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Leicestershire are to conduct an independent review of the club’s constitution and management and executive structure.A five-man committee, which will include Leicestershire’s former secretary -manager Mike Turner, will look into all aspects of the way the club is run and submit their findings by the end of January.Newly appointed general manager Kevin Hill explained: “We felt it was time that we had a look at ourselves, and it is something I was keen to have implemented.”The findings of the independent inquiry will be submitted to the club by January 31 and the committee will then look at the contents of those findings.”In addition to Mike Turner four other people have been asked to form the review body. They are John Sinnott, chief executive of Leicestershire County Council and chairman of the Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket Board; John Allen, an accountant and Leicester Tigers committee member; Adrian Weston, a retired solicitor and legal adviser to the club for many years; and Barrie Pierpoint who has joined the club as a marketing consultant.Hill said: ” They have been asked to present a written report to the club and myself by January 31.”The new general manager has also jumped to the defence of his predecessor James Whitaker, insisting that all the contractual negotiations he has conducted have been at the instruction of the committee.Hill said: “After handing in his notice James was asked by the committee to conclude and handle the contractual situations.James has done that under very strict control of the cricket chairman, Paul Haywood.”There is a misconception that James has made some unilateral decisions. Despite what has been put in the press and alleged, I can assure you that is not the case. Every decision that James has carried out has been at the instruction of the committee.”

Rain and no County Championship matches this past week saw most of the South African connection resting, even allowing Shaun Pollock two days to return to South Africa to join the South African training camp.Those who did manage to play in the Norwich Union League saw Nic Pothas carrying his bat in both matches played, scoring 50 and 34. Neil Johnson managed 14 apiece and a 2-29 as Hampshire went down to Derby and Northamptonshire in rain affected games.Andrew Gait and Sven Koenig both scored ducks but ended up on the winning side as rain and Duckworth/Lewis created exciting run chases.Shaun Pollock, getting back before the start on Sunday morning, managed to take 1-40 but did not need to bat as Warwickshire beat Leicestershire by seven wickets in another rain shortened game.Kevin Pietersen scored 19 not out in losing to Yorkshire with Nottinghamshire resting both Greg Smith and Nicky Boje.Rain also had a major impact in the Lancashire league.One of the few games to go almost untouched saw Martin van Jaarsveld scoring 83 and then taking 2-66 against compatriot Con de Lange. De Lange scored 33 and took 5-77 but ended on the losing side.Two innings of note were those by Andre Seymore scoring 52 not out, this out of a losing team total of 74 and Jacques Rudolph scoring 25 out of a losing team total of 51. Rudolph also took the only wicket for his team returning 1-14.Andrew Hall 12 and Pierre Joubert 0-9 had their games completely washed out.

Scott Styris may have been coming back from injury this summer, but he had reward for all his hard work when awarded the Northern Districts Cricketer of the Year Award last week.His performances for ND in both first-class and one-day cricket made him the obvious candidate for the award which was sponsored by Air New Zealand Travelcentre.During the summer in the State Championship, he scored 644 runs at 44.00 and included among those runs was an innings of 212 not out against Otago. At the time it was an ND record but James Marshall bettered it a week later.However, he also took 28 wickets for ND to complete a fine all-round summer.Appearances in the State Shield were limited due to the fact he was selected for New Zealand to play in the Australia tri-series in which he played in four games.But among his Shield performances was an outstanding 82 not out against Auckland at Eden Park’s outer oval to win the game in the final over.Styris is now a member of the New Zealand team in Sharjah and Pakistan.Nicola Browne was awarded the women’s cricketer of the year. She has had a meteoric rise in women’s cricket, despite being 18. She was the leading ND wicket-taker in the State League and also had the best economy rate.She was one of the success stories of the New Zealand A team’s tour to Australia, and she was asked to stay on as a member of the New Zealand women’s team for the annual series against Australia. She played in all three matches and then played another match in New Zealand in the return series. She is a member of the New Zealand Academy at Lincoln University this year.Ian Butler was named the Young Cricketer of the Year. He made his ND debut in the State Championship in late-November and by February was a member of the New Zealand team.He made five first-class appearances for ND taking 17 wickets at 24.Other awards made were:Basil McBurney Trophy – Bay of Plenty; Fergus Hickey Rosebowl – Bay of Plenty; Glenview International Hotel Cup – Northland; Outstanding services to coaching – Wynne Bradburn; Allan McBride Trophy for service to Junior Cricket – Per Rorholt; Umpire of the Year – Tony Hill; Fielder of the Year – Robbie Hart; Batsman of the Year – James Marshall; Bowler of the Year – Joseph Yovich.

Somerset Seconds suffered their third defeat in three days in the 2nd XI Trophy competition when they lost by seven wickets to Glamorgan at the County Ground today.Batting first Somerset got off to a flying start with openers Neil Edwards and Carl Gazzard putting on 73 in quick time before Gazzard was out for 45.Left hander Neil Edwards stayed around quite a bit longer before being fourth man out with the score on 166.Skipper Graham Rose (34) and triallist Chris Budd (44) who plays for Wiltshire in the Minor Counties, then shared a fifth wicket partnership of 65 after which wickets fell regularly until by the end of their allotted overs Somerset had reached 281 for 9.Evergreen Rose got Somerset off to the best possible start when he got a wicket with his first ball when Wes Durston held on to a sharp chance from Daniel Cherry in the slips.Glamorgan lost a further wicket with the score on 16 to a spectacular catch by West Durston, but from then on Glamorgan seemed to be in control and Keith Newell (89) and Jonathan Hughes put on 175 for the third wicket.Hughes remained at the wicket to hit the winning runs to see his side safely home, and ended unbeaten on 125 as Glamorgan reached 282 for 3 off 47.1 overs.Somerset Seconds play a two day friendly against Millfield School at Street staring tomorrow at 11 am.

The world’s most renowned coaches will gather in Sri Lanka later this month for a high-powered coaching conference.Tony Greig, Bob Woolmer, Steve Rixon, John Buchanan and Barry Richards will all address coaches, cricketers and administrators during a series of seminars.

Organised by the recently formed International Cricket Coaches’ Conference (ICCC), the two-day programme will focus on the latest technological advancements in coaching.The project is the brainchild of former cricket board president Thilanga Sumathipala, who believes is will help ensure the highest standards of coaching throughout Asia.”Cricket has now become so technologically advanced,” said Sumathipala. “Coaches and cricketers need to keep abreast of these changes. At present there is no continuous program that would meet this type of professional demand.”The conference will look at the following issues: traditional game v new technology, advanced technology to develop techniques, introduction to modern techniques, the most effective way to develop young cricketers, issues facing coaches/coaching, what are the basics – technology and coaching, the fine art of wicket-keeping, batting and bowling, real approach to a champion team, a point of view from the current world champions Australia, a captain’s perspective, the role of captain and manager, relationships with media, moulding the complete cricketer, a pathway to achieve excellence and, today’s skills for tomorrow’s technology.Local coaches are also being encouraged to participate: “The need of the moment is to nurture the budding generation of cricketers that Sri Lanka is gifted with by utilizing the latest techniques and skills in coaching. This conference is the first step in achieving that milestone,” said Sumathipala.The Conference will be open to both local and international participants and is scheduled meant for September 25 and 26. For participation details, contact the ICCC on +94-1-389673 or log on to the website: www.cricketconference.com.

A resurgence in the size of Test cricketing attendances at its home venues has been among the most notable by-products of the Australian team’s phenomenal run of success over recent years. But, enlivened as it is by the likelihood that it will feature the first official head-to-head battle for world Test cricketing supremacy, comes the prospect of even greater renaissance in 2001-02.In today’s announcement of the itineraries for the twin Test tours by New Zealand and South Africa – complemented by the renewal of airline Ansett Australia’s sponsorship of five-day cricket in Australia for a further five seasons – the Australian Cricket Board has confirmed that it will be Australia’s series against the latter which will assume star billing. The Proteas have been drawn to play the opening game of their three-match series in mid-December in Adelaide and will then take on the home team in the two feature matches of the Test summer: the back-to-back contests in Melbourne and Sydney over the Christmas/New Year period.Under the International Cricket Council’s recently-introduced Test rankings system, the prospect that the two teams will be playing off for the chance to assume Test bragging rights is contingent upon the outcomes of intervening series.Disappointing results in the Australians’ upcoming Ashes contest against England and their tussle against New Zealand could spell an early end to their reign, while the South Africans may lose the chance to challenge Australia for ownership of the number one mantle if they perform poorly in fixtures against Zimbabwe and India in September and October respectively.But the chance of a direct bout for the title of world champion still looms as a genuine possibility.South Africa’s tour will open with the annual festival-style one-day match against the ACB Chairman’s XI at Lilac Hill in Perth on 5 December and will also take in four-day matches against state teams Western Australia and New South Wales as well as the three Tests.For the New Zealanders, meanwhile, their visit during the early part of the Australian summer will again feature Tests in Brisbane, Hobart and Perth. That scheduling continues a well-entrenched pattern that has already seen more than thirteen years pass since they last played in a Test match in Australia outside of any of those three venues – the previous such instance having occurred in 1987-88 when the two teams played out a thrilling draw in front of a captivated crowd in Melbourne.The Black Caps’ 2001-02 tour will open with a match against state team Queensland in Brisbane in the opening week of November and will also include a one-day encounter with the Prime Minister’s XI and a four-day match against South Australia.

India `A’ were handed a crushing defeat by the South Africa BoardPresident’s XI in the three-day tour game being played atChatsworth on Sunday. The tourists were bundled out for ameagre 90 runs in their second innings, with left-arm spinnerRobin Peterson finishing with dream figures of 7.2-4-9-4. TheSouth Africa Board President’s XI emerged victorious by aninnings and 109 runs.On the final day the home side resumed at their overnight scoreof 369/7 and went to on to make 411/8 declared in their firstinnings. Gerald Dros, a 28-year-old right-hand batsman fromNorthern Transvaal, remained unbeaten on 117. This is only hissecond hundred in eight years of first class cricket. Dros faced220 balls, hitting 16 boundaries and a six; in what turned out tobe a match-winning knock. The other overnight not outbatsman Alfonso Thomas went on to make 22 runs, adding 40runs for the eighth wicket. Amit Mishra, the 20-year-old legspinner from Haryana was the best of the Indian bowlers, pickingup a five-wicket haul (31-4-115-5)Trailing by 199 runs in the first innings, India ‘A’ got off to ashocking start, losing the stylish left-handed opening batsmanGautam Gambhir (7). India ‘A’ were in dire straits at 28/3 afterlosing Amit Pagnis (3) and Abhijit Kale (6). Skipper Jacob Martinand Rohan Gavaskar put on 28 runs for the fourth wicket, whichwas to be the highest of the innings. Ironically, Martin (25) andGavaskar (13) were the only players to get to the double-figuremark apart from Extras (13). India ‘A’ lost their last sevenwickets for just 34 runs, with Peterson plucking out four of thosewickets.

Rajasthan extended their overall lead to 206 ending the third day at132 for 2 in the Central Zone Ranji Trophy match against Vidarbha atthe Vidarbha Cricket Association ground in Nagpur on Saturday. Earlierresuming at 189 for 2 Vidarbha in their first innings were all out for306, giving Rajasthan a first innings lead of 74 runs.Rajasthan started their second innings on a confident note withopeners Nikhil Doru (54 not out) and Vineet Saxena (27) adding 53 runsin 19.5 overs. Saxena was the first to be dismissed when he was caughtby Dhiraj Sharma off PV Gandhe. RJ Kanwat who replaced Saxena at thecrease partnered Doru till the score reached 116. But at this pointKanwat fell for a catch to Khare off Gandhe.Then Doru and AS Jain (7) saw through the final four overs of the day.Vidarbha who resumed with overnight centurion AV Deshpande (128) andParadkar (56) proceeded to 221 when Paradkar was trapped leg before byAnup Dave. Paradkar during his 176 minute stay at the middle faced 130balls and hit seven fours. Seven balls later, his partner Deshpandejoined him in the pavilion, caught by Gagan Khoda off L Jain. Butthereafter none of the Vidarbha batsmen lasted long enough at thecrease to help Vidarbha take the first innings lead. Anup Dave (3 for75) and L Jain (3 for 36) were the pick of the Rajasthan bowlers.

In a clear move to take the Government head on, the Board ofControl for Cricket in India (BCCI) today decided not toparticipate in multilateral tournaments including World Cupand ICC Knock-out series till ‘clear-cut’ guidelines onplaying with Pakistan were announced. Board President ACMuthiah told reporters after its working committee meetingin Delhi that uncertainty prevailed over whether the Governmenthad restrained the cricket team from playing at specificvenues or against specific countries too.”In the absence of clear-cut guidelines in this matter, theBoard has decided to play only in bilateral or triangularseries involving Test playing countries. We will notparticipate in tournaments such as Asia Cup, ICC Knock-outseries (2002) and the 2003 World Cup because we do not knowwhether we would be able to play certain sides, like Pakistan,or not,” Muthiah said. The Government, in a statement a fewdays ago, had asked the Board not to send the team to any’non-regular’ venue, like Toronto, Singapore and Sharjah, forthe next three years.The Board’s decision came as a surprise because the issue wasnever mentioned in the Agenda nor was there any talk of it inthe days leading up to the meeting. Muthiah said he expectedthe government to react soon and come out with clear policyguidelines in this regard.He said the working committee had authorised him to form asmall committee under his chairmanship which will meet varioussenior ministers including the Sports Minister and put acrossthe Board’s point of view to them.The announcementovershadowed many other important decisions taken at themeeting.

Wasim Bari, former wicketkeeper and former chief operating officer of the board, has been appointed Director of Education and Training, a post created within the PCB as part of their revised anti-corruption measures in the aftermath of the spot-fixing controversy.The ICC, last month, had praised the PCB for adopting the ICC’s recommendations to curb corruption. In response to an ultimatum issued by the ICC to conduct a thorough far-reaching review of “player-integrity issues” within a 30-day deadline, the PCB has revised its code of conduct for players, made it mandatory for players to have their agents approved, implemented education programmes for cricketers to create awareness about match-fixing and set up an Integrity Committee to look into matters of corruption and doping.Bari’s appointment represents a continuation of the PCB’s response. “Cricket is facing new challenges but as custodian of the game we are committed to fight for its integrity and survival,” Bari said. “Players need to be trained and educated on what problems they may face while playing at international level. Pakistan is among the first boards to start implementing these codes at the domestic level. I am hopeful that with the right kind of awareness we will be able to overcome this global issue of corruption in cricket.”Bari served as the PCB’s chief operating officer for more than a year, stepping down last month. He’s been replaced by Subhan Ahmed, an administrator who’s been part of the board since 1994.