The International Cricket Council’s Executive Board today decided to increase the number of teams in the biennial World T20 Championships from 12 to 16 for the editions commencing 2014.

During a weekend meeting here, the ICC Board received a report of the strategic discussions held at the Chief Executive’s Committee (CEC) in March and confirmed the “increase, from 2014 onwards, the number of teams participating in the ICC World T20 from 12 to 16 men’s teams.

“The event should remain a joint men’s and women’s event,” it said.

“Three additional T20 Internationals may be played in the year in which the ICC World T20 is being staged provided there is a corresponding reduction in the maximum number of permitted ODIs (as per ICC Scheduling guidelines – the current regulations permit a maximum of 12 T20Is for each Full Member in any one year).”

Lorgat said the amount of cricket was discussed before the decision.

“The need to manage volume of cricket was considered when agreeing to allow the additional T20Is to be played in a year,” he said.

The Board confirmed the hosting for the ICC World T20 2014 qualifying tournament in the United Arab Emirates in October 2013 and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 qualifying event in New Zealand in 2014.

Other decisions taken included confirmation to proceed with a high-level evaluation of cricket’s participation in multi-sport games; the necessity for women’s cricket to play at least three ODIs or three T20s in a calendar year in order to retain their ODI and T20 status; and, following an independent study, that the current Reliance ICC Rankings are fit for the purposes of determining qualification to ICC events and for promotion/relegation purposes.
© PTI

Colombo: Tillakaratne Dilshan was on Saturday fined 10 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of breaching the International Cricket Council (ICC) code of conduct by appealing repeatedly and celebrating a dismissal excessively during the second Test against England.

“Tillakaratne Dilshan has been fined 10 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the second Test between his side and England at the P Sara Oval, Colombo on Thursday,” the ICC said in a statement.

Dilshan pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction so there was no need for a formal hearing. The incident took place during the England first innings. In the 89th over, after delivering the ball, Dilshan ran towards the striker’s end celebrating a dismissal before the decision had been given. When he reached the other end he turned around and appealed repeatedly.

“Dilshan accepted the charge and the penalty imposed without qualms and so there was no need for a formal hearing,” match referee Javagal Srinath said. The charge was laid by on-field umpires Asad Rauf and Bruce Oxenford and third umpire Rod Tucker as well as fourth official Ranmore Martinesz. All Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee.
© PTI

New Delhi : Rubbishing reports of match-fixing in 2011 World Cup semifinal against Pakistan, former captain Sourav Ganguly said Monday that India won the tournament on merit and hardwork.

“Nothing takes away from India’s World Cup win and what they achieved in the tournament. I need to know the exact the details of the allegations but please don’t take away what India did in the competition,” Ganguly said after leading Bengal to their first Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Ganguly’s comments came after England’s The Sunday Times reported that match-fixing was on the rise in international cricket and Indian bookmakers were luring players in County Cricket. The daily also claimed that the World cup semi-final in Mohali was also fixed.

Senior board official and chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Rajeev Shukla also refuted the media reports.

“Newspapers can publish anything, unless we get something concrete from an agency or ICC, I don’t thing it would be appropriate to react to it. We haven’t got anything from ICC, unless we get it from some police agency, it would be inappropriate to react to media reports,” he said.
© IANS

Dubai: The recommendations of the Woolf report on the independent governance review of the ICC will be discussed when the governing body’s Chief Executives Committee will meet here on Monday.

The Indian cricket Board had rejected the recommendations but the Pakistan and Australian boards were in favour of a discussion. The report calls for sweeping changes in the administration of cricket and the functioning of the ICC.

The CEC representatives will be given the opportunity to consider the 65 recommendations and its implications in the two-day meeting. “The CEC is an important grouping and it would be valuable for them to properly consider and express their views on the report and its recommendations,” Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, said through a press release.

The Woolf report recommendations include restructuring of the ICC’s Executive Board to make it more independent and less dominated by the bigger countries. It also recommends a re-examination of the rights and benefits of the current Full Member nations, calling for measures to increase transparency in dealings by the ICC and its members.

The CEC will also hold a strategic conversation on whether the current strategies relating to T20 cricket are appropriate to best manage the balance and long term viability of all three formats of the game.

“The discussion is intended to stimulate thinking on the volume and scheduling of T20 cricket, its role in developing the game further and the implications for cricket as a whole,” Lorgat said.

Amongst other cricket matters, the CEC will consider the practical application of No Objection Certificates, the suitability of ICC Test and ODI ranking systems for determining qualification to ICC events and for promotion and relegation purposes, disability cricket and cricket in multi-sport games.

The CEC will also consider appointments to the ICC Cricket Committee in terms of the committee’s Terms of Reference.

“Clive Lloyd has completed a successful three year term as chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee and the CEC will consider this position and make a recommendation to the ICC Board,” Lorgat said.

There will also be updates on the Future Tours Programme (FTP) Agreement, domestic integrity matters (anti-corruption and anti-doping), anti-racism policy and international venue accreditation standards.

The CEC comprises the Chief Executives or nominated representatives of the 10 Full Member nations as well as three Associate Member representatives.
© PTI

Islamabad : The International Cricket Council (ICC) has turned down an invitation by the Pakistan Cricket Board to attend briefings planned for the visiting security delegation of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) early next month here.

The Daily Times quoted sources in the PCB as saying that the board had asked the ICC to send its security experts to attend the briefing regarding arrangements for the planned tour by the Bangladesh team to Pakistan in April.

Pakistan has invited the Bangladesh board to send its team to play two Tests, three one-day internationals and possibly a T20 match in April.

“The ICC informed the PCB that they would only come into the picture once the tour was given final approval by both boards. The ICC felt that it was necessary for the Bangladesh board to first confirm their team will tour Pakistan in April after which the ICC would review the whole situation,” a source said.

The BCB’s security delegation, including board and government officials, is due to visit Pakistan on March 1 and 2 to attend the briefings by the interior ministry and senior police officials on the security arrangements and plan that will be prepared for the Bangladesh team’s tour.
© ANI