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Australia captain Steven Smith and R Ashwin ended 2015 as the top-ranked ICC Test batsman and bowler, the ICC announced after the rankings were updated after the Boxing Day Tests at the MCG and Durban

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-20151:39

A look at some of the astounding numbers R Ashwin notched up while on his way to finish on top of ICC Test bowling rankings

Australia captain Steven Smith and India offspinner R Ashwin have finished 2015 as the ICC’s top-ranked Test batsman and bowler respectively. Ashwin finished as the No. 1 ranked Test allrounder as well, for the second time in three years.While Smith leapfrogged Kane Williamson, Joe Root and AB de Villiers to the top, Ashwin achieved the No. 1 rank by unseating Dale Steyn, who could only bowl 3.5 overs in the second innings of the Durban Test against England.Smith was ranked No. 4 at the start of Australia’s Boxing Day Test against West Indies but surged to the top following unbeaten scores of 134 and 70. No one had more Test runs than him this year – 1474 from 24 innings at an average of 73.70 with six centuries and five fifties. He was also named the ICC’s Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year last week. Smith is the third Australian batsman in the last decade – after Ricky Ponting (2005, 2006) and Michael Clarke (2012) – to finish as the top-ranked batsman at the end of the year.Ashwin finished 2015 as top-wicket taker with 62 scalps in nine matches. He started the year ranked 15 but rich hauls on India’s tour to Sri Lanka (21 wickets in three matches) and in the home series against South Africa lifted him to the No. 1 spot. Of his 62 wickets, 31 came in the four-match Test series against South Africa, where his performance ensured India swept the series 3-0.Ashwin, who became the first Indian bowler since Bishan Singh Bedi in 1973 to finish the year at the top-ranked position, also chipped in with the bat, scoring 248 runs in 14 innings, with half-centuries against Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa.”Replicating what Mr Bedi did is something I am very proud of,” Ashwin said in an ICC release. “The former India captain was a master at his craft and I am very humbled to follow in his footsteps.”I would like to thank my Test captain Virat Kohli, who has been a big influence, and, of course, the team management, my team-mates and the BCCI for their continued support.”Among other batsmen, Adam Voges (11), Usman Khawaja (39) and Dean Elgar (28) finished the year at career-best rankings following centuries in the two Boxing Day Tests in Melbourne and Durban.Stuart Broad ended the year as the second leading wicket-taker – 56 scalps in 14 Tests – and sits at No. 3 in the bowlers’ rankings. Nathan Lyon, who won the Man-of-the-Match award for his seven-wicket haul against West Indies in Melbourne finished at a career-best rank of 14, while Moeen Ali, Man of the Match against South Africa, finished the year ranked 23.

Dan Christian, the hard-hitting Australia batsman, has agreed terms to play for Nottinghamshire again in this summer’s NatWest T20 Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2016Dan Christian, the hard-hitting Australia batsman whose exploits have been a talking point of the Big Bash, has agreed terms to play for Nottinghamshire again in this summer’s NatWest T20 Blast.Christian featured in the final seven T20 matches of the 2015 before helping the Outlaws reach the semi-finals of the 50-over Royal London Cup, where they lost to Surrey by four runs in a thrilling run-chase.His seam bowling claimed 13 wickets across the two competitions, including a five-wicket haul to help secure victory over the Birmingham Bears at Welbeck.”He got better and better over the course of his time with us last season which made him a player we were very keen to bring back,” said Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell.”We’ll use him in a different role in Twenty20 cricket, higher up the order where he can make more of a batting impact.”Christian’s impressive form has since continued back home in Australia. He helped Victoria to the Elimination Final of the 50-over Matador Cup with 60 not out against Western Australia and 38 not out off 14 balls against Tasmania and then, having joined the Hobart Hurricanes for the Big Bash, he hit the headlines by striking a 117-metre six over the roof of the Gabba, en route to 56 not out off 24 balls against his former franchise, Brisbane Heat.”He is performing really well in the Big Bash and I’m sure other clubs showed some interest,” said Newell, “but he enjoyed his time here and that’s the kind of relationship we want to build with our overseas players.”Christian’s contribution extended to captaining Nottinghamshire’s second XI in between his weekly stints in the T20 Blast, an experience that Newell is keen for him to repeat.”Twenty20 overseas can be a bit of a lonely lifestyle because you are only required once a week,” added Newell. “But he wanted to play in the second team games in-between to keep ticking over, something I’m sure he’ll do again.”It was great that he wanted to play, he captained the second team on some occasions and great that the other players could have that quality around them.”

Hong Kong’s hopes of qualifying for the main round of the Asia Cup T20 were extinguished by Mohammad Shahzad as UAE beat them by six wickets to register their second successive win in Fatullah

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Amjad Javed sealed the game with a straight six as UAE took a giant leap towards the main round of the Asia Cup T20•AFP

Hong Kong’s hopes of qualifying for the main round of the Asia Cup T20 were extinguished by Mohammad Shahzad as UAE beat them by six wickets to move to the top of the points table with one game to play.If it was Rohan Mustafa who led the way in their tournament opener against Afghanistan, Shahzad put his hand up to make a 39-ball 52 in the chase of 147 as UAE crossed the line with nine balls to spare. In doing so, they also ensured their net run rate received a boost, a factor that could decide the qualifier if teams are tied on points.Hong Kong were struggling at 26 for 2 after they opted to bat. It took the belligerence of the in-form Babar Hayat to give them the momentum, even as Mark Chapman’s aggression fetched 29 runs off just 17 balls. Hayat, who made 122 in a losing cause in Hong Kong’s opener, hit eight fours in his 45-ball 54, before being dismissed in the 16th over. That allowed UAE to apply the choke as they conceded just 24 off the last five overs, with Mohammad Naveed, the pacer, finishing with figures of 3 for 14.With perhaps lesser runs than they would have liked, Hong Kong prised out the wickets of Mustafa and Muhammad Kaleem to leave UAE at 22 for 2. Shahzad, who came in to bat at No. 3, arrested the wobble and helped UAE steer ahead of the asking rate during the course of a third-wicket stand of 79 with Muhammad Usman (41). Shahzad took the game right till the end in Shaiman Anwar’s company, before Amjad Javed, the captain, sealed the deal with a straight six.Having come up with two dominating displays, UAE have a straightforward equation. A win against Oman will see them through to the main round, while a loss that coincides with an Afghanistan win over Hong Kong could force a three-way tie in terms of points.

Steven Smith must quickly sort through pressing questions of selection and strategy as he looks to make Australia challengers at the World T20

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Feb-20163:14

‘World Cup not long away’ – Smith

It is less than a month since Steven Smith took over as Australia’s T20 captain and less than a week since he was leading the Test side back to the top of the ICC rankings in New Zealand. Now Smith is in South Africa, where Australia will play three T20s as part of their preparation for the World T20, which will see them head to India in less than a fortnight’s time.If all that is a bit much to process, it is just the start for Smith, who will have to learn rapidly on the job after replacing Aaron Finch. Smith has captained Australia just once previously in T20 – although he has led Sydney Sixers and Rajasthan Royals in the Big Bash and IPL respectively – and must quickly sort through pressing questions of selection and strategy as he looks to make the team challengers at a tournament they have never previously won.The decision by Australia’s selectors to make Smith captain in all three formats came after they had been whitewashed 3-0 at home to India, and followed an observation by Shane Watson – who stood in for the injured Finch, with Smith already in New Zealand, for the third T20 against India – that a lack of continuity had been hurting their chances.Smith, who has made a smooth ascent in Test and ODI cricket as Michael Clarke’s successor, is the man charged with getting Australia pulling in the right direction in time for the World T20 – a job complicated by having to try and settle on an ideal XI in South Africa, where conditions will differ markedly from those likely to be encountered in India. It may not be the ideal scenario but Smith was focused on getting as much out of the trip as possible after arriving in Durban.”For us it’s about playing some T20 cricket together, we haven’t played a great deal of T20 over the last couple of years so it’s a great opportunity for us to try and gel together as a unit before the World Cup,” Smith said. “Hopefully the South African curators can try and make the pitches a little bit slow and turning, I think that would benefit both sides, so we’ll wait and see what they come up with.”Smith only played in the first match against India and said the series defeat was “in the past”. Australia have included three players uncapped in T20 – wicketkeeper Peter Nevill and spinners Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa – in their 15-man squad and must try to settle on an ideal batting order, with Finch, Watson, Usman Khawaja and David Warner all competing to open.”It’s about moving forward and trying to get everything going in the right direction before the World Cup,” Smith said. “We’ve got a few options for guys that can open the batting, there’s about four guys vying for a spot there. The bowlers are working hard to get into the eleven but I think it will take a whole squad to win a World Cup.”Despite regular commissions in the IPL, Australia’s players have struggled to make an impact at T20’s global showpiece, with just one final appearance in five attempts, and Smith conceded that the game had moved on apace since he helped take the Sixers to the 2011-12 Big Bash title in his first taste of captaincy.”I think it’s changed a lot, guys have got so many different deliveries nowadays – slower-ball bouncers, wide yorkers, different kinds of slower balls, things like that. Guys are able to hit the ball 360 degrees, which is hard to stop. I just think the game has changed so much, it’s moving forward and that’s great.”One of those “hard to stop” guys is AB de Villiers, whose outlandish talents were to the fore in South Africa’s most recent T20, a nine-wicket win over England. De Villiers, now opening the batting in T20, crashed 71 off 29 balls and Smith suggested Australia would be trying to come up with a containment strategy for him.”It’s very difficult to do, he’s one of the most destructive – if not the most destructive – batsman in the world and he does hit the ball 360 degrees, so when he is going he’s very tough to stop,” Smith said. “We’re going to have a few plans in place for him that will hopefully work, but he’s a terrific player and very hard to stop.”South Africa have been on an upward surge in limited-overs cricket, winning five matches in a row against England. In contrast to Australia, they have recently tasted success over India – winning the T20 and ODI legs on last year’s tour – and they will be further boosted by the return of Dale Steyn from a shoulder problem. Australia, meanwhile, expect Finch, Watson, James Faulkner and Nathan Coulter-Nile to be available for the first match on Friday after recent injuries.”They’re a very good T20 team, they’ve got some class players that can take the game away from you very quickly,” Smith said. “So, for us, we want to win every series we play and I guess in the back of our minds we know there’s a World Cup not long away. But it’s about focusing on this series and trying to do what we can to win.”

India will travel to the Caribbean later this summer to play a four-Test series, Dave Cameron, the WICB president, has confirmed

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Mar-2016India will travel to the Caribbean later this summer to play a four-Test series, Dave Cameron, the WICB president, has confirmed. The announcement puts an end to the uncertainty that has surrounded the series – listed on the ICC’s Future Tours Programme – ever since the BCCI suspended bilateral engagements as a penalty for West Indies’ abandoning of their tour to India mid-way in late 2014.Although no dates have been fixed, Cameron said the Test series would be spread over July and August. What that means, however, is that the tour would clash with, and disrupt, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which is likely to begin in late June, and finish in the first week of August. “The official word is that the tour is on,” Cameron told Cricket Radio in Nagpur on Sunday. “We are just awaiting confirmation of the venues now. And once we have done that, we will send out a release with the dates, the venues and everything.”Cameron said it was unfortunate that the players featuring in the Test series will miss out on the CPL. According to Cameron, there was no choice left for the WICB but to agree to the dates despite the clash. “Yes, it will [clash with the CPL]. The unfortunate thing is that the international calendar is packed. And the only window for this tour to come off is during that time. So, there will be a clash, but we are working with CPL to ensure there is no clash of venues so times of the matches won’t be hampered.”In January the WICB had shortlisted 15 names for retainer contracts with the emphasis being on those players featuring in Tests. Some of the prominent names in that shortlist include Marlon Samuels, Jason Holder, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Bravo and Kemar Roach. Allrounder Carlos Braithwaite, who is not part of the contracted list but made his Test debut in Australia, the last bilateral long-format series West Indies played, will also miss out on the CPL along with the rest should he play India. “The [CPL] draft did not include the Test players simply because it was always anticipated it would clash with the Test series. So the players are already aware of that,” Cameron told ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday.So far, the CPL, which is into its fourth edition, has already organised the player draft, and even announced that six matches will be played in the USA, but it is yet to announce the dates. Unofficially, it is understood that the CPL will begin in the last week of June and run till the first week of August. According to the FTP, the India tour is scheduled to be played between the months of July and August.Cameron also took the opportunity to insist that the relations between the BCCI and WICB were absolutely cordial, and that he failed to understand where the reports of perceived differences came from. “You know, the truth is I am not sure where the talk of bad relations with the WICB and the BCCI have come from,” Cameron said. “We have always maintained good relations. Fortunately or unfortunately, the leadership of the BCCI has changed, and as you know, Mr Shashank Manohar is now the president, BCCI, and chairman of the ICC, and he has made some changes there as well, and we’ve been able to move forward in an efficient way.”

Alastair Cook and Tom Westley continued their prolific form as Division Two leaders Essex enjoyed more success on a rain-disrupted day at New Road

ECB Reporters Network01-May-2016
ScorecardTom Westley was in prime form for Essex•Getty Images

Alastair Cook and Tom Westley continued their prolific form as Specsavers County Championship Division Two leaders Essex enjoyed another successful day despite being held up by the weather against Worcestershire at New Road.England Test captain Cook, who has already scored two centuries this season against Gloucestershire and Sussex, completed a sedate fifty off 112 balls with seven fours and a six.Westley was the more aggressive, reaching his half century off 64 balls and this is the sixth successive first-class match in which he has topped 50, starting with his appearance for the MCC against Yorkshire in Abu Dhabi in March.The unbroken stand of 128 in 37 overs fully justified Essex skipper Ryan ten Doeschate’s decision to bat first after winning the toss.But rain and bad light meant only 40 overs play was possible in two spells after the loss of the afternoon session as Essex closed on 144 for 1 from 40 overs. Cook was unbeaten on 53 and Westley was 70 not out when umpires Neil Mallender and Michael Burns called off play for the day. Worcestershire paceman Matt Henry claimed the only wicket to fall.The New Zealander marked his home debut by having Nick Browne (15) caught behind by keeper Ben Cox with 16 on the board.But generally after that bat dominated ball and Westley signalled his intent with successive cover drives for four at Henry’s expense.Cook had one slice of good fortunes when he edged Joe Leach for four to bring up the Essex half century in the 10th over, but he produced a far more authorative stroke when lofting his England team-mate Moeen Ali over mid on for six.Cook’s only other real scare was on 33 when he went for a risky single off Jack Shantry to mid on and may have been struggling to make his ground had Henry’s throw hit the stumps.Essex reached 105-1 in 24.1 overs when rain started to fall at 12.30 and prompted a delay of more than four overs.
The players re-appeared at 4.40 with a possible 29.5 overs remaining and Westley had a slice of good fortune when he inside edged Ed Barnard for four to reach his 50 before lofting the same bowler over square leg for six.Cook pulled Shantry for four to complete his fifty shortly before the players left the field for the final time at 5.35.Worcestershire were at least happy to stage some cricket at their headquarters after the complete wash-out of the opening clash with Kent.Skipper Daryl Mitchell used five bowlers in a bid to make further breakthroughs but Cook and Westley stood firm.

James Anderson has leapfrogged his England new-ball partner Stuart Broad to become the No. 1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2016James Anderson has leapfrogged his England new-ball partner Stuart Broad to become the No. 1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings. This is the first time Anderson has occupied the top of the table in his Test career, which began in 2003.Anderson has picked up 18 wickets in the first two Tests of the ongoing home series against Sri Lanka, collecting 79 points in that period and gaining four spots in the rankings. His figures of 3 for 36 and 5 for 58 in the second Test in Chester-le-Street gave him 30 points, and moved him above Broad and India offspinner R Ashwin.”I’m delighted to have contributed as I have throughout the series and hopefully I can take some more wickets in the next game,” Anderson said. “You’ve got to make the most of it when you are in rhythm, when you’re not it can be a struggle.”Anderson’s match haul of eight wickets helped him become the sixth bowler to pass 450 wickets in Tests. Broad, who took five wickets in the second Test, dropped three points and slipped behind Ashwin to third place.Moeen Ali, who scored a career-best unbeaten 155 in England’s first innings, achieved his highest batting ranking, jumping 12 places to No. 35. He has also moved to sixth on the allrounders’ list, and sits a point behind his team-mate Ben Stokes.

Michael Hogan claimed four wickets to give Glamorgan a victory opportunity on the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Gloucestershire in Bristol

ECB Reporters Network17-May-2016
ScorecardMichael Hogan spearheaded Glamorgan’s challenge•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Michael Hogan claimed four wickets to give Glamorgan a victory opportunity on the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Gloucestershire at the Brightside Ground, Bristol.The 34-year-old seamer dismissed Cameron Bancroft (70) and Hamish Marshall (58) before striking two more blows with the second new ball, sending back Gareth Roderick (67) and Kieran Noema-Barnett for figures of 4 for 68.Having begun the day on 60 for 1 in their second innings, eight runs behind, the hosts were reduced to 271 for eight, a lead of 203, before some tail-end resistance from Craig Miles and David Payne guided them to 302 for 8. That meant a lead of 234 and all results are possible tomorrow, although the weather forecast is not good.Timm van der Gugten struck the first blow of the day for Glamorgan early on, pinning Graeme van Buuren lbw for 22 with a ball that nipped back.Bancroft was unbeaten on 35 at the start of play and the Australian opener moved to his first half-century for Gloucestershire on the day Michael Klinger, the player he has stood in for as overseas signing, returned to the club.Roderick had helped take the score to 109 for 2 when rain forced an early lunch. Soon after the interval it became 117 for three as Hogan speared a ball into Bancroft’s pads and had him caught at short mid-wicket, having faced 158 balls and hit 10 fours.Hamish Marshall continued his fine early season form, going past 50 for the fifth time in as many games, with 7 fours and a six. But on 58 he misjudged a drive off Hogan and was caught in the gully.It was 232 for 4 at tea, Roderick having reached a painstaking half-century off 144 balls. The new ball was taken immediately after the break and Glamorgan used it well.George Hankins was deceived by a quick ball from van der Gugten in the second over and bowled for 18, while Hogan quickly followed up with a leg-before verdict against Roderick as he looked to work a straight ball through the leg-side.Roderick had battled away for nearly four and a half hours and was clearly frustrated with himself for not going on to a really significant score.Gloucestershire then lost two more quick wickets. Noema-Barnett played a poor shot to Hogan and was caught by substitute fielder Nick Selman above his head at extra cover, while Jack Taylor was guilty of an equally rash stroke as he was caught at mid-on off Harry Podmore for 17.The hosts looked in a hole at 271 for 8 on a still true pitch. But Miles and Payne stopped the rot and by the time bad light ended play for the day their stand was worth a precious 31 runs.