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The European Commission is poised to close the Kolpak loophole and allow the ECB to limit the number of non-European players taking part in county cricket.At present, several countries, most notably South Africa and some in the Caribbean, are signatories to the Cotonou treaty with the European Union, which was agreed in 2000. This has, until now, been interpreted as allowing freedom of labour for people from those countries inside the EU, and that has led to an explosion in the number of Kolpak players in county cricket. At present, there are approximately 64 on contract.At a conference this week, Michal Krejza, the head of the commission’s sports unit, said: “It is the decision of individual member states to admit Cotonou players, not the European Union.”This will give an opening for the ECB to take action and it may well be that it will now dip a toe in the water and start refusing Kolpak registrations, although it will not invalidate any existing contracts.”The Kolpak issue is an interesting one; our players are all on contracts that take them to at least 2010 so any change in the ruling I guess would have to be phased in,” David Smith, Leicestershire’s chief executive, told Cricinfo. “But it would have an impact on all sports in the longer term. I believe Kolpaks have added value to the county game.”

For the second year running, Lincs earned a third round Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy tie against a First Class county.But this time it was a close call as Cheshire came within four runs of snatching victory at Neston – and it was the final over bowled by captain Mark Fell which denied the home side the coveted third round clash.Earlier, having won the toss, Fell opened the batting with Cleethorpes’ overseas player Shane Deitz and the pair attacked the Cheshire bowling right from the first ball.Having put on 57 in a handful of overs, both were then dismissed, Fell bowled for 29 and Deitz lbw for 21 but this brought together Martyn Dobson and Richard Howitt who kept the momentum going with a stand of 84.And when Howitt was bowled for 31, the reliable Jonathan Trower joined Dobson in a partnership of 103 that ended when Dobson was caught for 90, which came off 118 balls.When Trower was stumped, having hit 67 off 54 balls, Lincs were 264 for five and at the close the total had reached 281 for seven.Simon Oakes and Jonathan Davies then denied Cheshire the chance to match Lincs’ flying start, both opening with maidens, and despite a first wicket stand of 122 between Currie and Bryson, the home side fell well behind the run rate.However, the dismissal of Bryson for 59, stumped off Dobson, saw Hignett’s arrival the crease and this turned the game, the number three hitting 84 off 56 balls and adding 122 with Currie before being bowled by Fell.Cheshire had 261 on the board when the third wicket went but the home side then lost the next three for the addition of only eight runs, Fell dismissing Currie for 94 and Oakes claiming his only victim.Fell struck again with the score on 274 and as he came in to bowl the last ball, the Lincs captain knew that, with a faster scoring rate off the first six overs, only a six from the batsman could lose his side the game. But instead the bails came off to give Fell four for 20 off five overs as Cheshire finished 277 for eight.Lincs now face several weeks wait to learn who they will face in the third round of the competition next May.

The second match of the season for me and we’ve won another toss; we’ll bat first again. East Shirley haven’t won a match yet and we want to gain an early advantage. Our openers establish a 100-run stand and we’re off to a good start. Lancaster Park total 219 for nine off 50 overs (Gould 50, Tiffen 53) and then bowl East Shirley out for 69 off 26 overs. A very good day in all departments.There are only four teams in the league – we play four rounds against each team so the next match was the second against St. Albans. First toss lost, first time that we had to field first. Our pitch is settling down nicely now, good even bounce if still a little green. Saints scored 194 for five off 50 overs after a strong start, slowing up in the later stages of their innings.I opened the batting with Tamara Gould, a promising 15-year-old (selected for the Canterbury full squad) who travels up to Christchurch from Lake Tekapo each Saturday (a three-hour trip each way). We establish another 100 opening stand, scoring 70 off the first 15 overs whilst the fielding restrictions are in place.I scored a good 78 before being caught in the covers and, after an intelligent 51 not out from Tiffen, we secured the game in the 48th over.After the match against Saints I travelled down to Geraldine for the two trial matches against Otago. Unfortunately the weather gods were not with us and both matches were rained out. The first after only 2.5 overs and the second after 28 overs with Otago struggling in awful conditions on 49 for nine. 14 will be selected for Canterbury training and the squad will be reduced later.Later that week I travelled over to the West Coast to help Haidee Tiffen with some development work. In her role as Women’s Development Officer for Canterbury Cricket she will visit each of the districts to promote women’s and girl’s cricket and set up small competitions.The scenery on the West Coast is amazing and the drive through the Lewis Pass – beautiful! Neither Reefton or Westport will top my list of must-see towns in New Zealand but the people were friendly and there was a good response to Haidee’s visit.First impressions of club cricket in Christchurch are good. The league is smaller and more matches seem to be competitive. On average the teams are younger than in England. I’m the oldest in my club at 27 which in England would put me in the middle.This leads I think to better fielding with most players able to field anywhere. The one outage could be in the slips – as the oldest in the team I’ve bagged that spot! There’s also less travelling involved in getting to matches, the longest trip is probably 15 minutes (except for those travelling up from the country!) which means higher availability as matches take up less weekend time.I’ve settled in well now. Canterbury training has started up and the next task is going to be combining that schedule with the England training schedule that I’ve been given. I’ll have to ensure that I get enough rest days to let my body recover since the emphasis is now on high intensity, power & speed building work.I’ve been exploring over the past couple of weeks; I have driven up the east coast very early in the morning to photograph sunrises and have been to the beaches of the west coast. I’m planning to go on a “tramp” – a Kiwi walking holiday whilst on my next training break.We’re not allowed to do anything hazardous so no bungee jumping, white-water rafting or winter sports, but there’s plenty of other things that I want to do whilst I’m over here.Last weekend’s match was against Riccarton. An awful day with a freezing wind and it had been raining overnight. We got to the pitch at 10am and agreed to return later that day to see if we could get a game in.Once the covers were off, the pitch and square dried quickly and we agreed to play a 40-over match. Riccarton scored 174 for five off their 40 and Lancaster Park took the match in the 38th over on 175 for five (Taylor 51, Tiffen 54*). Five matches into the season and Lancaster Park are unbeaten and top of the league!

A sample taken from random testing at the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League has tested positive, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has confirmed to Cricinfo. This is the first step of the verification process, Modi said, and there are several stages before a player is deemed to have failed the test.The tests were carried out by IDTM, a Sweden-based independent agency, in accordance with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standards after the IPL adopted the ICC’s anti-doping code. The samples were forwarded to a WADA-approved laboratory in Switzerland for testing. “Two days ago the IPL received a letter from the Swiss lab, mandated by WADA, which said one sample had tested positive,” Modi said. “The IPL will follow set procedures from now on.”The first step, he said, is to match the identity of the player with the sample. Next, the player’s form, filled out before the match, will be scrutinised for any pre-declared or prescribed drug by the IPL medical committee, consisting of an IDTM representative and Dr Anant Joshi; if that matches the drug found in the sample, the matter ends there and the player’s name won’t be revealed.If the medical committee investigation reveals the player had not applied or been granted an exemption for using the drug found in the sample, the player, the concerned IPL franchise and national board will be informed in writing of the positive test that violates the anti-doping code. The player has the right to request that his ‘B’ sample [supplied at the same time as the one that tested positive] be sent for analysis, which he and his representative can attend along with an IPL representative.If that too is positive, the matter will be taken up by the IPL’s drugs tribunal, comprising of Sunil Gavaskar, Dr Ravi Bapat (ex-Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences) and lawyer Shirish Gupte. The tribunal will study the issue and take a decision in accordance with the code. “This is just the procedure,” Modi said, “as of now we are at the first stage where one sample has tested positive. The issue is now with the IPL’s medical committee. The identity of the player will matter only after we check on the pre-declared drugs.”The ICC, in a release, said it had been informed of the “adverse analytical finding” and that it was the responsibility of the ICC member, in this case the BCCI, to deal with the process. The ICC stated it will “be closely monitoring the situation to ensure the correct action is taken by the BCCI”, and “retains a right of appeal if any penalty that may be imposed is inconsistent with the WADA code”.

A late run of form in the Norwich Union League might have come too late to save them from relegation, but Durham Dynamos have recorded their second win this week, beating Nottinghamshire Outlaws by seven wickets at Trent Bridge.The Outlaws, who themselves are already relegated, began well enough with Darren Bicknell (64) and Usman Afzaal (75) putting on 145 for the first wicket. But then it all went wrong and the later batsmen failed to capitalise on that good start and the Outlaws were restricted to 229 for six in their 45 overs.It was the Australian pairing of Ashley Thorpe with 53 and Brad Hodge who made 91 that got the Dynamos purring along towards victory by seven wickets with three overs and a ball to spare.

Australia will continue its build-up for the 2003 Cricket World Cup withSuper Challenge II, a three-match series against Pakistan in June to betelecast exclusively on the Nine Network.The series could also decide who is the world’s fastest bowler withPakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar and Australian paceman Brett Lee bothexpected to play.Super Challenge II will see two matches played under the closed roof ofMelbourne’s Colonial Stadium on Wednesday, June 12 and Saturday, June 15and a third game at The Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday, June 19. Allgames will be day-night matches telecast live by Nine’s Wide World ofSports.The concept is similar to the Super Challenge staged in August 2000 whenAustralia and South Africa become the first teams to play aninternational in an enclosed stadium.With the three-game series falling in the winter football season,Colonial Stadium will be transformed to make it suitable forinternational cricket. The Australian Cricket Board will use a “drop-in”pitch prepared under hothouse conditions at Seymour in Victoria.In Brisbane, a pre-existing wicket will be prepared in co-operation withthe tenant AFL club, the Brisbane Lions.The Wide World of Sports coverage of Game 1 of Super Challenge II willbegin on Wednesday, June 12 at 2.00pm.Simon O’Donnell will host Nine’s broadcasts with Mark Taylor, Ian Healy,Tony Greig, Bill Lawry and Ian Chappell calling the action. RichieBenaud is unavailable due to commitments with Channel 4 in the UK.Also joining Nine’s commentary team for the series will be Mark Waugh,Australia’s leading run-getter in one-day internationals with 8500 runsat an average of 39.35 and a strike rate of 76.83.Wide World of Sports will also use the two matches at Colonial Stadiumto install a new camera position within the closed roof showing anoverhead view of the pitch and the action below.Super Challenge II Telecast TimesGame 1: Wednesday, June 12 at Colonial Stadium: 2.00pm to 6.00pm and7.00pm to 10.15pmGame 2: Saturday, June 15 at Colonial Stadium: 1.00pm to 4.45pm, 5.15pmto 6.00pm and 6.30pm to 9.15pmGame 3: Wednesday, June 19 at The Gabba: 2.00pm to 6.00pm and 7.00pm to10.15pm* Times are AEST. Viewers should check local guides for full telecastdetails.

Leckford all rounder Andy Cattle’s excellent start to the season has been rewarded with him receiving the player of the month award for May in Division 3 of the Southern Electric Premier League.Cattle’s left arm spin has propelled him to the top of the league’s leading wicket takers table with 14 victims to date, including a spell of 6 for 28 at Portsmouth.”I’m delighted that Andy has picked up this well deserved award”, said Leckford captain/secretary Simon Reeves, pictured presenting Cattle with the gong.”Everyone at Leckford is chuffed to bits that a ‘local lad’ has had his efforts recognised. I’m sure that if this form continues Andy will be looking to finish the season near the top of the bowling charts in the SPL.”I just hope that his batting average becomes higher than his bowling average soon!”

The West Indies has traditionally been regarded as the cradle of fearsome fast bowling, and each of the four speedsters picked by the Indian selectors for the upcoming tour will be relishing his prospects of bowling there. Particularly active in licking his lips will be Ashish Nehra, one of two left-arm seamers in the squad.Coming back into the side after an injury, Nehra will be looking to establish himself as the premier exponent of swing bowling in the country. A few days before the squad’s departure, Nehra spent an hour chatting with fans on , fielding their questions about his career, plans and thoughts.”Our Test side has been performing quite well in the recent past,” said Nehra about the current crop of Test cricketers. “During the Zimbabwe and England tours, the team played quite well.”This observation naturally prompted a query on India’s poor record in series away from home. Nehra answered the question diplomatically. “Overseas our players have performed well, but at times have lost by a close margin,” he said. “But we are in high spirits and give in our best at all times.”Nehra took some questions on his teammates for the upcoming tour as well. “Everyone knows his potential, and we hope that he does well,” he said of VVS Laxman. He also had words of praise for Dinesh Mongia. “He is a very promising cricketer and is currently in a very good knick.”Virender Sehwag, sidelined with a shoulder injury sustained during the India-Zimbabwe one-day series, is Nehra’s teammate and close friend at ONGC, and the lanky fast-bowler was quite sure they would miss him. “Sehwag has been ruled out of selection because he has not fully recovered from his injury. He is a great player, and I hope that he is back in the side for the one-dayers.”Questioned about his compatriots in the bowling department, Nehra delivered fulsome praise. “It is good to see Anil Kumble back in the side. He is one of the best spinners in the world,” he said. Shifting his focus for a moment to the one-day arena, Nehra added, “I think Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar are two of the best bowlers in the slog overs. Javagal Srinath is also very experienced.”The tour of the West Indies is one of India’s best chances to win a series abroad, coming as it does against a weak opposition and at a time when almost all of India’s stars are fit. Nehra recognised this and said, “I think we should do well in this series. We have a good side.” He was certainly unequivocal about his own role in the mission. “I will give my best to do well in the West Indies. It feels great to play for my country again, and I hope I can live up to everyone’s expectations.”

James Foster, Essex’s wicketkeeper and captain, and Steven Croft, the Lancashire allrounder, have agreed to play in New Zealand’s Twenty20 competition with the Northern Knights. Foster will replace Peter McGlashan, who announced his retirement in July, behind the stumps for the Knights’ 2012-13 HRV Cup campaign.Both Foster, who played for England during the 2009 World Twenty20, and Croft, named in England’s provisional 30-man squad for the ongoing tournament in Sri Lanka, are experienced T20 performers. Scott Styris, the Knights captain, played alongside Foster at Essex between 2010 and 2011 and welcomed his arrival.”He’s a tremendous signing for us,” Styris said. “He topped the MVP table after the group stages of the UK T20 competition and was called the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the world by Essex coach, Paul Grayson, such is the high regard in which he is held in the United Kingdom. He’s also a like-for-like replacement for Peter McGlashan, which is ideal from our perspective.”Styris has also been a team-mate of Croft’s, during the Lancashire man’s spell at Auckland Aces in 2008-09. Croft said: “I loved playing in New Zealand the last time I was there so I’m really looking forward to coming to Northern Districts and playing some T20 cricket. I want to continue developing my game and hopefully push my way into the England T20 side.”Foster was Essex’s leading T20 run-scorer on their way to a quarter-final defeat last season, scoring 270 runs at a strike-rate of 165.64. His record of 15 sixes in the competition was only bettered by Yorkshire’s David Miller, who hit 21. Croft hit 313 runs at a strike-rate of 129.33 and an average of 62.60, putting him fourth on the Friends Life t20 runs list despite Lancashire not making it to the knockout stages.Grant Bradburn hoped the additions would boost his side’s HRV Cup chances. “We’re the Plunket Shield champions, we’ve won the one-day title in recent years and even won the Cricket Max trophy when it was played,” Northern Districts’ head coach said. “But Twenty20 honours have steadfastly eluded us and we’re very determined to set that right.”Northern Districts CEO, David Cooper, said: “Filling the sudden void left by Peter McGlashan’s pre-season retirement was obviously of some urgency for us and we are very pleased to have been able to attract such a highly experienced, competitive player as James Foster so quickly. Steven Croft’s Twenty20 nous and experience was likewise very attractive as we look to succeed in the only format in which silverware has eluded us.”While Foster and Croft will join the Knights towards the end of October, ahead of their HRV Cup opener against Otago Volts on November 2, Northern Districts will be without the services of Hamish Marshall this season. Marshall, 33, who is based in the UK where he plays for Gloucestershire, will remain at home to be with his wife for the birth of their second child, due in January.”I’m spending the winter here training with the Gloucester squad and doing my level 3 coaching certificate,” Marshall said. “Surviving the English winter will be a challenge and I wish the lads all the best over the season.”

Kushil Gunasekera was appointed by the Interim Committee last night to act as the Coordinating Secretary for the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL).Gunasekera, a successful businessman, has assumed a low profile in Sri Lankan cricket during the last eight months after resigning from the board in May 2000 because of a personal conflict with Dammika Ranatunga, the Chief Executive at the time.He is widely respected as a cricket administrator, however, after his untiring efforts as Tournament Secretary in the Under 19 World Cup, which was staged in Sri Lanka in January 2000