India rise to 2nd in ICC ODI rankings; Kohli, Bumrah remain on top
Dubai, Feb 4: The Indian cricket team Monday rose a rung to second in the ICC ODI rankings in which captain Virat Kohli and pacer Jasprit Bumrah continued to top the respective charts for batsmen and bowlers.
India have accumulated 122 points on the back of series wins over Australia and New Zealand and are placed behind England (126) in the fresh list, the ICC said in a statement.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni also moved up owing to a strong showing against Australia last month, which fetched him the player of the series award. Dhoni has moved up three places to 17th position in the batting list for a run, which included three consecutive half-centuries against Australia.
New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult surged to third in the rankings for bowlers after finishing with 12 wickets in the series against India, which culminated in Wellington on Sunday with a 4-1 victory for the visiting side.
The 29-year-old left-armer, who swung the ball prodigiously to claim five for 21 and helped New Zealand to a win in the fourth match, has moved up seven places, the International Cricket Council said in a statement.
Boult topped the rankings in January 2016, and is again on his way up, with only Bumrah and Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan ahead of him.
India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (up one place to fifth) and fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar (up six places to 17th) are among others to move up in the latest rankings.
The latest update also takes into account India's preceding three-match series against Australia, the five-match series between South Africa and Pakistan, and the three matches between the United Arab Emirates and Nepal.
Kedar Jadhav (up eight places to 35th) is another one to advance for India in the list led by Kohli.
For South Africa, Quinton de Kock (up one place to eighth), Hashim Amla (up three places to 13th) and Reeza Hendricks (up 36 places to 94th) have moved up among batsmen while Andile Phehlukwayo's eight wickets have seen him gain 13 places and reach 19th position and Dwaine Pretorius has moved up from 53rd to 44th slot.
In team Rankings, New Zealand have slipped behind South Africa to fourth place. Nepal now have a full ranking after crossing the threshold of eight matches and are now tied with the UAE at 15 points with their 2-1 win but marginally behind on decimals.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Israeli strike on Gaza shelter kills 17 as Blinken says cease-fire talks will resume
Deir al-Balah (Gaza Strip), Oct 24: An Israeli strike on a school where displaced people were sheltering in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 17 people on Thursday, nearly all women and children, Palestinian medical officials said.
The strike came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel had accomplished its objective of “effectively dismantling” Hamas, and that negotiations over a cease-fire and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages would resume in the coming days.
Another 42 people were wounded in the strike in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. Among the dead were 13 children under the age of 18 and three women, according to the hospital's records.
The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas group inside the school, without providing evidence. Israel has carried out several strikes on schools-turned-shelters in recent months, saying it precisely targets Hamas members hiding out among civilians. The strikes often kill women and children.
Blinken, speaking to reporters in Qatar, which has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, said negotiators would reconvene “in the coming days”.
“What we really have to determine is whether Hamas is prepared to engage," he said on his 11th visit to the region since the start of the war.
The United States hopes to renew the negotiations after Israeli forces killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza last week, but neither side has shown any sign of moderating its demands from months of negotiations that sputtered to a halt over the summer.
Blinken also announced an additional USD 135 million in US aid to the Palestinians, while again urging Israel to allow more assistance to enter the territory.
Health workers in besieged northern Gaza meanwhile warned of a catastrophic situation there, where Israel has been waging an air and ground offensive for more than two weeks.
