Styris joins Foxes for T20 Blast

Leicestershire Foxes have signed Scott Styris, the vastly experienced New Zealand allrounder, as their second overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast.

The move for Styris has been agreed but is subject to visa approval. Leicestershire have described the securing of a deal with Styris, who has enjoyed IPL stints with Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers, as "a massive coup" as they plan for their opening home game against Derbyshire on May 16.

Styris, unsold in the 2014 IPL auction but a finalist in two of the last four years in English T20, hit the headlines in 2012 when striking a world record 38 runs in an over for Sussex against Gloucestershire in the quarterfinal of the English domestic competition. His unbeaten century off 37 deliveries was the joint third fastest of all time.

He is closing in on 4,000 career runs in the T20 format and has a strike rate of 134.92 from 170 innings. Although now an elder statesman, he also offers a decent medium pace option and has picked up 113 wickets at an impressive economy rate of under 7.5 an over.

"I'm excited to sign for Leicestershire Foxes for the NatWest T20 Blast this season," he said. "Having played in two finals days in the last four years, I feel I have unfinished business in English T20 cricket and want to play a key role for a successful Foxes campaign. I love playing in England and I hope to add value with my skills and knowledge of the T20 game."

Leicestershire's director of cricket Phil Whitticase said: "I'm really pleased that we've managed to get a high-profile player like Scott as our second overseas player. His record is second-to-none and I'm looking forward to him playing a key role in our side. Scott has vast experience and knowledge."

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South Africa's stocks rise with Miller, Duminy

The circumstances in which the pair have scored their fifties bodes well not only for their franchises but for South Africa as well

South Africa's batsmen have often borne the blame for the ICC tournament failings, usually as a collective. Sometimes it is a simple case of them not putting on enough on the board (think Champions Trophy semi-final 2013); other times there are criticisms over the way they were composed, which dominated the aftermath of this year's World T20. An aspect there has always been consensus on is that, individually, the people picked to represent South Africa are of fine fettle, and one need not look further than a foreign-based T20 league for proof of that.

Keep in mind that the quality of bowling is inferior to what it would be at the international level, the boundaries could be smaller and the conditions different but it is still difficult not to notice the performances of JP Duminy and David Miller, in particular, and the circumstances in which they have scored their runs.

Duminy has blossomed in the shortest format since making a return from a snapped Achilles' tendon, sustained on South Africa's 2013 tour to Australia, last June. In 13 T20s between August 2013 and April this year , he scored 390 runs, averaged 55.71 (compared with 37.27 overall) and scored three half-centuries. Add to that the seven wickets he has taken and it is hardly a surprise South Africa's coach Russell Domingo calls him "our best T20 player at the moment," and Gary Kirsten wanted him in his Delhi Daredevils side.

His two fifties have come at opportune times for the team, rescuing them from 17 for 3 in their first match, which they lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore, and then helping them chase 167 against Kolkata Knight Riders in the second game.

Miller's role in Kings XI Punjab's successes was less expected and more notable because of the context in which it happened. Miller has been batting at No.5, higher than he would be at international cricket but in the same position he plays at for his domestic franchise, the Dolphins. In that spot, Miller has the perfect mix of time to settle in but not too much time so he still experiences the pressure associated with being tasked with accelerating the innings.

In the first match, Miller was at the crease in the sixth over and batted through the innings as Kings XI chased a massive 206. In the second game, Miller was playing more of the role he has been earmarked for with South Africa - finishing. He was called upon in the 14th over with Kings XI needing 66 off 37 balls and he was asked to take them over the line.

With 51 off 19 balls, Miller was at his blazing best and performed in a way he has often promised to at national level but has yet to actually do. Miller has not yet scored a fifty for South Africa in a T20 but he has also not had the right mix of opportunity and circumstance to do so.

Perhaps he has also not had the support. Glenn Maxwell has overshadowed Miller, and everyone else, in the bigger picture and he has provided the spark which has produced enough light for Miller to shine too.

The tournament is still in its early stages and all of this could become little more than a footnote once the competition is over. But the early signs are that South African stocks are rising and the resources they have at their disposal, especially Miller, when properly used, are an asset. And that's before even mentioning Jacques Kallis.

Although he is no longer available to play international T20s, Kallis wants to get as much game time in limited-overs' formats as possible before the 2015 World Cup, which he still has ambitions to play in. After scoring a half-century in Knight Riders' opener, Kallis has not crossed that mark again but he has done more than his fair share of bowling to prove his match fitness and commitment, which he will hope will earn him that World Cup spot.

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Failing openers, and flourishing quicks

The UAE leg of the IPL is done, with each team having played five matches. Fortunes of the teams have varied, with one team having won all five games and another hurtling towards the wooden spoon after having lost all five. Here is a look at some of the stand-out numbers from the 20 matches in the UAE.

International Indian tournament

The IPL, essentially a domestic tournament, has now been held outside India twice in its seven-year history. Both foreign venues, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, have contrasting playing conditions, with the pitches and weather in both countries throwing up wholly different sets of challenges. The batsmen had the toughest time in South Africa, scoring only 23.41 runs per wicket - the worst for any IPL season. Despite conditions in UAE being not so dissimilar to India, the season so far has seen the worst runs-per-wicket stat for any IPL season (24.67) since the South African edition. These two editions of the IPL have also seen the lowest run-rates as well as the highest balls-per-boundary ratio in the tournament's history.

Last year, for instance, teams averaged 24.79 per wicket and 7.67 per over, while scoring a boundary every 6.48 balls. All of those numbers have been more in favour of the bowling team this time.

One would expect more boundaries to be hit in UAE as compared to South Africa, but the balls-per-boundary in UAE and South Africa have been about the same. Clearly, the batsmen have a better time when the tournament is played on Indian shores.

Comparing IPL seasons played outside India

Season	Matches	Runs per Wicket	Runs per Over	Balls per Boundary
2008	58	26.03	8.30	5.60
2009	57	23.41	7.48	7.22
2010	60	26.20	8.12	6.09
2011	73	26.01	7.72	6.46
2012	75	26.19	7.82	6.53
2013	76	24.79	7.67	6.48
2014	20	24.67	7.55	7.23

Bowling not so thankless

In 20-over cricket, batsmen often walk away with all the awards and honours despite the bowlers putting in a lot of hard work. However, this time around, the bowlers have done enough to bag the Man-of-the-Match award in eight out of 20 matches. At a similar stage in last year's tournament, only four bowling performances had won the MoM award. Even in the 2012 edition, only six bowling performances were considered worthy of MoM awards after 20 matches (excluding a couple of all-round shows by Ravindra Jadeja and Keiron Pollard).

India shining

The Indian fast bowlers have shone brightly in this edition of the IPL. Even bowlers like Varun Aaron, who have historically been expensive, have shown far greater control and consistency. Four of the top five fast bowlers, in terms of wickets taken, are Indians - Lasith Malinga is the only non-Indian. The table below (of Indian bowlers who have bowled at least five overs and taken at least two wickets) will show that many of the Indian bowlers have gone for less than seven runs per over. Even bowlers like L Balaji and Jaidev Unadkat, who have conceded more than seven, have compensated by taking wickets. Vinay Kumar hasn't taken too many wickets, but he bowled that high-pressure last over against the Royal Challenger Bangalore. Sandeep Sharma deserves a special mention because he has taken wickets and been economical while dismissing big players at crucial junctures and has deservedly won two MoM awards.

Indian Fast Bowlers in IPL 2014

Bowler	Overs	Wickets	BBI	Average	Economy	Strike Rate
Sandeep Sharma	11.0	7	3/15	8.85	5.63	9.4
VR Aaron	14.5	8	3/16	10.50	5.66	11.1
STR Binny	5.0	2	1/1	14.50	5.80	15.0
IC Pandey	15.0	3	2/23	29.33	5.86	30.0
B Kumar	19.3	8	3/19	15.00	6.15	14.6
R Dhawan	13.2	4	2/14	20.50	6.15	20.0
Z Khan	18.5	5	2/21	23.60	6.26	22.6
MM Sharma	15.5	8	4/14	13.25	6.69	11.8
R Bhatia	16.0	6	2/13	18.16	6.81	16.0
AB Dinda	17.0	2	1/14	59.00	6.94	51.0
L Balaji	19.0	8	4/13	17.50	7.36	14.2
R Vinay Kumar	14.0	4	2/26	26.50	7.57	21.0
JD Unadkat	16.0	6	3/32	21.50	8.06	16.0
I Sharma	8.0	3	2/37	22.00	8.25	16.0
DS Kulkarni	11.0	3	2/23	30.33	8.27	22.0
M Shami	20.0	3	1/30	60.00	9.00	40.0
P Awana	7.0	2	1/35	37.50	10.71	21.0

Conspicuously low on this table are India regulars Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. Both of them have taken only three wickets each while conceding more than eight runs per over.

Stars not shining

In the same the way that Shami and Ishant haven't had great returns, some of India's superstar batsmen have also failed to turn up. While Gambhir's dismal form, including the three back-to-back ducks, has been well documented, many of the other Indian stalwarts have also had poor outings. Among the big names in the below table, only Virender Sehwag has a strike-rate of more than 120. Also, all of these batsmen, except Yuvraj Singh and M Vijay, have aggregated less than 120 runs in the tournament. The fact that Yuvraj Singh, despite his indifferent form, looks the best on paper (Runs: 121, Avg: 30.25, SR: 116.34) is testimony to the fact that the big-money Indians have performed poorly.

Failure of marquee Indian batsmen in IPL 2014

Batsman	Innings	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate
G Gambhir	5	46	45	9.20	74.19
RG Sharma	5	84	50	16.80	110.52
S Dhawan	5	85	38	17.00	114.86
SK Raina	5	99	56	19.80	119.27
V Kohli	5	105	49*	26.25	116.66
V Sehwag	5	120	37	24.00	126.31
M Vijay	5	121	52	24.20	112.03
Yuvraj Siingh	5	121	52*	30.25	116.34

The only Indian specialist batsmen to make some sort of mark on this tournament are Ajinkya Rahane (Runs: 182, Avg: 36.40, SR: 120.52) and Manish Pandey (Runs: 144, Avg: 28.80, SR: 121.00). Only one Indian, Rahane, finds a place among the top eight run-scorers in the tournament. The foreign batsmen have made an impact with Dwayne Smith, David Warner, Brendon McCullum, JP Duminy, Glenn Maxwell and David Miller all scoring two or more fifties. Apart from these six, Aaron Finch has also been quite consistent and finds a place among the top eight run-getters in this tournament. The only marquee Indian batsman to have done well is MS Dhoni who has an average of 30.00 after five innings at a strike rate of 152.54.

Openers yet to open up

Openers have typically scored heavily in the IPL, with seven of the top 15 run scorers (across all IPL seasons) being openers. However, apart from Smith, McCullum and, to a lesser extent, Finch, the openers have not found themselves among the runs so far in this tournament. Openers are expected to make optimal use of the Powerplay overs, but their strike rate in this edition of the tournament is an abysmal 117.13 - the lowest for any season. Also, they only averaged 24.28 in this UAE leg, which is lower than all seasons except 2009, when the tournament was held in South Africa. Openers have scored at least one hundred in every season of the IPL so far. While no opener has scored a hundred so far, the flat Indian wickets should ensure that this record remains intact.

Performance of openers in the IPL

Season	Innings	Average	Strike Rate	Hundreds	Sixes
2008	232	29.46	130.42	4	196
2009	228	23.65	117.88	1	175
2010	240	29.56	130.21	3	196
2011	290	28.52	124.91	6	241
2012	296	29.62	125.95	4	264
2013	304	27.25	120.18	2	217
2014	80	24.28	117.13	0	49

Keeping with this trend, the number of sixes per innings has been the worst for any edition of the IPL - 0.61 sixes per innings. If not for the belligerence of Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch, who hit 29 of the 49 sixes, this stat could have made the openers look worse still.

No Powerplay spin

In the last few seasons of the IPL, spinners have played key roles in the Powerplays, but the same cannot be said of the UAE leg of this year's IPL. Spinners have bowled in the Powerplay in 27 innings but have taken only four wickets. Their average of 69.25 in the Powerplay is the worst for any season of the IPL. Their economy rate of 7.10 the worst since the inaugural season where spinners hardly bowled in the Powerplay (they bowled 30 overs in the whole season, whereas almost 40 overs have already been bowled in the 20 matches played this season) and went for 8.86 runs per over.

Spinners in the Powerplay - comparing seasons

Season	Inninngs	Run Rate	Wickets	Average
2008	24	8.86	8	33.25
2009	48	6.88	19	26.73
2010	77	6.98	33	28.36
2011	100	6.81	53	25.69
2012	109	6.90	35	41.65
2013	79	6.53	29	33.89
2014	27	7.10	4	69.25

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Marsh named new chairman of selectors

Rod Marsh has replaced John Inverarity as Australia's chairman of selectors in a significant shake-up of the panel that comes as the team sits on top of the world rankings in both Tests and ODIs.

Former selection chief Trevor Hohns has returned to the national selection panel for the first time since 2006, alongside first-time selector Mark Waugh, while Inverarity and Andy Bichel have departed. The coach Darren Lehmann remains part of the group, which was reduced from five men to four when captain Michael Clarke withdrew from his selection duties before last year's Ashes series in England.

Inverarity stood down after nearly three years as chairman and although he told Cricket Australia he was prepared to continue on the panel, the board decided it was time for some new faces. Cricket Australia's chief executive James Sutherland said Inverarity had performed admirably since taking charge of the selection duties in October 2011.

"When John Inverarity took over as national selector the Australian Test team was ranked fourth in the world and its on-field performance was well short of where it is today," Sutherland said. "He leaves his post with Australian teams in a position of strength holding the number one ranking in Test and one-day international cricket. That reflects his commitment and the astute judgment he brought to the role at a challenging time for Australian cricket.

"After deciding to stand down as chair, he recently indicated that he was prepared to continue on the national selection panel for another 12 months if required. Directors determined that with John stepping down as chairman, it was the appropriate time to bring new personnel into the group.

"Rod Marsh is the right man to take on this important role having been a key member of the panel since 2011. His track record speaks for itself. He brings a wealth of experience to the position, having been a leading player, coach and most recently a selector.

"Throughout his days as a player he was the absolute embodiment of the baggy green cap and to this day is widely respected throughout the game. He has a great eye for talent and has strong relationships throughout international cricket."

The departure of Bichel, who joined the panel at the same time as Marsh in November 2011, means that there will be no fast bowlers contributing to Australia's selection discussions, a curious absence given the way the attack has been rotated at times in the past. However, Cricket Australia said in a statement that Bichel's term on the panel had "not been renewed".

"Andy Bichel made a great contribution at the selection table for two and a half years just as he also did as a player for Australia and Queensland," Sutherland said. "He faced challenges balancing the heavy travel schedule associated with being a selector, coaching at the Chennai Super Kings and raising a young family. We fully understand and respect that."

Waugh confirmed last month that he had been approached by Cricket Australia for a possible selection role and his presence as a BBL commentator for Channel 10 appears not to have prevented him from taking on the part-time position. Sutherland said Waugh would pay particular attention to the shorter formats, which would be crucial with a World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand next year.

"We think Mark will bring great experience to the role," Sutherland said. "His particular focus will be on our limited-overs program. He was one of the world's greatest one-day international players. We think he can add a lot, particularly in an important World Cup year."

The return of Hohns to the panel comes after he spent 13 years as a national selector from 1993 to 2006, including a full decade as chairman of the panel. For the past three years, Hohns has been Queensland's state talent manager and chairman of selectors, a role that he will relinquish when he rejoins the national panel.

"Trevor oversaw selection during an era when Australian teams dominated international cricket," Sutherland said. "We think he can provide great insight to the selection panel as we work to achieve long-term success."

Like Hohns, Marsh will give up an existing role as part of the selection revamp, with Cricket Australia set to begin the search to find a replacement for him as CA's manager of elite coaching development. Marsh has been given a three-year term as chairman of selectors, which will begin when the new panel officially starts on July 1.

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Lehmann has 'brought enjoyment back' - Rogers

Rogers: 'Boof has brought the enjoyment back'

Chris Rogers has hailed Australia's coach, Darren Lehmann, for bringing a sense of enjoyment back into playing for the national side. Speaking to Alison Mitchell in her latest Tea Break interview for ESPNcricinfo, Rogers praised Lehmann's "old-school mentality" as something he could relate to.

Rogers, who scored a phenomenal 241 to lead Middlesex to a magnificent victory against Yorkshire, has become a fixture in Australia's Test side at the age of 36 and also talks about his strength in adversity, saying his Ashes hundred in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG was particularly special as "there was lots of pressure there". He discusses splitting his life between England and Australia, scoring 200 for Leicestershire against his countrymen in 2005 and the possibility of going into coaching when he retires.

Rogers, who played a solitary Test in 2008, returned to the Australia squad for last year's Ashes tour, at the start of which Mickey Arthur was replaced as coach by Lehmann. Despite losing that series 3-0, Rogers said Lehmann had an immediate impact.

"I grew up a little bit in the old-school days, when it was far more relaxed, you did enjoy yourself," he said. "Now it's far more professional. I think 'Boof' has brought back that old-school mentality a little bit. I remember the first thing he did, we had a meeting and he said it won't go for more than half an hour and when it did hit half an hour, he said, 'Right, that's it, we're all going to the pub'.

"We went to the pub and I could look around and see the guys and it was almost like, 'Is this really happening?' I think he's brought that enjoyment back, where you play hard and you play to win but you also enjoy yourself and you don't take yourself too seriously. I enjoy that because I think that's the kind of mentality I try to bring to Middlesex and the other sides I play for. My Test career has coincided with his coaching career and it's worked out well for me particularly."

Since then, Rogers has scored four Tests centuries and been an important cog in the side that whitewashed England in the return Ashes in Australia and then beat South Africa on their own patch. With Australia's next Test commitment coming in the UAE against Pakistan, he will have a full season with Middlesex, for whom he scored his 67th first-class hundred against Yorkshire earlier this week.

The full interview with Chris Rogers in Alison's Tea Break will be published on Thursday

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RCA election results to be declared on May 6

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the election officer appointed to overlook the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) elections to declare the results on May 6. Effectively the court decided not to entertain the BCCI's petition which was filed in January to challenge Lalit Modi's participation in the RCA elections. The BCCI has said that allowing Modi, who was banned by the board's disciplinary committee for life, to return to the RCA would hurt the image of the board.

The RCA polls were held on January 19 under the observation of former Justice of the Supreme court NM Kasliwal. The votes were concealed in a sealed envelope. Today AR Dave, the judge hearing the case, asked the court to pass the envelope to the election officer who would declare results on May 6. At the same time Dave said that anyone objecting the results could take up the issue in an appropriate forum. It also told the BCCI counsel that its client was free to act under its regulations as per law.

Modi welcomed the court's decision and was optimistic of winning the elections. "I am extremely happy that the Supreme Court has taken the right decision and allowed the due democratic process to go forward. We are hoping our group will win the elections. If we do win we will have an agenda and vision which I will make clear after the results," Modi said.

While expelling Modi on multiple charges of misconduct, the BCCI had said that "he shall not in future be entitled to hold any position or office, or be admitted in any committee or any member or associate member of the board". Modi, however, got his candidature for the RCA presidency approved by the Supreme Court by exploiting a technicality that the RCA was governed by the Rajasthan Sports Act.

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Glamorgan survive after Naik strikes

Leicestershire 500 (O'Brien 133, Taylor 63, Naik 59*, Wagg 4-107) and 179 for 8 dec (Smith 97, Wagg 4-65) drew with Glamorgan 359 (Rees 72, Rudolph 65, Wagg 57) and 250 for 7 (Rudolph 63, Walters 57*, Goodwin 50)
Scorecard

Glamorgan battled to a draw against Leicestershire at Grace Road after being seven wickets down with an hour remaining.

Having set the visitors a target of 321 for victory on the final day, Glamorgan looked in trouble at 204 for 7 but Stewart Walters (57 not out) and John Glover put on 46 to deny the home side.

Leicestershire resumed on 77 for 1 in their second innings, already 218 runs ahead, and that lead was extended to 320 when they declared on 179 for 8. Graham Wagg, who took four wickets in the first innings, was again the chief threat as he added another four wickets to his haul.

Dean Cosker chipped in with the other three but it was Will Owen who denied opener Greg Smith a century with a sharp run out. The bowler got a fingertip to Jigar Naik's shot and diverted it onto the stumps at the non-striker's end when Smith was on 97.

That prompted a declaration from Leicestershire and Glamorgan made the steady start they would have hoped for. Jacques Rudolph and Gareth Rees took the visitors to 49 without loss before the latter edged Charlie Shreck behind to Niall O'Brien.

William Bragg was then bowled by Rob Taylor for 7 but Rudolph and Murray Goodwin added another 60 runs before Rudolph was caught by Ben Braine off the bowling of Naik for 63. Goodwin also chalked up a half-century but his departure for 50 was swiftly followed by Jim Allenby for a duck as Leicestershire sensed the chance of a victory.

Naik then snared captain Mark Wallace as well and when Wagg fell, too, Glamorgan were seven down with more than 16 overs left. Leicestershire had up to seven men around the bat but Walters' unbeaten half-century and Glover, 19 not out, resisted the pressure impressively to guide Glamorgan to safety.

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Australia reclaim No.1 Test ranking

Australia have returned to the No.1 Test ranking for the first time in nearly five years, after the ICC's annual rankings update. Despite not having played a Test since their series win over South Africa in the first week of March, the Australians have edged ahead of South Africa because the rolling nature of the rankings system means results from 2010-11 have now been dropped.

Michael Clarke's men also hold the top position in the one-day rankings, meaning it is the first time since December 2008 that Australia have been No.1 in both the Test and ODI formats. It is the first time since August 2009 that they have sat at the top of the Test rankings, having originally been displaced following their unsuccessful Ashes tour of England that year.

The annual update means results from 2012-13 are reduced to a 50% weighting, so Australia's home Ashes fiasco in 2010-11 and their six Test losses across two tours of India have now either disappeared entirely from the rankings or been devalued. Their home Ashes clean-sweep over the past summer and their 2-1 win in South Africa allowed them to move ahead of South Africa, who had been No.1 since August 2012, by a fraction of a point.

India have suffered a significant fall, slipping from third down to fifth, while England and Pakistan have each gained a place, up to third and fourth respectively. New Zealand and Sri Lanka switched places, with New Zealand now ranked sixth in Tests and Sri Lanka down to seventh, while West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh remain unchanged at the bottom of the table.

However, Australia's immediate reign at No.1 could be short-lived, with South Africa facing two Tests in Sri Lanka and one in Zimbabwe before Australia's next Test series, which is against Pakistan in the UAE in October. Still, the return to the top is a significant achievement after Australia slipped as low as fifth on the Test rankings in 2010 and 2011, and then went nine consecutive Tests without a win during 2013.

"We are incredibly proud to be the number-one ranked team in the world in both Test and ODI cricket, which are two of the team's most important goals," Clarke said. "There has been an enormous amount of hard work and effort on and off the field that has led to this result.

"However, the true test of a great side is sustained success and now our goal is to maintain these rankings and continue to play great cricket as we lead into challenging Test series against Pakistan and India, and the ICC Cricket World Cup at home.

"We had a fantastic home summer against England and a great series win away against South Africa earlier this year, but the challenge now is to continue that form. We have a huge amount of respect for the South Africa side, and the length it held the number-one Test ranking is testament to the great side it is. South Africa will no doubt continue to be a formidable opponent in Test match cricket."

Clarke and coach Darren Lehmann have often said that Australia's goal was to achieve the No.1 ranking in all three formats and while there is a significant way to go in T20, where they currently sit sixth, sitting on top in Test and ODIs is a considerable accomplishment. James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said Clarke and Lehmann deserved plenty of credit for the results.

"Everyone involved with the Australian team - players, coaches and support staff - should be incredibly proud of this achievement," Sutherland said. "There has been a huge amount of hard work and effort on and off the field to get to this point and it's something that those involved with the side should take time to savour.

"Australian cricket's team performance programme led by Pat Howard deserves considerable credit for this outcome. High praise needs to go to Michael Clarke and Darren Lehmann for their excellent leadership."

In the ODI rankings, the only change to result from the annual update was that England and South Africa switched positions, with England up from fifth to fourth and South Africa down from fourth to fifth. Australia, India and Sri Lanka still occupy the top three spots in the one-day list.

ICC Test Championship

1 May 2014

Team	Matches	Points	Rating
1. Australia (+1)	32	3950	123
2. South Africa (-1)	23	2831	123
3. England (+1)	30	3131	104
4. Pakistan (+1)	20	2064	103
5. India (-2)	23	2343	102
6. New Zealand (+1)	26	2383	92
7. Sri Lanka (-1)	22	1986	90
8. West Indies	19	1442	76
9. Zimbabwe	8	322	40
10. Bangladesh	14	287	21

ICC ODI Championship

1 May 2014

Team	Matches	Points	Rating
1. Australia	35	4020	115
2. India	53	5923	112
3. Sri Lanka	53	5890	111
4. England (+1)	36	3947	110
5. South Africa (-1)	32	3486	109
6. Pakistan	47	4716	100
7. New Zealand	31	3031	98
8. West Indies	40	3744	94
9. Bangladesh	23	1683	73
10. Zimbabwe	20	1228	61
11. Ireland	8	273	34
12. Afghanistan	9	304	34

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Patel to fight removal from BCA in court

Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, has challenged his expulsion from the Baroda Cricket Association in court. Patel, who was removed as the BCA joint secretary on Saturday, has filed a suit in the Vadodara District Court.

"This act of the BCA managing committee is nothing but a premeditated act of vengeance by some of the BCA managing committee members, so I have challenged it in the court," Patel told ESPNcricinfo. "After consulting my lawyers, I am convinced that the managing committee has committed an unconstitutional move, so I will fight it out legally to be reinstated in my home association that I have been serving for over a decade."

The case will be heard on May 1.

On Saturday, the BCA managing committee cited Patel's unlawful co-option into the BCA managing committee in 2002 and ordered him to step down as an office-bearer and vacate his position from all sub-committees of the BCA. Patel was co-opted into the managing committee two years after becoming a BCA member in 2000. Since the BCA rules state a member cannot be co-opted for at least three years after his membership is approved, the managing committee removed Patel and three other members.

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Wagg of the tail saves Glamorgan

Leicestershire 500 and 77 for 1 (Smith 45*) lead Glamorgan 359 (Rees 72, Rudolph 65, Wagg 57) by 218 runs
Scorecard

Graham Wagg starred again with a fine 57 as Glamorgan made a good fist of responding to Leicestershire's first innings total of 500 all out on day three of their Championship Division Two match at Grace Road.

Wagg, who had taken four first-innings wickets to limit the Leicestershire damage, passed his half-century before he was caught by Rob Taylor off Charlie Shreck shortly after helping them to avoid the follow on, to bring an end to the Glamorgan innings at 359.

In a match delayed by bad light, Glamorgan had resumed on 126 without loss but Jacques Rudolph managed to add just two to his overnight total before he was run out in the fourth over of the day on 65. Fellow opener Gareth Rees reached 72 before he was bowled by Ben Raine as Glamorgan fell to 161 for 2. A solid 35 from Stewart Walters and 41 from Jim Allenby maintained the visitors' momentum.

Anthony Ireland was the pick of the Leicestershire bowlers with 3 for 81 off his 27 overs, figures almost matched by Shreck, for whom the wicket of Wagg gave him a total of 3 for 84 off 29.

Leicestershire launched a solid reply in their second innings with Greg Smith and Matthew Boyce putting on 63 for the first wicket before Boyce was caught by Mark Wallace off Dean Cosker for 24. Smith went to reach an unbeaten 45 and Ned Eckersley joined him as Leicestershire reached 77 for 1 at stumps for an overall lead of 218.

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