India in England

England will be without Nasser Hussain for the important prep match in Cardiff prior to the NatWest one-day series against India and Sri Lanka.

Coach Duncan Fletcher has opted to rest his captain after his unsuccessful exertions for Essex in Saturday's Benson & Hedges Cup final.

Somerset opener Marcus Trescothick, who captains his county, will take over the England reins for the match against Wales.

There is also an injury concern over spinner Ashley Giles, who will undergo a late fitness test, while Darren Gough has already admitted he won't be fit for the start of the NatWest series.

Contract system

Cricket Board wants to implement the path-breaking contract and gradation of payment system for the players by October but before that it would like to have a detailed interaction with the cricketers on the proposals.

"We plan to implement the new system by October or even before that though a final decision will be taken only after the response from the players was received", Jagmohan Dalmiya, President of BCCI, said.

If all goes as per plans, the new system should be in place before the start of the West Indies' return tour of India in October.

The new system, approved by the Board's working committee here on June 19, proposes a carrot and stick policy with players getting bonus for a victory but losing 50 per cent of their match fees in case of a loss.

New Zealand in West Indies

First Test, Barbados, day three:
New Zealand 337 and 243 all out v West Indies 107 and 5-0.

New Zealand left the West Indies chasing a massive total after day three of the first Test in Bridgetown. New Zealand scored 243 in their second innings, leaving the West Indies needing a world record 474 to win the first Test.

With two days to bowl out their opponents, Stephen Fleming's men now seem certain of their first Test win ever on Caribbean soil.

West Indies openers Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds survived four tense overs at the close, scoring five without loss.

Ricky Ponting gets married

One-day cricket captain Ricky Ponting married law student Rianna Cantor at an exclusive harbour-front wedding that was attended by the cream of Australian cricket yesterday.

Ponting, 27, and his 23-year-old bride celebrated their nuptials at Quay restaurant overlooking Circular Quay before retiring to the honeymoon suite at the ANA Hotel.

"She is a very special woman and has been wonderful for him," Ponting's father Graeme said. More than 100 guests, including cricketers Shane Warne, Steve and Mark Waugh and commentator Richie Benaud, were treated to an exquisite menu that included a choice of freshly shucked oysters and seared yellow fin tuna.

The $20,000 bill for the reception was picked up by a woman's magazine that paid for exclusive access to the wedding in the glass-walled restaurant.

It was on the way home from the Ashes tour that Ponting proposed as they enjoyed a candle-lit dinner overlooking the Aegean Sea on the Greek island of Mykonos.

"I just cried and cried and cried and said `yes'," she said afterwards.

Ponting said: "It was always going to happen at some stage but I think she was a bit surprised when it actually happened.

Australia in Pakistan

Pakistan still hold out hope that Australia will be persuaded to tour the country for a split series in August and October this year.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will attempt to convince Australian officials during the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in London that Pakistan is safe to visit.

PCB director Munawwar Rana, who is in attendance at the ICC meetings, told that it was an area of prime concern.

"We will discuss this matter with Australian officials here (in London) to tell them that Pakistan is still a safe place to play cricket," he said.

"We are not saying that nothing has happened. But the important thing is that these acts of terrorism can happen anywhere in the world, even in the safest places."

Miscellaneous

World cricket's leading administrators are set to tackle some of the sport's most intractable problems when they begin four days of meetings in London.

The biggest questions facing members of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) executive board concern the effects on the game from various tense political situations around the world.

And the world Test championship has been thrown further off target by the reluctance of teams to tour Pakistan due to fears of terror attacks.

ICC president Malcom Gray admitted: "In recent months international cricket has suffered a number of telling setbacks; political unrest in Zimbabwe, terrorism in Pakistan and escalating tension between India and Pakistan, which have all contributed to this current state of uncertainty.

"This meeting provides a timely forum to consider the problems and work towards finding realistic and effective responses."

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