Gayle, Taylor resumed playing without medical clearance - WICB

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has reacted strongly to comments made by Chris Gayle and Jerome Taylor about the lack of communication from the board about their injury and rehabilitation prior to their departure to India to play in the IPL. The WICB stated, in a release, that both players "unilaterally decided to resume playing before being given final clearance from WICB appointed therapists."

Gayle, in an interview with KLAS Sports, a radio station in Jamaica, said the board hadn't checked on his rehabilitation after the World Cup - where he sustained an abdominal muscle strain - and that he was "stunned" when he found out he hadn't been picked for the limited-overs series against Pakistan. Taylor had said the WICB did not contact him about his back injury before he left to play in the IPL, and it only did so on April 7, once he'd arrived in India.

In response, the WICB has released detailed timelines of the two players' rehabilitation and correspondence with the board. In the case of Gayle, the board's timeline notes that between April 17 and 18 this year: "Chris departs for India. Has not had required medical review, nor did he complete rehabilitation program and physiotherapy review as required, neither did he complete fitness testing prior to competition resumption." It also published an exchange of messages between Gayle and West Indies team physio CJ Clark about his fitness during the period March 24-April 8.

With regard to Taylor, the board claimed "he had not kept physiotherapy appointments for weeks prior to his deciding to resume playing." Its timeline notes that as per early April this year, "Jerome departs to India without completion of rehabilitation, medical assessment or approval" after missing a scheduled review with Dr. Akshai Mansingh, part of the WICB medical panel, who had been tracking his progress.

The board also reacted to criticism from Shivnarine Chanderpaul, saying "as a centrally contracted player the Board will address this matter through contractual provisions at the appropriate time."

Sri Lanka Premier League begins July 19

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have confirmed the dates for the first edition of the Sri Lanka Premier League will be from July 19 to August 4, 2011. The seven provinces will play 24 matches over the 18 days, all of which will be telecast live globally. That suggests a format in which all the teams will play each other once in a league stage, before two semi-finals and a final.

Each team will only be allowed five overseas players in their squad, of which only four can be named in the XI. Several foreign players including Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Shahid Afridi and Herschelle Gibbs have already been signed for the tournament.

SLC also unveiled the team names for the provinces. The seven teams will be: Basnahira Bears, Kandurata Kites, Nagenahira Nagas, Ruhuna Rhinos, Uthura Oryxes, Uva Unicorns and Wayamba Wolves. The board plans to add two more provinces to the tournament within three years.

Muralitharan signs Twenty20 deal with Wellington

Wellington have secured the service of Sri Lanka's champion offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan for next season's domestic Twenty20 tournament. Muralitharan is expected to be available for Wellington for the whole of the competition, after he retired from international cricket at the end of this year's World Cup.

"It is a tremendous boost for Wellington to secure the services of one of the greatest international cricketers of all time," Gavin Larsen, the Wellington chief executive, said. "He is a superb cricketer and a great ambassador for the game. As well as being a huge asset for us he is also very keen to assist us in promoting the game around Wellington."

The Twenty20 competition is expected to run during January, meaning Muralitharan won't be available for Australia's Big Bash. Wellington have never won the Twenty20 title and Muralitharan, who has 1347 international wickets to his name, will be a major boost as they aim to win their first silverware in eight years.

"I've always enjoyed my time in New Zealand and it is a fantastic country to tour and to play cricket in," Muralitharan said. "I look forward to helping the Wellington Firebirds to success."

Selector forecasts 'specialist' squads

Greg Chappell, the Australian selector, has forecast the selection of distinct "specialist" squads for tours of Sri Lanka and South Africa. The size of the task confronting Australia and its new captain Michael Clarke is placed into context by the fact that this is the first time since 1969-70 that the national side has been asked to make back-to-back overseas Test tours without a significant break or home summer in between.

To alleviate the difficulties, Chappell expected a substantial variation in the squads picked for the two series, to help Clarke best adapt his resources to contrasting conditions. As in 1969-70, when the team led by Bill Lawry travelled through India and enjoyed a series victory before venturing to South Africa and being crushed 4-0 in as many Tests, the Australians must make the sharp adjustments from slow subcontinental pitches to fast African tracks. That tour sowed the seeds for Lawry's eventual sacking as captain, a fate Clarke will be keen to avoid.

"If you want to look at it in that light it is [daunting], yes, but if you want to look at it as an opportunity for us to get better, I think it's a great opportunity," Chappell told ESPNcricinfo. "There'll be different challenges on each tour; much like 1969-70 there will be very different conditions on the two parts of the tour so it will be a challenge."

The success of the last Australian tour to South Africa in 2009 may result in a recall for a role-player like the Victorian allrounder Andrew McDonald, who bowled thriftily in partnership with the pace attack during those matches, while in Sri Lanka the spin of Michael Beer, Steve Smith and perhaps Jason Krejza will be employed.

"The good news for this generation is they won't have to go back-to-back from one set of conditions to the other; the Champions League will intervene, so the opportunity will be there to pick specialist groups for the two tours," said Chappell. "Sri Lanka's likely to suit spin bowling, South Africa's likely to suit fast bowling, so the balance of the two groups is likely to be different. It's an opportunity for experienced players and for budding players to gain some great experience and some great learning about what international cricket is about."

Chappell admitted there were few great players immediately available to the Australian team, and suggested the national selectors would have to make the best of it until a new generation, spearheaded by the likes of the teenaged fast bowler Pat Cummins, was ready for national duty.

"If you can find some outstanding matchwinning players, that's great, but if you haven't got them available you do the best you can with the combinations you can put together and that's the challenge for us over the next few years," said Chappell. "We can see we've got some potential champions on the horizon, but it's going to take time for them to get to the point where they're going to be ready to play for Australia, so in the meantime you're looking for the best combinations you can get."

Casting his eye across to India and the coaching role he once held, Chappell said Gary Kirsten's replacement, the former England coach Duncan Fletcher, was as prepared as anyone could be for the role.

"I think it's an interesting appointment; he's a very experienced coach, I think he'll bring a lot to the job," said Chappell. "Coaching at that level is a challenge in any environment, we know how fanatical India is about the game of cricket with the population and the media population, that brings with it different challenges. Duncan's been a proven coach and has experienced India from the other side, so if anyone can be ready for it he'll be as ready as anyone."

Australian Twenty20 teams on the market

Australian cricket is on the "dance floor" of private ownership after Cricket Australia's board opened the way for the part sale of two Twenty20 franchises to outside investors. James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, confirmed the decision following a two-day board meeting at which the pressing issues of the 2011-12 Big Bash League loomed large.

A stalemate between CA and its players over pay issues remains a major stumbling block, and Sutherland could not yet say which of the teams - one each in Sydney and Melbourne - would be put up for sale. Nonetheless, the formal decision to seek private investors, either in Australia or overseas, was highly significant for the game.

There had been whispers of discontent among prospective buyers, some based in India, about financial and team modelling surrounding the sales, but Sutherland said administrators were now confident the move would meet with success. Money derived from the sales, with figures mentioned in the tens of millions, would come back to CA and then be distributed according to the wishes of board directors.

"It's fair to say we wouldn't be making these decisions today if we didn't have a level of comfort or anticipation about that," Sutherland said of the 49% model. "We might be on the dance floor but there are things that need to be put in writing and signed off on in order for those deals to come to fruition and that's really the stage that we're at.

"The board arrived at a decision this was an appropriate step to take bearing in mind the focus we need to have on the launch of the BBL, bearing in mind the levels of interest we are seeing from potential private investors, and just trying to balance all those things. We believe it's appropriate to put our toe in the water."

That toe will be protected by plenty of terms and conditions, designed to prevent the kind of circus atmosphere that prevails in the Indian Premier League. Shane Warne's revelations that he threatened to quit Rajasthan prior to the tournament's first edition unless given full control of team selection will not be mirrored in Australia.

"There's no doubt CA and the state associations are very concious of ensuring control of the game and the teams rests with the respective state associations and that's why the board's resolved to sell to allow private investment of up to 49%," Sutherland said. "That said ultimately it becomes an investment proposition we put to respective buyers, and there will ultimately be some sort of term sheet that a buyer needs to consider. We've got strong ideas on value, and not just in terms of dollars, but also other terms and conditions - there are some things that are not negotiable."

Negotiations on the MOU between the board and the players have proceeded even though neither party has shown an inclination to change its position, but Sutherland said the best chance of resolution lay in the healthy relationship that exists between CA and the Australian Cricketers Association. His optimism will be tempered by the shrinking amount of time left to reach agreements before player contracts expire on June 30.

"My sense having spoken to Paul (Marsh, the ACA chief executive) a number of times over the last couple of weeks is that there is a sense of goodwill on both sides to try to find a way through things and certainly our board is of that mindset," Sutherland said. "How those issues get resolved or unfold is really something that Paul and I and others from our respective teams need to work through, and we will I'm sure.

"I don't really have any firm timeframe, obviously the sooner the better, but I'm confident there's enough goodwill on both sides to find a way through this. We both need each other, we know we need a positive outcome and resolution, we'd like to have Australian players, state players and BBL players contracted as soon as possible."

Day-night Tests next year a possibility

Floodlit Test matches could become a reality within two years if another 12 months of trials in first-class cricket are successful. The ICC Cricket Committee, which held a two-day meeting at Lord's, recommended that the pink ball should be used in Intercontinental Cup matches and domestic competitions to ensure it can last 80 overs, but the committee is confident that day-night Tests are getting closer.

The trials over the past two years have shown there is little difference between pink and orange balls, and the former version will be the one taken forward. "If the reports coming back are that the ball keeps its condition and colour then I think we will be in a position this time next year to select a couple of venues and trail a day-night Test," Dave Richardson, the ICC general manager of cricket, said.

Now the committee, which makes recommendations to the ICC chief executive committee and board, wants countries to use the pink ball for at least one round of their domestic first-class tournament over the next year. That would mean it appearing in competitions such as the Sheffield Shield, County Championship and SuperSport series. So far, day-night matches of multiple days' duration have been staged in Pakistan and Australia along with two MCC champion county fixtures in Abu Dhabi.

"We've spent a lot of time over the last 24 months trying to develop a ball and to start with we didn't whether it should pink, orange, yellow or whatever," Richardson said. "Now we've crystallised that there's not much difference between the pink and orange balls and it was a question of finding a ball that could retain its colour throughout 50-80 overs.

"In the Abu Dhabi match it did, but the conditions were fairly benign, the outfield was a good one, there was no dew and the balls stood up well. We decided we needed further trailing in multi-day competitions. "

The one significant issue to overcome appears to be the impact of dew, which could impact the venues that are able to host floodlit Tests. It has often been seen in one-day internationals how a team bowling second second under the lights can be severely handicapped by a wet ball and it can make the toss too influential on the outcome. "We were worried by the dew factor," Clive Lloyd, the committee chairman, "if one side bowls first and other bowls at night it could be with a bar of soap."

Richardson added: "The venue still needs to have decent lights, somewhere like Lord's, Sydney or Abu Dhabi. You also need to play it at a venue, and time of year, where dew isn't going to come in a seven o'clock. You can have the best ball in the world but it would be unfair in those conditions."

The push behind floodlit Tests is largely to try to bring crowds back to the game in countries where they have severely dwindled, although Richardson believes all Full Members will be interested in trying the concept.

"I'm not as pessimistic as some when it comes to needing to save Test cricket," Richardson said. "I do think it affords the board the opportunity to play Test cricket when more people are available to watch and also commercially it can be more valuable to play at those times of the day; the prime TV viewing time in the evening."

The hope is floodlights will bring people through gates, but as always television isn't far from the equation.