Sri Lanka’s cricketers have rejected a performance-related pay package for the forthcoming World Cup and refused to sign their player contracts.The Sri Lankan cricket board has therefore failed to the meet the January 14 ICC deadline for signing the players’ terms agreement.A statement released by the Sri Lanka Cricketers Association (SLCA) said: "The SLCA confirms that the controversial players’ terms agreement has not been signed by the Sri Lanka players."The SLCA are demanding that the Sri Lankan cricket board pay the players 20% of the monies that they receive from the ICC World Cup. At present they have been offered a 5% revenue share."The players of Australia and New Zealand are being paid 25%," said the SLCA. "The South Africans are almost there with 30% of the total money received from their board. In view of the above, the 20% that the Sri Lankan players are requesting seems reasonable enough.""The players are of the view that their rights have been stolen away by this Player Terms Agreement. The BCCSL, without consulting the players concerned, have signed the agreement until the 2007 World Cup. Therefore, the players have a right to claim these payments."The release, however, hints that the players would stop short of boycotting the tournament: "The players are clearly committed to participate in the World Cup even without such payments."Earlier in the week, the BCCSL offered the players a performance-based payincentives package, including an USD 100,000 bonus for lifting the trophy, as well as doubling their standard match fee of USD 700 per game.

Zimbabwe international cricketer Gary Brent has answered an SOS from Burridge to help the Fareham West club regain their place in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League’s top flight this summer.The village club was relegated from Premier Division 1 at the end of last season and are banking on Brent’s experience to help them regain their lost status.Brent, 27, will begin his fourth season at Burridge in late April as a fully fledged Zimbabwean international, having been capped four times and played 39 ODIs for his country since 1996.”I’ve had three marvellous seasons at Burridge in the late 1990s, making a lot of great friends, most of whom have continued to keep in touch,” said Brent from his Harare home this week.”I’m delighted to be coming back again and hopefully I’ll be more of an asset to the club now I’ve got a fair amount of international experience.”Brent, whose father’s tobacco farm on the northern outskirts of Harare was recently seized under President Robert Mugabe’s land reform programme, initially helped Burridge win promotion into the Southern League.He returned to play again for the club in the following two seasons before cementing a place in Zimbabwe’s international squads.Brent has played three Test matches against Sri Lanka – claiming the impressive scalps of Russel Arnold, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara – and another against Bangladesh.He has taken seven Test Match wickets and claimed 45 victims in ODIs, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting and Marvin Atapattu among them.Brent’s last ODI was against Pakistan in November, but he failed to make the Zimbabwe side for either the ICC Trophy in Sri Lanka or the current World Cup.Veteran Roger Cawte, who takes over the Burridge captaincy from the departed Paul Ancell, knows that Brent will be a terrific acquisition for the club.”Gary will have a tremendous, stimulating influence at the club, particularly when he bats.”He’s primarily a seam bowler, but Gary’s a very talented batsman, who will score his runs very quickly – and that will be a terrific asset.”The colts, particularly, will know who he is and can also learn an enormous amount from him,” he said.Cawte, who reckons he will be the oldest player, let alone captain, in Premier Division 2 this summer, will be keeping a watchful eye in the coming weeks to see if Brent nudges the Zimbabwe selectors for a potential England tour place.”Zimbabwe are due here for some Test and International Matches, and that could affect Gary’s situation.”But, as things stand, he’s confirmed he’s coming – and that’s great news for Burridge cricket,” Cawte added.Burridge are holding pre-season practice nets at the Hampshire Rose Bowl on Tuesday evenings, 7pm.

Kenya were no match for West Indies. All thoughts of replicating their 1996 upset went out of the window as a strong West Indian bowling performance saw them bundled out for a mere 104 in pursuit of 247. With this 142-run victory, West Indies secured a consolation win, ending their World Cup campaign on 14 points.Jermaine Lawson, playing his first game of this World Cup, worked up a good pace, hitting the 150 km/h mark from early on in his spell. The pace of Lawson was a bit too much for the Kenyan batsmen and they were constantly pushed back.It was however, not Lawson who did the majority of the damage. Making good use of the pressure Lawson created, Vasbert Drakes cashed in. Bowling a steady line and length, varying his pace well, Drakes scalped his second five-wicket haul of the tournament, returning figures of 5/33. With this, Drakes’ tally of wickets in this World Cup moved up to 16, making him the leading wicket-taker along with Chaminda Vaas.Merv Dillon (1/31) and Lawson (2/16) too were among the wickets as Kenya failed to get a partnership going at any point.The fall of wickets at regular intervals, coupled with the fact that the top score by a Kenyan batsman was just 24 ensured that the minnows were knocked out for 104.Despite the loss, Kenya will be happy with their position. They go into the Super Sixes with 10 points in hand, having beaten Sri Lanka and New Zealand (forfeit) the other two qualifiers from Pool B.Earlier in the day, West Indies put together 246/7, and should have really done better, but it appeared as though the men from the Caribbean already had their minds on the flight back home.After a 122-run opening partnership with Gayle, Chanderpaul, the most impressive West Indies batsman on the day, became the first to be dismissed. His fall came when he top-edged leg-spinner Collins Obuya, after making 66 off just 72 balls; Joseph Angara completing the easy catch.Brian Lara, who replaced Chanderpaul, continued to struggle yet again. After making an unconvincing 10 off 29 balls, the ‘Prince on Trinidad’ attempted to launch the 30th ball he faced for a six. But David Obuya completed a handsome catch near the boundary as the West Indies lost their second wicket with their score reading 158.The man who replaced Lara at the crease, Marlon Samuels, playing his first match of the World Cup, had an early let-off when he got a leading edge that Obuya failed to cling onto. But he failed to capitalise on it, being dismissed for a 14-ball 17.Ricardo Powell too fell cheaply, making just eight runs.At the other end, Gayle had in the meantime managed to bring up a patient 100 off 143 balls, including seven fours. After that the well-built West Indies opener, opened out, clattering two huge sixes. But after making 119 off 151 balls, he holed out at deep cover in an attempt to hit another delivery clean out of the ground.Carl Hooper, the West Indies skipper, was another of the West Indies batsmen destined to fail on the day, making just six before being stumped by Kennedy Otieno off a Joseph Angara delivery that he tried to run down to third man.Wavell Hinds (10 off 9 balls) in the unlikely role of No. 7 and Ridley Jacobs (9 off 8) contributed a few useful runs towards the end, as their team ended their innings at 246/7. For Kenya, Martin Suji, who conceded just 38 runs in his 10 overs while claiming one wicket, was the most economical bowler.The victory showed up the difference between the minnows and the genuine contenders in his World Cup. The Super Six stage is supposed to be a level harder than the preliminary matches. However, the fact that two teams forfeited matches means that the best six teams have not really progressed to the next stage. Without being too hard on Kenya, this will make for some very one-sided matches at a stage in the tournament where this really should not be the case.

Second Test, Day 4Nasser Hussain would sympathise. Against this Aussie vintage, it is tough enough to rack your brains for a Plan A, let alone cobble together a Plan B when the injuries and premature retirements start to kick in. And sure enough, by the end of yet another day of effortless Australian dominance, which began with a barely noticed century for Matthew Hayden, and finished with Stuart MacGill ripping the ball like a strongman’s telephone directory, West Indies were 300 runs and a million miles from salvaging the match.And yet, where Brian Lara remains, so too does hope. His heroics in 1998-99 have dominated the West Indian psyche in this series as surely as Ian Botham dominated England’s, post-1981. And then as now, the impact has been largely negative – success, it seems, is 99% inspiration, and 1% perspiration. Against Steve Waugh’s Australians, however, that attitude might be disturbingly close to the truth.West Indies have had two recent and contrasting precedents to guide them in this match, and both involve England. The first was at Brisbane last November, when in the face of an injury crisis, Hussain bullishly picked a team with five bowlers and six batsmen, only to fall immediately onto the defensive by choosing to bowl first on a belter. The second came eighteen months earlier at Headingley, when Adam Gilchrist, desperate to avoid a draw, got a little too cute with his declaration after England had been battered into submission for four days, and an enigmatic, stroke-playing lefthander (for Lara, read Mark Butcher) did the rest.That first lesson has already been taken to heart. With at least four first-choice players missing, there was nothing remotely bullish about the West Indian selection for this match – even Bangladesh would have been hard-pressed to be less attacking in the field. Three seamers, Dave Bernard’s 75mph peashooters and a host of ropey spinners managed three legitimate wickets in 200 overs, and owed the other four to umpire Asoka de Silva, who pulled off three dodgy lbws, as well as hoodwinking Ricky Ponting into a stumping by gazing towards the fine-leg boundary when the ball had nestled in the keeper’s gloves.As for the second lesson, well, only time – and MacGill’s duel with Lara – will tell. But suddenly, against a side that fears the draw as irrationally as an elephant fears a mouse, a method is beginning to emerge from the madness. If (with a microscopic `i’) Lara, Sarwan, Samuels, Bernard, Baugh and Drakes pull off the impossible, it would represent the greatest heist in the history of Test cricket, but by farting in the face of convention and ignoring all need for wickets, West Indies have somehow equipped themselves with the right tools for the job.MacGill’s first four overs this evening suggest that surviving until lunch will be a feat in itself, but MacGill is no Warne, and Lara’s only true nemesis, Glenn McGrath, is also missing from this match. In fact Australia are so undermanned in this series that they have even resorted to five bowlers for the first time since their run of invincibility began. Of course, that’s hardly an admission of weakness when Waugh himself is not required to bat, but it is nevertheless a clear break with recent tradition.Under Waugh’s bloodyminded leadership, and with John Buchanan’s mind-expanding presence lurking in the background, convention has long since flown out of the Australian window, and it has taken a recordbreaking run of defeats for the rest of the world to take the plunge as well. It may be clutching at straws to suggest that West Indies have a hope of winning this match, but that has been said of just about every defeat inflicted on Australia in the last four years, from Bridgetown and Kingston via Kolkata and Headingley. In overcoming these titans, defence may yet prove to be the best form of attack.

Mis-Teeq, will entertain spectators on the opening day of the competition, Friday 13 June, at the Hampshire v Sussex match at the Rose Bowl. They will be supported by D’Side and United Colours of Sound. A capacity 9,000 sell-out is anticipated for the match, which will be televised live by Sky Sports.Tickets for the opening game at the Rose Bowl can be bought from today by telephoning:0870 243 0291.Ticket prices are £15 for adults and £10 for under sixteens.

Band informationMis-Teeq – made up of three girls Alesha 23, Sabrina 23 and Su – Elise 20 -are a UK garage / R’n’B band who have had four top ten singles to date.Their debut album Eye Candy, reached number five in the album charts earlier this month. The band won the ‘Best Artist’ award at last year’s UK GarageAwards.D’Side – are already following in the footsteps of two other famous Irishfive-piece boybands (Westlife and Boyzone) by launching their career bywinning ‘Best New Act’ at the Smash Hits Awards. Their debut song,’Speachless’, went into the top 10 last Sunday.





Twenty20 Cup – Background informationThe Twenty20 Cup, the first brand new competition for county cricket since 1973, replaces the old Benson and Hedges Cup. It is cricket on fast-forward- 20 overs-a-side bouts contested over just two hours 45 mins and staged during the longest summer evenings in June. (Opening matches are on Friday 13 June).Games start at 5.30pm, the action is conveniently timed for the post-school and office audiences.The 18 First Class Counties are split into three regional groups of six teams each, with the three group winners and the best runner-up progressing to a Finals Day at Trent Bridge on Saturday 19 July. Aside from the on-pitch action, off-the-field entertainment will include live bands, replay screens, BBQ zones and karaoke machines, with musical instruments and fancy dress codes encouraged to help create the perfect evening out.A new prize money structure will be implemented to encourage both team victories and individual performances. The Twenty20 champions will receive£42,000, the runners-up will get £21,000 and the losing-semi-finalists £10,000. Extra incentives will also be made to the best performing individuals with cash prizes of up to £1,500 going to the best performing batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders.npower is the first official partner of the Twenty20 Cup. More officialpartners are anticipated.Match details and ticket information can be found atwww.ecb.co.uk/twenty20

The Glamorgan squad for the four day Frizzell County Championship match against Derbyshire starting at St. Helen’s, Swansea on Wednesday, 4th June is as follows:

A DaleJ HughesDL HempMJ PowellMP MaynardMA Wallace +RDB Croft *DS HarrisonMS KasprowiczAG WharfDA CoskerAP Davies

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has come forward to help the cash-strapped Bangladesh board, doling out US$500,000, most of which will be used to install world-class facilities at the Mirpur Stadium. According to a report in The Independent, a Bangladesh daily, Ali Asghar Lobi, president of the ACC and the Bangladesh board (BCB), announced the decision after the ACC annual general meeting in London on June 14.”The decision to help Bangladesh cricket team will be a milestone,” Lobi said. “I asked ICC’s help to enhance Bangladesh’s performance and it requested the ACC to do it. The BCB will spend a chunk of the money to renovate the Mirpur Stadium where we can set up our cricket home. We need practice facilities for national teams at all levels round the year."Apart from sprucing up the outfield, pitch, gymnasium and indoor practice facilities at the Mirpur Stadium, the fund will also be used to appoint a coach for the Bangladesh under-19 team, and for training curators and coaches.Inevitably, Lobi was asked about Bangladesh’s woeful performances in the international arena. Agreeing with the comments from Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, that the number of international tours for Bangladesh might be reduced, Lobi stressed that the critical need was for Bangladesh to improve their standard by playing more at home.Meanwhile, Syed Ashraful Haq, the ACC chief executive, informed that Rumesh Ratnayake (Sri Lanka), Roger Binny (India) and Iqbal Sikander (Pakistan) had been appointed as ACC’s full-time development officers, while Afghanistan, Iran, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia had been granted associate membership to the ACC.The ACC also announced that the Australian board (ACB) would help in setting up cricket academies in Nepal, Malaysia and the UAE, while the New Zealand board would assist in pitch-preparation programmes.

An exotic dancer from Melbourne has joined the chorus of women making allegations about Shane Warne’s behaviour, following claims made by the South African Helen Cohen Alon, that he had harassed her with text phone messages.The dancer, a married 38-year-old, has apparently come forward because what she perceives to be unfair treatment meted out to Cohen Alon, who was recently described as a “hairy-backed Sheila” by the former Test batsman David Hookes.”She says all the things that happened to her, this South African woman, happened to this woman as well,” said Harry M Miller, an Australian celebrity agent. “The stuff this woman alleges, if it’s true, will make a huge noise everywhere.”Meanwhile a former employee of Cricket Australia (CA) claimed they received regular complaints about Warne. “There’s just too many ladies with too many stories,” she told Channel Seven with her face hidden and voice distorted. “He made life very difficult for the staff there.”But CA general manager Peter Young said he didn’t know what the fuss was about. “I’ve been here for nine months and it’s not a fact that we get complaints about Shane Warne every day of the week,” he said. “We received calls about Shane when the anti-doping case was on, and we have received complaints about him this week in regards to the allegations, which remain only allegations at this stage.”Warne’s behaviour again in the spotlight

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Not that they need it, but Paul Adams gave South Africa, and himself, a massive confidence boost ahead of the third npower Test match at Trent Bridge next week. Adams took an astonishing 9 for 79 as they crushed Kent by 101 runs at Canterbury.After South Africa declared their second innings on 243 for 7 in which Adams hit a run-a-ball 22 not out, Kent needed an unlikely 334 to win. But they made a good start as Michael Carberry and Robert Key put on 72 for the opening wicket before Key was bowled by Adams for 49 in a sign of things to come. Ed Smith, one of England’s new boys, hit a brisk 27 and he had at least had the pleasure of being the only batsman not to fall into Adams’s trap. He was caught and bowled by Robbie Peterson instead (125 for 2).Matthew Banes was bowled by Adams for 24 and when Carberry was caught by Boeta Dippenaar for an impressive 75, Adams ran riot. The last six wickets fell for only 46 runs as batsmen came and went, unable to combat Adams’s wrist-spin on a dry and dusty wicket. Alex Loudon was the last man left on 30 not out as Kent crashed to defeat.

Hampshire return to meeting Minor County opposition in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy competition next season when they travel to meet Cheshire in the second round on 5 May 2004.Having lost to Sussex in the first round this season, Hampshire’s third place finish in the National League second division ensured they missed first-class opposition this time around.It will be the third time the two counties have met in the different guises of this competition, with Hampshire having won the previous two meetings.In 1981, Steve Malone’s spell of 5-34 and 4-31 from Trevor Jesty led Hampshire to a comfortable six wicket win at the County Ground as Cheshire were dismissed for 137. Gordon Greenidge hit 56 as the home side reached the target with relative ease.A rain-affected match at Chester did not stop Hampshire progressing in 1989 as Chris Smith (159) and Paul Terry (99) blasted the total to 306-2 in 60 overs. Malcolm Marshall then undermined the reply with 4-40 as the hosts were bowled out for 159.