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Khan Research Laboratories were propelled to the top of the table with 12 points after securing a draw against State Bank of Pakistan. KRL put SBP in, with the decision seemingly vindicated after Yasir Arafat bowled opener Raheel Majeed for just 1. A 53-run stand for the second wicket between Kashif Siddiq and Umair Khan saved early blushes, before an imperious 202 from Usman Arshad wrested the match in SBP’s favour. SBP finished their innings on 420, with Sadaf Hussain and Umaid Asif taking three wickets a piece.KRL’s effort proved even between, led by Ali Khan’s 187 at No. 6, with a pair of seventies from Shoaib Ahmed and Nayyer Abbas book-ending the innings. KRL finished on 481 despite Mohammad Naved taking 5 for 129. Facing a deficit of 61 runs, SBP did well to get past the mark with just a wicket lost. Majeed scored 50 while Umair Khan just missed out on an eight first-class ton when he was out for 97. SBP were 199 for 5 when stumps was called and the match was declared a draw.Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited beat Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited by 93 runs in Islamabad to register their first win of the tournament. ZTBL batted first, but found themselves in a jam when they were placed at 42 for 3. Haris Sohail and Haseeb-ur-Rehman steadied the innings with a 75-run stand. However, once both batsmen departed, the rest of the order failed to put up a fight as ZTBL were dismissed for 210. Imran Ali led the bowlers with 5 for 31 while Hussain Talat chipped in with 3 for 24. SNGPL’s innings was marked with the inability of their batsmen to push past double figures, with only Naeemuddin and Azhar Ali the exceptions. ZTBL needed just three bowlers to dismiss SNGPL for 80, giving them a lead of 130 runs. Usman Khan took four wickets, while Imran Khan and Mohammad Khalil chipping in with three a piece.ZTBL posted a strong second innings when Sharjeel Khan and Babar Azam put on 166 runs for the second wicket, with Azam having to retire hurt on 80. Sohail remained unbeaten on 50 as ZTBL declared on 236 for 2. SNGPL were given a target of 367 to chase, with things started abjectly when SNGPL were 35 for 3. Things got even worse when they were placed at 103 for 7, but a stunning counter-attacking 106 from Bilawal Bhatti scored 106 at No. 9, but despie that performance, SNGPL still ended up falling short by 93 runs.A nerveless unbeaten 49 by Naeem Anjum in the second innings saw out a tricky 178-run chase for Pakistan Television as they held on to a four-wicket victory over Port Qasim Authority in Lahore. PQA batted first, with the openers putting on 64 for the first wicket. Innings from Faraz Ali (69) and Mohammad Waqas (88), pushed them to 316. Mohammad Ali’s took best figures of 5 for 75. Despite losing their openers with the score on just 11, and then suffering further set backs to be reduced to 51 for 4, Pakistan Television looked under the cosh, but Zeeshan Mushtaq (105) and Yasim Murtaza (70) rallied the team, helping them secure a slim 43-run lead. Mohammad Sami and Sohail Khan chipped in with three wickets a piece.PQA’s second innings didn’t go to plan as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Despite a stirring effort from Shahzaib Hasan, with 105 off 110 balls which included seven fours and four sixes, none of the other batsmen, aside from Sami’s 30, were able to contribute significant scores as PQA were rolled for 220. Waqar Ahmed and Wasim Murtaza did chief damage, taking three wickets each. With 178 runs for victory, Pakistan Television lost opener Haroon Ahmed with the score on just 17. Imran Ali and Nawar Ahmed also went out in quicktime, before a double-strike of consecutive balls from Mohammad Sami left them at a precarius 102, with 76 still required. A calm 59-run partnership between Fahad-ul-Haq and Naeem Anjum ensured they got to the mark, with Anjum finishing off the chase with consecutive boundaries.United Bank Limited beat Water and Power Development Authority by 176 runs to post their first win of the tournament. UBL batted first, with Abid Ali leading the way with his 76. Each of the UBL batsmen chipped in, but failed to go on to post a meaningful total. A couple of forties from Asif Raza and Tariq Haroon were the only notable performances other than Abid Ali as UBL reached 319. WAPDA started promisingly with some good stands up front, but lost their way after reaching 218 for 6, losing the remaining four wickets for the addition of just 42 runs. Aamer Sajjad, the captain, top-scored with 84 while Mohammad Ayub chipped in with 50. Both Mohammad Irshad and Tariq Haroon picked up four wickets each to lead the UBL bowlers’ efforts.UBL’s second innings was anchored by Abid again as he bettered his 76 in the first innings with an unbeaten 101. Khaqan Arsal scored 70 at No. 5, as UBL declared their innings at 242 for 6 with a lead of 302. WAPDA were never really in the chase, as they succumbed to 68 for 7. Only their captain, Sajjad, fought valiantly with his 64 as WAPDA were bundled out for 125, giving UBL a 176-run victory.Some imposing first-innings totals resulted in the match between Pakistan International Airlines and Habib Bank Limited finishing as a stalemate. Both sides were seeking their first win after losing their respective tournament openers. It was PIA who batted first, where innings from Fahad Iqbal (52), Anop Santosh (51) and Anwar Ali (61) helped PIA to 343. Sarmad Anwar and Ehsan Adil took seven wickets between them.Habib Bank’s innings started well, with opener Shan Masood and captain Imran Farhat adding 114 for the second wicket. Masood and No. 6 Rameez Aziz then put on 169 runs together, with Masood finally falling for 140. After Rameez was out on 78, Mohammad Aslam and Abdul Ameer were left not out as the match petered to a draw, with Habib Bank on 411 for 8.

Mayank Agarwal racked up his fifth century of the season and went past 1000 first-class runs in November alone after Karnataka took the first-innings lead against Railways at the Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi. Railways’ overnight pair of Arindam Ghosh and Mahesh Rawat saw off the first hour or so, but they fell apart quickly after the 201-run fifth-wicket stand was broken by legspinner Shreyas Gopal. Ghosh, resuming on 86, went on to bring up a century, while Rawat fell nine short of a ton of his own. Railways lost their last five wickets for 49 runs and conceded a first-innings lead of 101.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Shreyas, who hasn’t been able to nail down a permanent place in the XI this season, finished with 4 for 102, while offspinner K Gowtham took three.Karnataka established dominance from the get-go in their second innings, with Agarwal and R Samarth putting on 117 for the opening stand. Samarth put behind his first-innings duck with 56 before falling lbw to the medium pacer Amit Mishra. Agarwal batted on to bring up his century and was unbeaten on 104 when stumps were drawn. Giving him company was D Nischal, who was batting on 41, as Karnataka finished the penultimate day 309 runs ahead with nine wickets intact.Akshath Reddy’s century helped Hyderabad wipe out a 210-run first-innings deficit after they were made to follow-on by Delhi in Uppal. Reddy stitched together stands of 98 for the first wicket with Tanmay Agarwal and 115 for the second with Rohit Rayudu, who is playing just his second first-class match. Hyderabad ended the day on 233 for 2 – ahead by 23 runs, with Rayudu unbeaten on 61.Hyderabad began the day on 194 for 8 in their first innings and folded shortly thereafter, for 205. Kulwant Khejroliya and Vikas Mishra took the final two wickets to finish with four scalps each. Despite having already sealed their knockouts berth, Delhi pushed for an outright win and enforced the follow-on, but had to watch their bowlers toil away.Maharashtra ended an otherwise disappointing season with a thumping seven-wicket win over Assam in Pune for a mid-table finish. Assam, who had picked up a narrow first-innings lead of 26, resumed on 101 for 3, but unraveled quickly to be bowled out for 189. Naushad Shaikh led Maharashtra’s successful chase of 216 with his fourth first-class century. He was complemented well by Ankit Bawne, the captain, who was unbeaten on 52.Maharashtra’s medium-pacers triggered Assam’s second-innings implosion. Nikit Dhumal took 4 for 48 to finish with a match haul of nine wickets, while Pradeep Dadhe picked up maiden first-class five-wicket haul. Barring their top three, none of Assam’s batsmen was allowed to settle in. The seven-wicket defeat ended a winless season that relegated Assam to the bottom of the table.

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Luke Pomersbach’s maiden first-class century gave Western Australia a reason to cheer briefly before Doug Bollinger helped consign them to a 275-run loss to New South Wales. Bollinger played a part in ending what he started, finishing with 5 for 38 as the Blues grabbed the three wickets they needed and dismissed the Warriors for 193 before lunch.Bollinger had set up the victory with a hat-trick that cut Western Australia to 6 for 78 on day three and he returned on the final morning to have Steve Magoffin caught behind. Dominic Thornely made the outcome official when he bowled Ben Edmondson with his first ball, leaving Pomersbach unbeaten on 102 from 111 balls.Pomersbach’s resistance was aggressive – he clubbed 14 fours and three sixes – but he had too few partners remaining. Brett Dorey was the first to go on day four, giving Beau Casson his only wicket for the match. The comprehensive home loss gave Western Australia the worst possible start to the summer after they appointed a new coach and new captain during the off-season.

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Ashok Dinda, the Bengal medium pacer, shocked Punjab with 5 for 57 and helped his side to a 14-run win at Mohali. Sourav Ganguly, Bengal’s captain, and Ranadeb Bose backed Dinda’s fine performance with two key wickets apiece.Dinda and Bose quickly reduced Punjab to 54 for 4 before Ganguly brought himself on at first-change and bowled Reetinder Singh Sodhi for 23. Dinda continued to chip away and aided by Ganguly’s second wicket, the ninth of the innings, picked up his fifth when he forced Rajesh Sharma to hit his own stumps while playing a shot.Earlier, VRV Singh and Gagandeep Singh had combined for seven wickets as Bengal crumbled to 148 in their second innings, but ultimately Punjab failed to chase down the identical total.
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Powered by four-wicket hauls from Rakesh Patel and Rajesh Pawar, Baroda coasted to a seven-wicket victory in their first round match against Karnataka at Vadodara. Patel blew the tail apart as Karnataka, overnight on 180 for 4, were bowled out for 283. Tilak Naidu added 26 to his overnight score to reach his half-century but once Pawar ran him out, the rest folded up. Set a target of 112, Rishikesh Parab steered Baroda home with a patient 137-ball 54.
ScorecardGagan Khoda’s 17th first-class hundred paved the way for Rajasthan to turn in a fine bowling display and complete a 138-run win over Gujarat at Ahmedabad. Khoda, 32, struck 14 fours and a six in his 146-ball innings, and was the only batsman to score more than 29. His effort shone bright against an aggressive Gujarat, led by Timil Patel, who bagged his maiden five-wicket haul and bowled Rajasthan out for the identical score as their first innings.Chasing 281, Gujarat crumbled to 142 as every bowler used by Ajay Jadeja, himself included, picked up atlas one wicket. Mohammad Aslam, the left-arm spinner, had the best figures of 3 for 35. Parthiv Patel, Gujarat’s captain and wicketkeeper, top-scored with 57.
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Joginder Sharma picked up 7 for 41 – including a hat-trick to skittle out the tail – as Haryana dismissed Andhra for 168 and set themselves 242 to win at Rohtak. By stumps on the third day, Haryana had progressed to 92 for 3 as Venugopal Rao, Andhra’s captain, was forced to use six bowlers – three spinners included – in defense of his side’s sizeable total. Reduced to 67 for 3 last night, Andhra were rocked by Joginder, whose seven dismissals were either bowled or leg before. Allowing just 41 runs from 22 overs, Joginder, who began his domestic season with runs and wickets in the Duleep Trophy, made his Ranji opener a memorable one.
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Ravikant Shukla racked up his maiden first-class century and Piyush Chawla raced to his highest first-class score to propel Uttar Pradesh to a 108-run lead over Saurashtra at Kanpur. By the close of the third day Saurashtra had come within 31 runs of UP with eight wickets left. Shukla, who added 46 to his overnight score, fell just after UP gained the lead but Chawla took over and stitched together a 74-run partnership with Amir Khan to extend that. Rudra Pratap Singh nabbed two wickets to leave Saurashtra at 33 for 2 before Shitanshu Kotak and Cheteshwara Pujara steered them to stumps without any further damage.
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After yesterday’s washout, action finally returned to the Chatrapati Shivaji Stadium in Karad with Hyderabad posting 385 and Saurashtra finishing day three on 20 for 0. Anirudh Singh, Hyderabad’s No. 3 batsman, added just 14 to the 100 scored on the first day as Anupam Sanclecha, the right-arm medium pacer, scalped a career-best 6 for 60. 254 for 3 became 307 for 9 before Inder Shekar Reddy slammed an unbeaten 53, his highest first-class score, from the No.10 spot. Harshad Khadiwale and Dheeraj Jadhav played out 9.4 overs to take Saurashtra to 20 for 0 at stumps.

Pakistan’s captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has admitted his team have been surprised at their success against England as they bid to clinch the one-day series by defeating the tourists on Monday at Rawalpindi.Inzamam, whose team lead the five-match one-day series 2-1 after their comprehensive victory in the Tests, said Pakistan had not expected to dominate England.”Our team has done very well, both in Tests and one-dayers,” he said. “I don’t think they had thought in their mind that we will do this well.”This is a crucial match for us because it could be the decider in the five-match series, and by playing positive cricket we will do our best to clinch the series here. We won’t let them stage a comeback by scoring big once again. The pitch at the Pindi stadium is a good batting track and a score of 270-plus is possible here.”Yesterday, England’s Andrew Flintoff said his team were still capable of winning the final two matches, despite the loss of their captain Michael Vaughan, Ashley Giles and Kevin Pietersen. “We have staged comebacks before and we are capable of doing that again. It would be important to finish the year on a high note,” he said.Pakistan, who won the Test series 2-0, are in line for their third successive one-day series victory after beating India and the West Indies early this year. “This all is a process of building the team for the World Cup,” Inzamam said. “I don’t think as far as of the World Cup, but every series win will help us in our preparations for the mega event.”

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In a good close contest, Matabeleland beat Manicaland by 13 runs with three balls to spare at Mutare Sports Club. Mark Vermeulen, whose form has been inconsistent this year, led the way with an innings of 91, but it could be said that the match was settled by the inability of the Manicaland fielders to hold their catches.Matabeleland began their innings in fine style, with Terry Duffin (34) and the normally stolid Wisdom Siziba adding 73 for the second wicket in less than 11 overs, and then Vermeulen took over. The main beneficiary of the dropped catches, he stayed until the penultimate over, adding 101 for the fifth wicket with Charles Coventry (41), and ensured Manicaland faced a daunting target. There were three wickets each to Blessing Mahwire and Patrick Gada.Johnson Marumisa (66) gave Manicaland a sound start, and while Mahwire was at the wicket victory looked possible, as he boosted the middle order with a rollicking 58 off 43 balls. But tight bowling from Chris Mpofu (2 for 23) and Gavin Ewing (2 for 35) kept the pressure on the other batsmen, and Manicaland slowly slipped behind the clock.

After 26 months of control by government-appointed interim committees, the clubs and associations that make up the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) have finally got what they have been clamouring for: a democratically elected administration headed by Thilanga Sumathipala, who has been the most powerful man in Sri Lankan cricket since the 1996 World Cup.

Sumathipala’s win in Friday’s election was always a forgone conclusion.Nevertheless, the sheer size of his victory against Arjuna Ranatunga, the 1996 World Cup winning captain, was a surprise. He won 121 of the 138 votes cast in the open ballot. It was not so much a landslide as anavalanche. Ranatunga was humiliated, winning just seven votes.A bitter Ranatunga told that media afterwards that “at least seven clubs loved the game” before scuttling away from the Sports Ministry headquarters, where the election was held amid tight security. He hoped that the size of the victory would be an “eye opener” for the government, claiming it was the result of a deeply flawed and corrupt system. “If I can only get seven votes after giving my 100% to Sri Lanka cricket then there has to be corruption in the system,” he reasoned. In a typical show of defiance, he added: “This isnot the end, I will continue my battle.”There are many who concur with Ranatunga’s sentiments, about the suitability of the current open ballot system, and also about the suitability of Sumathipala for the leadership. Indeed, the current chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom, who presides over an impressive business empire of his own making, has staunch enemies. For some, he is a man of ambition and vision with the best interests of Sri Lanka’s cricket at heart, but others are distrustful, suspecting that something more sinister drives his apparently unquenchable lust for cricketing power. Sumathipala is an enigma: few really know whether he’s a hero or villain.His two previous terms in office have been controversial, both cut short by the government. In 1999 his executive committee was forced out of office for legal reasons, as his opponents campaigned in the courts after an ugly election. He swept to power again at the next elections, but that stay was also curtailed prematurely, this time on the pretext of a constitutional technicality by the sports minister, Laksmann Kiriella.In the immediate aftermath of the sacking, rumours of wrongdoing abounded. Corruption stories were fuelled by the outgoing BCCSL chief executive, Dammika Ranatunga, who claimed that the tender process for the award of a three-year television contract with WSG Nimbus was flawed. The mushrooming bill for the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Sumathipala’s pet project at the time, also raised suspicions about the fairness of the tender process for building contractors. An official inquiry was launched.The inquiry’s preliminary report concluded that there had been “financial mismanagement” but its conclusion carried little weight. It was a kangaroo court, set up and run by persons with an axe to grind. Sumathipala successfully persuaded the courts of this fact and the inquiry was halted. Since then there has been much gossip but no hard evidence. For all the mud thrown at Sumathipala, none has stuck. Some of his closest allies have erred, but his record is still clean.To suggest that Sumathipala won the elections by simply waving his chequebook to under-funded cricket clubs is far-fetched. No one can buy off that level of support. The fact is that for the last five years he has listened to the clubs attentively and built a cohesive plan, called the National Development Plan, that addresses their needs. That is sound thinking in any electoral system.They also know that Sumathipala is a doer in a country of delays. For the last two years interim committees have prevaricated too much and done too little. The recent establishment of the cricket academy was really the only achievement of note. The domestic competition remains a mess, a cradle for soft cricketers, and the standards of school cricket have dropped. The clubs have seen Sumathipala build an entire stadium in 165 days – they know he can implement what he promises.Although the state of domestic cricket and the school system remains high on the agenda, Sumathipala’s first task is to solve a serious financial crisis. The recent decision by a Singapore tribunal, which ruled that the BCCSL cancelled a three-year US$27.1 million contract unlawfully, means that Sri Lankan cricket faces an US$11 million damages bill – a claim that the BCCSL cannot afford considering a financial loss of US$940,000 in 2002.It was Sumathipala who negotiated the original deal with WSG Nimbus, the largest television deal in Sri Lanka’s history, and he must salvage the situation now. He has wasted no time in starting the process, calling the current rights holder, Taj Television, for emergency talks this week. He will then sit down and negotiate with WSG. He promises a solution: “I am confident that I can sort this out, although at what cost to the BCCSL I do not know.” Despite a reputation for being a master negotiator, it will be no easy task.Sumathipala had also promised a permanent coach within 30 days in the run-up to the election. In the event he needed just six hours, announcing the imminent appointment of John Dyson, a former Australian opening batsman. A physiotherapist and a physical trainer will be appointed shortly, according to Aravinda de Silva, who has been placed in charge of cricketing affairs.Whether the Sumathipala magic wand can revive the ailing domestic structure remains to be seen. Ultimately, a complete shake-up is needed, but he is unlikely to upset the clubs by splitting the Premier Division in two. The most likely solution is the addition of a new “Super Tournament” where the cream of the talent is condensed into six teams.During the coming weeks Sumathipala’s team will put flesh on their ideas, producing a blueprint for change, which will then be presented to the clubs for their endorsement. It’s an eagerly awaited document, for everyone is agreed that change is needed. But the key will be implementation: both the end result and the manner it’s achieved. Sumathipala’s reputation is at stake and this time he needs to be squeaky clean. His personal ambition is to head the International Cricket Council (ICC) and he cannot afford to be thrown out by the government for the third time.Charlie Austin is Sri Lanka editor of Wisden CricInfo.

No play was possible in the Norwich Union second division match between Sussex and Durham at Hove on Sunday, leaving both teams with two points from the fixture.

ScorecardJesse Ryder’s early blows eased Essex’s victory path•Getty Images

Sometimes the result doesn’t matter. When George Scott of Middlesex, 19 years old and playing only his second professional T20 match, ran in from long-off and dived forwards, it didn’t really matter if he had or had not got his hands underneath a chance to dismiss Ryan ten Doeschate.What mattered is that he tried. Because less than half an hour earlier Scott had dropped two straightforward catches off Jesse Ryder before facing the ignominy of making a fielding error in front of the famously boisterous Chelmsford crowd. With them barracking behind him it would have been far easier for Scott to let ten Doeschate’s lofted straight drive come to him on the bounce, but he ran, he dived – he tried.Scott’s attempt at long-off was adjudged after TV replays to have bounced and, by a marginal decision, ten Doeschate was not given out. Middlesex lost this match comfortably, but for a team rooted to the bottom of the South Group and blooding a youthful team for the future, this was a night in which the result didn’t really matter.

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Middlesex lost the match in the middle-overs of their innings when they failed to build upon a strong start. Eleven single-figure overs that contained just three boundaries and three wickets choked any sense of momentum. Quite why Eoin Morgan struggled so desperately is hard to gauge. Essex have a high-quality bowling attack but he has faced far better. If Middlesex are going to promote youth in T20 they are going to need the more experienced players to lead by example and drag the newcomers with them, Morgan failed in that task here. Perhaps he is bearing his responsibilities too heavily.

Indeed there was, just a handful of overs into Essex’s chase of Middlesex’s 150 for 5, a heavy sense of resignation in Dawid Malan’s voice as he spoke almost wistfully to the commentators about a total he felt was “well under-par” and how his team was “well up against it.” Essex’s chase was just a few overs old. Of course, Malan was right, but it was revealing to get a sense of Middlesex’s resignation in this match against an in-form Essex team.Middlesex actually made a fairer fist of it than many would have predicted. After winning the toss and electing to bat Middlesex lost Malan in the first over, but the coming together of Nick Gubbins and John Simpson provided them with a strong base. The pair carried Middlesex to 54 for 1 by the end of the Powerplay and 78 for 1 before Simpson was dismissed.It was in the ensuing middle overs that Middlesex lost the match, and, rather intriguingly it was then that England’s T20 and ODI captain Eoin Morgan was at the crease. Essex bowled well and shuffled their bowlers regularly.The variation provided by Shaun Tait, Graeme Napier, Reece Topley, Ravi Bopara and Tom Westley saw eleven consecutive single-figure overs tick by between the sixth and the seventeenth over. Simpson, Gubbins and Ryan Higgins all fell within 26 balls as the demands of the conditions squeezed the Middlesex batsmen into mistakes and they struggled to find fluency.The tight middle-overs ensured that even 33 coming off the last three could not take the visitors towards a competitive total. Morgan was dismissed in the penultimate over for a 25-ball 29 and Middlesex’s 150-5 was 26 lower than the next lowest score batting first at Chelmsford this season. It was never going to be enough.Essex hit more boundaries in the first 12 balls of their innings, seven, than Middlesex managed in their last 89. It was Ryder who did the bulk of the damage and after facing just six balls he was 22 not out and would go onto score 59 from 27. Mark Pettini was dismissed in the fourth over of the chase but by the time Essex ended the Powerplay 64 for 1 the match was as good as over.Middlesex fought hard with the ball. Gurjit Sandhu and Harry Podmore, both young bowlers, collected impressive figures of 1 for 19 and 2 for 28 respectively and the team ended up collecting six wickets between them, but with Westley striking a useful 45 the result was never in doubt, not of course that the result really mattered to Middlesex.For Essex, by contrast, this result was precious. Having lost four of their first five matches they now stand one win away from qualification for the quarter-finals.Interestingly, five of Middlesex’s team for this match, Gubbins, Higgins, Scott, Podmore and Sandhu, were involved a day earlier in Middlesex winning the Second XI T20 Cup, a result that matters far more to a county planning for the future. As for Chelmsford, Scott will learn from days like these and will hope it makes him a better cricketer.

The next steps in the ICC’s efforts to help chart a path forward for cricket in the USA are in the works, with the formation of four advisory groups to guide the implementation of the ICC’s strategic plan for USA cricket.The framework for the ICC’s strategic plan – which includes targets for USA to qualify for the 2019 World Cup, the 2020 World Twenty20 and put in a bid to host the 2024 World Twenty20 – was relayed to stakeholders at a series of town hall meetings conducted around the USA by ICC staff in November. The strategic plan is part of the ICC’s efforts to help transform cricket in the USA following the suspension of the USA Cricket Association at last June’s ICC annual conference.In a letter sent to stakeholders earlier this week, Tim Anderson, the ICC’s head of global development, declared that four advisory groups were in the process of being formed during the month of February. The groups will be formed specifically to advise on player participation, performance, fan and market development, and creating a sustainable foundation.The advisory groups will be functioning in a similar capacity to the ICC’s seven-man local advisory group in the USA, which was formed in August and includes representation for both the American Cricket Federation and USACA in the form of ACF chairman Jagan Jagannathan and USACA liaison Dr Vincent Adams. Also on the seven-man committee are former USA cricketer Usman Shuja and Patrick Sandusky, the chief communications and public affairs officer of the US Olympic Committee (USOC).The ICC will also be coordinating a summit next month in Colorado Springs, home of the USOC headquarters, to engage with youth cricket officials from around the country including USA Youth Cricket Association president Jamie Harrison.As for USACA, several sources state that the board president Gladstone Dainty and multiple other representatives traveled to India earlier this month to meet with ICC and BCCI officials regarding USACA’s suspension. However, no movement has been made to lift USACA’s suspension.