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The Indian Premier League released on Tuesday its revised guidelines for media coverage of the inaugural tournament, formally withdrawing some of the original contentious clauses but maintaining its hardline stand on websites – they will not have access to photographs and their representatives will not be allowed into the venue during matches.The new guidelines were made public late in the evening, so there were no immediatereactions from the media industry, which had strongly condemned the earlier version.That prompted a meeting on Monday between IPL officials and senior journalists, atwhich some of the revisions were discusses. The revisions include the following:a.. A newspaper or a news agency can carry stand-alone still pictures of theTwenty20 matches in the print media and their websites without changing ormorphing, and for editorial reporting purposes only
b.. The IPRs of any publication shall not be restricted in terms of the clausewhich says that the accredited party should not use material which could challengeand damage the IPR of IPL
c.. The images should not be used in direct association with any marks, names orlogos of any third party and no part or whole of the image should be superimposedon
d.. No online use or publication or syndication of any such still photographicimage is allowed except for the website of the publication
e.. In place of the original condition that the IPL was entitled to use andreproduce any and all photographs of the accredited party, which should beuploaded on the IPL website by the latter within 24 hours, the IPL now says it mayrequest publications to provide for use and reproduction, free of charge,photographs from the publications
However, the revised guidelines reiterate the IPL’s stand vis-à-vis websites – notincluding those that are online versions of print publications – on tournamentcoverage. Website reporters, though granted accreditation, will be given access tothe venue the day before the match and for post match press conferences only – notduring matches.They also bar photographers from news agencies or other organisations from supplyingphotographs to these websites. No alternative provision has been specified forwebsites to source their pictures from, though on Monday the IPL said it was settingup a databank that could be accessed by these sites.The IPL also extended the deadline for media accreditations by two days till Thursday.

The complete, complex details behind Brian Lara’s decision to bring an end to his celebrated career before the time schedule he himself had set may never be suitably explained. Yet they are not difficult to surmise. As recently as the start of the World Cup, Lara had enthusiastically spoken of batting on to 40, even if only in Test cricket. A series in England, against opponents who were the recipients of his incredible record scores of 375 and 400 not out and much other misery besides, beckoned. Instead, he will now be following it from beyond the boundary.The reasons can at least be partially gleaned from the circumstances of the exit of another phenomenal West Indian batsman and captain of the preceding generation. They are comparable, indeed almost identical. Sixteen years ago, aged 39, Viv Richards, whose influence on West Indies and world cricket was as impactful as Lara’s, played the last of his 121 Test matches, against England at the Oval in London, a choice he had made known some months earlier.He left the field after his final innings to a standing ovation. Situated, as the Oval is, in the heart of London’s Caribbean community, the farewell was long and emotional, if not what it is bound to be for Lara today on hallowed West Indian turf that has been the scene of some of his most memorable deeds. But one final challenge attracted Richards. It was the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand six months later.In a reversal of Lara’s stated priorities, Richards was through with Test cricket but he repeatedly advertised his desire for one last shot at the game’s premier limited-overs competition. Much to his displeasure, his wish was denied, almost certainly on the same grounds that Lara’s has been. Richie Richardson had been appointed captain just after the tour of England and Jackie Hendriks, the then chairman of selectors, wrote to Richards explaining the reasons for omitting him. Perhaps Gordon Greenidge, Hendriks’ present equivalent, or Ken Gordon, the president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), have done the same for Lara.

Hendriks wrote: “We feel that the new captain should feel totally uninhibited and unhindered in bringing his personality and personal stamp on his team and, with the former captain on the team, this may be most difficult for him and the other players as loyalties could well be divided,” he stated. Richards was unimpressed, as were the fans in Australia and West Indies. The former captain said he had heard “mutterings and whispers that some people in positions of responsibility in the team and on the West Indies board did not want me anyway”.”Sadly, there are members of the West Indies board I used to respect a lot but I do not now,” he added. As the West Indies were eliminated from the World Cup in the first round, placards proclaiming “Bring back Viv!” and “Where is the Master Blaster?” appeared at grounds in Australia.Back in the Caribbean, the issue was one of the many that contributed to Richardson being booed and heckled during the subsequent, inaugural home series against South Africa. It was the start of a turbulent time for Richardson whose tenure lasted four years. It included a period when he was advised to rest because of “acute fatique syndrome” and came to an abrupt end during the 1996 World Cup in India and Pakistan, inspite of the West Indies reaching the semi-final. He was 34 and never played for the West Indies again.Four years ago, the failed World Cup campaign in South Africa finished off another captain, Carl Hooper. Like Richardson, he also called it quits, with Lara recalled to take his place for his second term in charge. Now Lara, as captain, is seen to have also paid for his team’s lamentable performance in the World Cup, the first in the Caribbean, a historic event that was confidently expected to lift the gloom that has hung over West Indies cricket for so long.As with Richards, there is somewhat more to it than that.

Daren Ganga, the West Indies batsman, has urged the entire Caribbean to unite behind whoever is chosen as the new captain.He is among the candidates to succeed Shivnarine Chanderpaul, having led Trinidad and Tobago to victory in the Carib Beer Series final. He told the BBC: “We need to come together and support one individual who’s going to take our team forward. When that happens, then we’re going to start the turnaround.”Chanderpaul resigned the captaincy earlier this month after an unsuccessful year in charge, during which West Indies lost all of the 14 Tests they played and 14 of the 16 one-day internationals.But a decision on who should be the new skipper has been delayed because of another contracts dispute between the players and the West Indies Cricket Board. “Time is of the essence. It’s how quickly we rise above what has happened in the past in terms of the strikes and contract disputes . . . we’ve got to realise that what is most important is West Indies cricket.”When we come to thinking about that, then we’re moving in the right direction. All the players are very eager. We’re sick of going on tours and losing matches. We don’t want to play every series and end up on the losing end,” said Ganga. “What the administrators and what the supporters need to understand is we all need to work together as one and no one is fighting against each other.”It’s a total or common consensus we need to come to and that is giving the support and making the right decision for West Indies cricket. We’re definitely going to be making some money from the World Cup being here, so we need to put things in place and ensure that even after World Cup we put ourselves in good shape in terms of the quality of our cricket and our facilities.”

After weeks of speculation, it has been confirmed that Ed Smith has left Kent and joined Middlesex on a two-year contract.Smith has been a marginalised figure at Kent in recent months after it was rumoured that a group of senior players had refused to accept some of his decisions as stand-in captain. Although he was offered a new contract at the end of the summer, his move was not a surprise.Smith spent nine seasons at Canterbury, scoring 8690 first-class runs at an average of 40.79. He made three appearances for England in 2003.”Ed will be a major addition to our squad,” said Vinny Codrington, Middlesex’s chief executive. “He has joined a talented and happy side, and believes that by starting a new chapter of his career with us, that he can help us win things and push to regain his place in the England set up.”

Western Province Boland 122 for 7 beat Eastern Cape 121 for 9 (Kleinveldt 3-18) by 3 wickets
ScorecardEastern Cape found it tough going in their first outing in theSeries, as Western Province Boland restricted them to 121 for 9 in 20 overs. Mark Boucher top-scored with 24, but they were always on the back foot as Rory Kleinveldt took 3 for 18. Two run-outs did help matters either.WPB made heavy work of the chase, however, scrambling a run off the final ball to win by three wickets. Both openers, Andrew Puttick and Herschelle Gibbs, were out without scoring, while Jacques Kallis, making his first appearance, received a painful blow to the hand from Monde Zondeki. He responded with two pointed boundaries, but when he fell for 30, the run-rate decreased and WPB were left needing five off the final over. A wicket for Makhaya Ntini increased the excitement, but WPB prevailed.

Steve James, who withdrew before the start of Glamorgan`s County Championship match withHampshire at Cardiff should be able to return to action next week.The Glamorgan captain, who had aggravated a knee injury, saw a specialist in Cardiff who drainedhis swollen knee, and James should be able to play in the two limited overs friendlies that Glamorgan have arrangednext week against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge and Middlesex at Cardiff.

Mark Ramprakash has vowed to continue playing in his natural, attacking manner – despite the criticism he received after his dismissal against Shane Warne in the second innings at Trent Bridge.Ramprakash was stumped by Adam Gilchrist as he came down the pitch to hit Warne over the top in the second innings. The manner of his dismissal, and its timing, coming as England battled to save the game and not long from the close of day two, provoked a furious reaction from some sections of the media.But Ramprakash defended his positive intentions, and reiterated his desire to carry his county style of play into the Test arena.”I wasn’t happy with the execution of the shot at Trent Bridge, I didn’t get close enough to the pitch of the ball and I was disappointed with that but I’m happy with the thinking behind it,” explained Ramprakash.”I was looking to play my natural game, the seam bowlers were bowling very well at one end and I felt confident enough to try and attack the spinner.”The barrage of criticism that Ramprakash has been subjected to since his dismissal in the Third Test is ironic considering that, in the past, he has been criticized for his caution at Test level.”Throughout my Test career I’ve been accused of not playing my shots, but this year I’m happy with the way I’m approaching the game and I will be looking to take the attacking option when I can – even if that means going down the pitch to Shane Warne,” Ramprakash said.”At the start of the summer both Ian Botham and Graham Gooch said England should try and attack Australia wherever possible and I think that’s the right way to go.”Ramprakash also expressed concern at the effect the level of criticism he had been subjected to would have on young players.”It’s a shame about the negative reaction,” he said. “We want young players growing up in England to come up and play aggressively and play their shots – we want them to go out and express themselves.”As a player you always have to be honest with yourself and accept when you’ve done something wrong, which is what I’ve done, but the general way of thinking should be to encourage players to go out and play their natural games.”It’s something in the past that has concerned me. It’s almost as if in England we’d rather a batsman get out playing a forward defensive shot than trying to take the attack to the opposition.”When you play for England you know there’s a lot of media attention on you and you know that everything you do is going to be under the spotlight.”As a player you have to come to a decision that if you’re going out to play for England the best thing is to play your natural way. When you go out on the pitch you have to be certain in your own mind what you’re going to try and do.”I realise it was a shot that didn’t come off, but I know how to play the shot and if I think the shot is on then I will have to weigh it up when I’m out there.”The Surrey man conceded that with Thorpe and Vaughan likely to return to the England side for The Oval Test, his place could be in jeopardy. So a good performance in Leeds is crucial.”I realise that Graham Thorpe and Michael Vaughan have been playing really well for England over the last 18 months and I could be one of the guys left out for the Oval,” he admitted.”For me, it’s a question of looking to play hard in this match and go on from there. I’m taking this as a one-off and we’ll see what happens after that.”

Lancashire have announced a strong profit for 2007 but their chief executive, Jim Cumbes, has warned about the cost of staging international matches.Despite the poor weather during last season, which had a severe impact on matches at Old Trafford, the club made a profit of £185,174 after tax. However, Lancashire also had to pay more to host their international games, a Test against West Indies and ODI against India.”With much of the club’s profit going towards increased staging fees, it limits the amount of funds available to invest back into the ground, which is going to be critical for the clubs with larger grounds, which of course includes Old Trafford,” said Cumbes.”Lessons must be learnt from the 1970s and 80s when international grounds fell into decline due to lack of profits from international matches which in turn led to lack of investment.”Lancashire are entering the first phase of a major redevelopment of Old Trafford, starting with a new outfield. Work will begin in August meaning Lancashire’s home matches will be played at outgrounds such as Liverpool and Blackpool. Work will continue with the building of a new £12m conference and banqueting facility early in 2009.”By and large it has been another very satisfactory year for the club both on and off the field,” added Cumbes. “Cricket is our raison d’etre and we will continue to invest in that side of the business, but we are approaching a critical time in terms of our redevelopment plans.”If we are to continue to stage top class international cricket, we must firstly secure funding to realise our vision of creating a ground with world class facilities. In that respect we need the certainty of international cricket over a long period of time in order to be able to create a programme of continued re-investment.”

The match between Knights and Cape Cobras in Kimberley was tied after rain ended play with the scores level on the D/L method during the chase. Pursuing 182, Rilee Rossouw made an explosive start, scoring 29 at a strike-rate of 241 to lead Knights to 40 in 2.5 overs, when he was dismissed. Wickets began to fall before partnerships could be built after that, and though they maintained a run-rate of close to 10, Knights had slipped to 119 for 5 when rain ended play after the 13th over. As it turned out, they were on par with the D-L score. In their innings, the Cape Cobras top three produced quick and substantial contributions to lead their team to 181 for 4. Andrew Puttick made 51, Stiaan van Zyl 48 and Owais Shah 45.Half-centuries from Martin van Jaarsveld and Farhaan Berhadien helped set up Titans‘ 29-run victory against Warriors in East London. The pair lifted Titans from 45 for 3 in the sixth over, after they had decided to bat, with a 94-run partnership. van Jaarsveld made 77 off 46 balls and Behardien an unbeaten 54 off 37. Both batsmen hit three sixes, and Titans finished with 174 for 5 from 20 overs. Titans’ decision to open the defense with Roelof van der Merwe’s spin paid off as JJ Smuts was dismissed in the first over. van der Merwe went on to have figures of 2 for 21 in four overs. Left-arm spinner Paul Harris also had a good outing, taking 3 for 22, his wickets being those of the Warriors’ top-scorer Ashwell Price, for 49, and middle-order batsmen Justin Kreusch and Kelly Smuts. The Warriors lost wickets at regular intervals and were restricted to 145 for 7 in their 20 overs.Impi made their debut against Lions in Potchefstroom and it was not a happy one. They were restricted and dismissed for 92 in 19.5 overs in pursuit of 154. Only two Impi batsmen – Cobus Pienaar and Ryan Canning – made double-figure scores. Ethan O’Reilly had figures of 4-1-4-2 for Lions, and Aaron Phangsio and Dwaine Pretorius also took two wickets apiece. Lions did not perform impressively with the bat either, slumping from 89 for 2 to 108 for 7 in 16.3 overs, before Chris Morris blasted 31 off 13 balls to lead them to 153.

Assembly elections in Karnataka have forced itinerary changes in the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. The match scheduled for May 10 between Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians has been pushed to May 28 and a direct switch has been made between Bangalore and Hyderabad for their matches against each other. Bangalore will now host Hyderabad on May 3 and visit them on May 25. The elections are on May 10, 16 and 22 and the counting of votes is on May 25.”Because of the elections and the counting, we will have massive repercussions on hospitality and security,” Charu Sharma, the CEO of the Bangalore franchise told Cricinfo. “The law stipulates that you can’t serve liquor in public functions one day before the elections and that would have affected the hospitality plans in the ground. Also, the availability of adequate security would have been affected as the focus might be more on the elections.”The Bangalore franchise consulted the IPL governing council, and the Hyderabad and Mumbai franchises, before making the changes in the schedule.