Author: Web Desk

Dubai, May 04, 2022 (PPI-OT):Australia have increased their lead over second-placed India from one to nine rating points while Pakistan have overtaken England to fifth position in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings following the annual update carried out today.

Australia, who beat England 4-0 in a five-match home series in January, have moved from 119 to 128 rating points in the annual update that drops the 2018-19 season and reflects all series completed since May 2019. Series completed prior to May 2021 are now weighted at 50 per cent and subsequent series at 100 percent.

India have also gained a point to move to 119 while England have had the biggest decrease of nine points as their 4-1 series win over India in 2018 is now dropped from the rankings. England’s 88 rating points is their lowest since 1995.

The England versus India series that began in 2021, will be included in the rankings once the final postponed Test is completed.

South Africa have closed the gap with third-placed New Zealand from 13 points to just one point in the updated rankings that still contain 10 teams since Afghanistan and Ireland are yet to play enough Tests to be included in the rankings.

In the updated ODI rankings, New Zealand remain on top but their lead over England is reduced from three to one point. The gap between England and third placed Australia has increased from seven to 17 points. Pakistan have moved past South Africa to fifth place while the United Arab Emirates are the biggest gainers, earning six rating points and advancing two places to 13th.

India remain on top in T20Is, extending their lead over second-placed England from one to five points. South Africa and Australia have overtaken New Zealand, who are now in sixth place. Similarly, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are now ahead of Afghanistan (10th).

The biggest rating improvement has been by Portugal, who have moved up five places to 45th in the latest update, in which the number of ranked teams has fallen from 91 to 72, as 19 teams have not played the required six rated matches since May 2019.

Of the 19 teams to have lost their ranking, 11 still have a rating since they played some T20Is in the past three years. Mexico, Philippines and Isle of Man have played five matches so will regain their ranking when they play their next match, while France, Peru, Hungary, Samoa, Brazil, Chile and Turkey will regain their ranking after playing two more matches. Bhutan need to play four more matches to be ranked.

Fiji, Costa Rica, Japan, South Korea, St Helena, China, Indonesia and Myanmar have not played since May 2019 and so have lost their rating.

For more information, contact:
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Dubai, May 03, 2022 (PPI-OT):The ICC Player of the Month nominees have been announced for April 2022 with strong men and women candidates getting nominated for their impressive performances. The ICC Women’s Player of the Month shortlist sees two stars of the showpiece finale of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 in New Zealand nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month – Alyssa Healy (Australia) and Nat Sciver (England). They are in the running to scoop the award alongside Janet Mbabazi (Uganda), who shone following dominant performances in the Capricorn Women’s Tri-series in Namibia.

South African spin duo Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj are nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month after tormenting Bangladesh batters throughout their 2-0 victory in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series. Jatinder Singh of Oman completes the line-up for the men’s award thanks to his outstanding contributions with the bat in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 competition in the UAE.

The ICC Player of the Month nominees for April were announced on Tuesday, based on performances across formats and including matches from the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup held in New Zealand, amongst others.

An independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world can now vote to decide the winners, which will be announced next week. Fans registered on icc-cricket.com/awards are invited to cast their votes until Saturday.

ICC Women’s Player of the Month Nominees for April

Alyssa Healy (Australia)

Alyssa Healy celebrates her second nomination for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award thanks to her masterful innings of 170 against England in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Final. This phenomenal display of power-hitting and control helped her set a new record for the highest score ever recorded at a World Cup Final, and was the driving force behind Australia claiming their seventh ODI crown. Victory here would also mean she becomes the second player to win the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award on two occasions, after being crowned back in April 2021.

Janet Mbabazi (Uganda)

Janet Mbabazi enjoyed a highly successful month in which she shone both with bat and ball. Representing her country in six T20Is as part of the Capricorn Women’s Tri-series, she took 11 wickets at an astonishing average of 7.81, while also amassing 118 runs on her way to becoming her side’s leading run-scorer, and the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. Her nomination means she is the first Ugandan to be shortlisted for the ICC Player of the Month.

Nat Sciver (England)

In response to Healy’s heroics in the first innings of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final 2022, Nat Sciver was instrumental in bringing England back into contention with a blistering 148* in Christchurch. Despite seeing her teammates fall at regular intervals, Sciver hit a truly memorable inning as her side fell short in the finale, including 15 fours and one maximum at a strike rate of 122.31. This is her second nomination for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month, her first being back in February 2021.

ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees for April

Simon Harmer (South Africa)

The South African spinner was an integral part of the potent bowling attack that dominated Bangladesh in both of the ICC World Test Championship series matches taking place in Durban and Gqeberha. Harmer took 13 wickets at an average of 15.15, driving his side’s charge to victory by taking three or more wickets in each of the tourists’ four innings in the series. Harmer, alongside Maharaj, caused a constant threat to Bangladesh, who eventually succumbed by 220 and 332 runs.

Keshav Maharaj (South Africa)

So often the spearhead of the South African spin attack, Maharaj celebrates his nomination on the shortlist for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month Award after taking 16 wickets in the WTC series win over Bangladesh at an average of 12.12. Attacking in tandem with Simon Harmer, Maharaj took seven wickets on two separate occasions, both during the second innings where he ended with figures of 7 for 32 and 7 for 40. In addition to his bowling master class, he scored a useful 84 in the first innings at Gqeberha to help his side set an imposing total on their way to a 332-run victory.

Jatinder Singh (Oman)

Singh was instrumental at the crease for Oman in the highly competitive ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tournament in the UAE in April. Amassing 259 runs in his four ODIs at an average of 86.33, his two standout performances came in commanding victories over PNG (118* and 79) while also scoring a half-century in a narrow defeat against Scotland.

The ICC Player of the Month Voting Process

The three nominees for either category are shortlisted based on performances from the first to the last day of each calendar month. The shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprises prominent members of the cricket fraternity including well-known journalists, former players, broadcasters, and members of the ICC Hall of Fame.

The Voting Academy submit their votes by email and hold a 90 per cent share of the vote. Fans registered with the ICC can vote via the ICC website, accounting for the remaining 10 per cent. Winners are announced every second Monday of the month on ICC’s digital channels.

Voting Academy for ICC Player of the Month April 2022*

Afghanistan: Hameed Qayoomi and Javed Hamim; Australia: Melinda Farrell and Lisa Sthalekar; Bangladesh: Sayeed Zaman and Mohammad Isam; England: Elizabeth Ammon and Holly Colvin; Ireland: Ger Siggins and Clare Shillington; India: Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan and Irfan Pathan; New Zealand: Craig Cumming; Pakistan: Faizan Lakhani and Sana Mir; South Africa: Firdose Moonda and JP Duminy; Sri Lanka: Neville Victor Anthony and Russel Arnold; West Indies: Daren Ganga and Merissa Aguilleira; Zimbabwe: Tristan Holme and Mpumelelo Mbangwa; Others: Ajit Vijaykumar and Dirk Nannes.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com