Queensland Cricket (QC) has posted a record profit for the 2006-07 financial year due to last year’s Ashes Test at the Gabba.All five days of the Brisbane Test in November were sold out, with 117,603 people attending to create a record for the ground. On Tuesday Damien Mullins, QC’s chairman, outlined plans to distribute a large slice of the $2.5m profit back into grassroots cricket across the state.”It is appropriate that all members of the Queensland Cricket family share in the spoils of the Ashes series,” Mullins said, “and we believe this to be the most responsible and beneficial way to re-invest in the game’s future.” Each of the state’s seven regional cricket bodies will also receive a $20,000 grant.

The opening batsman, Loots Bosman, has become the second South African cricketer in the space of a month to be called before a CSA disciplinary hearing, following his controversial criticism of the national coach, Mickey Arthur, in the Afrikaans newspaper, Beeld.On Tuesday, Bosman was withdrawn from the South Africa squad for the ICC World Twenty20 with a back injury, to be replaced by the fast bowler, Andre Nel. The official reason for his omission, however, did not go down well with the player himself, who was quoted in Wednesday’s edition of Beeld as accusing Arthur of lying.Under the headline, “Loots slaan Mickey vir ‘n ses”, Bosman hit out at the decision, claiming that the CSA medical advice that he should rest his injured back for six weeks was suspect. “I am tired of the lying,” Bosman was quoted as saying. “I am fine, ask my physiotherapist in Bloemfontein who treated me last week. I am very, very, disappointed. Mickey [Arthur] tells too many lies.”Arthur himself responded in the same paper that the comments were “shocking”. “It is understandable that he would be disappointed,” said Arthur, “but his reactions are very immature and I am disappointed how he has handled this.”Arthur is also confident that there is nothing wrong with the procedure thathas been followed. “I have the findings of the leading neurosurgeon in the land. How can Iargue against that?” he said. “Does Loots not realise that there is a possibility thathe could be paralysed?”South Africa’s Twenty20 campaign gets underway against West Indies at Johannesburg on Tuesday, and Arthur claimed that he had envisaged a full role in the tournament for Bosman, had he been fit. “I wanted him to play in the warm-up game in Potchefstroom on Saturday,” said Arthur, “but he could not attend a fitness test as it had been recommended that he should not be active for a six-week period.”As a consequence of his comments, Bosman has been charged with four breaches of the CSA code of conduct, including “detrimental conduct which could bring [himself], the board or the game of cricket into disrepute.” As was the case with his team-mate, Mark Boucher, who was carpeted for speaking publicly about Jacques Kallis’s omission from the Twenty20 squad, Bosman will appear before the CSA’s Disciplinary Commissioner, Advocate Michael Kuper SC, on a date that has yet to be decided.The case is yet another example of the very public rifts developing in South African cricket. At the weekend, the allrounder Andrew Hall announced that he would be turning his back on the national team when his contract expires at the end of the month, and instead has committed to the breakaway Indian Cricket League.Unlike Boucher and Bosman, however, Hall has vowed to keep his council until his contract expires. “I don’t want the same to happen to my husband than what happened to Mark Boucher,” his wife, Leanie, told Beeld. “When Andrew’s contract with CSA expires at the end of the month, he will state his side of the matter.”

Steve Stubbings, the Derbyshire batsman, has been awarded a benefit by the club for next season.Stubbings, 29, has served Derbyshire for 11 years, scoring 6,755 first-class runs at 32.01. He was handed his county cap in 2001 and has captained the side on several occasions over the past two years.”This is a thoroughly deserved accolade for Steve who has been a terrific servant to Derbyshire for over a decade,” Don Amott, the Derbyshire chairman said. “Not only has he been an outstanding and reliable player, he is also one of the nicest and most genuine guys you will meet in cricket.”I hope he has a very successful benefit year and that the members and supporters come out and support his events throughout the year 2008.””I have been very proud to represent Derbyshire over the last 11 seasons,” Stubbings said, “and to be given a benefit year is an incredible honour and is very humbling.”Being awarded a benefit year is something that doesn’t happen to everybody and I feel extremely privileged to be selected, particularly when you look at the list of previous beneficiaries in recent years which is pretty exclusive company to be in.”

Clive Lloyd has denied that he ever discussed the feasibility of a managing director for the West Indies team in an interview with .The article quoted Lloyd as saying: “Politics-wise, that might be a little difficult,” before adding, “Probably they [West Indies board] might come to that if they could find somebody that could carry those duties.” Lloyd, though, denied making those statements, and instead lashed out at Orin Davidson, the journalist who had conducted the interview.”I am surprised that a journalist of Mr. Davidson’s experience and competence should have attributed to me words which I never uttered during the interview he had with me in New York,” he said in a statement. “At no time did I discuss with him the question of a managing director for the West Indies cricket team. It was in an attempt to avoid any such misunderstanding that I had requested my sister to ask Mr Davidson to let me have a look at the article before it was published. Unfortunately, Mr. Davidson thought that this was not necessary.”The journalist, though, maintained that Lloyd’s comments were in the context of West Indies cricket having one individual in charge of all decision making. A note by the sports editor said: “Mr Davidson says although he might not have used the words managing director, Mr Lloyd was asked his opinion of West Indies cricket having a sole individual making all the cricketing decisions.”

One issue shadows Muttiah Muralitharan every time he visits Australia and no amount of goodwill, outstanding sportsmanship or law changes can stop it. While the rest of the cricket world adores Murali, some Australians have taken his action as a personal insult since Darrell Hair called him for throwing on Boxing Day 1995.They will be the ones in the crowd shouting no-ball each time he delivers from his mesmerising armoury. Sadly, they will never appreciate him. The taunts and criticism hurt Murali but he does a wonderful job of smiling it away. He is an amazing man and a treasured bowler.The treatment has led to him playing only two Tests for Sri Lanka in Australia and is one reason why he desperately wants to prove himself during the series beginning in Brisbane on Thursday. Murali boycotted his country’s previous Test tour in 2004 after John Howard, Australia’s prime minister, copied the view of many of his subjects by questioning the action.Wild cheering and support for Murali in the tsunami charity match in 2005 softened the bowler’s view on the country but unfortunately the lingering distaste remains. At a pre-Test lunch in Brisbane Murali was greeted warmly by a crowd of more than 600, but a call of no-ball still came when he was introduced.Asked about his experiences in Australia he said: “I had a bad tour in 1995 and I want to forget that because that was the start of everything,” he said. “I’ve gone past that.”In three Tests in Australia Murali has eight wickets at 63.12, which is more than 40 runs above his career mark, and he wants to prove himself to the Down Under sceptics. “I want to play in Australia and show myself,” he said. “Hopefully this time, before I retire, I can do something.”The home players are determined to counter Murali and have the added incentive of delaying the nine wickets he needs to move past Shane Warne’s Test record of 708. Murali knows the Australians play him best and Matthew Hayden was confident they could diffuse the threat.”We’ve faced him in pretty much all the conditions in the world and we’ve handled him pretty well,” Hayden said. “In a situation where he’s got a lot of incentive, our job is to keep him out of play and we’ve definitely got the skills to do that.”Murali has never appeared in a Test at the Gabba and will rely on his experience from five one-day internationals at the ground. Hayden expects the extra bounce to suit Murali. “He’ll exploit that nicely.”On stage Murali was in a bright mood, remembering the first time he bowled to Allan Border, who thought he was a legspinner and could not work out why he was playing and missing. Murali also said the Sri Lankan team would not copy the on-field verbal tactics tried by India during the one-day series last month.”We want to play decent cricket … not like the Indians,” he said before laughing. “We want to play our game, try to challenge Australia and have a good game.”Chaminda Vaas, the opening bowler, agreed with his team-mate. “We’re not Indians, we’re not going to play like the Indians,” he said. “But when it comes to cricket you have to play aggressive cricket and we are here to play good and smart cricket.”Sri Lanka did not use Murali during the tour game against Queensland but he spent a lot of time in the nets and drew a crowd whenever he bowled. His name (even if there isn’t universal agreement on how to spell it) deserves to be on the trophy Australia and Sri Lanka will battle for over the next two Tests.

All rather quietly, Zimbabwe’s national league started last week, overshadowed by the board’s secret annual general meeting.The national league is now being played under a new two-day format though it has done little to spice up the image of the flagging tournament. Although all the national sides are taking part, matches have been so one-sided that they have offered little of real value to the selectors.Despite some obvious talent in clubs, most of the participants in the league are very young and in need of guidance from more experienced players: the average age of players is 20. Except for a few older players, such as Gary Brent and the returning Ray Price, there is almost nobody over 25 in Zimbabwe domestic cricket, a state of affairs reflected in the national side.Sources says the national league is likely to act as a feeder for the Logan Cup, the country’s first-class competition, which itself has been hit by falling standards and may also undergo an overhaul.The Logan Cup was put on hold as Zimbabwe was preparing to play in South Africa’s SuperSport Series, a plan which fell through because of the reluctance of the franchises to take time to play an additional fixture in Harare. However, the Zimbabwe board has been assured by their South African counterparts that they will “definitely play” in the domestic limited-overs and Twenty20 events.

Twenty20 internationals will continue to be a support act for Test and one-day cricket in Australia with the national body not planning a push for more matches. Australia will play one of their two shortened games on Tuesday against New Zealand in Perth, but despite the popularity of the format it will not be expanded past the ICC limit of three home matches a summer.”Our emerging view is that Twenty20 has to find a place that complements but does not compromise Test and ODI cricket that already exists,” the Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young told the Daily Telegraph. “We have started to move towards the view that there is a lot of potential to develop it as an interstate style of product.”The domestic competition starts on New Year’s Eve and lasts for two weeks. Each team will play five matches before the final on January 13 and the top two sides will be part of a global tournament next year.”That’s where our focus is at the moment,” Young said. “But there is obviously an international place. The ICC has played the Twenty20 World Cup and there will be Twenty20 international games.”

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