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The creation of a participation window for New Zealand cricketers in the IPL and the establishment of a players’ retirement fund are among the salient features of an eight-year agreement between the national board, the players association and the six major domestic associations.Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief, hailed the “ground-breaking” eight-year term of the deal that he said would provide stability to the country’s cricketing structure. “Through the eight years $65 million is guaranteed to fund grassroots cricket and a further $25 million is ring-fenced for NZC reserves. These elements underwrite the future of cricket in this country.”The long-term approach has allowed all parties to plan with certainty for the future and ensure that investment levels can be maintained into grassroots cricket. This is particularly important considering the significant changes we have seen to the shape of cricket in recent times,” Vaughan said.Heath Mills, executive manager of the New Zealand Cricket Players Association welcomed the partnership and said the new arrangement would help retain players for national duty. “The negotiating parties have worked hard to create an outcome which is good for cricket, good for players and secures the future of the game – and we believe we have achieved that,” he said.The agreement is arranged around a new financial model, with professional cricket assuming the risk to guarantee the funding to grassroots cricket and support functions, but also being incentivised to grow NZC’s financial return.

Key features of the new agreement:

• An eight-year term lasting through August 2018
• All calculations within the new agreement are based on an eight-year commercial revenue forecast for NZC of approximately $360 million
• $152 million will be guaranteed from professional cricket during the term of the new agreement to underpin the game at all levels in New Zealand, including:
  • $65 million of guaranteed funding to grassroots cricket (From 2002- 2010, approximately $40-45 million was invested in grassroots cricket)
  • The ring-fencing of $25 million to NZC reserves from the hosting of the 2015 World Cup
• A “risk and reward” model, whereby in return for providing certainly to amateur funding and absorbing any financial shortfall, the professional game then receives a far greater share of any revenues achieved above forecast
• Revenue generated above forecast will be split 65:35 in favour of the player pool for the first $60 million and 50:50 beyond that
• The provision of a player payment pool equating to 27% of NZC revenue in the first four years of the agreement and 28.1% in the second four years
• Contract retainers and match fees at international level remain the same as the last agreement in Year 1 and then increase by 2.5% per annum thereafter
• Contract retainers and match fees at domestic level increase modestly in Year 1 with contract retainers then increasing by 2.5% per annum, and match fees also increase modestly per annum
• The establishment of a retirement fund
• A partnership approach to the management of professional cricket, including the establishment of a Professional Cricket Advisory Board to advise on management of the professional cricket environment (while the parties continue to maintain their existing core decision-making rights and responsibilities)
• A clear participation window for New Zealand players to participate in the annual Indian Premier League if they secure contracts from participating teams
• An increase in the number of players contracted per team by Major Associations from 12 to 15 over the course of the first four years of the agreement
• The introduction of a contract elevation system whereby players who do not have contracts at international or domestic level will be able to earn a contract once they’ve played a certain number of matches at the respective level

ScorecardSussex skipper Michael Yardy scored his first four-day hundred of the season to guide his side to a draw in their County Championship match against Division Two opponents Surrey at Guildford. The left-hander got there in style with a maximum as Sussex reached 275 for 6 in their second innings, the players shaking hands with the visitors 200 in front.It was not enough to prevent his side losing their top-of-the-table status after Glamorgan’s win over Worcestershire put them a point clear, but Yardy will have been satisfied with the outcome after his side had been outplayed for large parts of the contest.Sussex began the final day 39 for 2 and still 36 runs in arrears and made the worst possible start when Chris Tremlett’s lifter flew off the shoulder of Michael Thornely’s bat and was taken in the gully off the first ball of the day. Ed Joyce and Murray Goodwin cleared the deficit but the lead was just seven runs when Ed Joyce was bowled round his legs sweeping the off-spin of Gareth Batty.Sussex suffered another blow just before lunch when Meaker, who was the pick of Surrey’s seam attack, yorked Murray Goodwin to leave Sussex 94 for 5, a lead of just 19. But that was Surrey’s last success for 32 overs as Yardy and Ben Brown, who was playing in only his fourth Championship game, turned things around.Yardy offered one chance on 19 but Matthew Spriegel, who had earlier dropped Goodwin at third slip before he had scored, failed to hold on to a low catch. He played with increasing confidence thereafter and Brown soon settled down to give him excellent support in a partnership of 108 in 32 overs, the highest of this low-scoring game.Surrey took the new ball as soon as it became available and Meaker quickly struck when Brown was caught behind driving loosely for 52, made off 96 balls with five fours.There were still 32 overs remaining and Sussex’s lead was only 127 but Surrey’s hopes of quickly polishing off their tail after tea ebbed away as Yasir Arafat joined Yardy in another productive partnership.Yardy went to his hundred with his second six, struck down the ground off Meaker, and he finished unbeaten on 100 off 157 balls having added an unbeaten 73 for the seventh wicket.Meaker finished with 4 for 86 but Surrey were hampered by the absence of Jade Dernbach who was forced off with a shoulder injury before returning to the attack later in the day.

ScorecardMichael Carberry and Neil McKenzie scored centuries as Hampshire built an impressive first innings lead over Kent at the Rose Bowl.Carberry, who made his first Test appearance against Bangladesh in March, reminded selectors of his quality by making 158 while South African Veteran McKenzie scored 113. In reply to Kent’s 251 made on the first day, Hampshire ended 153 ahead at 404 for 5 and the home side firmly in control.In contrast to the opening day, there was little in the pitch to encourage the Kent bowlers who were reduced in strength by Amjad Khan’s injury. As a result Kent Captain Robert Key used seven bowlers including the occasional spin of Martin van Jaarsveld.Hampshire lost only one wicket from the start of play when they were 51 for 2 until after tea when both centurions were dismissed. The only man to go was nightwatchman James Tomlinson who had made 11 when he guided Simon Cook to wicketkeeper Geraint Jones.Carberry and McKenzie dominated the Kent attack with McKenzie straight driving Malinga Bandara for the game’s first six on his way to his second century of his Hampshire career and his 35th in total.Hampshire were 312 for 3 at tea and with the Kent attack already looking the worse for wear after a long day in the field. But just when it seemed as though they might never be parted McKenzie got an outside edge to a delivery from Cook and gave James Hockley a catch at second slip.McKenzie hit 13 fours in an innings of 213 balls and his stand of 254 was the biggest by any Hampshire batsman against Kent. They beat international stars Gordon Greenidge and Barry Richards who put together an unbeaten 242 in 1973.Carberry did not last much longer but after hitting a season’s best 158 gave Robbie Joseph a wicket when he touched a delivery to wicketkeeper Jones. Carberry faced 261 bowls and hit 23 fours when he was fifth out but still there was no respite for the Kent bowlers.James Vince and Nick Pothas took Hampshire beyond the 400 mark before stumps to set up a strong chance of completing only their second LV= County Championship win of the season.

Australia have arrived in Ireland for the opening match of their tour of the British Isles, but they will have to shake off some rust ahead of the ODIs against England. They begin with a one-off one-day international against Ireland on Thursday and Cameron White conceded the Australians might be out of practice, having had a month off since the World Twenty20.”There probably will be a little bit [of rustiness], no doubt against Ireland,” White told AAP. “The important thing is by the time were down to Southampton we should be up and going and ready to go. The three or four weeks that everyone has had since the World Cup will be good and hopefully we can hit the ground running.”The five-match series against England begins at the Rose Bowl next Tuesday, before the Australians move on to two Twenty20s and two Tests against Pakistan. The Ireland game will be an especially useful warm-up for the six members of the squad who were not in the World Twenty20 group, including the captain Ricky Ponting.The pitch in Dublin is likely to be slow and low, which could help Ireland become more competitive. The Ireland veteran Trent Johnston said his colleagues were aiming to give the visitors as tough an introduction as possible on their six-week tour.”When we get out there and execute our plans the way we want to we can be a pretty dangerous team,” Johnston said. “The last thing they’ll want to do is play England after being beaten by Ireland.”We’re not going to kid ourselves, the 11 guys will have to play the games of their lives to be close to Australia. People didn’t give us much chance of beating England last August and we should have beaten them, we lost by three runs; that was quite disappointing. We’re going to get out there and give it a go, that’s all we can do.”

The low intensity of floodlights at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium has been a talking point during the Asia Cup, and it could be a factor in Thursday’s final as well. Kumar Sangakkara, the home team’s captain, thought it was important enough to bowl first in the dead rubber against India on Tuesday so that his side could get some batting time under the floodlights.The Sri Lankan board has been surprised by the complaints from players and insists it has done all it had to before the start of the tournament. “There have been plenty of day-night matches at Dambulla before and there have been no official complaints about the lights then,” Ashley de Silva, the Sri Lanka Cricket’s head of cricket operations, told Cricinfo. “We just had to check whether the floodlights worked.”The game’s governing body, the ICC, which has no direct involvement in the operational running of the Asia Cup, has elaborate guidelines on floodlight parameters from the necessary illumination of different parts of the playing area to the positioning of the towers.The complaints about the quality of Dambulla’s floodlights started on the opening day of the tournament, when Lasith Malinga said they were not up to international standard. It continued with Gautam Gambhir, Man of the Match in the gripping game against Pakistan, who said after the victory: “I wasn’t able to pick the spinners at all, it was impossible to pick them from the hand. The light has to improve.”Sangakkara said the batsmen needed to be more watchful while batting under lights at Dambulla. “You can’t exactly get into a rhythm as a batsman and keep hitting the ball the same way,” he said. “You’ve got to watch the ball really closely and, with the lights, that’s not an easy task once the colour goes off the ball.”Except in the final league game when Sangakkara experimented, all teams that have won the toss have decided to bat, wary of the bowler-friendly conditions and light later in the day.

Match Facts

Saturday, May 22
Start time 09.30 (13.30 GMT)JP Duminy will be keen to find his lost form in the ODIs•AFP

The Big Picture

The two teams began the tour with an aim to resume on a successful note after their exit during the Super Eights stage of the World Twenty20. While South Africa have recovered, West Indies have found ways to ensure victory remained elusive. Twice have they floundered chasing gettable scores – and this is virtually the same squad as the one picked for the global tournament that preceded this tour – despite possessing players of experience and those with a style and power valued hugely in the shortest format.The 50-over version, however, must come as a relief, allowing Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul greater time to build their innings, while giving a misfiring top order, including captain Chris Gayle, an opportunity to rediscover lost touch. On the other hand, West Indies are up against their tormentors on the ODI circuit, having lost their previous six 50-over contests against South Africa in the last three years.For South Africa, the performances of David Miller and Ryan McLaren were the highlights, and they will watch keenly their transition and development in the longer format, with the 2011 World Cup less than a year away.

Form guide (most recent first)

West Indies: WWWWW (Against Zimbabwe, Canada and Ireland)
South Africa: WLLLW

Watch out for…

After a slew of Twenty20 games which gave little time for batsmen to get their eye in, JP Duminy will welcome the extended playing hours, looking to indulge in picking off runs more through placement than power, and starting afresh in a new format following a disappointing run since the start of the year.”Kieron Pollard, in my opinion, is not a cricketer,” said Michael Holding, whose distaste for the Twenty20 format is well known. But those words from a West Indies great must sting an allrounder, who has never quite lived up to his reputation while playing for his national side. A bumper signing during the IPL and the subsequent success in the league left a lot expected from Pollard during the World Twenty20, but he failed to perform. When Gayle called on “individuals” to take more responsibility, Pollard should have been listening.

Team news

Andre Fletcher has had little to show with the bat and West Indies, with their already limited options, could be tempted to look to Denesh Ramdin.West Indies (possible): 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Narsingh Deonarine, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Sulieman Benn, 10 Jerome Taylor, 11 Kemar Roach.Jacques Kallis and Charl Langeveldt are on South Africa’s injured list. If Kallis isn’t fit for tomorrow’s game, Hashim Amla could get a look in.South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Loots Bosman/Jacques Kallis/ Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis/ Hashim Amla, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 David Miller, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Ryan McLaren, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Roelof van der Merwe, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Quotes

“It’s up to the individual. They have to look into themselves and try and redeem themselves as quickly as possible. I can’t do it for them.”
“It was great for us to see a guy come into the side, and play so well under pressure. It was a breath of fresh air to see him walk to the crease, and hit his sixth ball for six, and play his natural game.”

Sri Lanka were the most consistent team in last year’s World Twenty20, moving into the final unbeaten before falling to an inspired Pakistan outfit at Lord’s. This time they are left knowing only a victory against Zimbabwe will keep them in the tournament, and even then it will require a nervous wait for the outcome of the final match in the group.The game against New Zealand was always a nip-and-tuck affair although Sri Lanka had the bowling attack to defend 135. When the spinners strangled the middle of the chase it looked as though they would do just that, but on this occasion Lasith Malinga’s skills at the death weren’t quite up to their best.”You’d probably back him more times than not,” said coach Trevor Bayliss. “Having said that, it shouldn’t have got down to the last over and all being on Lasith’s shoulders. It’s certainly not his fault.”It wasn’t the happiest of afternoons for Malinga, who missed two run-out chances in the field. A wild throw from Malinga at point in the sixth over meant Kumar Sangakkara couldn’t gather the ball, then in the final over he missed an underarm flick towards the stumps from a couple of yards away with Daniel Vettori stranded. In the end, the small errors added up for Sri Lanka.”We were a little off our game in most departments,” said Bayliss. “Our batting didn’t score as many runs in the first six overs as we normally do, our fielding could have been a bit better. It wasn’t too bad, but not quite good enough at this level.”This was never likely to be a high-scoring match, but Sri Lanka’s lack of early momentum with the bat had allowed New Zealand an early hold on the game. After six overs they were 36 for 1 and 30 of those had come from the blade of the promoted Mahela Jaywardene, opening for the first time in a Twenty20 international. At the other end the going had been much tougher.Tillakaratne Dilshan has come into this tournament amid much hype after his prolific form over the last year, but he struggled during the IPL with 44 runs from six innings before being dropped by Delhi Daredevils. His lack of touch was soon apparent as he couldn’t get the ball off the square against the combination of Nathan McCullum’s offspin and Shane Bond’s pace. When he fell for 3 from 19 deliveries – the slowest strike-rate for a Sri Lanka Twenty20 innings – Jayawardene, who was in supreme IPL form despite Kings XI Punjab’s poor event, had 30 from 15.”Every batter goes through a bit of a lean trot,” said Bayliss. “In the last 18 months Dilshan has been unbelievable and you can’t have that sort of form and not be able to score runs. I’m sure in the next game or two we’ll see the best of him.”And Bayliss also had a very simple answer to how Sri Lanka will approach the tournament from here. “If we win every game from here we’ll be champions.” But there’s no room for anymore mistakes.undefined

Australia 231 & 35 for 0 lead New Zealand 264 (Taylor 138, Johnson 4-59) by 2 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ross Taylor takes in the applause after scoring New Zealand’s quickest Test hundred•Getty Images

Ross Taylor raced to New Zealand’s fastest Test century but the hosts failed to support their red-hot team-mate and the sides finished almost level after two days. New Zealand earned a slender 33-run advantage after Taylor’s 138 off 104 balls took them towards 264, a first-innings total which could have been so much stronger.Shane Watson, who survived a reviewed lbw appeal from Brent Arnel, drove well to be 28 while Simon Katich was 6 as Australia went to stumps at 35 for 0. Bad light ended play 24 overs early and the visitors will begin day three two runs ahead.While Taylor exploded in a jaw-dropping display, Australia were able to pick up regular breakthroughs, often through Mitchell Johnson, even though they gave Taylor three lives. Taylor reached his century in 81 deliveries, beating the 82-ball effort of Daniel Vettori against Zimbabwe, and blasted four sixes and 19 fours. He wanted to show his side would not be intimidated by Australia and he wasn’t, but not many of his team-mates shared the belief.In the first session Taylor received help from the opener BJ Watling, who worked hard over his 46, but that was the second highest score as the rest were unable to contribute more than Tim Southee’s late 22. When Taylor was around boundaries rained and his fireworks were more suited to a one-day or Twenty20 instead of a lazy Test Sunday in Hamilton.Having been missed on 7, 53 and 92, he knew it was his day so he kept on swinging, majestically at times and wildly at others. A fierce cut through point took him to 99 and the century came with a slice over the slips cordon.He mixed some memorable boundaries – his driving between mid-on and cover off the fast bowlers was delightful – with streaky shots, but the combination made it an exceptional performance. Following his third reprieve, when Watson missed a regulation edge at first slip, Taylor quickly brought up his century and things really got ugly for the visitors.Nathan Hauritz, the offspinner, was pounded for 25 in an over as Taylor launched three sixes in a row over midwicket, the sightscreen and midwicket again. It would have been worse if Watson hadn’t taken a catch on the boundary edge and thrown it back into the field athletically before he crossed the boundary, saving five runs. New Zealand hadn’t passed Australia’s total at that stage and were six down, but the Australian shoulders were slumping during the onslaught. By the end of the day their outlook was much brighter than the conditions.The first miss came when Taylor edged Ryan Harris between Watson and Ricky Ponting, with neither man going for the ball. He followed up by driving Johnson for four through the offside twice in two balls in a brutal response to a costly fielding error.Taylor continued to leap forward and pulled Watson to midwicket before bringing up his half-century with a six to midwicket. The milestone arrived in an astonishing 34 balls and he didn’t slow much on the way to his fifth Test hundred.Hauritz came on in the first session to goad Taylor, who swiped at his third ball, and Johnson missed a relatively simple chance above his head at mid-on. The second life led Taylor to add to Australia’s misery by slashing three offside boundaries off Doug Bollinger’s next over. Ponting was starting to scowl and chew his finger nails, but a strong second innings on the third day can eliminate his concerns.Lumped with the tail, Taylor was responsible for scrapping as many runs as possible but the task eventually became too risky. His innings ended when he attempted to pull Bollinger and collected an under-edge that was taken by Brad Haddin. Originally given not out, his decision was referred to the third umpire and Hot Spot showed the fine nick. It was so fine Taylor didn’t think he’d touched it and he shook his head as he departed.Taylor walked out in the morning with New Zealand 30 for 2 after Mathew Sinclair (11) was bowled by Johnson’s searing yorker. He put on 84 with Watling at more than a run a ball and there were 124 runs and three wickets in 26 overs during an eventful session. The pace continued with another 121 before the innings ended to signal the tea break.Watling played a handful of memorable shots through the off side off the back foot, and was a useful partner for Taylor until he played-on to Bollinger. Martin Guptill (4) and Vettori (15) fell to Harris either side of lunch while Brendon McCullum (5) and Jeetan Patel (7) both edged Johnson to Ponting.The tail delayed the hosts for a short time, with Southee hooking Johnson for six behind square before running out of partners. Johnson led the attack with 4 for 59 while Bollinger and Harris chipped in with three each. It was an innings to forget for Hauritz, who gave up 68 in 13 overs, but there was damage delivered by both sides on the second day.

Match facts

February 21, 2010
Start time 14:30 local (09.00 GMT)A few young India hopefuls have an opportunity to shine•AFP

The Big Picture

The Test series wasn’t closely fought – both teams won by an innings- in the conventional sense but the matches were intense and dramatic contests. It has, thus, left everybody hoping that the ODIs will be as interesting. Some key players are missing from both India and South Africa but, as Australia proved on their last trip here, the absence of personnel can be overcome.For India, who were beaten by a severely-depleted Australian team, this is a chance to raise their limited-overs game to a level they are capable of. Their last ODI outing was a tri-series in Bangladesh, where they lost in the final to Sri Lanka, who reopened some old wounds. The pitch had something for the seamers and the Indian batting line-up folded cheaply. South Africa might not get the pitches necessary to exploit India’s vulnerability but it’s bound to be an interesting battle.This three-match series will offer a greater Test for South Africa. They will miss Graeme Smith and without him the top order, even with the inclusion of the in-form Hashim Amla, doesn’t have the same strength. Much will depend on AB de Villiers, who had a quiet Test series, if they are to put up totals around 300.The first game is huge for India ahead of the 2011 World Cup as Jaipur has faced some terror threats and the cricket world will be watching how the security issue is handled. It’s been reported that there will be unprecedented levels of security: the Indian Air Force will be manning the skies and the police have divided the city into five centers – the airport, the route leading to the hotel and stadium, the team hotel, and one each inside and outside the stadium.

Form guide (last five completed games, most recent first)

India LWWWL
South Africa LWLWW

Watch out for…

Yusuf Pathan: Will he finally prove what he is capable of in the international arena? Yusuf has done well in the IPL and a few Twenty20s but hasn’t showcased his big-hitting prowess in ODIs. The flat pitches should suit him but South Africa are bound to test him with short, lifting deliveries which have troubled him in the past. He is in great form, though, having made a stunning double-hundred in the Duleep Trophy final and a 40-ball hundred – the third fastest in List A games – in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match.AB de Villiers: He had an ordinary Test series but the ODIs might bring out his best. De Villiers is one of the best in the art of building an ODI innings and the Indian audience might get to see the best of him.

Team news

Both teams have been hit hard by injuries: South Africa will miss Smith while India don’t have Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan. India’s injuries present more opportunities to the likes of Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina to cement their places in the side. Kohli had a superb outing in the tri-series in Bangladesh and the pressure is on Raina, whose stock slipped after a poor ICC World Twenty20.South Africa: (probable) 1 Herschelle Gibbs, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Jacques Kallis (capt), 5 Loots Bosman, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Morne Morkel, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Johan Botha, 11 Charl Langeveldt.India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 Amit Mishra/R Ashwin, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Sreesanth.

Pitch and conditions

“We’ve prepared a batting wicket. It is a 270 wicket,” curator Taposh Chatterjee said. In the last game played here, India nearly chased Pakistan’s 306 and one can expect another run-fest. However, dew is expected to play a role and the teams batting second might have an advantage.

Stats and trivia

The Sharjah Cricket Stadium, which has hosted the most number of ODIs, has been named Afghanistan’s “home ground” for ODI and first-class cricket. The grant was made by a prominent patron of cricket in the UAE, Abdulrahman Bukhatir.”Bearing in mind the difficulties they have in Afghanistan, the cricketers deserve to have a place somewhere where they can come and feel that they are at home, ” Bukhatir was quoted as saying in an Asian Cricket Council (ACC) media release. “Here they have good local support and they can make use of all the practice facilities in Sharjah Stadium, the gymnasium and nets as well as the grounds at Al Dhaid Cricket Village.”Afghanistan are currently playing Canada in Sharjah. They recently qualified for this year’s ICC World Twenty20, beating Ireland by eight wickets in the final of the World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai, where they were well supported. They received ODI status last year, but fell short of qualifying for the 2011 World Cup.”Afghanistan is not only the team doing the best at present in the developing world of cricket, they are also the team with the most potential,” ACC chief Syed Ashfaqul Haq said. “Being able to practise and play with frequency at Sharjah, to be able to invite other teams to their new ‘home ground’ can only help them improve as cricketers.”UAE Cricket Board administrator Mazhar Khan said: “7000 Afghan fans is what we have come to expect at every big match featuring Afghanistan in the UAE and giving Afghanistan use of Sharjah and Al Dhaid is not only a feather in the cap for cricket here but a revitalisation of cricket in the country. Sharjah Cricket Stadium, having marked its 200th ODI this week, is on course to keep on adding to this mark.”