Shehzad fined for pushing Dilshan
Dubai: Pakistani opener Ahmed Shehzad has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee for pushing Sri lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan during the third one-day game, the sport’s governing body said on Monday. Pakistan beat Sri lanka by 113 runs on Sunday to go 2-1 up in the five-match series, with the last two games in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Friday. The ICC said Shehzad pleaded guilty to the offence. “The opener was found to have breached Article 2.2.4 of the ICC code of conduct for players and player support personnel, which relates to ‘inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between Players in the course of play during an international match’,” said a ICC statement. The charge had been laid by the on-field umpires Johan Cloete of South Africa and Pakistan’s Shozab Raza, as well as third umpire Richard Illingworth from England and fourth umpire Ahsan Raza of Pakistan. The incident happened at the end of the 19th over when Shehzad got involved in a debate with Dilshan, which ended with the former pushing the Sri lanka opener’s shoulder.
Jayawardene back for Pak series
Karachi: Colombo: Former captain Mahela Jayawardene has returned to Sri lanka’s squad for the three-Test series against Pakistan starting in the United Arab Emirates later this month, the cricket board said on Monday. Jayawardene, who opted out of the ongoing limited-overs series for personal reasons, was named in the 16-man squad led by all-rounder Angelo Mathews, Sri lanka Cricket said in a statement. Vishwa Fernando, a 22-year-old left-arm seamer, is the new face in the squad. He has claimed 37 wickets in 15 first-class matches. All-rounder Dilruwan Perera, who has yet to play Test cricket after seven limited-overs appearances, was also picked by the selectors ahead of unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis. The first Test starts in Abu Dhabi on December 31. The second will be played in Dubai from January 8 to 12 and the third in Sharjah from January 16 to 20. Test squad: Angelo Mathews (capt), Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, lahiru Thirimanne, Mahela Jayawardene, Prasanna Jayawardene, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Vishwa Fernando, Sachithra Senananyake, Nuwan Pradeep, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera.
Virat gets career-best ranking
Dubai: Star Indian batsman Virat Kohli jumped nine places to achieve his career-best 11th spot in the latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen issued on Monday. Kohli, who stroked 119 and 96 in the two innings in the first Test against South Africa, was the second highest-ranked Indian after Cheteshwar Pujara, another centurion in the same match in Johannesburg, who remained on seventh spot after earning 37 rating points. South African A B de Villiers, one of the two South African centurions to help draw the Johannesburg Test, leads the rankings. He leads compatriot and second-ranked Hashim Amla by 25 ratings points. Meanwhile, South Africa fast bowler Vernon Philander has achieved the coveted number-one ranking on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers after a stellar performance against India in the drawn Johannesburg Test. Philander has dislodged team-mate Dale Steyn, who had been at the top of table since July 2009 when he went past Sri lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan. Overall, Steyn spent 186 matches at the number-one position, the second-most ever after Muralitharan.
PNS/Agencies