Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-Ireland Women’s batter, Gaby Lewis, has risen six places to a career-best number 27 in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings. The move comes after Ireland’s dominant, outbound tour success against the Netherlands, where her side returned three emphatic wins to end the series unbeaten. The visitors made a strong showing with the bat in hand, Lewis making scores of 92 from 98 deliveries and 25 from 32 as she helped her side to victory by eight and five wickets respectively in the first and last matches of the series. Thanks to these dazzling performances at the crease, she now celebrates her career-best ratings points tally of 494. Leah Paul and captain Laura Delany, returned maiden ODI centuries in the second fixture of the series, becoming the first pair to score hundreds in the same innings for Ireland Women. In that team-record-tumbling match, Ireland set their highest women’s team total in ODIs of 337 for eight. The 236-run, third-wicket partnership between the pair was also the highest of any wicket in Irish women’s cricket, with Paul’s 137 from 138 deliveries the highest individual score in Ireland Women’s ODIs. If that wasn’t enough, their eventual, 210-run triumph was the team’s highest winning margin by runs in women’s ODIs. The pair make strong gains in the batters’ rankings, Delany rising 15 spots to a career-best 34th place with 455 rating points, while Paul shoots up 25 slots to 56th on 346 points. In addition, they rise to 66th and 71st respectively in the bowlers’ rankings with 280 and 266 points and in the allrounders list, Delany once again leads the charge, advancing 15 positions to 28th place, with Paul following with her own 25-place jump to share 36th spot with India’s Shikha Pandey. The final notable Irish team mention goes to Cara Murray, whose maiden five-wicket-haul (five for 39) in the same record-breaking match, saw her rise by 12 spaces to 60th in the bowlers’ rankings, with 321 rating points. While it was a losing series for the Netherlands, there were some individual gains to celebrate. Captain Babette de Leede leads the rankings advancements with a 91-slot catapult to number 120 in the batters’ rankings with 175 ratings points, thanks to her 76 from 98 balls in the series opener. Iris Zwilling advances from 144th place to 81st for bowlers and Frederique Overdijk was the all-round star with two unbeaten scores of 47 (88) and 38 (65) in the first and last matches and helpful contributions with the ball in hand. She rises 18 places to 97th spot in the batters’ rankings, while also moving 58 spots up to 116th place in the bowlers’ rankings and 61 places to number 93 in the all-rounders list.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-South African speedster, Kagiso Rabada gains two slots to rise to number three in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings following a thrilling bowling display in his side’s emphatic innings victory over England at Lord’s in the first of their three-match, World Test Championship series. The 27-year-old saw his name added to the honours board after taking his maiden five-wicket-haul (five for 52) at the prestigious venue, his 12th overall, and followed it up with two for 27 in England’s second innings, concluding the latest update with 836 rating points. Other gains are made by Rabada’s teammates Keshav Maharaj, who rises one place to number 18, Anrich Nortje, who jumps 14 spots to 25th place, and Marco Jansen who advances seven spaces to take up the 33rd spot. The trio also made significant strides in the All-Rounders rankings, most notably Jansen who climbs 17 slots to occupy 17th position. Jansen (48 off 79) and Maharaj (41 off 49 balls) shared a game-changing, 72-run, seventh-wicket partnership which proved crucial to their side’s winning cause. Opening batter Sarel Erwee makes the most significant advancement in the Test Batter rankings, climbing 35 places to share 64th position with England’s Jos Buttler on 476 points. Stuart Broad also rises among all-rounders after his second-innings cameo of 35 from 29 deliveries, dispatching five boundaries and a six. In a week of many major moves up the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings, India’s Shubman Gill rockets up 93 places to occupy 38th position with 570 points after spearheading his side’s 3-0 series victory against Zimbabwe in Harare. Gill’s knocks of 33 (34 balls) and 82 (72) were overshadowed by a sensational 130 from 97 deliveries in the final match, which saw him blast 15 boundaries and a six into the stands. On the opposing side, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza also celebrates a four-place shift up the ODI rankings where he joins South Africa’s David Miller in 25th position thanks to his sixth ODI century - a dazzling 115 from 95 balls in the third and final match in the series. Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, continues to keep a tight grip on his number one spot in the batter rankings, increasing his rating points to 890 after his side beat the Netherlands 3-0 in Rotterdam. He is 101 rating points clear of second position; South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen. Leading from the front, Azam returned a half-century in every match, starting with 74 from 85 in the series opener, 57 (65) and narrowly missing out on three figures in the final match when he was dismissed on 91 from 125 deliveries. Tom Cooper of the Netherlands makes his own 108-spot surge to 75th thanks to his own three-peat of half-centuries against the tourists, returning 65, 66 and 62 runs in his respective appearances. New Zealand skipper, Kane Williamson, returned to ODI cricket for the first time since March 2020, re-entering the batting rankings in 11th place after his side beat West Indies 2-1 in their series in Barbados. Despite defeat in the opening match, Williamson showed grit with a handy 34 from 50 balls. He unfortunately had to bow out of the rest of the series due to injury, but his side bounced back strongly, coming back to claim the series. Williamson’s teammate, Finn Allen also makes major gains, climbing 121 places to land in joint 107th position with Namibia’s JJ Smit. Among other headlines, Mitchell Santner rises seven slots to 18th in the bowling rankings, along with West Indies’ Akeal Hosein, who moves 14 places to 23rd position. India’s Kuldeep Yadav reaches 34th place alongside teammate Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Jason Holder advances 29 places to 58th, while India’s Shardul Thakur rose 10 places to number 62. Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel round off the last of the most notable bowling moves, the former rising to 72nd, while the latter makes a significant, 84-slot rise to 83rd position. Finally, Afghanistan batter, Usman Ghani, advances 15 places to 88th in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings at the conclusion of last of the five-match T20I series against Ireland, which was ultimately won 3-2 by the hosts in Belfast. Lorcan Tucker returns to the top 100 after rising four spots to 97th place. In the bowling rankings, Joshua Little gains four slots to reach a career-best 39th spot, and among the all-rounders, Gareth Delany and Curtis Campher rise to 27th and 47th respectively from 29th and 52nd.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-West Indies have been fined 40 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against New Zealand in the third and final ODI in Barbados on Sunday. Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after Nicholas Pooran’s side was ruled to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. In addition, as per Article 16.12.2 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League Playing Conditions, a side is penalized one point for each over short. Consequently, West Indies will lose two points from their points tally during the Super League. Pooran pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Joel Wilson and Leslie Reifer, third umpire Gregory Brathwaite and fourth umpire Nigel Duguid leveled the charge.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-Netherlands all-rounder Bas de Leede has been reprimanded for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second ODI against Pakistan in Rotterdam. de Leede was found to have breached Article 2.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to the use of an audible obscenity during an international match. In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to de Leede’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period. The incident occurred in the 17th over of the Netherlands’ innings. de Leede played the ball directly to a fielder and used inappropriate language which was heard through the stump microphone and on the live broadcast, necessitating an apology to the public by the commentators. de Leede admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee, Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Michael Gough and Nitin Bathi, third umpire Rizwan Akram and fourth official Adriaan van den Dries levelled the charges. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-Afghanistan are scheduled to play four series against Ireland and three against Zimbabwe while also taking on top teams like Australia, India and New Zealand in the next cycle of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Future Tours Programme that runs from 2023-27. The announcement of the FTP, a result of the collective effort of Full Members with ICC’s support, ensures certainty of cricket fixtures with the confirmation of all bilateral series across the three formats. The exact dates and venues of the series are for the Members to announce in due course. Afghanistan’s commitments commence with a full away tour of Bangladesh consisting of two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is in June 2023 with Zimbabwe, Pakistan and the West Indies due to be hosted by them over the next few months. The maximum number of Tests for Afghanistan are pencilled against Zimbabwe, whom they will also play in 12 ODIs and 12 T20Is apart from five Tests. Ireland, who got Test status along with Afghanistan in 2017, will be their rivals in four Tests, 12 ODIs and 10 T20Is. The FTP announced today also confirms both home and away commitments against Australia, India and New Zealand. ICC GM of Cricket Wasim Khan said: “I’d like to thank our Members for the effort that has gone into creating this FTP for the next four years. We are incredibly lucky to have three vibrant formats of the game, with an outstanding programme of ICC global events and strong bilateral and domestic cricket and this FTP is designed to allow all cricket to flourish. “The landscape around the game is continuing to evolve and we will work closely with Members as we collectively adapt to that. We are committed to growing the game and giving more fans more opportunities to enjoy cricket, but are very mindful of the need to balance that ambition with the welfare of players.” Afghanistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Officer Naseeb Khan welcomed the announcement of the FTP. ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said: “Afghanistan Cricket Board is delighted to be a major part of the ICC’s Future Tours Program for the next cycle 2023-2027. The increased number of test matches will largely impact the growth of the game itself as well as the players, which is key in terms of our future plans. “We have always admired to be playing against the big nations and according to the new cycle, we are eagerly looking forward to playing some red-ball cricket against them. Bilateral cricket also plays an integral part in technical and financial growth, and we will work with our fellow boards to engage in more bilateral cricket. In addition to the cricket development part these matches will play a vital role in financial stability of ACB in future years.”

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) has expressed sadness at the death of former Board of Cricket Control India (BCCI) administrator and ICC Director Amitabh Chaudhary. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “It is sad to hear of the passing of Amitabh Chaudhary. On behalf of the ICC, I extend my deepest condolences to our colleagues at the BCCI as well as his family and friends.”

Bipin Dani The funeral of the former international umpire Rudi Koertzen, who passed away in a car crash on Tuesday will be held in South Africa on Saturday, the 20th August.  This was revealed by his son Rudi (junior). (It is common in South Africa where the father and son share the same name).   Koertzen was returning home from Cape Town after playing golf when the fatal accident happened. Three others were also killed in both crashes in the early morning hours in Riversdale. Speaking exclusively over the telephone, he said, "It will be a live telecast. Mike Gajjar of Cricket South Africa (CSA) will send the funeral information to all the cricket contacts and to the ICC to spread the word of the YouTuber link for the funeral. There will be a YouTube link sent out to watch the funeral".  Elaborating more about the accident, the son said, "my dad was sitting on the back seat in his white car and his friend (Wouter) was sitting next to the driver in the front seat. Both died at the spot and the driver survived. He is in the hospital and had surgery on Thursday".  "We are getting the body of my father on Saturday (13th August) and it will be kept at Avbob Funeral Home in Uitenhage".  Earlier, the umpire's daughter, Eumelda, speaking to this Reporter, said, "I miss my dad so much, it feels so unreal. He was my everything and now he has gone...I am asking God, Why ? Why ? Why my dad ?".    "The family can only take the consolation that Koertzen didn't have to suffer due to this accident and had immediately passed away. If he was in a wheelchair or something...". 

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) has expressed its sorrow at the death of former Emirates ICC Elite Panel Umpire Rudi Koertzen. Koertzen, 73, who officiated in 331 international matches in a career stretching from 1992 to 2010, passed away in a car accident in South Africa on Tuesday. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice remembered him as a highly professional umpire who was respected by colleagues and players alike. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “Rudi was among the best umpires of his generation and one players had utmost respect for. He officiated in international games for close to two decades and the ICC relied on him for some big matches during this period. “Rudi was also very popular among his contemporaries and always willing to help. His contribution to cricket will be remembered for years to come. We send our condolences to his family and friends at his tragic death.” Koertzen, one of the original members of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires when it was formed in 2002, is third in the list of Test umpires in terms of number of match appointments, having officiated in 108 matches. He is second in the list for ODIs with 209 matches and stood in 14 T20Is. Koertzen was the TV umpire for the finals of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups of 2003 and 2007 and an on-field umpire for the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy tournaments in 2004 and 2006.  He was also the fourth umpire for the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2010 in Bridgetown. Koertzen was the first umpire to stand in 200 ODIs and the second after Steve Bucknor to stand in 100 Tests.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month awards for July 2022 as Sri Lanka’s newest spin sensation Prabath Jayasuriya and England’s Emma Lamb, who starred atop the order in her side’s whitewash series victory over South Africa. Jayasuriya claims the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award on the back of an outstanding series of displays with the ball, where his remarkable haul of wickets sees him crowned ahead of rival contenders England’s Jonny Bairstow - who won the Men’s award back in June - and French youngster Gustav McKeon. During Sri Lanka’s three Test matches on home soil in July, Jayasuriya stepped into the squad for the first time in the longest format and made an immediate impact against formidable opponents. After his side was humbled in the first Test defeat to Australia, the spinner celebrated a prolific Test debut, taking six for 118 in the first innings, and following up with an even more impressive six for 59 in the second to claim the final Test and draw the series. Jayasuriya kept his momentum going into the two-Test showdown against Pakistan later in the month, taking seventeen wickets across the series and ending July with staggering figures of 29 wickets at an average of 20.37. Jayasuriya said: ‘’I am delighted with this announcement, and wish to thank the fans for voting me as the ICC Men’s Player of the Month. Certainly it has been an incredible month for me, as I made the test debut, and also got the opportunity to contribute for my team to level the test series played against Australia and Pakistan.” ‘’I take this opportunity to thank my fans, teammates, coaches, family and friends for helping my journey, and thrilled with what I am experiencing at this moment in my life.” Irfan Pathan, former India international and ICC Player of the Month voting panel member, said: “Being a newcomer to Test cricket and starting with two five-wicket hauls in your first match is extraordinary, and it’s all the more impressive against a team like Australia. A tally of 29 wickets in just three Tests is too good to be overlooked and for that, he is my ICC Men’s Player of the Month.” Emma Lamb was voted the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for July following her thrilling start to life opening the batting in England’s victorious ODI series victory over South Africa. Lamb consistently laid the foundations for her side to claim victory in each of the three matches, with her most notable contribution coming in the first match in Northampton. Her outstanding 102 in which she displayed a wide array of classy strokeplay set her on course for a stellar month, and she followed up this milestone by posting two further half-centuries to strengthen her credentials as a supremely talented top order batter, with a very bright future ahead. On winning the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for July, Lamb commented: “It's very exciting to have been awarded the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for July. I'm very happy to have earned my spot at the top of the order in the Test and ODI team and it's been brilliant to be able to score some runs and help the team win. “Everyone in the squad contributed to our multi-format series win against South Africa so I just want to keep scoring runs for the team - I feel very lucky that my performances across the last month have been rewarded and I hope to carry on my good form." Lamb secures the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award at the first time of asking, overcoming fellow nominees; England’s Nat Sciver and India’s Renuka Singh.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) congratulates Australia on winning the inaugural Commonwealth Games women’s cricket gold medal, beating India in a tense final at Birmingham 2022. The win continues Australia’s dominance in the women’s game and an incredibly tight game saw them beat India by nine runs, bowling them out for 152 with three deliveries left in their innings after they threatened to pull off a memorable run chase. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “Congratulations to Australia on winning the first ever Commonwealth Games gold medal for women’s cricket. It has been a fantastic ten days of competition at Edgbaston with packed out crowds getting behind the world’s best players. Every game has felt like a home game with fans of all eight competing nations turning out in force to watch top quality cricket and some hard-fought games, including the final was a superb advert for the women’s game. “I’d like to thank the Commonwealth Games Federation and Birmingham 2022 for giving cricket the opportunity to be part of a multi-sport Games, the players and match officials have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”