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Cricket Australia will consider dismantling its out-dated board structure in favour of a more streamlined and representative model. Talk of a move towards a commission-style executive was the result of a board meeting on Friday that also confirmed the start of an eight-team domestic Twenty20 competition for 2011-12.Currently six state sides play in the extremely popular Twenty20 Big Bash but that will be expanded to include regional outfits. “We’ve been asked to consider all the issues to go full-steam ahead with the league and launch it a year earlier,” James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, said.The board meeting came at the end of a week-long Australian cricket conference to plan for the future and the potential remodelling covers all levels. The initial top-level structure under discussion is a six-person board, with one member from each state, along with up to four invited directors. Changes to the six state boards are also expected.”There’s a whole range of reasons why the board has chosen to implement a review of the governance of CA,” Sutherland said. “Certainly one of the things we talked about quite often [at the conference] was the importance of cricket ensuring that we had the interests of the whole Australian community represented throughout cricket, from the board to volunteer level.”It is something the board wants to get into with some haste, there is some work that needs to be done between now and the next [board] meeting to see how it is to take place. There are numerous moves afoot in various sports for them to be changing their governance model, and one of the considerations for us will be to benchmark world’s best practice.”

The ICC has moved two matches of the ongoing World Cricket League Division One tournament in the Netherlands from Voorburg, where they were originally scheduled, to the Excelsior Cricket Club in Schiedam. The pitch at the Westvliet ground in Voorburg, which was approved by the ICC in May as Netherland’s third venue to gain ODI status, was deemed unfit following feedback. The matches moved are the Canada V Kenya game on Friday and the fifth/sixth place play-off on Saturday.”The decision to move the matches from Voorburg to Schiedam has been taken by the event technical committee after due consideration and consultation following feedback and reports we received on the current state of the pitches at VCC from the match officials, team managements and the ICC’s own pitch consultant,” tournament director Rob Kemming said. “We want to provide the players with the best available playing surfaces which I think Excelsior Cricket Club will now be able to offer.”Voorburg has, thus far, hosted three ODIs this tournament, with two won by the side chasing. Schiedam, as a result of the move, will become the fourth venue in the Netherlands to host an ODI.

There is nothing more satisfying for a cricketer than when hard work in practice pays off and for Morne Morkel that moment came in the first Test against West Indies in Trinidad. Having had a forgettable World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, when he was plagued by run-up problems, he tore out the hosts’ top order in the first innings and finished with six wickets in the match as South Africa completed a comprehensive 163-run victory.Two moments during the Twenty20 left Morkel wanting to dig himself a hole as he offered in-form batsmen a life by overstepping. Against India, Suresh Raina was given a reprieve when on 5, and the left-hander converted that into 101, then when faced with England Morkel couldn’t keep his foot behind the line to Craig Kieswetter at the start of a match-winning stand alongside Kevin Pietersen.With South Africa having some extra time on their hands after an early exit, Morkel put that to good use and set about correcting the problem before it cost him any more international wickets. His recovery started in the one-day series where he claimed 11 wickets at 15.90 and during the opening Test he didn’t bowl a single no-ball.”A big thing about bowling is your mindset, but after the Twenty20 World Cup I did make a few small tweaks because I’d been struggling with no-balls so I made a decision to try and sort it out,” he told Cricinfo. “I put some work into fine tuning my run up and I feel so much more controlled and balanced at the crease. In turn that has helped by consistency and it has done wonders for me so far.”The end product was figures of 4 for 19 on the third day at the Queen’s Park Oval as West Indies were dispatched for 102. Morkel grabbed the key scalp of Chris Gayle before repeating the dose in the second innings after Gayle had battled hard for 73.”Going into the Test you could see there wasn’t going to be much in the wicket for the quicker guys so I knew the new ball would be vital to make early inroads,” he said. “Once it goes softer the bounce just gets lower and lower and it becomes very hard work. I was pretty pleased because I normally start off a little slow in Test series so I’m really glad to have some success and I’m in a good place at the moment.”Morkel forms one half of the most exciting pace combination in the world at the moment. His partnership with Dale Steyn really began to flourish earlier this year after they combined to blow away England in Johannesburg. Once Morkel had roughed up West Indies’ top order, Steyn found devastating reverse swing to finish with 5 for 29 and in the process became the fourth fastest bowler to pass 200 Test wickets.The pair complement each other perfectly with Morkel’s height and bounce alongside Steyn’s vicious late movement. To make it even more enjoyable for the duo they are also best mates off the field.”For me it’s special to share the new ball with Dale,” said Morkel. “He’s been No.1 in the world for the past year or so and fully deserved to pass 200 wickets like he did. To help him out by putting the batsmen under pressure is a role I really enjoy.”We are very close friends as well, we used to open the bowling for our franchise, so it’s nice to now be doing it at international level and fortunately we are having some decent results at the moment. We understand each other and communicate well when we are bowling together.”South Africa’s thoughts now turn to the second Test in St Kitts, but the tourists are constantly keeping plenty of attention on events back home at the football World Cup. The opening match, where Bafana Bafana drew 1-1 with Mexico, took place while the team were batting in Trinidad but that didn’t stop the squad following the action.”In the gym downstairs there was a telly that was on the soccer and it’s the first time I’ve seen all the guys so keen to do a gym session,” joked Morkel. “They pretended to spend some time on the treadmill so they could watch.”It’s a huge event for South Africa and it’s a shame to be missing all the hype back home. We are supporting Bafana Bafana all the way and were lucky enough that one of local pubs [in Trinidad] taped the game for us. So after play we went for a beer and a steak and watched the match. For the match against Uruguay we have organised training to be early so we can then watch the game. It’s fantastic and great for the country.”

Kamran Akmal, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, has defended his shoddy performance in the Sydney Test during Pakistan’s disastrous tour of Australia, following speculation that there may have been more to his misses than just cricketing errors.”I don’t even think about these things, I just concentrate on my performances,” Akmal said. “For me not being able to win the Twenty20 World Cup despite the team playing well is heartbreaking enough.”I have always played for my country and I have already told the PCB about my performances in Australia. Whoever is now making allegations is free to do so but must also prove them.”Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, said there was no evidence of any match-fixing and the issue was closed. “The Australian tour chapter is now closed and we have finished our inquiry. We have found no evidence of any match-fixing during the tour.”Akmal was one of seven players punished by the PCB following the tour of Australia. He dropped three catches and missed a run out as Pakistan lost the Sydney Test despite being in a position of dominance after the first innings. In a recent video leak, Intikhab Alam and Aaqib Javed, coach and assistant coach during the tour, expressed doubt over Akmal’s performance in that match. The ICC’s ACSU is currently investigating the tour to establish whether Pakistan’s performance was the result of what it called a “dysfunctional” team or “something more serious”.

ScorecardHaving put together solid partnerships for each of the first three wickets, Lancashire might consider they slightly underachieved on the second day of the 250th Roses match. When every batsman sets down the foundations for a good innings, at least one would be expected to build something substantial. In the event, none did, and while Ashwell Prince set himself impressively for a meaningful send-off in the last match of his Lancashire stint, the South African will feel he let an opportunity slip in being out for 78.Nonetheless, Lancashire have the upper hand, although after a day lost to the weather, the way to a positive outcome may need some canny declarations. Yorkshire’s bowlers worked hard but have not found the pitch particularly helpful. There is not too much pace and the ball has rarely deviated much.It was hard going for spectators, too. Some gathered in the lower tier seats of the unfinished pavilion but nowhere offered shelter from a fierce and chilly wind. Shirts rippled and flags stretched for much of the day.Lancashire won the toss and revealed a changed batting line-up, in which Luke Sutton dropped back to No. 7 after his three-match run as opener, an experiment that was skewed slightly by the hundred he made against Somerset at the start of the run.The new team of Paul Horton and Stephen Moore looked better equipped and were going along solidly, taming the new ball, until Horton pushed at a delivery from Oliver Hannon-Dalby and was caught at third slip. Still, their partnership was the equal, at 53, of Lancashire’s highest for the first wicket this season.The arrival of Prince alongside Moore denied Yorkshire any quick follow-up to their breakthrough, the pair seeing Lancashire through to lunch satisfactorily at 99 for 1. Tino Best, wicketless, was looking visibly frustrated at times, while Ajmal Shahzad, back home after England duty in the Caribbean, probably needed some overs.However, his pace is always liable to pose problems and did so for Moore, into his 40s and looking to kick on, when a ball that hit the pitch hard contrived to skid rather than bounce and slipped under his defences. Moore stared ruefully at the pitch as he turned for the pavilion but there were not many balls that behaved similarly.Coming early in the second session, the wicket encouraged Yorkshire but again there was a long wait for more success. Mark Chilton had a hairy moment when he edged Shahzad but the ball somehow went between the first and second slips with neither able to react.Once he had settled, Chilton began to find gaps in the field regularly but like Moore he found his progress ended just as he must have felt well set.This time Rashid was rewarded for persistence, three overs before tea. The legspinner bowled with discipline but was into his fifth over before he was able to make something happen, getting some bounce and enough turn to induce an edge from Mark Chilton, taken one-handed by Jacques Rudolph at slip to end a 27-over partnership of 81.At the other end, however, nothing much had troubled Prince, with a second century for Lancashire seemingly there for the taking. But he, too, failed to deliver the pay-off, going back to a ball from Steve Patterson that looked at first to be one he could despatch towards the off-side boundary but which maybe bounced more than he expected, the upshot being that he somehow jabbed the ball straight to short extra cover.Croft was then caught at mid off in what was undoubtedly the poorest piece of cricket of the day as Rashid began a new spell with a chest-high full toss and the allrounder miscued an attempted heave to midwicket.Lancashire are well placed and if Tom Smith, unbeaten on 46, can buck the trend and make his good start count they will be in better shape still.

ScorecardMark Chilton ended a frustrating day for Lancashire unbeaten on 52•Getty Images

Lancashire’s bid to defeat Kent and record their third successive win in theCounty Championship was frustrated by persistent drizzle at Old Trafford.In the 27 overs possible on the third day, the home side took their secondinnings total to 177 for 3 with Ashwell Prince making an unbeaten 71 andMark Chilton 52 not out.That gave them a lead of 284 over Rob Key’s men, who dropped three catches in awicketless morning. However, Friday’s weather forecast is mediocre and a draw is now looking the most likely result, although a lot may yet depend on the high-tech Old Trafforddrainage system.The intervention of the weather was annoying for Red Rose skipper Glen Chapple,who had seen Prince and Chilton dominate the Kent attack during a 100-minutesession in which they scored at four runs an over.Chapple may now be tempted to declare as early as possible on Friday and askKent to score around 300 runs on a wicket which has offered variable bouncesince the first morning.The damp afternoon was in sharp contrast to a lively first session in whichPrince and Chilton added 109 runs. Kent bowled reasonably well but fielded dreadfully with three catches going down, two of them very straightforward. James Hockley spilled a regulation chance at third slip off Chilton in Amjad Khan’s first over of the day and Darren Stevens dropped a low catch off Prince when the South African was on 50, Simon Cook being the unfortunate bowler.Makhaya Ntini then dropped an easy catch at long leg when Chilton top edged ahook off Matt Coles 10 minutes before lunch. In between those errors, Chilton and Prince batted with authority, scoring their runs at a brisk rate, running well between the wickets and setting up what seemed a platform for victory.Prince was especially savage on any loose deliveries from Khan, who went intolunch with figures of one for 67 from his 11 overs. Prince reached his fifty off 69 balls with seven fours and a six, while Chilton reached his first half-century of the season just before the interval off 99 deliveries.If Prince reaches three figures he will be the first Lancashire batsman toscore a century in each innings of a match since John Crawley against Glamorganat Colwyn Bay in 1998.

Match facts

Deccan v Punjab in Cuttack
Friday, March 19
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

Big picture

Yuvraj Singh’s form could be crucial to Punjab’s cause as they search for their first win in IPL 2010 (file photo)•Associated Press

The final step is proving one too many for Kings XI Punjab. In both their matches so far, they worked themselves into positions from where they could win. Defending just 141, their bowlers managed to give Delhi Daredevils a scare. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, their batsmen gave them 203 runs, a target defended more often than not. Yet, when the batsmen fired, the bowlers failed to turn up. In their third match, still waiting to open their account, Punjab will need a synchronised effort from both their wings. Punjab can draw heart from the fact that Deccan Chargers, their next opponents, have never beaten them.Deccan will want to point out history doesn’t much matter in Twenty20. The defending champions may have slipped up after a great start in the first match against Kolkata Knight Riders, but in their second they ran through Chennai Super Kings with a powerful show. Their batting, with Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma looks intimidating. The bowlers, who use swing well, are suspect at the death, but will be bolstered by the arrival of Kemar Roach and his mean yorker.

Team talk

Kumar Sangakkara backed the same batting unit that failed against Delhi, and they repaid his faith and came good in the second match. It will be interesting to see how he goes with the bowlers. Deccan have two questions to answer. Do they continue with VVS Laxman at the top of the order? And if they want Roach in, who out of Gibbs, Symonds and Vaas do they drop to make room for an extra foreigner?

Previously…

The head-to-head record is 4-0 in Punjab’s favour. They won by three wickets off the penultimate ball in the first game last season, and by one run thanks to a Yuvraj Singh hat-trick in the second. In 2008, they won by seven wickets in Hyderabad and by six wickets in Mohali.

In the spotlight

Yuvraj Singh has yet to get going in this season. He has lasted just 11 deliveries in two matches, failing to arrest a slide in the first, and to capitalise on a good start in the second.Rohit Sharma hasn’t quite set the competition alight either. In the first match he became part of a choke, in the second he showed positive signs and scored an unbeaten 19 off the 10 balls he got. A big innings from either of the batsmen could be just around the corner.

Prime numbers

• Deccan are yet to win a home game in any season of the IPL. In the first season, they lost all seven of the games in Hyderabad, and started the third season by losing at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. Cuttak is their third home venue, will it be lucky for them?
• With one win and one loss so far this season, Deccan have usurped Kolkata Knight Riders as the team with the worst overall success-rate. They have won 12 and lost 20 for a 37.50% success-rate, Kolkata have won 11 and lost 17 for 39.65.

The chatter

“It’s sad to lose after making a good score but credit goes to RCB, they played really well… 12 more games to go.”
“This is a fantastic all-round performance and a really big win to get the momentum going and get some points on the board.”

Injury doubts over Ross Taylor and James Franklin have led to the elevation of the uncapped Shanan Stewart to New Zealand’s squad ahead of the third ODI in Hamilton on Tuesday. Stewart, the Canterbury batsman, is in the middle of an excellent season and has won some recognition following the hamstring problems of Taylor and Franklin.The pair is in doubt for the remainder of the five-match ODI series, with Taylor pulling out before the loss in Auckland and Franklin hobbling off during the game. Mark Greatbatch, New Zealand’s coach, said they were unlikely to play on Tuesday but Taylor was the greater chance to return for the final fixtures.Stewart, 27, is in outstanding form after making 227 against Central Districts on Sunday and has been redirected to Hamilton. “Shanan has been in our thinking for the Twenty20 World Cup, he’s in great nick, he’s got a couple of hundreds and a 200 today,” Greatbatch told NZPA.”He’s an experienced middle-order player, a very dynamic one-day player and we feel he plays the aggressive game we’re looking to play against the Australians.” Stewart was chosen last week in New Zealand’s 30-man World Twenty20 squad and will be keen to impress if given an opportunity.

Scorecard
Jenny Gunn starred in a superb all-round display•Getty Images

Mithali Raj’s determined 91 was in vain as England held their nerve to clinch a thrilling three-run win over India in Bangalore level the five-match series 1-1. Jenny Gunn and Katherine Brunt were the stars for England in a game that went down to the last over. Gunn’s 64, which included eight boundaries, took England to 183, a total that just about proved adequate. That was made possible by Brunt’s five-wicket haul, her career-best figures, and, crucially, Gunn’s own resolve at the death, as she bagged two wickets and effected a run-out to deprive India after a spirited fightback led by Raj.Brunt made early inroads into India’s reply to leave them reeling at 16 for 4 at one stage. Thirush Kamini, who had been injured while fielding, came to bat with a runner but she was forced to retire hurt after she fell trying to duck a short ball by Brunt. However a win that looked improbable at one stage was made to look likely after Raj and Amita Sharma, who chipped in with 40, added 106 for the fifth wicket. Raj’s batting seemed unaffected by the early collapse and she timed and placed her shots beautifully. Isa Guha broke that stand, though Raj received support from captain Jhulan Goswami who took India within 10 runs of England’s score.At 173 for 6, with 11 needed in 19 balls, India looked good to take a 2-0 lead but were thwarted by Gunn, who orchestrated a twist by dismissing Goswami, stumped off a wide.England had looked lethargic during Raj and Goswami’s stand, even fumbling in their fielding, but once Goswami was dismissed they seemed to smell a chance and came back harder.Nooshin Al Khadeer consumed five balls for one run before Gunn struck again to leave India needing nine in two overs with two wickets to come. Brunt returned to bowl Preeti Dimri first ball as Raj was helplessly left to see the game slipping away from India’s grasp. Three wickets had fallen for two runs.India needed five off the last over. Raj took a single off the first. Gouher Sultana defended the second and then hit the third to cover and tried to scramble a single but was run out by Caroline Atkins. There was a brief moment while England waited to see if Kamini would return and broke into excited shrieks when the Indians indicated she wouldn’t. Raj was unbeaten on 91 off 138 balls.While India were hit by Kamini’s injury, England had lost fast bowler Nicky Shaw (feeling under the weather) and keeper Sarah Taylor (injury) shortly before the start of the game. Isa Guha came in place of Shaw and 18-year-old Tammy Beaumont made her debut in, replacing Taylor behind the stumps.Atkins came up the order to open alongside the in-form Ebony Rainford-Brent. However Goswami and Rumeli Dhar bowled full and straight and strangled the batsmen. Atkins was bowled in the 15th over trying to sweep Dimri. It took England 19.3 overs to get 50. Sultana was brought in to the attack in the 23rd over and she struck in her third over as Rainford-Brent (27) was bowled trying to make room to cut.After that Gunn took charge of the England innings. She tried to scoop to scoop the spinners behind the wicket and lofted Sultana and Dhar to midwicket boundary. At the end of 40 overs, England were 119 for 3. Gunn and Edwards started clearing the boundary more often after that and when Gunn fell in the 43rd over for a 92-ball 64, the two had added 46 at nearly five an over.Sultana hit back late in the innings with the wickets of Edwards and Laura Marsh but tailenders Brunt and Guha picked up 25 runs from the last two overs.

ScorecardThe Kenyan spinners made light work of a young Uganda line-up in the opening fixture of the Kenya tri-series Twenty20 tournament at the Gymkhana Club Ground in Nairobi. The event, which also features Scotland is an important warm-up for the Twenty20 Qualifier, staged in Dubai and Abu Dubai, which starts next month.Kenya were once one of the strongest Associate countries but have struggled in recent years and were beaten at home by Scotland in the Intercontinental Cup on January 28. Today they were comfortable winners as disciplined bowling by experienced offspinner James Kamande (2 for 18) and left-arm spinner Kiren Varaiya (2 for 9) choked the Ugandan middle order and restricted the total to123 for 9 from the twenty overs.Roger Mukasa, the opening batsman, and captain Akbar Baig were the only batsmen to threaten some resistance, as Musaka stroked four boundaries from his 14 deliveries, before he fizzled out, trapped in front by Kamande for 23. Baig tried to steady things with a more patient 23 before he fell in the same way to the same bowler.A glut of early wickets would have been the only way for Uganda to get themselves back into the game but it wasn’t to be as veteran opener Steve Tikilo and David Obuya put on 66 for the first wicket. After Obuya fell for 23, Tikilo completed his 23rd one-day international fifty before falling for 63 from 44 deliveries.Alex Obanda (31 not out) and captain Maurice Ouma (2 not out) saw the Kenyan’s home and they will no doubt face a sterner challenge when they meet Scotland on February 1.