Calcutta: Three former Australian players, including middle-order bat Damien Martyn, have signed up with the Indian Cricket League (ICL).
According to an ICL release, besides Martyn, fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz and opening batsman Mathew Elliott have come on the league’s board with specific roles to take Indian domestic cricket and the players to the next level.
Kallis slips
Calcutta: South Africa batsman Jacques Kallis dropped out of top three of the LG ICC Test Player Rankings. According to a ICC release, Kallis slipped two places to fourth after his disappointing show in the first Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Monday.
TEST RANKINGS
BATSMEN — 1. Kumar Sangakkara (933); 2. Mike Hussey (912); 3. Ricky Ponting (899); 4. Jacques Kallis (895); 5. Mohammed Yousuf (880); 6. Matthew Hayden (860); 7. Mahela Jayawardene (835); 8. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (816); 9. Kevin Pietersen (804); 10. Younis Khan (799).
BOWLERS — 1. Muttiah Muralidharan (907); 2. Dale Steyn (870); 3. Stuart Clark (829); 4. Brett Lee (795); 5. Makhaya Ntini (743); 6. Anil Kumble (738); 7. Shane Bond (709); 8. Matthew Hoggard (695); 9. Shoaib Akhtar (684); 10. Chaminda Vaas (666).
ALLROUNDERS — 1. Jacques Kallis (534); 2. Andrew Flintoff (340); 3. Daniel Vettori (337!); 4. Chaminda Vaas (281); 5. Irfan Pathan (259).
Pak duo miffed
Karachi: Former Pakistani players Javed Miandad and Moin Khan have lashed out at the BCCI for refusing to play a three-ODI series in March-April. The duo felt the Indian response was the result of the blatant manner in which the PCB had been towing their line on various issues including the controversial ICL and IPL stand-off.
“If the Indians wanted to help us out they could have come for a week.,” Miandad said. Khan said: “It is a good lesson for our cricket officials not to follow the Indians blindly and look at our own interests in the world forum.”
Healy ecstatic
Melbourne: Australian cricket Hall Of Fame’s newest inductee Ian Healy feels although Adam Gilchrist is retiring as the world’s best wicket-keeper it would take him another 100 years to be considered for the honour. “I pity Gilly; he’s got 100 years to wait,” he told an Australian daily.
Bedi in a soup
Amritsar: Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi could be in trouble after a local resident of Putlighar area lodged a police complaint against him for allegedly demolishing a room of his building without prior notice.
Misbah in fray
Karachi: Pakistan’s prolific middle-order batsman Misbah-ul Haq is due to ink a deal with the IPL this week after being approached by former India captain Sourav Ganguly to play for his Calcutta team.
