Tag: (ICC)

Dubai, March 25, 2023 (PPI-OT):The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff begins tomorrow with six teams set to battle for just two places at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier that will be held in Zimbabwe later this year. The Playoff, which is two steps away from the World Cup, features the teams who placed in the bottom four places of the Men’s CWC League 2 and the top spots in the CWC Challenge League A and B respectively. Hosts Namibia are in action on the opening day against the United States, having won four of the six encounters between the two teams in One Day Internationals since 2019. Namibia finished with 19 wins from their 36 League 2 matches and were pipped by Nepal for an automatic spot into the Qualifier. The US finished one place behind the Eagles in League 2 with 16 wins.

Canada captain Saad bin Zafar said: “The tournament holds a significant importance for Canada as it presents us with an opportunity to regain our ODI status and to further qualify for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe. The boys have worked really hard to prepare for this tournament and we can’t wait to get the tournament going.” Jersey captain Charles Per chard said: “Having been here last year, we are really pleased to be back in Namibia. It’s a milestone tournament for Jersey and we can’t wait to get started.”

Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus said: “It’s great to welcome the teams to Namibia. We’ve got a decent record at home and hopefully if we play well, we can advance. Unfortunately, we’ve had a couple of unavailability’s and changes in our set up over the last six months. But we’ve got the best squad for the moment, and I’m excited for the guys growing into their roles. We’ll be looking to play our brand of cricket at the Wanderers ground to go hard and win the opener.”

Papua New Guinea captain Assad Vala said: “We are looking forward to the qualifiers, we come into these qualifiers with some form behind us but we understand that we are the underdogs. We have been to Namibia before and understood the conditions we will face, we have recently had some tough matches against UAE and know they have had recent changes to management and the team so we are looking forward to meeting them again.”

United Arab Emirates captain Mohammad Waseem said: “The ICC Men’s CWC Qualifier Playoff in Namibia is a very important event for us and we are fully focussed on delivering our best. We were able to deliver two good performances in the last two matches of the tri-series in Nepal. The batters produced some good results and the form of Asif Khan and Vriitya Arvind is encouraging for us. I am also pleased that I contributed with my maiden ODI century. Asif produced one of the best ODI knocks by an Associate Member player and showed the world what he is capable of. I am confident that we are more than capable of producing good results in Namibia.”

United States captain Monank Patel said: “After gaining ODI status in 2019, it’s been a great experience playing in the CWC League 2. I feel we have done reasonably well as a group playing ODI’s for the first time. It showed that we belong in this league but we still have lots of areas to improve. We would like to take that experience and ensure we do well in this event and progress to the Qualifiers in Zimbabwe. Also, with the T20 World Cup set to be played on home soil next year, this is a great opportunity for USA to play in two World Cups within 12 months.” This event is the final opportunity for teams to book a place in the Zimbabwe Qualifier, which will take place from 18 June – 9 July later this year.

All matches will be livestreamed on Fancode.com in the Indian-subcontinent and on ICC.tv across rest of the world.

Each match will be live scored at www.icc-cricket.com/cricket-world-cup-qualifiers-playoff/

To follow event coverage online visit www.facebook.com/icc and Twitter: @icc

ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff Fixtures

26 March 2023

Namibia v USA 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground

27 March 2023

UAE v PNG 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground

Jersey v Canada 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground

29 March 2023

Canada v USA 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground

PNG v Namibia 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground

30 March 2023

Namibia v Jersey 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground

USA v UAE 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground

1 April 2023

UAE v Canada 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground

PNG v Jersey 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground

2 April 2023

PNG v USA 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground

Namibia v UAE 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground

4 April 2023

Canada v Namibia 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground

USA v Jersey 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground

5 April 2023

Jersey v UAE 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground

Canada v PNG 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground

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

Dubai, March 22, 2023 (PPI-OT): New Zealand’s premier batter Kane Williamson has moved back towards the top spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings while Australia’s Josh Hazlewood is the new No. 1 ODI bowler with India’s Mohammad Siraj slipping to third.

Williamson, a formerly top-ranked batter, has moved up four slots to take second position in the list led by Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne after top scoring with 215 in an innings victory over Sri Lanka in Wellington that helped seal their two-match ICC World Test Championship series 2-0.

Henry Nicholls, who scored 200 not out and featured in a triple-century partnership with Williamson, has also made rapid progress, moving up 20 places to 27th position. Captain Tim Southee (up one place to 11th) and Matt Henry (up four places to 31st) are the Kiwi players to advance in the bowling rankings.

For Sri Lanka, captain Dimuth Karunaratne is in the top 10 with scores of 89 and 51 while Dinesh Chandimal has moved up one slot to 17th with scores of 37 and 62.

In the ODI rankings, which considers performances in two matches each of the India-Australia, Bangladesh-Ireland and South Africa-West Indies series, as well as the first match between Zimbabwe and the Netherlands, Siraj has slipped behind Hazlewood and New Zealand’s Trent Boult after India’s 10-wicket loss to Australia in Visakhapatnam.

Hazlewood, whose career best second position was attained for the first time in June 2017 and which he had kept since August 2022, is No. 1 in ODIs for the first time. Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc’s eight wickets in the two matches against India see him go to joint-third position with Siraj.

Other bowlers to move up the ODI rankings include West Indies’ Alzarri Joseph (up eight places to 11th), India’s Mohammad Shami (up five places to 28th) and Netherlands’ Fred Klaasen (up 22 places to 52nd).

In the batting rankings, Quinton de Kock, Shubman Gill and Steve Smith have made marginal progress within the top 10 while Shai Hope and Mushfiqur Rahim have advanced after smashing fine centuries this past week.

Hope’s 128 not out in East London has lifted him two places to 12th position while Mushfiqur has gained four slots to reach 18th position after smashing Bangladesh’s fastest ODI century, a 60-ball 100 not out in Sylhet.

The South African pair of Heinrich Klaasen (up 13 places to 30th) and Temba Bavuma (up 17 places to 33rd), Lokesh Rahul of India (up three places to 39th) and Australia’s Mitchell Marsh (up 24 places to 55th) have also moved up in the batting rankings.

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

Dubai, March 16, 2023 (PPI-OT): South Africa’s Adrian Holdstock and Pakistan’s Ahsan Raza have been included in the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires even as veteran Aleem Dar has stepped down after 19 years on the Elite panel, standing in a record 435 men’s international matches. The ICC Elite Umpire Selection Panel headed by ICC General Manager – Cricket, Wasim Khan, made the additions during the annual review and selection process, increasing the number of umpires on the panel from 11 to 12.

Aleem, who has been on the Elite panel since its inception in the year 2002, has officiated in more Tests and ODIs than any other umpire and is second in T20Is, behind compatriot Ahsan. Aleem reflected on his career and thanked his colleagues over the years. Aleem Dar: “It has been a long journey, but I have enjoyed every bit of it. I have had the pleasure and honour of umpiring the world over and what I have achieved is something I did not even dream of when I started in the profession.

“Though I am still keen to continue as an international umpire, I felt it was now the right time, after 19 years on the road to step away from the Elite panel and provide an opportunity to someone from the International Panel. My message to umpires the world over is to work hard, maintain discipline and never stop learning. “I thank the ICC, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and my colleagues on the panel for their support over the years. I would also like to thank my family; without whose support I could not have gone on for so long. I look forward to continuing to serve the game as an umpire”.

ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice congratulated Aleem for a highly successful career. Geoff Allardice: “Aleem’s contribution to international cricket and to the ICC has been truly remarkable. Consistently elite performances over such a long period saw him enjoy enormous respect across all involved in international cricket. I wish Aleem all the best for the future and I am sure his involvement in the game will continue for many years to come.”

Holdstock has officiated in five Tests, 42 ODIs and 48 T20Is while Ahsan has stood in seven Tests, 41 ODIs and 72 T20Is. Both umpires were part of the panels for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022. Holdstock and Ahsan were enthusiastic on being inducted in the panel. Adrian Holdstock: “This is a huge moment in my career as an umpire. I’ve been officiating internationally for a while, but the Elite panel is another level.

“I’m excited about the upcoming opportunities and look forward to giving my all in the new position. I appreciate all my colleagues, the ICC and Cricket South Africa for their support over the years. In addition, I want to thank my family, especially my wife Carmen, without whom I would not have been able to continue in a profession I love so much.” Ahsan Raza: “I feel extremely honoured and proud to be included in the Elite panel. I’ve always wanted to officiate regularly alongside the best match officials.

“I have already officiated in international matches across formats as well as in ICC events, so am aware of the enormous responsibility that this position entails. I hope to put all my experience over the years to good use but will continue to learn from my senior colleagues on the panel. “I want to thank the ICC and the PCB for supporting me and helping me get to this point in my career. Thanks are also due to my wife and daughters for always being there for me.”

The other members of the panel are: Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand), Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka), Marais Erasmus (South Africa), Michael Gough (England), Nitin Menon (India), Paul Reiffel (Australia), Richard Illingworth (England), Richard Kettleborough (England), Rodney Tucker (Australia), Joel Wilson (West Indies). There is no change in the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.

A brief profile of Aleem Dar:

Born 6 June 1968, Jhang, Pakistan

144 Tests (since 2003, more than anyone else)

222 ODIs (since 2000, more than anyone else)

69 T20Is (since 2009, currently in second place)

Stood in the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 and 2011

Stood in the finals of the ICC T20 WC 2010 and 2012

He was the first Pakistani umpire to be part of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires

Won the David Shepherd Trophy three years in a row – 2009, 2010 and 2011

In total, he stood in five ICC CWC tournaments and seven ICC T20 WC tournaments

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