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The outcry over the stringent and unprecedented conditions set by the Indian Premier League (IPL) in its guidelines for covering the inaugural tournament may prompt a climbdown on certain issues, including perhaps reworking the contentious clauses governing media coverage. Top officials of the Indian Premier League, who are due to meet on Sunday, appear keen to avoid a media boycott – which is a possibility – and are likely to frame a suitable formal response to the criticism.On Friday, Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, called up Alok Gupta, president of the influential Editors’ Guild of India – which earlier in the day had condemned the restrictions – and indicated he didn’t want a media boycott. It is also believed that Modi indicated the IPL was working on amendments to the terms and conditions.The IPL had indicated a possible softening of stand on Thursday when IS Bindra, a member of the governing council, told Cricinfo the league was ready to discuss the issue with all parties involved to reach an amicable solution.One of the factors behind the IPL’s stringent terms is a feeling of discontent in the BCCI – which controls the IPL – over not having the rights to, or control over, photographs taken by the news agencies at earlier matches played in India. That, it is believed, prompted the inclusion of the clause giving the IPL rights to all photographs taken at all matches.As reported earlier, the contentious clause deals with IPL’s right to use all pictures taken at its grounds for free and without restrictions; the commitment by news organisations to upload on the IPL site, within 24 hours, all images taken at the ground; and the restriction of web portals’ access to images without prior permission from the IPL.Bindra explained that the restrictions on web portals’ access to images was a fallout of the IPL having sold web portal rights for the event to a company based in North America for US$50 million.Along with the Editors’ Guild of India, the Sports Journalists’ Federation of India had also issued a statement expressing “alarm and concern” over the IPL’s conditions and asked that the “unfair and unethical restrictions being placed on the media be withdrawn unconditionally”.The reactions from Indian associations came a day after Agence France-Presse (AFP), a respected international news agency, indicated it would not cover the IPL given the conditions laid down at present. “The terms and conditions are too strict and raise questions about press freedom,” Barry Parker, AFP’s South Asia bureau chief, told Cricinfo. “The present terms and conditions don’t allow us to cover the event.”

Michael Vaughan continued to struggle for runs in his return to cricket today, amid speculation he could line up with his England team-mates in a tour match against Western Australia on Saturday. Vaughan was out for nine for the ECB National Academy in their game against the Western Australia Second XI at Perth.But there were some better signs for Vaughan, who batted for almost 40 minutes in his second innings since returning from a knee injury and later fielded for 50 overs. He faced 21 balls and struck one boundary through the leg side before spooning a catch to mid on. A week ago, he made a seven-ball duck for the academy in his first game back.David Parsons, one of the Academy coaching staff, said: “I don’t think his batting is an issue. He’s looked really sharp in the nets and I think he is feeling pretty good. He’d have liked to spend a little bit longer at the crease today, but I think he is feeling in pretty good shape at the moment.”Speculation has been rife all tour that Vaughan was being lined up for a comeback in the latter stages of the Ashes campaign, and Duncan Fletcher didn’t entirely rule out the possibility that he, or one of his academy colleagues, could come into the reckoning at Perth. “I’d say it’s unlikely,” he told reporters in Adelaide this morning. “We picked the side to come on this tour and we’ve got to stand by those players, but we want to see how Vaughan comes out of today’s match.” reported that Vaughan was likely to line up for England in their two-day tour match against Western Australia at the WACA this weekend. Vaughan had been expected to play for Bayswater-Morley in Perth grade cricket on the weekend but the club’s coach David Baird told the paper otherwise. “I was told he would not be playing for us because he would probably be playing for England,” Baird told the newspaper.Vaughan has been ruled out of Friday’s festival match at Lilac Hill as a precaution, because it was feared that four days of cricket in five would be too much of a strain on his knee at this stage of his recuperation.

Mahela Jayawardene admitted that his team’s achievement was beginning to sink in, as he reflected on their remarkable backs-to-the-wall draw in the first Test against England at Lord’s.Speaking at a reception for the Sri Lankan squad in central London, Jayawardene praised his side’s fighting qualities, and said that the confidence they had gained from batting continuously for the final two-and-a-half days of the match would stand them in good stead for the remainder of the series.”When you think where we were and what we pulled off, it’s an amazing achievement,” said Jayawardene, who led the rearguard with a brilliantly adhesive 119. “We didn’t think about the result, we just batted for time to see what we could achieve, and it’s amazing to see how far that took us.”After two days of the Test, nobody could have envisaged the turnaround that was about to happen. Sri Lanka had slumped to 91 for 6 in reply to England’s 551 for 6 declared, and eventually followed on a massive 359 runs in arrears. But, with England dropping nine catches in the course of the match, Sri Lanka managed to close on 537 for 9 in their second innings, having stretched their performance over 199 overs.”After the first innings we had nothing to lose and everything to gain,” said Jayawardene. “We knew the potential in the team, and I personally had a lot of belief in our guys. It was a big occasion for them, with many of them playing at Lord’s for the first time, and I think they never had a chance in the first innings. Second-time around, they just went out there and relaxed.”Jayawardene himself had no qualms about playing at Lord’s, as he rattled up his second century in consecutive visits, to join an exclusive club of nine overseas batsman with more than one notch on the dressing-room honours board.”It’s a pretty good club,” he admitted. “I didn’t realise until after the game how few people had done that. I’m not a guy who goes for records, but it’s something special for a Test cricketer to have his name on that board. It means you will always be remembered, and to do it twice is the icing on the cake.”

Tom Moody, Sri Lanka’s coach, was equally impressed with the resolve his players had shown over the final three days of the match. “I’m sure theirsmiles will get bigger and bigger as the days go by,” he said, “as they realise what they’ve achieved.”Cricket is all about momentum,” he added. “We didn’t have the momentum on the first two days, but we showed a lot of character and guts, got themselves back into the game slightly, and then grew in confidence to take the momentum off England. And when that happens luck tends to go your way.”Moody admitted that England’s failure to take nine of the catches that came their way was a big factor in the great escape, but didn’t think that would overshadow his team’s achievement. “England were hot favourites in this match, so the purists will know what Sri Lanka’s players achieved. It was a tremendous effort, and a great positive for the series, for both teams and spectators.”You don’t go into a two-horse race thinking you’re going to come second,” he added. “We are in it to try and win it. Realistically we are looking at England very much as favourites, but what’s important is how we apply ourselves over five days. We only played for three days at Lord’s.”And such is the confidence that the Sri Lankans have taken from the first Test that Sanath Jayasuriya, whose late addition to the squad caused such controversy last week, has been overlooked for the four-day tour match against Sussex at Hove, which starts on Thursday and is unlikely therefore to play in the second Test at Edgbaston next week.”Either we throw him in, or we get behind the young guys who fought us into a terrific position at Lord’s,” said Moody. “It’s all about what’s best for the team. But on the field or off the field, Sanath is going to be an important member of the squad, and will hopefully contribute towards the success of the series.But Moody did not entirely rule out an appearance in the Tests for Jayasuriya. “Over the last ten years we’ve seen what he’s capable of doing. Like Adam Gilchrist, he’s the type of player who can take a game away from you, and he can destroy any attack in the world. England will be aware of that, and if a catch goes in the air off his bat, they’ll want to make sure they hold onto it.”

The Indian board (BCCI) has come to the defense of Chetan Desai, the manager of the Indian team on the tour of South Africa, and said that it would seek an explanation from Rahul Dravid for his outburst against Desai.Desai had come under a scathing attack from Dravid for his tour report which criticised the selection of an out-of-form Virender Sehwag and an unfit Munaf Patel for the series-deciding Test at Cape Town which India lost.”We would like to talk to Dravid and find out the exact situation in which he has been reported to have said these words,” said Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary. “Chetan Desai was the manager on the tour and as per tradition he filed his report after the team’s return. And he has not said anything about his [Dravid’s] abilities as a player in the report. The report is with Mr Sharad Pawar [BCCI president] and after he reads it he will give us guidelines on what to do.”Dravid told reporters in Kolkata that Desai had no standing in the game.” Anyone is entitled to give his opinion; anyone is entitled to give a report. But me commenting on that, I will comment only when it is worthy of my comment.”It is important to put it in perspective and understand that I have been asked for my views on a report given by someone … When I last looked at the history of Indian cricket I did not necessarily see his [Desai’s] name featuring very prominently.”The report was said to be critical of Sehwag’s attitude to the game and also did not spare Dravid for being stubborn in selection matters, especially in the third Test. Shah also sought to play down the matter of how the report got leaked to the media and what the BCCI was going to do about this. “We are certainly interested in knowing how it happened,” Shah shot back when queried whether the BCCI was not worried how the leak took place

The fast bowler Brett Geeves has been named Tasmania’s Player of the Year while Shaun Marsh picked up the equivalent prize at Western Australia’s awards on Friday night. Geeves, who was presented with the Ricky Ponting Medal in Hobart, was the Man of the Match in the side’s FR Cup final victory and also captured the state’s Twenty20 gong.He led the attack throughout the campaign with 37 first-class wickets, 15 in the one-day tournament and eight in Twenty20. Michael Di Venuto, who signed off on his Australian domestic career with a return on 947 Pura Cup runs, collected the tournament prize while Xavier Doherty and Michael Dighton shared the recognition in the FR Cup. Doherty also left with the Scott Mason Memorial Captain’s Award and Dighton was given the TCA Chairman’s Award.Marsh, the son of the former Australia batsman Geoff, polled 33 votes in Perth, seven more than Steve Magoffin and Justin Langer, to win the Laurie Sawle Medal. Marsh, who batted mostly at No. 3, scored 663 runs at 60.27 in the Pura Cup and topped the state’s run lists in the FR Cup and Twenty20.For the third year in a row Michael Hussey gained the Gold Cup for being Western Australia’s most outstanding representative across all levels of the game. He picked up 41 votes to beat Adam Gilchrist (39) and Brad Hogg (26). The retirees Hogg and Gilchrist were recognised along with Langer, Mathew Inness and Darren Wates for their contributions to the team.Magoffin was handed the Players’ Choice award for his 35 Pura Cup wickets and 14 FR Cup victims while Inness was recognised as the player who upheld the “spirit of the Warriors”. Lauren Ebsary was the women’s winner after her 236 runs and eight wickets in the Women’s National Cricket League.

Imran Khan, the former Pakistan captain, has severely criticised Pakistan’s performance in the recent one-day series against a “weak” England side. Pakistan squandered a 2-0 lead before the fourth ODI at Trent Bridge – the first ODI was abandoned due to rain – as the home side fought back creditably in the last two matches to square the series.Imran was disappointed that Pakistan had failed to seize the initiative against an England one-day side low on morale, especially after an embarassing 0-5 defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka earlier in the summer.”This was the poorest performance by any Pakistan team and considering England was the weakest one-day outfit,” Imran told AFP. “I am disappointed at the one-day series result. I am amazed at the result, this same England team was thrashed 5-0 by Sri Lanka in one-dayers three months ago.”England had earlier won the Test series 3-0 – which included a forfeited Test at The Oval due to ball-tampering allegations. Imran had blamed injury problems for Pakistan’s loss in the Tests, and also criticised Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, for not helping captain Inzamam-ul-Haq with a proper strategy.”It all boils down to strategy and where Inzamam-ul-Haq lacks, Woolmer fails to compensate,” he said. “Woolmer muddled things and it’s amazing that he has failed to find a suitable opening pair in two years. Pakistan is still the most dangerous team after Australia but they are losing one-day matches despite having world-class talent.”Pakistan had completed their longest overseas tour since 1992, with four Tests and five one-dayers, and Imran stated that fatigue could hardly be an excuse.”I am as surprised as anyone in the public how Pakistan lost. I don’t agree that players were tired due to a long tour, some of them were fresh and did not play in Tests.”Imran also disagreed with former captain Rashid Latif’s comments that Inzamam should retire from Tests and concentrate on ODIs in order to extend his career. “He still is the best man to lead as he is the best batsman around. Inzamam needs to formulate things and needs to have better planning while playing international cricket and results will be better.”

The idea of reverting the County Championship to a three-day format with 120-over days, as proposed by Jack Simmons, has received a lukewarm response from three chief executives contacted by Cricinfo. The consensus from them is that four-day cricket is working by providing a solid platform for young players to develop the skills needed for the international level and, if space is needed in the season, a one-day tournament needs to give away.Simmons, the former Lancashire chairman and current chairman of the ECB cricket committee, is proposing the change as a way of creating more run in the calendar for an expanded Twenty20 tournament. But the feeling from around the counties is that it would be a backward step for the game.”There are all sorts of things being discussed at the moment but from a personal point of view, and I’m not speaking for the club, three-day cricket brought a lot more contrived finishes and declaration bowling which I don’t think is what we want for the game,” said Tom Sears, the Derbyshire chief executive. “I don’t think it’s any coincidence that since we have gone to four-day cricket our young players – the likes of Alastair Cook and Monty Panesar – are equipping themselves at the top level far earlier.”Sears admits that it’s a tough job trying to create a fixture list that serves the best cricketing and commercial interests, but the major issue he sees is the prospect of 120-over days. “It’s a balancing act, from a commercial point of view about what is viable and also creating the best environment for our players to flourish,” he said. “And for 120 overs there would have to be a massive change in the over-rates for that to happen.”Gus Mackay, chief executive of defending county champions Sussex, says he hasn’t seen any documents relating to a move back to three-day cricket, but is of a similar view to Sears. “I haven’t seen any papers so can’t really comment, but what I would say is that four-day cricket is closest thing you will get to Tests,” he said. “It’s the breeding ground for the next generation of players. Two-divisional cricket is thriving, 120 overs would be a lot for a day, and I think if you want to create a window you need to look at some of the other competitions.”Instead of touching the Championship, the more favoured idea appears to be a change to the one-day structure of the domestic game. Currently there are three tournaments – the Friends Provident Trophy (50 overs), Pro40 and Twenty20 Cup – with the Pro40 not a favourite among players who don’t see its worth when 40-over matches aren’t played anywhere else.”I would do everything I could to preserve four-day cricket, I’m very happy with the current structure,” said Mark Newton, the Worcestershire chief executive. “It’s the other tournaments that need to be looked at, but in doing so we mustn’t alter the game too much. Twenty20 has been popular because it retains the basics of cricket.””It’s the first I have heard of it [the idea of three-day cricket], but my initial view would be that it would be a backward step,” he added. “I can see some merit in the idea in terms of creating more space, but the aim has always to be to replicate Test cricket. You hear the older former players saying it used to 20 overs an hour, but the game has changed and I’m not sure the players would want it either.”There was a note of support, however, from Essex chairman Nigel Hilliard even though he’d not heard anything about the proposal. “It’s news to us at Essex – I’ve not had it mentioned to me by anyone on any ECB board. Having said that, three-day cricket has always been something we’ve been in favour of at Essex.”There are all sorts of ideas being mooted at the moment but it won’t be until May 29th – the next ECB board meeting – that we will come together to discuss the future of the game in this country.”

Late to the party
Junaid Siddique has spent most of the ICC World Twenty20 warming the Bangladesh bench, but was finally given an outing in their last match of the tournament. He showed no fear, coming down the track at Sohail Tanvir, who has been Pakistan’s bowling find, and then pulling a short ball high into the stands at midwicket. Mohammad Asif also came in for some rough treatment when he over-pitched, and Bangladesh may just have been wishing Siddique had played earlier.Time to consolidate
Pakistan’s spinners struck back with quick wickets and most teams would have taken at least a few moments to reassess the situation before deciding on their next move. However, Siddique was having none of it. Two balls after Bangladesh lost a third wicket in three overs he came down the pitch and launched Mohammad Hafeez handsomely over long-on for consecutive sixes. By the time he was caught on the boundary he had Bangladesh’s highest individual score of the tournament.Take a blow
Mashrafe Mortaza hasn’t been too fond of getting in line when he’s at the crease, walking away towards square leg and aiming some agricultural heaves over midwicket. It was more of the same here, but on one occasion when Mortaza backed away Umar Gul followed him with a well-directed bouncer. Mortaza took a blow flush on the helmet. He picked up a leg-bye and unsurprisingly didn’t last much longer.Asif goes slow
Asif didn’t hit anywhere near top gear, perhaps aware that Pakistan had done the hard work and qualified for the semi-finals. His opening spell was barely medium pace, and he struggled with his line. When he returned for a second stint, however, wickets had tumbled and the batsmen were trying to see out the innings. He bowled an ultra-slow slower-ball at Mortaza, who found himself in a complete tangle and lost his leg stump. But it wasn’t Asif’s most distinguished spell of the tournament.When everyone else laughs
It’s a sight that makes team-mates and spectators cringe then giggle; a batsman getting hit in a very delicate area. Imran Nazir went to pull the third ball of the innings from Mortaza but failed to make contact and was struck right on the spot. He went down in slow-motion – and struggled to get up again. Fellow players gathered around and the physio came out to see what he could do, however there aren’t many options for this type of injury. After a couple of minutes Nazir decided he couldn’t carry on and hobbled off, and still had to stop half-way to catch his breath. He then spent a few minutes doubled up on the boundary edge before returning at the fall of the fifth wicket and guiding his team home.Butt goes to sleep
Bangladesh fought until the end of their involvement in the Twenty20. They executed a bizarre run-out against Salman Butt, who swung the ball into the leg side and completed a single before turning and thinking of a second. His partner, Nazir, sent him back and the throw was coming safely to the wicketkeeper’s end. Mushfiqur Rahim collected and noticed Butt was slow returning to his ground. He threw the ball to Mortaza who calmly removed the bails and Butt was gone.

Amy Satterthwaite and Rachel Priest are the new faces in the 13-member New Zealand squad for the Rose Bowl Series in Australia in July. Allrounder Suzie Bates is not available for the series, but she will join the side in England.Satterthwaite, the Canterbury allrounder, and Priest, the wicketkeeper-batsman from Central Districts, were both in the New Zealand A team last summer. Canterbury’s Beth McNeil has also been named for the Australian leg of the tour, which will include five ODIs and a Twenty20 match.Steve Jenkin, the New Zealand coach, said that the squad to England will contain several changes from the one which travels to Australia. “As well as Suzie’s return, Rachel Candy will join the squad [in England] for the first time, while Selena Charteris and Sarah Burke of Canterbury will replace Maria Fahey and Sophie Devine, who have told us they are unable to make the tour.” New Zealand will play six ODIs and three Twenty20 games against EnglandSquad
Haidee Tiffen (capt), Nicola Browne, Sophie Devine, Maria Fahey, Sara McGlashan, Beth McNeill, Aimee Mason, Rowan Milburn (wk), Louise Milliken, Rachel Priest (wk), Amy Satterthwaite, Sarah Tsukigawa, Helen Watson.

The West Indies Cricket Board “has killed or is killing” women’s cricket in the region, according to a former board employee who is calling on the ICC to intervene.Dr Michael Seepersaud, the former chief cricket development officer of the WICB under whose portfolio the women’s cricket fell and who is now the secretary of the West Indies Women’s Federation (WIWCF), believes that the WICB has fallen well short of the ICC mandate to integrate women’s cricket, saying: “It is doing very little.”Without much-needed funding and organisational support from the board, the once-strong women’s game will flounder, he believes – and it is already dying on its knees. “It’s a bleak situation,” he says.West Indies women haven’t played a game in two years and have no more matches scheduled until the next World Cup in 2009. If they fail to play any cricket in that time their place at the tournament is in serious jeopardy, as the ICC has minimum requirements for competing. They are supposed to host Pakistan and India later this year, but without funding the tours cannot take place. Unsurprisingly, the cricketers are in low spirits, as Dr Seepersaud says: “It’s affecting the morale of our players and administrators very badly.”West Indies do have some very good players coming through, and the side qualified automatically for the last tournament, while one of their best players, Nadine George, has recently received an MBE. Women’s cricket is the WICB’s responsibility, but the players are still required to pay their own travel costs to participate in regional tournaments, nevermind not being able to play international cricket.

In this year’s senior tournament, several territories, including Guyana, Grenada and others who have always participated, can’t afford to fly over to Barbados to take part. This situation, says Seepersaud, would never occur in the men’s game regardless of age.Funding used to come through an annual grant from the WICB of $100,000 per annum, which Seepersaud had secured when he was on the board. But when the WICB took over the women’s game, this sum was discontinued. It’s unlikely to be reinstated, either, as the board is $15million in debt.Under an ICC mandate, each board must look after the women’s game in its own country, but WICB has largely ignored the players since it took over in 2005. The board did provide some funding for the Under-19 inter-island competition which was held in Jamaica in 2006 – although the money didn’t cover airfares and accommodation. That, says Seepersaud, is encouraging but he believes it borders on tokenism where the process and funding are concerned. “The WICB must shed its old boys’ club image. We cannot continue to treat our women with this kind of disrespect.”He has also called on the ICC to put pressure on the WICB to designate some of the $11.5million generated by the World Cup to the women’s game to help keep it alive. “The ICC can’t sit idly by and allow the WICB to destroy women’s cricket in the region,” he says. “By taking over women’s cricket they have accepted responsibility for its development. They must step in to redress the situation.”The WICB Integration Steering Committee, which was established to manage the integration process jointly with the WIWCF, has met just twice since its formation in 2004. The WIWCF is entirely staffed by volunteers, who rack up hundreds of dollars in telephone bills between islands.The WIWCF has, says Seepersaud, the administrative capabilities to step in and save the proposed visit of Pakistan and India, but without any representation on the board, or access to the requisite funding, they are powerless to assist. “If they make X amount of funding available we will do it ourselves, but some full time employee of the WICB must be directed to provide the logistical and organisational support. The very least they could do is to reinstate the annual subvention.”

No money is currently available to the WIWCF even for executive meetings. Seepersaud says that he has requested less than $2000 for airfares with the executive looking after their own accommodation. Yet every time they have asked, the board has turned their request down. “We are not begging for anything. We just want an historical wrong to be righted, and for the women to take their rightful place.”Ironically, the ICC move was seen as a potential saviour of women’s cricket in the country. Before the merger, West Indies women had struggled to gain sponsorship to enable them to participate in the 2005 World Cup in South Africa. Governments and sponsors stepped in, and once there, they thrived.Seepersaud blames what he calls “the chauvinistic nature” of the WICB and the lack of leadership at the board and secretariat levels for the current malaise. In 2005, consultants from Ernst and Young recommended that women’s cricket be given a voice on the board, with one seat, but “that was kicked out in a very aggressive way.” He adds: “Yet a short time later the board expanded its membership by three – males, of course.”Perhaps the telling indication of the board’s attitude towards women’s cricket is that the WIWCF specifically, and women’s cricket generally, played no part in the recent World Cup in the Caribbean. The board invited the president to one match after lobbying from the WIWCF, but, again, Seepersaud believes that was tokenism. “I just don’t think that in the 21st century this kind of insult should be allowed.”