Sachin, Dravid shift up in ICC Test rankings

Senior batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid gain a place each in the newest ICC player rankings for Test batsmen, which is being head by South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis.

While Tendulkar better from fifth to fourth, Dravid raised a rung to ninth from tenth position.

Among Indian bowlers, pace lead Zaheer Khan gained a place to be at sixth in spite of being ruled out of the recently completed four-match Test series between India and England after behind constrain injury on the very first day of the opening match at Lord's.

As England claimed the title of number-one Test side in the world with a 4-0 series victory, four of their batsmen made it to the top-10, with Ian Bell being the most distinguished.

Bell and Alastair Cook have jointly claim the second position after Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara slip three places to fifth after scoring only 10 and 17 in the lately completed Test against Australia.

Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott are other batsmen in the top-10. England now boasts of four bowlers and equal number of batsmen in the top 10.

Australia's Shane Watson and Ryan Harris, Rangana Herath of Sri Lanka and Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq have achieve career-best rankings in the latest list, which was free after the conclusion of the Galle Test between Sri Lanka and Australia and the one-off Test between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

The player rankings will now be efficient after the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia, which starts on Thursday in Pallekele, while the Test Championship table will be updated after the end of the third and final Test between the two sides which starts in Colombo on 16 September.

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Marsh place to bat at three on entrance

Shaun Marsh will bat at number three when he makes his Test entrance for Australia next to Sri Lanka at Pallekele on Thursday.

The 28-year-old comes into the side as a in a straight line swap for Ricky Ponting, who has flown back home to attend the birth of his second child.

Marsh, the son of former Australia vice-captain Geoff, is the only change to the tourists' XI following the first Test victory.

Captain Michael Clarke has wedged with the three paceman that help get the job done in Galle, meaning New South Welshman Trent Copeland retains his place.

Copeland, Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson will be joined by spinner Nathan Lyon, who capture six wickets on his Test debut.

Australia: Michael Clarke (captain), Shane Watson, Phillip Hughes, Shaun Marsh, Michael Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Brad Haddin, Trent Copeland, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon.

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Bangladesh sack captain Shakib

Bangladesh has axed Captain Shakib Al Hasan and his assistant Tamim Iqbal in the wake of their unsatisfactory tour of Zimbabwe.

The pair has paid the price for the team's 130-run beat in a one-off Test with the African nation, who also won the one-day series 3-2.

It is a far cry from 11 months ago, when Shakib was a essential figure as he led the side to a 4-0 one-day series victory over New Zealand.

He was hand the full-time captaincy in February but the cracks started to appear when he came into disagreement with officials after he questioned team selection before the Zimbabwe tour, and was given a written caution.

"Shakib and Tamim and have been detached from their posts as they failed to lead the team to success in Zimbabwe," BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus said.

Shakib's performance with bat and ball have inspired the side over the past two years, and it remains to be seen who will do well him as captain.

Bangladesh will host West Indies in a Twenty20 International, three one-dayers and two Tests starting in October.

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Gambhir make a decision on NCLT20

Gautam Gambhir will take a final call on his contribution latest by next Sunday, according to sources.

Gambhir, had to return from England as he has been pain from concussions due to a nasty fall while running backwards to take a catch and has been advised complete rest by the doctors as of now.

Gambhir captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the last four phases in the fourth edition of IPL and was probable to lead the side.

"Gautam will be consulting his doctor (neurologist) on September 9 or 10 and decide on his participation in the tournament," a senior KKR official told journalists.

Since Gambhir has had complicatedness in sighting the ball of late and even threw up during his return flight to India, KKR management won`t push the star opener for the event.

"It will totally be Gautam and his doctor`s call. We can`t say anything at the moment," the official added.

If sources in the KKR organization are to be supposed, the franchise won`t push the cricketer into playing even if he recovers in time as it might invite sharp disapproval from all quarters especially after so many Indian players return home from tour of England.

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