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ScorecardThis time last year the New Road square was under several feet of foul flood water. Locals might have been forgiven for concluding there was more filth on it during the second day of this game, however, as Worcestershire’s bowlers produced a display of staggering ineptitude to allow Durham’s batsmen to fill their boots with an ease quite unbecoming of a game between two first-class counties. Indeed, this wasn’t so much men against boys as men against babies.Perhaps Worcestershire were somewhat unfortunate. Certainly they ran into a quality player – Michael Di Venuto – at the peak of his powers and several others – notably Benkenstein and Chanderpaul – who are simply blessed with far more natural talent. Fair enough, it’s not a disgrace to be outplayed.But the hosts will also reflect that they made life far too easy for the champions. A glut of long-hops, half-volleys and leg-side fodder contributed to the worst display of bowling this correspondent has witnessed in a championship game. Whatever their inexperience, professional bowlers really should be able to do better than this.The search for more consistency has been the aim for Worcestershire bowlers this season. Well, they found consistency here. They were consistently awful and, by conceding 278 runs in boundaries, have raised the prospect of an 11th Championship defeat of the season. The admirable Jack Shantry apart, they should think about donating their match fees to charity. Really, they were that bad.It would be a shame to detract from the excellence of Durham’s batting, however. Di Venuto, in particular, played beautifully and tore into the bowling with murderous relish. Feasting on the copious amount of leg-side long-hops he pulled with power and drove the numerous half-volleys with an ease that was almost embarrassing as 92 of his 113 came from boundaries.It was an innings that capped a superb season for Di Venuto. Not only did he surpass the club record number of first-class runs in a season (eclipsing Wayne Larkins’ 1536 set in the club’s maiden year of first-class cricket, 1992), but he also equalled Paul Collingwood’s record (six, set in 2005) for the most first-class centuries in a season for the club.It also leaves Di Venuto with a remarkable record against Worcestershire. This was his fifth first-class century against them and the 13th time he has passed 50 against them in 13 games. With the exception of Marcus Trescothick, it’s hard to think of a more destructive batsman in county cricket.Di Venuto might feel he should have scored plenty more here. After taking just 40 balls over his second fifty, he looked utterly dominant. It was some surprise when he charged down the pitch and missed a gentle off-break.Will Smith and Kyle Coetzer might feel they let an opportunity slip, too. Coetzer looked in fine touch, stroking a series of elegant drives to the boundary, but then mis-timed a pull and ballooned a catch to mid-on, while Smith chased a wide one and edged to the keeper.Durham hardly missed a stride, however. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dale Benkenstein have so far added 183 in 46 overs for the fourth wicket, picking up runs with dismissive ease. It was Chanderpaul’s third century in four Championship innings and the 51st of his career. Few of them will have been as simple.He was hardly forced to break sweat. With Worcestershire captain, Vikram Solanki, unable to set any sort of field for his erratic bowlers, Chanderpaul contented himself with guiding the short off-side balls to the third-man boundary and the leg-side balls to fine leg. Easy.The biggest frustration from a Worcestershire perspective was the failure to utilise conditions that remained helpful for the bowlers. On the odd occasions when they did land the ball in the right spot, there was movement available and Durham’s lead – 34 runs already with plenty of power to add – may well prove to be match-winning.The only exception for Worcestershire was Shantry. Signed from league cricket only weeks ago, he delivered a disciplined, probing display of swing bowling and remained committed in the field. His more experienced colleagues could learn from his example.There was one more bright spot in the day for Worcestershire. By stretching their first innings over 350 in the morning, they secured the bonus point they required to ensure they have avoided a new record for the lowest points total in the history of two division cricket. It’s hardly an excuse to uncork the champagne, though. They look certain to finish the season without a first-class win for the first time since 1928 and need to ask themselves some long, hard questions before starting life in Division Two.Quite who will be at New Road next season remains uncertain. Lancashire have emerged as a strong contender for the signature of Stephen Moore, while the club yesterday confirmed that Ian Fisher has joined Mehraj Ahmed and Simon Jones on the ‘released’ list. Nor will Steffan Jones be joining them: the seamer is to extend his stay at Derbyshire and take on the role of bowling coach.

Teams have announced the following preliminary squads for the Champions League. They must trim their squads to 15 players by September 7.Trinidad & Tobago Daren Ganga, Sherwin Ganga, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Amit Jaggernauth, Lendl Simmons, Dave Mohammed, Kieron Pollard, William Perkins, Richard Kelly, Samuel Badree, Rayad Emrit, Kevon Cooper, Navin Stewart, Daron Cruickshank, Sunil Narine, Adrian Barath, Imran Khan.Victoria Cameron White, Brad Hodge, Peter Siddle, David Hussey, Andrew McDonald, Jon Holland, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Darren Pattinson, Rob Quiney, Matthew Wade, Aiden Blizzard, Aaron Finch, Shane Harwood, John Hastings, Michael Hill, Damien Wright, Bryce McGain, William Sheridan.Delhi Daredevils AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Gautam Gambhir, Dirk Nannes, Dinesh Karthik, Daniel Vettori, Glenn McGrath, Ashish Nehra, Amit Mishra, Virender Sehwag, Manoj Tiwary, Paul Collingwood, Owais Shah, Pradeep Sangwan, Aavishkar Salvi, Umesh Yadav, Yogesh Nagar, Rajat Bhatia, Vijaykumar YoMahesh, Mithun Manhas.New South Wales Phillip Hughes, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Stuart Clark, Burt Cockley, Peter Forrest, Moises Henriques, Nathan Hauritz, Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger, Aaron Bird, Mark Cameron, Stephen O’Keefe, Ben Rohrer, Steve Smith, Daniel Smith, Dominic Thornely, David Warner.Otago Craig Cumming, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Aaron Redmond, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Greg Todd, Hamish Rutherford, Derek deBoorder, Nick Baird, Warren McSkimming, Neil Wagner, Matt Harvie, James McMillan, Shaun Haig, William Somerville, Anthony Bullick, Leighton Morgan, Shaun Eathorne.Cape Cobras Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy, Justin Ontong, Charl Langeveldt, Claude Henderson, Monde Zondeki, Vernon Philander, Henry Davids, Karl Nieuwoudt, Lenert van Wyk, Ryan Canning, Rory Kleinveldt, Richard Levi, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Stiaan van Zyl, Andrew Puttick, Derek Brand, Gurshwin Rabie, Francois Plaatjies.Wayamba Jehan Mubarak, Mahela Jayawardene, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Farveez Maharoof, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Jeevantha Kulathunga, Mahela Udawatte, Thisara Perera, Sameera Soysa, Shalika Karunanayake, Isuru Udana, Ishara Amerasinghe, Chanaka Welegedara, Michael Vandort.Sussex Matthew Prior, Dwayne Smith, Luke Wright, James Kirtley, Piyush Chawla, Michael Yardy, Ed Joyce, Ragheb Aga, Joe Gatting, Robin Martin-Jenkins, Christopher Liddle, William Beer, Andrew Hodd, Carl Hopkinson, Oliver Rayner, Christopher Nash, Ben Brown, Rory Hamilton-Brown, Yasir Arafat, Chad Keegan.Diamond Eagles Boeta Dippenaar, Dillon du Preez, Morne van Wyk, Mthandeki Tshabalala, Andrew McLaren, Ryan McLaren, Victor Mpitsang, Abraham Pienaar, Charl Pietersen, Ryan Bailey, Wendell Bossenger, Jandre Coetzee, Con de Lange, Cornelis de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Reeza Hendricks, Alan Kruger, Rilee Rossouw, Aubrey Swanepoel, Shadley van Schalkwyk.Somerset Justin Langer, Marcus Trescothick, Zander de Bruyn, Omari Banks, James Hildreth, Craig Kieswetter, Pete Trego, Arul Suppiah, Alfonso Thomas, Max Waller, Charl Willoughby, Wes Durston, Mark Turner, Steffan Jones, Jos Buttler, Michael Munday, Adam Dibble, David Stiff, Robin Lett, Ben Phillips.Royal Challengers Bangalore Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Robin Uthappa, Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Dale Steyn, Manish Pandey, Praveen Kumar, Jesse Ryder, Roelof van der Merwe, Mark Boucher, Vinay Kumar, Virat Kohli, Shreevats Goswami, Pankaj Singh, Akhil Balachandra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Saurabh Bandekar, Abhmanyu Mithun, KP Appanna.Deccan Chargers Adam Gilchrist, VVS Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds, Fidel Edwards, Chamara Silva, Scott Styris, Chaminda Vaas, RP Singh, Ryan Harris, Pragyan Ojha, Y Venugopal Rao, T Suman, DB Ravi Teja, Arjun Yadav, Abhinav Kumar, Azhar Bilakhia, Harmeet Singh, SM Shoaib, P Vijay Kumar.

Ireland have won the Under-17 Championships after the final against Scotland at Osborne Park was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled. Ireland won the title after finishing the league stage with the maximum points, giving them their third consecutive championship success.At Bready, persistent drizzle forced an abandonment 11 overs into Netherlands’ innings against Guernsey. Netherlands were 50 for 2 when the umpires called off play. Both teams were awarded one point each, as Guernsey finished at fourth place and Netherlands at fifth.At Coleraine, Jersey walloped Denmark by 164 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method. Batting first, Jersey posted a mammoth 391 for 4 with the captain Ben Stevens hitting 162 from 121 balls and Aidan McGuire (53), Corne Bodenstein (44) and Tim de la Haye (48 not out) also contributing. Denmark slipped to 56 for 5 in 21 overs before play was stopped due to inclement weather, with Jersey appointed winners as they finished the tournament at third place owing to Scotland’s superior run-rate.

The 4th of February is a special day for Rob Ferley. Nineteen yearsago on that day he came into this world. Birthdays are an occasion toremember and yet Ferley will hold his 19th birthday especially closeto his heart. Bowling an inspired spell of left arm spin, Ferleyscalped 4/32 and bowled England to victory against India in theirencounter at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation Ground. The Kentyoungster would do well to duplicate his effort in the third and finalOne-Day encounter to be played at the Lal Bahadur Stadium atHyderabad. With the series level, both teams have everything to playfor.The Indians at least won the ‘Test’ series, and that certainly isevery purists dream. Yet, for an England side to spend so much time inIndia and go back empty handed would be rather disappointing. The tourso far has thrown up many surprises and indeed players with muchresolve. The man who made the difference on the last occasion, wasFerley. “Initially we thought 250 was 10 or 20 runs short. But evenwith 250 on the board we knew we had a good chance of winning. It’snot that easy to chase a target if the bowlers keep the ball on a goodline and length,” said Ferley shortly after the second One-Dayer.”We have everything to play for really,” he volunteered, talking aboutthe final clash. But he wasn’t the only one who came out with flyingcolours. Easily the most impressive youngster on this tour, skipperIan Bell played a classy knock, scoring 91 before falling to a tiredshot. Apart from handling the bowling with ease, Bell also had hiscaptaincy spot on in the second One-Dayer. That is something that willplay a key part in the forthcoming clash.The Indian batsmen, for all their talent, have flattered to deceive.Southpaw Gautam Gambhir bats like a millionaire while the team’scause would be better served if he curbed his strokeplay outside theoff stump. Vinayak Mane, who has scored a pile of runs in this seriesmissed the last game with a bit of a stiff shoulder. Arindam Das whotook his place was dismissed for a duck is likely to give way to Maneif the Mumbai opener recovers in time.Indian coach Roger Binny was optimistic about India’s chances, “All weneed to do is put up a good batting display. Our batsmen have lookedgood and yet not gone on to make a big score.” That really summed upthe Indian performance. Binny added that the Indians were not lookingto alter their plans for the final encounter. Instead they werelooking to concentrate on the basics. “It would be nice if we won thetoss too,” said Binny with a wry smile.Indeed the toss could play a vital role. The pitch at the Lal BahadurStadium looks the same as it was in the earlier game – a bit of anenigma. Although it is flat and hard and seemingly full of runs, thereis also a suggestion that it might play low and slow. Either way theteam winning the toss, and presumably electing to bat first, will havethe edge.

Reece Young, the Auckland wicketkeeper-batsman, has said he hadn’t expected to be picked in the national squad for the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka.”I was very surprised when (the head of the selection panel) Glenn Turner told me I had been picked as the Test back-up to Brendon McCullum,” Reece said. “I expected to hear I was on the New Zealand A tour to India but to get told I was to tour Sri Lanka was pretty special.”This was the first call-up to the senior side for the 29-year-old, and comes more than a decade after he made his first-class debut. What makes Young’s inclusion even more unexpected is that he lost the wicketkeeper’s spot at Auckland to Gareth Hopkins last season.His selection comes as a reward after a season in which he topped Auckland’s batting charts, making 557 runs at 50.63, to lead them to the State Championship title. He said that focusing on his batting helped him leapfrog competitors for the reserve wicketkeeper’s slot such as Hopkins, Peter McGlashan and Chris Nevin.”I think that is probably what gave me a bit of an edge,” he said. “My keeping has been pretty sound. It was the batting where I needed to show that I could hold my own.”He also said that his wealth of experience (85 first-class matches) would be a huge benefit. “I feel as you get through the late 20s, you get to know your game a lot more,” he said. “I feel I am a better player than in my early years – I know what I can do and can’t do and it holds you in good stead for the next level.”Before heading to Sri Lanka in August, Young will represent the New Zealand side in the Emerging Players tournament in Brisbane which starts later this month.

Show South Africa a World Cup and panic can set in. Their history in the 50-over variety includes ties, collapses and misread Duckworth-Lewis charts, while their stay at the inaugural Twenty20 event, which they hosted in 2007, ended with a batting demise that meant they couldn’t even progress on net run rate. So can they set the record straight this time?Graeme Smith believes there is more confidence and belief in this South Africa side than ever before and their record over the last year and a half supports him. They have risen to the top of the one-day rankings and also secured Test-series successes against England and Australia.However, the other side to that coin is that it has been a long period of intense action, and how South Africa cope with fatigue will be a key issue. But after this tournament they have a break before the Champions Trophy, so success here would the perfect way to sign off a period that has taken South African cricket to new heights.South Africa have previously used Twenty20 internationals to blood youngsters, experiment and rest senior players but this squad represents the strongest they could put together. Jacques Kallis, who was omitted in 2007, will have a point to prove and arrives on the back of a consistent IPL.The experience in the party is highlighted with three survivors from the 1999 World Cup in England – Kallis, Mark Boucher and Herschelle Gibbs – when they had the trophy within their grasp before it slipped away. That trio would dearly love to put the record straight.StrengthsTheir fielding should be out of the top drawer with a cover circle made up of Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy and AB de Villiers. In a format where small margins make all the difference, the runs they save can prove crucial. Their middle-order hitting power, with the likes of Mark Boucher and Albie Morkel, means that the batting line-up packs a real punch.WeaknessesThe pace-bowling support for Dale Steyn could be a little thin on experience with Wayne Parnell and Yusuf Abdulla still raw in international terms and Morne Morkel prone to spraying the ball around. Then there is the pressure factor; they have dealt with it on numerous occasions in the recent times, but will their World Cup nightmares come back to haunt them?X-FactorSpin bowling is a key part of Twenty20 and in Johan Botha and Roelof van der Merwe, South Africa have two excellent limited-overs performers. Botha has been told he can’t bowl his doosra after being reported for his action, but his experience will be vital to Graeme Smith, while van der Merwe has impressed in the early days of his career.Key playersAB de Villiers has enjoyed a brilliant time in all versions of the game and his performances at the IPL further lifted his status. But he can also change a match in the field with a stunning run out or catch. Albie Morkel can also alter the course of a game in one over of strong hitting.T20 form guideThey have played four Twenty20 internationals this year, all against Australia, with honours even, however the last two matches were convincing wins for South Africa.Squad Graeme Smith (capt), Johan Botha, Yusuf Abdulla, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Roelof van der Merwe

Sana Mir, the Pakistan women’s captain, has said she is banking on her spinners to help her side put up a strong show in the women’s World Twenty20.”Our strength lies in our spin attack,” she told reporters at Lord’s. “We are planning to make full use of our plus point and do well in this tournament.” Mir, a legspinner, has been Pakistan’s best bowler in ODIs this year, taking nine wickets at 18.44 in seven matches, and offspinner Sajjida Shah has also turned in some decent performances.Pakistan finished in a creditable sixth place at the women’s World Cup in Australia earlier this year, and Mir hoped to build on that in the World Twenty20. “I believe we are among the favourites in this tournament.”Mir’s side has two warm-up games – against West Indies on Monday, and South Africa on Tuesday – before playing their first match of the tournament against Sri Lanka on Friday. England, who were clinical during their World Cup win in March, and India are also in Pakistan’s group for the league phase.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Irfan Pathan’s contribution with the bat was followed by a superb outing with the ball•Associated Press

Two pairs of left-handers played key roles as Kings XI Punjab steamrolled Rajasthan Royals in Cape Town. Punjab struggled after early losses and it was left to Kumar Sangakkara to weigh in with his first half-century of the tournament and the star of the day, Irfan Pathan, to provide the momentum for a fightback. Then, defending a total of 139, Punjab were indebted to double-wicket overs from Irfan and Yusuf Abdulla at the start.Both left-arm seamers did a sterling job under the Newlands lights, mixing their line and length impressively to check a shaky batting line-up. Rajasthan, who had set themselves a realistic chance of victory in the field fell 27 runs short.Rajasthan’s chase of 140 wasn’t a tall order, but their fate was sealed by a rampant left-arm seam attack who snaffled four wickets in the first five overs. Having contributed with the bat, Irfan grabbed two wickets in his opening over. He drew a top edge from Swapnil Asnodkar with a short ball and produced a thin edge off Graeme Smith’s bat with a fuller, away-swinging delivery. Rajasthan were 9 for 2.Yuvraj Singh had opened the bowling with Ramesh Powar but Irfan’s success encouraged him to go for an all-pace attack. Abdulla’s first over was tidy, costing just six, and his second was disastrous for Rajasthan. Rob Quiney got a faint tickle on one down the leg side and a leaden-footed Dimitri Mascarenhas heard the death rattle second ball when he played around an offcutter.That left Rajasthan 27 for 4, anxiously needing a partnership and Yusuf Pathan – Man of the Match in their last game – to fire. Yusuf began by picking his brother for a couple fours only to perish sweeping in Piyush Chawa’s first over. Another bowling change had worked and Punjab were all over Rajasthan.Chawla tossed it up and was rewarded with another wicket. The asking-rate kept increasing and it proved too much for Ravindra Jadeja (37) and Shane Warne, who scampered smart singles but couldn’t find the boundaries during their 60-run association. Abdulla came back with Rajasthan needing 38 from two overs and cleaned up Jadeja first ball. Irfan gave just six in the last over to cap a great game. That Rajasthan didn’t manage one six told a story.Irfan’s two early wickets were crucial defending a small total but that could have been smaller without his contribution with the bat when Punjab were four down for not much. Karan Goel was run out first ball – the second time in the day a wicket had fallen in that manner – before Kamran Khan and Munaf Patel struck. Warne’s decision to use each of his pace bowlers in one-over bursts worked wonderfully. There were no consecutive overs for any bowler from the Wynberg end and each time Kamran and Munaf came back they struck first ball.Kamran removed Ravi Bopara courtesy an athletic dive from Munaf at mid-on and Munaf rcame back to dismiss Yuvraj with one that swung way. Punjab slipped to 48 for 4 when Mahela Jayawardene scooped Munaf to a sliding Kamran at mid-off.It was Irfan who provided much-needed ammunition. He wasn’t always assured against spin, but backing himself to swing freely through the on side he helped Punjab rebuild. Warne and Yusuf were hit for a six each by Irfan, the quicker deliveries were smartly worked square on the off side, and a handy partnership of 75 in 59 balls had begun. Irfan kept up the momentum with some sweetly-timed strokes on the off side, the best of the lot being a cut off Warne when he came back on.Sangakkara’s 60 held the innings together. So often a calm, controlled batsman, he combined his usual elegance with a range of aggressive shots; cutting deftly, pulling powerfully and even launching Warne into a raucous crowd. Mascarenhas found just a hint of swing but too often served up four-balls; Sangakkara took him for three cracking boundaries. A powerful partnership had set up a final flourish but Rajasthan dismissed Irfan and Sangakkara in the 19th over to set themselves a gettable target.But in the end there was no denying Punjab, piloted to victory by the all-round heroics of Irfan, their brightest star.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has caught both the BCCI and the ICC off guard by naming three ICL players in its list of 30 probables for the ICC World Twenty20 in June. It marks an official breaking of ranks with the BCCI, a traditional ally, and it has put the ICC, the organisers of the tournament, in a tricky position.ICC officials are now hoping to persuade the PCB during a board meeting in Dubai next week to drop Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naved-ul Hasan and Imran Nazir, the ICL trio, from that list. The ICC will also discuss on April 17-18 the ICL’s long-pending request for official recognition. It is understood that the ICC board may ask the BCCI to take a final call on the ICL’s application, and the Indian board is unlikely to change its hardline stance.The ICC and the BCCI are well aware that the the ICL is gearing for a long-drawn legal battle on the recognition issue and the official ban on its players, and what has really set the alarm bells ringing within the official establishment is the Pakistan team announcement on Monday.ICC and BCCI officials feel that the PCB, or at least an influential section within the board, has become a pawn in the hands of the ICL. According to them, the ICL is working on a multi-pronged long-term strategy: complicate the legal side of their tussle with the establishment by encouraging their players, who have been banned from official cricket, to cross over and return; and build a support base within the official establishment, especially among those who feel threatened by the BCCI’s overpowering clout in world cricket.On the recognition issue, the ICC has already framed new rules on official and unofficial cricket, which make it clear that only the respective home boards can decide on any request for recognition from an independent organiser. The current set of rules is not very clear in this respect, and leaves a window open for any venture to approach the ICC directly for approval, which the ICL did last year.The ICL has never been short of allies either, even from within the establishment. Last year, it had the open support of Arjuna Ranatunga, the then head of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), who allowed five ICL players and an umpire associated with the league to play a domestic tournament. This time, it appears that the ICL has on their side an influential section of the PCB, especially its legendary players-turned-officials like Javed Miandad, who is the PCB’s director-general, and Abdul Qadir, its chief selector.Miandad, apparently, has been particularly resentful of the Indian board’s strong-arm methods, and has now gained more sympathisers from within his own board after the BCCI shut the door on Pakistani players in the IPL, citing government orders. In fact, in November, soon after he joined the PCB, Miandad questioned the intent behind the international ban on ICL players – a BCCI-led move – and suggested that these players should be considered for the national team.Pakistan’s case has been boosted by a recent order from the Sind High Court, which overturned a ban on the country’s ICL players from playing in domestic cricket.In March 2008, the ICC board had resolved that ICL players should not be allowed to participate in official cricket, but left the final decision on the matter to the individual national boards and the laws that govern their countries. “Obviously, Pakistan could have prevented this situation by simply not picking those players,” the senior ICC official said. “They are now passing the buck back to us. It’s not a nice position to be in.”The ICL camp, meanwhile, is buoyant and a league official said it was a matter of pride for them that their players have been picked for national duty. “We have given our players the option of a temporary release from their ICL contracts so that they can appear for their national teams,” the ICL official said. Interestingly, the official refused to confirm whether they have released Razzaq, Hasan and Nazir from their ICL contracts.According to an ICL source, the temporary release offer is just one aspect of a long-term plan the league has in place. Apparently, most of the league’s calculations hinge on the general elections in India in April-May after which Subhash Chandra, the league’s owner who is politically connected and owns a popular media organisation, hopes to have some sort of a say in government formation. This would then place him in a better bargaining position with Sharad Pawar, who has the final say in Indian cricket and who is currently a central minister, the source said.However, the ICC is also clear that it won’t accept a temporary release from ICL, and may ask national boards to bind those who return from the league in ironclad contracts, if they are considered for national selection. ICC and BCCI officials have also claimed that the ICL’s release offer is a desperate attempt by the league to foist at least a part of its wage bill on to the national boards – the ICL had scrapped its March programme, citing the economic recession as one of the main reasons. But this is a suggestion that key ICL officials and senior players have rejected vehemently.

The South African board has said it will host the next Champions Trophy, if and when it is formally offered the tournament, but has attached a financial rider to the ICC’s proposal. Gerald Majola, chief executive of Cricket South Africa (CSA), said a final decision would be taken by the South African board only after it received an official invitation – and, more importantly, found acceptable the ICC’s financial model for the event.Under ICC protocol, its executive board has to first endorse Wednesday’s recommendation by its Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) to shift , due to weather concerns, the tournament from Sri Lanka to South Africa. The ICC will then extend an official invitation to CSA to host the event.”We have asked the ICC to provide us with a financial model and our board will discuss the matter once we have received this model and an official ICC invitation,” Majola said. “We would also have to follow the government protocols for hosting a major international event. If the finances and protocols are right and our board agrees to accept the invitation, we have the infrastructures and the expertise from recently hosting two ICC world championships to stage a successful tournament at short notice.”This is not the first time there’s been an element of uncertainty over hosting the Champions Trophy. In 2002, the tournament was awarded to Sri Lanka after the Indian government refused to grant tax exemption for the event, as required by the ICC. Four years later, India and Pakistan were in the running to host the event, which was finally held in India after the government agreed to a tax exemption.India had said then that it would not participate in future editions as the event is traditionally held during the peak cricket season – September-October. Lalit Modi, the BCCI vice-president, said holding the event in October cut into India’s season and so affected revenue. The deadlock was subsequently resolved at the ICC level.The Champions Trophy’s financial model has been designed to generate revenue primarily for the ICC, which then pumps the money back into the development of the game worldwide.