the fourth placed Tridents spelling an end to their chances of advancing. They will also be reliant on results in other matches in Group B.

Ireland and Scotland have touched down in Australia for a five-week tour that will see them gain vital match experience across Australia and New Zealand as they count down to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which will be played between 14 February and 29 March.

The two sides join Afghanistan and the UAE in the southern hemisphere, and will play a series of matches against local and state sides to fine-tune their preparations ahead of cricket’s pinnacle one-day event.

The three-day Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Match Referees’ workshop concluded in Dubai on Wednesday. All 12 members of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and seven Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, as well as three members of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires and four umpire coaches attended the annual seminar.

The workshop covered a wide range of topics as the match officials geared up for the forthcoming international season, which culminates with the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2015.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Division 3 will take place from 23 to 30 October in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.   

Uganda was to host the six-team competition from 26 October to 2 November, however, due to a recent elevation in the ICC’s ongoing safety and security assessment level, it has been decided to relocate the event to the Malaysian capital.  

In coming to this decision, the ICC coordinated with a range of local authorities and security experts.    

Captain Mohammad Nabi: “This will be written in the history of Afghanistan, as we are the first ever sports team in the country to qualify for a World Cup” 

“We have the capability to upset one or two teams” 

“This will be the chance for Afghans who are based in Australia or New Zealand to come to the grounds and support their team” 

Afghanistan will be aiming to make a lasting impression when it appears in its maiden ICC Cricket World Cup, with the side spending four weeks in Australia and New Zealand to prepare for cricket’s pinnacle 50-over tournament as part of a tour organised by the ICC’s High Performance Programme (HPP).

 

Having only become an Affiliate member of the ICC in 2001, Afghanistan has appeared in three consecutive ICC World Twenty20 tournaments (2010, 2012, and 2014), and is now starting its final phase of preparation for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which will be played from 14 February to 29 March.

West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul has returned to the top three of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen following a stellar performance against Bangladesh in the second Test in St Lucia, which finished on Tuesday. The West Indies won the Test by 296 runs to win the series 2-0.

Chanderpaul scored 84 not out and 101 not out, his 30th career century, to end the series as the second highest run-getter with 270 runs. For his achievement in the St Lucia Test, he was rewarded with a jump of two places that has helped him leapfrog David Warner of Australia and Angelo Mathews of Sri Lanka into third position.

The batting table is headed by Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka, who leads South Africa’s AB de Villiers by 27 ratings points.

West Indies player Darren Bravo has been found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during the fourth and final day’s play in the second Test against Bangladesh in St. Lucia on Tuesday. 

Bravo was found to have breached Article 2.1.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “…Where the facts of the alleged incident are not adequately or clearly covered by any of the above offences, conduct that either : (a) is contrary to the spirit of the game; or (b) brings the game into disrepute.”

The Kent Cricket Club (KCC)-Sierra Leone has postponed this year’s annual Lime Line U-12 Cricket Championship until further notice due to the Ebola outbreak in the country.  

The tournament would have been the second edition of the Limeline U-12 boys and girls cricket championship and was expected to take place this September. 

A statement from the head of Media, Bockarie Alieu reads: “Kent Cricket Club (KCC), Sierra Leone has postponed this year’s annual Limeline U-12 Cricket Championship until further notice.

KCC in collaboration with their partners is using the time to send this message to everyone in Sierra Leone that Ebola is real and to prevent it, people must wash their hands with soap, chlorine and Dettol continuously. They should stop shaking hands and avoid body contact.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 trophy made its first public appearance in Pakistan on Wednesday at the iconic Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore as part of its global tour.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq received the prestigious trophy at the Minar-e-Pakistan and later said: “The ICC Cricket World Cup is the biggest global tournament for a professional cricketer. All teams are gearing up for this event and all our strategies are building up to prepare ourselves for the challenge.”

Misbah, who hadn’t yet made his first-class debut when Pakistan won the title in Melbourne in 1992, added: “The Pakistan team’s victory in the ICC Cricket World Cup 1992 in Australia and New Zealand is still the most special sporting achievement in the minds of our cricketers and all cricket fans in Pakistan.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 trophy, as part of its global tour, on Saturday visited Kabul, Afghanistan, where it was received by President Mr Hamid Karzai.

Also present with the trophy during this historic visit to the President’s office were Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi and star player, Nawroz Mangal, as well as other senior officials of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).

The President congratulated the Afghanistan cricket team for qualifying for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and wished it well in the tournament that will be staged in Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March.

UAE coach Aqib Javed: “It is all about inspiring people.  I’ve got the experience, I have been through World Cups as a player and as a coach”

 

“I think we can surprise a few people and a few teams”

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has touched down in Perth to launch the final stages of its preparation for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which will be played in Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March.

With five months to go to cricket’s pinnacle 50-over tournament, the UAE is the first of the four qualifiers to arrive in Australia and New Zealand to hone its skills as part of a tour organised by the ICC’s High Performance Programme (HPP).

The International Cricket Council today confirmed that an independent analysis has found the bowling action of Pakistan’s off-spinner Saeed Ajmal to be illegal and, as such, the player has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect.

The analysis revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations.

Saeed, who was reported after the first Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle last month, can apply a re-assessment after he has modified his bowling action in accordance with clause 2.4 of the Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions.

Faf du Plessis of South Africa has stormed up the Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings following a stellar performance in Harare in which he scored 464 runs and played a leading role in his side’s victory in the triangular series.

Du Plessis hit three centuries and a half-century for which he has been rewarded with a jump of 33 places that has put him just outside the top 10 in 11th position. The middle-order batsman had arrived in Zimbabwe in 54th position on 519 ratings points but returned home in 11th position on 701 ratings points. These are his career-best ranking and ratings, to date.

Du Plessis is the fourth South Africa batsman to feature inside the top 11 with captain AB de Villiers regaining the number-one position from team-mate Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock slipping two places to ninth.

Amla had entered the triangular series leading de Villiers by one ratings point. He dropped 22 ratings points after scoring 172 runs, which handed the top spot back to de Villiers who retained his pre-series ratings points of 869 following his series total of 215 runs with a century and a half-century.

The Proteas have finally won some silverware ahead of the 2015 ICC World Cup. They defeated Australia by an impressive six wickets in Saturday’s final in Harare, Zimbabwe to restore confidence ahead of the trophy that has eluded them for so long – the cricket world cup.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has congratulated the Proteas for the big win over Australia and expressed optimism that they will take the victory as motivation ahead of the biennial event.

“There is no doubt that our ODI team is improving every day. Over the past 10 months they have enjoyed outstanding success with series wins over India and Australia, the tow previously highest ranked sides on the ICC ODI rankings table.

Protea all rounder, Ryan McLaren, has been sent back home from the ongoing one day tri series tournament in Zimbabwe after suffering a hairline fracture to his right forearm during South Africa’s heartbreaking loss to Australia on Tuesday.

McLaren got injured after Mitchell Johnson hit him on the arm with a short and quick delivery in the 29th over.

Though the strike appeared minor, he was admitted to hospital on Wednesday and has been ruled out of the series due to the broken arm.

This is the second time that Johnson has terrorised McLaren in six months. A Johnson thunderbolt brushed in the side of his helmet at Centurion which left the 31 year old covered in blood and bleeding from the ear. He missed the second Test.

“Ryan was taken for X-rays this afternoon after complaining of severe pain following a blow to his right forearm yesterday. The scan revealed a hairline fracture to the bone in the right forearm, which rules him out of action for the next three weeks. He will return back to South Africa on Thursday morning,” said South African team doctor, Dr Mohammed Moosaje.

The most prestigious prize in world cricket, the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy, will round out its memorable tour of Europe by presiding over the second match of the three-match ODI series between regional rivals Ireland and Scotland which begins on 8 September, their last ODI series before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will be staged in Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March, and Ireland will be making its third consecutive appearance at cricket’s pinnacle ODI event, having played in the 2007 and 2011 editions, while Scotland is also preparing for its third appearance, having played in the 1999 and 2007 tournaments.

With only five months to go to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, both sides will have one eye on the once-in-a-lifetime event while also aiming for victory and regional pride in the series.

The rivalry between the neighbours extends back to 1888 when they met for the first time, and in the intervening 126 years, they've played each other in 12 ODIs, most recently in two ODIs in the final round of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship in September 2013, with Ireland winning both encounters.

Needing just 210 runs in 50 overs, Zimbabwe did the unthinkable yesterday at Harare Sports Clubs as they romped to a well deserved three wicket victory over the number one ODI ranked Australia in a nail biting encounter.

The win by the Zimbabwe team was the first against the mighty Australians since 1983 and it came against all odds as few gave the boys a chance against the tourists. None of the Zimbabwe players were born the last time Zimbabwe had beaten Australia.

Skipper Elton Chigumbura played a marvel of a captains innings and was well supported by part time batsman Prosper Utseya to lead Zimbabwe to a three wicket win that came with 12 balls to spare.

Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Australia were restricted to 209-9 – their lowest total ever against Zimbabwe – in their 50 overs but Zimbabwe were up for the challenge in what was a true David and Goliath case.

Zimbabwe needing four runs to win and with Utseya on the strikers end, Mitchell Starc’s delivery was sent over mid wicket for the hosts only second six in this game to spark wild celebrations for the Zimbabwe faithful.

Proteas captain AB De Villiers and Faf Du Plessis struck a 206 run third wicket partnership that all but saw South Africa claiming a nerve wrecking 7 wicket victory over number one ranked Australia at the ongoing one day triangular test series in Harare, Zimbabwe yesterday.

Having won the toss and electing to field, South Africa nearly rued that decision after the pitch turned heavily in their disadvantage.

Entering this match smart from a crushing 198 runs victory, Australia were the first to bat and thought they had wrapped up the win after posting 327 but De Villiers had other plans as he posted 136 runs. Du Plessis played a controlled innings for his 106 runs before he was undone by a Mitchell Starc bouncer.

JP Duminy scored a quick fire 28 as he helped De Villiers to close the match. De Villiers overcame fatigue and severe cramp in his left leg going for big boundaries. This was after South Africa’s task seemed formidable when they lost openers Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock with just 54 runs on the board.

The England team has been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during the second One-Day International (ODI) against India in Cardiff on Wednesday.

Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fines after Alastair Cook’s side was ruled to be one over short of its target at the end of the match when time allowances were taken into consideration.

In accordance with ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel regulations governing minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.

ICC Chief Executive: “No stone is being left unturned to ensure the teams, officials, sponsors and media are warmly received and enjoy a great experience during the ICC’s flagship ODI event”

 “For fans in Australia and New Zealand, this is one in a generation opportunity for them to see galaxy of modern day stars battle out for the ultimate prize in cricket”

 ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley: “The focus is now to finalise operational plans with the LOC and each venue, and ensure these plans are executed and implemented to the highest of standards”

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson has expressed his satisfaction with preparations for next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 after receiving detailed updates in Wellington and Melbourne this week.

The briefings and presentations took place in the two host cities from 25 to 27 August, and followed venue inspections in which the ICC and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) assessed the 14 tournament stadia and discussed a wide variety of logistical and operational matters with the local authorities.

In the three-day meetings, Mr Richardson received updates on various aspects of event management, including match and non-match day venue operations, safety and security, ticketing and marketing, hospitality, status of construction work at various grounds, preparations being made by the host cities, media and broadcast operations, event legacy programmes, and PR and community engagement.

Mr Richardson also attended the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Board meeting in Wellington, which was also attended by ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Chief Executive, John Harnden, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Head of New Zealand, Therese Walsh, Cricket Australia Chairman, Wally Edwards, New Zealand Cricket Board member, Greg Barclay, and Cricket Australia Chief Executive, James Sutherland.

Veteran England captain Edwards moves up to 2nd place in batting list

Pakistan’s Sana Mir climbs four places in bowling rankings, while Gunn shoots higher in all-round stakes

England captain Charlotte Edwards has jumped five places to second position in the Reliance ICC Women’s Rankings for ODI Batters after leading her side to a 2-0 series victory over India in the opening round of the ICC Women’s Championship.

 

Edwards recorded scores of 53 and 108 not out, her ninth One-Day International (ODI) century, in the first two ODIs to propel her side to a 2-0 victory after the third match at Lord’s was declared a no result on Monday due to rain.

 

India skipper Mithali Raj has retained her place at the top of the batting rankings with scores of 34 and 30, respectively, to be the second-highest run-scorer for her side in the series, while her teammate Smriti Mandhana was the biggest mover on the table, jumping 23 places to a career-high 40th, following her knocks of 32 and 74.

 

In the Reliance ICC Women’s Rankings for ODI Bowlers, England’s Jenny Gunn has moved up to two places to second, her highest ranking to date, after claiming five victims in two matches at an economy rate of 2.95. Gunn has also moved up one place to fourth on the all-rounder list.

The West Indies’ 3-0 series win against Bangladesh has seen its players march up the Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings. A record-breaking third-wicket partnership between Denesh Ramdin and Darren Bravo saw the West Indies beat Bangladesh by 91 runs in St. Kitts on Monday to win the third and final ODI of the series.

Bravo and Ramdin put up 258 runs for the third wicket, which is not only the highest third-wicket partnership in ODIs but also the highest partnership for the West Indies for any wicket.

The batsmen made individual contributions of 124 and 169 to West Indies’ total of 338, and have been rewarded with promotions in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen. Bravo has jumped 15 places to land on 34th, while the player of the match and the series, Ramdin, has catapulted 24 places to a career-best 75th position.


For Bangladesh, Tamim Iqbal has reason to cheer as he moved up five places to 31st. Tamim, who scored a total of 118 runs in the three matches, is the fourth highest run-scorer of the series and the highest run-scorer for Bangladesh.