Cricket Podcast

What Is Cricket Podcast, Do You Know?

Do you often imagine what if I could relive those magical moments when my team won the world cup or any other hard fought extremely competitive game of cricket? Well you are not alone; there are several cricket fans all over the world who echo similar sentiments about the performance of their team. Reliving on field golden moments of a cricket match is what all cricket fans love to relive and cricket podcast is the source for you to enjoy this.

Cricket podcast not only enables you to relive the wonderful moments of a game played in the past, but also keeps you updated and informed about a current series that is being played. Podcast is nothing but simply means publishing audio files in the internet. Online visitors can subscribe to these feeds that will give them complete information about a particular match or series.

Most of these online cricket sites provide cricket podcast services to their visitors. Mostly a team of experts discuss a match and give their opinion through the pre and post match analysis. The online sites have a huge database of podcast of all the matches that has been played in the recent past. Not only this, some online sites keep podcast of some major and exciting cricket matches that have been played over the years for cricket fans.

In today’s fast moving world everybody has time constraints. In our rush for the race to the top we often have to make compromises on certain simple pleasures of life. For cricket fans watching a live cricket match in the field is one pleasure that they never want to forgo come what may. But it is not always possible to see a live match. For such cricket fans cricket podcasts are the ideal answers.

So the next time a live match is going on and due to your busy schedule you do not have the time watch the match, do not despair. Al you will have to do is find out a good online site that provides cricket podcasts to visitors. Several sites have hired the services of retired cricketers to provide podcast to the online visitors who are interested in cricket podcasts. So, you can actually go about selecting podcasts by your favorite ex cricketer. You can subscribe to a site and listen to the podcasts by downloading it from there.

Cricket podcast is not only about the analysis and review of cricket matches. There is much more to cricket podcasts then just the on field action. All the latest happenings, news, reviews, expert comments on cricketing issues both normal and controversial are brought to you through podcasts. Yes you can always watch the news on tv to know about all this. But this is for those who want to listen to this news at their own convenience. Whenever you have a free moment you can simply download the podcasts and listen to it. Cricket podcasts are the best source for you to be in touch with the latest happenings on the cricket field despite having a hectic schedule.

Now that you know all about cricket podcasts, I am sure that you are simply dying to download the latest podcasts and know all about the latest happenings on the field of cricket. Simply scout the internet and find a cricket site that provides cricket podcasts. Your entire cricket related queries and doubts will be completely satisfied through cricket podcasts.

Online Sports Betting

There is an interesting aspect to most sporting events, besides being convenient and inexpensive form of entertainment. Many indulge in wagering on the result of an event. Online sports' betting is an organized form of gambling.

There are thousands of events in every sporting discipline. Each sport has its own well-defined calendar divided into seasons. Several viewers follow the season either through personal attendance or through reports from the media. For very popular sports like baseball, football, rugby and cricket, there are animated discussions about the progress of the season and how each team would fare. There are also private guesses about who would win. When the guessing game takes the form of gambling, we have betting. Online sports' betting is an adaptation that makes wagering convenient and profitable.

There are several advantages in online sports betting. One need not be present at the venue of the event to watch how the teams or individuals perform. Therefore, even novices can join. The process is simple and one need not feel intimidated.

You can start online sports betting in three simple steps.

· You choose the online bookmaker for the sport in which you would like to participate in a bid.
· Register on the website by following the instructions and parting with a little of your personal details.
· Transfer some money as deposit into your online account. Now, you are ready to begin.

When you log on to your account, you can choose to place your wager on any event. The bookmaker provides the odds for the teams or individuals. You decide on your bid depending on the tips. You also state the amount that must be withdrawn from your account as the bid sum. After the game, the bookmaker announces your takings after deducting his commission.

You must keep in mind the following precautions before online sports betting:

· Choose a sport that has popular following, as it is easy to learn the trends.
· Choose a bookmaker with good standing in the industry.
· Satisfy yourself about the processes followed by the bookmaker. Do not fall prey to unscrupulous or fraudulent operators.
· Be persistent but know when to stop. Follow a smooth learning curve for betting. You cannot become a millionaire overnight.

Online sports betting can be enjoyable provided you play your odds right. You can learn but you must also resist the temptation of becoming a compulsive gambler.

World Cup Score Constantly

World Cup Score To Keep You Constantly Connected With The Game!

World Cup 2007 is just round the corner and all cricket fans can think of is how to be in constant touch with the latest world cup score of all the matches. World cup is one cricketing event that every cricket fan looks forward to. Once every four years during the cricket world cup, fans put a hold to all their schedules just to be able to catch up with live and latest updated world cup score. Australia had won the last two world cup and they will for sure want to score a hatrick by winning it in 2007 as well. So need one say that this is going to be a very competitive world cup?

Making prior arrangements is good if you want to be in touch with all the matches that will be played during the world cup. These days, time constraint is a common factor for all people and this makes it difficult for cricket fans to catch up with all the ongoing action in a tournament. But thanks to technology that keeping track of any tournament has become very easy these days, no matter in which corner of the world the event is taking place. So when your team will sweat it out in the West Indies in 2007, you will be well aware of what is happening there.

The internet has revolutionized the way we see and come to know about events. So simply by sitting in the comfort of your bedroom, you can easily know the latest that is happening anywhere in the world as far as the cricket field is concerned. There are several online sites which work dedicatedly towards providing information about world cup score and all other information related to the event. In fact, such websites can become a one stop source for all world cup cricket related information.

That is not all, most of these online sites run several games where visitors can participate and win great prizes. So it is a great way for cricket fans to keep their cricket knowledge updated and also win great prizes. Records about all the past world cup events can be found in these sites. Well it is very much possible that fans know who the higher century maker is and who is the highest wicket taker in the world, but how many of us actually know who the highest run scorer in the world cup is. So all these sites have information on everything you want to know about the world cup.

In this World Cup, sixteen teams will be vying for the title and there is bound to be some great matches there. We will all have to wait and see what action unfolds in the ground and who actually goes about winning the tournament this time. Being informed about the world cup will surely help fans in understanding the game much better. After all, we would all love to know what things will be at stake when our favorite teams and players take the field in World Cup 2007 in the West Indies.

Sachin Tendulkar & Chamber Of Success

The Principle of Balance is most important thing, My research Study based on the balance of senses for balanced Brain. How our senses are responsible for level concentration, Balance of Brain & flow of Hormones? How we can control, manage & enhance our power of senses for sound brain functioning.

Yoga is strongly associated with Brain. One of the supreme meaning & essence of yoga is to "CONTROLLING our six SENSES" & "BALANCING" them. It is an natural phenomenon that our senses get attracted towards the external subject in outer World (sound, smell, test, etc.) and hence we need to redirect them on a single point in our mind. In yoga this redirection process of senses is called as "PROCESS OF RESTRAIN".

Process of Restrain helps us to increase CONCENTRATION and reduces instability of Brain, and can provide balanced resource to the internal body requirements. When our senses travel in the outer world they find there-self subject (e.g. nose finds smell, Ear - Sound, etc.) & get linked with them. Then the mind becomes fickle & inconsistent and sometimes it get carried away by the senses as by itself.

The WAVY nature of the mind is highly dependent on the instability of senses. While using Process of Restrain, you asked to close your eyes so that you will not able to communicated with the outer world of color & light. You asked to shut your ears to avoid the outer noise. You asked to control, maintain & normalize your breath to control your impulses. This is in order to prevent the increase in Nervousness, Anxiety or restlessness in brain and to gather all senses together in the brain.

To stabilize the restless brain processes it has to be settled & manage in a single point to enable, restore & rejuvenate your concentration level. As it gets set on a single point, your concentration power increases "LEVEL OF CONCENTRATION MAKES YOUR FOCUS MORE BROADER & WIDER" that's why 'Michael Shumaker' sees critical turns as simple one, That's why 'Sachin Tendulkar' sees a small cricket ball as a bigger one. More the Balance of senses means more the balanced flow of hormones & balanced responses form the Brain. As level of concentration increases, it turns resultant & senses get managed more effectively & impact-fully, then neither the Brain nor the body will create any problems.

Our intensity of Sixth Sense determines the speed & flow of - transaction of brain cells, heart beats, Breathing & Blood Circulation, more the imbalance in these three, more the effects in Brain processing system. Sixth Sense & it's Intensity can be controlled, Increased and reduced using the Process of Restrain. The best solution for the internal problems, imbalance or brain processing problems is to maintain the BALANCE in these 6 senses. More the IMBALANCE less the positive effects.

Now lets focus on thoughts generated by brain. Brain can control our flow of thoughts, by using the process of restrain to regulate & normalize them in right direction. In Brain, To think and imagine is a function of a conscious mind & the unconscious mind controls & determine the way we behave. All our emotions are linked with it and our problems are related to our behavior & behavior is also linked with our senses. (you can't concentrate when your sense of smell is running in kitchen.)

Most of the problems are related to the emotional conditions or produced by the emotional conditions rather than physical one. For instance, intensity of depression causes overeating or over addiction of many or specific thing and then more problems arise. So, it's obvious that balanced brain processing will have balanced emotions. For Instance - Arranging the matchstick stylishly can turn into the artistic design. But single stick isn't attractive. Similarly, our brain can produce effective things in brain itself and in the systems that are connected with brain just by managing & balancing our 6 senses together; ultimately we are balancing brain processes. Conclusion is that, controlling and balancing the senses can provide overall balance in the brain and on and in the body. In most of the meditations, they are using derived supreme concept form yoga i.e. process of restrain for better results. Balance your senses today.

Thanks for your time consideration

Sports Betting Arbitrage Works

A Bet You ALWAYS Win - How Sports Betting Arbitrage Works

Betting arbitrage is a method of creating a bet that has a zero risk - in other words, you always win! The concept of 'arbitrage' comes from the financial world, and describes the activities of traders who find two different places offering the same trade, but at different prices. They then exploit this difference by selling in one location and buying in the other. Whatever happens to price, they make a profit on the difference between the original 2 prices. The same thing applies to betting arbitrage, typically on sporting events.

The advent of online betting sites meant that the punter could suddenly check prices at a multitude of different locations very quickly, and open bets at those that had 'slipped' out of line. By exploiting the inefficiencies of some brokers, a win can therefore be guaranteed. Sometimes, the differences are deliberate. Each online betting site has to maintain it's own 'book', and it would be a strange world indeed if they all had the same number of punters, all betting the same way and the same amount, meaning they all had to offer the same odds!

So how does 100% winners, no risk sound? Groovy, huh? But there are, of course, problems. The main problem is the size of the account you need to make a useful profit. The difference between the odds offered by 2 bookies, and exploited by an arbitrageur, may only amount to a fraction of a percent, meaning that you may have to wager several thousand dollars to win 5 bucks. Nothing wrong with that, you think? Not if the bet is 100% guaranteed? But what about if thru the vagaries of the internet, you manage to get one side of the bet on at the right odds, but not the other? You are left holding a LARGE position. Also, accounts of this size are viewed with some suspicion by the bookies - they will want to know that you aren't (for example) money laundering.

So ok, you know the risks, but how does it actually work? Let's go back to the US election between Bush and that Herman Munster guy, the Democrat fella with the long face (Kerry? Curry?). As you recall, it was close. No one knew for sure which way it would go. But what you could have done is put on a bet with UK bookie Coral that Kerry would win, and the odds they would give you would have been 6/4 (i.e. a US 1.5 - bet $800, return $2,000).

At the same time, your fave US bookie might have given you odds of 6/4 on Bush! That means if you took both bets, you are betting (risking) $1,600, but will win $2,000 WHATEVER the result! Easy money or what? Bank a cool $400 for nothing.

How often does this happen? Quite a lot. For example, in a boxing match, the US champ will, of course be favored by the US bookies, but the UK challenger will be top bet at the UK bookies. Simply exploit the difference. It works even within the US too - a Varsity football match, for example, may find the out of state team offering you an opportunity to arbitrage within the home team state depending on the demographics of the customers using two US online bookies.

Generally, you can bet risk free on any sporting event with either 2 or 3 outcomes, such as Football, Baseball, Boxing, Basketball, Tennis, Soccer, Golf, Snooker, Cricket, Hockey, Ice Hockey and Darts. Are the odds always as good as in the example? No. Usually the difference will be small. That is why you need large accounts.

Laws of cricket

The laws of cricket are a set of rules framed by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) which serve to standardise the format of cricket matches across the world to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is dismissed, through to specifications on how the pitch is to be prepared and maintained. Although the MCC is a private club based in London and no longer the game's governing body, the MCC retains copyright in the laws and only the MCC may change the laws, although nowadays this would usually only be done after discussions with the game's global governing body the International Cricket Council.

Interestingly, cricket is one of the few sports for which the governing principles are referred to as 'Laws' rather than as 'Rules' or 'Regulations'. However regulations to supplement and/or vary the laws may be agreed for particular competitions.

History

Cricket started out as a game played by children, but expanded to become a betting game, and where rich aristocrats were involved, the wagers could be large. The earliest laws were drawn up in that context, to help regulate a game on which large sums of money were being staked. The earliest existing known Code of cricket was drawn up by certain "Noblemen and Gentlemen" who used the Artillery Ground in London in 1744. In 1755 there is further reference to the laws being revised by "Several Cricket Clubs, particularly the Star and Garter in Pall Mall", followed by a revision of the Laws by "a Committee of Noblemen and Gentlemen of Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and London at the Star and Garter" in 1774. A printed form of the laws was published in 1775 and a further revision to the laws was undertaken by a similar body of Noblemen and Gentlemen of Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and London in 1786.

However, these laws were not universally followed, with different games played under different guidance. On 30 May 1788, the Marylebone Cricket Club, which had been formed by the leading noblemen and gentlemen playing the game just one year before, produced its first Code of Laws. Whilst the MCC's version of the Laws were not accepted fully immediately, or applied consistently, it is the successor of these Laws that governs the game today. The next major change was in 1809 and saw the further standardisation of the weight of the ball from between 5 and 6 ounces (142 to 170 g) to between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces (156 to 163 g), and the width of the cricket bat was standardised for the first time. The length of stumps was increased from 22 to 24 inches and bails from 6 to 7 inches to help the bowlers, and the importance of umpires was further enhanced. Finally, a new method of dismissing a batsman was introduced. Previously, as cricket uses a hard ball and leg-pads were not used, players would naturally play with their legs away from the wicket. As batsmen started to wear pads, they became willing to cover their stumps with their legs to prevent the ball hitting the stumps and bowling them. Therefore a "leg before wicket" rule was introduced so that a batsman preventing the ball hitting his stumps with his legs would be out.

In 1829 the Length of stumps increased from 24 inches to 27 inches (559 to 686 mm) and the length of the bails was increased from 7 inches to 8 inches (178 to 203 mm), again to help the bowlers. For the first time, the thickness of stumps was mentioned. A new Code of Laws was approved by the MCC Committee on 19 May 1835, and another on 21 April 1884. In the 1884 laws the number of players was formalised for the first time (at eleven-a-side), and the size of the ball was formalised for the first time too. The follow-on rule was introduced. This was in response to the problem that to win a game a side needed to dismiss their opposition twice. A side that batted first and was fully on top of a match and scoring lots of runs would have to wait until it was dismissed a second time before it could attempt to dismiss the opposition a second time. As cricket is a time-limited game, it meant that sides that dominated the opposition could be forced to draw rather than win games. The initial follow-on rule was faulty, though, as it required a side to follow-on when it was behind. A side could deliberately concede its last wickets in the first innings in return for being able to bowl last on a deteriorating pitch. Later the follow-on rule was changed so that a team sufficiently ahead of its opposition has the option on whether to enforce it or not.

In 1947 a new Code was approved by the MCC on 7 May. In 1979 after a number of minor revisions of the 1947 Code, a new Code was approved at an MCC Special General Meeting on 21 November. This is known as the 1980 code. Amongst other changes, imperial units are now followed by metric units in the specifications.

In 1992 a second edition of the 1980 Code was produced. In 2000 a new Code, which for the first time included a Preamble defining the Spirit of Cricket was approved on 3 May. The code was rewritten into plain English and is more discursive than previous Codes. The length of an over was officially standardised at six balls for all matches, although in practice this had been the case for 20 or so years before that. In 2003 a second version of the 2000 Code was produced incorporating necessary amendments arising from the application of the 2000 Code.

Throwing was first regulated in laws produced in 1829. In 1864 overarm bowling was permitted for the first time.

In 1889, the length of an over increased from four balls to five balls. In 1900, the length of an over was increased to six balls. In 1922, variation was allowed in the length of the over (Australian overs to be eight balls). The 1947 Code stipulated that the length of an over was to be six or eight balls according to "prior agreement" between the captains.

Today's laws

The Marylebone Cricket Club is the framer of the Laws of Cricket, the rules governing play of the game. The Laws are intended to apply to all two innings matches; the International Cricket Council has implemented "Standard Playing Conditions for Test Matches" and "Standard Playing Conditions for One Day Internationals" to augment the Laws of Cricket. Similarly, each cricketing country has implemented Playing Conditions to govern domestic cricket. The Laws provide for One-day, or Limited overs cricket (including Twenty20) by stipulating that the number of innings per side may be one or two, and that each innings may be restricted to a maximum number of overs, or a maximum period of time.

The Laws retain the Imperial units as they were originally specified, but now also include metric conversions.

The Laws are organised into a Preface, a Preamble, forty-two Laws, and four appendices. The Preface relates to the Marylebone Cricket Club and the history of the Laws. The Preamble is a new addition and is related to "the Spirit of the Game;" it was introduced to discourage the increasing practices of ungentlemanly conduct. The Laws themselves deal with the following:

India and Twenty20 World Cup

With the first ever Twenty20 World Cup just around the corner it’s once again time to speculate India’s chances in the international multilateral tournament. Already the three star batsmen of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, have opted out of the tournament on grounds that they want younger players to take their place as Twenty20 is essentially a game for the future and therefore it would be better if potential youngsters get a chance rather than ageing senior players, who won’t be around to see the game mature. The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) seems to concur with the senior players views as they have gone for a fairly young side while picking their first thirty probables. In the absence of Rahul Dravid the official Indian 15 that will go to South Africa will have to be captained by someone else. Who that person will be is still a question mark and will be announced along with the final team next month.

However, the BCCI had to swallow a bitter pill when it was forced to endorse the Twenty20 format last year. Earlier the board was adamant about staying away from the format at all cost. But in a high-powered ICC (International Cricket Council) meeting held last summer to decide the fate of Twenty20 cricket, the BCCI was outvoted 10-1 by the rest of the test playing nations. This left the BCCI with very little choice but to grudgingly recognize Twenty20 and even play in the first ever Twenty20 World Cup, something that the board had said earlier that they would no do so no matter what.

So why was the BCCI so reluctant in endorsing Twenty20, the new rage that was taking the cricketing world by storm everywhere else? Partly to blame was the thinking of the board and the cricketing fraternity that viewed Twenty20 as nothing but ‘gulli cricket’. Twenty20 was hence viewed in bad taste, something that maligned the very essence of cricket itself. Some ex Test players openly came out and called it a ‘total sham’ and nothing but ‘pure entertainment’. However, after the ICC vote the board had to soften its stance and subsequently decided to hold a domestic Twenty20 tournament to introduce the game here.

The tournament came and went in April with Tamil Nadu clinching the first ever Domestic Twenty20 Cup. The tournament was supposed to be a platform to introduce the format in India but no one became wiser even after it had concluded. The reason being it was extremely poorly organized and there was virtually no advertising whatsoever. The cricketers were greeted by empty stands as if to mock them. If anyone had any doubt that the BCCI had put the least effort in organizing the tournament then consider the fact that they never even sold the television rights for the event and therefore one could not even see the matches on T.V. When quizzed about the same the BCCI was expectedly evasive and said that it was all a last minute job and that there was no time to discuss telecast rights with anyone.

It seems that the BCCI was determined to scuttle the tournament. Perhaps it was determined to prove to the rest of the world that Twenty20 cannot survive in India. Therefore one won’t be entirely wrong to suggest that the BCCI did this on purpose to gather added ammunition for the next big ICC meet to revisit this issue.

However, whatever might be the future of Twenty20 cricket in India one thing is for certain and that is India will definitely be playing in the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup in September. One could be optimistic and hope that maybe India’s performance in the tournament might garner interest in the format at home. Maybe then the BCCI will take the format seriously. It will be a great loss to Indian cricket if we lag behind in this new and exciting format. As mentioned earlier Twenty20 is fast gaining in popularity all over the world and the BCCI would be daft to miss out on the opportunity.

Twenty20: The Rules

The rules of Twenty20 cricket have been specifically designed to optimize the entertainment value of the game being played in the middle. The idea is to provide maximum action in the shortest time possible. With this in mind the ICC (International Cricket Council) drew up the ‘Standard Twenty20 International Match playing Conditions’, which is essentially a dedicated set of rules and amendments for the Twenty20 format and was made effective from the 4th of July, 2006.

Generally, the Laws of Cricket apply to Twenty20 with certain exceptions and amendments. As the name suggests a Twenty20 game typically consists of 20 overs per side, that is to say that each batting side will only get 20 overs to bat. An entire Twenty20 game is supposed to be finished under three hours, which essentially gives a time limit of 75mins per innings with half an hour of break in between. Sticking to the time limit is crucial to the idea of Twenty20 cricket. The games are supposed to be short and action packed. Thus adherence to these time limits is mandatory and bounding on both teams.

This gives the bowlers on the bowling side an average of 3mins 45secs to get each of their overs through. The batsmen on the other hand must be ready to take guard within 90secs of the fall of the previous wicket. Time wasting by either side can be penalized subject to the discretion of the umpire. A penalty of five runs can be added to the total of the batting side if it is felt that the bowling side is guilty of wasting time. On the other hand five runs can be deducted from the batting total if it is found that the batting side is guilty of time wasting. Consequently the umpire can also add extra time to the innings if the batsmen are responsible for any kind of delays.

In a typical Twenty20 game, without any interruptions, the bowlers on the bowling side get to bowl a maximum of 4 overs each. However, if the bowling side fails to bowl its quota of 20 overs within the 75 minutes, depending on the umpire’s discretion, the bowling side can be penalized six runs for every whole over bowled after the 75th minute.

As far as fielding restrictions are concerned the first six overs of each innings is protected, i.e. the bowling side can only have a maximum of two fielders outside the 30-yard circle. Thereafter a maximum of five fielders can be outside the circle. Also at no point of time during the course of the game shall there be more than five fielders on the leg side. As one can guess from the above fielding restrictions that the Twenty20 format encourages the batsmen to go for the big boundaries. The batting side no doubt has to score fast given that it has only 20 overs to do the scoring in but the fielding restrictions give the batsmen extra incentive to go for the big shots. Hence much to the crowd’s enjoyment a typical Twenty20 game is full of big hitting and riddled with 6’s and 4’s.

Another interesting amendment to the cricketing rules as far as Twenty20 is concerned is the ‘no-ball free-hit rule’. Should a bowler deliver a no-ball by overstepping the popping crease, it will cost the bowling side 2 runs and the very next delivery will be designated as a ‘free hit’, from which the batsman can only be dismissed through a run out, for obstructing the field or for handling the ball.

But the most interesting Twenty20 rule has got to be the ‘bowl out’. In case of a tie at the end of the second innings, the winner of the match is decided by a ‘bowl out’, which is similar to a penalty shootout in football. Five bowlers from each side get to bowl two deliveries at an unguarded wicket. The objective is to knock down the wicket the maximum number of times. If the number of wickets is the same after the first ten deliveries from each side, then the bowling continues and the winner is decided through sudden death.

All in all as mentioned before the rules of Twenty20 have been designed with the aim of maximizing the entertainment value and excitement in the game of cricket. The idea is to make the game shorter and more fun, all the while trying to provide something different for the cricket lover.

Cricket Wallpaper

We witness things in our life and the only things that remain in our memories are the ones which make a lasting impression in our mind. Now every person likes different things and you will find that things which seem trivial to you are the most memorable ones for another person. So if you happen to be a cricket fan, different elements involved with the game can remain imprinted in your memory for ever. The world cup that was held this year in the West Indies, many events were memorable and at the same time there were some events that one would like to forget very soon. For Bangladeshi and Irish fans their team’s performance in the event where they knocked out favorites India and Pakistan out of the tournament will rank as the most memorable moments. Pakistani and Indian fans on the other hand would like to forget this very soon and they will surely not like to be reminded about this again and again. Cricket wallpapers are the perfect source for you to imprint all those memorable things in your mind.

Cricket wallpaper is an innovative means that can be used for treasuring wonderful memories, no matter how old they might be. There are some sites on the web, where you can find wallpaper of all those classic matches that you could not watch due to some reason or the other. It is said that a picture speaks a thousand words, and cricket wallpaper perfectly fits in to this particular saying. Many people missed out seeing Irfan Pathan’s hatrick against Pakistan, who would have thought that three of their players will get out with the score reading 0. I was among all those unfortunate people who missed out on seeing the live action. This is one moment that I regret missing the most among a few matches that I missed out on. I try not to miss out on anything, but sometimes event the best laid plans go wrong. Man proposes and God truly disposes!

There is this cricket site that I came across recently and the best feature was the cricket wallpaper that they had put up there. Some cricket wallpaper had animation with remarks, while some had memorable on field and off field moments captured. The best cricket wallpaper for me was the picture that depicted Irfan’s hatrick effort in a single wallpaper. The picture had four different images, three images were of Irfan taking the three wickets and the third image was his teammates celebrating this special occasion with him.

Cricket wallpaper does not mean that you can put them just in the desktop of your personal computers or mobile phones. If you like the picture just too much, you can get a print out of the picture, frame it and put it in your bedroom, in your cupboard or locker. You can very easily find all the cricket wallpaper that you are looking for. All you need to do is be sure that you know where you will find all those wonderful and amazing cricket wallpaper.

Cricket Batting Tips – Foot Work

Recently I was asked, “is ‘foot work’ really that important?”

When batting in cricket it is essential to have excellent footwork. As good foot work is the basis for achieving excellence in cricket and is the foundation for good batting technique.

Foot work is absolutely necessary as all successful strokes start with effective footwork.

If you watch Brian Lara, Michael Vaughan, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, all of these amazing batsmen have outstanding footwork, often when these types of players don't perform it is simply due to lack of footwork.

Good footwork allows you to time the ball well and place the ball in gaps. It gets you in the optimum position to hit the ball, so you can hit it where you want and with ease.

If you have been struggling to play a particular shot for some reason it could be due to poor footwork causing bad timing and body positioning.

With faster bowlers it is even more essential to have excellent fast and precise footwork, so that you can get into a balanced position, in-line with the ball, so you can play the ball with control.

Getting quickly into position through footwork therefore is very important.

The more you practice your footwork against both fast and slow bowlers the easier you will gradually find it. Many players do what we call trigger movements just before the bowler releases the ball, this helps get the feet moving into position and into line much quicker and easier, especially against faster bowlers.

Next time you watch a game on TV watch the batsmen’s feet really closely as the bowler is about to deliver you’ll see these small ‘trigger movements’

International ICC ODI TABLE

INTERNATIONAL
ICC ODI Table Pos Team Rating 1 Australia 137 2 New Zealand 120 3 Sri Lanka 117 4 Pakistan 109 5 South Africa 106 6 West Indies 105 7 England 103 8 India 98 9 Zimbabwe 51 10 Kenya 26 11 Bangladesh Last updated: 6 Apr, 2005 Summary of the Ratings Method: A rating is worked out by dividing the points scored by the matches played, with the answer given to the nearest whole number. After every ODI, the two teams each receive a certain number of points, based on a mathematical formula. Each team's new points total is then divided by its new matches total to give their updated rating. Matches abandoned with no result are always ignored. Also, only ODIs between full members are rated, so matches involving the Netherlands, Canada or Namibia at the ICC Champions Trophy, World Cup or other such tournaments will not be included. The amount by which your rating improves after winning an ODI depends on the rating of your opponent. A win over a much stronger team (ie. one with a much higher rating than your own) boosts your rating far more than beating a much weaker opponent. Conversely, losing to a much stronger team will not cause your rating to drop too far but losing to a weaker side would. The country with the highest rating is officially regarded as the best ODI team in world cricket, and will hold a specially commissioned ICC ODI Trophy, while it tops the table Period Covered: The ratings will be based on up to three years of results. The inaugural table reflects all ODIs played since 1st August 2000. All ODIs played until the start of next August will be added on to this table. In every subsequent August, the first year of results will be dropped from the table, so it will then cover the most recent two years of results. Thus once a year, the rankings will change overnight without any new ODIs being played. Weighting of Results: All matches included within the rankings will always fall into one of three time periods. Weightings are applied to these three groups of matches so that the rankings more fully reflect recent form. These weightings are: Period One covers the first year of matches (weighting: one-third) Period Two covers the second year of matches (weighting: two-thirds) Period Three covers the remaining more recent matches (weighting: one) The number of matches played and the number of points earned in each period is multiplied by the weighting factor. Example: if a team played 33 ODIs in Period One, the weighting of one third means this counts as 11 matches towards their rating. Similarly, 21 ODIs played in Period Two count as 14. Add to that 10 played in Period Three to bring it to a total of 35. A small technical adjustment ensures that, for all teams, the total number of matches and rating points is always a whole number. Ratings Formula: After each match, the two teams each score a certain number of rating points. These points are then added to their existing total and used to generate their updated ratings. The number of points a team scores is based on two factors: the result of the match and the gap between the ratings of the two teams going into the match. There are two different formulas. One applies if the gap between the two teams' ratings is less than 40 points, the other if the gap is 40 points or more. The rating points you score from a particular ODI is as follows: Case 1 - gap between the two teams' ratings is less than 40 points: if you win, you score 50 points more than your opponent's rating if you lose, you score 50 points less than your opponent's rating if you tie, you score your opponent's rating Case 2 - gap between the two teams' ratings is 40 points or more: If the stronger team wins, it scores 10 points more than its own rating while the weaker team scores 10 points less than its own rating If the weaker team wins, it scores 90 points more than its own rating while the stronger team scores 90 points less than its own rating If the match is tied, the stronger team scores 40 points less than its own rating and the weaker team scores 40 points more than its own rating

Ponting tops CEAT rankings(International)

Ponting tops CEAT rankings

Ricky Ponting was named Cricketer of the Year 2002-03 in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Australia's Limited Overs International captain also bagged the Batsman of the Year Award as CEAT Cricket Ratings announced the winners of its eighth annual International Cricket Rating Awards.

Ponting topped the International Cricketer of the Year ranking with a tally of 105 points, scoring 1,169 Test runs and 912 LOI runs during the evaluation period from May 1, 2002, to April 30, 2003.

He also collected 97 points to take home the Batsman of the Year Award.

Australia took the CEAT International Team of the Year 2002-03 Award after a string of consistent performances that saw them win the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.

India's Harbhajan Singh was named the CEAT International Bowler of the Year 2002-03, while Virender Sehwag, who pouched 11 catches in Tests and 18 in LOIs, was named the International Fielder of the Year.

Harbhajan Singh, who took 39 Test wickets and 56 LOI wickets, finished ahead of Zaheer Khan and Muttiah Muralitharan.

Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, was named the Cricketer of the 2003 World Cup.

Former India captain Vijay Hazare, under whose leadership India registered its first win in a Test, was honoured with the CEAT Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Indian batting duo of Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif were awarded the CEAT Max Best Winning Performance of the Year 2002-03 for their brilliant batting in the 2002 Natwest Series final against England.

The awards were announced by Harsh Goenka, vice-chairman, CEAT Limited, at a press conference at the Cricket Club of India. Present on the occasion were former Australian captain Ian Chappell and Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar.

The awards based on the CEAT International Cricket Ratings were announced in six different categories, while there were two awards based on nominations by a panel of judges comprising former cricketers Ajit Wadekar and Sanjay Manjrekar and cricket journalists Ayaz Memon and Lokendra Pratap Sahi.

The winners will be presented their awards at a function at Mumbai's Taj Mahal Hotel on October 31, 2003.

Vaughan makes correct decision

Regular readers of this blog will know that it was while we were watching England’s painful efforts in the World Cup that I suggested Michael Vaughan had to relinquish the captaincy before the one-day series against West Indies.

He strongly opposed this view and only recently told me in no uncertain terms that he believes having different captains for one-day cricket and Test cricket does not work.

So the fact that he has stood down now suggests that it has been put to him by the selectors and coach that he will not be chosen this week, and he was given the chance to fall gracefully on his sword before being dropped.

Overlooking Vaughan’s statistics in one day international cricket - he averages only 27 from 86 matches - this has to be the best policy for two further reasons.

First, it gives new coach Peter Moores the chance completely to overhaul the one-day strategy that England blindly pursued in the Caribbean.

Attacking players are needed at the top of the order, batsmen who seize the initiative during the first power play.

And while we must wait a little longer for Marcus Trescothick to return, Matt Prior, Alastair Cook, Vikram Solanki and Ravi Bopara strike me as being the sort of batsmen who should be considered.

The second advantage must be that it will probably prolong Vaughan’s Test career.

He has worked very hard indeed to overcome his knee injury, but you can’t help but feel that he is better out of the rough and tumble of one-day cricket.

England need Vaughan to lead the Test team against Australia in 2009, and this gives him the best possible chance of doing so.

My choice of his replacement is Paul Collingwood. He has very limited captaincy experience, but I have no doubt he would make a good leader.

Importantly, he has no realistic aspiration to be the Test skipper, so the threat that Vaughan fears from a split-captaincy set-up should not exist.

The pair are also good mates and I do not see why the arrangement should not work well, and in England’s best interest which, after all, is what this is all about.

Stuart MacGill retires from international cricket

Stuart MacGill has stunned the cricketing world by announcing his international retirement midway through the second Test against the West Indies in Antigua.

The Australian leg-spinner declared his 44th Test would also be his last on the morning of the third day at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, just months after undergoing wrist surgery in a bid to prolong his career.

The 37-year-old said the feeling he would let teammates down by continuing below his best, as well as sully his own impressive Test record, were key factors in the decision.

The shock announcement opens the door for young NSW left-arm spinner Beau Casson to possibly make his Test debut in the third Test against the West Indies in Barbados starting next week.

Allrounder Ashley Noffke may also come into consideration if selectors choose to rely on the part-time spin of Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke to complement a four-pronged pace attack.

MacGill's decision will also heighten speculation Shane Warne could make a shock international comeback with Australia's spinning stocks particularly thin.

Warne, who took 708 Test wickets before retiring early last year, suggested last month he would consider a Test return for next year's Ashes series if MacGill was unavailable and if he was approached by captain Ricky Ponting.

The 38-year-old has just led his Indian Premier League side the Rajasthan Royals to the inaugural title in the Twenty20 competition after victory in the final against Chennai on Sunday.

Warne's retirement was expected to give MacGill the opportunity to be Australia's No.1 spinner for the final few years of his career, but injuries unfortunately intervened.

The New South Welshman claimed his 200th Test wicket against Sri Lanka early last summer.

But after struggling with injury during that two-Test series, he decided to rule himself out of the following Indian Test series and undergo surgery to correct carpal-tunnel syndrome in his wrist.

His return in the Caribbean has been well below his best, with MacGill flattered by his match figures of 4-143 in the first Test at Sabina Park.

He again bowled poorly late on day two in Antigua, taking 0-31 from seven overs.

"When I was injured at the start of last summer I spent a great deal of time thinking about what cricket meant to me," MacGill said in a statement.

"Unfortunately now my time is up.

"One of the treats for a bowler playing Test cricket is that you have a champion bowling up the other end.

"Bowling with some of crickets all time greats such as Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee has made my job a lot easier.

"I want to be sure that exciting young bowlers like Mitchell Johnson enjoy the same privilege.

"As I said many times last summer, there is no way I will ever walk onto a cricket field unless I can guarantee that I can dismiss top order batsmen consistently.

"The prospect of letting myself and the team down is simply not an option. I have worked way too hard for too long to sabotage my achievements by playing Test cricket for the wrong reasons."

Before the start of the third day of the Test in Antigua, MacGill had taken 207 wickets at an average of 28.28 and with a best bowling of 8-108.

He made his Test debut against South Africa in Adelaide during the 1998 season, but despite a superb record in Tests has largely lived in the shadow of Warne.

MacGill is yet to decide whether to continue playing domestically for NSW.

Cricket Australia said they would not be sending a player to replace MacGill in the squad.

Top Ten Weird Dismissals In World Cricket 85

Cricket

cricket one of the most popular sport in India Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, England and West Indies. There are three variants of the game in international cricket that is being played today. They are Test matches, One Dayer and the latest version Twenty20 or in short T20.

Although considered as a gentleman's game cricket has its share of controversies like betting, sledging, tampering the ball, accusations of racism etc., apart from umpiring errors and dismissals of batsmen. Of course it has its own funny moments too.

1. Caught: When the batsman hits the ball and a fielder catches it before it hits the ground he is given out.

Exceptions: If the fielder steps over the boundary to catch the ball, or steps out of the boundary line immediately after catching the ball, it is declared a six. Also, if the batsman is caught on a no ball, he is given not out.

2. Bowled: When the ball hits the wickets either because the batsman misses it or because it is deflected off his bat or body, he is given out.

Exceptions: No ball

3. Stumped: A batsman is given out when he steps out of the crease to either to hit or defend a ball, misses it, and the wicket keeper catches it and removes the bails of the wicket before the batsman or his bat re-enters the crease.

Exceptions: No ball

4. Hit wicket: The batsman breaks the wicket with his bat or with any other part of his body or equipment. This is called Hit Wicket and the batsman is given out.

Exceptions: Wide or No ball

5.Leg Before Wicket (LBW): When the batsman misses the ball, but blocks it with his legs so it doesn't hit the wicket, a batsman could be given out when the fielding side appeals 'Howzzat!?'. The decision is given if the ball would have hit the wicket when the legs had not come in the way.

Exceptions: No ball or If the ball hit the bat before the legs of the batsman

6. Run out: When the batsman is trying to take a run, and the fielder hits the wicket before the batsman or his bat is inside his crease he is given out. Also, if the non-striker steps out of his crease before the bowler has bowled, the bowler may simply lift the bails off the wicket and the non-striker is deemed run-out. This is, however, considered unfair play.

7. Handling the ball: When the batsman handles the ball without the permission of the fielding side or when he uses his hands to stop the ball from hitting the wicket he is given out.

Exceptions: Non-deliberate attempt to touch the ball, e.g. being hit on the hand with the ball.

8. Hit the ball twice: If the batsman hits the ball a second time, hard, with the purpose of scoring a run he is given out.

Exceptions: The batsman hits the ball the second time to prevent it from hitting his wicket.

9. Timed out: If one batsman is out, and the second batsman doesn't appear on the field to bat within 2 minutes, he is timed out.

10. Obstructing the field: When the batsman deliberately comes in the way or tries to prevent a fielder from reaching the ball, so he can complete a run.

Exception: The batsman is allowed to run between the fielder and the wicket, but cannot make any deliberate action to divert the fielder or the ball.

Apart from these, a batsman could be given out for showing dissent to an umpire's decision and for offensive behaviour on the field, which usually do not happen!

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What Is A No Ball?

A bowler must bowl the ball with his foot behind a crease, called the popping crease. If his front foot is outside the crease, it is a no-ball.

Members &Regional bodies & awards

Members

ICC member nations. Full Members, that play Test cricket, are shown in orange; Associate Members in green; and Affiliate Members in purple.

Main article: List of International Cricket Council members

The ICC has three classes of membership: Full Members, the ten governing bodies of teams that play official Test matches; Associate Members, the 34 governing bodies in countries where cricket is firmly established and organised but which do not qualify for Full Membership; and Affiliate Members, the 60 governing bodies in countries where the ICC recognises that cricket is played according to the Laws of Cricket.


Regional bodies

These regional bodies aim to organise, promote and develop the game of cricket:

* Asian Cricket Council
* European Cricket Council
* African Cricket Association
* Americas Cricket Association
* East Asia-Pacific Cricket Council


Defunct Bodies

* West Africa Cricket Council
* East and Central Africa Cricket Council


Competitions and awards

The ICC organises various First-Class and One-Day cricket competitions:

* First Class
o ICC Test Championship (test league)
o ICC Intercontinental Cup (tests for non test nations)
* One Day
o ICC ODI Championship (one-day league)
o ICC Cricket World Cup (50 over tournament)
o ICC World Twenty20 (twenty20 tournament)
o ICC Champions Trophy (miniature version of the world cup)
o ICC World Cricket League (league for associate & affiliate members)
o ICC World Cup Qualifier (qualifier for the world cup)

The ICC has instituted the ICC Awards to recognise and honour the best international cricket players of the previous 12 months. The inaugural ICC Awards ceremony was held on 7 September 2004, in London.


Anti-corruption and security

The ICC has also had to deal with drugs and bribery scandals involving top cricketers. Following the corruption scandals by cricketers connected with the legal and illegal bookmaking markets, the ICC set up an Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) in 2000 under the retired Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police, Lord Condon. Amongst the corruption on which they have reported was that of former South African captain Hansie Cronje who had accepted substantial sums of money from an Indian bookmaker for under-performing or ensuring that certain matches had a pre-determined result. Similarly, the former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja were investigated, found guilty of match-fixing, and banned from playing cricket (for life and for five years, respectively). The ACSU continues to monitor and investigate any reports of corruption in cricket and protocols have been introduced which for example prohibit the use of mobile telephones in dressing rooms.

Prior to the 2007 Cricket World Cup ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed warned against any corruption and said that the ICC would be vigilant and intolerant against it.[8]

Global Cricket Academy

The ICC Global Cricket Academy (GCA) at Dubai Sports City is scheduled to open in 2008 and Rod Marsh has been appointed as the Academy's Director of Coaching. The GCA's facilities will include two ovals, each with 10 turf pitches, outdoor turf and synthetic practice facilities, indoor practice facilities including hawk eye technology and a cricket specific gymnasium.

Umpires and referees

The ICC appoints international umpires and referees, sponsored by Emirates Airline, who officiate at all sanctioned Test matches, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. The ICC operates 3 panels of umpires: namely the Elite Panel, the International Panel, and the Associates and Affiliates Panel.

As of April 2006, the Elite Panel includes ten umpires. In theory, two umpires from the Elite Panel officiate at every Test match, whilst one Elite Panel umpire stands in ODI matches together with an umpire from the International Panel. In practice, members of the International Panel stand in occasional Test matches, as this is viewed as a good opportunity to see whether they can cope at the Test level, and whether they should be elevated to the Elite Panel. The Elite Panel are full-time employees of the ICC, although do still, very occasionally umpire first-class cricket in their country of residence. The average, annual, officiating schedule for Elite Umpires is 12 Test matches and 15 ODIs, a potential on-field workload of 75 days per year.

The International Panel is made up of officials nominated from each of the ten Test-playing cricket boards. The Panel Members officiate in ODI matches in their home country, and assist the Elite Panel at peak times in the cricket calendar when they can be appointed to overseas ODI and Test matches. International Panel members also undertake overseas umpiring assignments such as the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup in order to improve their knowledge and understanding of overseas conditions, and help them prepare for possible promotion onto the Elite Panel. Some of these umpires also officiates in the Cricket World Cup. Each of the Test cricket boards nominates a "third umpire" who can be called upon to review certain on-field decisions through instant television replays. All third umpires are first-class umpires in their own county, and the role is seen as a step onto the International Panel, and then the Elite Panel.

The newest panel of umpires, set up in February 2005, is the Associates and Affiliates Umpires Panel. It was designed to offer a pathway to top level umpiring for officials from the ICC's 87 Associate and Affiliate Member countries. As of January 2005, it has 10 members from countries such as Nepal and Fiji. These umpires will officiate at the ICC Trophy and the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup.

There is also a Panel of Elite Referees who act as the independent representative of the ICC at all Test and ODI matches. As of January 2005, it has 7 members, all highly experienced former international cricketers. The Referees do not have the power to report players or officials (which has to be done by the umpires), but they are responsible for conducting hearings under the ICC Code of Conduct and imposing penalties as required at matches, ranging from an official reprimand to a lifetime ban from cricket. Decisions can be appealed, but the original decision is upheld in most cases.

Rules and regulation & Commercial focus

Rules and regulation

The International Cricket Council overlooks playing conditions, bowling reviews, and other ICC regulations. Even though the ICC doesn't have copyright to the laws of cricket and only the MCC may change the laws, nowadays this would usually only be done after discussions with the game's global governing body, the ICC. The ICC also has a "Code of Conduct" to which teams and players in international matches are required to adhere. Where breaches of this code occur the ICC can apply sanctions, usually fines. In 2006 the ICC imposed 27 penalties on players.[4]


Commercial focus

The ICC has a strong commercial focus and it has a duty to its members to maximise the value to them of its primary "property" the Cricket World Cup. Sponsorship and television rights of the World Cup brought in over US$1.6 billion between 2007 and 2015, by far the ICC’s main source of income.[5] The ICC has no income streams from other international cricket matches (Test matches, One Day International and Twenty20 Internationals). It has sought to create other new events to augment its World Cup revenues. These include the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Super Series played in Australia in 2005. However these expansion has not been as successful as the ICC hoped. The Super Series was widely seen as a failure and is not expected to be repeated, and India called for the Champions Trophy to be scrapped in 2006[6] The Champions Trophy 2004 event was referred to in Wisden 2005 by the editor as a "turkey of a tournament" and a "fiasco"; although the 2006 edition was seen as a greater success due to a new format.[7]

History & Location

History

On June 15, 1909 representatives from England, Australia and South Africa met at Lord's and founded the Imperial Cricket Conference. Membership was confined to the governing bodies of cricket within the British Empire where Test cricket was played. India, New Zealand and West Indies were elected as Full Members in 1926, doubling the number of Test-playing nations to six. After the formation of Pakistan in 1947, it was given Test status in 1953, becoming the seventh Test-playing nation. South Africa resigned from the ICC in 1961 due to apartheid.

In 1965, the Imperial Cricket Conference was renamed the International Cricket Conference and new rules adopted to permit the election of countries from outside the Commonwealth. This led to the expansion of the Conference, with the admission of Associate Members. Associates were each entitled to one vote, while the Foundation and Full Members were entitled to two votes on ICC resolutions. Foundation Members retained a right of veto.

Sri Lanka was admitted as a Full Member in 1981, returning the number of Test-playing nations to seven. In 1989, new rules were adopted and International Cricket Conference changed its name to the current name, the International Cricket Council. South Africa was re-elected as a Full Member of the ICC in 1991, after the end of apartheid; this was followed in 1992 by the admission of Zimbabwe as the ninth Test-playing nation. Bangladesh was admitted as the tenth Test-playing nation in 2000.


Location

The ICC's offices in Dubai.

From its formation the ICC had Lord's Cricket Ground as its home with offices in the "clock tower" building at the nursery end of the ground. However as the commercial element of the Council's operations became prominent the ICC sought ways to avoid tax liability on commercial income. This led, in 2001, to the establishment of an office in Monaco to which all of the commercial staff relocated. This move successfully removed the Council's tax liability however there was a disadvantage in that the Council's cricket administrators, who remained at Lord's, were separated from their commercial colleagues who had moved to Monaco. The council decided to seek ways of bringing all of their staff together in one office whilst protecting their commercial income from tax.

The option of staying at Lord's was investigated and a request was made, through Sport England, to the British Government to allow the ICC to have all its personnel (including those working on commercial matters) in London - but be given special exemption from paying UK corporation tax on its commercial income. The British Government was unwilling to create a precedent and would not agree to this request. As a consequence the ICC examined other locations and eventually settled on the emirate of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. In August 2005 the ICC moved its offices to Dubai, and subsequently closed its offices at Lord's and Monaco. The move to Dubai was made after an 11-1 vote by the ICC's Executive Board in favour.[2]

Whilst the principal driver of the ICC's move to Dubai was the wish to bring its main employees together in one tax efficient location, a secondary reason was the wish to move offices closer to the increasingly important new centres of cricketing power in South Asia. Lord's had been a logical venue when the ICC had been administered by the MCC (a situation that lasted until 1993). But the growing power of India, Pakistan and to a lesser extent Sri Lanka, in world cricket had made the continued control of international cricket by a British private members club (the MCC) anachronistic and unsustainable. A direct consequence of the changes and reforms instituted in 1993 was eventually to be the move away from Lord's to a more neutral venue.[3]

International Cricket Council

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.

The ICC has 104 members: 10 Full Members that play official Test matches, 34 Associate Members, and 60 Affiliate Members. The ICC is responsible for the organization and governance of cricket's major international tournaments, most notably the Cricket World Cup. It also appoints the umpires and referees that officiate at all sanctioned Test matches, One Day International and Twenty20 Internationals. It promulgates the ICC Code of Conduct, which sets professional standards of discipline for international crickets[1], and also co-ordinates action against corruption and match-fixing through its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).

The acting ICC President is Ray Mali following the death of Percy Sonn on May 27, 2007, after complications from recent surgery. The current CEO is Haroon Lorgat. It was announced on June 27, 2007, that David Morgan the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, would fill the role of ICC President from 2008, until 2010, when he will be replaced by Sharad Pawar, the current president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.