Tue 15 May 2007

Cricket news
Slightly arbitrarily, we've decreed that a chasing side should get the bonus point if they win with 15% of their Duckworth-Lewis resource remaining. For a 50-over match, the targets depend on the number of wickets lost, as follows:
0 wickets - 26 balls
1 wicket - 26 balls
2 wickets - 27 balls
3 wickets - 27 balls
4 wickets - 28 balls
5 wickets - 29 balls
6 wickets - 31 balls
7 wickets - 41 balls
8 wickets - cannot be done
9 wickets - cannot be done
These figures will change if there's a D-L adjusted target, or the match is of fewer than 50 overs.
We've been thinking again about the most ludicrously complex method of running a world cup, yet getting it complete in less time than it takes an elephant to have a baby. The idea of organising the entire tournament as a Double San Marino football playoff appeals.
Tier 4 (qualifiers from ICC) play off against Tier 3 (Ken, Zim, Ireland, Ban as worst ranked side). Winners play against Tier 2 (Ind, Pak, Eng, WI). Winners then play against tier 1, which produces four undefeated teams to reduce to one in the normal manner.
Losers of the first two rounds of matches play off, winners meet the losers from the third round, winners then reduce from four to 2 to meet the defeated round-of-4 sides. Another match provides a single winner to play against the loser of the mini-final. Winner there meets the winner of the mini-final to determine the winner. At any stage, a second defeat sends a side home.
The contest would thus reduce to 30 matches, all of them important in some way, and could certainly be completed in a month or so. The downside, of course, is that the only people able to understand it would be the organisers. And Peter Snow.
10 May, Dhaka. India wins by 5 wickets with 6 balls remaining (DL: 3.6%). Bangladesh 250/7 (47/47 ov); India 251/5 (46/47 ov). India 5, Bangladesh 1.
12 May, Dhaka. India won by 46 runs (19%). India 284/8 (49/49 ov); Bangladesh 238/9 (49/49 ov). India 5, Bangladesh 1.
15 May, Chittagong. Match abandoned without a ball bowled.
AUS 1285 119.7
SL 1151 113.4
NZ 1057 121.5
SA 989 123.9
IND 943 157.2
ENG 939 128.2
PAK 921 179.9
WI 910 121.4
BAN 860 122.9
linkpage
Thu 24 May 2007

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka
A three-match series on the neutral territory of Abu Dhabi, between a side that did very well at the recent World Cup and a side that didn't last after the clocks went forward.
18 May 2007 - Pakistan won by 5 wickets (with 48 balls remaining)
Sri Lanka 235/9 (50 ov); Pakistan 239/5 (42 ov). SL 0 Pak 6
20 May - Pakistan won by 98 runs
Pakistan 313/9 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 215 (39.5 ov). SL 0 Pak 6
22 May - Sri Lanka won by 115 runs
Sri Lanka 296/9 (50 ov); Pakistan 181 (42.5 ov). SL 5½ Pak ½
The rest clearly did Pakistan some good, as they win the series in two matches. They rise from sixth to fourth in the table:
AUS 1285 119.7
SL 1121 115.2
NZ 1057 121.5
PAK 996 172.2
SA 989 123.9
IND 943 157.2
ENG 939 128.2
WI 910 121.4
BAN 860 122.9
Next: India -v- South Africa at Belfast, 26 June - 1 July
England -v- West Indies, 1 - 7 July
England -v- India, 21 August - 8 September
linkpage
Sun 24 Jun 2007

A Testing time
Working out a formula to bring Test matches within the scope of Glickoblog-cricket is difficult. First, we've got to work out how much more important a Test success is against a one-day win. Our naive estimate is that it's roughly, but not quite, twice as important. We propose to make it 1.8 times as rewarding.
The basic concept is similar to the existing one-day formula: a tied match splits 9:9, an innings victory scoops all 18 points.
Victory by wickets
Where victories are taken by the side batting last, they're given by the number of wickets remaining. Award points as follows:
Win by 10 wickets - 17 points
9 or 8 wickets - 16 points
7w - 15p
6w - 14p
5w - 13p
4w or 3w - 12p
2w or 1w - 11p
Victory by runs
Where victories are made by the side bowling last, the margin is runs. Calculate the margin of victory as a percentage of the total score of the losing side, as follows:
>50% - 17p
35-50% - 16p
20-35% - 15p
15-20% - 14p
10-15% - 13p
5-10% - 12p
<=5% - 11p
In the rare event that the side batting last scores fewer runs in their two innings than the other side made in their first innings, treat as an Innings Victory. For instance, India 295 and 150; Bangladesh 100 and 100 is officially a win for India by 245 runs; we treat it as an innings.
Draws
So far, so simple. Drawn matches present a problem - how do we come up with a simple method of adjudicating draws? We need to scale up the incomplete innings to completion, factor in any unstarted innings, and then adjudicate upon the result.
Now, we're not aware of any research that says on average, when a side loses its second wicket, it will go on to increase its score by %%so much%%. In the absence of such research, we reach for the Duckworth-Lewis tables, read across the very top line - resource remaining with all overs left - double it, and add on the runs scored already:
Wickets lost - scale factor
0 - 300%
1 - 286.8%
2 - 270.2%
3 - 249.8%
4 - 225.5%
5 - 198.0%
6 - 169.8%
7 - 144.0%
8 - 123.8%
9 - 109.4%
So, for instance, if the match ends with the final side on 100/6, we estimate that they will have increase their score to 169.8% of the current total, and finish on 170 all out.
That's fine for matches where the fourth innings begins; where it doesn't, we assume that the side batting last will have done so at the same rate-per-over as they did in their first innings, and will bat for the same number of overs as the presumptive duration of the third innings. For instance: Aus 400 and 100/6 (35 overs); NZ 300 (100 overs). We scale up the Australian second innings to 170, and award the New Zealand side (runs/overs)*opp_overs*scale = (300/100)*35*1.698 = 178.
(Sidebar) It has been observed that test match wickets are lost at the approximate rate of one every 15 overs, and that the run-rate per over decreases approximately linearly with the number of wickets lost. In a study of one-day cricket, and ignoring the term relating to balls remaining, Carter and Guthrie implicitly propose a run-per-ball rate of 0.85-0.1028w where w wickets have fallen. If implemented, and assuming that wickets are lost exactly every 90 balls, this gives flat rates as follows:
Wickets lost - Additional runs
0 - 355
1 - 279
2 - 212
3 - 154
4 - 105
5 - 65
6 - 35
7 - 14
8 - 3
9 - 0
This does not appear to tally with the evidence, particularly with three or four wickets lost. It is entirely possible that a better model can be produced.
Back with the main thread, where we have estimated total scores for the sides. Now work out the margin of victory (in runs), divided into the winner's score - we use the winner, rather than the loser, because we're less certain about the result than before, and want to introduce a larger margin of error. Award points as follows:
Margin - points
<=5% - 9
5-15% - 10
15-25% - 11
25-40% - 12
40-75% - 13
>75% - 14
Where the second innings is incomplete, but has lasted at least 50 overs, scale that up and adjudicate on a single-innings match, for a maximum of 13 points. Where the second innings is incomplete and has not lasted 50 overs, declare a No Result, and award no points.
A side securing a draw is guaranteed 4 points; generally, the leader will receive a couple of points fewer than they would have done if the match had concluded.
Some recent worked examples:
Bangladesh -v- India, 18-22 May: IND 387 and 100/6d, BAN 238 and 104/2. Match drawn.
Computed totals: IND 487, BAN 238+104*2.702 = 238+281 = 519.
Margin of victory: (519-487) = 32 runs, 6.2% of BAN score.
Result: Bangladesh 10, India 8
In this Test, just over two days were lost to rain and bad light. Bangladesh had been set a total of 250 to win in 20 overs, and clearly held the upper hand in the chase. Would they have reached it? It's difficult to say; we reckon they would have more likely won than not.
Bangladesh -v- India, 25-27 May: IND 610, BAN 118 and 253.
Margin of victory: Innings.
Result: India 18, Bangladesh 0.
Series result: India 26, Bangladesh 10.
For the purposes of Glickoblog expected results (0 a comprehensive ODI loss, 1 a comprehensive ODI win), work out the ratio of points per game, then work out the signed difference between the side's result and expectation, and multiply by 1.8. India's result in this series was 26/36 = 0.72; its expectation was 0.61, so the side is credited with a win by 0.22; this translates to 23 points. Bangladesh is punished for its poor performance in the second test, and loses 15 points.
England -v- West Indies, 17-21 May: ENG 553/5d and 284/8d; WI 437 and 89/0.
Computed totals: ENG 837, WI 437+89*3 = 437+267 = 704.
Margin of victory: (837-704) = 133 runs, 15.8% of ENG score.
Result: England 11, West Indies 7.
Slightly more than a day was lost to rain in this match, mostly on the final day; England had set the West Indies a near-impossible 401 to win.
25-28 May: ENG 570/7d; WI 146 and 141.
Margin of victory: Innings.
Result: England 18, West Indies 0.
7-11 June: ENG 370 and 313; WI 229 and 394.
Margin of victory: 60 runs, 9.6% of loser's score.
Result: England 12, West Indies 6.
15-19 June: WI 287 and 222; ENG 400 and 111/3.
Margin of victory: 7 wickets.
Result: England 15, West Indies 3.
Series result: England 56, West Indies 16.
The expected score was England 43, West Indies 29, so England advances by a good margin.
Adding in these two series results gives:
AUS 1285 119.7
BAN 845 117.4
ENG 977 129.3
IND 966 145.4
NZ 1057 121.5
PAK 996 172.2
SA 989 123.9
SL 1121 115.2
WI 875 124.1
For 20/20 matches, we propose awarding 2 points to the winner, 0 to the loser, 1 each for a tie, regardless of the margin; each match will (effectively) count as slightly less than half a full ODI.
Coming up before the end of August:
25 Jun - 15 Jul – Sri Lanka v Bangladesh (3 tests) Expected result: SL 39, Ban 9 - three crushing victories
26 Jun - 1 Jul – India v South Africa (3 ODI) Expected result: Ind 8½, SA 9½ - a slight edge to SA
28-29 Jun – England v West Indies (2 20-20) Expected result: Eng 2.5, WI 1.5.
1-7 Jul – England v West Indies (3 ODI) Expected result, approximate figure: Eng 12, WI 6 - almost exactly a 2-1 series win.
19 Jul - 13 Aug – England v India (3 Tests)
20-24 Jul – Sri Lanka v Bangladesh (3 ODI)
21 Aug - 8 Sep – England v India (7 ODI)
linkpage
Wed 27 Jun 2007

Cric in the neck
A regular correspondent asks,
do you think there is validity in the miscibility of Test, ODI and XX20 results, even with appropriate weighting? Other ratings sytems maintain separate orderings for (at least two of) the different forms, and there is some degree of difference between the two.
The validity in the mixing of these systems is precisely the point of the experiment. It will take at least five years to complete, as we really need a complete round-robin rather than the mish-mash of loosely connected points we'll have by next February.
The point about maintaining separate lists has validity, and is reasonably easy to implement. Which brings us to:
Overall rankings
AUS 1285 119.7
SL 1121 115.2
NZ 1057 121.5
PAK 996 172.2
SA 989 123.9
ENG 977 129.3
IND 966 145.4
WI 875 124.1
BAN 845 117.4
Test matches
ENG 1045 180.9
IND 1029 180.9
AUS 1000 200
NZ 1000 200
PAK 1000 200
SA 1000 200
SL 1000 200
BAN 971 180.9
WI 955 180.9
One-day internationals
AUS 1285 119.7
SL 1121 115.2
NZ 1057 121.5
PAK 996 172.2
SA 989 123.9
IND 943 157.2
ENG 939 128.2
WI 910 121.4
BAN 860 122.9
Twenty-20 internationals
AUS 1000 200
BAN 1000 200
ENG 1000 200
IND 1000 200
NZ 1000 200
PAK 1000 200
SA 1000 200
SL 1000 200
WI 1000 200
Do we scent an England supporter wanting their team to be top of the rankings, at least for a few months?
Not convinced that treating second-innings scores of, e.g., 209 all out and 209/2 declared in the same way is correct. I suppose that the two are identical in terms of the objective of winning that one particular cricket match and teams who are planning to declare can really start to slog and not worry about how many wickets they lose, but it still seems like a poor reward for batting wicket economy.
The aim of a third-innings declaration is surely to force a positive result; a captain shouldn't declare when there is a reasonable chance his side might lose, and should leave his bowlers long enough to bowl the other side out. Checking back through Tests played since summer 2005, I've not been able to find any drawn test following a third-innings declaration that wouldn't score at least 8 points on this metric. I'll stick with this rule for the moment, but will keep an eye on it.
There is work to be done, particularly where the fourth innings is short - for instance, a side makes it to 7/0 on the fourth day, but the fifth is a wash-out - current rules credit them with just 21 runs. I need to work out a further rule assuming that the side batting fourth would be batting for a reasonable length - perhaps half the average innings length so far, multiplied by the run-rate from first and second innings combined, multiplied by the wicket-loss factor from the original Duckworth-Lewis tables.
linkpage
Tue 17 Jul 2007

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. There's only one winner.
Recent cricket results.
- 25 June, Test: Sri Lanka 577-6, Bangladesh 89 & 254. SL beat BAN by an innings and 234 runs.
3 July, Test: Sri Lanka 451-6, Bangladesh 62 & 299. SL beat BAN by an innings and 90 runs.
11 July, Test: Sri Lanka 500-4, Bangladesh 131 & 176. SL beat BAN by an innings and 193 runs.
Series: Sri Lanka 54, Bangladesh 0.
- 26 June, ODI: India 242-8, South Africa 245-6. South Africa beat India by 4 wickets with 3 balls in hand.
28 June, ODI: India 227-4, South Africa 226-6. India beat South Africa by 6 wickets with 5 balls in hand.
1 July, ODI: India 152-4, South Africa 148-7. India beat South Africa by 6 wickets with 4 balls in hand. Match reduced to 32 overs (78.3% of total.)
Series: India 11, South Africa 7.
- 28 June, 20/20: England 193-7, West Indies 208-8. WI win by 15 runs.
29 June, 20/20: England 173-5, West Indies 169-7. Eng win by 5 wickets with 3 balls in hand.
Series: England 2, WI 2.
- 1 July, ODI: England 225, WI 146. England beat West Indies by 79 runs.
4 July, ODI: England 217, WI 278-5. West Indies beat England by 61 runs.
7 July, ODIL England 196, WI 289-5. West Indies beat England by 93 runs.
Series: WI 12, England 6.
The rankings
Overall
AUS 1285 119.7
SL 1147 121.5
NZ 1057 121.5
PAK 996 172.2
IND 981 139.1
SA 977 126.2
ENG 949 121.1
WI 900 117.5
BAN 881 123.3
Test
SL 1137 181.4
ENG 1045 180.9
IND 1029 180.9
AUS 1000 200
NZ 1000 200
PAK 1000 200
SA 1000 200
WI 955 180.9
BAN 856 168.4
One-day
AUS 1285 119.7
SL 1121 115.2
NZ 1057 121.5
PAK 996 172.2
SA 975 126.2
IND 963 148
WI 928 128.1
ENG 920 133.1
BAN 860 122.9
20/20
AUS 1000 200
BAN 1000 200
ENG 1000 177.8
IND 1000 200
NZ 1000 200
PAK 1000 200
SA 1000 200
SL 1000 200
WI 1000 177.8
England now goes on to meet India. England has benefitted from playing a weak West Indies side, while India's success has come from beating up Bangladesh. Four Tests and seven one-dayers in the battle of the playground bullies. The overall figures suggest India will shade the series by about 39-33. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will bat out three one-day matches next week, we're predicting another big win for SL, 15½-2½
linkpage
Sat 18 Aug 2007

Cricket news
For the past little while, we've been pondering how to scale up incomplete innings. We reckon that the fairest way to resolve short fourth innings is to take the maximum of the flat rate and scaled rate proposed in the original article. A side ending on 15/1 after four overs will increase by the flat rate to 294; an established innings of 400/7 will use the scaled rate, and progress to 574.
ODI series, Sri Lanka in Bangladesh
1st ODI: Sri Lanka 234/6 (50 ov); Bangladesh 164 (40.3 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 70 runs (6-0)
2nd ODI: Bangladesh 137 (46.5 ov); Sri Lanka 141/5 (31.1 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets with 113 balls remaining (6-0)
3rd ODI: Sri Lanka 196 (39.5/40 ov); Bangladesh 157 (37.1/40 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 39 runs (5½-½)
Final score: Sri Lanka 17½, Bangladesh ½.
Test series, India in England
1st Test: England 298 and 282; India 201 and 282/9. Match drawn.
Projected scores: England 580, India 509.508. England margin 70.492, 12.15%. (England 10, India 8)
2nd Test: England 198 and 355; India 481 and 73/3.
India won by 7 wickets. (15-3)
3rd Test: India 664 and 180/6d; England 345 and 369/6
Projected scores: India 844, England 626.562. India margin 217.438, 25.76%. (India 12, England 6)
Final score: India 35, England 19
New tables
OVERALL
AUS 1285 119.7
SL 1156 118.4
NZ 1057 121.5
PAK 996 172.2
IND 992 137.5
SA 977 126.2
ENG 935 119.9
WI 900 117.5
BAN 809 120.1
TEST
SL 1137 181.4
IND 1072 170.3
ENG 1002 170.3
AUS 1000 200
NZ 1000 200
PAK 1000 200
SA 1000 200
WI 955 180.9
BAN 856 168.4
ONE-DAY
AUS 1285 119.7
SL 1134 121.3
NZ 1057 121.5
PAK 996 172.2
SA 975 126.2
IND 963 148
WI 928 128.1
ENG 920 133.1
BAN 845 127.7
linkpage
Wed 12 Sep 2007

Twenty-20, or 4-3
The seven-game one-day series between England and India finally reached a conclusion on Saturday. It had been running for almost three weeks, which strikes us as a bit long. Here are the classified results.
21 August, Southampton
England 288/2 (50 ov); India 184 (50 ov)
England won by 104 runs. 6-0.
24 Aug, Bristol.
India 329/7 (50 ov); England 320/8 (50 ov)
India won by 9 runs. 5-1.
27 Aug, Birmingham.
England 281/8 (50 ov); India 239 (48.1 ov)
England won by 42 runs. 5-1.
30 Aug, Manchester.
India 212 (49.4 ov); England 213/7 (48 ov)
England won by 3 wickets with 12 balls remaining. 5-1.
2 Sep, Leeds.
India 324/6 (50 ov); England 242/8 (39/39 ov)
India won by 38 runs (D/L method). 5-1
5 Sep, The Oval.
England 316/6 (50 ov); India 317/8 (49.4 ov)
India won by 2 wickets (with 2 balls remaining). 5-1.
8 Sep, Lord's - Sep 8, 2007
India 187 (47.3 ov); England 188/3 (36.2 ov)
England won by 7 wickets with 82 balls remaining. 6-0.
Final score: England 25, India 17.
There's also a 20-20 World Cup under way. We don't count the warm-up matches, as these were (at least nominally) friendly games. Quite how anything between Australia and New Zealand can be called friendly is beyond us. There was also one proper warm-up tournament, giving this classified result:
20/20 Quadrangular (also involving Kenya and Uganda)
2 Sep, Nairobi.
Pakistan 191/7 (20/20 ov); Bangladesh 161/7 (20/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 30 runs. 2-0.
Bangladesh finished second, but the surprise was that Uganda beat Kenya to finish third.
The tables
Overall
AUS 1285 119.7 5
SL 1156 118.4 2
NZ 1057 121.5 5
PAK 1015 170.4 0
SA 977 126.2 3
IND 976 132.9 0
ENG 948 118.9 0
WI 900 117.5 2
BAN 799 124.9 0
Test
SL 1137 181.4 2
IND 1072 170.3 1
ENG 1002 170.3 1
AUS 1000 200.0 3
NZ 1000 200.0 3
PAK 1000 200.0 3
SA 1000 200.0 3
WI 955 180.9 3
BAN 856 168.4 2
ODI
AUS 1285 119.7 5
SL 1134 121.3 2
NZ 1057 121.5 5
PAK 996 172.2 4
SA 975 126.2 3
IND 946 147.8 0
ENG 934 133.7 0
WI 928 128.1 2
BAN 845 127.7 2
20/20
PAK 1038 187.0 0
AUS 1000 200.0 3
ENG 1000 177.8 3
IND 1000 200.0 3
NZ 1000 200.0 3
SA 1000 200.0 3
SL 1000 200.0 3
WI 1000 177.8 3
BAN 962 187.0 0
linkpage
Sun 16 Sep 2007

20-20 World Championships
Results from the first phase of the 20-20 Cup:
West Indies 205/6 (20/20 ov); South Africa 208/2 (17.4/20 ov)
South Africa won by 8 wickets (with 14 balls remaining)
West Indies 164/8 (20/20 ov); Bangladesh 165/4 (18/20 ov)
Bangladesh won by 6 wickets (with 12 balls remaining)
Bangladesh 144 (19.3/20 ov); South Africa 146/3 (18.5/20 ov)
South Africa won by 7 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)
England 135 (20/20 ov); Australia 136/2 (14.5/20 ov)
Australia won by 8 wickets (with 31 balls remaining)
India 141/9 (20/20 ov); Pakistan 141/7 (20/20 ov)
Match tied
New Zealand 164/7 (20/20 ov); Sri Lanka 168/3 (18.5/20 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)
West Indies failed to qualify for the second phase. All three matches in their group are treated as happening simultaneously.
20-20 Standings
AUS 1038 185.8
SL 1038 187.0
PAK 1035 170.7
SA 1034 163.9
IND 1004 185.9
ENG 968 171.4
NZ 962 187.0
WI 962 153.6
BAN 962 152.9
Overall standings
AUS 1292 138.6
SL 1169 122.2
NZ 1041 135.8
PAK 1012 155.4
SA 1002 124.5
IND 983 126.0
ENG 943 116.1
WI 864 114.9
BAN 813 113.6
The second phase has begun already, and continues until Thursday.
linkpage
Wed 26 Sep 2007

Cricket news
The remaining stages of the 20/20 World Cup have taken place.
Group A
New Zealand 190 (20/20 ov); India 180/9 (20/20 ov)
New Zealand won by 10 runs
South Africa 154/8 (20/20 ov); England 135/7 (20/20 ov)
South Africa won by 19 runs
New Zealand 164/9 (20/20 ov); England 159/8 (20/20 ov)
New Zealand won by 5 runs
New Zealand 153/8 (20/20 ov); South Africa 158/4 (19.1/20 ov)
South Africa won by 6 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
India 218/4 (20/20 ov); England 200/6 (20/20 ov)
India won by 18 runs
India 153/5 (20/20 ov); South Africa 116/9 (20/20 ov)
India won by 37 runs
Group B
Bangladesh 123/8 (20/20 ov); Australia 124/1 (13.5/20 ov)
Australia won by 9 wickets (with 37 balls remaining)
Pakistan 189/6 (20/20 ov); Sri Lanka 156/9 (20/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 33 runs
Australia 164/7 (20/20 ov); Pakistan 165/4 (19.1/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 6 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
Sri Lanka 147/5 (20/20 ov); Bangladesh 83 (15.5/20 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 64 runs
Sri Lanka 101 (19.3/20 ov); Australia 102/0 (10.2/20 ov)
Australia won by 10 wickets (with 58 balls remaining)
Bangladesh 140 (19.4/20 ov); Pakistan 141/6 (19/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 4 wickets (with 6 balls remaining)
Semi-finals
New Zealand 143/8 (20/20 ov); Pakistan 147/4 (18.5/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 6 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)
India 188/5 (20/20 ov); Australia 173/7 (20/20 ov)
India won by 15 runs
Final
India 157/5 (20/20 ov); Pakistan 152 (19.3/20 ov)
India won by 5 runs
India, therefore, crowned the champions, defeating Pakistan in a tense final. Australia and New Zealand share third place, South Africa was unfortunate enough to go out on net run-rate, Sri Lanka won a game, and the 2009 hosts England did no better than Bangladesh.
The 20-20 Standings
PAK 1100 125.5
IND 1086 124.1
AUS 1054 138.6
SL 1048 149.3
SA 1026 129.2
NZ 965 132.6
WI 962 153.6
BAN 941 131.7
ENG 939 133
What's unusual about this table? That's right, Australia isn't first! What's not unusual about this table? England and Bangladesh are bottom. Yep, just four and a quarter years since England invented 20/20 cricket, the country is amongst the worst in the world at it. Even by English standards, that's a fast decline.
Overall
AUS 1248 119.5
SL 1140 109.6
PAK 1064 116.9
IND 1052 101
NZ 1032 109
SA 1012 106.7
ENG 915 101.5
WI 864 114.9
BAN 792 106.7
Pakistan and India the major gainers here, advancing to third and fourth. Is this beginning to look like a reasonable ladder of cricket countries yet?
The winter fixture list
With the calendar turning to October, the fixture list begins to heat up. Coming up next month:
* India -v- Australia (7 x ODI, 1 x 20-20)
* Pakistan -v- South Africa (2 x Test, 5 x ODI)
* Sri Lanka -v- England (5 x ODI; 3 x Tests in Dec)
Later this winter:
* South Africa -v- New Zealand (2 x Test, 5 x ODI)
* Australia -v- Sri Lanka (2 x Test)
* India -v- Pakistan (3 x Test, 5 x ODI)
* Australia -v- New Zealand (3 x ODI)
* South Africa -v- West Indies (4 x Test, 5 x ODI)
* New Zealand -v- Bangladesh
* Australia -v- India (4 x Tests)
* New Zealand -v- England (3 x Test, 5 x ODI)
* Pakistan -v- Australia (3 x Test, 5 x ODI)
* Bangladesh -v- South Africa (2 x Test)
* Bangladesh -v- India (3 x ODI)
* India -v- South Africa (3 x Test)
* West Indies -v- Sri Lanka (3 x Test, 5 x ODI)
* West Indies -v- Australia (4 x Test, 5 x ODI)
* Aus / Ind / SL ODI tournament
* Ban / Ind / SA ODI tournament
* Asia Cup
linkpage
Wed 31 Oct 2007

October's cricket news
Tests: South Africa won 1:0 in Pakistan
1st Test: South Africa won by 160 runs
South Africa 450 and 264/7d; Pakistan 291 and 263
Winning margin: 22.4% of loser's score.
SA 15-3 Pak
2nd Test: Match drawn
South Africa 357 and 305/4d; Pakistan 206 and 316/4
Computed scores: SA 662 Pak 918
Leading margin: 256, 27.9% of leader's score.
SA 6-12 Pak
Overall: SA beat Pakistan 21:15
One-day: Australia won 4:2 in India
1st ODI: No result
2nd ODI: Australia won by 84 runs (6-0)
3rd ODI: Australia won by 47 runs (6-0)
4th ODI: India won by 8 runs (1-5)
5th ODI: Australia won by 9 wickets (6-0)
6th ODI: Australia won by 18 runs (5-1)
7th ODI: India won by 2 wickets (1½-4½)
Overall: Australia beat India 25½-10½
20/20: India beat Australia
Australia 166/5 (20/20 ov); India 167/3 (18.1/20 ov)
Overall: India beat Australia 2:0
One-day: England won 3:2 in Sri Lanka
1st ODI: Sri Lanka won by 119 runs (0-6)
2nd ODI: England won by 65 runs (6-0)
3rd ODI: England won by 2 wickets (D/L) (5-1)
4th ODI: England won by 5 wickets / 19 balls (5-1)
5th ODI: Sri Lanka won by 107 runs (½-5½)
Overall: England beat Sri Lanka 16½-13½
One-day: South Africa won 3:2 in Pakistan
1st ODI: South Africa won by 45 runs (6-0)
2nd ODI: Pakistan won by 25 runs (1-5)
3rd ODI: Pakistan won by 6 wickets, 11 balls (1-5)
4th ODI: South Africa won by 7 wickets, 74 balls (6-0)
5th ODI: South Africa won by 14 runs (5-1)
Overall: South Africa beat Pakistan 19-11
Overall rankings
AUS 1221 114.9
SL 1118 111.4
IND 1072 100.8
SA 1038 103.4
PAK 1034 110.7
NZ 1032 109
ENG 934 104.4
WI 864 114.9
BAN 792 106.7
Australia lost points in spite of winning the ODI series; India moved further ahead with the 20/20. South Africa head Pakistan after winning in tests and one-dayers. England's win: a surprise.
Test rankings
SL 1137 181.4
SA 1026 189.2
IND 1072 170.3
ENG 1002 170.3
AUS 1000 200
NZ 1000 200
PAK 974 189.2
WI 955 180.9
BAN 856 168.4
South Africa and Pakistan open their accounts.
One-day rankings
AUS 1270 142.6
SL 1108 129.7
NZ 1057 121.5
SA 990 136.3
PAK 972 169.8
IND 962 146.4
ENG 961 131.7
WI 928 128.1
BAN 845 127.7
Just three sides above the 1000 level now that Pakistan has been dragged down. The gulf between the teams after they've played - still a full RD between - shows the value of England's win in Sri Lanka.
Twenty-20 rankings
IND 1102 122.3
PAK 1100 125.5
SL 1048 149.3
AUS 1034 133.7
SA 1026 129.2
NZ 965 132.6
WI 962 153.6
BAN 941 131.7
ENG 939 133
India's victory over Australia confirms their status as best in the world.
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