MS Dhoni, Bhuvneshwar Kumar slip in ODI rankings table

MS Dhoni has slipped to 9th spot in the rankings table © kareem

Having missed out the thumping 5-0 series win against Sri Lanka, India players MS Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have dropped down in the ICC (International Cricket Council) ODI rankings. The duo are expected to be back for the Australia series, however, and with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 looming, would be expected to play a big part Down Under.

Current India captain Virat Kohli remains second in the latest ICC ODI batsmen rankings while Dhoni has slipped a place to be ninth. Team India maintain second spot in the team standings. Medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has dropped a place to be eighth in the bowlers rankings while left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja is still sitting on ninth.

In the team rankings, India have held on to their place while Bangladesh have opened up a 22-point lead over Zimbabwe after sealing a 5-0 series sweep with a five-wicket victory in Mirpur on Monday. Ninth-placed Bangladesh have now closed the gap with New Zealand and West Indies, who each have 96 points, to 21 points.

MS Dhoni expected to join Indian squad on December 5

MS Dhoni will arrive in Australia on December 5 © kareem

According to a report in Indian Express, MS Dhoni, who missed the ODI series against Sri Lanka due to a right thumb injury is likely to join the Indian unit in Australia on December 5. Initially, Dhoni was expected to play the second Test, but with the Tests being rescheduled, there are speculations on whether Dhoni will play the first game at Adelaide, starting from December 9.

However, sources in Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) indicate that there is only a slim chance of him playing in the first Test at Adelaide. BCCI selectors are expected to discuss about Dhoni's availability on Tuesday, but the skipper himself will take the final call.

"He will be reaching on December 5 and it will take some time for Dhoni to get over from his jet lag. He will take some time to settle down, but Dhoni will take the final call once he reaches there. We have a long tour and players' fitness will be important," a top BCCI official informed.

Dhoni, however, will be unavailable for the practice game, starting on December 4 against Cricket Australia XI. It has to be remembered that Virat Kohli has already been appointed as the captain of the Indian set-up for the first Test.

Australian club cricketer sacrifices record as tribute to Phil Hughes

Phil Hughes was the 408th player to play for Australia in Tests © kareem

A batsman in a club match in Victoria has paid a touching tribute to Phillip Hughes by deciding to sacrifice breaking a long-standing record.

According to a report in The Courier Mail, Shaun McArthur, captain of Ballarat club side Haddon, was batting on 220, and was blazing his way to the club's all-time batting record in a match, against local rivals VRI Delacombe, but decided to retire after glancing at the scoreboard.

His team-mates were stunned by his decision, but realised their skipper's move when they looked at the scoreboard. Haddon was on 408, which was Hughes' Test number for Australia, and 63 overs had been bowled.

Hughes was batting on 63 when he was fatally struck by a Sean Abbott bouncer. After that '63 not out' has become a preferred way to pay tribute to Hughes, as junior club cricketers across Australia were encouraged to retire on 63.

"Everyone walked up and shook his hand," Haddon club spokesman, Vincent McDonald told.

"It was a chance innings. You can't plan to have scores like this, 220 runs for a player and 408 [total], in the standard of cricket we play. McArthur must've just noticed the score and thought, 'That'll do.'"

"We thought, it would be a nice tribute, if we happened to land on 408 ... it wasn't until we came off the ground we saw it was the 63rd over as well. It was amazing," McArthur, who essayed that crunching innings told 3AW radio.

Adelaide to host first Australia-India Test

The Adelaide Oval will now host the first Australia-India Test © kareem

The Adelaide Oval will host the first Test between Australia and India from December 9-13 after the originally scheduled Test match in Brisbane was rescheduled in the aftermath of Australian batsman Phil Hughes' untimely demise.

The Test match in Brisbane will now be played between the Adelaide and the Melbourne Tests. One of the pertinent considerations for Cricket Australia (CA) while chalking out the new schedule is to manage player workload during a rigorous cricketing summer that culminates with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

The tentative revamped tour schedule reads:

First Test: Adelaide - December 9-13
Second Test: Brisbane - December 17-21
Third Test: Melbourne - December 26-30
Fourth Test: Sydney - January 6-10

India will now play a two-day tour match on December 4-5 in Adelaide as warm-up ahead of the Test series.

International Cricket Council: Bouncer crackdown unlikely

There has been widespread sympathy for Sean Abbott © kareem

The chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Sunday that it was 'unlikely' rules on the bowling of bouncers would be tightened despite the tragic death of Phillip Hughes.

Australia batsman, Hughes, died on Thursday, two days after he was struck on the neck and knocked unconscious by a bouncer from Sean Abbott while batting for South Australia against New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Apart from fighting sports such as boxing, cricket remains one of the few games where aiming at the head is considered a legitimate tactic.

Currently, bowlers are allowed to deliver two bouncers per over in Tests and ODIs, and one per over in T20Is, with similar rules applying in senior domestic cricket.

David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, said it was too soon to say if there would be a clamp down on bouncers but that his first thought was that the current restrictions would remain in place.

"We need to try and keep our perspective," Richardson told BBC Radio Five.

When asked about changes to bouncer regulations, he replied: "It's a bit early to determine, but my initial reaction is that it's unlikely. People have died by being struck on the heart before. I don't think cricket needs to overreact, but do what we can," the former South Africa wicket-keeper added.

Meanwhile, Australia great, Adam Gilchrist, defended the use of bouncers, telling the BBC he regarded them as "part and parcel of the challenge between bat and ball".

The former wicket-keeper-batsman instead suggested that changing the design of the standard batting helmet -- which Hughes was wearing at the time of his fatal accident -- so that it covered more of the neck area, would be a more practical change worth considering.

"I guess we could extend the helmet a little bit further down the back of the neck," Gilchrist said.

"We've always thought it is maybe the temple, the cheekbones, the skull itself that we needed to protect -- and that still remains -- but now we are going to look at any ways of curtailing blows to the neck."

As well as tributes to Hughes, there has also been widespread sympathy within cricket for Abbott.

"It's going to be something that haunts him every day for the rest of his life," said former England fast bowler Bob Willis.

"It's not something that you can put out of your mind," added Willis, who felled helmet-less Pakistan tailender Iqbal Qasim with a bouncer in a Test at Edgbaston in 1978 in an incident that did not prove fatal.

"It's a burden that he [Abbott] is going to have to bear," the ex-England captain concluded.

Hughes' funeral will take place on Wednesday in his hometown of Macksville in northern New South Wales, with the first Test between Australia and India in Brisbane, due to start Thursday, postponed. No new start date for the Australia-India series opener has yet been announced.

Allan Donald: Bouncers shouldn't be banned

Donald also hoped that horrific won't force the authorities to outlaw the bouncer © kareem

South African pace legend, Allan Donald, has called on cricket bosses not to consider banning bouncers, as they revisit safety in the sport in the wake of the tragic death of Australian cricketer, Phillip Hughes.

Donald, who is now the Proteas bowling coach, told the The Star that the incident was 'freakish' and should not lead to cricket authorities taking drastic action.

"I hope it doesn't take this horrific incident to make the sport's bosses think that the only way to make the sport safe is to outlaw the bouncer," Donald said.

"It would make for no contest, if bouncers were ruled out of the game."

Hughes died in the hospital two days after being struck by a bouncer delivered by Sean Abbott in a Sheffield Shield match in Australia.

"As a fast bowler, you use your bouncer to intimidate, to send a message to the batsman, to make him think twice and to test various skills," Donald added.

"I understand that many people outside of cricket will look at this and questions about safety will be asked, but we must not overreact."

Donald himself has been at both ends of bouncers during his time at the crease.

In 2001, he was hit by two bouncers from Andre Nel in a match in Benoni which put him in hospital for a weekend. However, he recovered to become one of South Africa's best fast bowlers ever. During the 1996 World Cup, Donald bowled a bouncer that struck United Arab Emirates captain, Sultan Zarawani, on his head, while he had no helmet on.

"When I struck him, I thought I had killed him. [The ball] made just the most horrible thud when it hit him," Donald said. "I was just so shocked by his response -- he just put his floppy [hat] back on and continued batting."

Donald also believed that there could not be much more advancement on the protection offered by helmets.

"The helmets they have these days are magnificent, I'm not really sure how they can make them any better," he said.

Michael Clarke pens emotional birthday column for Phil Hughes

Michael Clarke and Phil Hughes shared a lovely camaraderie off the field. © kareem

On what would have been his 26th birthday on Sunday, November 30th, Australia captain Michael Clarke paid a stirring tribute to Phil Hughes, who passed away after suffering a neck injury during a Sheffield Shield match against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), last Tuesday.

In an emotional column in 'Sunday Telegraph' , Clarke recounted his experience of playing with his 'little brother' as he stood at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday night, the place where Hughes had played his last shot. "As I stood in the centre of the SCG on Thursday night, at the spot where my little brother played his last shot, I struggled to comprehend how this tragedy could happen to one of life's true characters and gentlemen," Clarke wrote.

Hughes had a mixed international career for Australia, with more highs than lows, but Clarke chose to shed more light on the personal rather than the professional life of Hughes. "I want to use the occasion of this, his 26th birthday, to shine a bit more light onto Phillip the man he was and the life he led which will help explain the extraordinary outpouring of support from inside, and outside, the world cricket family," Clarke wrote.

Saying that his achievements on the field were secondary, Clarke went on to praise the departed batsman for his unflinching loyalty towards his family and friends. "Loyal to a fault, eternally optimistic, kind-hearted, wicked sense of humour, a child like verve for life I really could go on and on. Sitting with his parents Greg and Virginia, sister Megan and brother Jason over the past few days it struck me that above all, he was a family man," Clarke revealed.

Recounting Hughes' work ethic and honest values, Clarke said the batsman's upbringing was one of the biggest reasons for his admirable qualities. "He was a country boy at heart, with honest values and a work ethic second to none. And it is easy to tell where those qualities come from. His parents are salt of the earth Aussies, who have handled the past several days with a dignity and grace I could only admire," Clarke wrote.

The Australian skipper remembered Hughes as an uncomplicated teenager when he first met him. Hughes came down to Sydney from Macksville to play for Western Suburbs, the club that Clarke also played for. "I met him as a boy of 17, when he came down to Sydney from Macksville to play for my club Western Suburbs. I was drawn to him instantly, falling for his cheeky grin and love of life Phillip truly was uncomplicated what you saw was what you got," Clarke recalled.

Clarke said on one of Hughes' biggest qualities was the never complaining nature - not even when he was left out of the Australian team. "Whenever Hughesy suffered adversity if he was replaced in the team or if he wasn't scoring as many runs as he wanted he never dropped his head, never once complained," Clarke said.

"If he had a tough conversation with a selector he would nod, agree he needed to work harder, grin because he felt bad for the person delivering the message and then get on with it. You knew deep down he was shattered because playing cricket for his country meant everything to him," he added.

Hughes had an unorthodox batting style but it was also one that gave him plenty of runs. At 25, he had already made 26 first class tons and Clarke was doubly sure that he was well on his way towards the 27th on that ill-fated day. "He may not have had textbook technique show me someone who does but what this man could do is score runs for fun.

"At only 25 years of age he had 26 centuries to his name in first class cricket, and I have no doubt he would have made it 27 last Tuesday. What an amazing talent," Clarke wrote.

The Australian skipper also shared some personal traits of Hughes - a fun loving person but at the same time, could make others around him laugh as well. "I remember the last time we batted together: We would meet in the middle of the pitch and I would be asking him whether the ball was moving in the air or off the deck.

"All he could do was talk about his cattle. What that man didn't know about cows wasn't worth knowing. He was a world champion at expressing the smallest facts about Black Angus in particular."

Clarke completed his column with a military poem which he heard from a mate, who referred it to Phil a few days ago, which, he said, perfectly summed up the situation. "One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name."

"I don't have a blood brother, but I am very proud to have called Phillip my brother. I am a better man for having known him. Vale Hugh Dog. I will miss you forever, but I will not forget. Happy birthday bro," Clarke concluded.