The Int'l Cricket Council "warned players that match referees will crack down hard on poor on-field behaviour, with offenders likely to face suspensions rather than fines." ICC CEO David Richardson said match referees had been told to enforce a “crackdown” on player behavior in the 44-day World Cup, to be staged in Australia and New Zealand from Saturday onward. Richardson: "The behavior in some matches by some players was deemed to be unacceptable and not a good example to young fans watching the game. The crackdown has already started" (FOX SPORTS, 2/10). ... A new Memorandum of Understanding between Triathlon New Zealand and its Japanese counterparts "will allow training programmes and competitions for Kiwi athletes in Japan." Tri NZ High Performance Dir Graeme Maw said that it will "go a long way to help the athletes get used to the Japanese environment" (ZB, 2/10). ... The remaining Australian Football League side Essendon players who are facing doping charges at the tribunal "will not seek to have their provisional suspensions lifted to play in the NAB Challenge." The Essendon contingent -- which consists of 17 of the 34 players from '12 who received infraction notices -- thus "will not play in the AFL's pre-season competition for at least the first two games of the NAB Challenge while the tribunal deliberates" (THE AGE, 2/10).
