1st Test	England	v	Sri Lanka
Pre-rating	1117.1		969.4
Form	+13.8		-14.7
Expected Margin	England by 124 runs
Actual Margin	England by an innings and 88 runs
Post-rating	1129.7		952.6

Even after a first day where England tottered to 5/171 this was never an even contest. Sri Lanka, as expected, are poorly equipped for these conditions, and the help their bowlers - particularly Shanaka - received was far more-so for Anderson (10/45 for the match). Hales ground out 86 in the sort of determined innings he needs to prove he is more than a limited overs players, but it was Bairstow - 140, carrying on from his county form - who proved again the depth in this lineup. It was further underlined by the abject batting that followed as Bairstow added nine catches to his match tally and Sri Lanka folded twice for 210. Only 164 overs were played in the match - only rain preventing the mismatched being underscored by a two-day outcome.

England's victory didn't greatly improve their rating, but it was enough to slip above South Africa, and they could easily move into second place with a few good results. Sri Lanka's form (-37) indicates that they have a way to fall yet.

Rankings at 26th May 2016
1.	Australia	1230.4
2.	India	1160.9
3.	Pakistan	1142.9
4.	England	1129.7
5.	South Africa	1121.5
6.	New Zealand	1024.9
7.	Sri Lanka	952.6
8.	West Indies	848.1
10.	Bangladesh	613.3
12.	Zimbabwe	559.8
9.	Ireland	637.1
11.	Afghanistan	606.0
13.	Scotland	408.0
14.	Namibia	306.5
15.	Kenya	276.4
16.	U.A.E.	221.0
17.	Papua New Guinea	228.1
18.	Netherlands	189.0
19.	Hong Kong	183.6
20.	Canada	147.9

Shaded teams have played fewer than 2 games per season. Non-test team ratings are not comparable to test ratings as they don`t play each other.

Idle Summers 28th May, 2016 14:36:54   [#] [0 comments] 

In this episode, Russell Degnan (@idlesummers) interviews Tim Anderson, Head of Global Development at the ICC, on a range of topics: reform of the WT20 qualifying process and affiliate cricket (11:10), the changes to World Cricket League, and restructure of regional pathways (24:02), the ascension of Ireland and Afghanistan and present focus on greater context for full member cricket (29:06), global tournaments, opportunity and status (35:00), changes to the funding scorecard (41:29), women's cricket (44:12), member suspensions and governance (47:32), changes to regional development programs (53:29), streaming and promotion of associate cricket (55:37), match fixing (58:58), Tim's legacy, USA, China and the Olympics (1:01:12). As always, Andrew Nixon (@andrewnixon79) is along to discuss news from Germany, Hong Kong, Rwanda, and the ICC (0:06), and to preview World Cricket League division five (1:13:48) and PNG vs Kenya (1:16:49)

Direct Download Running Time 79min. Music from Martin Solveig, "Big in Japan"

The associate and affiliate cricket podcast is an attempt to expand coverage of associate tournaments by obtaining local knowledge of the relevant nations. If you have or intend to go to a tournament at associate level - men`s women`s, ICC, unaffiliated - then please get in touch in the comments or by email.

Idle Summers 20th May, 2016 01:13:50   [#] [0 comments] 

3 Tests	England	v	Sri Lanka
Pre-rating	1117.1		969.4
Form	+13.8		-14.7
Expected Margin	England by 124 runs

Two years ago, a disheveled England lost to a Sri Lankan side, failing to press home an advantage in the first test, and squandering another in the second. This time around, with England finding their groove with a young and dynamic side, and Sri Lanka continuing to drift backwards, a comprehensive loss is much more likely. Whereas in 2014 Mathews was able to feed off Sangakarra to punch an advantage, now he looks more isolated, and carries a greater burden. With Root, Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Stokes all capable of taking a game away quickly, England have a deep and powerful batting lineup to set up matches for their bowlers. Uncertainty still exists at the top, and in the spot Taylor had occupied, but the depth of all-rounders gives them flexibility to work around those positions.

Sri Lanka's World T20 performance was that of a fairly poor side, and while Herath will, for a little while longer, keep them semi-competitive at home, the yawning hole left by Jayawardene and Sangakarra will not easily be met. They face some worrying tours if the young batsmen in their side cannot improve quickly.

2 Tests	New Zealand	v	Australia
Pre-rating	1048.5		1210.7
Form	+24.9		-3.3
Expected Margin	Australia by 31 runs
Actual Margin	Australia by an innings and 152 runs
	Australia by 7 wickets
Post-rating	1230.4		1024.9
Series rating	1409.1		848.0

Somewhere along the way I neglected to conclude on this series, won with the right amount of superiority at the right times by Australia. McCullum's brutal century, brilliant as it was, was an epic roll of the dice for a side that felt it needed to do so to have a chance. Ultimately, Australia passed their total four-down, with three days remaining to force a result. Conversely, with better catching, some better luck with the umpiring and fewer loose drives outside off they might have ground their way to a result. Australia were flattered by the scoreline, even if the bowling was very good, the fielding excellent, and the batting effective. The collapses of previous tours didn't appear against a side (and on pitches) that ought to have produced them, though it would be brave (and wrong) to suggest they've been solved.

Australia's rating is low by modern number ones, but still significantly superior to India in second place. New Zealand, despite the hiccup here, remain close to the top-five. Had they performed better against Australia this summer they might have found themselves near the top, but they lack something the better sides have, even if it isn't always clear what that is. Perhaps the next era, sans McCullum but with many of the side at their peak, will reach the heights they've promised but missed for some time.

Rankings at 18th May 2016
1.	Australia	1230.4
2.	India	1160.9
3.	Pakistan	1142.9
4.	South Africa	1121.5
5.	England	1117.1
6.	New Zealand	1024.9
7.	Sri Lanka	969.4
8.	West Indies	848.1
10.	Bangladesh	613.3
12.	Zimbabwe	559.8
9.	Ireland	640.3
11.	Afghanistan	591.5
13.	Scotland	408.0
14.	Namibia	337.5
15.	Kenya	276.4
16.	U.A.E.	235.9
17.	Papua New Guinea	217.6
18.	Hong Kong	183.6
19.	Netherlands	174.8
20.	Canada	147.9

Shaded teams have played fewer than 2 games per season. Non-test team ratings are not comparable to test ratings as they don`t play each other.

Idle Summers 18th May, 2016 16:04:43   [#] [0 comments] 

Africa played host to two tournaments this month, with the men's division two (8:01) and the women's T20 and/or World Cup qualifier (10:49) being played. Andrew Nixon (@andrewnixon79) joins Russell Degnan (@idlesummers) to discuss them. Namibia played both Afghanistan (0:30), in the I-Cup, and Nepal (3:40) in the WCLC. In news, we mark the passing of the inspirational Tony Munro, editor of Beyond the Test World (16:29) before moving on to development matters. Amongst several issues covered are: women's development, particularly in Afghanistan (13:40); match-fixing at associate level (18:20); Nepal's suspension by the ICC (21:00); the complexities of having an independent chairman (24:10); ongoing discussions about context and structure (25:30); the ODI fund for Ireland and Afghanistan (28:50); and the Hong Kong blitz and their new sources of funding (39:35). And as usual there is bits of news from Italy, Germany, UAE, Kenya, Afghanistan, the Americas and Asia.

Direct Download Running Time 45min. Music from Martin Solveig, "Big in Japan"

The associate and affiliate cricket podcast is an attempt to expand coverage of associate tournaments by obtaining local knowledge of the relevant nations. If you have or intend to go to a tournament at associate level - men`s women`s, ICC, unaffiliated - then please get in touch in the comments or by email.

Idle Summers 4th May, 2016 23:28:17   [#] [0 comments]