Hyderabad ready to host NZ test

Hyderabad has reportedly said it is ready to host the test match between India and New Zealand after both Kanpur and Kolkata said they will not be able to stage the test match.

The second test match of the three test series will be played from November 12 to the 16th. The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has staged three ODIs since 2005 and was conferred Test status by the BCCI and the ICC in June this year.

Kanpur was originally scheduled to host the test match, but withdrew citing construction of a 10,000 seater stand. Kolkata's Eden Gardens then said it would not be able to host the match as renovation work was going on for next year's World Cup.

Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president, Arshad Ayub said "Hyderabad would certainly and absolutely be ready to stage the India-New Zealand Test. We haven't been contacted, but I believe the BCCI may be considering it".

Ayub said Hyderabad was "already in the line" to host a Test as it wrote to the BCCI asking to be allotted one, depending on, "the rotation of the Test match grounds or whose turn it was."

On the 4th of December, the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium will host an ODI between the 2 countries Ayub said the prospect of hosting two international matches within the space of three weeks was, "not a problem at all".

The two confirmed venues for the India-New Zealand Test series are Ahmedabad (November 4 to 8) and Nagpur (November 20 to 24). Scheduling issues have been ongoing since starting in July when the Mumbai Cricket Association said no staging the third Test, due to the renovation of the Wankhede Stadium for the World Cup in July, followed by Kanpur's constructions problems and Kolkata's refusal to host the match.

ICC recommends Test league

The ICC Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) met in Cape Town on Monday and Tuesday with the following results.

Context and Content of International Cricket, schedule of ICC events post-2015 and the proposed Future Tours Programme 2012-2020.

The CEC endorsed a series of recommendations from a CEC working group which was set up to identify ways of introducing context for international cricket within the Future Tours Programme (FTP) after 2012 and also to consider future ICC events.

Coming from this meeting, the CEC will make some key recommendations to the ICC Board to consider. They are:

1) The FTP should consist of a Test league to provide context for all Test matches. The league would determine the top four teams to qualify for an ICC Test play-off.

2)The play-off should be held once every four years to determine the Test champion team with a request to hold the first such play-off in 2013.

3)The FTP should also consist of a One-Day International league, the first to run from April 2011 until April 2014, culminating in the crowning of an ODI league champion. This would run separate to the ICC Cricket World Cup.

4)That the ICC Board should consider a 10-team format for the ICC's flagship event, the ICC Cricket World Cup, from 2015.

5)That the ICC Board should consider a 16-team format for the men's ICC World Twenty20 from 2012, with the women's event continuing to run alongside.

6)The introduction of Twenty20 International rankings table as soon as this is justifiable.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: "I am really excited by what the CEC has proposed.

"Restructuring international cricket is a significant strategic challenge and one that must be dealt with. I am grateful to the CEC and its working group for making such far-reaching proposals to tackle this important issue.

"Achieving balance and unanimous agreement is not easy but it is a very important piece of work that requires a strategic response. The holistic set of proposals, especially introducing more meaningful context, means we now have the potential to follow international cricket that is even more exciting.

"Protecting and promoting all three formats at international level is viable and I believe the CEC has shown itself to be forward thinking in tackling the challenges. I am now encouraged to engage with the ICC Executive Board to consider these proposals as soon as possible."

Bad light

The CEC continues to support the promotion of Test cricket by promoting initiatives to enhance play. In this regard, the CEC received a clarification from David Richardson (ICC General Manager - Cricket) following recent discussions at the Elite Umpires and Match Referees Seminar on the question of when players should leave the field due to bad light.

Mr Richardson said: "There is a clear instruction to match officials that the players should only go off the field when conditions are considered dangerous or unreasonable. In addition, players should not go off the field when the ground floodlights are switched on and these were deemed before the series to be adequate."

Balance between bat and ball

The CEC also discussed the need to ensure that Test match pitches provide a fair balance between bat and ball and approved a revised guideline to the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.

Mr Lorgat said: "In recent years there have been many more results in Test matches but there are still a few instances where the pitches do not provide a fair balance between bat and ball. This must be addressed to ensure that the enduring charm and attraction of Test match cricket is not endangered by pitches which do not produce a true contest."

Additional update reports

The CEC received a detailed progress report on preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, including the release of the next phase of match tickets on 15 October.

Mr Lorgat said: "It is satisfying to see all the hard work undertaken by the host nations paying off. I am not expecting the ICC final inspections to reveal any significant concerns."

The CEC also received an update presentation on the progress in developing the ICC Strategic Plan 2011-15.

© ICC

Latif quits Pakistan academy, becomes Afghan coach

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif resigned Tuesday as a coach at the national cricket academy over spot-fixing comments and said that he had taken up a new job with the Afghan team.

The former wicket-keeper batsman resigned after authorities handed him notice over a statement he made about spot-fixing.

"This is to inform you all that after having discussions with the Afghan cricket authorities I have accepted their offer to become the head coach of the Afghan cricket team," he said.

Latif, who was until last month Afghanistan's batting coach, is taking over from fellow Pakistani Kabir Khan, who was coach until last month's tour of Scotland. He resigned over differences with the Afghan cricket authority.

Pakistani cricket has been rocked by an investigation against three of its top cricketers in Britain over the latest spot-fixing scandal.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir after a tabloid newspaper said they had taken money to bowl no-balls during a Test against England in August.

Scotland Yard, London's police headquarters, is investigating the claims in Britain's News of the World newspaper, and has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the ICC not to give statements about them until the inquiry is finished.

But Latif, who blew the whistle on match-fixing among Pakistan's national team in 1994 and testified against his fellow players in an inquiry four years later, spoke out last week.

Latif said the ICC and its anti-corruption unit were "powerless" in the fight against betting scams.

He also suggested that the ICC change its rules to curb corruption, and described the News of the World report as a "joint money-making exercise" by the newspaper reporter and the alleged bookie, Mazhar Majeed.

After his resignation Latif said in a statement, "As a former player and captain, people look up to me and expect me to speak honestly and without bias, and that I have done without meaning anything personal against anyone.

"I have taken the decision to resign after being issued a notice by the (Pakistan Cricket) Board for having given statements on the spot-fixing issue.

"I would like to make it clear here that while it is an honour to serve Pakistan cricket in any position, I can?t remain quiet on a key cricket issue that could determine the future of our cricket."

Latif, 41, played 37 Tests and 166 one-day internationals in an illustrious career that also saw him campaign against corruption in the game.

He had been wicket-keeping coach at the academy since late 2008.