LATEST ICC NEWS AS ON 17th DEC 2008

Schedule announced for Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3

Media accreditation process now open for Buenos Aires event 

The International Cricket Council today confirmed the match schedule for the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3 (WCL Div. 3) event, which will take place in Buenos Aires from 24 to 31 January. 

Host team Argentina takes on Hong Kong on day one at Hurlingham while Papua New Guinea gets its campaign underway against the Cayman Islands at Belgrano Athletic Club and Uganda faces Afghanistan at Corimayo. 

Afghanistan and Hong Kong, who progressed from WCL Div. 4 in Tanzania in October, go head-to-head on day two in what could be one of the games of the tournament........

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat targets slow over-rates and verbal abuse

Wants to ensure “feel-good factor” from Chennai Test remains 

Writes to all Emirates ICC match referees and umpires, urges them to be “assertive and proactive” 

“Players must play their parts” 

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat today identified slow over-rates and verbal abuse as two key areas that must be kept in check for cricket to maintain its feel-good factor over the coming months. 

Mr Lorgat confirmed he had written to all Emirates ICC match referees and umpires asking them to be “assertive and proactive” in dealing with the issues. 

And he added that players, and especially captains, also bore a major responsibility to ensure the game was played in the right spirit and at the right pace. 

“After the recent Test match in Chennai there is a real feel-good factor about the game, and rightly so,” said Mr Lorgat. 

“It’s great that the game is in the news for all the right reasons and I want that to carry on now we’ve moved into what is traditionally the busiest period in the cricketing calendar.........