Pakistan’s Yousuf placed third in world rankings

Star Pakistan cricketer Muhammad Yousuf has been placed third in world rankings of batsmen whereas fast bowler Shoaib Akhter has gone to the tenth ranking among the bowlers frpm all the Test playing countries.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) released on Wednesday the latest rankings showing Indian opener Gautam Gambhir slipping into the top 10 of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings.

England captain Kevin Pietersen has returned to the top five for the first time in 14 months and now placed fifth after jumping three places due to a magnificent innings of 144.

Meanwhile, Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies has strengthened his hold on the top of the rankings by becoming only the 25th batsman in the history of Test cricket and the sixth West Indian to reach the magic 900-point mark.

The 34-year-old from Guyana, who won the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2008 award
at the LG ICC Awards in Dubai, reached the milestone while making 126 not out in the first innings against New Zealand in the Napier Test which ended in a draw on Tuesday.

The bowlers’ list is still headed by Sri Lanka’s great spinner Muttiah Muralidaran.
There is no change in the top five in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings
for Test all-rounders as South Africa’s Jacques Kallis enjoys a commanding lead over New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Rankings (as of December 24)

Batsmen, tabulated under Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1(-) S.Chanderpaul WI 900! 49.71 900 v NZ at Napier 2008
2 (-) KSangakkara SL 886 54.79 938 v Eng at Kandy 2007
3 ( - ) Mohd Yousuf Pak 880 55.49 933 v WI at Karachi 2006
4 (+1) M Jayawardena SL 837 52.41 847 v Ind at Colombo (SSC) 2008
5 (+3) Kevin Pietersen Eng 832 50.48 905 v WI at Headingley 2007
6 (-2) Mike Hussey Aus 803 61.56 921 v WI at Kingston 2008
7 ( - ) Yunus Khan Pak 799 49.14 856 v Eng at Headingley 2006
8 (+1) Graeme Smith SA 797! 50.42 797 v Aus at Perth 2008
9 (-3) Ricky Ponting Aus 778 56.74 942 v Eng at Adelaide 2006
10 (+10) Gautam Gambhir Ind 771*! 49.35 771 v Eng at Mohali 2008


Bowlers. Tabulated under Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 (-) M Muralidaran SL 895 21.96 920 v Ban at Kandy 2007
2 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 807 23.18 897 v Ind at Ahmedabad 2008
3 (+1) Makhaya Ntini SA 805 27.71 863 v Ind at Durban 2006
4 (-1) Stuart Clark Aus 798* 22.96 863 v WI at Bridgetown 2008
5 (+2) Mitchell Johnson Aus 779*! 27.11 779 v SA at Perth 2008
6 ( - ) Ryan Sidebottom Eng 723* 25.68 769 v SA at Lord’s 2008
7 (-2) Brett Lee Aus 717 30.44 811 v WI at Antigua 2008
8 (+2) Harbhajan Singh Ind 686 30.88 765 v NZ at Wellington 2002
9-(-2) Chaminda Vaas SL 684 29.31 800 v Ind at Chennai 2005
10-(-2) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 684 25.69 855 v NZ at Wellington 2003

Pakistan to play five ODIs in BD next year

Pakistan will tour Bangladesh to play five one-day internationals in March next year, an official said Wednesday.

Pakistan have not played a bilateral series in Bangladesh since 2002 although they toured the nation to play a tri-series in May this year.

"There is an opinion that Pakistan has been isolated at international level but it's not correct and we have arranged tours for the team,"

Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer Salim Altaf told reporters.

"As part of our team playing more cricket we will play five one-day matches in Bangladesh starting the tour on March 3,"

Altaf said.

Pakistan has been deprived of quality cricket on home soil as foreign teams have refused to tour over security fears.

India pulled out of next month's planned visit to Pakistan after New Delhi refused to clear the tour as tension mounted between the two countries in the wake of terror attacks in Mumbai last month.

Pakistan have also arranged a stop-gap series of five one-dayers and three Tests with Sri Lanka next month.

Altaf said he hoped Australia, who postponed their tour of Pakistan in March this year over security fears, would play five one-day matches in Pakistan in March-April next year.

"I have talked to Cricket Australia on the five-match series and there is always the option of playing Australia at a neutral venue if they have any reservations on playing in Pakistan,"

said Altaf.

Australia have not toured Pakistan since 1998.

ICC meeting on Jan 31 to decide Champions Trophy in Pakistan

The holding of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan would be decided at the meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The two-day ICC meeting will be held in Perth from January 31 next year.

Spokesman ICC Samiul Hasan Burney told Geo News that it was decided in the previous meeting of the ICC executive board that holding of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan would be decided in view of the security situation during the Indian team’s tour of Pakistan but now the situation has been changed after India refused to tour Pakistan. Therefore, decision about holding the tournament would be made in the two-day meeting, beginning on January 31 in Perth.