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Mr. Niranjan Shah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI, has announced decisions taken at the Working Committee meeting of the BCCI held on April 7, 2007.1.With a view to strengthening domestic cricket, efforts will be made to ensure that all Test / ODI Cricketers play Irani, Duleep, Challenger and some Ranji Trophy Matches.2.Every Association will be directed to prepare fast and lively wickets for domestic tournaments.3.The BCCI will do away with home and away rotation and allot venues for Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, Ranji Trophy semi-finals and finals and one-day all-India knockout.4.It was decided that all affiliated units should start their own state academies by April 2009. These academies would be linked to the National Cricket Academy for the purpose of uniformity in coaching.5.It was decided to scrap the present zonal representation in the senior and junior selection committees. BCCI will appoint selectors on a full time basis based upon the eligibility criteria which would include stature as a player, selection experience etc. They will be remunerated suitably and appointed for a two-year term. The BCCI will take steps to propose necessary amendments to the Constitution to give effect to the above decision.6.Regular and frequent Under-19 and India A tours to Australia / England / New Zealand / South Africa / West Indies will be undertaken.7.The Working Committee has directed the Selection Committee to send a young team to Bangladesh under an experienced captain. The selection committee, after discussions has appointed Rahul Dravid as captain for India’s tour to Bangladesh, Ireland and England.8.BCCI will appoint a permanent manager for the Indian team for a two-year term. The Board will also appoint a permanent Media Manager for a two- year term.9.Notice will be issued to Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh under Rule 38 of the Memorandum and the Rules and Regulations of the Board asking for an explanation for their comments made to the media.10.Working Committee approved the Performance-based Payment to the players and decided to do away with the present gradation for Retainership. Apart from the payment, the following points would form a part of the contract.

David Smith will take over from Paul Maylard-Mason as Leicestershire’s chief executive in January.Smith, who played for Warwickshire, said: “This is a great opportunity to build on the good work undertaken by the club. In Tim Boon, we have an outstanding cricket coach – he and I share a vision for the club to establish a sustainable development pathway which gives young Leicestershire cricketers the best opportunity to represent their county at first-class level.””David brings a rare set of credentials to the post,” Neil Davidson, the chairman, said: “A successful playing career at first-class level, experience of cricket administration and a successful business career in a highly relevant industry.”

Danish Kaneria is ready to take over as Pakistan’s main strike bowler in the absence of Shoaib Akhtar who was dropped from the squad because of injury.Kaneria took 11 wickets when the sides met in Pakistan late last year and though he was wicketless in Faisalabad, his spells in the second innings at Multan and Lahore were crucial in securing Pakistan wins.In his exclusive diary for Bigstarcricket.com, Kaneria said, “I will try 101 percent to step into Shoaib’s shoes and lead our attack. I do not mind the pressure of being our main strike bowler. I will work hard and try to take wickets for my country and make my captain proud. I think my two years playing for Essex will be a great help to me, knowing how to bowl on English wickets.”Kaneria can take heart from recent England displays which reveal that though they have improved against spin, they are still suspectible; Shane Warne in the last Ashes series, Kaneria himself in Pakistan, Anil Kumble in India and recently Muttiah Muralitharan have revealed this weakness.”Warne took 40 wickets against England in the Ashes last year and Murali spun them out at Nottingham a few days ago so it shows me that their batsmen are not too comfortable against the top-class spinners,” he explained. “Murali and Warne are easily the best two spinners that ever lived and I want to prove that I can also be as good as them even though I still have a lot to learn. They are much more experienced than I am, but I will try my best to make things difficult for England as they did.”But he acknowledged that despite their weakness and a long injury list, England at home will be a demanding prospect. “It will be a tough series for us because England are difficult opponents in their home conditions, but we have been playing very good cricket over the last couple of years and we are confident about what we can achieve. Each and every player wants to perform at the highest level and we are determined to win over there.”Kaneria is hoping to take his wife and daughter along with him to England. He said, “I’ll be bringing my wife and daughter over for the first couple of weeks, so she will see me fulfil my lifelong dream of playing a Test match at Lords. I am just hoping it can coincide with a victory.”

Below is the transcript of the conversation the Nagpur police say took place between Marlon Samuels and Mukesh Kochar, an alleged bookie, before the India-West Indies match at Nagpur on January 21. Samuels was staying in Room 206 of the Pride Hotel in the city. The transcript is verbatim from the police recordsBookie: Connect to 206Reception: 206, sir?Bookie: YesRec: Hello, room no 206, MarlonBookie: Hello, how are you Marlon?206: not clearBookie: Just relax buddy206: Just relaxBookie: Hello my son, that’s way I am here, came for my some work and amheld up206: OKBookie: Tomorrow night I am going back206: OKBookie: So how are things with you and how is the preparation?206: Preparation is good enoughBookie: Well, wish you all the best206: ThanksBookie: You play well206: (Not clear) Talking to RobinsonBookie: Robinson…Yes206: Yes, our fielding wellBookie: Ya, good that’s a high-scoring game206: Early in the morning… Batting move around the pitch…Bookie: an in the evening lower down206: Slow down…Bookie: What you think that, who will bat…206: Well…Bookie: Who, who?206: Dwayne (not clear) He’s is making a debut tomorrow…Bookie: New batsman, bowlers…206: All-rounder…Bookie: He are a good player…206: Making debutBookie: Ya, I can understand that Chris is in form…206: (Not clear)…Bookie: And how is your batting going on?206: My batting is good…Bookie: Big… a… tall score tomorrow206: (Not clear)Room no 206: (not clear)Bookie: When do you get down to bowl206: (not clear)Bookie: Which over you will be bowling206: One downBookie: Normally after 17th or 18th over206: By tomorrow… (not clear) than I can bowl… (not clear)Bookie: He is seamer or spinner206: SeamerBookie: He is a seamer, who will start bowling tomorrow206: DwayneBookie: Dwayne206: Dwayne, tail and BradshawBookie: Tail and Bradshaw, they will open. You will be as the third bowler206: Jerome Taylor, Chris Gayle will be 4th and 5th bowlingBookie: You have got a nice allrounder team nowBookie: As a first match, I want you to play well confident and don’t hurry up, don’t give the catches, play well, consolidate your position as well as possible if even if you can want couple of balls, it doesn’t matter, don¹t get run out.. don’t get excited, have astrong position206: (not clear)Bookie: After this you guys going to Cuttack, that’s another place206: (not clear)Bookie: I am going back, we will be in touch with you206: Most welcomeBookie: Whenever you come back to Bombay? Most probably may be I will come there for one or two days206: I want to stay there for couple of daysBookie: Yeah, after (not clear)206: YeahBookie: Let me know I am flying back tomorrow206: Not yetBookie: Yeah my flight (not clear) O’clock & from their I will fly back to Bombay206: (not clear)Bookie: Thank you very much chief206: (not clear)Bookie: All the best, after this I will have to work206: (not clear)Bookie: Ok good

The light-hearted nature of Twenty20 cricket was on display in Melbourne today as state players tried to smash balls across the Yarra River to launch the expanded domestic program. It was a spectacular failure – all six hitters failed to clear the water – but Cricket Australia hopes the 13 matches beginning on Monday are more of a success.Each state will play two home and two away games – twice as many as last year – before the final on January 13. Newcastle and Toowoomba will host matches and New South Wales will try to draw big crowds by including the rugby league star Andrew Johns in their team.”We saw him bat in the nets the other day,” the New South Wales opener Ed Cowan said. “It is an interesting prospect to see what Shaun Tait serves up for him because Bracks [Nathan Bracken] was bowling off about two or three steps and he was squealing when he was copping it in the thigh-pad.”Such stunts will do nothing to appease the Twenty20 detractors but the players insist they will take the contest seriously. South Australia’s Mark Cleary said his team, which has made a miserable start to 2006-07, would be looking to regain form in the shorter version. “It’s hit and giggle,” he said. “A win’s a win, so if we come out and get a couple of wins it might set us up for some momentum going into the Pura Cup and the Ford Ranger Cup.”Travis Birt, the Tasmania batsman, said it was unfair to label Twenty20 as simply an excuse to slog. “If you look at the really good players they play natural cricket strokes and seem to do well,” Birt said. “Obviously the Pura Cup is what everyone wants to win, or the Ford Ranger Cup, but it’s a trophy that’s still out there so teams really want to win it.”Twenty20 rules include two runs for no-balls with a free hit from the next delivery, a maximum of 90 seconds for a new batsman to take guard after a wicket, and penalties for teams that fail to bowl their 20 overs in their allotted 80 minutes. The first round of matches on January 1 has Queensland hosting Tasmania, Victoria travelling to South Australia and Western Australia playing at home to New South Wales.Tasmania squad Michael Di Venuto, Tim Paine (wk), Dane Anderson, Travis Birt, George Bailey, Michael Dighton, Daniel Marsh (capt), Matthew Wade, Luke Butterworth, Xavier Doherty, Brendan Drew, Damien Wright.New South Wales squad Ed Cowan, Phil Jaques, Simon Katich (capt), Brad Haddin (wk), Dominic Thornely, Daniel Christian, David Warner, Aaron O’Brien, Tim Lang, Nathan Hauritz, Nathan Bracken, Scott Coyte.Victoria squad Michael Klinger, Jon Moss, Brad Hodge, Cameron White (capt), David Hussey, Rob Quiney, Aiden Blizzard, Andrew McDonald, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Shane Harwood, Gerard Denton, Darren Pattinson.

Mitchell Johnson, along with Mark Cosgrove and Phil Jaques, would be returning home. It had been decided weeks earlier that after the first two games – the Aussies arrived in Malaysia with a squad of 18 – these three would be sent back.Johnson certainly signed off his second and last appearance in the DLF Cup with a flourish, finishing with 4 for 11 from four overs before the match was abandoned as the drizzle resumed.The National Selection panel had apparently arrived at the decision even before the team left for Malaysia, and the team management was keen to emphasise that it was no reflection at all on the performances of the trio. Ricky Ponting admitted that it was disappointing that Johnson was heading home, but admitted that there was little he could do to reverse a decision that was made much earlier.With these three gone Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey will be restored to the first XI for the match against West Indies on Monday afternoon.

Northerns went to the top of the Logan Cup table with a convincing innings-and-83-run victory over Westerns at Harare Sports Club to follow their defeat of defending champions Easterns in the first round. Hundreds from Elton Chigumbura and Alois Tichana steered Northerns to 417 for 6 and then Westerns were bowled out twice in five sessions. Ray Price did much of the damage, taking 4 for 24 and 3 for 32, and only Thabo Mboyi with 67 in the first innings and Tafadzwa Ngulube with 51 in the second passed fifty for Westerns.Defending champions Easterns bounced back from their first-round loss to beat Southerns by an innings and seven runs in Mutare. Southerns were bowled out for 271 on the opening day, and Easterns took a first-innings lead of 116, thanks to a double hundred from Stuart Matsikenyeri, after seeming set to be bowled out cheaply. Matsikenyeri added 97 for the seventh wicket with Steven Nyamuzinga and exactly 100 for the tenth with Shingi Masakadza. Tafadzwa Kamungozi finished with career-best figures of 7 for 104 from 33 overs. In their second innings, Southerns limped to 109, with Prosper Utseya picking up 4 for 25.

Australia and Sri Lanka’s two-Test series will be fought for a trophy named after Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. Cricket Australia accepted Sri Lanka Cricket’s suggestion that the winner of the contest, which begins in Brisbane on Thursday, should be awarded the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy to commemorate 25 years of Test cricket between the two sides.The trophy is a fitting tribute for two of the world’s best spin bowlers. Muralitharan is just nine wickets away from surpassing Warne’s record of 708 Test wickets. The announcement celebrates the 25th anniversary of Australia-Sri Lanka Test cricket, with the trophy featuring casts of Warne and Muralitharan’s right hands and match-used cricket balls bowled by both players during their careers.Sri Lanka Cricket’s chief executive Duleep Mendis said it was a fitting tribute to two players who have left an indelible mark on world cricket. “We are proud of the rivalry between our nation and Australia,” he said, “and think this trophy will help add to the sense of occasion every time we do battle.”Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland echoed these sentiments: “Both Shane and Muttiah have broken the 700-wicket barrier and inspired young cricketers around the world to try their hands at spin bowling. We see the inception of this trophy as yet another step in celebrating the wonderful history between both nations while continuing to build its stature in the years to come.”Warne said he felt very proud to be sharing the honour with Muralitharan. “We’ve had some great battles in the past and helped raise each other’s game to the heights that we’ve reached,” Warne said. “The rivalry between Australia and Sri Lanka has grown immeasurably over the last decade and I know my former Australian teammates will be super-keen to be the first country to win the trophy when they do battle this November.”Muralitharan said the respect was mutual: “I have enormous respect for Shane Warne,” he said, “and I consider it a great honour to have a trophy named after both of us. The coming Test series is a great opportunity for our team against Australia and I’m looking forward to bowling in Australia again.”The Warne-Murali tharan Trophy becomes the latest series named after famous players.Australia’s matches against India are fought for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy while Australia and New Zealand compete for the Chappell-Hadlee one-day title.

ScorecardNaman Ojha struck ten fours during his knock•PTI

Madhya Pradesh’s batsmen harvested the benefits of a patient approach in the morning and some inconsistent bowling to close out the day as the happier team after Bengal had invited them to bat. Half-centuries from Aditya Shrivastava, Naman Ojha and Harpreet Singh were responsible for Madhya Pradesh setting up a sturdy base for a big score.Madhya Pradesh nearly gave it away in the second session when Naman and Shrivastava fell in quick succession after a 102-run stand for the third wicket. But Harpreet and captain Devendra Bundela (42*), despite their slightly unconvincing beginning, were alert to scoring opportunities after the pitch dried out and became quicker and put on an unbroken stand of 92 runs.Manoj Tiwary had suggested on Tuesday that batting first was a no-brainer on the Brabourne pitch. Whether intended or otherwise it turned out to be a red herring as he eventually opted to bowl on a pitch that had a moderate distribution of grass. His decision received an early endorsement when Veer Pratap Singh removed opener Jalaj Saxena in the third over. While Bengal’s seamers tried to leverage what was on offer – despite the morning freshness there wasn’t any exaggerated movement, but there was decent carry – Madhya Pradesh didn’t hit back with anything flashy.Opener Shrivastava and Rajat Patidar, a pair of 22-year-olds who have begun their careers promisingly, adopted a conservative response, and fully neutralised any assistance the bowlers were getting. Runs weren’t a priority in the morning as they managed a mere eight from overs 10 to 20, playing out five maidens in the process. As it happens at times, Madhya Pradesh found their release through Patidar’s dismissal. Seamer Sayan Mondal, whose action culminates much like that of Shane Watson’s, had him bowled with his third ball, and brought Naman to the crease.Naman’s arrival brought about a slight revision in strategy, and with Shrivastava finding his bearings as well, Madhya Pradesh latched onto scoring opportunities more often. While Tiwary had a cluster of catching men on the off side to Naman – at one point he had a silly mid-off, short cover, extra cover and mid-off apart from two slips – he still coaxed the ball through the gaps. Whenever Tiwary opened up some space on the off side with a sweeper cover in position, Naman and Shrivastava ensured the fielder was made to sprint to either side.Ashok Dinda was locked in an interesting one-on-one tussle with Naman. After his ploy of getting the ball to tail in late was repeatedly met by Ojha with a dead bat or a firmer push down the ground, he resorted to short-pitched stuff. While his bowling was now visibly quicker, the pitch was slow enough for the batsman to either duck under or dead-bat the deliveries. However, just when Madhya Pradesh looked set to convert their incremental gains into something more imposing, Shrivastava fell to an innocuous delivery from Pragyan Ojha, whose length was always a touch too short. Naman went soon after as his lazy waft to Veer Pratap Singh, whose lines were fairly consistent, was snapped up at first slip. Therafter, Bundela and Harpreet made sure Madhya Pradesh built on the morning gains.Bengal coach Sairaj Bahutule defended the decision to bowl first and conceded his bowlers could have done better. According to him, despite some good bowling in patches their lines helped the batsmen get away with leaving the ball frequently in the morning. Shrivastava said Madhya Pradesh would have bowled first as well on what he called a “damp pitch.” He said the ploy of wearing the bowlers down in the first session was necessary because scoring shots were hampered by the movement off the pitch.

The MCC has backed Australia’s decision not to tour Zimbabwe and has called on the ICC to suspend Zimbabwe’s Test and one-day status due to the sharp decline in their playing standard. The MCC’s World Cricket committee, chaired by Tony Lewis, was reluctant to comment directly on the political situation in Zimbabwe but said the rebuilding of cricket infrastructure was needed for Zimbabwe to again become competitive.”[The committee] believes the standard of cricket played by Zimbabwe, a full member of the ICC, has deteriorated to such an extent that its Test and one-day international playing status should be permanently suspended until such time as the cricket infrastructure is rebuilt,” the group said in a statement.”While it is not for the MCC World Cricket committee to make judgments on the politics of any particular country, the committee believes the decline in the standard of cricket in Zimbabwe is directly related to the political situation there, and that an improvement is unlikely while the current regime is in place.”The committee, therefore, welcomes the decision of the Australian government in preventing its cricket team from touring Zimbabwe later this year. Once the social unrest has been addressed, ICC should, by means of regular review and guidance, assist the Zimbabwe Cricket Union in rebuilding as a serious cricketing nation.”The committee includes six former England captains as well as international representatives such as Andy Flower, Steve Waugh, Courtney Walsh, Rahul Dravid and Barry Richards. Although the MCC does not have an official role in running world cricket, it is responsible for the game’s laws.