Cricket

To celebrate the start of an unprecedented summer of world-class cricket, The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has launched The Great Exhibition.

South Africa has been confirmed as host of the second Indian Premier League (IPL).

The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed that, at the request of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Indian Premier League, the ECB is examining the feasibility of hosting the 2009 IPL in England and Wales.

Bob Jackson (Durham) and Ian Lovett (Middlesex) have been elected to the board of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Technical Surfaces and Playrite, two giants in the worlds of maintenance and sales of artificial surfaces, have together launched Cricket Carpets Direct.

Domestic cricket matches in England attracted a record number of spectators during the 2008 season.

Security advisor Reg Dickason has been sent by the English Cricket Board to Chennai, the venue of the first Test against India on December 11. He is expected to prepare a report on the safety situation in the country and devise ways in which the touring team can be protected.

England are in danger of being pulled from the remaining fixtures in the US$100 million Stanford Super Series after a distaste for the chase for cash was expressed by Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

England coach Peter Moores admitted his team were dealt an expensive lesson after they lost the winner-takes-all Stanford 20/20 for 20 showdown.

The chances of England players playing in the IPL are slim unless they are available to play for a significant portion of the 2009 tournament, said Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman.