Sehwag remains second in ICC Test rankings

Virender Sehwag is the highest-ranked Indian batsman in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Sunday, occupying the second spot. Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara leads the batting table with Michael Clarke of Australia in the third spot. In the bowling list, Pakistan's fast bowler Mohammad Amir has rocketed to a career-best 17th after playing a leading role in his side's four-wicket victory over England in The Oval Test which concluded on Saturday.

Man of the match Amir took 1-49 and 5-52 in the Test and was awarded with a jump of 14 places in the rankings, which puts him just behind Paul Harris of South Africa and makes him the third Pakistan fast bowler in the top 20.

For England, off-spinner Graeme Swann has moved up one place to regain his second position on the bowling chart.

Swann, who had match figures of 7-118, had first climbed to second position in March this year after the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong.

In the Rankings for batsmen, Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal and Azhar Ali, and England's Alastair Cook and Matt Prior all rose up the rankings.

Yousuf, who scored 56 and 33, has climbed two places to 14th position with India's Gautam Gambhir firmly within his sights. Umar has jumped six places to share 41st position with Australia's Phillip Hughes and Azhar has vaulted 28 places to 55th spot.

There is no change in the top five of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player rankings for Test all-rounders with Jacques Kallis of South Africa leading the field.

Meanwhile, England's four-wicket defeat has ended its chances of moving ahead of fourth-placed Australia in the ICC Test Championship.

© PTI

Perera fires Sri Lanka into final

Thisara Perera bagged a maiden five-wicket haul to help Sri Lanka storm into the triangular one-day series final with a crushing eight-wicket win over India.

The 21-year-old seamer, playing his first match of the tournament, finished with 5-28 off 7.4 tight overs as India were shot out for 103 in 33.4 overs -- their third-lowest total against Sri Lanka in one-day internationals.

The total was not enough to put pressure on Sri Lanka, who completed the win in just 15.1 overs in the day-night match in Dambulla.

The hosts finished their league engagements with 11 points from four matches, while New Zealand have seven points and India five after three games.

The winners of the last league match between India and New Zealand on Wednesday will qualify for the final.

Sri Lanka put in a solid all-round performance in the must-win match as their batsmen backed their fast bowlers, with Tillakaratne Dilshan (35) and Mahela Jayawardene (33) adding 79 for the opening wicket in 9.2 overs.

Skipper Kumar Sangakkara (13 not out) finished the match when he drove paceman Ishant Sharma through the covers for a four. Upul Tharanga remained unbeaten with 12.

Yuvraj Singh earlier top-scored with a fighting 38 in a disappointing Indian batting performance after the tourists elected to bat.

Opener Virender Sehwag (12), Rohit Sharma (11) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (10) were the others to reach double-figures.

Yuvraj was unlucky to be given out leg-before off paceman Lasith Malinga (2-21) as TV replays suggested the ball would have missed the stumps. He was the ninth man out after hitting one six and five fours in his 64-ball knock.

Sri Lanka jolted India when paceman Nuwan Kulasekara (2-31) trapped Sehwag leg-before and had Dinesh Karthik (nine) caught behind in a lively opening spell.

Perera, who played his last one-dayer in Zimbabwe in June, then wrecked the middle order when he claimed four wickets in five overs to dash India's hopes of posting a challenging total.

He was once on a hat-trick when he had Ravindra Jadeja caught by Chamara Silva at gully and Praveen Kumar caught by Tharanga at mid-off with his next delivery. Perera ended the innings in the 34th over when he bowled Ishant Sharma.

The Sri Lankan pacemen were well supported by wicket-keeper Sangakkara, who took four catches.
Cricbuzz

Greg Chappell to be National Talent Manager

Cricket Australia (CA) has appointed Australian cricket legend and current Centre of Excellence (COE) Head Coach Greg Chappell as its first National Talent Manager (NTM), a role which will see him become Australian cricket's first full-time selector.

Chappell, who played 87 Tests and 74 One Day Internationals for Australia, will give up his current role as the Head Coach of COE in Brisbane and move to Melbourne for the new role.

CA General Manager Cricket Michael Brown said he was delighted that a person like Chappel, who has a vast depth of experience and expertise in elite cricket, will be taking on the new role.

"We began a detailed review of our cricket pathway program more than four years ago and this appointment is the final step in that comprehensive process," Mr Brown said.

"Greg will work closely with the State cricket talent development managers and with the national selectors in a system that now gives us a tightly integrated, national talent identification and management system across all Australian cricket.

"A well-defined national pathway which has all of Australian elite cricket pulling in one direction in the interests of our international performance is critically important in what is becoming a steadily more competitive international cricket environment."

Mr Brown also said CA would start recruiting a replacement head coach immediately for the COE.

With Chappell becoming a full-time selector, he will fulfill another important role as being the National Selection Panel communication point for players, coaches and other cricket stakeholders such as the media.

Chappell said: "I am really excited by the challenge of this new role - from a talent management point of view, this will be an exciting period for Australian cricket.

"I have enjoyed the COE Head Coach role as I was able to work with a talented group of coaches and support staff to assist and develop the next generation of Australian cricketers. The new role dovetails beautifully for me as they will be the immediate future of Australian cricket."

He expects to take up the new role as soon as the current COE program debriefing of state cricket associations is finished within the next month.

Andrew Hilditch will continue to chair the National Selection Panel (NSP) and Chappell will join as one of its four members.

Among his other cricketing laurels, Greg Chappell was also inducted in to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2002.

Cricbuzz

New Zealand rule out Pakistan trip

New Zealand cricket chiefs on Monday backed the idea of fundraising matches for flood-ravaged Pakistan but ruled out the prospect of the Black Caps travelling there.

Reports from Pakistan indicated New Zealand had offered to play there to raise funds for flood victims, but New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said his message to the Pakistan Cricket Board had been misconstrued.

"At no point did we offer that the Black Caps would be touring as they certainly won't be playing there this year," Vaughan said.

"But it would be nice to think that in a cricket-loving country such as Pakistan that cricket could play a part in alleviating some of the suffering that is going on there."

International cricket came to an abrupt end in Pakistan in March last year after a terror attack on the touring Sri Lankan team in Lahore.

The near month-long floods in Pakistan have killed 1,500 people and affected up to 20 million nationwide in the country's worst natural disaster.

But with foreign cricket teams not prepared to play in the country because of security concerns, Vaughan said it was up to the Pakistan Cricket Board to organise fundraisers outside the country.

New Zealand Cricket Players' Association manager Heath Mills backed the idea of cricket to raise money, but added: "But at this point in time there is no way anyone can consider putting a cricket team into Pakistan to play."

He added that he did not envisage the Black Caps going to Pakistan "in the short term".

© AFP