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A proposed change in the annual tri-series format has received backing from Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, who believe the concept is tired. Cricket Australia is considering swapping the schedule from almost six weeks of matches to two head-to-head contests for 2008-09.Starting as the World Series Cup in 1979-80, the idea was Kerry Packer’s, but the senior players believe after almost 30 years it is time for a change. “The system has got a little bit tired,” Hayden told AAP. “If you’ve got a decreased number of games but a highly competitive tournament it’s an asset.”The series involving Australia, India and Sri Lanka, which starts in February, involves 12 group games before the best-of-three finals. “Towards the back end of the tri-series if one side, like Australia has done for a long time, has dominated the competition, there does seem to be a lot of dead rubber games,” Hayden said. “That could be Hobart’s [only] game and I believe they deserve a more meaningful game.”Matches between the two visiting teams have also struggled for support in recent years and Gilchrist said Cricket Australia needed to determine if they could improve the product. “It would be interesting to see what the public think,” he said. “It will be interesting to see how the public attends the coming summer’s triangular series, that might give us a bit more of an indication.”Cricket Australia’s board was planning to discuss the change during a meeting on Friday, but the programme for 2008-09, which includes New Zealand and South Africa, will not be finalised until March. Expanding the Ashes series to six Tests is also on the agenda.

Justin Kemp, the South Africa allrounder, has signed a two-year Kolpak deal with Kent after retiring from international cricket.Kemp, 30, played four Tests and 85 ODIs but was dropped following the World Twenty20 last September. He had a previous two-year stint with Kent in 2005 and 2006.”I am really looking forward to playing for Kent again,” he said. “Rob Key and Graham Ford have built a really strong squad. The plans for the ground at Canterbury are very farsighted. These are exciting times and I am keen to make a real contribution to the success of the club over the next two years.”Kent have also received confirmation that Azhar Mahmood, the former Pakistan allrounder who has a two-year deal, has been granted British citizenship so will count as an English-qualified player.

Sri Lanka have started to rebuild for the 2007 World Cup with the selection of three uncapped players for the forthcoming five-match series against Zimbabwe.The 16-man squad includes Rangana Herath, a left-arm spinner who has played four Tests , Farveez Maharoof, a 19-year-old fast bowling allrounder, and Thilina Kandamby, a 21-year-old batsman who has starred for the A team in recent tours.The squad, captained by Marvan Atapattu, also includes Dilhara Fernando, who has recovered from a back injury and proved his fitness during the ongoing Sri Lanka A series in New Zealand.Mahela Jayawardene, as expected, has been named as the vice-captain. Changes are expected for the two-match Test series that follows. The first one-dayer will be played at Bulawayo on April 20. The squad is subject to ratification by the sports ministry.Sri Lanka squad Marvan Atapattu (capt), Mahela Jayawardene (v-capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Russel Arnold, Saman Jayantha, Thilina Kandamby, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekera, Farveez Maharoof, Muttiah Muralitharan, Upul Chandana, Rangana Herath.

The Pakistan Cricket Board is unhappy with the appointment of Mike Procter for the five-match one-day series against Bangladesh, starting on April 8.Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, said the board will talk to the International Cricket Council regarding this issue. “I will have our director (cricket operations) speak to his counterpart in the ICC on this issue,” Ashraf said.PCB’s reluctance to have Procter be the match referee in Pakistan matches has its origins in the infamous 2006 Oval Test where Australian umpire Darrell Hair’s five-run penalty culminated in a forfeiture.Ashraf did not see Pakistan as a weak member of the ICC even though the world governing body reinstated Hair into its Elite Panel. “This is a wrong impression that Pakistan has no voice in the ICC,” he said. “That is not true. Let me tell you in clear words that Hair will not officiate in our matches even though the ICC has reinstated him.”The ICC allowed Hair back because he had completed a six-month rehabilitation process and all the concerned people gave him good reports for his improvement in man management. Hair has been a top umpire as far as his decisions are concerned, but he was sidelined because of his poor management skills.”

After England’s ungainly exit from the NatWest Series, Thursday’s game between West Indies and New Zealand at the Rose Bowl has turned into a mini-final, and a chance for both teams to win an important psychological victory before the Lord’s final on Saturday. Both teams are faced with the option of giving their leading players a rest before the final, or keeping their sides the same to keep their momentum going.New Zealand are unbeaten in the series so far, and their well-planned, calm approach has had the better of both England and West Indies, but their batting has rested on good performances from a few players, with the likes of Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan remaining unusually anonymous. They have also been helped by the toss, winning it every time, and this has no doubt proved vital to their campaign as the side batting first has not won a single match in this one-day series.They rested Chris Cairns in their last match against England at Bristol, as he had picked up a few minor injuries. Provided he is fit, this game will give him some valuable match practice, but if he has not fully recovered, New Zealand are unlikely to risk playing him.Daniel Vettori, after coming back from a hamstring injury, has looked flat in New Zealand’s three games so far. He has taken only one wicket – that of James Anderson, England’s No. 11, and has often gone for runs. This game will be his last chance before the final to prove he is still a force to be reckoned with, though with his previous record he will probably make the final XI on Saturday whether or not he makes an impact in this match.After a characteristically inconsistent series, West Indies are starting to come into their own. Chris Gayle in particular has looked better and better with every outing, and he will be a key player both on Thursday and at the final. Apart from the mauling by Andrew Flintoff and Andrew Strauss at Lord’s on Tuesday, the bowlers have performed well, and Dwayne Bravo is the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. Tino Best, though he gives his all every time he plays, is a little prone to injury and may well be rested for this match. He will be a vital player in the final, and West Indies will be unlikely to risk playing him in this dead rubber.Dwayne Smith’s time at the top of the order has so far proved to be a mistake, but with the pressure off in this match he may finally show what he is capable of. West Indies have no real problems with their batting, except in deciding who will bat where. Gayle has had three different opening partners in four matches, and though Brian Lara has been the only one who has had success, he seems unwilling to stay in the position.New Zealand will start as favourites in this match, but with West Indies in unpredictable form and riding high from their victory over England, it is sure to be an interesting encounter.New Zealand (probable) 1 Stephen Fleming (capt), 2 Nathan Astle, 3 Hamish Marshall, 4 Scott Styris, 5 Craig McMillan, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Chris Harris, 8 Gareth Hopkins (wk), 9 Daniel Vettori, 10 James Franklin, 11 Ian Butler.West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Ricardo Powell, 7 Dwayne Smith, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Ridley Jacobs (wk), 10 Ian Bradshaw, 11 Jermaine Lawson.

“Oh, I say, he’s out, he’s out! … A beautiful catch at bat-pad by, er … Viv, my dear old thing, who is that under the helmet? Bravo? Smith?” Blowers’s theoretical confusion at which Dwayne might be fielding at short leg is entirely understandable. Not that they’re exactly doppelgangers, but at a distance and hidden under protective headgear, it can be hard to be sure who’s who.Aggers has admitted to greeting Ashley Giles with a “Good morning, Marcus” at a team hotel on an overseas tour, so what hope has the average spectator 80 yards away peering round a pillar at the back of the stand?Lancashire were the first county side to emblazon their names on their Championship whites, and since then no-one’s looked back. Or rather that’s exactly where everyone has looked. On the players’ backs. Yes, there was the odd grumble from the “In-my-day” buffer brigade, but common sense prevailed and every county has followed suit.So bring them in for Tests, too. It might be best not to go as far as Kent did for their Twenty20 campaign. In a rather faux chummy way, they gave us their nicknames – and pretty unedifying lot they were. For Ian Butler “Kiwi” (yawn), Rob Key “Keysy” (zzzzz) and Alex Loudon “Noisy” (aha). Just simple, legible names. Why on earth not?Spectators searching for information from the newish Edgbaston scoreboard have not always found enlightenment, either. Rather too many bulbs are broken, so that eights can resemble noughts and nines sevens. And for a while there was a worrying sight for England bowlers: according to the scoreboard, Lara was batting with – and confusingly outscoring – himself. And after Lara’s dismissal, Sarwan was joined by someone who clearly managed to hit the fastest Test century in history, reaching three figures in less than five minutes. Odder still, it was Sarwan …At one stage yesterday afternoon – and again this morning – it all became too much and every bulb went out, leaving the picturesque old-fangled Edgbaston scoreboard to carry on manfully. But unlike its digital counterpart, it at least gives you the fielder’s identity.It being fancy-dress Saturday, there was naturally a range of other identities rubbing shoulders. A quick pan through the binoculars revealed, among others, phalanxes of: Father Christmases, surgeons, convicts, Supermen, Romans, smurfs, Red Indians, Hare Krishnas, a solitary Bob the Builder and – most terrifying of all – a bevy of butch blokes dressed in the meagre short red skirt of the npower girls. A normal day out in Birmingham, then.

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England completed a highly satisfying warm-up match – one that had seemed anunlikely starter after the torrential rains that greeted their arrival – asGareth Batty and Ashley Giles picked up six wickets between them in theirfirst outing of the tour. They couldn’t quite polish off an obdurate tail,as the BCB President’s XI reached the close on 143 for 9, but for Englandthe result mattered less than the practice.For the young Bangladeshi side, however – eight of whom are members of theU19 squad that will play in the World Cup here next March – survival was animpressive accomplishment, albeit aided by the weather on the first day. Ithad not seemed likely when seven wickets fell in rapid succession after tea,but Nadif Chowdhury and Gazi Alamgir gritted their teeth to carry the matchinto the final over of the day. A late twist seemed on the cards when SteveHarmison yorked Chowdhury for 26 with two balls remaining, but Enamul Haqueheld fast to deny England victory.Such resistance was unexpected after the Bangladeshi efforts in the firstinnings. They had teetered to 46 for 6 overnight, and England required justsix overs to wrap up proceedings for a paltry 57. Matthew Hoggard once againdisplayed the sort of form that he had consistently shown in Pakistan andSri Lanka three winters ago. He added three more wickets to his overnighthaul, to finish with 6 for 13 from 9.3 overs.In theory, the President’s XI had avoided the follow-on by four runs, butthere would never have been any intention of enforcing it, especially afterEngland had lost four wickets for no runs on the second afternoon. Insteadit was left to two of those victims, Graham Thorpe and Rikki Clarke, to getsome much-needed time in the middle. Thorpe was in supreme touch for his 47,but Clarke – whose place remains under threat from Paul Collingwood – wasless able to settle. He found the spinners particularly tricky to handle,and when he was finally bowled by Enamul for 19, England declared on 69 for1, and lunch was taken.Martin Saggers made England’s first breakthrough in the tenth over of theresumption, when Chris Read pulled off a fine one-handed catch in front offirst slip to remove Nadif Iqbal for 20 (36 for 1). But Aftab Ahmed, verymuch a candidate for next week’s first Test, lead the resistance with asparkling 45 that included four fours and a mighty pulled six off Clarke.But Clarke had his revenge in his very next over, when Aftab was trappedlbw, and the innings frittered away. Hannan Sarkar’s patient 16 soon came toan end as Giles won his first lbw appeal of the day, and Batty entered theattack from the opposite end to provide the final touch to England’spreparations.The spinners wheeled away, with great accuracy but no spectacular turn, andseven wickets tumbled for 37 as the inexperience of the Bangladeshisthreatened to be their undoing. But Chowdhury and Alamgir rallied the tailto ensure that first blood in this tour has yet to be drawn.

David Hookes, the former Australian Test batsman and Victoria’s coach, died in a Melbourne hospital today after being injured outside a St Kilda hotel.Hookes, who was only 48, was treated by paramedics for half an hour at the scene of the assault before being rushed to intensive care. He was in a coma for a while but eventually his family took the agonising decision to switch off the machine at 7pm local time.A 22-year-old man, Zdravco Micevic, was charged with assault after a brief appearance in the Melbourne Magistrates Court.Hookes made a memorable Test debut against England in the Centenary Test at Melbourne in March 1977, scoring 56, including five boundaries off a single Tony Greig over. He went on to play 23 Tests between 1977 and 1986, making 1306 Test runs, including a top score of 143 not out, at 34.36. When he retired from first-class cricket in 1992 he was the highest runscorer in Australian domestic cricket. In retirement Hookes has become a successful coach and an outspoken media pundit.Community members wishing to send messages of support can fax The Alfred Hospital on 03 9276 2928, or e-mail [email protected] .

The Indian captain for the month-long tour of Zimbabwe, which will comprise two Tests and a one-day triangular tournament, is expected to be chosen on August 12, a day before the selection ofthe team for the tour.With Sourav Ganguly back in the fray, after serving out his four-match ban, the selectors will need to take a call on Rahul Dravid’s immediate future as the captain of the Indian side. Dravid’s attacking captaincy in the ongoing Indian Oil Cup has come in for praise but it remains to be seen if he is persisted with as a long-term option. Ganguly showed signs of returning to form in India’s second game against Sri Lanka at Dambulla, where he made a steady half-century, and that could have a bearing on the selectors’ decision as well.The team will be announced in Mumbai after a meeting of the selection committee and the newly-selected captain, SK Nair, the secretary of the Indian board told PTI. Greg Chappell, the coach, will also attend the meeting on August 13.The triangular series involving Zimbabwe and New Zealand is scheduled to begin on August 24. India will kick off their campaign with a game against New Zealand on August 26.

Rahul Dravid has said that India’s decision to remain in Sri Lanka following a bomb blast in Colombo on Monday was based on the assurances of safety given to them by the Sri Lankan government. While South Africa have pulled out of the Unitech Cup, India are staying back and will contest a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka beginning on Friday.South Africa’s decision to leave was made after the ICC’s independent security team assessed that “the current risk to the team” was at an “unacceptable level”. However, Dravid did not have any qualms about India staying on.”South Africa have gone by the recommendations of their people. We have spoken to the officials in the Sri Lankan board, the Sri Lankan government and the Indian High Commission,” Dravid told PTI. “We have full confidence and faith in what they have to say and made our decision based on that.”Dravid said that the team was keen to play and was “probably worried more about the weather than the security”.”We share a good relationship with Sri Lankan cricket. These are difficult times and we cannot blame anyone. Hopefully we can bring some joy to the people here and they will have something to cheer about. Never did anyone come up and say that he wants to go home. Everyone is keen to play. Hopefully the weather will hold out from now on.”Mohammad Kaif was suffering from a fever that forced him to miss Wednesday’s practice session but Dravid was confident that he would be fit for the first ODI on August 18. “He [Kaif] is good. He has two more days, I am confident he will be fully fit in time for the first match.”The second and third ODIs are scheduled for August 20 and 22.