New Ashes schedule proposed

CRICKET: Ashes Test series in Australia are set to be rescheduled so they don't take place just before the World Cup, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board announced here Thursday.

David Collier told a news conference at Headingley he was in discussion with his Cricket Australia counterpart, James Sutherland, and they would soon be putting forward proposals to their respective boards. Collier was speaking at the launch of the Schofield report into the future of English cricket.

Chaired by former European golf tour boss Ken Schofield, it also featured six ex-England cricketers, including former captain Nasser Hussain.

The committee, which came into being following England's 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia, made 19 recommendations in all including the creation of a new full-time national selector, who would travel with the team on tour where currently the captain and coach pick the team.

Schofield's team also echoed calls from players for a reduction in the amount of international cricket but didn't say how this would be achieved.

Collier insisted England were "locked in" to their current programme until 2011 because of agreements already in place with other boards.

England are due to host an Ashes series in 2013. Breaking the cycle so the next Ashes in Australia didn't lead up to the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand could see them played in 2012.

But Collier said clashing with the London Olympics in 2012 would be "suicide" and that the series would be shifted forward instead to 2014. England have never won the World Cup and there is a feeling within English cricket their chances are being hampered by a lead in of a busy home programme folowed by an Ashes tour.

While England advertise the post of national selector, the current panel of chairman David Graveney, coach Peter Moores and Geoff Miller will remain in place.

The report also called for the abolition of the domestic 40-over competition, which has no counterpart in international cricket, although no decision on this will be taken until the northern autumn at the earliest when an ongoing review into the structure of English cricket is due to report.

LEEDS, England, Friday, AFP