Glamorgan appear set to shake up their coaching staff, with director of cricket John Derrick in line to be sacked after a dismal last two years in charge.The claims that the county’s second XI coach Adrian Shaw will be promoted to take charge of the first-team.Derrick, who joined the county in 2002, is expected to take up a new position with the Cricket Board of Wales after he is relieved of first-team duties.Arguably the most successful coach in the club’s history, Derrick led Glamorgan to the one-day league in 2002 and 2004, but results have tailed off in recent seasons and the county have lost 21 of their last 32 Championship matches, winning just three.Last season they finished one place off the bottom of division two in the Championship and were relegated in the Pro40 league.The county is also in serious financial difficulty, with the costs of reaching the standards required to host an Ashes Test in 2009 meaning that they cannot afford overseas players for 2007, and as a result any appointment is likely to be in-house.When quizzed on a possible change two months ago Glamorgan chairman Paul Russell said: “Adrian is a very capable coach. It would not be beyond the bounds of anyone’s imagination that one solution would be to give him more responsibility.”Glamorgan chief executive Mike Fatkin refused to confirm or deny the speculation surrounding Derrick’s position, and said no announcement will be made until captain David Hemp returns from international duty with Bermuda.

David Morgan, the ECB chairman who has recently been re-elected to another two-year term, is in line to become the next president of ICC. He has been nominated by South Africa and is the leading candidate outside of the Asian bloc.The Sunday Telegraph reported that Sir John Anderson, the chairman of New Zealand Cricket, had been the early favourite but he is believed to have pulled out of the race. Nominations close at the end of the month and the Asian bloc Test countries could yet put forward a candidate in opposition to Morgan.The new ICC president will the first to be elected under a revamped system. In the past each continent took their turn to hold the seat; Jagmohan Dalmiya of India was followed by Australia’s Malcolm Gray before Ehsan Mani from Pakistan took charge and he was succeeded in July by Percy Sonn from South Africa. Under the new method there is a nominations committee with any of the 97 member countries able to nominate a president.If Morgan is chosen his name will go forward to the ICC executive board for approval, and he would serve as ICC vice-president before following Sonn.

Herschelle Gibbs has appealed against the two-Test ban imposed by the ICC, claiming that he had not made any racist remarks during the first Test against Pakistan at Centurion. Gibbs communicated his appeal through the South African Cricketers Association.”Gibbs says he has not made any racist remarks nor has he been racist to any one and therefore he has not transgressed any rule of the ICC regarding racism,” Tony Irish, secretary of the South African Cricketers Association, said. Irish added that the association was also concerned about the negative effects of stump microphones, as far as the privacy of players is concerned.With the ban suspended till the ICC takes a decision on the appeal, Gibbs could still play in the second Test at Port Elizabeth starting January 19. The disciplinary hearing with Cricket South Africa, originally scheduled for January 23, is likely to be held between the second and third Tests. The ICC has announced that the name of the Appeals Commissioner and the date for the appeal will be announced in due course.

Netherlands have retained the same squad that played in the World Cricket League for next month’s World Cup.The side will leave for the Caribbean on March 2 and will play two warm-up matches in Jamaica before heading on to St Kitts where they will open their campaign against South Africa on March 16.Netherlands squad Luuk van Troost (capt), Peter Borren, Daan van Bunge, Ryan ten Doeschate, Mark Jonkman, Muhammad Kashif, Alexei Kervezee, Tim de Leede, Adeel Raja, Darron Reekers, Edgar Schiferli, Jeroen Smits, Billy Stelling, Eric Szwarczynski, Bas Zuiderent.

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) director Deryck Murray lashed players’ behaviour as the Carib Beer Challenge Final ended yesterday at Guaracara Park.The hot-tempered match – that Trinidad and Tobago won by 49 runs over Barbados – saw repeated acrimonious verbal exchanges between opposing players, and Murray believes the authorities should move swiftly to tackle the problem.”Here are the two best teams in the region, role models for our cricket in the future. We need in the West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players’ Association to address that issue and ensure that it doesn’t happen again,” said Murray, a former West Indies wicket-keeper/batsman and current president of the T&T Cricket Board.Barbados captain Ryan Hinds, and his team-mates Floyd Reifer and Dwayne Smith were all summoned to a meeting — before yesterday’s fourth day — by match referee Clarence Shaffralli for behavioural infractions during the game.Shaffralli’s findings are expected to be handed over to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).Murray, who played on West Indies World Cup-winning teams in 1975 and 1979, expressed sympathy for umpires Billy Doctrove and Norman Malcolm, suggesting that their job was made tougher because of the conduct of some of the players.”I don’t think I have ever played or been a spectator at a game where the umpires’ job has been made so difficult, and I think in fairness, I have to say that it’s unacceptable for West Indies cricket to put our umpires under the kind of pressure they were,” said the 63-year-old Murray.”There were seven incidents reported to the match referee and that again is not taking into account the other incidents that were not reported,” Murray added.Murray played 62 Tests and 26 One-Day International (ODI) matches for the West Indies between 1963 and 1980 and took over as TTCB president in October 2005.

Mithali Raj, India’s captain, reflected on a game that got away after Maria Fahey and Sarah McGlashan set up New Zealand’s third straight victory in the quadrangular tournament. Fahey was dropped twice in her innings of 59 and her wicket early on could have changed things around for India.”We were 20 to 30 runs short of a good score,” said Raj, “but if we had taken those chances that we got off Fahey then probably the lower middle-order would have been exposed to Jhulan [Goswami] much earlier and given us a chance to win.”The beneficiary of the chances, Fahey, herself agreed that Goswami had bowled really accuratly as had the Indian spinners. Goswami’s first spell of seven overs got her three wickets for 18 runs. She claimed a fourth wicket by dismissing Sarah Tsukigawa for 14 and ended with figures of 4 for 26. “After the first two wickets fell my plan was to just build a partnership with [Sarah] McGlashan which worked out for us,” said Fahey.Haidee Tiffen, the New Zealand captain, felt that her side should have won it long before crossing the line. “We bowled really well and it was a pretty good wicket,” she said. “But once the partnership [between Fahey and McGlashan] was broken wickets began to fall, to be honest, to stupid shots and not too bad a bowling.”Tiffen also explained that they brought in Tsukigawa, who took 3 for 33, as late as the 40th over because they had planned to play two spinners in the match. Tsukigawa herself felt that the pitch had less bounce for fast bowlers and that the spinners had bowled well.Hemlata Kala was the only Indian batsman who made any sort of impact on the scoring but without any significant partnerships Kala’s 69 was far too little to boost India to a position through which they could dictate the terms. However, she felt that Tsukigawa was effective only because she was bowling right at the end when the Indian batsmen were going for the runs.”The New Zealand bowling wasn’t too tough but it’s just that everyone has their good days. This was one such day for me.” Kala also agreed with her captain that if chances off Fahey along with some run out attempts had been converted India could have won the gameAfter a two-day break, the fixtures are repeated with India playing England at Chepauk and New Zealand playing Australia at the IIT Chemplast Ground on February 28.

Paul Collingwood has said he would be “more than happy” to become England’s vice-captain should the need arise during the World Cup. Andrew Flintoff was stripped of the role following the late night drinking session after England’s defeat in their opening match against New Zealand that saw six players and two coaches fined.England have not yet announced a number two for Vaughan, who gave them a fresh injury scare when he tripped on a pot hole during practice on Tuesday, injuring his suspect right knee. But Collingwood, speaking ahead of England’s final group match against Kenya on Saturday, where the winners will join New Zealand in the Super Eight stage, insisted all was well with his captain.”I think first of all Michael Vaughan is 100 percent fit, which is great. But if the vice-captaincy job did come up I’d be more than happy [to do it]. At the moment it hasn’t. I’m sure a decision, if Michael was to go down, would be based on whoever was playing on the day. At the moment the vice-captain hasn’t been announced and nobody has asked me to do it so we’ll wait and see what the selection is. I’m not sure whether they [the England management] will announce anybody.”Collingwood, who has captained Durham for a handful of games, briefly led England during some of their World Cup warm-up fixtures when Vaughan and Flintoff were off the field. “I’ve done it a couple of times in practice games for 20 overs or so and I enjoyed leading the team out in the park even for 20 overs. It’s obviously a great honour. Ideally, I would have like to have done a couple of years [with Durham] but if it came around it would be very hard to turn down.”Both England and Kenya have beaten minnows Canada and lost to New Zealand, making their clash at the weekend a winner-takes-all contest. “They are a potential banana skin but we have to put that out of our minds,” said Collingwood. “Once we start thinking that way it can cause you trouble. We are looking forward to it.”We’ve done as much preparation as much possible off the pitch. We’ve been on the laptops, looking at bowling actions and spoken to a couple of Kiwi guys about them so come Saturday when we face the first ball we know exactly what to do.”

Despite England’s disastrous winter, and a limp performance in the World Cup, the departing England coach, Duncan Fletcher, insists the foundations have been laid to build a successful side.”I think the foundations are there,” Fletcher said in a news conference in Barbados, following England’s thrilling one-wicket win over the West Indies yesterday. “If you look around we are the youngest side in the world in Test cricket not only in caps and ages, but also in experience.”We’ve shown the way we can play on occasions, we just haven’t put it together on a consistent basis. The foundations are there, but I think it might take a little bit longer. I have said previously that this World Cup was a bit early for them and it could take up to a year, but who knows?”They could suddenly put it together in six months, but I would still be a little bit patient with them because they’ve got a bit of learning to do.”Far from seeking the quiet life after spending eight years under the public’s fickle gaze, he revealed he is open to offers from other countries and maintains he still has plenty to give.”I do need a break,” he admitted. “I probably need a month and then I’m sure my wife will be trying to kick me out of the house.” Asked when he would be ready to take on a new challenge, Fletcher said: “Tomorrow, I reckon.”Fletcher resigned last week with his replacement, Peter Moores, announced just 24 hours later. And although no one has yet approached him with an offer, Fletcher remains confident that his knowledge and experience can be put to good use.”I’ve got ideas; I think I can help,” he said. “I really feel that as far as coaching is concerned I am still forward-thinking [and] can think out of the box. One thing you can say is that when I got the job not many people wanted it. Now everyone’s clamouring for it. So that’s probably a good indication.”Moores’s reign as England coach begins on May 1.

Jesse Ryder, Ireland’s overseas player from New Zealand, is unlikely to appear for them again after failing to turn up for the washed out Friends Provident match against Surrey at The Oval. Coach Phil Simmons has yet to find out the reasons behind Ryder’s absence.Ryder sent a text message saying he’d missed his flight, but Simmons said: “[I] have heard nothing since. I don’t know what the real position is until I speak to his agent, but he should have been here. It’s not acceptable to me, and I don’t think he’ll play for Ireland again.”An ICU spokesman told Cricinfo that Ryder had been due to catch an early morning flight from Liverpool, where he plays his club cricket for New Brighton, to London but sent the message to Simmons at about 10.30 on Sunday morning saying he hadn’t made it.Ryder, who signed for Ireland earlier this month, has indicated he’ll turn his back on New Zealand cricket and try to forge a career in England.Ireland have drafted in Gary Kidd, a 21-year-old left-arm spinner, to their squad as cover. “I haven’t ruled out bringing in someone else for the final two games against Middlesex and Glamorgan,” said Simmons. “We have a budget already in place for those games. Ideally someone based in England would be our preferred option.”It’ll give me a chance to take a look at Gary, whom I’ve heard good reports about. It’s an opportunity for him to impress me, and I know he’s a player who Adrian Birrell had a high opinion of.”Kidd was in the middle of a match for MCC Young Cricketers against Northamptonshire 2nd XI when he got the call from Simmons. “It came out of the blue. I was told to get to The Oval as fast as I could, and I didn’t hesitate,” he said. “I took 2 for 60 in 21 overs [for MCC] and felt that the ball was coming out well. Hopefully I’ll get an opportunity to show Phil what I’m capable of.”Kidd has one cap for Ireland, playing against MCC in 2004. He was a reserve for Ireland’s World Cup squad and has played successfully in two Under-19 World Cups and for Ireland A in the EurAsia Series in Abu Dhabi.

A dismal day for Zimbabwe cricket was capped by confirmation from the West Indies that the proposed A-team tour had been cancelled. The news comes within hours of a damning ICC report into Zimbabwe cricket being leaked by the BBC.Although the West Indies Cricket Board told Cricinfo yesterday that no decision had been made, it now emerges that Bruce Aanensen, the WICB chief executive, had already written to the Zimbabwe board to notify them that the tour was off.”I regret to advise that in spite of our best efforts and your unstinting support, we are now advised by the CARICOM Secretariat that after careful consideration of a wide range of views they regretfully have to change their position and advise the WICB that the tour should not take place,” he said. “You will appreciate that we have to be guided by the wishes of the heads of government. Our apologies to Zimbabwe Cricket for any inconvenience caused by this late decision.”Lovemore Banda, the ZC media manager, told The Herald that the decision was “regrettable”, adding that the “training squad will remain in camp as we have aZimbabwe A tour to South Africa at the end of July. We will also continue talking to other boards about A tours as part of our on-going programme to expose our young side to top-level three or four-day cricket.”Although the WICB statement indicated that CARICOM had changed its position, Cricinfo revealed last week that a senior official said it had never given the board the all clear.Furthermore, the WICB had been unable to raise a side after WIPA, the players’ association, advised its members that there were serious security issues surrounding the tour. The WICB had been trying to find players but had struggled to do so, and had even been unable to name a team captain.Despite repeated assurances that a squad was about to be named, with West Indies set to land in Harare on July 1 and play the first four-day match on July 4, it became increasingly obvious that the trip was doomed.Until now, the only sides refusing to tour Zimbabwe on safety or moral grounds have been white, and this has been seized on by the authorities as evidence of what government sources have variously described as “racism” and “colonialism”. But that West Indies are now unwilling to tour raises serious concerns about the future of the country as a destination for tours of any kind.