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Andrew Strauss expects Andrew Flintoff to be fit for the third Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston on Thursday, and has confirmed that Ian Bell will bat at No. 4 in place of the injured Kevin Pietersen.Flintoff, who retires from Test cricket at the end of the Ashes, continues to struggle with a chronic knee injury which has threatened to hasten his retirement. But Strauss has been encouraged by Flintoff’s fitness and remains confident that England’s allrounder will be fit enough to once again lead the attack.”All the indications are that Andrew will be fine. We need to see how he goes over the next couple of days during practice,” Strauss said at The Oval, where England announced their new team sponsors, Brit Insurance. “But at this stage we are very confident and obviously he will want to build on his performance at Lord’s.”I spoke to him the day after the second Test at a charity dinner and he said then he was recovering well. That’s encouraging. He won’t have bowled until practice tomorrow but has been in constant contact with our medical team. When you’ve had as many injuries as him you get a good indication of how you’re feeling. Everything we’ve heard so far has been positive.”Flintoff produced a typically talismanic final-day effort at Lord’s last week, taking five wickets for just the third time in his career as England ended a 75-year wait to beat Australia at the home of cricket. But while England can be heartened by Flintoff’s news, another instrumental player, Pietersen, has been ruled out of the series after undergoing Achilles surgery.Strauss confirmed that his replacement, Bell, will bat at No. 4 instead of shuffling the line-up to accommodate him. “Ian Bell will come in for Pietersen at four. We’re very clear on that,” Strauss said. “It causes the least possible disruption to other members of the side.”We’re all very excited for Ian. He was left out of the team and had to work very hard to get his place back. He’s done a huge amount of work on and off the field. He’s very hungry. We’re excited to have him back in the team.”Bell was dropped earlier this year after a string of inconsistent performances, with Ravi Bopara taking his place at No. 3. Bopara may not have set the Ashes alight, yet, but Bell – who himself has struggled against Australia in his two previous Ashes appearances – is confident he is in the right frame of mind, and in good enough form, to make the most of this surprise opportunity.”Of all the countries I’ve played, I’ve played well apart from against Australia. I know that – it’s in the back of my mind,” Bell told Sky Sports News. “This is a different Australian team than I’ve played in the past, but a very fine one as well. But cricket’s a stats game, and I’ve got those stats to put right and to improve on.”Shane Warne reignited an old friendship with Bell today when he wrote in his column that he hoped Bell’s return to England colours “will hopefully be greeted with ‘welcome back, Shermanator’, the nickname I gave him in 2006.”

Michael Vaughan has confirmed at a press conference in Edgbaston that he is to retire from all forms of professional cricket with immediate effect. He departs the international scene as England’s most successful Test captain of all time – with 26 wins from his 51 matches in charge.His achievements also include leading England to their first Ashes victory against Australia for 18 years in 2005; a first Test series win in South Africa for forty years – also in 2005 – and presiding over eight consecutive Test wins in 2004.As a batsman, he scored 18 Test hundreds for England following his debut in 1999 and was ranked the number one batsman in the world following the 2002-03 Ashes in Australia in which he made 633 runs including three centuries.Vaughan said: “After a great deal of consideration, I’ve decided that now is the right time to retire from cricket. It has been an enormous privilege to have played for and captained my country and this is one of the hardest decisions I have had to make.”Vaughan added that he reached his decision two weeks ago during Yorkshire’s County Championship fixture against Worcestershire at New Road, when he realised that he was starting to hold back the younger players in the Yorkshire dressing-room. “Senior players have to be enthusiastic and I wasn’t that passing on,” he said. “I want to give them the chance to play first-class cricket and go on to play for their country.”

“Playing cricket has been my life for 16-17 years, so to hand it over without a chance to play again is hard,” he said. “I’ve given it my best shot, I wanted to give it one last hard effort to get into the Ashes squad, but I haven’t been playing well enough and my body hasn’t been holding up. But this is where my life starts, so it’s an exciting time for me.””I’d like to record my sincere thanks to the England fans and the ECB and the members and supporters of Yorkshire County Cricket Club for their unstinting backing throughout my career as well as my wife Nicola and the rest of my family who have been equally supportive.””I’m also extremely grateful to all of the players, managers, coaches, media and administrators I’ve worked with, who have all contributed to making my career so enjoyable and fulfilling.”I’d also like to wish Andrew Strauss and the current England team success in this Ashes series. I know they have the drive, ambition and abilities to repeat the success from 2005. Winning that series was most definitely the highpoint of my career, because we not only won the series, but captured the nation, which cricket hasn’t done for a long, long time.””I want to be remembered as a nice player on the eye to watch, and as someone who gave my all. I leave with no regrets. I captained with an instinctive nature and I was fortunate to lead a determined team that played with an aggressive style.”Commenting on his decision, ECB chief executive David Collier said: “Everyone associated with cricket in England and Wales will be forever grateful to Michael Vaughan for his immense contribution to the England team’s success. His achievement in leading England to victory against the number one ranked team in the world, Australia in 2005, was arguably the finest by any England captain in the modern era.”Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, said: “As an international captain Michael ranks among the very best and the way in which he and Duncan Fletcher forged a team capable of winning six consecutive Test series stands as testament to his ability to inspire and motivate those around him.”He was also a marvellous ambassador for England cricket off-the-field as well as on it and someone who genuinely appreciated the generous support he received from the thousands of England supporters who follow the team at home and abroad. No-one who saw his magnificent hundreds in Australia in 2002-03 will forget the contribution he made to the team as a batsman either – he will be rightly remembered as a player of the highest class.”England’s captain, Andrew Strauss said: “I count Michael as a good friend as well as a team-mate and I know what a tough decision this will have been for him as he took so much pleasure and pride in representing his country.”I learned a great deal from watching him captain the side for five years at close hand and his ability to identify a new strategy for outwitting the opposition or bring the best out of his own players was a priceless asset.”But more than anything we as players will miss the enormous sense of fun and enjoyment that Michael brought to the dressing room. He will be missed by everyone connected with the team and we wish him every success in his future career.”Yorkshire’s chief executive, Stewart Regan, said: “Michael Vaughan is a class act and will be remembered by Yorkshire members and supporters around the world for his beautiful stroke play and of course his success in leading England to Ashes glory in 2005.”It has been a pleasure and a privilege for me to get to know Michael over the past three years and his presence around the club has been hugely motivational, particularly the younger players.”I wish him every success in the future and hope that he continues to take more than a passing interest in the fortunes of Yorkshire CCC. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to personally thank him for his magnificent contribution not only to Yorkshire but to the game of cricket as a whole.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outHayden was slow, but fast enough for Mumbai•AFP

Some of the most bizarre stats you will ever see in Twenty20 games added excitement to the chase, but in the end Chennai Super Kings pushed Mumbai Indians out of the tournament – barring even more bizarre permutations later on. Chasing 148 Matthew Hayden had scored at various points in his innings 5 off 16, 9 off 23, and 20 off 33. His first boundary came off the 34th ball he faced (better believe all this), but he hung in till the end as Mumbai lost yet another close game after having bowled exceptionally well in the first half of their defence. Chennai now are formalities short of making it to the semi-finals.One of the litmus tests of exceptional players is how well they do when they are performing below themselves. Hayden passed that test today. The Mumbai bowlers were effective in keeping him down, especially Lasith Malinga and Dwayne Bravo who set the tone, not giving him the length balls at all. In their first spells Malinga and Bravo bowled 11 balls to Hayden for just one run. But for a wide, Malinga even bowled a maiden. He also took Parthiv Patel’s wicket first ball, the 10th time a wicket has fallen to the first ball of an innings in this IPL.It would have been easy then for Hayden to try something outrageous to either hit out or get out. But he swallowed his ego, waited for his opportunities. How he looked during the struggle didn’t seem to matter. Following Malinga and Bravo, Harbhajan Singh and JP Duminy kept it tight too, giving away 21 in overs 7 to 10.At the strategy time-out Chennai needed 92. S Badrinath gave them a six in the first over after, but he fell in the same over. And Hayden went back to the grind again. Finally, in the 13th over, Hayden hit a four, off a short one from Chetanya Nanda, and then three more to never let the asking-rate cross 10. He got good support from MS Dhoni, who scored 23 off 22, and ran superbly between the wickets.That the win came with five balls to go takes away from how close the teams were. They needed 27 off the last three overs when Harbhajan was brought back. A sloppy throw from Yogesh Takawale meant Hayden retained the strike, and Hayden hit a six next ball to provide the final twist. That six took him to 51 off 51, 31 runs coming off the last 18 balls. Now we’re talking.

Mumbai, who have become the embodiment of “so near and yet so far”, will look back at the final few overs of both innings as the ones that made the difference. Duminy, their most consistent batsman this season, got to his IPL best, but the Mumbai batsmen couldn’t get the big hits then that would have taken the total from the realms of the competitive to the challenging. At 105 for 3 after 16 overs, they looked primed for a big assault, but could manage just 42 more, and 16 of them in the last two.In a must-win game for Mumbai, Jayasuriya had answered the call early. A move up the order seemed to have worked. After two quiet overs the vintage Jayasuriya was on display, short-arm-jabbing fours and sixes to the leg side, and lofting a six over point. But just when it seemed one of those famous Jayasuriya innings that end the match in the first quarter itself was on, he skied one from Sudeep Tyagi, but not before he had put the Mumbai innings on its way. In two overs, the score went from 16 for 1 to 49 for 2, and Jayasuriya went from 2 off 7 to 30 off 17.Duminy capitalised on that start, setting Mumbai up, despite tight bowling by spinners in the middle overs and the loss of Sachin Tendulkar in the 11th over for the second time this tournament. Abhishek Nayar and Duminy batted sensibly till the 16th over, adding 31 in the next 5.1 overs. In the 17th over, Duminy, who had until then relied mainly on his exceptional running between the wickets to get 35 off 40, opened up, but a smart 19th over from L Balaji robbed them of the momentum. Chennai scored 30 off the last 13 balls they faced, Mumbai 17.

STRIPPING PAKISTAN’S RIGHT TO CO-HOST ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP, 20111.On 17 April 2009, a meeting of ICC Executive Board was convened at Dubai wherein being a Full Member, PCB was also invited. The Agenda of the meeting consisted inter alia Management Reports/Items including Lahore Incident, Incident Report, Security Issues for International Cricket and other Issues arising from the Lahore Incident. Along with some other points, the agenda of this meeting consisted “Safety and Security – Post Lahore Incident i.e. Liberty Chowk attack on Sri Lanka team”, Issues (other than security) arising from Lahore Incident.2.Foreseeing that the Executive Board Meeting was being convened after the unfortunate and tragic incident of Liberty Chowk, PCB sent a working paper to be placed before the Meeting.3.During the meeting, when security and safety issues regarding CWC 2011 was being discussed in the light of Lahore incident, views of Captain of Sri Lanka Team Mahela Jayawerdene and ICC official Chris Broad were presented; both of them were part of the team and officials who were attacked in Lahore. Unfortunately, the interview CD of the bus driver of Sri Lanka team that PCB had sent to ICC was never presented at the meeting. Rather, its transcript was circulated by e-mail to members after the meeting.4.PCB did not get an opportunity to explain its position and in a slip shod manner, a decision was passed by at the Executive Board meeting whereby PCB was stripped off its right to Co-host CWC 2011. As claimed the basis of this decision were the safety and security concerns.5.It is very surprising that this decision was passed in a meeting which was not even authorised to do so. As per procedure, it is the IDI Board and not the Executive Board that is only authorized to make recommendation to the Meeting of Members of ICC which is the Annual Conference and which is alone authorized to take decision on it. The ICC Executive Board in which this decision was made on 17th April, has purposed to exercise a power which vests only in IDI.6.PCB has not yet received the minutes of the said meeting of Executive Board, therefore the exact tenure of the decision is not known. But in reality, the decision of ICC is actually being acted upon. We can see that the Central Organizing Committee (which originally comprised of representatives of all 4 Co-hosts) convened its meeting in Mumbai wherein PCB was not invited.7.The Executive Board, while taking this decision, completely failed to take into account that the law and order situation in the entire sub-continent is not exemplary;a.Bangladesh recently faced mutiny by its armed forces and refused to host Pakistan on accounts of security concerns which resulted in cancellation of Pakistan Series in Bangladesh in March 2009.b.Sri Lanka is embroiled in a long standing civil warc.India due to law and order situation had to relocate IPL Series to South Africa although the official reason given is IPL schedule clash with the national elections. Recently Australia refused to send its Tennis Team to India for Davis Cup which was due to be held in Chennai, India.If security and safety was the only reason, no security assessment of the other three co-hosts has been done.8.Under the Host Agreement, prior to taking any decision on relocation of matches, PCB should first have been given an option to remedy the situation. This was never done.Pakistan Cricket Board has yesterday 08 May 2009 issued a Legal Notice to President ICC through Mr. Mark Gay of DLA Piper, London who is well known in the field of sports legal issues and has also previously represented PCB. He is being assisted by PCB’s Legal Advisor Mr. Taffazul Rizvi. In the Legal Notice ICC has been asked to rescind the decision of the Executive Board being ultra vires and void. We have also informed ICC that we will be shortly referring the matter for determination by an arbitral tribunal appointed in accordance with the Rules of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland under the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee.

ScorecardJerome Taylor made an impressive start to his England tour with three early wickets•Getty Images

Jerome Taylor handed the West Indians a timely boost with a hostile first spell of his tour, to take out the England Lions top order, after the visitors’ batting had continued to struggle in bowler-friendly conditions. Taylor’s three-wicket new-ball burst reduced the Lions to 13 for 3 before they rallied to 143 for 6 in reply to the West Indians’ 203 with Chris Woakes claiming a career-best haul.Taylor only arrived earlier this week having been allowed to spend extra time at home to recover from a car accident, but he showed no ill-effects as he slotted straight into his work to revive memories of his memorable spell at Sabina Park when he took 5 for 11 to skittle England for 51.He began by putting a dampener on Robert Key’s day after the Lions captain had been named in England’s Twenty20 squad. Key couldn’t respond with a score when he played around his first delivery and was trapped leg before. His opening partner, Stephen Moore, fared little better as he fended a catch to second slip and when Jonathan Trott edged behind England’s second-string were in deep trouble.Ian Bell, eager to continue his good form after being omitted from the Test squad, managed to weather the early problems as he and Samit Patel – another with plenty of prove – steadied the innings. Taylor’s support bowlers were not quite the same threat and runs came more easily but David Bernard broke through with Bell given out to a marginal lbw decision.Disappointingly for Patel, on a day where he was again criticised by Geoff Miller, he top-edged a pull when well-set on 27 as the Lions wobbled again on 78 for 5. It required some pugnacious strokeplay from Tim Ambrose to revive the innings as he struck 10 boundaries in a confident, unbeaten 49, between stoppages for bad light which limited play to 68 overs, although he also lost Luke Wright to Bernard’s medium pace.Before the West Indian bowlers made their impression the batting had given cause for concern ahead of the first Test. They crashed to 131 for 8 as Woakes continued his form from the opening day to claim the first six wickets, notching the impressive scalps of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brendan Nash.Wright ended Woakes’ monopoly and Sajid Mahmood also made his first mark before Bernard offered some belated resistance and made a late bit for a Test recall, more than six years after his only previous appearance against Australia. He added 80 with Sulieman Benn to give the total some respectability and thanks to Taylor it was looking more than handy by the end of the day.

ScorecardAgony for Karim Khan as he is dismissed for 83•Getty Images

Afghanistan’s unquenchable confidence drove them unerringly to a convincing 60-run win over Bermuda, who were condemned to their second loss in as many days. Afghanistan batted aggressively, fielded with agility and bowled with impressive discipline throughout. In contrast, Bermuda were outplayed in all three facets of the game and are already contemplating the embarrassment of not reaching the Super Eights.Chasing 240, Bermuda lost Lionel Cann – a batsman apparently back to his flourishing best – when he was bowled by Dawlat Ahmadza’s third ball of the innings. Jekon Edness followed soon after to Hasti Gul and, in a beautifully controlled five-over spell, Ahmadza conceded just five runs to tie Bermuda in knots.And then a resurgence took place with Glenn Blakeney and Steven Outerbridge opening their shoulders in a third-wicket stand of 118 to levy the balance. But their partnership lacked momentum thanks to Afghanistan’s tidy spinners, in particular Samiullah Shenwari, the young legspinner with an impressive stock delivery, who startled many with prodigious turn. Blakeney often mistakenly played across the line to the slower bowlers but, when driving straight down the ground, looked far more assured.Blakeney scorched a huge six over the top during his 89-ball fifty but was bowled attempting another heave, and it was left to Outerbridge to salvage a run-chase, as Bermuda sought an unlikely 115 from the last 16 overs. It was far too great a task. Hamid Hassan returned and bowled at a lively pace, with disciplined lines, to nip out two quick wickets while Samiullah deceived David Hemp with a lovely delivery that curved and dipped.That they failed to bat out their 50 overs tells a sorry but familiar tale of underachievement by Bermuda. Their captain, Irvine Romaine, refused the notion that they underestimated their opponents. “We didn’t, no, but if you look at when they played in Division 3, they [have improved]. I was surprised when the last seam bowler [Hassan] came on. He is a quality bowler, one of the fastest in the tournament. We did not expect that at all and he is a top-notch bowler.”This is part of cricket. Sometimes you show up to play, sometimes you don’t.”Though the margin of victory was significant, Afghanistan also suffered a batting slump, but two classy fifties from their captain and Man-of-the-Match Nowroz Mangal and the indefatigable Karim Khan, ensured a more than competitive total. Karim, who yesterday cracked 39 in Afghanistan’s win over Denmark, stroked 83 with ten crisp fours and propelled an innings which stood at 128 for 1 after 28 overs. But it was Nowroz’s late burst, in which he helped put on 55 in the last five overs, that really tested Bermuda’s bowlers and fielding. Both aspects were found wanting.Rodney Trott’s tidy offspin earned him 2 for 33 though his impact ought to have spelled a warning to Bermuda in facing Afghanistan’s own tweakers, who turned the ball far more prodigiously.There was little question which team was the hungrier, and Afghanistan’s second win on the trot ought to serve as an acute reminder of their fearlessness and ability. They now take on Kenya, who today thrashed UAE, on Saturday.

Tatenda Taibu, who this week was dropped from the Zimbabwean side as a result of a dispute over his kit, believes there are deliberate attempts to oust him from the scene.”I was very puzzled to hear from (chairman of selectors) Kenyon Ziehl that I had been dropped simply because of kit – which, mind you, includes helmets, pads and bats,” Taibu told the .”When we left Bangladesh I was told the kit would be in Kenya. It never arrived. When we came back (to Zimbabwe) I was told it would come to Zimbabwe – but I later found it wasn’t true.”Taibu has already been appearing in court after being charged with assault on a ZC employee, and the latest controversy has left him suspicious. “I will wait to hear the truth, because I think something is happening outside the kit issue,” he said. “If someone is trying to frustrate me they will not win – because I will always be available to play for my country. I will not pull out.”An unnamed Zimbabwe Cricket source told the Zimbabwean daily that Taibu was a victim of his own arrogance. “The selectors were forced to use someone else for the matches against Kenya in Mombasa and Nairobi, because Taibu said it would be unprofessional for him to use someone else’s kit,” said the source. “So he missed all five matches against Kenya because he insisted on using only his kit and unfortunately it did not arrive from Bangladesh.”It then doesn’t make sense that the same player now alleges that he is being ill-treated. Is it because the team is now going to India – which is much better than Kenya?”A disappointed Taibu said he would continue to perform to the best of his ability and would remain available for selection. “Any game is welcome, especially now when we don’t play the top teams often. The more you play the more you improve, and by sitting at home I won’t take part in the evolution of the sport.”The Zimbabwean squad left for India to participate in the domestic Deodhar Trophy – theylost their first match – and Zimbabwe A wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva has replaced Taibu in the side.

Mohammad Azharuddin, the former India captain who ended his international career in disgrace after being implicated in the match-fixing scandal, has joined the Congress party. The Congress, which is part of the incumbent national government, is yet to confirm whether Azhar will contest the parliamentary elections in April-May.”I have known him for 25 years,” Veerappa Moily, a party spokesman, said. “And when he expressed a wish to join the Congress I took up this matter with the party president [Sonia Gandhi], who has agreed to admit him.”Moily said the issue of his standing for elections would be discussed later. Azhar, from Hyderabad, could play a key role in campaigning in his home state of Andhra Pradesh, which will elect members of its state legislative assembly in polls to be conducted simultaneously with the parliamentary elections.”I am not the captain here, just a player, and will do anything the party asks me to do,” Azhar said. “The Congress has done so much for the country since the freedom movement. I wanted to give something back to the nation and the best way was to serve the people. I know I am capable of helping the party and the nation. I will do my best.”Azhar was handed a life ban by the BCCI in 2000 following the match-fixing inquiry by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation. He had appealed against the ban in the courts but no verdict has been delivered in the case yet. He captained India in three World Cups during the 1990s and played 99 Tests and 334 ODIs during a 16-year international career.Moily said the Congress was not worried about Azharuddin’s tainted past. “There is no criminal case against Azhar,” he said. “If there is a case at all, then it is between the BCCI and him, which has been filed by Azhar himself against the ban. He served Indian cricket for 16 years with distinction and was one of the best captains.”

Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara believes Sri Lanka’s experience of playing in finals proved decisive as they managed a narrow two-wicket win against Bangladesh in the final of the Tri-Nation Tournament. “It is tough on them [Bangladesh] especially after trying so hard,” he said, “but it was not to be. I guess our experience in finals won us the game.”Having shot out Bangladesh for 152, Sri Lanka were tottering at 6 for 5 at one stage during the run-chase, but Sangakkara’s gritty 59 off 133 balls, along with a cameo from Muttiah Muralitharan, proved to be crucial as Sri Lanka held on for victory.”I just wanted to bat as long as possible and try to get as close to the target as possible,” said Sangakkara. “We rarely see a collapse like that and it was unexpected because we have some of the best batsmen in the world but that’s cricket and we had an off day. The key was to try and fight it out.”When Sangakkara departed with the score on 114 for 8, the game was by no means secure, but Muralitharan’s breezy 33 off 16 balls saw the visitors through. “It was amazing. I thought he should have been the Man of the Match,” said Sangakkara. “He turned the game around and won us the final. We are used to seeing him win matches with his bowling and now he has won us a game with the bat.”Mahela Jayawardene, was more relieved than happy after Sri Lanka had come out trumps. “We probably did not deserve to win after doing the things we did today but at the end of the day we won and hats off to Kumar [Sangakkara], [Farveez] Mahroof and Murali. I never thought we would win but we kept fighting, fighting and fighting and came out winners.””It was a small target and we wanted to be positive. I don’t think we handled the situation very well. We knew that the wicket would have something for the new ball bowlers and the Bangladeshi bowlers bowled in great areas and run scoring was very tough.”It was the perfect way to cap off the tour of Bangladesh, having previously won both matches in the two-Test series and Jayawardene was pleased with the efforts of the team. “It was a great final and a very good game of cricket,” he said. “Our guys bowled well and they were brilliant throughout and put the ball in very good areas. Then from 6 for 5, I think we handled it pretty well to win. We have spent four weeks here now and played a Test series and a tri-nation tournament. We set out to win both and we have done it. As a captain I am very happy.”He also commended Bangladesh on putting up a strong challenge, even managing to beat them in their league fixture, and singled out Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan for praise.”They should be very proud of their performance especially in the Tri-Nation Tournament. Shakib was brilliant in the Tests and the ODIs, but I think the unsung hero was Mashrafe. Every game, be it the Tests or the ODIs, he created opportunities with the new ball and took crucial wickets. He was consistent throughout the tour.”Bangladesh have had some very good individual performances and they have improved a lot in the last two years. They realize now that they can beat any of the top teams and the key for them would be to continue working hard and improving.”

The PCB is expected to firmly resist reversing the result of the controversial 2006 Oval Test between England and Pakistan at the ICC board meeting in Perth on January 31 and February 1. The match was initially forfeited by Pakistan, after they refused to take the field following accusations of ball tampering, but the ICC changed the result to a draw at its board meeting in July last year.The PCB chairman Ijaz Butt will be travelling to Perth, Saleem Altaf, the board’s chief operating officer, confirmed. “The legal opinions were sought from expert lawyers in a bid to strengthen our case. Our stance on The Oval Test result is clear. We believe that the ICC has taken a good decision by declaring the result as a draw and that there is no need to reverse it again.”The matter is expected to come up at the meeting after the MCC, the independent governor of cricket’s laws, recommended that the ICC change the result back from a draw to an England win. Soon after the MCC’s suggestion, ICC president David Morgan said reversing the result was inappropriate and indicated the ICC might reconsider the decision.The key agenda at the meeting will be the ICL’s application for recognition, another subject which is important to the PCB because 19 Pakistan players are playing in the league. “ICC had said in the past that any league organised without the consent of the home board is unauthorized,” Altaf said. “We are waiting to see what developments take place in the ICC meeting as far as the ICL is concerned.”Butt is also expected to hold discussions with Cricket Australia officials regarding Australia’s proposed ODI tour of Pakistan in April following the ICC meet.