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Ireland qualify for U19 World Cup

Ireland qualified for the 2008 ICC U19 World Cup in Malaysia after beating Scotland by six wickets in Belfast to win the round-robin European qualifier. Ben Ackland stroked an unbeaten 71 and opener Chris Dougherty (36) helped the Ireland ease home chasing the revised target of 150 in 32 overs.
It will be Ireland captain Greg Thomspon's third successive appearance in the U19 World Cup.
Ireland finished 13th from the partcipating 16 teams back in 2006.
"It is a fantastic achievement because we desperately wanted to qualify for the Kuala Lumpur event which we have done with flying colours," said Thompson.
"The team is shaping well and we look to be heading in the right direction.
"We know it will be a tougher competition in Malaysia but the way we are performing and peaking, I am confident that we will be able to put up some strong performances."

'Only one incident during the World Cup'
Arthur denies South Africa's drinking culture

Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, has denied the existence of a drinking culture within the national team. He was responding to comments in a confidential document prepared by former fitness trainer Adrian le Roux and revealed in the latest edition of South Africa's The Wisden Cricketer.
"Graeme [Smith] and I have a strict protocol that must be adhered to all the time, and there have not been many incidents where that [protocol] has not been adhered to," Arthur told the Cape Times. He said the section of le Roux's report regarding alcohol intake of the players had been blown out of proportion.
He said that the only incident relating to alcohol intake during the World Cup was when several players were seen drinking in Grenada after a defeat by New Zealand. "Not one player was out of line other than the incident in Grenada; they did everything they needed to do at the World Cup," he said. "I like to encourage the guys to celebrate now and again, obviously they shouldn't get out of line."
Reacting to criticism that he was too soft on his players, Arthur defended himself pointing to South Africa's good record in the recent past and said, "When I need to be hard, then I am."
Gerald Majola, Cricket South Africa chief executive, said after the Grenada incident, the rules regarding a curfew had changed, as had other regulations regarding alcohol intake on tour.
"We are also in the process of finalising the appointment of a team manager," he said, "who will deal with disciplinary and code of conduct matters within the Proteas structure as part of his duties."

Neither player approached for contracts
Bashar, Mahmud express interest in Indian Cricket
Former Bangladesh captains Habibul Bashar and Khaled Mahmud have expressed interest in participating in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) if they are offered contracts approved by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
"I have a contract with the BCB and I want to honour it," Bashar told the New Age, a Dhaka-based daily. "If the ICL offer does not clash with it, I will definitely play. I think I am fit enough to compete at the highest level and I will play at least three more years."
However, Bashar - who has a contract with the BCB till October - said he had not got any offer to play in the ICL. He was replaced as the Bangladesh captain by Mohammad Ashraful for Bangladesh's tour of Sri Lanka and has not been picked for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September.
Mahmud, who retired from international cricket in February last year but continues to play in the domestic league, said: "Realistically, I don't expect any offer from any ICL team. But if there is any and the BCB permits me, yes, I can play." Mahmud had been manager of the Bangladesh side during the Champions Trophy last year.
When Mohammad Rafique, the left-arm spinner, was asked whether there was any possibility of his joining the ICL, he said, "Let them offer me [a contract], then I will think about it."
The ICL is a Twenty20 tournament proposed to be held in India around October. It plans to feature six teams, each including four international players and two Indian
Board may float tender ad to get best possible candidates
BCCI calls August 10 meeting to decide on coach
The Indian board has announced that a decision on the appointment of India's next coach will be taken on August 10 in New Delhi.
"The BCCI office bearers will meet and the modalities regarding the process for selecting the new coach will be worked out," Niranjan Shah, the Board secretary, told the Hindu. "Right now we have Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh as the bowling and fielding coaches [and they] are doing a good job."
Shah, who didn't rule out the possibility of an advertisement being placed for the post, said a panel comprising former India captains Sunil Gavaskar, S Venkatraghavan and Ravi Shastri, and a select BCCI committee headed by Sharad Pawar, the board president, would screen the candidates.
"We are in no great hurry and will look for the best possible candidate," Shah said. "I am not in favour of advertising for the post but we will reach a consensus in which the views of the other office-bearers will also count."
India have been without a coach since Greg Chappell's resignation after the World Cup, with various positions being filled on an interim basis. Shastri took over as the cricket manager for the Bangladesh tour while Prasad and Singh were appointed as specialist coaches.
Graham Ford, the former South African coach who is currently the director of cricket at Kent, rejected the board's offer to coach the national side shortly after the board announced his appointment in haste. Chandu Borde, the former Indian captain, was subsequently appointed manager for the tours of England and Ireland.

ECB and ACUS to join forces?
Merger of ECB, umpires and scorers delayed
A move to bring the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers (ACUS) under the control of the ECB has been delayed after the ballot on the proposed formation of a new Association of Cricket Officials was deferred by General Council.
The ECB has expressed its frustration at the delay and any decision on the ballot won't now take place until the next meeting of General Council on October 27.
A statement said: "The ECB believes that the recommendations of the working party are the best way to establish a single organisation to represent the interests of all officials, working closely with the ECB county boards, regions and the European Cricket Council (ECC), and with close links to the MCC."
The aim had been to conduct the ballot before November 1, which is when ACUS members are due to renew their subscriptions.


Ashantha de Mel retained as chief
Sri Lanka selection panel reshuffled
The national selection committee was reshuffled on Tuesday and, despite opposition from Sri Lanka Cricket, former fast bowler Ashantha de Mel was retained as chief of the selection panel by Gamini Lokuge, the Sri Lankan sports minister.
Don Anurasiri, the former left-arm spinner, also keeps his place from the previous panel while Mahes Goonatilleke and Ranjith Madurasinghe replace Amal Silva and Shabir Asgerally in the new committee. "I have considered their wide experience as former cricketers," Lokuge told AFP after naming the four-man committee.
Goonatilleke was Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper during their inaugural Test against England in 1982 before joining a rebel tour of South Africa later that year that ended his Test career. Madurasinghe, a former off spinner who made his Test debut at Lord's in 1988, has played three Tests and starts his second stint as a selector.
The new panel's first task will be to pick a squad for the inaugural Twenty20 world championships in South Africa in September.