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The Indian Premier League (IPL) and its place in the world cricket calendar is expected to be a key area of discussion as chief executives [or their equivalent] from all boards under the ICC umbrella meet over two days in Kuala Lumpur, starting tomorrow.Also on the agenda at the meeting, to be chaired by the ICC’s chief executive Malcolm Speed, are: format and number of teams for the 2011 World Cup, feedback on the international schedule post-2012, and a pioneering proposal from the ICC management to start the “trialling of an ‘umpire decision review system’ during the England v South Africa Test series to be played in England in July/August 2008”.The meeting of chief executives follows a scheduling summit, also in Kuala Lumpur, to review the draft international programme post-2012. While the question of how to accommodate the IPL and the proposed Champions League in the schedule will be touched upon, some wrangling is also expected on who will get to play the big teams.Pakistan, for instance, is expected to push for a “fair share” of Tests and one-dayers. “Our cricketers have to play optimum number of matches if we are to realise our target of becoming the world’s best team,” Nasim Ashraf, the Pakistan board chairman, was quoted as saying in The News. “Without putting them at the risk of injury or burnout, we will ensure that their international commitments are at par with other top teams like Australia, India and South Africa.”Ashraf is also expected to seek the help of other members in convincing Australia to go ahead with their tour to Pakistan in March-April, which seems unlikely with Cricket Australia expressing concerns over security. “We have already got a raw deal in the FTP and if Australia don’t come as per schedule, we will just have three Tests this year and that too when India tour later this year in December,” Ashraf told PTI.”We still remain hopeful they will fulfill their obligations of touring Pakistan but the truth is we are in a frustrating situation. Despite repeated assurances that no cricket team has been hit by violence in Pakistan and that it is safe for them to tour and they will be given state-level security, they are still expressing concerns.”Besides scheduling, what will be tracked with keen interest is the umpire decision review system. “According to the proposal, the captain of the fielding team or the batsman, as the case may be, will be entitled to a limited number of occasions to request the on-field umpire to review his decision in consultation with the TV umpire,” said an ICC spokesperson, in a statement. “The chief executive committee will review this proposal and make a recommendation to the ICC board. If the trial is given the go-ahead by the Board, the final playing conditions will be developed in consultation with the ICC cricket committee.”

Mike Procter says dealing with the Harbhajan Singh-Andrew Symonds hearing in Sydney was even harder than handling the 2006 Oval Test, which was awarded as a forfeit to England after Pakistan refused to play amid a ball-tampering row. Procter was the match referee in both cases and he believes the two situations were completely different.”Being South African as well, and having seen the effects of racism first-hand, it was a really tough call,” Procter told the . “It was probably more tough and stressful than the events surrounding the Oval Test when the match was abandoned. It has been very difficult on a personal and professional level.”[The Oval] was a very unusual day. Everyone in the ICC … did everything in our power to make something happen, but with the rules of cricket being what they were, there was nothing that could be done. It was, in many ways, an impossible situation.”But I would say the issues and pressures that came out of Sydney were in many ways greater. Many of the situations that come up have never been dealt with before, and at the end of the day, it is you alone who must come up with the decision, drawing on your cricketing experiences and general knowledge. It seems drama follows me wherever I go.”The appeal over Harbhajan’s three-Test ban for allegedly calling Symonds a “monkey” during the SCG match will be heard next week. Procter said despite criticism over his handling of the case – a leaked report suggests he took the word of the Australian fielders – he did not have a bad relationship with India.”I can’t comment specifically about the case, but I will say that, despite some reports to the contrary, I have a good relationship with the Indians,” Procter said. “Now it is in the hands of the ICC, so I will leave it at that.”

Batsman of the day
Before this match, Kumar Sangakkara was rated as the third-bestbatsman in Test cricket, but if you took his efforts in this past yearin isolation, there’d be no contest. Since surrendering the gloves tohis team-mate Prasanna Jayawardene, he’s been unstoppable, racking up1529 runs in 14 innings, at the staggering average of 152.90. He’smade seven centuries in that time, including a career-best 287, and ofthose times he’s reached three figures, he hasn’t been dismissed forless than today’s 152. The Asgiriya, incidentally, is where he playedall his cricket as a schoolboy at Trinity College. It’s fair to sayhe’s familiar with the conditions.Intruder of the day
As the afternoon wore on and England’s ordeal became all the moreacute, any break from the grind – however fleeting – was gratefullyreceived by the fielders. Cue the arrival of the Asgiriya’s favouritemutt, who padded onto the pitch from the direction of the Barmy Armyenclosure (a coincidence?) and held up play for three precious minuteswhile he ambled from long-on to fine leg. Steve Harmison met him atthe boundary’s edge in front of the pavilion, but thought better ofdoing a Merv Hughes and carrying him off the pitch. Every secondcounts when your side is up against it.Intruder of the day Mk 2
Another interruption, though perhaps less gratefully received by theplayers on this occasion. Monty Panesar was just about to trot in forhis 41st over of the innings, when every single person on the field -including the batsmen and both umpires – flung themselves to the deck,as if the cry “doodlebug!” had gone up. The cause of the panic was aswarm of bees, mostly milling around by the sightscreen at theHunnasgiriya End of the ground. Speculation mounted that it was aplague on Murali, as dispatched by Shane Warne, but they buzzed offsoon enough.Band of the day
There wasn’t actually any competition for this one. Murali’s personalskiffle band had serenaded the crowd so joyfully throughout the firstthree days, but today, with the record back where it belongs, theydecided their work was done. So it was left to the Barmy Army toprovide the atmospherics. They did their best in trying circumstances,but you couldn’t help but notice that both the trumpeter and thechanting sounded a little flat by comparison.

Drop(-kick) of the day
Ian Bell could be excused for his first miss of the match, afringe-singeing flyer at slip that came in the midst of SanathJayasuriya’s 24-run over on Monday. There were no such mitigatingcircumstances this time around, however. For the first time in hisinnings, Sangakkara was looking genuinely edgy, having fallen in thenineties twice before against England. On 98, he fenced outside offand steered a sitter to Bell’s right at slip. But the chance wasmuffed, and a furious Ryan Sidebottom booted an imaginary Bell cleanover the monastery.Surprise of the day
Paul Collingwood’s shock dismissal of Prasanna Jayawardene. Englandhadn’t looked like rattling the timbers for two days and 124 overs, soit was quite rightly assumed to be some sort of mistake whenCollingwood swung one in from outside off stump, straight through thegate and into the top of the off bail. The umpires conferred,wondering perhaps whether the ball had ricocheted off Matt Prior’spads. But no, it was all bona fide. Twelve deliveries later, andperhaps still reeling from the shock, Sangakkara clipped tamely tomidwicket to give Colly his second of the innings.Cheer of the day
It wasn’t quite an ovation of Murali proportions, and there might evenhave been a tinge of irony involved. But when Alastair Cook tucked thefirst ball of England’s innings off his hips for four, he escaped thedreaded pair and gave the England supporters their most upliftingmoment of the day. It couldn’t last, however. Three balls later, hepoked uncertainly outside off, and the Sri Lankan voices were onceagain the loudest in the ground.

Cricket South Africa’s chief executive Gerald Majola has admitted that the board made a mistake in allotting the Boxing Day Test against West Indies to Port Elizabeth instead of the traditional Kingsmead in Durban, owing to the poor spectator turnout. The board’s decision to switch venues, in a bid to boost crowd numbers, backfired and Majola said the scheduling will be reviewed for the forthcoming seasons.”It was definitely a wrong move,” Majola told the South African-based . “We blundered badly. We wanted to try something new this season by moving the Test matches around. However it did not work as there were hardly any spectators at the Port Elizabeth Test.”The match was attended by roughly 11,000 in total over four days. The first day saw a crowd of around 4000 but the number dipped over the next three and an average of 2500 showed up. The deciding Test in Durban was an improvement with an aggregate of 19,000 over three days, with the home side achieving a series victory after losing the first Test.Matches in Port Elizabeth are traditionally held in mid-January and the board took a gamble to see if the response would be better during the holiday season. He admitted that the board overlooked the fact that Kingsmead would draw better crowds as people flocked to the popular beach destination.”We felt that if the crowd support in mid-January was good then it would be better if we had a Boxing Day Test in that city,” he said. “However people living at the coast love the beaches during the Christmas and Boxing Day period, hence we did not attract the crowd for the West Indies Test. We will have to go back to the drawing board.”South Africa head to Australia later this year so their next home Boxing Day Test will be in the 2009-10 season against England.

The hard-hitting opening batsmen Gunawardane scored his first one-day century as the favorites Sri Lanka, batting first, piled up 287 for 6 to beat the West Indies by a margin of 108 runs in the pre-quarterfinal of the ICC KnockOut.The West Indies lost an early advantage they had gained by getting two best Sri Lankan batsmen, Jaysuria and Atapattu, out with the total at 10. This loss of advantage was mainly due to the inexperience found in the Caribbean bowling because of the absence of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose in the side.After Mervyn Dillon had gotten rid of both the Lankan skipper and his reliable deputy in his 3rd over, things looked gloomy for the Sri Lankans. However, with the introduction of medium pacers, Kerry Jeremy and Laurie Williams-both debutantes, the goings changed remarkably in favor of Sri Lanka. It was during this period that the two batsmen at the crease, the hard-hitting left handed opener Gunawardane and Jayawardane, did not only make amends for the early setback by batting watchfully but also found some boundaries as well. Although Williams was quite tidy in his opening spell, Jeremy was wayward in his line and length as he gave away 24 runs in his first two overs.Cautious at first, the two batsmen soon opened up their shoulders and runs began to flow freely. It was at this juncture that the stand-in captain Sherwin Campbell brought on his spinners. But this move also didn’t pay off as the Sri Lankan batsmen played their shots with command and authority. The stylish Jayawardane was particularly harsh on the leg-spinner, Nagamootoo and the debutante off-spinner, Marlon Samuel. The acceleration shown by the Sri Lankan batsmen at this stage is evident from the fact that whereas the first fifty was reached in 13.1 overs, the next one took less than nine overs to complete.Jayawardane reached his fifty ahead of his partner, taking just 52 balls for that. Gunawardane achieved the same feat in 65 balls. However, the latter cut loose at this stage and scored at a brisk pace. The marathon partnership between Jayawardane and Gonawardane had reached 160 when the former was caught by Courtney Brown off the bowling of Jeremy for 72 scored from 71 balls. The next batsman Sangakarra had but a brief stay at the crease as he was run out in a most unfortunate manner. The ball delivered by Jeremy was hit with brute force back to the bowler. The catch, to the relief of the batsmen at the batting crease, was dropped but the ball rolled on to the stumps at the bowling end only to find Sangakarra out of his crease.Russell Arnold was next to come and he continued the good work, which was temporarily hampered by the fall of two quick wickets. He and Gunawardane added more than fifty runs for the 5th wicket and that too in a very short time. Arnold made quick 41 before he was played on off the bowling of Mclean. Gunawardane, in the meanwhile, completed his first hundred in 125 balls, studded with 14 hits to the boundary. Although, he was dropped three times during the innings, twice in one over of Dillon, and also caught off a no-ball, yet credit must go to him for the way he controlled his innings with caution as well as aggression after the early fall of two important wickets. Another important fact about his innings is that he did not lose his concentration even after getting to his ton, although he seemed visibly tired. When, at last, he was out, bowled round his legs by Mclean, the Sri Lankan score was well past the 250 mark. He made 132 with the help of 19 fours. The experienced Kaluwidharna collected a few boundaries in the end of the innings to post an imposing total of 287 in the allotted 50 overs.The West Indian bowling lacked experience as they conceded too many boundaries during the innings by straying from the line. However, blame also falls on the poor display of fielding by the Caribbeans as they let off three chances of catches and, at least, as many opportunities of run outs. Mervyn Dillon was the most successful bowler picking 2 for 46, followed by Mclean who took 2 for 56. The young seamer, Kerry Jeremy, took one wicket for 54 on his debut.The West Indian openers started the proceedings with aggression-Courtney Brown hitting a huge six in the second over and Campbell executing some beautifully timed square-cuts to the boundary. However, the fall of Brown’s wickets at the total of 35 in the 6th over triggered a mini-collapse as 4 wickets fell in the space of 6 runs, including the prize wicket of Brian Lara. The main damage was done by the left arm pace bowler Zoysa who took the wickets of Brown and Lara in the space of two overs to leave the Windies staggering at 4 for 41.The West Indies had lost six wickets for just 85 on the board. A partnership of 74 between Nagamootoo and Williams brought some respectability to their total. Williams became the highest scorer for the West Indies making 41; Nagamootoo got 33. The West Indian tail had a daunting task to achieve?requiring 120 in the last 8 overs. However, they had no answer to the tidy bowling of their rivals. They were all out for paltry 179 in 46.4 overs, thus, conceding the match by 108 runs.Zoysa was the most successful bowler for Sri Lanka, taking 3 wickets for 34. Wickramasinghe and Jayasuria took 2 wickets each for 37 and 30 runs, respectively. Russell Arnold took one for 29, while the remaining two batsmen were run out.Sri Lanka now meets Pakistan in the quarterfinal on Sunday. The winner of this match will meet either New Zealand or Zimbabwe in the semi-final of the competition.

Day 1 Close England Women 189 for 3 (Claire Taylor 78*) lead South Africa Women 130 (Pearson 4-25) by 69 runs
Scorecard

South Africa’s women performed a vanishing act that their Indian counterparts would have been proud of, as England took control on the opening day of the second and final Test at Taunton. South Africa were bowled out inside two sessions for 130, and by the close England built a lead of 69 with seven wickets in hand.South Africa won the toss and took first use of a good batting track, but never got going, losing four wickets before lunch as England’s seamers took control. It was after the break that the collapse really took hold, four wickets tumbling for two runs in 28 balls. Lucy Pearson plugged away in an immaculate 16-over spell, finishing with the fine figures of 4 for 25, and Helen Wardlaw’s offspinners wrapped up the tail, as South Africa were bowled out for 130.England lost the wickets of Charlotte Edwards, Laura Newton and Clare Connor before wiping out the deficit, but all three dismissals owed more to mistakes than penetrative bowling. The in-form Claire Taylor reached 78 not out at the close, 22 runs shy of becoming only the third Englishwoman to score back-to-back Test hundreds. With Lydia Greenway, she compiled an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 82. South Africa face another hard day in the field tomorrow.

A day after Bangalore Royal Challengers owner Vijay Mallya indicated he was unhappy with the team composition, he has justified the sacking of chief executive Charu Sharma and demanded better results. Bangalore are at the bottom of the table after losing six of their eight games so far.”When I questioned the team’s performance, poor practice facilities and the lack of infrastructure were given as reasons,” Mallya told NDTV. “It was also said that there was no bonding in the team. I said to myself, things can’t continue like this. So I brought in Brijesh [Patel] and who better than him to provide better practice facilities at the home base in Bangalore?”He also said he had other players in mind but backed the judgement of Sharma and the captain Rahul Dravid.”In fact in the second auction, when Dravid was absent, I wanted my set of players but Charu was very tentative and I was held back. It was I who brought in Misbah-ul-Haq.”People have to understand IPL has a corporate side to it. It is not all cricket in the traditional sense. I just want to tell Rahul Dravid to do the best he can with this team and produce results. Dravid doesn’t enjoy being at the bottom of the league and neither do I.”Sharma, sacked last week, responded to the criticism by distancing himself from the selection of the team. He also said the captain and coach should be given more time to prove themselves. “When there are experienced players like Rahul Dravid and Test captain Anil Kumble around, how do you expect me to play a role in the team selection?” he told the news channel CNN-IBN.”The very purpose for stating earlier that ‘through these strange and difficult times all I wish to do is maintain a dignified silence’ – is because that’s exactly what I intend to do,” Sharma said in a statement. “Let us not forget that the team is still out there – on the road – doing its best, trying to improve match after match.”On the eve of the match against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali, Dravid was asked how it felt to be termed a ‘Test team’. “We have not played good cricket, so such comments will come. It is disappointing for the team, for all who are part of it including the franchisee,” Dravid said. “But we still have six matches to go and will bounce back with a good performance.”On being asked whether the right players had been chosen at the auction, he said, “There were lot of variables at the auction. The players we picked are all quality players, it’s only that their performances have dipped. The big names are not doing well. We have not got the combination right. All this as magnified after we did not start well and lost some close matches.”

Pakistan, the world’s leading six-a-side team, will be seeking a hat-trick ofvictories in this weekend’s Cathay Pacific/Standard Chartered Hong Kong Sixes atthe Kowloon Cricket Club – an annual biff-bang-wallop tournament that includeseight international teams.”Hopefully we will be able to win it again,” said Moin Khan, the Pakistan captain, soon after the team’s nine-hour flight from Lahore. “This is a really fun event and the prize money is good. We are back with a talented side and if we play to our ability we should be able to defend our title.”But although Pakistan – winners in 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2001 – are favourites with another star-studded line-up that includes Moin Khan, Azhar Mahood, Abdul Razzaq, Imran Nazir and Imran Farhat, they may be pushed harder this year it what promises to be the most competitive tournament in history.This year the organisers have invited New Zealand and Kenya in place of the UAEand Australia, who showed little interest in the tournament last year with theselection of a veteran XI. With both New Zealand and Kenya sending strong teams,the pool stages will no longer be a formality for the top seeds.Pakistan should stroll to victory against Hong Kong – who have been bolstered by the news that their most famous cricketer, Dermot Reeve, will be making a star appearance – but have a tricky game against New Zealand on the first morning and a heavyweight clash against arch-rivals India in the afternoon.India’s team is bolstered by Vinod Kambli, the playboy of India cricket, who keeps telling the world that he is ready for one final fling in an Indian shirt. But hopes of winning their first-ever title have been dampened following a late pull-out by strike bowler Javagal Srinath who is injured. His place has been taken by Venkatesh Prasad.England, the runners up last year and the winners in 1993 and 1994, are expected to top Pool 1 with an experienced team. Led by Matthew Maynard, the team includes Glen Chapple, Chris Silverwood, Kabir Ali, Darren Maddy, Dougie Brown and Robert Croft.South Africa are another top seed. Led by Andrew Hall, who was sent home fromSouth Africa’s recent tour to Pakistan because of two-Test ban, their squadincludes Loots Bosman, Justin Kemp, Justin Ontong and Monde Zondeki.Sri Lanka, despite their reputation for flambuoyant strokeplay, are consideredoutsiders. Last year they suffered a shock defeat against Kong Kong. However,their squad includes several relatively unknown but effective allrounders,including Dulip Liyange, the skipper, Gayan Wijekoon, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Indika de Saram and Saman Jayantha.The short boundaries at the Kowloon Cricket Club, a pristine green oasis amidst an sprawling urban jungle, and the even bounce of the artificial strip that will be used, traditionally favours the big-hitters. Bowlers concentrate on holding their nerve, avoiding the yips and bowling stump to stump.”There are not many tactics in this game,” according to Khan. “As a batsman in the sixes you go out to bat with the intention of hitting every ball for four or six. It is important to enjoy yourself and we have come with that intention.”

All that stood between Australia and victory was Rahul Dravid. And for a while, all that stood between Dravid and the target was Brad Williams. Bowling straight and fast outside off stump, Williams made Dravid look out of touch only a day after he scored 233. In one scorching over, he nicked a delivery to Adam Gilchrist – who dropped the difficult chance – and played at and missed two more that moved off the seam. Williams posed searing questions, and somehow, Dravid survived to score the winning runs.A breakdown of Williams’s bowling analysis reveals a persistent length and the near absence of loose deliveries, the reasons why India’s batsmen had such a hard time.

If Williams did all the hard work, Stuart MacGill took on the onus of bowling like a millionaire, and gifted full tosses and short deliveries. Reputed to present one boundary opportunity each over, MacGill proved more generous towards the end of India’s innings. Though the turning pitch helped him dismiss Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, bowling down the wrong line proved expensive for MacGill.

All India needed was 193 on a worn-out fifth-day pitch with the ball shooting through alarmingly low at times, and Brad Williams reverse-swinging deliveries at 135 kmph. Historically atrocious chasers, India’s batsmen braved it out under difficult conditions, and got home in relative comfort.

The international cricket community is moving quickly to organise a fund-raising match for the victims of the natural disaster that struck South Asia days ago. Tim May, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations, sent a proposal to all world player associations asking if they would support a match played on January 11 or 12. Needless to say, the response was overwhelming.The Herald Sun newspaper reports that May then rushed his proposal to Cricket Australia, who gave their immediate support to the cause. Then, the proposal was put before the International Cricket Council in an urgent attempt to get official recognition for the match.The match is likely to be played in one-day format, probably as Australia v Rest of the World. Players from the England and South Africa teams will be unable to take part as the two countries are locked in a five-Test series at the moment.All that is required now is for the logistics to be worked out. “The only reason why it would not get up would be if there was too much to do but I don’t think that is an excuse,” May is quoted as saying. “It took only two minutes for the devastation to occur. It should not be too much trouble to organise a cricket match in 12 days.”If the match is endorsed by the ICC, and it widely expected that this will happen shortly, it has potential to raise a healthy amount of money. The world’s best, and most glamorous, cricketers, including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Adam Gilchrist and Brian Lara are set to take part in the game.Sri Lanka, one of worst-hit countries in the tragedy, has cancelled its tour of New Zealand but May revealed that the Sri Lankan players would be more than willing to play this fund-raising match. “The Sri Lankan players told us that if the match was approved they would be here in a heartbeat.”