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A meeting between the ICC and the 2011 World Cup hosts that was scheduled for June 3 in Dubai has been pushed to June 15 in London. It had been called to try and reach an out-of-court settlement over the dispute that had Pakistan’s share of matches from the tournament taken away over security concerns.The ICC said the meeting was postponed to ensure the availability of all those taking part. Besides representatives from the four countries originally awarded hosting rights – Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan – ICC president David Morgan and chief executive Haroon Lorgat will also attend the meeting, while vice-president Sharad Pawar will take part by telephone.Earlier in the month, the PCB had issued a legal notice to the ICC after the world body had decided to exclude Pakistan from hosting the World Cup, calling the decision to do so discriminatory and “legally flawed”. The meeting is the first step to resolve the impasse outside of a courtroom.

Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, has said that he sees merit in John Buchanan’s multiple-captaincy idea and that he had a similar sort of plan for his team to take the pressure off the current captain Mohammad Ashraful.”I have a similar sort of plan for our boys too,” Siddons told the . “I do see some merit in it; maybe it helps to take some pressure off Ashraful, maybe if Shakib [Al Hasan] and Mashrafe [Mortaza] could share a bit of responsibilities. I see a bit of merit in it, because of our skipper’s inexperience, but it needs the board’s approval and we haven’t got that yet.”We have a good leadership group. There is enough pressure in the team like talking to you guys [journalists] after every win or loss. So if we go for multiple captaincy, that can help Ashraful because some pressure will be taken off him.”Ashraful and Mortaza are currently in South Africa with for the Indian Premier League. Ashraful is part of the Mumbai Indians squad while Mortaza is with the Kolkata Knight Riders. Neither player, however, has played a game yet because the franchises are allowed to field only four overseas players in a XI. Siddons said he had been watching the IPL to observe the players Bangladesh were likely to encounter at the World Twenty20 in June.”I’m looking more at the Indian players and the other world players and maybe looking for their weaknesses. I haven’t been looking at Ash [Ashraful] and Mash [Mortaza] and didn’t have a chance to,” Siddons said. “If they get a game or two, I’m sure they will become a part of the team. I know there is a lot of competition within their teams.”Siddons was happy with the national players performance in the Premier Division Cricket League. “I think it was in the Super League that the cream started to come out of the milk,” he said. “That is our national players started showing that they were the better players in the league. They were making 100s and picking up wickets and I was particularly happy with Ashraful’s performance. They probably should have dominated the early part of the league lot more but I’m happy that they played good cricket by the end of the tournament.”

George Tribe, the Australian left-arm wrist spinner, has died aged 88. He was the 11th oldest Test cricketer and second oldest Australian.Although his Test career was limited to three matches during the 1946-47 Ashes under Don Bradman he captured 1,378 first-class wickets in 308 matches, the majority of which were played for Northamptonshire after he moved to England in 1947.In 13 games for Victoria, he took 86 wickets at 19.25 but, frustrated at the lack of opportunities, he moved to England and signed for Milnrow in the Central Lancashire League. In his first season in 1947 he took 136 wickets, followed by a record 148 wickets in 1948 and 150 in 1949. In 1950 he switched to Rawtenstall where he stayed for two seasons. His class was underlined when in 1949-50 he took 99 wickets (more than twice as many as any of his team-mates) at 17.22 on a tour of India with a Commonwealth team.Tribe was an engineer during the close season and in 1951 he was hired by a Northampton-based firm. In 1952 he joined the county (he played once for them the previous summer) and in the next eight seasons he achieved the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets seven times.He still holds the record for the most wickets in a season for Northamptonshire – 175 in 1955 – and the best figures of 15 for 31 against Yorkshire, at Wantage Road, in 1958.A talented sportsman, Tribe also played Australian rules football for Footscray in the Victorian Football League.

Kevin Pietersen has said that he will not go on another long England tour without his wife, singer Jessica Taylor.”I’ve never said I want to miss a tour and there’s no way I will ever miss a tour,” he told the BBC. “I love touring, but there’s no way I’ll be without my wife for 11 weeks again.”Pietersen admitted that the winter has not gone well, either for him or the team. “The first half was a shambles under my leadership. We didn’t come close to winning a game in India and we didn’t come close to winning a game here before we won on Sunday, except for the mathematical error on the West Indies’ part in Guyana.”Referring to the much-quoted remarks he made at the weekend where he said he was at the end of his tether, he said that the comments “were born from frustration”. He continued: “We all want to go home, but it does not stop the commitment we all put in on a daily basis. I am absolutely 100% passionate about playing for England. I absolutely never take it for granted about wearing the three lions on my chest.”The second part of the frustration was I hadn’t seen my wife since January 21. It’s the longest period of time I’ve been away from her.”He confirmed that he had asked the England management for a 48-hour break to return home between the third and fourth Tests. “We decided it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for the team going forward,” he said. “There were no arguments, no nonsense, no disappointment on my behalf. I have been totally supportive of everything that has happened on this tour.”

The impact of the Lahore attack last week has forced the organisers of the ICC World Twenty20, to be held in England in June, to reassess security measures for the event. Steve Elworthy, tournament director for the event, said a two-level security system will be implemented to protect venues and players this summer.”Definitely, the Lahore terror attack has forced us to relook our plan. Just after the attack, we had a meeting and we are meeting again next week where some top security experts will also participate,” Elworthy told .Elworthy said the recent events have changed the security situation worldwide and that the event organisers will monitor the security situation in London ahead of the second edition of the tournament. As part of the plan, the players’ off-field mobility may be restricted.”The Lahore attack has proved that terrorists can strike anywhere anytime and this is worrying. We have to be on our guard as London has been a terror target in the past,” said Elworthy. “We might have to keep a tab on the players’ outdoor activities during the tournament.”Elworthy also said that security arrangements in England would be different from the ones put in place during the inaugural edition in South Africa in 2007. “The situation here is different and we have to plan accordingly. The terrorists have become more active between then and now,” he said, “But we are confident of staging the event successfully.”Reg Dickason, an independent security adviser for the ECB, is expected to meet with the organisers on his return from the West Indies. “We had a round of meetings after the Mumbai terror attacks last year,” said Elworthy. “We have been monitoring the situation continuously for the past 13-14 months. The ICC is also in touch with us.”

It’s been seven weeks since South Africa’s Test players flew out of Sydney with the series won and a decent rest ahead of them and three weeks since their ODI representatives left the country. Taking a break is always enjoyable, even if you spend it wrestling crocodiles like Dale Steyn, but the long hiatus from first-class cricket did take its toll on the South African bowlers on the first day in Johannesburg.While Australia’s players either took on New Zealand in the limited-overs series or went back to their states for some four-day action, South Africa’s men had nothing but domestic Twenty20 on the agenda. None of Steyn, Morne Morkel or Makhaya Ntini have played a first-class match or even a 50-over game since leaving Australia and Steyn said it had taken a while to get used to the longer format again.”Because we haven’t been on the park since January the 7th, for some of the bowlers – with our patience not really being there – forced to string a good couple of overs together, it couldn’t quite happen,” Steyn said. “It looked like [Michael] Clarke and [Ricky] Ponting just got off the hook there a little bit. Once we got the ball in the right spot it just showed there is something out there for the bowlers.”Adding to the problems was the fact that Jacques Kallis left the field before lunch with a back injury and was unable to add to the four overs that he had already sent down. Kallis had scans and was cleared to resume bowling on the second day but Steyn said being a bowler down had made things even more difficult.”We were a bowler short with Jacques being off the field,” he said. “We were supposed to run in and take five-over spells, short spells, that was increased to at least six or seven or eight and that does play its toll when you haven’t been on the park for quite a while. But this is what we have to deal with.”

Despite the challenges, Steyn picked up three wickets and extracted significant swing, while Ntini and Morkel each chipped in with a breakthrough. Steyn had success in the first over of the match when he dropped in a short one that tempted the debutant opener Phillip Hughes into a strange, rash attempted slash over the slips that ended up being edged behind.”If I could have bowled that ball a little bit closer to his head I would have enjoyed that but I wouldn’t change it,” Steyn said. “It was a bit wide, wasn’t it? But look, it got a wicket. Who knows, maybe he was a little bit nervous and wanted to get off the mark. If I watch the replay it looked like he tried to hit it down anyway.”Steyn added the important wickets of Simon Katich, who was brilliantly taken in the gully by a diving Neil McKenzie, and Michael Clarke, who flashed outside off stump and edged an outswinger. Australia finished at 254 for 5 when bad light stopped play and Steyn said neither side could claim much of advantage.”We’ll take it as a dead even day and anything can happen tomorrow with the new ball just around the corner,” he said. “If we strike early tomorrow morning then things are back in our hands.”

Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, has been accused of forgery in a complaint that has been lodged with local police in his home state, Rajasthan, according to reports. The complaint has been lodged by a local administrator who has alleged that Modi forged residence documents that enabled him, in 2005, to contest elections for the state association which he now heads.Police are conducting inquiries on the complaint, which is in the form of a First Information Report (FIR), the has reported. This is the second complaint that has been lodged against Modi, who is facing increasing opposition from a rival group in his state association ahead of an election for new office-bearers that is scheduled to take place on February 21.Modi had recently been accused by the rival group, headed by Kishore Rungta, the former BCCI treasurer and key member of the previous Jagmohan Dalmiya regime, of embezzling funds from the association.While Rungta told reporters after an executive committee meeting of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) today that the elections would be held as scheduled, Modi was quoted by newspapers as saying that it would be held only after courts decide on a case related to the previous election.Modi was elected RCA president in 2005 after his panel defeated candidates put up by the Rungta family, which had been controlling the association for over 30 years.

In addition to 2009’s county fixtures, the ECB has also announced that England will meet Ireland in Belfast on August 27.England first played, and defeated, Ireland in Stormont in 2006, followed by a group match in the 2007 World Cup. Their game on August 27 represents a final warm-up before the first Twenty20 against Australia, which precedes seven one-dayers and, in what is a high-profile week for British Associates – Australia take on Scotland the following day.Ireland’s captain William Porterfield was understandably excited. “Obviously it’s great to be given the opportunity to test ourselves against some of the best players in the world again,” he said. “It’s a fixture all the lads are really looking forward to after the announcement of the game earlier this year. The last time England came to Stormont there was a massive turnout, and hopefully August will be no different, and we hope to put on a real show for them.”Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, called the contest “almost like a local derby” but remained cautious about Ireland’s chances.”It’s another chance for the players to showcase their talents, and hopefully by playing good cricket, we’ll get the fans to come and back us not only in this game, but in all our fixtures,” he said. “It’s fantastic for the players and fans to see some of the real superstars in world cricket playing in Ireland. It’ll be a tough test facing players of the calibre of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, but as we’ve shown in the past, we have players who are capable of responding positively to that challenge.”

Renovation work on the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore has been stopped with immediate effect by the PCB, after the board claimed they had discovered “massive irregularities” in the construction of the far end pavilion. The present administration, led by chairman Ijaz Butt, has placed the blame fully on the men they replaced last August in a strongly-worded, no-holds barred statement.The work on the stadium had begun in February 2008 and was due to be completed by the end of August, in time for the Champions Trophy, which was eventually postponed. The work had been budgeted originally at Rs 142 million (around US$1.8m), the statement claimed, but had overrun to such an extent that the final projected cost was Rs 471 million (around US$6m). Further, the architect behind the project was said to be a “buddy” of Shafqat Naghmi, the chief operating officer at the time.”The VIP enclosure at the Gaddafi Stadium was conceived by the previous management of PCB and was a show piece to be ready before the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in September 2008 at a cost of Rs 142 million for usable area of 55, 000 square feet. The architect who was awarded the contract was a close buddy of Shafqat Naghmi,” read the statement.”The design is faulty – huge columns have been constructed which have blocked spectators’ view. Hospitality boxes have been ill-conceived and huge dinning room areas have been left at the back of the boxes which have very little utility. There has been a huge cost overrun … the total has reached staggering figure of Rs 471 million. The whole project is a monumental disaster, utter wastage of PCB funds and is a tribute to the management ego and vision of grandeur.”The project was to be completed by 31st August 2008. It was sheer negligence and incompetence of the previous management that the project has not been completed in time and there has been a colossal cost increase. The amazing aspect of the whole fraudulent tender is that a hefty advance has already been paid to the contractor.”Naghmi, as well as Ahmar Malik, former GM special projects, are said to have travelled abroad at the board’s expense to visit various cricket stadiums as has the architect. The board claims they questioned the architect about the problems with the design, though his reply was only that the design was made according to the clients’ instructions. Since the departure of Naghmi last year, the board claims it hasn’t been able to find any document approving the revision of costs.Butt has now sought the services of an independent team of professionals to put a proper cost on the project, the results of which will become clear in two weeks. The audit of all similar infrastructure projects is currently being conducted by the auditor general of Pakistan. The charges are the latest in a series of allegations of financial mismanagement the present administration has made against Nasim Ashraf’s board, in particular Naghmi, who, it is claimed, tried to leave board property on his last day with important files and documents.

The offspinner Jeetan Patel will join New Zealand’s squad for the second Test starting in Adelaide on Friday. Patel has been named to replace the fast bowler Kyle Mills, who missed out on a spot at the Gabba and will be released so he can play in the State Championship for Auckland this week.”I was really disappointed not to play here, especially as the conditions up here and the humidity really suit my style of swing bowling,” Mills said. “I will go home to get a bit of cricket because if I stayed here and did not play at Adelaide it would have meant three weeks without a game. While I haven’t played here I have been working hard in the nets but getting a few games for Auckland will help me get and maintain some rhythm.”It is the only change to the 15-man group that travelled to Brisbane for the first of the two Tests. Peter Fulton and the backup wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins, who joined the squad late, will both head to Adelaide to give the team extra options.Patel played both Tests on the recent tour of Bangladesh but with Daniel Vettori an automatic selection he was overlooked for the Gabba, where Australia did not play a specialist spinner. Patel has been warming up in the State Championship, where he last week collected four wickets for the match for Canterbury against Wellington.Squad Aaron Redmond, Jamie How, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum (wk), Daniel Flynn, Peter Fulton, Grant Elliott, Gareth Hopkins (wk), Daniel Vettori (capt), Tim Southee, Mark Gillespie, Jeetan Patel, Iain O’Brien, Chris Martin.