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Belinda Clark, the country’s greatest female player, has announced her retirement less than a month after Australia lost a series to England for the first time since 1963. The two-Test defeat was a disappointing way to end a fabulous career that included two World Cup victories, the most ODI runs in history with 4844, and the highest individual score – 229 not out against Denmark in 1997 – of any player in a limited-overs international.Clark, who first captained Australia in 1994-95 and led the side for a record 11 Tests and 101 ODIs, will take up the position of Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence manager in Brisbane on Monday. Beginning her Test career with a century against India in 1991, Clark finished with 919 runs in 15 games at an average of 45.95 and played 118 limited-overs matches.In naming her Cricketer of the Year in 1998, said she was Australia’s “finest batswoman to date” with her “her free-flowing, classical style, technical brilliance and aggressive attitude to scoring runs”. Her reputation was enhanced over the past seven years until the slip against England, although Australia rebounded to take the five-match one-day series on September 1.Clark said the time was right to step down and she was confident that Australia would move effortlessly ahead under a new captain. “Playing cricket has been such an enormous part of my life that it’s certainly going to be strange not to be pulling on the gear anymore,” she said. “I leave the game on the field with a lifetime of memories and I’m pleased that I still have the opportunity to be involved and contribute to Australian cricket through my new role.”Clark ranked winning the World Cup in 2005 and 1997, when Australia beat New Zealand in front of 80,000 at Eden Gardens, as her highlights in a career that started at Newcastle High School. After joining an indoor cricket team – she also won Australian honours in the abbreviated game – Clark moved into a schoolgirl side and was quickly selected for the New South Wales Under-18s. When there were no local women’s matches at age 14 she moved into the under-16 boys’ competition for a season.”The women’s game is heading in the right direction and is a lot stronger both strategically and operationally than when I first played,” she said. “It’s really encouraging to see the sport growing, particularly among young girls, and to see exciting new, young talent coming up through the ranks.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said Clark was arguably the best female cricketer to play for Australia. “She has represented her club, state and country with enormous pride over the years and her genuine love and passion for the game is quite inspirational,” he said. “Belinda is a person of the highest integrity and while we are losing one of our greatest cricketers on the field, we are delighted she will remain as an integral part of Australian cricket.”Clark’s replacement will be named for Australia’s series against India this summer. After 14 seasons in the side, the hole created by such a wonderful player will be almost impossible to fill.

Vikram Solanki will celebrate his recall to the England side by opening the innings in the first NatWest Challenge match against India, with Michael Vaughan dropping down to bat at three. Solanki made a century in a losing cause in last Saturday’s C&G Trophy final, and sheer weight of runs has given him an opportunity to test himself against the country of his forefathers.”Once he got picked in the squad we earmarked him to come back and open the batting,” said Vaughan, quoted on the BBC Sport website. “I’ve played at three for Yorkshire throughout the summer and I don’t feel it being a huge change.”England’s one-day form, or lack of it – three wins in their last 10 – has been a major concern for the team management, and Vaughan suggested that a back-to-basics approach might suit England best. “We like to have three guys who can play their orthodox game at the top and score in a nice fashion,” he said. “I didn’t score many runs in the [NatWest Series] but I feel my form has come back in the Tests and I’m playing well again.”Glamorgan’s Alex Wharf is one of the newcomers in the squad, and there was also a recall for Gareth Batty, as England attemped to put the disappointment of the NatWest Series – New Zealand and West Indies contested the final – behind them.”In the summer we didn’t perform to the standard we would have expected,” said Vaughan. “We’ve made a few changes and in depth and in athleticism we feel a bit better going into this tournament.”India have won seven of the last 12 matches between the sides, but the teams haven’t met since the 2003 World Cup, where India won by 82 runs.

New Zealand’s lack of consistency in recent years in its one-day cricket has been behind its mid-table placing on the world rankings, but increasingly there are signs of a change for the better.Apart from anything else, Sunday’s record victory over Pakistan in Sri Lanka ended the rot of seven losses in a row to Pakistan.Pakistan’s dismissal for 116, its lowest against New Zealand and 19 runs worse than their 135 scored at Napier in 2000/01, was the fifth time New Zealand has bowled out a side for less than 125 in the last five months, and in little over two years, New Zealand has 10 times dismissed sides for 135 or less.Nine of these scores have been lodged by subcontinental sides, India suffering on six occasions – four in the recent series in New Zealand. All four instances not to take place on New Zealand soil occurred in Sri Lanka.The list is:

77 Bangladesh Colombo (SSC) 2002/0389 England Wellington (WS) 2001/02108 India Auckland 2002/03108 India Christchurch 2002/03116 Pakistan Dambulla 2003122 India Queenstown 2002/03122 India Hamilton 2002/03127 India Colombo (RPS) 2001133 India Colombo (RPS) 2001135 Pakistan Napier 2000/01

Pakistan’s total was the eighth equal lowest score against New Zealand by any side.Top 10 lowest scores v New Zealand:

70 Australia Adelaide 1985/8677 Bangladesh Colombo (SSC) 2002/0389 England Wellington (WS) 2001/02108 India Auckland 2002/03108 India Christchurch 2002/03113 India Perth 1985/86115 Sri Lanka Colombo (PSS) 1983/84116 Bangladesh Chelmsford 1999116 Pakistan Dambulla 2003118/9 Sri Lanka Dunedin 1982/83

New Zealand’s latest position on the ICC One-Day International Championship is sixth, an improvement of two places since its inception in October. It has moved ahead of the West Indies and now sits behind Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.Their climb up the ladder is the best by any side in the first six months of the Championship, rising nine points and two places.The Championship standings as at the end of New Zealand’s first match in the Bank Alfalah Cup in Dambulla are:

Team Matches Points Rating Change1 Australia 46 6269 136 +8 (n/c)2 South Africa 57 6972 122 +2 (n/c)3 Pakistan 51 5675 111 -4 (up 1)4 Sri Lanka 61 6413 105 -12 (down 1)5 India 58 6047 104 -2 (n/c)6 New Zealand 46 4594 100 +9 (up 2)7 West Indies 35 3463 99 +5 (n/c)8 England 34 3337 98 +2 (down 2)9 Zimbabwe 44 2844 65 -2 (n/c)10 Kenya 25 704 28 +6 (n/c)11 Bangladesh 23 101 4 -7 (n/c)

When the New Zealanders had Pakistan reeling at 17 for five wickets, it was the fifth equal worst start by any side in an ODI (for five wickets down). New Zealand’s previous best effort with the ball was having Bangladesh 19 for five in the ICC Champions Trophy last year.The record of teams having fewer than 20 runs and being 5 wickets down:

start total12/5 71 Pakistan v West Indies Brisbane 1992/9312/5 36 Canada v Sri Lanka Paarl 2002/0314/5 81 Pakistan v West Indies Sydney 1992/9314/5 43 Pakistan v West Indies Cape Town 1992/9317/5 266/8 India v Zimbabwe Tunbridge Wells 198317/5 84 Kenya v Australia Nairobi (Gym) 2002/0317/5 84 Namibia v Pakistan Kimberley 2002/0317/5 116 Pakistan v New Zealand Dambulla 200318/5 153 Pakistan v South Africa Colombo (SSC) 2000/0118/5 115/9 New Zealand v Sri Lanka Colombo (SSC) 200119/5 167 Scotland v Pakistan Chester-le-Street 199919/5 77 Bangladesh v New Zealand Colombo (SSC) 2002/03

Note: India v Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells was a 60-over match and New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Colombo (SSC) was reduced to 36 overs per side.Five of them have occurred in the last eight months while three have been at the same ground, the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. Pakistan have proven particularly vulnerable to the spectacular collapse, having been involved in five of the nine worst collapses – three of which took place in the space of 16 matches and 71 days during the 1992/93 season.The game also resulted in Daryl Tuffey’s latest instance of a wicket in his first over, the 17th time he has achieved the feat in internationals, and the 10th time in an ODI.His record now reads:

Tests: Inn Over BallMarcus Trescothick 1 1 2 v England at Auckland, 1 Apr 2002 (W)Mark Butcher 1 1 5 v England at Auckland, 1 Apr 2002 (W)Shahid Afridi 1 1 3 v Pakistan at Lahore, 1 May 2002 (L)Virender Sehwag 1 2 6 v India at Wellington, 12 Dec 2002 (W)Sanjay Bangar 1 2 3 v India at Hamilton, 20 Dec 2002 (W)Parthiv Patel 2 2 6 v India at Hamilton, 21 Dec 2002 (W)Marvan Atapattu 1 1 4 v Sri Lanka at Colombo, 26 Apr 2003 (D)ODIs: Inn Over BallSaeed Anwar 1 1 1 v Pakistan at Napier, 20 Feb 2001 (W)Saeed Anwar 2 1 6 v Pakistan at Christchurch, 25 Feb 2001 (W)Marvan Atapattu 1 1 2 v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 10 Apr 2001 (L)Kumar Sangakkara 1 1 3 v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 10 Apr 2001 (L)Marcus Trescothick 1 1 3 v England at Auckland, 23 Feb 2002 (L)Sanath Jayasuriya 1 1 3 v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 14 Apr 2002 (L)Imran Nazir 2 1 1 v Pakistan at Rawalpindi, 24 Apr 2002 (L)Sourav Ganguly 2 1 3 v India at Napier, 29 Dec 2002 (W)Sourav Ganguly 2 1 1 v India at Wellington, 8 Jan 2003 (L)Mohammad Hafeez 1 1 4 v Pakistan at Dambulla, 11 May 2003 (W)

Note: Inn = innings of opposition for Test list, innings of the match for ODI list; Over = over of the inningsAnd while Shane Bond may be out of the tournament due to a suspected stress fracture in his back, he did have time to claim his 50th wicket in his 27th ODI, the fastest first 50 wickets taken by a New Zealander and seventh equal on the world list.New Zealand:

Mat Wkts BB AveShane Bond 27 51 6/23 19.00 2001/02 to 2003Geoff Allott 28 50 4/35 21.34 1996/97 to 2000/01Chris Pringle 33 52 4/35 22.88 1990 to 1993/94Ewen Chatfield 36 50 5/34 24.10 1979 to 1983Danny Morrison 36 50 4/33 29.98 1987/88 to 1990/91Martin Snedden 41 50 3/25 30.38 1980/81 to 1984/85Lance Cairns 43 50 5/28 31.18 1973/74 to 1982/83Daryl Tuffey 43 50 4/24 29.16 2000/01 to 2002/03Richard Hadlee 46 52 5/26 26.61 1972/73 to 1982/83Willie Watson 47 50 3/15 33.70 1985/86 to 1991/92Chris Harris 48 50 3/15 30.10 1990/91 to 1994/95Scott Styris 51 51 6/25 34.01 1999/00 to 2002/03Chris Cairns 52 51 4/55 32.84 1990/91 to 1996/97Daniel Vettori 55 51 4/24 35.17 1996/97 to 2000/01Gavin Larsen 66 50 4/24 43.78 1989/90 to 1995/96Dion Nash 66 50 4/38 44.48 1992/93 to 1999Nathan Astle 74 50 4/43 33.34 1994/95 to 1998/99Jeremy Coney 84 50 4/46 38.26 1979 to 1986

All time:

Team Mat Wkts BB AveAjit Agarkar India 23 50 4/35 21.34 1997/98 to 1998/99Dennis Lillee Australia 24 50 5/34 17.30 1972 to 1980/81Shane Warne Australia 25 51 4/19 16.43 1992/93 to 1994/95Len Pascoe Australia 26 50 5/30 19.57 1977 to 1981/82Patrick Patterson West Indies 26 51 6/29 19.45 1985/86 to 1987/88Curtly Ambrose West Indies 26 51 5/17 17.03 1987/88 to 1989/90Waqar Younis Pakistan 27 53 6/26 14.96 1989/90 to 1990/91Shane Bond New Zealand 27 51 6/23 19.00 2001/02 to 2003

Note: The figures given are those at the end of the match concerned(Statistics compiled by Duane Pettet)

New Zealand’s selectors, tired of potential being unrealised in One-Day Internationals, have thrown down the gauntlet to players wanting to be part of the 2003 World Cup campaign today.Only 12 players have been named for the one-day side to Pakistan, with two more to be added by the end of the month.The 12 selected were:Stephen Fleming (c) (Wellington), Nathan Astle (Canterbury), James Franklin (Wellington), Chris Harris (Canterbury), Craig McMillan (Canterbury), Kyle Mills (Auckland), Dion Nash (Auckland), Jacob Oram (Central Districts), Mathew Sinclair (Central Districts), Daryl Tuffey (Northern Districts), Daniel Vettori (Northern Districts) and Lou Vincent (Auckland).Notable absences from the side are wicket-keeper Adam Parore and off-spinner Grant Bradburn.They have not been excluded from consideration but if players with the New Zealand A team in India for the Buchi Babu tournament can come up with the required performances, Parore and Bradburn may be left out.Selection chairman Sir Richard Hadlee said, “We are not happy with the team and individual performances in Sri Lanka. We were in a position to win at least four games, and possibly five.”We expect more from our senior players.”If performances were not forthcoming in the near future some players may want to rethink their futures in the game, he added.Hadlee said Parore was without doubt New Zealand’s best ‘keeper and had given tremendous value to New Zealand over the last 10 or 11 years, but it was necessary to start looking ahead.The selectors also had to look at his workload.”He has been remarkably injury free over all that time and we can’t expect him to play in every one-day game, in every Test match and in every tour game.”He has got to have some breaks.”Disappointed as he may be, we have got to look after his career longevity,” Hadlee said.Holding two positions open added more sting to the performances of the A team and would allow for a fine tuning of the balance of the side.Hadlee said that incoming coach Denis Aberhart would have a game plan that he wanted to employ and the selectors would be looking to select a team to fulfil that plan.Aberhart reiterated the comments of previous coaches that it was up to individuals to provide the performances and he would be looking to work with them to achieve that.Having the killer instinct was about desire and having the mental attitude to compete.”Some are born with it, some aren’t. I want to make sure that everyone buys into it,” he said.Hadlee said there was concern about the failure to develop a bowling strategy at the death in games.The selectors had indicated their thoughts on that to the team management and have said that they would like to see Tuffey, especially, bowl more often at the death.”A key focus for us is the World Cup in 2003. We want to be fully prepared for that and the ideal situation for us would be to have 20-25 players to select from.”There are enough One-Day Internationals and tournaments over the next 18 months for us to look at various combinations. We want to have pressure for places because if there is competition the level of play will increase,” he said.”The players should make it as easy as possible for us by performing,” he said.Hadlee said the call was tough on Bradburn and was not necessarily a reflection on his performance in Sri Lanka as he had only bowled two overs in the one game he played. The selectors wanted to reconsider the composition of the side, he said.The retention of Franklin, who did not get a game at all in Sri Lanka, was to provide the option of a left-arm pace bowler to the tour selectors.There was no clear indication on what would happen at the top of the order as much would depend on the two players called into the team.If Chris Nevin could show the sort of form the selectors were looking for, especially with the bat, then he was likely to be the preferred choice.There was still the option of continuing to open with Sinclair, who had scored two centuries in Sharjah earlier in the year.Hadlee said there had also been an indication from captain Fleming that Vincent might be considered as an opening choice.Selector Brian McKechnie said New Zealand’s most successful ODI batsman Astle was a player who thrived on being able to keep the strike and other players used had not been able to get it to him often enough.

The Indian government’s delay in granting permission has put a cloud over the resumption of the Pakistan-India bilateral series.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that a senior minister in the Indian government believes the chance of the series taking place is “very difficult”, and that a final decision will be taken by the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. Neither Thakur nor the BCCI president Shashank Manohar were available for a comment. However, a senior board official said he personally felt the series would not happen: “It looks unlikely considering the government has not said anything.”Both the BCCI and the PCB had met recently in Dubai and agreed to play a series in Sri Lanka subject to clearances from their national governments. On Friday, the PCB revealed that the Pakistan government had given the nod for the series, allowing Pakistan to play India in Sri Lanka. However, the Indian government has remained quiet since BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur submitted a written request to the Indian foreign ministry on Tuesday.”Sports should not be dragged into political and diplomatic controversies,” Rajiv Shukla, the chairman of the IPL governing council, told . “We cannot decide on the series with Pakistan without the consent of the government. That is why we have written to the government and are awaiting its response. The moment we get the response, we will let everyone know.”The PCB, on its part, has been fretting over the sudden silence from the BCCI over the last few days. If indeed the series does not take place, it would be a major setback for cricketing ties between the two countries.After expressing its reluctance in public frequently, the BCCI checked with the PCB earlier this month whether Pakistan were open to traveling to India to play a series between December and the first week of January.The PCB rejected that offer on two counts, saying it was Pakistan’s turn to host India in the UAE according to the MoU signed by both boards in 2014. The PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan also expressed surprise at the offer to play in India when there had been open protests against Pakistanis in India by the Shiv Sena, a regional political party.Despite the setback, Manohar and Shaharyar finally met in Dubai on November 21, where it was decided Pakistan would host India in Sri Lanka. Although neither of the two boards had revealed how many matches would be played, it was understood there would be three ODIs and two T20Is tentatively starting December 15.

Glamorgan have added to their seam bowling attack for the start of 2016 season by confirming a loan agreement with the Middlesex pace bowler Harry Podmore.Podmore, a graduate from the Middlesex Academy and former MCC Young Cricketer, is yet to appear in first-class cricket, but has featured for Middlesex in limited-overs cricket over the past two seasons.Glamorgan now offer him the chance to break into Championship cricket in the first six matches of the season, beginning with the visit of Leicestershire to Cardiff on April 17, as well as a fixture against Cardiff MCCU fixture the previous week.Podmore, born in Hammersmith, has impressed with his bowling at the death and picked up regular wickets with a controlled yorker becoming something of a trademark weapon.Glamorgan chief executive and director of cricket Hugh Morris said, “We have been aware of the progress Harry has made in recent seasons with Middlesex and his development work with the England fast bowling programme.”He’s a bright, young fast bowling talent who will add depth to our seam bowling department, which is an area we identified needing strengthening. Harry will spend the first 2 months of the season with us before Ruaidhri Smith and Jack Murphy return to the club at the end of May following their University commitments.”With an international calibre bowling attack at Middlesex, there’s an opportunity for him to play some first-class cricket for Glamorgan and we are thankful to Angus Fraser and Middlesex CCC for allowing us to have Harry on loan.Glamorgan also recently signed all-rounder Craig Meschede after he was allowed to leave Somerset.Podmore admitted: “The current strength of the Middlesex seam attack has made it difficult for me to break into the County Championship side, and with limited opportunities available to play red ball cricket here, this is an ideal way for me to not only gain invaluable experience in this format of the game, but also to hopefully help Glamorgan get off to a good start in their own Championship campaign.”He will rejoining Middlesex in readiness for the club’s white ball campaigns.Middlesex’s managing director of cricket, Angus Fraser, said: “Harry continues to develop nicely as a cricketer. He is ready to get his teeth into first-class cricket and, with the fast bowling resources we currently have, we do not see him starting in the 1st XI.”When not playing for Glamorgan 1st XI Harry can return to London to practice his white ball skills, as we do see him featuring in our T20 and 50 over cricket. The loan to Glamorgan to play first-class cricket in April and May will hopefully provide all three parties with what they are looking for.”

Mumbai’s Abhishek Nayar did not get a chance to impress in an unofficial one-day series against South Africa A last month, what with two of the three games washed out, but pitted against his team-mates from that series, he showed his talent.Nayar, a left-hand middle-order batsman and right-arm medium-pace bowler, walked in when his side were threatening to collapse from 164 for 4 on a good batting surface. He didn’t curb his natural instincts, instead trusting his attacking method. Neither did he let the Rest of India bowlers hit with any sort of rhythm, taking Mumbai towards a competitive total with 118 off 108 balls, including 20 fours and a six.Nayar later said that his second first-class century, coming as it did against mostly the same team, was special. “At this level, at this point of my career, this innings is important. I was in the A side, but didn’t get to play. I had got a hundred before that, and to get another now is special.”That hundred was a 162-ball 152 against Karachi Urban last month which helped seal the Mohammad Nissar Trophy for Mumbai. But Nayar rates this a lot higher “because it came at a more crucial juncture”. “At that point I wasn’t thinking about India A and all, but now I am.”What satisfied him most, though, was that the situation was tough and he still managed with his natural game. “I rate it as a good knock because of the situation. We were on the back foot and I got my team into a better position. It’s not because of the quality of the opposition, but because the situation demanded a lot out of me. That’s why it was satisfactory.”If a situation demands something, it’s not necessary to change your game. And if I get out after changing my game, I would come back unhappy that I didn’t do what I do best. I did what I do best and it worked for me.”It is not usually that a team rattles up close to 400 on the first day of a big match in Indian domestic cricket, but thanks to Nayar’s aggressive batting Mumbai managed 385 in 86 overs. The pace at which the runs were scored will prevent this game from degenerating into a first-innings affair as happens with high-scoring domestic games. Being a five-day match and given the strength of ROI’s batting and the quality of the surface, Mumbai would have wanted more, as Nayar’s fellow centurion Sahil Kukreja agreed.

After trying more than a dozen times on Wednesday Australian captain Ricky Ponting finally got the opportuntiy to apologise to BCCI chief Sharad Pawar on the phone on Thursday over the incident during the presentation of the Champions Trophy last Sunday.Peter Young, Cricket Australia spokesperson told that Pawar has now accepted Ponting’s assurance that no disrespect was intended. “It was a very amicable telephone call and the two of them decided they would take a sporting approach and move on, ” he said.”Ricky offered an apology on behalf of himself and the team and it was accepted in good spirit.” Ponting’s apology comes close on the heels of Martyn’s who, on Thursday, had said that he was sorry for any misconduct.On Friday Indian media had quoted top BCCI officials saying that Pawar had indeed spoken to Ponting, and as far as the BCCI was concerned the matter was closed.Ponting and his team-mate Damien’s Martyn’s conduct, where they were seen trying to usher Pawar off the victory podium in their eagerness to celebrate, drew ire from the Indian officials and media. Pawar, himself had called the Australians’ attitude as “totally uncivilised”.Ponting, who arrived back home on Tuesday, said there was no offence intended and he was unaware there was a problem until he saw the television footage of the incident on Thursday morning. “It doesn’t look great on television, but I think the more times you look at it, you probably realise that there’s no intent to offend anybody,” he said.”We all probably got a little bit caught up in the excitement of the moment. That’s why I think it’s so important for me to be in personal contact (with Pawar) and if there is anything lingering on, to get it sorted out as quickly as we can.”James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, admitted the episode had the potential to damage the image of the Australian team.”I think it’s definitely a concern about how this has been perceived in India,” he said. “I think everyone in Australia sees and understands that it was certainly an unfortunate incident and can perhaps understand to some extent how it may have happened.”The disrespect that people have gathered from this is obviously more heartfelt in India and that’s something that we need to accept and obviously deal with.”Sutherland said Cricket Australia chairman Creagh O’Connor had spoken to BCCI senior vice-president I.S. Bindra on Thursday to pass on Australia’s concern.Since Australia and India had recently signed an agreement where both teams would play Test and/or one-day matches against each other annually for the next four years, Sutherland felt there will be plent of opportunities for his team to make amends.”There’ll be plenty of opportunity for them to make amends and to show the Indian public what they really think about India and its people.”

Holland 56 for 3 trail Ireland 407 for 4 dec (Bray 135, Botha 97, Joyce 54, Molins 53, Gillespie 50*) by 351 runs
ScorecardIreland eased into the semi-finals of the Intercontinental Cup after their match with Holland petered out into a tame draw, with the poor weather which had washed out the first day returning to bring a premature end to a game which had long since ceased to have any meaning.Ireland’s powerful batting performance yesterday had ended any hopes Holland had of reaching the last four, and they had to be content with some gentle batting practice. Resuming at 56 for 3, they soon lost Eric Szwarczynski but then Ryan ten Doeschate (84) and Alexei Kervezee (46*) put on 115 for the fifth wicket to ensure that at least they were saved the embarrassment of having to follow on. By the time ten Doeschate was caught behind off Andre Botha, the game had meandered into insignificance, and the return of the rain was not unwelcome.Holland have suffered appallingly from the weather. Their first match at home to Scotland was washed out, and almost half of this game fell victim to the elements, making it almost impossible for them to mount any serious challenge for a semi-final berth. What was, on paper, the strongest of the four zonal groups in the tournament was reduced to a meteorological lottery.But that does not ignore the fact that Ireland rallied superbly to defeat the fancied Scots, and then clinically batted Holland out of this game knowing that a draw was all they needed to book a place in Namibia. They will face the United Arab Emirates at Windhoek in a three-day game starting on October 23.

In 1999, England hit rock-bottom in the unofficial Wisden world rankings, when they were defeated 2-1 in their home series against New Zealand. Five years and one emphatic 3-0 avenging later, however, they have risen to second on the ICC Test Championship table, which has been given its annual update, with all matches played prior to August 2001 removed from the reckoning.Their form in one-day cricket may leave something to be desired, but in Tests England have been unstoppable since the start of the year, cruising to six wins in seven matches against West Indies and New Zealand. Although their rating of 107 has not changed since the removal of the results for the 2000-01 season, South Africa’s has dipped from 112 to 106.The news is a major boost for England ahead of their return series against West Indies, which starts at Lord’s on Thursday, although it may yet be a temporary change. South Africa has never before fallen out of the top two in the official table, and they have a swift opportunity to rectify that when they tour Sri Lanka in August. A 2-0 series win will enable them to climb back up to 110 points.England must hope that vertigo does not set in now that they are riding so high. They need to beat West Indies by at least two clear Tests (3-1 or 2-0) to maintain their current rating , while a repeat of the recent 3-0 win in the Caribbean would lift the rating to 108. A drawn series would result in a rating of 103, and England would drop out of the top three.India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have also improved their ratings as a result of the update, although perversely, the year’s biggest achievers, India, have earned the smallest rise of the three, because their famous home series win against Australia in March 2001 now falls outside the rating period.As a result, India have slipped from fourth to fifth on the official table, although they will soon have an opportunity to put this right when they lock horns again with Australia in October. If India win this eagerly awaited series, they will jump straight into second place, and a repeat of their 2-1 win would give them a rating of 111.Although Pakistan was beaten 2-1 by India in a three-Test series earlier this year, these are the only two matches they have lost in the last 12 months. Their rating has also been helped by the fact that matches played in the 2000-01 period no longer count towards the standings. This was a year in which Pakistan lost at home to England and then drew in New Zealand and England.Australia, of course, remain well clear at the top of the table. The update has improved their rating by two points to 129 and their lead at the top has extended to 22 points. The updated ratings have been announced today because there are no further Test series to be completed before the end of July.