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The proposed umpire review system will be trialled during India’s three-Test series against Sri Lanka, beginning next month, the Indian board has said. Originally set to feature for the first time during South Africa’s upcoming series against England, it was shelved after both boards failed to reach an agreement on the details.The ICC Board, had, in March, approved the trial of the review system during a Test series in the current cricket calendar. It will now have to approve its Cricket Committee’s recommendations before the Sri Lanka- India series begins. The main elements are:

• Umpires should still be permitted to refer line decisions or boundaries to the third umpire as normal without a player requesting him to refer that decision”
• The players should be permitted to ask the on-field umpire to review any aspect of any other decision in consultation with the third umpire
• The process should take the form and order of: on-field umpire gives his decision; affected batsman or fielding side’s captain asks the umpire to review that decision; the on-field umpire(s) and third umpire consult; the on-field umpire gives his final decision
• The committee recommended that Hawk-Eye technology could be used by the third umpire but only for the purposes of determining the actual path of the ball up until the point that it struck the batsman and not the predictor function of the technology

The BCCI press release said the following technology could be used by the third umpire while considering the review request:

• Slow motion replays from all available cameras
• Super slow motion replays from the cameras positioned at either end of the ground
• Ultra motion camera replays from the cameras positioned at either end of the ground
• Sound from the stump microphones with the replays at normal speed and slow motion
• Hawk-Eye for ball tracking purposes only (not for predicting the potential future trajectory of the ball)

According to the system, players will request reviews by making a ‘T’ sign; if the third umpire disagrees with the on-field umpire, the on-field umpire should revoke his previous decision before giving the new verdict. The review system will make its first appearance in the first Test in Colombo, which begins on July 23.The system was first proposed back in 1997 by Senaka Weeraratne, a Sri Lankan lawyer, whose letter was published in several newspapers. It was then forwarded to Upali Dharmadasa, the then Sri Lankan board president, for further action.

A total of nearly 200 school children aged between 7 and 10 from the Volksschule Markomannenstrasse 9, in Vienna’s 22nd district, had an introduction to cricket on 4th-5th December, with eight classes seeing promotional videos about the sport, prior to then having a cricket session in the school gym, with Siva Nadarajah and Pascal Cyniburk, himself a product of Concordia CC’s Youth Development Programme, assisting the European Development Programme’s Dave Gelling, who whilst no stranger to Austrian Cricket, was making his first trip under the Regional Coaching Initiative.Amongst the presentations, children were shown the 2001 Confetti Show programme on Cricket – which was shot at Seebarn, and in which the children taking part in Concordia CC’s Youth Development Programme presented cricket to Austria’s younger television viewers, as part of state broadcaster ORF’s children’s programming (Confetti TV).The children were also able to try out Kwik Cricket, with sets being presented to the school, so the hope is that cricket will soon be played on a regular basis at the school which overlooks Concordia’s ground, with the previously "mysterious" activities at the ground, visible from the school’s classrooms being less strange. Hopefully some of the children will take up cricket outside of school and will establish themselves for club and country!The Austrian Cricket Association would like to thank the European Development Programme for their assistance in this project, especially at such short notice, and to thank Dave Gelling in particular, whose next project will be an introductory coaching course in Vienna this weekend.

KINGSTON – Vasbert Drakes has described a fine leveled at him for using indecent language as "nonsense" and plans to make a formal appeal to have his name cleared.Match referee Johnny Gayle, a former Test umpire, says however, the code of conduct he referred to mentions there shall be no right to appeal.The 32-year-old Drakes, a seasoned overseas professional who is representing Barbados for the first time since 1998, was fined half his match fee after attending a hearing following the conclusion of the Red Stripe Bowl cricket match between Barbados and Jamaica at Sabina Park last Saturday.According to Gayle, Drakes breached two clauses of the code of conduct by bringing the game into disrepute by his behaviour and using abusive language to the umpire. In response, an upset Drakes said there was no "solid evidence" against him."I am going to defend myself. If it needs to be taken further, I will. It is nonsense," Drakes told NATIONSPORT from the team’s Knutsford Court hotel yesterday.`No solid evidence’"I went into a meeting and explained myself and it was decided, without having any sort of solid evidence of what happened, to impose a fine on me. Whatever the umpire said and whatever I said, no one heard."The incident in question was alleged to have occurred in the dying stages of the match when Drakes was batting with Barbados chasing an imposing target of 308 in 47 overs.Satisfied that the quality of the ball had deteriorated, Drakes asked umpire Cecil Fletcher if it could be changed.Pressed for comment on the matter, Fletcher said because he didn’t change the ball, he was met with indecent remarks from Drakes."I immediately reported the matter to the next captain and to my fellow umpire. I told him [Vasbert] I was going to report it when we go off the field," Fletcher said.After Fletcher’s report, Drakes was summoned to a hearing that was attended by himself, umpires Fletcher and Maurice Chung, match referee Gayle and Barbados manager Tony Howard."What the umpire wrote on a piece of paper was not what I said. You are basically taking one man’s word without having any evidence," Drakes said."I will appeal. This is the first code of conduct that I see a player doesn’t have a right to appeal. How can you have no grounds for appealing?"Gayle, an experienced match referee who umpired in Tests and One-Day Internationals in the 1980s, said the level of the punishment was justified."Using indecent language is not a thing to be taken lightly," Gayle said. "He [Drakes] did say he would appeal, but the code of conduct I have mentions there shall be no appeal."All-rounder Drakes had smashed a quick-fire 26 off 15 balls before he was caught at deep wicket off off-spinner Ricardo Powell with Barbados still requiring another 30 runs in a little more than two overs. As it turned out, Barbados lost by 20 runs in their only defeat of the preliminaries.In giving reasons why he opted not to change the ball, umpire Fletcher said the issue was beyond his control."The whole problem of balls is not one that umpires can deal with," he said. "You just cannot find suitable replacements for white balls. After about ten overs, all of them get discoloured."When Jamaica batted, however, the ball was changed mid-way into the innings. Barbados had asked for one of a similar wear and tear, but a new ball was brought out and it was rubbed into the turf before use.Drakes is also questioning whether his captain, Courtney Browne, should have been present at the hearing."You cannot have rules for one person and don’t have them for the other. We don’t do things the right way," he added.

Somerset chief executive Peter Anderson has written to all 7000 of the club’s members `to apologise for the poor display by our players this season.’In the letter that dropped onto every members doorstep over the weekend the Somerset boss says that despite the C and G Final appearance at Lord’s `too many of our performances seemed to lack enthusiasm, urgency, and the requisite application expected of professional players.’Mr Anderson refers to the meeting that Cricket Chairman Vic Marks is going to have with the coaches and senior staff to `assess what went wrong and what is needed to rectify the situation’ and goes onto say that the club are making financial provision to sign three new players including an additional overseas player.The Somerset chief promises ` each and every coach and player will be interviewed and left in no uncertain terms what is expected of them in 2003. For most of them the message is quite simpleyou got us down, you get us up.’However Mr Anderson reassures the supporters when he says `The ground, facilties, youth development, training and finacial structure are the envy of many’ and concludes by saying `What has happened has depressed us all but it is not the end of the world; nor is it the end of Somerset County Cricket Club.Certainly if the players can carry on with the kind of spirit and application that they demonstrated in the last NUL game against Durham Dynamos they will be a force to be reckoned with in 2003 and will be promotion contenders in division two.

	Jamie Siddons: “[Mohammad Ashraful] He’s now working on a cut shot which he never had before at international level. He generally let the ball go” © AFP

Why is a match-winning innings from Mohammad Ashraful so memorable? Because it happens once a year. It reads like a bad joke but Ashraful’s inability to produce regular scores reflects the problem riddling Bangladesh’s entire outfit – inconsistency.In 19 innings since the heady heights of World Cup 2007, where Bangladesh beat India and South Africa, Ashraful has scored only two half-centuries. During that period, Bangladesh have won only three games, all at home against Ireland. It’s a problem that their Australian coach Jamie Siddons, who took up the role in October 2007, is keen to address. He’s making a beginning by “identifying the weaknesses with individual players”.”The reason they are inconsistent is that they’ve [Bangladesh’s batsmen] got deficiencies in certain areas of their game,” Siddons said. “My job is to identify those and then try to improve them. Basically give them new shots, find new ways of scoring against good bowlers.”Ashraful is one such example. Siddons felt opposition teams had worked him out, taking advantage of his short height to restrict his scoring. “He’s now working on a cut shot which he never had before at international level. He generally let the ball go. We’ve worked on that and he’s now using the cut in practice. Whether we will see it in international cricket straightaway I’m not sure. If he can produce a good cut shot then bowlers won’t be able to give him that width or bowl that length to him.”For Ashraful it is the cut, for Tamim Iqbal and Shahriar Nafees it’s the pull. Siddons said the Bangladesh batsmen “think they’ve got to hit the ball in the air because they’re restricted in their power. It’s another thing we’re working on. Every individual has different deficiencies. We’ve got to work on every one of them.”Bangladesh’s last international assignment was a hugely disappointing tour of Pakistan, where they lost 5-0. Siddons candidly admitted it reflected Bangladesh’s standing at the moment. “They’re on a massive learning curve,” he said. “They haven’t had the grounding that other players have had in their first-class cricket. We know we’ve to improve our domestic cricket to get our players to be more competitive in international cricket.”A step in the right direction is persisting with some players irrespective of the immediate results. “That’s the way we’re going to move forward – by giving these guys confidence and experience at the international level,” Siddons said. “They’re learning new techniques. They’re also getting more consistent. I can see it. I watch them daily; you see them in international cricket against good teams and see their failures.”After their showing at last year’s World Cup, you’d have to think twice before labelling Bangladesh as minnows. Their results since then, however, haven’t lived up to the promise they showed in the Caribbean. Siddons, though, is looking for consistency, not one-off wins brought about by an hour or two of Ashraful magic. He doesn’t want Cardiff 2005 to be the highlight of Bangladesh’s stint at the highest level. “Every time we play against Australia I want us to have a chance to win,” Siddons said. “Not just because of something Ashraful does that’s out of the box.”

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18 July Gloucestershire v Hampshire24 July Gloucestershire v Middlesex25 July Gloucestershire v Middlesex26 July Gloucestershire v Middlesex

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Hashan Tillakaratne, 33, has been recalled into a 22-man Sri Lankan nationaltraining squad for the forthcoming One-International Triangular tournamentagainst India and New Zealand in July and the three-match Test seriesagainst India in August.The newly appointed selection committee added seven names to the 15-mansquad that participated in Sharjah last month during a long discussion lastnight. The other players added to the squad were Aravinda de Silva, SureshPerera, Dulip Liyanage, and three left arm spinners: Dinuk Hettiarachchi,Niroshan Bandaratillake, and Sanjeewa Weerakoon.The Chairman of the five-man Selection Committee, Tikiri Banda Kehelgamuwa,said that he expected that the 15-man one-day squad to form the rump of thesquad for the triangular series. Aravinda de Silva and Hashan Tillakaratneand the other five players are in contention for the Indian Test series.Nevertheless, Kehegamuwa, refused to rule out the possibility of changes,handing out an olive branch to members of the A team, who will take onPakistan A in a three-Test/ODI series in June.Hashan Tillakaratne was dropped from both the one-day and Test nationalsquads after the 1999 World Cup in England, when the selectors embarked upona youth policy. The selectors reiterated their commitment towards youthagain this week, but the could not ignore Tillakaratne, who impressedthroughout the domestic season, scoring three centuries and 665 runs at anaverage of 110.It is, however, unlikely that both Aravinda de Silva and Hashan Tillakaratnewill both find a place in the final Test team.Sanjeewa Weerakoon, 21, an accurate left arm spinner, is the only player tohave not played a Test or ODI for Sri Lanka in the 22-man squad. He gets hischance after topping the bowling averages this year, having taken 79 wicketsfor Burgher Recreation Club, including three ten-wicket match hauls. He willface tough competition, however, for a place, with both Hettiarachchi andBanadaratillake in the squad too.The two fast bowlers, Dulip Liyanage and Suresh Perera, are recalledafter a period of absence precipitated through injury. Liyanage, a sharpoperator who swings the ball away from the right handers, suffered an ankleinjury after playing in eight Test matches in the mid 1990’s, but was backto his best this year, taking 66 wickets in 11 games.Suresh Perera suffered from a stress fracture of his back after impressingon his debut against England at the Oval in 1998 and has struggled to regainhis form and confidence since. He is though valued highly by the management,despite only taking 19 wickets this season.Both players are useful with the bat – Liyange averaged 22 this season forColts CC and Perera averaged 31 for the Sinhalese Sports Club – and wouldstrengthen the lower order, making them ideal candidates for the one-dayside.The squad have already commenced training in Colombo.

Following their challenging first week back for pre-season training, the Somerset players face an even more gruelling week ahead.On Monday and Tuesday the squad of eighteen will spend time at Centre Parcs which is at Longleat in Wiltshire.Whilst they are there they will be taking part in the new Company Action Challenge, which will include rock climbing and a rope challenge.Head of injury prevention Darren Veness told me: “On the first day they will be challenged by an obstacle course which will be very testing for them all, and then on the second day they will be spend a little time relaxing before preparing for the next day.”On Wednesday the Somerset squad will be spending all day at the Royal Marine Commando Training Centre at Lympstone in Devon.Fitness instructor Andy Hurry, himself a former Royal Marine told me: “The whole day is targetted at team building. First thing in the morning they will all undertake the assault course working as teams taking a telegraph pole round the course, which will be interesting to say the least!”Later in the morning they will go down to the River Exe estuary and work on the beach in the mud, with activities like touch rugby, and then after lunch they will go out on the water in small craft.”On Thursday the Somerset players return to Millfield School where they will be continuing with their specific sprint training out on the tartan track, and then in the afternoon there will be a pairs badminton competition.The players will then have the Easter break before reporting back on Tuesday to step their training up another gear when they focus more upon their technical ability under the supervision of Coach Kevin Shine and his assistant Mark Garaway.

The new Somerset `Hero of the Week’ is Matthew Wood, who scored a century in each innings of the championship match against Surrey at the County Ground last week. Congratulations to Matt on scoring his two hundreds, and also on being named as the new hero.Chief executive Peter Anderson and coach Kevin Shine were unanimous about their choice of the new hero.Mr Anderson told me: "It has to be Matthew Wood as the new hero. It’s so nice to see a young player come through the ranks and grab his chance when it comes along at first class level."Kevin Shine told me: "After his two hundreds against Surrey last week, there can only be one choice for the new hero, and that is Matthew Wood. He is a very talented young player."Matthew, who hails from Exmouth in Devon, has been on the Somerset scene for a number of years, and made his second eleven debut when he was just sixteen. He made his first team debut in June 2001 against Yorkshire at Bath scoring 71 in his first innings for the county.Later in 2001 Matthew scored his maiden first class century when he made 122 against Northamptonshire at Taunton.This season Matt made a quiet start, but over the last few innings has looked better and better each time that he has gone out to bat. He has also become a regular member of the one day side, where he has made some very useful contributions.I caught up with Matt just before he set off on the long journey to Scarborough, when he gave me the following answers to the Thomas and George’s hero questions.Q1 What sports do you enjoy, apart from cricket?
A I enjoy playing both golf and football. I have a golf handicap of sixteen, which is about right, I’m not a bandit like Blackie and Bully! I play football, but because I have been out to Australia for the last couple of winters I don’t have a regular team. I support Liverpool.Q2 Who was your idol when you were young?
A Locally my hero was Nick Folland who played for Somerset but also played for Exmouth where my Dad played. He influenced me a lot. Nationally I suppose my idols were Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar.Q3 Who is your favourite pop star or band?
A I don’t really have a favourite.Q4 What do you do in your spare time?
A I relax in any spare time that I get. I enjoy going out with my friends, playing golf, and watching all sports.Q5 Where did you go to school, and when did you start to play cricket?
A I went to school at St Joseph’s Primary in Exmouth and then onto Exmouth Community College. I started to play cricket when I was about six years old, with my Dad, who played for Exmouth at that time. He is still very involved with the club.Q6 What is your favourite food?
A I enjoy eating anything apart from Chinese.Q7 How much training do you do every week, are there any special exercises?
A Off season I train nearly every day, but during the season I train on days that we are not playing.Q8 What has been your most memorable match for Somerset?
A After my two hundreds last week’s against Surrey last week, that has to be my most memorable match for Somerset, so far!Q9 Apart from the County Ground at Taunton, which is your favourite cricket ground and why?
A I don’t really have another favourite ground, apart from here at Taunton, where I have scored all three of my first class centuries.Q10 What are your cricketing ambitions?
A My cricketing ambition is to play cricket at the highest level that I possibly can.Thank you very much Matt for the answers to our questions.I’m sure that everybody who has watched your career develop over the years is delighted at your success and offer their congratulations to you on scoring two centuries against Surrey.

If the Redbacks were disappointed about their performance yesterday, they’d be advised to try and forget completely about today’s events in the Pura Cup matchbetween South Australia and Queensland here at the Adelaide Oval. After a lacklustre first innings batting performance that yielded the modest score of 215 on atrue pitch, the bowlers have suffered badly at the hands of centurions Stuart Law (121*) and Clinton Perren (112) to only add to coach Greg Chappell’s woes.It was a day’s play – one that has already delivered competition pacesetter Queensland a lead of eighty-four runs with five first innings wickets still in tact – thatessentially never went right for the South Australians. By contrast, it went swimmingly well for the Bulls given that it generated two vital points which push them, forthe moment at least, that precise margin clear of second-placed Victoria and eight points in front of third-placed New South Wales.Take nothing away from the Bulls, today’s was a batting performance of which coach Bennett King and his team could be very proud.The batting of Law and Perren – especially during their match-shaping partnership of 185 runs for the third wicket – was of the highest quality. Perren, in particular,took a genuine liking to the South Australian bowling attack. While he never at any stage looked overly aggressive, it was instructive that he had already struckseventeen boundaries by the time that he notched a well-deserved second century in first-class cricket.South Australian captain Darren Lehmann literally tried almost everything to break the partnership. Late in the day, he even resorted to bowling his own left armorthodox spin and gave medium pacer Greg Blewett (0/11) a workout too. In the end, it was the eventual reintroduction of the leg spin of Peter McIntyre (1/68) thatfinally allowed the Redbacks to remove Perren, who was trapped on his crease as he played down the wrong line at a delivery which did not spin all that much.While the Redbacks would have been relieved at finally ending that stand, however, they needed only to see the incoming batsman, the hard-hitting AndrewSymonds, to realise the job was far from over.Shortly after Perren’s dismissal, Law raised his own three-figure milestone to compound the home team’s agony. The fiftieth century of his first-class career, it was asimilarly impressive hundred – one full of elegant strokes.In the field and with the ball, the Redbacks continued to toil manfully. And, late in the day, at least a small form of reward came – the wickets of Symonds (0), to adirect hit from Shane Deitz at mid off, and Brendan Nash (2), to a loose drive at the hard-working Mark Harrity (2/57), both falling against the general run of play.But it didn’t prevent Queensland from assuming a very significant upper hand by the scheduled halfway stage of the match.The loss of Paul Wilson to injury, the exclusion of swing bowler Brett Swain and, critically, three dropped catches – Jimmy Maher (47) was missed before he hadscored; Jerry Cassell (4) was grassed on 2; and Law on 118 – proved very costly in the end for the Redbacks. At no real stage today did they look like breakingthrough in anything but sporadic bursts. And at no stage today did they ever look like seizing effectively upon anything that did happen to come their way.