The Commonwealth Games are "in talks" with the Int'l Cricket Council about "bringing the sport back into the four-yearly event," according to the AFP. The Commonwealth Games Federation, which controls the second-biggest multi-sport event after the Olympics, said that "it was keen to get cricket back on the bill," with the Twenty20 shortest format of the game a particularly "exciting" prospect. Cricket has only featured once at the Commonwealth Games, at the '98 event in Kuala Lumpur, but CGF execs said that their 71 national and territorial associations "wanted it back in, provided a viable format could be produced." CGF CEO David Grevemberg said, "We've had some fantastic conversations with the ICC. It's very much exploratory. (It's) one of the priorities of the movement: all 71 nations and territories unanimously agreed that it would be great to have cricket as part of the sports program." Cricket is not on the agenda for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, "but could potentially feature at the 2022 Games in Durban, South Africa" (AFP, 12/1).
ENGLAND TOUR: In a separate piece, the AFP reported the England & Wales Cricket Board announced on Tuesday England's women's cricket team "will play three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 games against Pakistan next year." The three ODIs will form the fifth round of England's matches for the ICC Women's Championship "as they look to qualify for the 2017 World Cup, which will take place in England." The ODIs will take place at Leicestershire's Grace Road, Worcestershire's New Road and Taunton, home of Somerset, on June 20, 22 and 27. The T20 series will be played on July 3, 5 and 7 at Bristol's County Ground, Hampshire's Rose Bowl and Essex's County Ground (AFP, 12/1).
POOR PITCH: REUTERS' Amlan Chakraborty reported the ICC said on Tuesday that Indian cricket authorities face a fine of up to $15,000 after the pitched used for the "spin-dominated" third test between India and South Africa in Nagpur was rated as "poor" by match referee Jeff Crowe. The report has been forwarded to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, "which now has 14 days to respond" (REUTERS, 12/1).
