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The ECB have confirmed the seven-man review committee which will undertake an assessment of English cricket following the Ashes whitewash. As announced earlier this week Ken Schofield, the former executive director of the PGA Tour, will head a group containing six former Test cricketers.Nasser Hussain, Nick Knight, Angus Fraser, Hugh Morris and Micky Stewart are joined by Brian Rose, the director of cricket at Somerset, who played nine Tests but will also bring an administrative and business point of view. However, there is no place on the panel for Mike Atherton, who’d been widely expected to take a role.Between them the panel has a total of 179 Tests and 232 ODIs over first-class careers stretched from 1954 to 2006, with Knight having only retired from Warwickshire last summer. Stewart, meanwhile, has also been coach and manager of the England team.The inclusion of Morris, who is the ECB’s deputy chief executive, seems to go against the statement that the review will be “fully independent”, but David Collier, the chief executive, defended the move. “He’s not a board director and he’s not in charge of that area [international cricket], whereas I am a board director, so that’s the logic there.”The review panel will take a comprehensive look at the game, not just the Ashes defeat, and recommend what needs to be done to give England its best chance of regaining the Ashes in 2009 and winning a global one-day event by 2011.David Morgan, the ECB chairman, said: “The board has determined that this review forms a critical element of ECB’s planning for the four-year cycle, which commences immediately after the 2007 World Cup.”The board is delighted that such a high-profile team has been assembled with great experience of both playing and coaching at international and domestic level and looks forward to receiving the report at our March meeting.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

VRV Singh got his second five-for of the match as West Zone batsmen played one injudicious shot after the other, and despite a middle-order resistance they were bowled out in two sessions to set North Zone an easy 166 to get, with two days and a session to go. North Zone ended the third day with 92 more to get and seven wickets in hand.The first over of the day set the tone, when Sahil Kukreja played a loose drive to the first delivery that was not pitched on legs, and edged it through to Uday Kaul, the wicketkeeper. North did not look to capitalise on the early breakthrough as VRV continued to spray the ball around, and Vikramjeet Malik – although getting the inswing going – had problems with no-balls.Wasim Jaffer and Ajinkya Rahane got a partnership going, and scored at a fairly good pace. But after overs of innocuous bowling, Ashok Thakur got one to land on a length and dip in towards Jaffer, who looked to play without any feet movement, and presented a gap between bat and pad. Parthiv Patel soon got his second awkward lifter of the match, which he jabbed to first slip. Cheteshwar Pujara completed his pair by going for an expansive drive to an inswinger, leaving his stumps vulnerable. In 5.4 overs, 56 for 1 became 70 for 4, with a lead of just fours runs.A brief partnership between Rahane, who was impressive once again in his innings of 43, and Yusuf Pathan was ended by a harsh call from AV Jayaprakash. Rahane was hit on the thigh pad by one from VRV that cut in but was going over the top of the stumps. With half the side out for a lead of just 42, two Baroda players – Rakesh Solanki and Pathan – counterattacked, exposing the North bowlers. Pathan, who had already got off to a quick start by the time Rahane got out (21 off 17 balls), took the attack to the next level and turned the attention away from Solanki. Soon the field spread out, Amit Mishra was brought on, and defensive bowling became the call of the hour.Pathan still managed to find gaps, whipping through mid-on, thrashing through covers, edging over slips, late-cutting through third man, sweeping through square leg, and lofting over the infield. Mishra, who had been swept for two fours by Pathan, finally got the breakthrough: bowling from round the stumps, he tossed one up, and Pathan backed his sweep, only to top-edge to short fine leg. Pathan ended up scoring 61 out of the 97 runs scored by West since his arrival at the crease. His 59-run partnership with Solanki in 10.4 overs made sure the game would not end on the third day itself.The North bowlers became lackadaisical once again and Solanki and Rakesh Dhurv took advantage. For more than 19 overs, they could only create one half-chance – a caught-and-bowled for Mishra – and a regulation chance for Kaul in Rajat Bhatia’s first over, which he duly dropped. Dhurv had scored 31 by then, but North got a breakthrough when Solanki uppercut VRV straight to third man. The tail folded easily, the last four wickets falling for nine runs. Three cheap dismissals gave VRV his second first-class ten-wicket haul. He now has 18 wickets from two Duleep Trophy matches.Chasing 166, North got off to a solid start just like in the first innings, and it seemed they would come close to rattling off the required runs today itself. But as had happened in the first innings, the fall of Aakash Chopra led to more wickets. Chopra got a dodgy lbw verdict, and Karan Goel followed after, ending what has been a horrible match for him, with a poke to an away-going delivery, just like he had in the first innings. He managed to get a run this time, though. When Mithun Manhas edged Trivedi to second slip, North had lost three wickets for 12 runs, and at that moment West Zone had a chance to sneak back.Shikhar Dhawan, meanwhile, had got off to a brisk start, having scored 25 off 27 balls out of the team score of 40. With his captain back in the pavilion, Dhawan adjusted to the situation, taking on the responsibility even as Yashpal Singh looked extremely edgy. Dhawan cut down on his shots without slowing down much, but there was a clear change in his attitude, suggesting he wanted to be there till the end. His scoring before the collapse had been attractive and imperious, but following it, he became more solid. He was also offered a reprieve when Sandeep Jobanputra, who bowled a testing spell of inswing bowling, dropped Dhawan off his own bowling: Dhawan was 27 then, and North had only got to 47.By the end of the day, Dhawan had added 17 more, ensured there were no more setbacks, and North were about one session of sensible batting short of a second successive Duleep Trophy triumph.

If England is to create a viable Twenty20 competition to rival the Indian Premier League, then the 18 first-class counties are going to have to bite the bullet and merge into six regional sides. That is the message from Sean Morris, the new chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, who believes that without adaptation, English cricket faces being second-best to India for evermore.”This is a great opportunity for English cricket, an unbelievable chance for England to reassert itself,” Morris told The Guardian. “I just hope we take it. India, a big competitor, has got first to the market. Considering that we invented Twenty20, they should not have got there first. It is important that we act quickly.”Morris’s proposal is expected to be discussed at a meeting of the England & Wales Cricket Board on May 26, but plans are already in full swing following a week of talks with Allen Stanford, the Texan billionaire whose patronage has given English cricket renewed confidence as it seeks to respond to the threat of the IPL. Stanford told the BBC on Thursday that he believed that England was not only better placed to take the lead in Twenty20 cricket, but that the game could eventually overtake football as the world’s most popular sport.Should the regional plan come to fruition, there could be some enticing amalgamations on the cards. Lancashire and Yorkshire could be thrown in together with Durham as a Northern region, with Surrey, Middlesex and Essex all uniting under the London banner. Such a proposal may be anathema to the die-hard fans of the counties involved, but Morris cited the example of South African rugby, where traditional Currie Cup rivals have combined to form potent Super 14 franchises.”This is the biggest opportunity we will ever get to restructure,” said Morris. His argument is that, without reducing the number of competing sides, the talent on display would be spread too thinly, and the prospect of attracting the big-name players would diminish. “When you look at the broadcasting deal that will drive it and for sponsorship partners and for fans, does playing 18 teams really stack up? We need to have a product that is exportable back to India, because that is where the money is.”Stanford is willing to invest heavily in the scheme, but has effectively set the ECB a deadline of 2010 to get the competition up and running. “If I was to make a more aggressive bet I would say 2009. But no later than 2010 or they’ve missed the boat,” he told BBC Sport. “We all know that and I don’t think the British are going to miss the boat.”Potential regional sides

North Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham
London Surrey, Middlesex, Essex
South Hampshire, Kent, Sussex
Wales and West Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Somerset
West Midlands Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Northants
East Midlands Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire

Cricinfo has learned that the new USA Cricket Association constitution has been approved by 74% of clubs which voted, although the turnout was disappointingly small.Only 180 of the 677 clubs who could have voted did so, despite the deadline being extended. Of the votes received, more than a quarter, surprisingly high number, were rejected for a variety of technicalities. Of the ballots accepted, 97 voted yes and 34 no.This now means that fresh elections have to be held within 30 days, although critics of the board are certain to be unhappy with way that the USACA has handled the process, especially the inordinate delay in announcing the results of a poll of less than 200 votes. Oddly, although Dehring released the results to the USACA, they were not immediately announced, as he requested, because Paul DaSilva, the secretary, wanted approval from his executive before he released them.The news means that Chris Dehring, appointed by the ICC as an independent third party, has been able to hand over a democratically-approved constitution which will provide the basis of a new platform for the USACA to operate under. No more could have been asked of him.It is, however, unlikely to be the end of the bitter rows which have blighted US cricket for several years. The low turnout will be used by critics of the current board to show the level of apathy among stakeholders and that, in effect, the approval came from less than 14% of the total clubs.

Post Tour Rehab Advice and Protocols
-L ACL deficient knee, subluxation episode Perth Test vs Australia Jan ’08
-MRI and investigation with sports physician at that time. Mx plan instigated
-Full reassessment with Dr David Young (orthopaedic surgeon) in Melbourne Feb ’08. Confirmed his availability to return to cricket (see full report in clinical notes).
-Plan post Australia tour will be on emphasis of strengthening and stability without high impact activity.
-Must have min 2 weeks (ideally 3) break from cricket and excessive loaded activities.
-Emphasis on x-training (swimming, cycling, water running)
-Maintenance of stability program, balance exercises and gluteal retraining
Things to Watch-pain posterior knee
-obvious swelling and persistence of swelling
-morning stiffness+
-fielding positions (straighter approach and attack to the ball, care on turning etc)
-Instability. Another episode of subluxation and giving way = Surgical Intervention required
– L great toe
-stress # through distal phalanx great toe (left), secondary to shape of phalanx
-significant healing/callous formation already evident (Dr. David Young, Dr. Michael Johnson, Dr. Soni). See full reports and scans in clinical notes
-min 2 – 3 weeks rest from bowling and running post tour. No compromise on this instruction
-allow pain to subside and full healing of # to complete.
-Strength and focus on core stability, gluteal strength, quadriceps strength and hamstring/hip flexor flexibility
R forefinger acute tendon sheath inflammation
– continue with anti-inflammatory techniques (NSAIDS, Ice, Co-Bahn, gel STM etc) until resolved
-L hamstring tendon enthesopathy (Dx. Dr David Young)
-Will require min 2 weeks rest from bowling and running post tour
-To avoid long distance running, running on inclines etc,br>-Continue with deep Tr Friction Rx to area, hamstring release STM, neural stretches etc
-To continue to monitor condition.
-Once this condition starts to impede his ability to bowl then surgical intervention will need to be considered (see full report, Dr David Young in clinical notes)
-R adductor tendonosis (? enthesopathy) with deep hip flexor involvement
-Requires min 2 weeks rest post tour from aggravating (pain inducing) activities
-Must not allow this condition to settle into ‘chronic phase’ otherwise may take further 2 weeks to control
-Once pain settles then commencement of deep release massage therapy to region, flexibility for R hip region incl adductors and flexors
-Once pain free then recommence basic strength training to adductors initially in water then with band resistance
-requires min 2 weeks break from competitive cricket to concentrate on conditioning
-main focus areas are to be low back, sides and shoulder strength/stability
-L ankle instability
-Emphasis on continual strength/stability and proprioceptive rehab of L ankle as well as ongoing glut med strengthening
-R shoulder and scapular stability maintenance program ++
-? requires cortisone injection into R DIP forefinger. # 2004, now sensitive+ and requires some form of intervention to alleviate sensitivity from recent knocks
-R hand 4th finger DIP severe sprain ? # 2nd final vs Australia 5th March
-Will need to be x-rayed on return to India and treatment avenue pursued

On a pitch tailor made for their quartet of spin bowlers, Tamil Union look set to spring a surprise in the first semi final of the Premier Limited Overs tournament at Premadasa International Stadium tonight. They have bowled out the tournament favorites, Colts Cricket Club, for a meager 174 in 48.4 overs.Tamil Union have one of the strongest spin attacks in the land. Led by the irrepressible Mutiah Muralitharan, who picked up five wickets for 15 runs in 9.4 overs, the spin bowlers took nine of the wickets to fall. The Colts batsmen struggled to play them on a slow paced pitch that spun extravagantly.Colts CC had won the toss and begun confidently, despite the loss of Romesh Kaluwitharan for just six runs in the sixth over of the innings. Chaminda Mendis and Kulatunga compiled 67 runs for the second wicket and Colts CC looked set for another impressive total.However, Upul Chandana turned to Mutiah Muralitharan in the 16th over of the innings and in partnership with left arm spinner, Niroshan Bandaratilake, he turned the course the course of the match. Colts CC lost four wickets for just six runs and slumped to 92 for five.Kulatunga had played some sparkling shots including a brace of boundaries in Ranga Dias’s first and last over. However, he was less assured against the spinners, and started the slide when he charged down the wicket to Muralitharan and was caught at cover. He had scored 35 from 52 deliveries.Sajith Fernando walked to the crease in confident fashion but was caught in the very next over as he top edged a sweep. Then, Chaminda Mendis, who had scored a solid 35 from 69 balls, was clean bowled by Muralitharan four balls later. In the same over Sujith Janaka looked unlucky to have been adjudged caught behind.Were it not for Chaminda Vaas (18) and Eric Upashantha (34), who added 45 runs for the seventh wicket, Colts would not have even surpassed 150. The pair batted patiently and sensibly. Aware of the responsibility that now lay on their shoulders, they eschewed risks and concentrated on picking up singles.Just when they looked like they were on the verge of grasping the initiative back, Chaminda Vaas tried to pull sweep Upul Chandana and was brilliantly caught by a tumbling Brijesh Jeganathanan on the mid wicket boundary.The skipper wasted no time in recalling his premier bowler and Muralitharan just proved too good for the Colts lower order. They lunged and prodded as best they could but were eventually bowled out for a total that looks too small.

Test cricket returns to the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, the venue famous for holding the world record Test total of 952 for 6 by Sri Lanka, when it hosts the first Test of the three-match series against Bangladesh next month. The series, which also includes three ODIs, gets underway on June 25.The stadium is currently the property of Sri Lanka Cricket who have signed a 33-year lease and acquired the premises. It has hosted only two Tests in ten years, the last one coincidentally against Bangladesh, in 2005.The Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy was originally scheduled to host the first Test but poor ground conditions prompted a change in schedule, and it will now host the third Test starting July 11. The Saravanamuttu Stadium will host the second Test from July 3.Bangladesh are due to arrive in Colombo on June 17 and wind off their tour on July 26.Itinerary
June 17 – Arrival
June 20-22 – Warm-up match at Colts
June 25-29 – 1st Test, Colombo (R. Premadasa Stadium)
July 3-7 – 2nd Test, Colombo (Saravanamuttu Stadium)
July 11-15 – 3rd Test, Kandy
July 18 – One-day warm-up match, Colombo (NCC)
July 20 – 1st ODI, Colombo (Saravanamuttu Stadium)
July 22 – 2nd ODI, Colombo (R Premadasa Stadium)
July 24 – 3rd ODI, Colombo (R Premadasa Stadium)

Scorecard

Former Queensland allrounder Brendan Nash turned in a fine performance with both bat and ball to help Jamaica coast to a six-wicket victory over Barbados in their final Zone A league match of the KFC Cup. Both teams had already qualified for the semi-finals but Jamaica topped the table as a result of this victory.Nash bowled a miserly spell of 10-2-11-1 and Jerome Taylor took three wickets as Barbados were restricted to 170. Even that modest total was reached because of a 34-run stand for the tenth wicket. After a brisk start, the scoring-rate fell as the batsmen struggled on a pitch which was not conducive to strokeplay with Kirk Edwards facing 70 balls to make 17.In reply, Jamaica lost Brenton Parchment early but the rest of the batsmen played handy knocks to help overhaul the target with seven overs to spare. Chris Gayle, the captain, top scored with 49. Shawn Findlay chipped in with 39 while Nash remained not out on 36 as Jamaica maintained it’s unbeaten streak in this year’s tournament.Barbados coach Henry Springer blamed the batting for the loss. “It was a lack of situation awareness. Our batsmen need to understand what situation they find themselves in and to be able to deal with it,” he told the
ScorecardIn a match between two teams who had no chance of progressing further in the tournament, Leewards Islands rode on a solid all-round performance from Omari Banks to beat West Indies Under-19s by five wickets.Despite some wayward bowling from Leewards Islands, who gave away 28 extras including 19 wides, the Under-19s could only manage 159. Banks bowled a tight spell of 2 for 18 in his ten overs while offspinner Chaka Hodge took three lower-order wickets to keep the Under-19s in check. Opener Chesney Hughes top scored with 31 while no other batsman passed the 25-run mark.In reply, Leewards Islands started shakily as fast bowler Jason Dawes took three wickets to reduce them to 40 for 3. Spinners Veerasammy Permaul and Steven Jacobs bowled economically giving away just 35 runs in their 20 overs to make the Leewards Islands’ batsmen work hard for their victory. Banks, who batted with a runner because of a hamstring injury, remained unbeaten on 55 while Steve Liburd and Tonito Willett played useful knocks to ensure the target was reached with two overs to spare.The result was a consolatory win for the Leewards Islands and means that the Under-19s are the only team to have not picked up a point during the tournament.

Allen Stanford, the Texan billionaire behind Stanford 20/20, is expected to offer US$20 million for a one-off, winner-takes-all fixture between England and an All-Stars West Indies XI, when he meets the ECB at Lord’s on Tuesday to discuss possible joint ventures.According to the BBC, Stanford’s idea would be for the match to take place on England’s tour of the Caribbean next winter, although he has already made similar offers to both South Africa and India, and had them rejected. With the Indian Premier League just three days away, however, the ECB are eager to react to the game’s changing landscape.”Allen Stanford is an individual who is extremely wealthy and really doesn’t take no for an answer,” the veteran West Indian commentator, Tony Cozier, told BBC Sport. “He will come in and put forward a proposal that he will feel cannot be turned down, but I understand Giles Clarke is similar [in character] so we will see.”Clarke, the ECB chairman, has already talked about the creation of an English Premier League (EPL) to run during the middle of the domestic season when most international teams have time off. The hope is that the tournament would be able to attract overseas stars the same way as the IPL and in turn ward off the threat of English players jumping ship.”We don’t want a knee-jerk reaction to the IPL,” said Clarke, “but we believe that we can set up a robust, spectator-friendly, economically sustainable competition of our own which will not cut across the core revenue streams of Test and one-day international cricket.”Stanford could be a useful ally for the ECB as he has already shown his ability to set up and run a successful Twenty20 tournament then sell it overseas. Stanford is keen on multiple franchise tournaments and Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, has said an EPL would be welcome if it didn’t clash with the Indian version.Sean Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, told the : “Looking at all options is pure commercial commonsense. There is no proof yet that the global TV market is strong enough to have a lot of different leagues,” he said. “But it is genuinely achievable to make it attractive for everyone to play in.”If we have got the right format and scheduling that will be an attractive product to the wider TV audience and that is where most of the money will come from. Half-a-billion pairs of watching eyes is also appealing to outside investment.”Kevin Pietersen, who has made no secret of the fact he would love to play in the IPL, was encouraged by the sound of the idea. “Until I hear more about Stanford and his proposals I cannot comment,” he told AFP, “but it sounds great, very exciting for players and spectators.”He would not be drawn on the Indian issue again. ” “I have said all I am going to say about the IPL. I am not going to get into a slanging match with the people who employ me. I do not want to jeopardise my England career. All I ever asked for was some space to play both.”Clarke, along with David Collier, the ECB chief executive, and John Perera, the commercial director, are due to attend the launch of the IPL later this week where they will hold talks with Modi.

ScorecardDay 2
Bulletin – Australia ahead on difficult track
Verdict – About mood and confidence
Australian View – Born to ride
Quotes – ‘The key is to bang it into the track’- Gillespie
Roving Reporter – Dancing the day away
Day 1
Bulletin – Damp start to the Mumbai Test
Verdict – The not-so-great cover-up
Quotes – ‘Right decision about offering the light’ – Buchanan
Roving Reporter – The ABC of cricket
Preview package
Preview – Playing for pride
News – Warne out of Mumbai Test
Quotes – ‘We’re not going to rest any players’ – Ponting
News – Ponting fit for Mumbai Test
Roving Reporter – The day before
News – Ganguly out of Mumbai Test
News – Four new players in Indian squad
Selection analysis – The need for nurture