Sehwag retains No.1 spot in ICC Test rankings

DUBAI: India may have flopped in the opening Test against Sri Lanka but opener Virender Sehwag held on to the number one spot, while Sachin Tendulkar gained a place to be seventh in the latest ICC rankings for batsmen issued on Friday.


Sehwag, who scored 109 and 31 in the Test which India lost by 10 wickets, has opened up a 14-point gap over second-placed Kumar Sangakkara.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's iconic off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who spent a record 214 Tests and 1,711 days in the number-one spot, retired from Test cricket at the third spot in the bowling chart.

The 38-year-old, who finished with 800 wickets from 133 Tests, bowed out in third position behind Dale Steyn of South Africa and Pakistan's Mohammad Asif after climbing two spots in the latest rankings following figures of 5-63 and 3-128 which set-up a 10-wicket victory for Sri Lanka in the first Test of the three-match series in Galle.

The bowlers dropping in the latest rankings include off-colour Indian pacer Ishant Sharma, who was down one spot to 22nd, Rangana Herath (31st, down six places) and Pragyan Ojha (58th, down by nine places).

In the Rankings for Test batsmen, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir, middle-order batsmen Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni have failed to retain their places.

Gambhir has slipped six places to 10th position, Laxman has fallen two places to 15th position, Dravid has dropped one place to 18th place while Dhoni has fallen four places to the 40th spot.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has swapped places with his predecessor Mahela Jayawardene.

TOI

Inquiry panel submits report to HI, does not draw conclusions

Inquiry panel submits report to HI, does not draw conclusions

Hockey sex scandal

New Delhi, July 23: The inquiry panel probing the sex scandal that has rocked Indian hockey submitted its report to Hockey India today amid indications that the committee had only given a factual account and refrained from drawing any conclusions on coach M K Kaushik’s conduct. HI, on its part, will submit the report of the five-member inquiry committee to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) tomorrow.

“We have received the report from the committee. We will study and discuss the report thoroughly and accordingly give our recommendations and submit it to SAI tomorrow,” HI secretary general Narinder Batra said.

Chairman of the inquiry panel, Rajiv Mehta said the committee received testimonies from both the parties — coach M K Kaushik and complainant Ranjita Devi — and no other evidences were required for the probe. “We have had lots of testimonies from both the parties as well some other players and manager of the team Madhu Yadav and we don’t need to talk to any individual further.

We have given our report,” he said. It is learnt that the panel, comprising Rajiv Mehta (chairman), Zafar Iqbal, Ajitpal Singh, Sudarshan Pathak and Anupam Ghulati, refrained from drawing any conclusion and only presented facts in their report to HI. According to HI sources, the federation is also expected to refrain from giving any conclusion in their recommendation to SAI and will leave the entire matter on the government body as Kaushik was appointed by SAI. Indian hockey plunged into a deep crisis last Tuesday when fringe player Ranjita, in a written complaint to HI, accused chief coach Kaushik of sexually harassing her.

HI then sprung into action and formed a five-member committee to investigate the matter. Even though Kaushik tendered his resignation to HI president Vidya Stokes, which was accepted yesterday, he pleaded innocence and said the allegations were baseless and he was a victim of ‘big-time conspiracy’.

HI also sacked videographer Basavraj whose photographs with prostitutes in compromising situations during the recent Canada and China tour were also sent to the national body through an anonymous e-mail. (PTI)

Sangakkara feels ICC ranking system not ‘fair’

Sangakkara feels ICC ranking system not ‘fair’

Galle (Sri Lanka), July 23: Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has criticized the ICC ranking system as ‘unfair’ even though the island nation was in the sight of becoming the top Test side after they spanked India in the first match here. Asked whether the players take seriously a system that has India at number one despite not having won a series in Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka since 1993, Sangakkara said, “You should have asked that question to Haroon Lorgat (ICC chief executive) who was here.

“If rankings can’t be understood by the public, the players, or the administrators, what’s the use of having rankings? If you want rankings, they should count towards playing a Test championship,” he said. Sangakkara said for the ICC ranking system to be acceptable, the FTP should be ‘fair’ with each side playing each other at least once, home or away.

“Rankings need to be fairly done. A fair FTP is the first step towards having proper rankings.

Olonga wants Zimbabwe return to Tests

Former Zimbabwe fast bowler Henry Olonga believes it is time for his country to be allowed back into Test cricket.

Olonga, Zimbabwe's first black player, has been a high-profile opponent of Robert Mugabe's regime and, alongside current England coach Andy Flower, made a public show of dissent against the President when the 2003 World Cup came to Zimbabwe.

The pair famously wore black armbands to "mourn the death of democracy" during the tournament, an action which brought about Olonga's retirement at 26.

Olonga received death threats and was charged with treason and, after travelling with the team for a World Cup match in South Africa, he never returned to Zimbabwe.

The 34-year-old, who played 30 Tests and 50 ODIs, eventually settled in England, where he petitioned international teams not to tour his country as a stand against Mugabe's human rights record.

Zimbabwe last played a Test match in 2005 after the majority of the team's first-choice players went on strike following a dispute with the national board.

But discussions are under way to restore them to the five-day game as early as next year and Olonga believes now is the time for reintegration.

"I think on the whole it is right for Zimbabwe to move forward," Olonga said at the launch of his new book on Thursday.

"It is a difficult decision for me to say that because on the one hand I have protested against countries playing in Zimbabwe and been very up front about that.

"But I think what Zimbabwe needs now is a slow and steady reintroduction to Test cricket. It's not as though whenever Mugabe is out of power, we can start talking about it the next day. By then it is too late.

"We are starting to play well in one-day cricket now so let's use this momentum and get to the stage where they are a competitive Test side in three or four years.

"The way forward is for Zimbabwe to play some of the lesser teams first and if we don't get beaten in two days then we are heading in the right direction."

Olonga admits he remains uneasy about Mugabe's role in Zimbabwe public life but he knows a return to Test action is essential to give cricket in the country a chance to prosper.

"I would whole-heartedly support reintroduction because I want Zimbabwe back playing Test cricket, but we still have the problem of Robert Mugabe," he said.

"How do you deal with a man who has presided over the destruction of his own country through his own flawed policies?

"It's painful compromise but I think Zimbabwe is on the mend. Certainly it is cricket-wise but politically there is still a long way to go.

"Nevertheless, I think positions are softening. Zimbabwe, to their credit, have put in place some reforms and they've got a lot of experienced players back.

"Alistair Campbell is back as convenor of selectors, Heath Streak is doing some work as bowling coach. I understand Grant Flower is thinking of going back as a coach and Dave Houghton is also back doing some work with them.

"That these people are considering going back into the game there helps other countries see that Zimbabwe cricket has a measure of legitimacy now."

© AFP

Ponting joins Tendulkar in 12,000 club

Australia captain Ricky Ponting became only the second batsman after Sachin Tendulkar to score 12,000 Test runs when he reached the landmark against Pakistan on Thursday.

Ponting's edged a four to third man off left-arm quick Mohammad Aamer on the second day of the second Test at Headingley gave him the 40 runs he needed to reach the landmark in what was his 247th innings in his 146th Test.

Tendulkar also reached the 12,000 mark in the same number of innings.

Ponting is one of the outstanding batsmen of his generation and has scored 39 Test hundreds, second only to Tendulkar's record mark of 47.

But the India star made his Test debut aged 16 in 1990 - five years before the 35-year-old Ponting's debut - and has played 21 more matches at this level than the Australia batting great.

Tendulkar, 37, is the only batsman in Test history to have scored more than 13,000 runs. His tally stands at 13,539 runs from 273 innings in 167 matches with 47 hundreds, including a best of 248 not out, at an average of 55.48.

© AFP