Test Number 1 INDIA RETAINS ICC TEST CHAMPIONSHIP MACE and WINS $1 MILLION

INDIA RETAINS ICC TEST CHAMPIONSHIP MACE, WINS $1 MILLION AWARD FOR FINISHING AS NO.1 AT THE 1 APRIL CUT-OFF DATE

·       Kohli: “The longest format of the game really tests a team’s character and I’m proud that we have proved ourselves to be the best”

                                

·       Mr Sunil Gavaskar: “Congratulations to the Indian team for its superb performances. Being at the top in this format is no mean achievement and proves that the players have been doing well on a consistent basis.”

·       Mr David Richardson: “I’m sure being recognized as the best Test nation is something that the team will really be proud of and I look forward to another year of outstanding Test cricket being played as they look to defend their position.”

·       South Africa needs to draw the Hamilton Test to finish ahead of Australia in second place

The Indian cricket team has retained the ICC Test Championship mace and has also won a cash award of $1 million for ensuring top position in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team rankings on the annual 1 April cut-off date.

Captain Virat Kohli received the mace and cheque from ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Sunil Gavaskar at a ceremony after the fourth and final Test against Australia in Dharamsala, in which Ajinkya Rahane led the side as Kohli could not play due to a shoulder injury.

India had entered the series against Australia needing to win at least one Test to retain possession of the prestigious mace, which it had reclaimed following the Indore Test against New Zealand in October 2016.

The second and third places in the rankings will be decided after the ongoing Hamilton Test between South Africa and New Zealand. If South Africa wins or draws the Test, it will be assured of second place but a loss will see Australia finish ahead of it in second place.

The side to finish second will get $500,000 while the side finishing third will receive $200,000. The fourth-placed team, which is England, will get $100,000.

Virat Kohli: “We are absolutely delighted to have topped the ICC Test rankings. The longest format of the game really tests a team’s character and I’m proud that we have proved ourselves to be the best.

“Being presented with the Test championship mace last year was an exhilarating experience and the feeling is no different this time.

“I’d like to both congratulate and thank everyone who has been part of this success. This includes not only all the players who have been in the squad but also the team management and support staff, without whom we could not have done so well. It has not been an easy journey but all the hard work has been worth it.

“We have maintained our position with some really good cricket in recent months. The team has shown the tenacity to bounce back from difficult situations.”

Sunil Gavaskar: “Congratulations to the Indian team for its superb performances in Test cricket. Being at the top in this format is no mean achievement and proves that the players have been doing well on a consistent basis.”

“The horizon has changed with the development of the limited overs formats but Test cricket has held on to its own even 140 years after it was first played. Everyone recognizes that Tests are the ultimate trial of a cricketer’s caliber. It’s good to see the players enjoy the challenges that Test cricket presents and have high regard for others who do well in the format.”

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson: “On behalf of the ICC, I would like to congratulate India for achieving and maintaining number-one status amid some stiff competition, particularly from Australia and Pakistan who both held the top spot over the last year, and South Africa who have had some great Test series wins of late. The team has shown great consistency over the last 12 months, it possesses a variety of talent and is an exciting team to watch.”

“I’m sure being recognized as the best Test nation is something that the team will really be proud of and I look forward to another year of outstanding Test cricket being played as they look to defend their position.”

About the ICC Test championship mace:

·       The ICC Test Championship mace is awarded to teams that reach the number-one spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings.

·       The team that is number-one ranked at the 1 April cut-off date gets a cash award of $1 million. The team placed second gets $500,000, the third $200,000 and the fourth $100,000.

·       India’s longest tenure at the top was from November 2009-August 2011 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

·       Other captains to have received the mace include Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Steve Smith (Australia), Andrew Strauss (England), Dhoni, (India), Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan), Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla (South Africa).

·       The ICC Test Championship mace was produced by the then British Crown Jeweller, Asprey and Garrard, in 2001.

·       The mace, a 90cm silver and gold-plated trophy based on a cricket stump as its shank and topped by an orb representing the cricket world, was valued at stg£30,000 in 2001

·       Current Test rankings system was introduced in 2003

JADEJA CATCHES UP WITH ASHWIN but SHAKIB OVERTAKES ASHWIN !!! - ICC RANKINGS

JADEJA CATCHES UP WITH ASHWIN AT THE TOP OF THE RANKINGS

·       Smith overtakes Ponting in reign at the top of batsmen’s rankings

·       Shakib overtakes Ashwin to No. 1 spot among all-rounders

·       India’s Test win assures it top-ranking on April 1 and $1 million cash prize

India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have become the first pair of spinners to be jointly top-ranked in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers as Jadeja has caught up with his spin-partner in the rankings released today after the second Test against Australia in Bengaluru.

Jadeja’s seven wickets in the match, which included a crucial six for 63 in the first innings, have helped him move up one rank to reach the top position for the first time in his career. The last time two bowlers shared the top spot was in April 2008 when Dale Steyn and Muttiah Muralidaran were at the top.

Ashwin too played an important role in the match, which India won by 75 runs to level the four-match series 1-1, so as not to concede the top ranking. His eight wickets took him past spin legend Bishan Bedi’s tally of 266 wickets and made him the fifth-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests with 269 wickets.

Australia spinner Nathan Lyon’s eight wickets in the match have lifted him two places to 16^th rank while his team’s left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe and India pace bowler Umesh Yadav have gained one place each to reach career-best 28^th and 29^th places, respectively.

In the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen Australia captain Steve Smith has maintained his reign at the top for 77 Tests, going past Ricky Ponting’s 76 matches and now has the third longest stint at the top among Australians after Steve Waugh (94) and Don Bradman (93).

His team-mates Matt Renshaw has gained six places to reach a career-best 28^th rank with knocks of 60 and five while left-hander Shaun Marsh has moved up five places to 37^th position with scores of 66 and nine.

India captain Virat Kohli has conceded the second rank to England’s Joe Root after managing only 27 runs in the match and 40 in the series so far. Root is now one point ahead of Kohli at 848 points.

Cheteshwar Pujara’s innings of 17 and 92 have lifted him up five places to sixth rank while Ajinkya Rahane has moved up two places to 15^th rank after scoring 17 and 52 in Bangalore. Player of the match Lokesh Rahul has gained 23 places to reach 23^rd spot after scores of 90 and 51.

The list of all-rounders saw a change at the top as Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan moved ahead of Ashwin, who has scored only 20 runs in four innings against Australia so far. Ashwin had overtaken Shakib in December 2015.

India’s win in the second Test assures it the No.1 spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings on the April 1 cut-off date and a cash prize of $1 million. The fight is now for the second, third and fourth places.

MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 8 March, after the first Test between India and Australia in Bengaluru)

Batsmen (top 10)

Rank    (+/-)      Player              Team      Pts       Avge   Highest Rating

   1       ( - )       Steve Smith      Aus      936      59.32   939 v Ind at Pune 2017

   2       (+1)      Joe Root           Eng      848      52.80   917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015

   3       (-1)       Virat Kohli         Ind       847      49.90   895 v Ban at Hyderabad 2017

   4       ( - )       K.Williamson     NZ        823      50.07   893 v Aus at Perth 2015

   5       ( - )       David Warner    Aus      794      48.27   880 v NZ at Perth 2015

   6       (+5)      C. Pujara          Ind       793      49.84   851 v SA at Durban 2013

   7       (-1)       Hashim Amla    SA        787      49.99   907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013

   8       (-1)       Azhar Ali           Pak      779      47.07   787 v Aus at Melbourne 2016

   9       (-1)       Younus Khan    Pak      772      53.06   880 v SL at Lahore 2009

  10      (-1)       Q. de Kock       SA        760*    51.04   769 v SL at Cape Town 2017

Other selected rankings

Rank    (+/-)      Player               Team     Pts        Avge    Highest Rating

15        (+2)      A. Rahane        Ind       719      45.96   825 v NZ at Indore 2016

23        (+23)    Lokesh Rahul    Ind       656*!   40.88   656 v Aus at Bengaluru 2017

28        (+6)      Matt Renshaw   Aus      631*!   53.22   631 v Ind at Bengaluru 2017

37         (+5)     Shaun Marsh    Aus      576*    38.27   591 v SA at Perth 2016

64=      (+3)      W. Saha           Ind       431*    29.82   457 v Ban at Hyderabad 2017

Bowlers (top 10)

Rank    (+/-)      Player                Team     Pts      Avge      Highest Rating

  1=      ( - )       R. Ashwin         Ind       892      24.79    904 v Eng at Mumbai 2016

            (+1)      R. Jadeja          Ind       892!     23.44   892 v Aus at Bengaluru 2017

   3       (-1)       J. Hazlewood    Aus      863!     24.38   863 v Ind at Bengaluru 2017

   4       ( - )       R. Herath          SL        827      28.31   867 v Zim at Harare 2016

   5       ( - )       K. Rabada        SA        821*!   21.76   821 v SL at Johannesburg 2017

   6       ( - )       Dale Steyn        SA        819      22.30   909 v WI at Centurion 2014

   7       ( - )       J.Anderson       Eng      810      28.50   884 v SL at Durham 2016

   8       ( - )       Stuart Broad     Eng      803      28.54   880 v SA at Johannesburg 2016

   9       ( - )       V. Philander      SA        798      21.40   912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013

  10=    ( - )       Mitchell Starc    Aus      757      28.35   805 v Pak at Brisbane 2016

            (+1)      Neil Wagner      NZ        757      28.58   760 v SA at Centurion 2016

Other selected rankings

Rank    (+/-)      Player               Team      Pts      Avge    Highest Rating

16        (+2)      Nathan Lyon     Aus      654      33.09    696 v NZ at Wellington 2016

28        (+1)      Steve O'Keefe   Aus      528*!   20.86   528 v Ind at Bengaluru 2017

29        (+1)      Umesh Yadav   Ind       517*!   36.53    517 v Aus at Bengaluru 2017

All-rounders (top five)

Rank    (+/-)      Player                Team      Pts      Highest Rating

   1       (+1)      S. Al Hasan       Ban      441      443 v NZ at Christchurch 2017

   2       (-1)       R. Ashwin         Ind       434      493 v Eng at Mohali 2016

   3       ( - )       R. Jadeja          Ind       360      407 v Ban at Hyderabad 2017

   4       ( - )       Mitchell Starc    Aus      332      347 v Ind at Pune 2017

   5       ( - )       Ben Stokes       Eng      327/*   351 v Ind at Mohali 2016 

*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after playing 40 Test innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets.

!indicates career-highest rating

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is the new King - wins ICC Cricketer of the Year 2016

·       No.1 ranked India off-spinner also clinches ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award

·       De Kock named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year; Brathwaite bags ICC T20I Performance of the Year award for his match-winning innings in the ICC WT20 2016 final

·       Mustafizur claims ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year award; Afghanistan’s Shahzad named ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year

Ravichandran Ashwin has become the third India player and 12^th player overall to win the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after being named as the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2016.

Ashwin follows in the footsteps of Rahul Dravid (2004) and Sachin Tendulkar (2010), while other recipients of the Sir Garfield Trophy include Andrew Flintoff and Jacques Kallis (joint-winners in 2005), Ricky Ponting (2006 and 2007), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2008), Mitchell Johnson (2009 and 2014), Jonathan Trott (2011), Kumar Sangakkara (2012), Michael Clarke (2013) and Steve Smith (2015).

Ashwin was also adjudged the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year, which has made him only the second India player after Dravid (2004) to bag the two coveted prizes in the same year. Kallis (2005), Ponting (2006), Sangakkara (2012), Clarke (2013), Johnson (2014) and Smith (2015) are the other players to annex both the awards in the same year.

During the voting period, which ran from 14 September 2015 to 20 September 2016, the 30-year-old from Chennai played eight Tests in which he took 48 wickets and scored 336 runs. Ashwin also claimed 27 wickets in 19 T20Is.

Ashwin had finished 2015 as the number-one ranked Test bowler in the world, a position he twice reclaimed in 2016.

Reacting to the news, a delighted Ashwin said: “It’s an absolute pleasure to be awarded with this great honour. It feels great to follow the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in being named as the ICC Cricketer of the Year. To also win the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year makes it even better.

“There are a lot of people to thank for this wonderful achievement I have made. It has been a great couple of years but this year has been even more special. What is very noticeable is the way I have bowled and batted and the way I have gone about doing my business. What is more important, as far as I am concerned, is the number of people who have gone behind my success.

“I’d like to dedicate this award to my family. I’d like to thank ICC and most importantly my team-mates. I’d also like to thank the support staff for our success. We’ve had a great transition ever since Mahendra Singh Dhoni hung up his boots. A young captain has taken over, we fell on the right track, and we now have a new bunch of boys.”

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson congratulated Ashwin, saying: “It has been a memorable period for Ashwin, whose consistent all-round and match winning performances have been reflected in the MRF player rankings. He is justifiably now being counted among the best spinners of his generation.

“To win both the ICC Cricketer of the Year and ICC Test Cricketer of the Year awards is a major accomplishment. Ashwin’s performances speak for themselves and he is a deserving recipient of the honours. I congratulate him on behalf of the ICC.”

South Africa’s wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has been named as the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year. He is the second South Africa player after AB de Villiers (2010, 2014 and 2015) and ninth overall to clinch this award.

In the voting period, de Kock scored 793 runs in 16 ODIs with four centuries and a half-century. He averaged over 56 and held a strike-rate of just under 98. With the gloves, de Kock dismissed 15 batsmen behind the wickets.

A happy de Kock said: “It’s great to hear that I’ve been named as the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year. To be named as the best from among so many good cricketers gives one utmost satisfaction.

“This award obviously rewards consistent performances at the top level and I’m happy to have done well for my team over this period. To join a select group of players that include my senior AB de Villiers makes this a special moment, one that I’ll cherish for long. I thank the ICC for selecting me for this award and to my team-members and support staff for all their help and support.”

Carlos Brathwaite of the West Indies has won the ICC T20I Performance of the Year award for his match-winning 34 not out off 10 balls in the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 final against England in Kolkata. The innings included four consecutive sixes in the final over, which helped the West Indies snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The 24-year-old from Barbados is the first West Indies cricketer to win this award.

Reflecting on that innings, Brathwaite said: “I graciously accept this award. I want to thank God and I also want to say a huge thanks to my family. Special mentions go to Marlon Samuels for a fantastic knock in the finals that got us to the position where we were. I also want to make a special mention of the West Indies’ women’s team and the West Indies’ under-19 team, who together helped cap off an incredible 2016 for West Indies cricket.

“I always dreamt of hitting the final ball of a game for six to win it. Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine hitting four consecutive sixes to win the World Cup (ICC World Twenty20) final for the West Indies.”

Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has won the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year award. In the period under consideration, Mustafizur played three ODIs and took eight wickets, while he yielded 19 wickets in 10 T20Is. He is the first Bangladesh cricketer to win an annual ICC award.

Mustafizur commented: “This award is the best gift of the year for me and will encourage me to do even better in the coming years. I’m delighted and proud to win this award, especially since it’s the first time that a Bangladesh player has won an ICC award.

“To play international cricket is the dream for every budding cricketer and it has indeed been a dream come true for me too. I want to thank everyone who has supported me over the years and promise to give my best at every opportunity.”

Afghanistan’s flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad has been named as the ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year after he finished as the leading ODI run-scorer with 699 runs in 16 one-day matches. He also scored 301 runs in four innings of three ICC Intercontinental Cup first-class matches and also contributed 533 runs in 17 T20Is. He is the first Afghanistan player to win this award which serves to recognise and reward the efforts in all international matches of outstanding cricketers from teams outside the 10 Test nations.

The player awards were judged by a voting academy, which was entirely independent of the ICC and in which members of the media from all the 10 Test playing countries were eligible to vote. The voting period ran from 14 September 2015 to 20 September 2016.

The full list of ICC Award 2016 winners is:

ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) – Ravichandran Ashwin (India)

ICC Test Cricketer of the Year – Ravichandran Ashwin (India)

ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year – Quinton de Kock (South Africa)

ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year – Suzie Bates (New Zealand)

ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year – Suzie Bates (New Zealand)

ICC T20I Performance of the Year – Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies ) (34 not out, 10 balls, 1x4, 4x6, ICC WT20 India 2016 final v England, Kolkata)

ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year – Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)

ICC Associate/Affiliate Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan)

ICC Spirit of Cricket Award – Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan)

ICC Umpire of the Year (David Shepherd Trophy) – Marais Erasmus

ICC Men’s Teams of the Year 2016 (in batting order, selected by Rahul Dravid, Gary Kirsten and Kumar Sangakkara based on players’ performance in the period from 14 September 2015 to 20 September 2016):

ICC Test Team of the Year 2016                             ICC ODI Team of the Year 2016

1.     David Warner (Aus)                                       1. David Warner (Aus)

2.     Alastair Cook (Eng) (captain)                                    2. Quinton de Kock (SA)

3.     Kane Williamson (NZ)                                   3. Rohit Sharma (Ind)

4.     Joe Root (Eng)                                                4. Virat Kohli (Ind) (captain)

5.     Adam Vogues (Aus)                                       5. AB de Villiers (SA)

6.     Jonny Bairstow (Eng) (wicketkeeper)           6. Jos Buttler (Eng)

7.     Ben Stokes (Eng)                                            7. Mitchell Marsh (Aus)

8.     R. Ashwin (Ind)                                              8. Ravindra Jadeja (Ind)

9.     Rangana Herath (SL)                                      9. Mitchell Starc (Aus)

10.  Mitchell Starc (Aus)                                       10. Kagiso Rabada (SA)

11.  Dale Steyn (SA)                                              11. Sunil Narine (WI)

12.  Steve Smith (Aus)                                          12. Imran Tahir (SA)

ICC Women’s Team of the Year (in batting order, selected by Clair Connor, Mel Jones

Shubhangi Kulkarni based on players’ performance in the period from 14 September 2015 to 20 September 2016):

1.     Suzie Bates (New Zealand)

2.     Rachel Priest (New Zealand) (wicketkeeper)

3.     Smriti Mandhana (India)

4.     Stafanie Taylor (West Indies) (captain)

5.     Meg Lanning (Australia)

6.     Ellyse Perry (Australia)

7.     Heather Knight (England)

8.     Deandra Dottin (West Indies)

9.     Sune Luus (South Africa)

10.  Anya Shrubsole (England)

11.  Leigh Kasperek (New Zealand)

12.  Kim Garth (Ireland)