Pakistan, Sri Lanka plead for DRS

GALLE : Sri Lanka: Rivals Pakistan and Sri Lanka united Tuesday to demand mandatory video technology after several umpiring howlers in their first Test, placing themselves in opposition to India's powerful board.
The Decision Review System (DRS), which uses ball tracking and thermal imaging to verify umpires' decisions, was recommended for mandatory use by cricket chiefs Monday, subject to member nations financing the technology.
But Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene said he wanted the International Cricket Council (ICC) to pay for the technology if individual boards, such as his own, cannot afford to fund it when they host touring teams.
"The ICC must take it upon themselves to fund the system for the boards which cannot afford to, instead of leaving it to them to decide whether they use it or not," said Jayawardene.
"I have always been a fan of the DRS. It might not be 100 percent technology, but if we can use it to get the maximum number of correct decisions, it will help the umpires as well," he said.
The Galle Test, which Sri Lanka won by 209 runs on Monday, was marred by at least 12 contentious decisions by umpires Steve Davis of Australia and Ian Gould of England, with Pakistan suffering the most.
DRS is not being used in the three-Test series, reportedly due to cost factors.
The ICC's Executive Board will consider a recommendation by its chief executives' committee to make DRS mandatory at meetings in Kuala Lumpur over the next two days.
The ICC had previously made DRS mandatory for all series, but changed its stance last year following objections from the influential board in India, which accounts for the lion's share of global cricket revenues.
Mohammad Hafeez, captaining Pakistan in Galle in the absence of Misbah ul-Haq, said the uncertainty about the video referral technology should end.
"One thing I want to say is that it is time for the highest authorities to make a decision about the DRS," said Hafeez. "It should be made compulsory for every game.
"I feel as a player, not having the DRS puts a lot of pressure on you and that pressure goes to the umpires. If this technology can improve the game, then why not?
"The authorities should either go for it, or not at all."
Former captain and batting legend Zaheer Abbas blamed Pakistan's defeat on inept batting and the lack of DRS.
"DRS should be mandatory so that no team has any complaints," Abbas told AFP. "What we saw in the Galle Test was that Pakistan was on the receiving end and if the ICC wants to lift umpiring standards they will have to use DRS."
Whatmore had on Sunday slammed the selective implementation of the DRS, which Sri Lanka Cricket used in the previous home series against England but not in the ongoing one.
"It does not seem right to me that you have it for one series and not for another," said Whatmore, a former Sri Lankan World Cup winning coach.
India has been suspicious of DRS since making a number of unsuccessful referrals during the 2008 Test series with Sri Lanka, when the technology was on trial.
India's cricket board said in a statement on Monday that its stance on the system remained "unchanged", arguing that it was "not foolproof".
India cannot veto a decision by the full ICC board to make DRS compulsory. But it does enjoy outsized influence thanks to the money it has generated in the world game, in part owing to the Indian Premier League's runaway success.

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Sri Lanka revises India tour itinerary

COLOMBO : India's limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka starting next month has been revised with the first one-dayer now scheduled for July 21, Sri Lanka Cricket said Tuesday.
The five-match one-day series, followed by a Twenty20 international, was originally due to start on July 22, but was amended to include reserve days in case of weather interruptions.
Revised schedule:
July 21: First one-dayer, Hambantota
July 24: Second one-dayer, Hambantota
July 28: Third one-dayer, Colombo
July 31: Fourth one-dayer, Colombo
Aug 4: Fifth one-dayer, Pallekele
Aug 7: Twenty20 international, Pallekele.

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South Africa to host Champions League T20 in October

JOHANNESBURG : South Africa is set to be the host of this year's Champions League T20 in October, with Cape Town, Johannesburg, Centurion and Durban as the venues.
Sundar Raman, a member of the CLT20's technical committee, tweeted: "South Africa will host CLT20 this year.
The CLT20, the most lucrative club-cricket tournament in the world, is now in its fourth year, and it will be the second time that it is held in South Africa. India had hosted the tournament in the other two years, and were originally frontrunners to hold the competition in 2012 as well.
The governing council of the CLT20 had met last month in an attempt to finalise the format and venue of this season's tournament, but hadn't been able to reach a decision. One confirmed change from last season is the inclusion of Sialkot Stallions, Pakistan's domestic champions.
The other teams which have made it to, at least the qualifying stage of the tournament, are: Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians (all four from the IPL), Auckland Aces (from New Zealand), Trinidad & Tobago (from West Indies), Sydney Sixers, Perth Scorchers (both from Australia's Big Bash League), Titans, Lions (both from South Africa).
The representatives from Sri Lanka and England will be decided after next month's Sri Lanka Premier League and the ongoing Friends Life t20.

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India rejects mandatory video technology

KUALA : LUMPUR: India's powerful cricket board has maintained its opposition to mandatory video technology despite backing for the system from the sport's world chiefs meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
Indian officials said their stance on the Decision Review System (DRS) was "unchanged" despite a recommendation for the technology to be compulsory in all Tests and one-day internationals, costs allowing.
"The BCCI continues to believe that the system is not foolproof," the Board of Control for Cricket in India said in a statement released on Monday.
"The board also sticks to its view that the decision on whether or not to use the DRS for a particular series should be left to the boards involved in that series."
The comments set the stage for more controversy over DRS, which uses ball-tracking and thermal imaging to verify umpires' decisions. It was made optional last year, rather than compulsory, at India's insistence.
India, which accounts for the lion's share of global cricket revenues, has been suspicious of DRS since making a number of unsuccessful referrals during the 2008 Test series with Sri Lanka, when the technology was on trial.
But most other cricketing nations including England and Australia support the system.
At the weekend, Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore was incensed when DRS was not used during the first Test against Sri Lanka, reportedly for cost reasons.
Pakistan suffered from a number of umpiring errors in the match.
The recommendation for mandatory DRS, made by the chief executives' committee of the International Cricket Council on Monday, will now be considered by the body's board at a meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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England unchanged for Australia series

LONDON: England named an unchanged squad Monday for their five-match one-day series against Australia starting at Lord's on Friday.
The selectors retained the original 14 players who helped England beat the West Indies 2-0 in a three-match series, with one no result washout -- the team's sixth straight home 50-over campaign win.
Australia are the world's top-ranked one-day international team and England one-day captain Alastair Cook and all-rounder Ravi Bopara will get an early chance to face them when they play for Essex against the tourists at Chelmsford on Tuesday.
England national selector Geoff Miller, announcing the squad, said Monday: "The series win against West Indies was pleasing and we are making steady progress in one-day cricket with a sixth straight series victory on home soil.
"Australia are a strong one-day side and I've no doubt this will be a challenging NatWest series for us and we will need to play some very good cricket over the next three weeks," the former England off-spinner added.
"Playing against the number one ranked one-day side in the world is an excellent test for us as we look to keep steadily improving ahead of next summer's ICC Champions Trophy and the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup."
Middlesex duo Steven Finn and Eoin Morgan have been released for games in Tuesday's round of county Twenty20 matches, as has Somerset's Craig Kieswetter.
England could be forced into one change during the series with the funeral of Surrey's Tom Maynard taking place at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on July 4 -- the same day as the third one-day internaional in Birmingham.
Maynard's Surrey team-mate Jade Dernbach, a seam bowler, could be granted leave to travel to Cardiff.
England squad:
Alastair Cook (captain), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter (wk), Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott
Fixtures:
June 29: 1st ODI, Lord's
July 01: 2nd ODI, The Oval
July 04: 3rd ODI, Birmingham (D/N)
July 07: 4th ODI, Chester-le-Street
July 10: 5th ODI, Manchester

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Ex-Test cricketers lash out at poor umpiring in Galle Test

KARACHI : Several Pakistan Test cricketers have lashed out at poor and disappointing umpiring in the opening Test between Pakistan Sri Lanka in Galle.
"Its mockery of Test cricket they way umpires Steve Davis and Ian Gould performed in the Galle Test," former Pakistan Captain Rashid Latif said on Monday.
"A couple of wrong decision can be acceptable. But they way Messrs Gould and Davis made blunders it was really below par performance by the men in the white coat," he commented.
Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 208 runs inside four-day in the first Test match in Galle to taken 1-0 lead in the 3-match series.
He called upon the International Cricket Council (ICC) to make Decision Review System (DRS) mandatory in Test matches as well as in other brands of the game.
"ICC is an authority and they should implement the DRS system," he pointed out.
"ICC must create uniformity in using the technology and DRS to save the game from being damaged and making it controversial," Rashid Latif said.
He said he was highly disappointed with Pakistan's poor show when they were bowled out for 100.
"When your are dismissed for 100 on the opening day it was very difficult to comeback," he said.
Former batting star Basit Ali "Umpiring in Galle Test was pathetic and damaging for sport," said.
"This kind of poor umpiring put the integrity of men in the white coat under question," he asserted

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ICC approves 6-match T20 series between Pakistan-Australia

KARACHI : The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved a six-match Twenty20 series between Pakistan and Australia which is most likely to be played between August 22 and September 10.
"If it goes ahead will be the longest bilateral T20 series ever staged by international sides. The decision has improved chances of the series being staged, most likely in the period between August 22 and September 10, reported cricinfo.com on Monday.
The PCB had deployed a four-man team, including officials from its finance and legal departments, to examine the possibility of staging a series in the UAE.
It was originally keen to lock in a series of three T20s and three ODIs in August, but the extreme heat at that time of year raised serious concerns from Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association.
The ICC has a rule limiting the number of matches in a bilateral T20 series to three, but countries can ask for special dispensation to hold a longer series in exceptional circumstances. The PCB's struggle to find a suitable venue for an ODI series in August prompted the proposal for a six-match T20 series.
"The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) requested support for the flexibility to stage a six-match Twenty20 International series against Australia potentially in the United Arab Emirates in August," the ICC said in a statement.
"This request required a special dispensation from the CEC and then the ICC Board as the current regulation permits only three T20I in a series.
"Because of the extreme daytime heat in the UAE at that time of the year, the CEC raised no objections to the principle of a six-match T20I series replacing the scheduled series of three ODIs and three T20Is should the PCB elect to make that switch."
The six games will provide an excellent opportunity for both sides to finalize their preparations for the ICC World T20, which takes place in Sri Lanka in September.(APP)

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FBR issues notices to six Pakistani cricketers

ISLAMABAD : The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued notices to six Pakistani cricketers over tax evasion.
The players who have been issued the notices include Misbah-ul-Haq,Wahab Riaz, Umar Akmal, Taufiq Umer, Azhar Ali and Muhammed Hafeez.
According to the FBR, Wahab Riaz does not have an NTN number while Muhammed Hafeez, Umar Akmal and Taufiq Umer had not submitted their income tax returns for 2010-2011.
Meanwhile Misbah only submitted his statements for 2010 while Azhar Ali did not declare his complete earnings.
According to sources, Wahab Riaz earns Rs19 million annually, Misbah-ul-Haq Rs22million, Muhammed Hafeez Rs20 million and Azhar Ali Rs10 million.

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Sri Lanka record massive 209-run win against Pakistan

GALLE: Nuwan Kulasekara and Suraj Randiv combined to vanquish Pakistan as Sri Lanka triumphed in the first Test by a massive 209 runs on Monday, their biggest win over their Asian rivals.
The tourists, set a near impossible victory target of 510, were bowled out for 300 just before stumps on the fourth day despite defiant batting from Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq, as Sri Lanka took the lead in the three-match series.
The pair kept the Sri Lankan attack at bay for three hours to add 151 for the fifth wicket, Younis making 87 and Shafiq 80, before both fell on either side of the tea interval.
Off-spinner Randiv and seamer Kulasekara grabbed three wickets each to ensure Sri Lanka ended the match with a day to spare after Pakistan appeared to be taking the fight into the final day.
Randiv finished with seven wickets in the game, but it was team-mate Kumar Sangakkara who was named man-of-the-match for his unbeaten 199 in Sri Lanka's first innings.
Younis, 34, the most experienced batsman in the Pakistan side with 77 Test appearances, held the innings together during his 26th half-century in the five-day format.
Shafiq, a 26-year-old playing his 14th Test, matched his senior partner with a fluent knock that contained 13 hits to the fence.
But just when the duo appeared to have survived the entire afternoon session, Shafiq was dismissed against the run of play, edging left-arm spinner Rangana Herath to Mahela Jayawardene in the slips.
The partnership between Younis and Shafiq, who came together in the day's second over at 38-4, helped Pakistan salvage their reputation after the tourists were shot out for 100 in the first innings.
Younis, who went to tea on 81, fell in the first over with the second new ball when he edged Kulasekara to wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene.
Seamer Nuwan Pradeep, playing his second Test, bagged his maiden Test wicket by trapping debutant Mohammad Ayub leg-before for 22 to send Pakistan reeling at 243-7.
Randiv claimed the last three wickets to give Sri Lanka their third win in the last five Tests, a turnaround in form following a dip after the retirement of legendary offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan in 2010.
Pakistan lost nightwatchman Saeed Ajmal in the day's second over, run out by a direct throw from the covers by Suraj Randiv.
Younis earned a reprieve on nine when Tillakaratne Dilshan picked up a low catch at mid-off, but television replays proved inconclusive whether the catch had been taken cleanly.
The second Test starts at the Sinhalese sports club in Colombo on June 30. while the third and final match will be played in Pallekele from July 8

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World chiefs back mandatory video umpire

KUALA LUMPUR : Cricket's chief executives Monday backed the mandatory use of video umpires in Tests and one-day internationals, a year after they were made optional at the request of powerful India.
The International Cricket Council's (ICC) chief executives' committee said independent tests had proved the reliability of the Decision Review System (DRS), which incorporates ball-tracking and "hotspot" thermal imaging.
"We have made good progress in independently testing ball-tracking and the new enhancements have resulted in the CEC unanimously supporting the ICC Cricket Committee's recommendation to universally apply the DRS in all Test matches and ODIs," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.
The recommendation for compulsory DRS -- provided host countries can afford the equipment -- will now be considered by the ICC Board, which is meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur.
Optional DRS has caused confusion and controversy over the past year, including complaints during India's tour of England, when the visitors refused to allow it.
On Sunday, Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore complained about the absence of DRS in the first Test against Sri Lanka -- reportedly due to cost issues -- after a rash of umpiring errors.
Separately, the chief executives threw their support behind the introduction of day-night Tests, as long as both teams agree and the ICC can provide a suitable ball.
They also called for Bangladesh to provide a report on allegations of graft during this year's Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 competition, and urged both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to implement anti-corruption codes.

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Younis, Shafiq fight against ominous odds

GALLE : Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq defied Sri Lanka during an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 70 as Pakistan fought for survival in the first Test in Galle on Monday.
The tourists, set a near impossible victory target of 510, carried their second innings from the overnight score of 36-3 to 108-4 by lunch on the fourth day.
Younis, the most experienced batsman in the Pakistan side with 77 Test appearances, was unbeaten on 34 at the break with two boundaries.
Shafiq, playing his 14th Test, matched his senior partner with a fluent 36 not out that contained five hits to the fence. Their partnership is Pakistan's best in the match in which the tourists were shot out for a paltry 100 in the first innings.
But Sri Lanka remain strong favourites to wrap up the game and take the lead in the three-Test series despite forecasts for rain interruptions till Tuesday evening.
Pakistan lost night watchman Saeed Ajmal in the day's third over, run out by a direct throw from the covers by Suraj Randiv.
Younis earned a reprieve on nine when Tillakaratne Dilshan picked up a low catch at mid-off, but television replays proved inconclusive whether the catch had been taken cleanly.
Rangana Herath, the unlucky bowler on that occasion, went to lunch with figures of 1-20 in 15 overs. Off-spinner Randiv had 0-25 and seamer Nuwan Kulasekara took 2-24.

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Pakistan crushing defeat imminent in Gaulle test

GALLE : Pakistan were 55-4 early on Monday as Saeed Ajmal also went out cheaply, leaving little hope for the national team warding off an imminent crushing defeat on the fourth day of the first test against Sri Lanka here.
Sri Lanka continued to maintain a vice-like grip on the Galle Test on the third day, but instead of pushing for the kill after bowling out Pakistan for 100, they inexplicably decided to bat again. Even a 372-run first-innings lead, the forecast for rains over the next couple of days and a relatively fresh bowling attack that had bowled for less than two sessions were not enough to convince Mahela Jayawardene to enforce the follow-on.
They eventually declared after batting more than three hours, stretching the advantage beyond 500. Then, in the hour or so they had at Pakistan's batting in the second innings, they made big strides towards victory by removing three top-order batsmen.
The other major talking point was the umpiring. In a week when the ICC will yet again discuss the Decision Review System, the Galle Test provided more evidence for making the system mandatory for all international matches. There had been a handful of wrong umpiring decisions in the first two days, and another one early on Sunday undermined Pakistan's already slim chances of mounting a fightback, as Younis Khan was adjudged lbw even though he inside-edged the ball. Later in the day, Tillakaratne Dilshan was incorrectly declared not-out after gloving a ball to the wicketkeeper, and then given lbw when the ball was going over the stumps.
The umpiring was poor, but Pakistan can't hide behind that for their abject performance in this match. Pakistan had been given a taste of the challenge ahead in the opening over of the day as Nuwan Kulasekara first found Younis' inside-edge and then the outside-edge. The spinners kept testing the batsmen with turn and bounce, and once Younis fell to Rangana Herath in the 10th over of the day it seemed Pakistan would be bowled out quickly.
Mohammad Ayub, Pakistan's oldest debutant since 1956, however, showed remarkable composure against the spinners, defending solidly and using the sweep regularly. He wasn't flustered by the pace of Nuwan Pradeep, who was regularly near the 90mph, carving him for a couple of boundaries when provided the width.
He was less composed when Adnan Akmal called him for a second after paddling the ball to fine leg. Akmal was going to the danger end, but Ayub started, hesitated and then turned back, and eventually both batsmen found themselves at the same end. Akmal was livid, shouting "My call, my call, I said 'yes'," at Ayub before departing in a huff. That exposed the Pakistan tail, and Sri Lanka's spinners finished off the job at the stroke of lunch.
After the break, to everyone's surprise, it was the Sri Lanka openers who walked out, and the widely expected follow-on wasn't to be. The decision would have pleased Tharanga Paranavitana, who got a no-pressure second chance to audition for a permanent place at the top of the order. He swiped a couple of sixes (after having hit only two in his other 51 Test innings) but for the second time in the game, he was made to look foolish by Saeed Ajmal, as he missed the doosra by a foot to be lbw.
Junaid Khan was the other player happy with the Sri Lankan move to bat again. This is his first big game after four months out with a knee injury, and he had looked listless in the first innings, but was more of a threat second time around. He found some rhythm in the second innings, beating the bat on several occasions and picking up three wickets to boost his confidence .
Of the Sri Lanka batsman, Dilshan enjoyed himself the most. He provided the early thrust as he drove, cut and swept the Pakistan bowling to bring up his second run-a-ball half-century of the match. He was dismissed by Junaid for 56, and walked off saluting the crowd. The other heavyweights in the line-up didn't do much, but it didn't matter as Sri Lanka were already in an exceedingly comfortable position.
After the declaration came, Pakistan had to see out 16 overs before stumps but their batsmen blundered again. Mohammad Hafeez's woeful tour continued as he was unsure how much movement Kulasekara was getting, and edged through to slip. Taufeeq Umar was lbw looking to shoulder arms in the first innings, and this time he was gone leaving a huge gap between bat and pad when looking to defend. Herath was menacing even with a new-ish ball, and had Azhar Ali pouched low at slip by Thilan Samaraweera.
Pakistan were down to 25 for 3 and their only hope at stumps was for the Sri Lankan monsoon to strike and wash out major parts of the remaining two days' play.

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England could rue Pietersen loss says Windies coach

LONDON : West Indies coach Ottis Gibson has said both England and Kevin Pietersen himself could end up regretting the star batsman's retirement from international limited overs cricket.

The South Africa-born Pietersen quit one-day duty for his adopted country this month when he was told by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) the terms of his central contract would not allow him his wish of abandoning 50-over one-day matches while still playing Twenty20 internationals.

Pietersen had been settling well into the role of opener and ended his ODI career with back-to-back hundreds against Pakistan.

But England will begin one-day life without him in a three-match series against the West Indies starting at Southampton on Saturday, with Ian Bell set to take Pietersen's place at the top of the order.

Pietersen's exit comes as West Indies welcome back a star opener of their own in Chris Gayle, following the former captain's 15-month exile from international cricket due to a dispute with Caribbean cricket officials.

"If you look at when Gayle has been away, we missed our best player," Gibson said Thursday.

"It's a big thing to lose your best player. KP has been good in the last two one-day series and they were trialling him at the top of the order.

"It seemed it was going to work but now they have to put someone else in that spot and hope that person has the form KP had.

"Bell is very different and he is also a very capable replacement. We know we still have to work to get him out."

Former England bowling coach Gibson added: "Nothing KP does takes me by surprise. He is his own man and does what he wants to do whenever he wants to do it. That is his character.

"I am sort of surprised he is in such good form and chose to walk away from a format he likes...When he is sitting at home watching on TV he might miss it."

Pietersen, 32 later this month, explained his decision to quit white ball internationals and now play just Tests for England by saying: "I can't play at my peak -- I can't keep on playing every single game and enjoying every single game -- when I have to play every single form of cricket, or when I have to train every single day.

"You fall out of love with it," added Pietersen, the married father of a young son. "And I want to play cricket until I'm 35."

Pietersen's move was defended by England off-spinner Graeme Swann.

"There comes at a time when you get towards the end of your career, into your thirties, when something's got to give," Swann told the Cricket Paper.

"You can flog yourself to death and fall to pieces or you can start to be quite wise and make a pragmatic decision.

"Whatever Kevin's made his decision for, whether it be financial matters or the family or whatever, I can understand where he's coming from because there's certainly times I look at a schedule and just think: 'How can I do this? My body's killing me. I haven't seen my kids, my wife is ready to get up and walk out because I'm never here.' We're human beings at the end of the day."

The 33-year-old Swann added: "I can understand where Kev's coming from and I can understand where the ECB are coming from at the same time: 'We pay you well, we expect you play, it is a short career.'

"But people have to face facts that you are in control of your own destiny, so you decide: 'I've had enough, I'm going to retire from whatever form of the game,' then that's it." AGENCIES

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Pak-Australia cricket series in UAE in August

LAHORE : Pakistan and Australian cricket teams will be played in the United Arab Emirate in August as both the countries finalized the venue for home series,.

The series is likely to be reduced to a mix of three ODIs (instead of five ODIs) and three Twenty20 internationals as the matches to be played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The series, according to PCB sources, will begin on September 18, with the ODIs starting at 5 pm and the Twenty20 games

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Australia look to blood youngsters in English conditions

SYDNEY : Australia are looking forward to blooding some of their young players in English conditions on their upcoming tour of Britain with half an eye on next year's Ashes, captain Michael Clarke said on Thursday.

Australia play five one-day internationals against England and one against Ireland but no tests on the tour, which comes a year before they return for the first of back-to-back Ashes series in 2013.

Although Clarke is more immediately focused on retaining the number one ranking in the 50-over game, his ultimate goal is for Australia to top the tables in all three forms of the game.

To that end, he is keen for the younger players, particularly quick bowlers Pat Cummins and James Pattinson, to get as much experience as possible on English wickets.

"The Ashes is a long way from my mind right now but any opportunity you get to play in the same conditions you will face in 12 months time can only be good for a team," Clarke told reporters at Sydney airport before the squad's departure for Britain on Thursday.

"I think a lot of guys involved in this squad have a big chance of being involved in the Ashes team so it's important that we get as accustomed to those conditions as possible.

"England have got a very strong one-day team, particularly in their own back yard, and we've got a lot of new players who don't have much experience in the UK," he added.

"We've been the number one one-day team in the world for a while now but we need to continue to raise the bar.

"I think once we get on the plane it's probably the start of a two-year journey for this Australian team ... to have a lot of success and get back to being the number one in all three forms of the game."

Teenager Cummins and Pattinson, 22, were two of the more exciting finds for Australia last year as they turned their test fortunes around after the humbling 3-1 defeat in the last Ashes series.

Clarke said he was not remotely bothered about showing them off to the English over the next few weeks.

"These days you can get as much footage on a player as you like," he laughed. "It is important they get experience of playing in those conditions.

"I think them just being in England, seeing what those conditions are like, and if they get an opportunity grab it with both hands, is important."

Clarke said he would be looking to the more experienced bowlers, like the returning Mitchell Johnson, to bring the bowling group together and ensure they operate as a unit -- as they did so effectively against India earlier this year.

One experienced hand who will be missing is Mike Hussey, who has withdrawn from the tour for personal reasons, but Clarke said they would not have to look very far for a batsman who could dictate the pace of an innings.

"Everybody always misses Mike Hussey," he said. "(But) fortunately God gave us a brother. I'm pretty sure while Mike Hussey is away, Dave Hussey will play that role."

Clarke played down the chances of a player strike over the new Memorandum of Understanding with Cricket Australia, which is currently being negotiated.

Another piece of good news was the retirement from one-day cricket of England's Kevin Pietersen.

"As an opposition player, I'm thrilled I don't have to play against him in one-day cricket because he's such a good player and he's had a lot of success and he's matchwinner," Clarke said.

"But England have a lot of good players in their team, they enjoy the form of the game, they've got some good talent coming through and they're really high on confidence."

Australia play warm-up matches against Leicestershire and Essex, and the international against Ireland before the five-match series against England begins at Lord's on June 29. AGENCIES

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Botham to promote “Cage Cricket”

LONDON : Former England cricket captain Ian Botham wants to encourage children from tough urban areas to play the game by promoting a condensed form tailored for school gyms or basketball courts.   

Botham, who was one of England’s greatest all-round players, is concerned that poorer youngsters are turned off by cricket despite efforts to reinvent the game in recent years and rid it of its stuffy image.

“Kids in inner-city areas think cricket is boring and they can’t afford pads or equipment – we want to change that,” said Botham, lead ambassador for the “Cage Cricket” initiative and a crowd pleaser in his 1980s heyday.

Cage Cricket is designed for just six players, rather than the traditional 11-a-side, with players competing as individuals and earning points for batting, bowling and fielding. The format removes time spent waiting around for a chance to bat that puts many youngsters off cricket for life.

It can be played with a soft ball rather than the hard, red leather cricket ball and matches should last only around an hour. Another plus in a rain-lashed English summer is that it is not at the mercy of the elements.

Botham, 56, will join former players and lawmakers in demonstrating the game on Tuesday in a specially built cage in the grounds of the British parliament.

CRICKET’S BIG BANG

Cricket, once the most traditional of sports with its pristine white kit and rituals such as the tea interval, has undergone a series of makeovers in recent years to try to maintain its appeal.

The most dramatic development in the professional game has been the launch of Twenty20 cricket — a brash form that is over in 3 hours rather than the five days that international test matches can endure. That shorter format has proved a commercial success, spawning the money-spinning Indian Premier League.

Cage Cricket is working with a London youth charity to try to establish 50 venues across the capital.

Its founders are also using online funding platform Spacehive.com to encourage businesses and enthusiasts to contribute cash to build cages, initially in the southern English city of Portsmouth and then in other parts of the country.

England are the world’s top team in test cricket and latest annual figures from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) showed a five percent increase in players of all ages in club cricket. However, critics say the game risks once again becoming the preserve of leafy suburbs and expensive schools.

Bank of England governor Mervyn King, a cricket fan, leads a separate “Chance to Shine” campaign to try to get more children in state schools to play the game competitively.

Cage Cricket’s backers hope the new game will prove an alternative to five-a-side football or basketball for youngsters. They see it as complementary to the “Chance to Shine” project.

“Cage Cricket is a bit less structured. They don’t need to wait for a teacher or coach, they can play whenever they like,” said Stuart Robertson, a non-executive director of Cage Cricket and former ECB marketing chief.

“We hope it really chimes with kids,” added Robertson, who helped to launch Twenty20 cricket.

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Umpire Llong joins ICC panel

BIRMINGHAM : Nigel Llong has been selected to replace Billy Doctrove on the International Cricket Council (ICC) panel of elite umpires for the 2012/13 season, the global governing body announced Monday.

The 43-year-old Englishman has come in for Doctrove following the West Indian official’s retirement from the elite panel last week.

Llong, who will take up his place on the panel on July 1, has already umpired in 12 Tests, 55 one-day internationals and 16 Twenty20 internationals.

A left-handed batsman and an off-spinner for Kent from 1990-1998, Llong played in 68 first-class matches, scoring 3,024 runs and taking 35 wickets.

Meanwhile the 12-man elite panel – deemed by the ICC to be cricket’s leading umpires – will be joined for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September and October by Australia’s Bruce Oxenford.

The 52-year-old Oxenford has so far officiated in eight Tests, 34 ODIs and 11 T20Is.

He was one of the six umpires who had been named to stand alongside the elite panelists in last year’s World Cup after being identified, said the ICC, as “an emerging and talented match official”.

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Umpire Doctrove calls time on career

DUBAI : Umpire Billy Doctrove, who along with Australian Darrell Hair was at the centre of the controversial Oval test which Pakistan forfeited against England in 2006, has announced his retirement.   

The West Indian was due to umpire Thursday’s one-dayer between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Pallekele but withdrew because of a family bereavement and will not be extending his ICC contract when it expires this month, the International Cricket Council said in a statement.

Doctrove, 56, and Hair penalised Pakistan for alleged ball-tampering in August 2006, a decision which led to the visiting team’s refusal to play on.

It was Doctrove’s ninth test as an on-field umpire but while

Hair officiated in just two more tests after the incident, the
West Indian went on to stand in a total of 38 tests, 117 one-day internationals and 17 Twenty20s.

He umpired the final of the World Twenty20 in Barbados in 2010 when England beat Australia.

Doctrove’s international career began in 1998 and his final match in the middle was the second test between New Zealand and South Africa in Hamilton in March.

The players’ pavilion at Windsor Park in Roseau on his home island of Dominica was named after Doctrove in 2010.

“It has been an incredible 14 years for me as an international umpire and I have enjoyed every moment of it,” he said.

ICC umpires and referees manager Vince Van Der Bijl added:
“Billy has been an excellent servant of the game and we thank him on behalf of the entire cricket fraternity for his outstanding contribution”.

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