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Monty Panesar’s outstanding performance in the third Test against West Indies at Old Trafford has lifted him to a career-best 12th position in the ICC rankings for bowlers. Panesar finished with figures of 10 for 187, his first ten-for in Tests, as England pulled off a 60-run win to take a 2-0 lead and seal the series. Panesar is now the third-ranked spinner in the list, behind only Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble. Steve Harmison, who also had a good Test with six wickets, retains his 18th place.

Among the batsmen, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Alastair Cook both moved up eight slots after scoring exactly 166 runs in the Test. Chanderpaul is now in 13th place, one spot ahead of Cook. The news wasn’t so good for Andrew Strauss, though, who has dropped out of the top 20 for the first time since December 2004 after scoring just 78 runs in five innings in the ongoing series against West Indies. Kevin Pietersen retains the third spot, though his rating has slipped below the 900 mark.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

A hundred from Mohammad Yousuf and a fine all-round performance by Shoaib Malik led Pakistan to a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Yousuf and Malik put on 141 for the third wicket to steer Pakistan’s chase, with Yousuf’s 14th century the first in what has been a horribly one-sided Mobilink Cup. Malik’s 88 added to the three wickets he took earlier to restrict Zimbabwe to 244.The pair came together after Pakistan’s newbie openers had gone by the 15th over. Malik had already settled by then, returning to the one-down role he had once made his own, with Younis Khan resting. He averages over 40 from 34 innings at No.3 and it was immediately easy to see why so many argue for him to move up the order. He was off the mark immediately, clipping off his toes for four and in the next over he drove and cut Gary Brent for a couple more.Soon after, he twice cut Elton Chigumbura and then did likewise to Brent five overs later. Having grabbed the initiative then and with no real pressure, Malik’s calculating approach came out, as he dabbed and nudged runs for fun. A swift fifty was brought up, and though he lofted Ray Price over the boundary and welcomed Hamilton Masakadza with a brace of boundaries soon after, he was more than happy to play second fiddle.Yousuf, meanwhile, began regally, picking up singles when he felt like it and only occasionally breaking sweat to find the boundary. It seemed for a while as if he wasn’t even there, at least until a late dab to third man in the 27th over brought up the fifty partnership.He made his presence known after it, twice depositing Masakadza over wide mid-on to bring up his own fifty. His pace picked up to such an extent that only 34 balls later, he was bringing up an effortless hundred, the highlight of which was a magnificent loft over long-on off Price. The only blemish on a flawless innings was a mix-up with Malik, which prevented the captain from reaching a hundred of his own.It didn’t prevent Malik from taking the Man-of-the-Match award. He had already excelled earlier, prompting a slump as Zimbabwe – not for the first time in this series – let slip a position of considerable strength after opting to bat. Sean Williams and Tatenda Taibu had rescued the innings early, with an intelligent 85-run partnership, but just when much was promised, Malik dismissed both, and Brendon Taylor, during eight mid-innings overs.The pair have been Zimbabwe’s best batsmen this series and it was soon apparent why. Taibu repeatedly came out of his crease to neutralize the early swing which so bewildered the openers, most effectively when he drove Kamran Hussain past mid-off for the day’s first boundary. He cut twice soon after, but the real spurt came from Williams in the 14th over.Hussain tired after an impressive opening spell and Williams took toll, twice flicking him through midwicket for three and driving over point to bring up Zimbabwe’s 50. He then targeted Shahid Afridi, driving him elegantly through extra cover to mark the fifty stand, before cutting and lofting him for six an over later.Taibu provided typically impish support and at that stage, until Malik brought himself on little was of concern. But in his second over, Williams inexplicably chipped back two short of what would have been his third fifty of the series. Taylor went in Malik’s next over and the drive quickly petered out of the innings. Taibu fell immediately after getting to his ninth half-century and runs soon slowed to a trickle.Singles were grudgingly given up, boundaries even more so. Chigumbura and Chamu Chibhabha battled well without any great urgency and it was only at the death, through Keith Dabengwa, that Zimbabwe rallied. He took 19 off the last over, part of a 33-ball 45, to drag Zimbabwe to a competitive score. Competitive, but no more.

The New Zealand players and their board might be heading for a showdown over disagreements regarding their contracts during ICC-governed tournaments. A clause in the contract requires the players to renounce their individual sponsorship deals when it clashes with the official sponsors of tournaments like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy, but the players are reluctant to toe the line.According to a report in the , the players are yet to sign a collective participation contract, which stipulates that they cannot endorse products that are in direct conflict with the tournament sponsors during major competitions like the World Cup and Champions Trophy. The issue in this clause that affects the players the most is that the ICC imposes this restriction for a period of six months – three months each before and after the tournament.A similar showdown was witnessed with the Indian team on two occasions – during the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2003 World Cup. However, the Indian board had worked out a solution at the last minute, and the players eventually signed the contract conditionally. The tournament sponsors retaliated by seeking damages with the ICC and even withheld the payment due to India, to the tune of over US$13million. The smaller size of the New Zealand board – their annual turnover is only around $25million – means that they could be hit very hard if similar action is taken against them.NZC and the New Zealand Players’ Association (NZPA) are yet to comment on this issue. The agreement was supposed to have been signed on June 1, and with the Champions Trophy to be held in October, the warring parties don’t have much time to sort out the issue.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out – Ireland
How they were out – South Africa

Jacques Kallis helped himself to a steady half-century as South Africa boosted their Super Eights position with a handsome seven-wicket win against Ireland. An adjusted target of 160 offered few challenges after a competent performance from the bowlers in a match cut to 35 overs by a two-hour rain break early in Ireland’s innings.Ireland were on the backfoot from the start, asked to bat on an overcast day, and their innings was twice reduced. Having struggled against the new ball they had no momentum to build on. Shaun Pollock created the early pressure then Andrew Hall and Charl Langeveldt showed their experience in the closing overs.But South Africa, who were reduced to 91 for 8 by Ireland in a warm-up match, were kept on their toes. Boyd Rankin’s first-over removal of AB de Villiers hinted that the run chase could be a testing affair. There was movement for Rankin and David Langford-Smith, but unlike their South African counterparts they didn’t quite have the skill to build pressure.Kallis, in a situation where scoring rate wasn’t the major factor, played himself in before unfurling a range of stunning cover drives. Graeme Smith, too, took the innings by the scruff of the neck, using his typically agricultural strokeplay to make major inroads into the target. Paul Mooney was given a harsh introduction into World Cup action, his first two overs dispatched for 23 as he regularly dropped short and wide.Smith was approaching a record of five consecutive World Cup half-centuries, but somehow Trent Johnston reached down in his follow through to pluck out a well-struck drive. Herschelle Gibbs didn’t last long, picking out midwicket as Rankin returned and struck again, but Ireland’s last chance went with two dropped catches in three overs.Rankin couldn’t repeat his captain’s reflexes when he spilled a return catch offered by Kallis on 40, then Johnston himself did all the hard work in getting to a top-edged sweep off the same batsman but the ball went through his hands. Kallis’s second fifty of the tournament came of a comfortable 61 balls while Ashwell Prince added the finishes touches, showing rare aggression as skipped down the pitch to the spinners on his return to the team. However, despite winning with 21 balls to spare their overall net run-rate is still in the negative column, something they’ll need to watch as the Super Eights continues.

But efficiency was the watch word for South Africa throughout the day, from the moment Pollock trapped Jeremy Bray lbw for his second consecutive duck without a run on the board. When the major rain arrived Ireland were 23 for 1 off 11 overs and on resumption were in the position of having to decided whether to stick or twist; the Duckworth-Lewis method looks favorably on more wickets left at the end, but the batsmen couldn’t waste time prodding around.William Porterfield succumbed trying to go over cover, but Eoin Morgan, who hasn’t produced the scores expected of him during the tournament, showed some of his best timing until he was surprised by Hall’s express bouncer. When Niall O’Brien got a leading edge to Langeveldt, now comfortably South Africa’s top wicket-taker, Ireland threatened to fall apart at 77 for 4 in the 23rd over. However, Andrew White, who struck firmly against England again used the long handle, but after dispatching some of South Africa’s finest he clubbed a knee-high full toss from Smith to midwicket.This match brought together some old foes, the coaches are both good friends, while Andre Botha grew up in South Africa. Botha, though, fell to one of the numerous pieces of sharp field – this occasion AB de Villiers at cover – as the experience of Hall and Langeveldt shone through with four wickets falling for eight runs. Langford-Smith and Johnston enjoyed slightly more success, adding 28 off 22 balls, with that Irish spirit which has been their hallmark. But their giant-killing of the opening phase has turned into a harsh reality check about the demands of living at the top table.

New Zealand’s constantly changing squad will welcome Scott Styris when they arrive in Melbourne on Wednesday. Styris joins Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram and Lou Vincent as late additions to the squad following recoveries from injury and the retirement of Nathan Astle.Styris, the allrounder, has been troubled by back problems since the Champions Trophy in October and he also picked up a calf injury. However, he has proved his fitness on the domestic scene and will now attempt to show he is ready for a spot at the World Cup.”Scott needs to be reacquainted with the squad systems, which have moved on significantly since he was last in the team,” Lindsay Crocker, the New Zealand Cricket general manager, said. “It is also an opportunity for him to get back on to the international stage and the extra pressures that it brings.”Hamish Marshall has been dropped from the squad and will return to New Zealand on Wednesday. He played only one match against Australia and was dismissed third ball for zero.

Australia have been described as “rude and arrogant” by the Indian media following unsavoury incidents after their Champions Trophy win. Ricky Ponting’s men were taken to task for pushing Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president and an Indian government minister, off the presentation dais after their eight-wicket win over the West Indies in Sunday’s final in Mumbai.Ponting, who was visibly impatient after the long presentation ceremony, gestured towards Pawar with his forefinger, asking him to quickly give away the trophy, which Australia had won for the first time. Newspapers on Tuesday carried front-page pictures of Damien Martyn pushing Pawar with his right hand, urging him to get off the stage so that the team could pose with the trophy.The picture in the added: “They are supposed to be aggressive, even rude on the field. On Sunday, Australia showed they are not exactly polite off it too.”Sachin Tendulkar, who usually prefers to stay silent on most controversial matters, also took a swipe at the Australians. “I was not watching the proceedings but from what I heard, it was unpleasant and uncalled for,” Tendulkar said at a sponsors’ function in Mumbai on Monday. “Firstly, it should never have happened. It’s important to show respect to a person who is so dear to the cricketers and is involved with cricket. Such incidents should be avoided.”Dilip Vengsarkar, India’s chief cricket selector, added: “You expect such behaviour from uneducated people. If they wanted to pose for photographs, they could have politely requested him. This is appalling.”Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, described the incident as “unintentional”, but he also said players “seem to leave good sense behind”. “Anyway, you know how players are once they get on the cricket field.”However, Pawar laughed off the incident. “It was a small thing, a stupid thing,” Pawar said in the . “I don’t want to react.”

ScorecardRobin Uthappa struck his third successive century this season, while Mayank Agarwal stroked his maiden first-class century as Karnataka flattened Delhi in a marquee top of the table clash in Hubli. It rained runs on what appeared to be a green top, with Karnataka racing away to 358 for 3 when stumps were drawn. Pawan Suyal, the medium pacer, was the most successful bowler for Delhi with the wickets of R Samarth (17) and Agarwal (118).Uthappa’s 148 was studded with 16 fours and six sixes, with the highlight of the day being his two fours and four sixes in a single over off Dhruv Shorey to race from 95 to 127. It also happened to be his 17th century in the Ranji Trophy to put him joint-second with Rahul Dravid in the list of century makers for Karnataka. Brijesh Patel tops the charts with 26 centuries.
ScorecardAbhimanyu Easwaran’s 88 was the highlight on a day in which 20 wickets fell in Kalyani as Bengal took charge against Odisha despite being bowled out for a paltry 142 in the first innings. While Easwaran was the batting mainstay, Aamir Gani, the offspinner, returned career-best figures of 6 for 34 to skittle Odisha for 107. Easwaran and Sayan Mondal then added 20 without losing a wicket in nine overs as Bengal ended a frenetic day with a 58-run lead.On a day in which little went right for Odisha with the bat, their bowlers gave a good account of themselves, with Dhiraj Singh, the left-arm spinner, taking 5 for 58. Suryakant Pradhan, the medium pacer, had three scalps.
ScorecardPankaj Singh made an impact immediately upon returning from a hamstring injury by taking 4 for 10 in 14.2 overs as Haryana were shot out for 112 in Lahli. Virender Sehwag, who returned to lead the side after missing the last two games because of his commitments with the All-Stars T20 series in USA, top scored with 29, while Mohit Sharma, batting at No.10 contributed 23.Rajasthan’s openers started well with Manendar Singh and Vineet Saxena added 61, before Ashish Hooda broke through to dismiss the debutant for 22. Saxena and Puneet Yadav ensured there would be further casualties as Rajasthan ended the day on 75 for 1, bringing the deficit down to just 37 with the heart of their batting still to come.No play was possible at the MCA Stadium in Pune after overnight rains and a wet outfield forced the players indoors for most parts of the day. When the outfield was good enough for the match to start, the light deteriorated sharply, with umpires calling off play at 4.10pm. Play will begin 15 minutes early on the remaining three days.

Karen Rolton is on target to be the second player in the history of the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) to score 4000 runs. Rolton, the Australian captain, needs just 18 runs to reach the milestone first achieved by former captain Belinda Clark.Rolton will lead the South Australia Scorpions on their away trip to Sydney next week, which will feature a practice match v ACT, prior to the WNCL matches against New South Wales.Two new players join the squad: fast bowler Leanne Davis, and Tegan McPharlin, the middle-order batsman. Both players have been chosen following strong grade/district performances.England’s Jenny Gunn, who plays grade cricket in Sydney, will also play for the Scorpions for the second successive year.

Batsmen Ian Billcliff and Geoff Barnett, both based in New Zealand, have been named in Canada’s 15-man World Cup squad. Barnett plays first-class cricket in New Zealand and had not been available for Canada during the winter for contractual reasons.Thirteen of the squad from the World Cricket League series in Kenya are retained, the two unlucky players being Don Maxwell and Sandeep Jyoti. Both are allrounders.Ashish Bagai, whose batting has flowered over the winter in South Africa and Kenya, is named as vice-captain behind skipper John Davison. Bagai was named Player of the Tournament for the World Cricket League and captained Canada to a win over Uganda in a warm-up match in Nairobi.Andy Pick, the national coach believes it is “a fairly well balanced squad.”. He felt “deeply sorry for Maxi (Don Maxwell). The makeup of the squad was likely to dictate that two players who were in Kenya would miss out. I believe this is a reflection on the strength of Canadian cricket that there are 17 or 18 players who could expect to be very close to the (World Cup) squad.”We will have to work hard in the field in order not to give up 20-30 runs (that the better teams prevent). We will practice and work on it.”Pick hoped for at least one win “in our four appearances against Test playing nations (in the lead-up and first round of the World Cup). If you can win one of those in the group match, as well as beating Kenya, that must be our target.” He does not dream of Canada winning the World Cup, but “if we get everything right on a given day against England or New Zealand, we could win. The realistic target must be to get through to the second round.”In parallel with wishes for a win over a Test-playing side, Pick said “I hope we can carry on with the progress made over the last three months.” Canada went to South Africa in November with a 13-player squad that included nobody with an individual score of 50 runs in an ODI match. The 50-barrier was broken.In Kenya, Davison returned as captain – he already had a century and a couple of fifties to his name in ODI cricket, mostly from the 2003 World Cup. Bagai scored two centuries and there were the first two century partnerships for Canada in ODI matches. The 300-run barrier was crossed in a win over Ireland, the current European champions.This is the third time that Canada has made it to the Cricket World Cup.Canada squad John Davison (capt), Qaiser Ali, Ashish Bagai, Geoff Barnett, Umar Bhatti, Ian Billcliff, Desmond Chumney, George Codrington, Austin Codrington, Anderson Cummins, Sunil Dhaniram, Ashif Mulla, Henry Osinde, Abdool Samad, Kevin Sandher.

Scorecard

Bangladesh’s bowlers led their team to an 86-run win over China in the ACC women’s tournament at Johor Bahru. Bangladesh dismissed China for 22 after scoring 108 batting first.Bangladesh’s batsmen hadn’t impressed greatly in being bowled out for 108 against a pretty sound Chinese attack. Their 108 needs to be put into perspective by the fact that China dropped seven catches (all skiers) and bowled 21 wides. It could have been a lot less.”Even with all that I was happy with the team,” said Rashid Khan, China’s coach. “They showed a lot of energy and application in the field. Bowling out a team like Bangladesh inside 30 overs is no small matter.”Bangladesh can bat. Up to now only the openers had been on show as they’d won both their preceding matches in the tournament by ten wickets, but in Panna Ghosh and Salma Khatun they have two exceedingly sound bats and the rest all showed enough to suggest that they’re no strangers to the crease.Bangladesh’s coach Zafrul Ehsan was a little concerned by his team’s batting performance, “They forgot to take singles and tried for too many big shots. I thought their running too, could have been a lot better,” he said during the lunch interval, adding “But our bowlers will win it for us”.That they did. Panna Ghosh – the fastest bowler in the competition – was kept out but Shamima Akhter made the initial breakthrough in the fourth over and then the spinners came on. Sui Shuai was bowled between bat and pad by an off-break from Salma Khatun and then Champa Chakma’s left-arm spin simply bamboozled the middle-order.”We’ve never faced anything like her before,” said China’s captain Mei Chun Hua. Certainly China’s best batsman Hu Ting Ting had never before seen any googly quite like the one which led to her second-ball stumping – a smart piece of work from Mina Khatun off Chakma.Rain for an hour and a half merely delayed the inevitable and China’s last five bats barely troubled the scorers. China’s only batting consolation was that they scored more runs than overs faced.A bowling machine or immersion in the wiles of Asian spinners is a must for China’s batsmen, as for Bangladesh, their captain Tajkia Akhter says, “We truly believe, God willing, that we can win this competition. We’re ready to move up to the next level.”