Story International Cricket Championship

[m_vaughan]

ICC cancels its FTP and comes up with a whole new fixture plan
The International Cricket Council has decided to cancel its Ten Year Plan amidst criticism from numerous member nations. Countries like India, Pakistan and South Africa even threatened to quit the ICC if it did not modify the fixture plan, and hence the ICC thought it was best if they got rid of it. As a result of this even the World Cup and the Champions Trophy have been discarded.

Instead, they have come up with a new system, which according to the president Ehsan Mani, will standardise the amount of cricket played by each member nation.

"It is similar to the Club Football leagues, something we wish will help the game's popularity and growth. At the same time, its a very transparent and fair method of judging teams, as all teams will play the same number of matches in a given season."

10 Test member nations will be divided into 2 divisions, the Premier division and the First Division. The Premier Division will have six teams, and the first division will feature four teams.

The teams in a particular division then will play every other team in that division in two test matches (one home, one away) and four one day internationals (2 home, 2 away). At the end of the season, the winning team in the Premier division will be crowed "World Champions" while the last placed team will be relegated to the First Division. The team on top of the First Division will gain promotion to the Premier Division.

Season of 2006
Teams in the Premier Division
Australia
England
India
Pakistan
South Africa
New Zealand

Teams in the First Division
Sri Lanka
West Indies
Zimbabwe
Bangladesh

And the non-test playing nations like Kenya, Scotland, Ireland, etc. will participate in other/separate tournaments. The ICC will review the performance of these teams, on the basis of which it may grant them full membership and entry into the First Division. The ICC wish to have six teams in the First Division by the year 2010.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Here's hoping for UAE!

 

[m_vaughan]

The Johnnie Walker Premier Division Fixtures 2006




ROUND 1 (Jan)
Jan 2nd- India vs England: ODI @ India
Jan 4th- India vs England: ODI @ India
Jan 6-10- India vs England: Test @ India
Jan 11th- Australia vs Pakistan: ODI @ Australia
Jan 13th- Australia vs Pakistan: ODI @ Australia
Jan 15-19- Australia vs Pakistan: Test @ Australia
Jan 20th- New Zealand vs South Africa: ODI @ NZ
Jan 22nd- New Zealand vs South Africa: ODI @ NZ
Jan 24th- New Zealand vs South Africa: Test @ NZ



ROUND 2 (Feb)
Feb 2nd- Australia vs South Africa: ODI @ Australia
Feb 4th- Australia vs South Africa: ODI @ Australia
Feb 6-10- Australia vs South Africa: Test @ Australia
Feb 11th- India vs Pakistan: ODI @ India
Feb 13th- India vs Pakistan: ODI @ India
Feb 15-19- India vs Pakistan: Test @ India
Feb 20th- New Zealand vs England: ODI @ NZ
Feb 22nd- New Zealand vs England: ODI @ NZ
Feb 24th- New Zealand vs England: Test @ NZ


ROUND 3 (Mar)
Mar 2nd- Pakistan vs New Zealand: ODI @ Pakistan
Mar 4th- Pakistan vs New Zealand: ODI @ Pakistan
Mar 6-10- Pakistan vs New Zealand: Test @ Pakistan
Mar 11th- South Africa vs England: ODI @ SA
Mar 13th- South Africa vs England: ODI @ SA
Mar 15-19- South Africa vs England: Test @ SA
Mar 20th- India vs Australia: ODI @ India
Mar 22nd- India vs Australia: ODI @ India
Mar 24th- India vs Australia: Test @ India


ROUND 4 (Apr)
England vs Australia: ODI @ England
England vs Australia: ODI @ England
England vs Australia: Test @ England
Pakistan vs South Africa: ODI @ Pakistan
Pakistan vs South Africa: ODI @ Pakistan
Pakistan vs South Africa: Test @ Pakistan
New Zealand vs India: ODI @ NZ
New Zealand vs India: ODI @ NZ
New Zealand vs India: Test @ NZ


ROUND 5 (May)
South Africa vs India: ODI @ SA
South Africa vs India: ODI @ SA
South Africa vs India: Test @ SA
Australia vs New Zealand: ODI @ Australia
Australia vs New Zealand: ODI @ Australia
Australia vs New Zealand: Test @ Australia
England vs Pakistan: ODI @ England
England vs Pakistan: ODI @ England
England vs Pakistan: Test @ England


ROUND 6 (June)

England vs India: ODI @ England
England vs India: ODI @ England
England vs India: Test @ England
Pakistan vs Australia: ODI @ Pakistan
Pakistan vs Australia: ODI @ Pakistan
Pakistan vs Australia: Test @ Pakistan
South Africa vs New Zealand: ODI @ SA
South Africa vs New Zealand: ODI @ SA
South Africa vs New Zealand: Test @ SA



ROUND 7 (July)
South Africa vs Australia: ODI @ SA
South Africa vs Australia: ODI @ SA
South Africa vs Australia: Test @ SA

Pakistan vs India: ODI @ Pakistan
Pakistan vs India: ODI @ Pakistan
Pakistan vs India: Test @ Pakistan
England vs New Zealand: ODI @ England
England vs New Zealand: ODI @ England
England vs New Zealand: Test @ England


ROUND 8 (Aug)

New Zealand vs Pakistan: ODI @ NZ
New Zealand vs Pakistan: ODI @ NZ
New Zealand vs Pakistan: Test @ NZ

England vs South Africa: ODI @ England
England vs South Africa: ODI @ England
England vs South Africa: Test @ England
Australia vs India: ODI @ Australia
Australia vs India: ODI @ Australia
Australia vs India: Test @ Australia



ROUND 9 (Sept)
Australia vs England: ODI @ Australia
Australia vs England: ODI @ Australia
Australia vs England: Test @ Australia
South Africa vs Pakistan: ODI @ SA
South Africa vs Pakistan: ODI @ SA
South Africa vs Pakistan: Test @ SA
India vs New Zealand: ODI @ India
India vs New Zealand: ODI @ India
India vs New Zealand: Test @ India


ROUND 10 (Oct)
India vs South Africa: ODI @ India
India vs South Africa: ODI @ India
India vs South Africa: Test @ India
New Zealand vs Australia: ODI @ NZ
New Zealand vs Australia: ODI @ NZ
New Zealand vs Australia: Test @ NZ
Pakistan vs England: ODI @ Pakistan
Pakistan vs England: ODI @ Pakistan
Pakistan vs England: Test @ Pakistan




Note:
1. There will different tables for ODIs and Tests
2. For every ODI win- 4 pts, draw - 2pts, loss- 0 pts
3. For every test win- 4 pts, draw - 2pts, loss- 0 pts
4. In ODIs, bonus point will be awarded to winning team if it wins within 4/5th of total overs, or restricts opposition to less than 4/5th of its score. Otherwise the losing team will get the point.
5. In Tests, bonus point will be awarded if team gets an innings victory.
6. At the end of season, highest placed team for both formats combined (in terms of points) will be crowned World Champions, while lowest placed team will be relegated to the first division.

 

[James219]

Looks really interesting. I'm guessing you will be playing with England...

 

[woosaah]

which game you playing on?

 

[Ramz]

most likely cricket 2005

 

[m_vaughan]

Cricket 2005 and with England

 

[m_vaughan]

BCCSL disappointed with ICC

Sri Lankan Cricket criticise ICC's new system

CEO of BCCSL, Duleep Mendis

According to the new "division based" system, Sri Lanka have been put in the first division, alongside West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. As a result it wont be playing the teams in the Premier Division this season.

"Sri Lanka was second in the ICC Rankings not so long ago, and is still rated as one of best teams in the world." said BCCSL CEO Duleep Mendis.

"Playing in the first division will affect our fans, as they want to see Sri Lanka continue to play the other big teams. Also we will also suffer a lot of financial loses, as sponsors will not be interested in matches involving teams in the First Division."

We will come back - Atapattu

Sri Lankan captain, Marvan Atapattu, too is disappointed, but says will work extremely hard to gain promotion to the Premier Division next season and stay there.

"It is sad for Sri Lankan cricket that we will be playing in a lower division, but since only six teams can play in the top division, every year there will be one unlucky team that will miss out. This year we missed out, so we will have to remain focused and win this First Division to get back into the bigger league. It wont be that easy since West Indies are a tough team to beat when at full strength, and teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe can always surprise you on a given day".

 

[m_vaughan]

Venues announced for Round 1

Round 1 Venues announced
India, Australia and New Zealand have named their venues for first round of the brand new Johnnie Walker Premier Division Championship.

Kolkata and Mumbai will host the two ODI's, while Chennai will host the test match. The venues have been approved by the ECB.

Sydney and Adelaide will host the two ODI's between Australia and Pakistan, while Melbourne will be the venue for the test match.

New Zealand will play South Africa in two ODI's at Auckland and Wellington respectively. The test match will be held at Christchurch.

 

[m_vaughan]

England name 15 man squad for Round 1 clash

The England and Wales Cricket Board have named the 15 man test and one day squads for the Round 1 clash of the Johnnie Walker Premier Division Championship, away to India.

There is no place in the test team for either James Anderson or Liam Plunkett despite impressive performances in Pakistan recently. Chris Tremlett earns a call-up instead. Geraint Jones travels to India as the only wicketkeeper.

In the ODI squad, Anderson retains his place, but Plunkett makes way for the returning Tremlett. Both Prior and Geraint Jones are in the team, although it is unlikely that the former will get the gloves in this round. He however might play as a batsman only.

Test Team:
Michael Vaughan(Capt)
Marcus Trescothick (Vice Capt)
Andrew Strauss
Ian Bell
Kevin Pietersen
Andrew Flintoff
Paul Collingwood
Geraint Jones (Wicket keeper)
Ashley Giles
Shaun Udal
Alex Loudon
Matthew Hoggard
Steve Harmison
Simon Jones
Chris Tremlett

ODI Team:
Michael Vaughan (Capt)
Marcus Trescothick (Vice Capt)
Andrew Strauss
Kevin Pietersen
Andrew Flintoff
Paul Collingwood
Vikram Solanki
Geraint Jones (Wicket Keeper)
Matt Prior (Wicket Keeper)
Ashley Giles
Ian Blackwell
Steve Harmison
Simon Jones
James Anderson
Chris Tremlett

 

[Bala]

Things are already getting exciting with the BCCSL's outburst. The Lankans would be out to prove a point as they would look to white wash the others. Also, I trust New Zealand do not belong in the premier division for tests. Hoping for a cracking series.

 

[m_vaughan]

Other teams name squads for Round 1

Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan have named their squads for round 1 of the Johnnie Walker Premier Division Championship

India:
Test- R Dravid(C), V Sehwag(VC), G Gambhir, VVS Laxman, S Tendulkar, Y Singh, S Ganguly, M Dhoni(wk), I Pathan, Harbhajan, A Kumble, A Agarkar, Z Khan, RP Singh, M Karthik.

ODI- R Dravid(C), V Sehwag(VC), G Gambhir, S Tendulkar, Y Singh, M Kaif, S Raina, JP Yadav, Venugopal, M Dhoni(wk), I Pathan, Harbhajan, M Karthik, A Agarkar, RP Singh
______________________________________________________________

Australia:
Test- R Ponting(C), A Gilchrist(VC,wk), M Hayden, J Langer, B Hodge, M Hussey, S Katich, P Jaques, A Symonds, S Warne, S McGill, B Lee, G McGrath, N Bracken, S Clark

ODI- R Ponting(C), A Gilchrist(VC, wk), S Katich, D Martyn, A Symonds, M Clarke, M Hussey, P Jaques, B Haddin(wk), J Hopes, N Bracken, S Clark, B Lee, B Hogg, G McGrath

Pakistan:
Test- Inzamam-ul-Haq(C), Younis Khan(VC), Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal(wk), Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Asif, Abdul Razzaq, Danish Kaneria, Rao Iftikar.

ODI- Inzamam-ul-Haq(C), Younis Khan(VC), Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal(wk), Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Asif, Abdul Razzaq, Danish Kaneria, Yasir Arafat.

________________________________________________________________

South Africa:
Test- G Smith(C), N Boje(VC), AB De Villiers, H Gibbs, J Kallis, A Prince, J Rudolph, J Kemp, M Boucher(wk), S Pollock, M Ntini, A Nel, C Langeveldt, A Hall, G Kruger

ODI- G Smith(C), N Boje(VC), AB De Villiers, H Gibbs, J Kallis, A Prince, B Dippenaar, J Kemp, M Boucher(wk), S Pollock, M Ntini, A Nel, C Langeveldt, A Hall, G Kruger

New Zealand:
Test- S Fleming(C), S Styris, L Vincent, N Astle, H Marshall, B McCullum(wk), C Cumming, J Oram, D Vettori(VC), S Bond, K Mills, P Wiseman, J Franklyn, C Martin, D Tuffey

ODI- S Fleming(C), S Styris, L Vincent, N Astle, H Marshall, B McCullum(wk), P Fulton, J Oram, D Vettori(VC), S Bond, K Mills, A Adams, J Franklyn, C Martin, J Patel

*Chris Cairns has announced his retirement from International cricket prior to the start of the season.

 

[Johann]

This is really great! Looking forward to it. Should be very interesting.

 

[m_vaughan]

Okay I'll take some time to get the matches started. As you know I was going well with my previous story, and was involved in a fantastic test match with Pakistan. But then a system crash meant I lost that game, and hence ended my story there.

I have reinstalled the game after reformatting, and am currently updating stuff like AI, kits, stadium graphics, bats, faces, etc. But I would guess I might take a little more time before the matches actually begin. In the meantime I'll continue posting all the build-up to this new and exciting International Cricket Championship.

 

[jazz]

this looks like to be a fantastic championship

good luck