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The International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering a proposal to confer first-class status to matches of the rebel tours to South Africa in the 1980s. The organisers of the matches, the South African Cricket Union, had originally deemed them first-class games but that status was revoked by the ICC in 1993.The proposal will be discussed at a meeting of chief executives of the ICC’s member and associate nations in Johannesburg on September 10 and 11. Recommendations from that meeting are expected to be approved by the ICC’s executive board.”The motion is a bit of housekeeping to provide clarity to the statistical community, where there is no consensus on the status of these matches,” Brian Murgatroyd, the ICC media manager, told Cricinfo. He said a decision is likely to be taken on all matches played in South Africa between 1961-62, when it ceased to be a member of the Commonwealth, and 1990-91, when the ICC’s ban- imposed in 1970 – was lifted by the ICC.There was no move, Murgatroyd said, to change the status of matches played in Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket (WSC). “Comparing Packer’s series to the rebel tours to South Africa is like comparing chalk and cheese,” he said. “The [WSC] matches were played entirely separately from official cricket in the countries in which the matches were hosted, often in direct competition to them and this meant none of the usual characteristics of official cricket such as approval of venue and playing conditions and appointment of officials was followed. By contrast the rebel tour matches in South Africa were played as an integral part, indeed the pinnacle, of each season’s SA domestic fixtures under the jurisdiction of the home board [SACA].”While it’s not known which country initiated the proposal, Brian Basson, Cricket South Africa’s general manager of cricket affairs, told the , “I’m not quite sure but I reckon the idea originated from our end. There is no reason really for any other board or the ICC to come up with it.”A total of seven rebel tours were undertaken to South Africa: two each by English, Australian and West Indian teams, and one by a Sri Lankan team. The members of the West Indian side which toured in 1983, including Lawrence Rowe, were punished with life bans from Caribbean cricket. England players, including established international stars like Geoffrey Boycott, Graham Gooch, Derek Underwood and Mike Gatting were suspended from international duty for three years for touring in 1981-82.

Gloucestershire allrounder Marcus North has won the 2007 Walter Lawrence Trophy, awarded for the season’s fastest first-class century. He won the trophy for his 73-ball hundred against Leicestershire on May 5.North, a 28-year-old left-hand batsman from Western Australia, who has previously been at Durham, Lancashire and Derbyshire, hit 13 fours and a six during his century. He will be presented with the Walter Lawrence Trophy and a cheque for £5,000 at a special lunch in The Long Room at Lord’s on October 18.At the lunch, Simon Butler, a 23-year-old Cardiff UCCE batsman, who scored 167 against Leeds/Bradford UCCE at Cardiff on May 3, will receive a silver medallion and prize of £1,000. Butler is the second winner of the Walter Lawrence Trophy award for the highest score by a batsman from the six MCC Universities against one of the other five University Centres of Cricketing Excellence or against one of the first-class counties.

Warwickshire allrounder Alex Loudon has decided to retire from county cricket to concentrate on a business career.”I have been very fortunate to have had the chance to play cricket for Warwickshire over the last three years,” he said. “Whilst I had been offered a contract for next season, I have decided that the time is now right for me to begin a new career in business. I would like to thank all the people at the club and the supporters, for the three very enjoyable years I have spent with the Bears . I will continue to closely support the club and wish the boys every success for the next season and beyond.”Loudon, 27, who played one ODI for England last summer, was offered a new contract from Warwickshire but asked for time to consider his future. He returned from a holiday in Ireland and confirmed his decision with Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s new director of cricket.Two years ago Loudon – who also represented Kent – was picked for England’s tour of Pakistan, where he was hailed as England’s elusive “mystery spinner” after bowling Marcus Trescothick with a in the nets at Rawalpindi, but did not get a game. He subsequently did duty with England A in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. In 2006 he struggled for form, and while he showed slight improvement last season he was not anywhere near back to his best.”Alex is a talented player but has always balanced his life as a professional cricketer with a good mix of outside interests,” said Giles. “We have to respect his decision to turn his efforts to another field. Alex knows he will always be welcome back at Edgbaston and I wish him all the best for a successful future outside the game.”

Group A

Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) beat Multan by an innings and 34 runs at the Multan Cricket Stadium, and with 18 points from two appearances, they now occupy the second spot behind Habib Bank. Overnight at 71 for 6, Multan could manage only 208. Seamers Sarfraz Ahmed (3 for 29) and Azharullah with 3 for 80, were the most effective bowlers for WAPDA.Faisalabad gained an eight-wicket win over Pakistan Customs in Sargodha.Pakistan Customs had done well on Saturday afternoon, making 178 for 1 in their second innings. However, they collapsed losing their last nine wickets for the addition of only 73 runs. As they fell for 279, Faisalabad required just 42 to win. Opener Hasnain Abbas missed his maiden first-class ton by two runs. His 98 came off 182 balls with 12 fours and three sixes.After a 77-run opening stand with Rehan Rafiq (37), Hasnain added 129 for the second-wicket partnership with Asif Iqbal (55). Faisalabad’s 19-year-old seamer Mohammad Talha, who played for Pakistan in the Afro-Asia Under-19 Cup in India two years ago, had career-best figures of 5 for 57 in 22 overs.National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) defeated Lahore Ravi by seven wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Having earlier surrendered a 135 runs first-innings lead, Lahore Ravi made 289 in their second innings. They were lifted from a precarious 133 for 7 through a 101-run eighth-wicket stand between Saad Nasim and captain Junaid Zia.The 17-year-old Saad, who had scored 95 on his first-class debut against Karachi Whites recently, made a splendid 94 yesterday, off 125 balls with 16 fours. Junaid smashed 67 off 75 balls with 11 fours and a six. Chasing 155, NBP’s second-wicket stand then produced 115 between Rashid Riaz (63*) and Naumanullah (58) as they won by seven wickets.

Group B

Islamabad stayed ahead of all other teams in the Group B table, as they defeated Rawalpindi by six wickets, on the final day at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground in Islamabad. Rawalpindi fell for 203 in their second innings after being 190 for 8 overnight. Islamabad, who now have the full 27 points from three matches, reached the target of 144 thanks to opener Raheel Majeed’s unbeaten 67. Left-arm seamer Saad Altaf, with match figures of 10 for 118, has now taken 29 wickets for Islamabad at 14.86 apiece in three matches.At the Sheikhupura Stadium, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) beat Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) comfortably by eight wickets. For ZTBL, captain Abdul Razzaq top-scored with 51 off 65 balls his side’s total of 173. PIA coasted home, polishing off the target of 42.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) added another feather to their cap as they defeated Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) by 53 runs at the KRL Stadium. Needing 240 to win, KRL were dismissed for 186. Seamer Asad Ali (5-51) rounded off a memorable match, finishing with figures of 10 for 108.

After six trial matches, the Jamaica selectors have finalised a provisional 20-member squad for the Stanford 20/20 tournament, though without a few West Indies players.Chris Gayle, Brenton Parchment, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell and Marlon Samuels are scheduled to leave with the senior team for Zimbabwe later this week. West Indies are due to play their last game on the tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa on February 3, three days before Jamaica’s opening match against Bahamas.The Jamaica Cricket Association, in their press release, indicated that changes could be made to the final squad, if the West Indies players returned home on time. Only 15 players will make the trip to Antigua for the tournament.Squad: Nikita Miller, Odean Brown, Wavell Hinds, Jermaine Lawson, Tamar Lambert, Andre Russell, Xavier Marshall, David Bernard Jr., Brendan Nash, Krishmar Santokie, Shawn Findlay, Carlton Baugh, Danza Hyatt, Keith Hibbert, Bevon Brown, Andre McCarthy, Damion Henry, Donovan Sinclair, Jowayne Robinson, Chadwick Walton

Three players from Hyderabad Heroes, who finished fifth in the recently-concluded Indian Cricket League (ICL), were involved in an accident in the north Indian hill station of Shimla. Allrounder PS Niranjan, fast bowler Alfred Absolem and middle-order batsman D Vinay Kumar suffered injuries when the car they were travelling in collided with a truck on December 14.Niranjan lost three teeth apart from having 10 sutures in his mouth, while Absolem needed 20 sutures on his body and Vinay dislocated his shoulder.”After finishing our engagements, we decided to go to Shimla for an outing,” Niranjan told the . “[Abdul] Azeem sir [assistant coach], [Ambati] Rayudu, Vinay, Absolem and myself took a car for that purpose. The driver was a bit too reckless and in fact I had asked him to slow down just five minutes before the accident took place. It happened about 70 km from Shimla. While taking a bend, the driver failed to spot the bus coming from the other direction. Both vehicles collided head on.”Azeem sir and Rayudu had seat belts on and hence were spared. But we were were thrown forward. Absolom hit the windshield and suffered severe gashes. I hit the steering wheel and took the impact on my mouth. Both of us had bleeding injuries and luckily there was a nursing home nearby. We were shifted to a bigger hospital. I was in ICU for two days before being discharged.”Eight players from Hyderabad joined the ICL, a Twenty20 competition played between six teams in India. Absolem managed just one wicket from three matches, while neither Niranjan or Vinay got a game.

West Indies face the prospect of going into the first Test against South Africa at Port Elizabeth on Boxing Day without the services of their captain Chris Gayle, who’s yet to recover from the hamstring injury he picked up during the recent tour of Zimbabwe. Gayle admitted his frustrations at having to sit out of the three-day tour game against South Africa A in East London, but also cautioned against making a hasty return.”I’ll weep if I can’t play in the first Test,” Gayle told . “I’m finding it very frustrating to see the boys play while I have to sit here in the dressing room. I’m not the kind of guy that wants to see others play while I sit out. It’s frustrating me endlessly.”However difficult it may be, I just have to try and be patient. If I play too soon and it hasn’t quite healed, I can only do more harm than good and then I’ll probably be out of the rest of the tour.”Gayle’s rehabilitation has progressed slowly, and he isn’t in a position yet to run or jog. His movements have been restricted to walking around the field, and Jacqui Mowatt, the team’s fitness specialist, said it was difficult to say at this stage if he would recover in time for the Test which starts on Wednesday.”At this stage I really cannot say whether Chris will be able to play in the first Test,” Mowatt said. “We’ll just have to wait and see. It is not an injury with which we can take any risks.”Dwayne Bravo has been leading the team in Gayle’s absence since the third ODI against Zimbabwe at Harare earlier this month. He led West Indies to a 3-1 series victory and a five-wicket win in the first Twenty20 international against South Africa at Port Elizabeth on December 16.

South Africa have named an unchanged 15-member squad for the fourth and fifth one-dayers against West Indies. South Africa have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series after their seven-wicket win in the third ODI in Port Elizabeth.Joubert Strydom, South Africa’s chairman of selectors, said it was time to give opportunities for players on the bench. Allrounder Justin Ontong remains in the squad despite a troublesome knee.”We are obviously very happy with the way the team has played so far, but we also want to give opportunities to those players who have been sitting on the sidelines,” Strydom said. “We will also have to wait to see how Justin Ontong’s knee is responding to treatment when the squad reassembles on Thursday.”The last two games are scheduled for Durban and Johannesburg on February 1 and February 3 respectively.Squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Justin Ontong, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Albie Morkel, Johan Botha, Morne Morkel, Andre Nel, Dale Steyn, Charl Langeveldt, Makhaya Ntini

ScorecardSimon Katich continued to pile up the runs, nearing what could become his fourth Pura Cup century this season as New South Wales chipped away at Western Australia’s 389. At the close Katich was unbeaten on 82 – he needs another 40 to reach 1000 runs for the summer – with Brad Haddin on 8 as the Blues reached 4 for 213.Katich had strong support from Peter Forrest (46) and Phillip Hughes, who made 44. Ben Edmondson picked up a pair of wickets at the top of the order but Katich made sure the runs kept coming for the home side.They could have been chasing a bigger total after Western Australia resumed on 6 for 312 with two specialist batsmen at the crease, but it was Matthew Nicholson who stopped the runs. He grabbed Luke Ronchi for 34 and then two more wickets to wrap the innings up following Doug Bollinger’s five on the first day.

Adam Gilchrist will walk straight from his days in international cricket into a television career after signing with Australia’s Channel . Gilchrist will join the commentary team next season, alongside his former team-mates Mark Taylor and Michael Slater, and old pros like Richie Benaud and Bill Lawry.He is set to make his on-screen debut later this month when he co-hosts the revived sports show on March 30. Gilchrist said it would be difficult to suddenly switch from being one of the on-field stars to analysing the game from afar.”I’ve been amazed at how many people have said they’re expecting me to walk straight into the commentary box,” Gilchrist told the . “I’d be reticent to sit up and try to pass judgment and comment on my team-mates, who I’ve just walked away from so, maybe in a different type of role, you might see me around a few games of cricket.” will return from a ten-year break on March 16 with the anchor Ken Sutcliffe to be joined by a revolving team of co-hosts. Last week Gilchrist filmed promotions for the show and he earned the praise of his colleague, a veteran of Australian sports broadcasting. “He’s frighteningly good,” Sutcliffe said. “He’s a natural.”