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The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced, England and Wales will host the 2017 World Test Championship. The ICC confirmed that the new competition will replace the 50-over Champions Trophy. " The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will host the inaugural event in June/July 2017, while the second edition will be held in India in February/March 2021, " an ICC statement read. "The ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales was highly acclaimed and appreciated by all," ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said. "However, the principle of one pinnacle global event for each of the three formats over a four-year cycle is a good one and, as such, the ICC Board has agreed to replace the Champions Trophy with the ICC World Test Championship. "Now that the ICC World Test Championship has been confirmed, we'll work on the playing conditions and qualification criteria, and will submit these to the ICC Board for approval in due course."

The South African batsman, Richard Levi has signed Northamptonshire for the Friends Life t20 competition that begins on June 26. Levi will join the squad in match against Gloucestershire on June 28.  Northamptonshire head coach, David Ripley said, " We are delighted to welcome Richard to the County Ground as he will add much needed firepower to the top of our order. " "His willingness to jump on a plane and get over here at very short notice is testament to his desire to play not just for us, but to try and force himself back into international contention - something we hope this stint at Northants (Northamptonshire) will help him achieve. "We are looking forward to Richard joining Cameron White here at the County Ground as we go all out for a place in the latter stages of the Friends Life t20."

New Zealand fast bowler Ian Butler has signed Nottinghamshire for their first Friends Life T20 match against Leicestershire . He will join the county side after the T20I against England at the Oval. " The Notts Outlaws squad looks very strong and I feel well prepared having played two twenty20 internationals this week, " Butler said. " There is a great tradition of New Zealand cricketers doing well with Nottinghamshire and I am really looking forward to playing at Trent Bridge. " Butler has played 26 ODIs, 18 T20Is and eight Tests for New Zealand and has taken 75 wickets. Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell said, "Ian has a good international pedigree and he was very effective bowling to England's top order in Tuesday's match, We're placing a heavy workload on Ajmal Shahzad, Luke Fletcher and Harry Gurney and this signing will improve our quality and depth."

BCCI has announced, India will tour Zimbabwe starting July 24, for a series of five one-dayers internationals. The first three ODI's will be held in Harare and the last two in Bulawayo. Schedule July 24 - 1st ODI, Harare July 26 - 2nd ODI, Harare July 28- 3rd ODI, Harare July 31 - 4th ODI, Bulawayo August 3 - 5th ODI, Bulawayo

England Right-handed batsman, Kevin Pietersen has made a comeback to the England T20 squad against New Zealand , starting from next Thursday at The Oval. He has been included in a 14-men squad for two T20 internationals against New Zealand. Pietersen will play the second match to be held at The Oval on June 27. Geoff Miller , England's national selector, said: With an intense period of cricket coming up we are conscious that we need to manage the workloads of our players throughout the summer and this NatWest series gives an opportunity for players who have performed well in domestic cricket and on the England Performance Programme and with the Lions to step up and test themselves in an international environment. "New Zealand are a talented limited-overs side and with a World T20 competition less than a year away this series gives us a chance to look at a number of different options." England squad : Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, capt), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire),

New Zealand have announced their Twenty20 squad against England starting from next week. Batsmen Hamish Rutherford and Tom Latham, along with left-arm spinner Roneel Hira has been included in the squad. Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee and Grant Elliott has been dropped from the New Zealand squad, while Kane Williamson and Luke Ronchi has also been excluded from the squad. The Two Twenty20 matches will be held on June 25 and June 27 at The Oval. New Zealand Squad : Brendon McCullum (capt), Corey Anderson, Martin Guptill, Roneel Hira, Doug Bracewell, Ian Butler, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, James Franklin, Tom Latham, Kyle Mills, Colin Munro, Hamish Rutherford, Ross Taylor.

South African all-rounder Albie Morkel has signed Derbyshire for Friends Life t20 competition. Albie become the second overseas signing of Derbyshire after Shivnarine Chanderpaul. " Albie still has some close connections with the area ," Krikken said. " I'm sure the strong relationship we have with our pals at Leek Cricket Club has had a bearing on his decision. " Morkel said: " I've always enjoyed the challenge of playing in England and, although I initially hadn't considered playing county cricket this season, the timing has worked out well and I am really looking forward to contributing to Derbyshire. "

The former Australia captain Ricky Ponting will retire from all forms of cricket in October. The 38-year-old is currently playing in county cricket for Surrey . " While I'm enjoying my cricket as much as ever, it just feels like the right time to finish playing ," Ponting told the Daily Mail. " My body and mind are in great shape and I know I'm going to really enjoy these last few months before the next stage of life begins. " "I'm excited about what lies ahead. We are moving to Melbourne, which will be like a new beginning as a family leading a more normal life. I'll be able to spend more time with family and friends, play a lot more golf and see more of North Melbourne footy games. "Rianna and I will continue to build the work of the Ponting Foundation and, with more time on my hands, I'm intending on spending more time with children with cancer and their families."

South Africa great batsman Hashim Amla has been nominated for four Cricket South Africa (CSA) professional awards, to be announced here on July 3. Amla has been nominated for: The Test Cricketer of the Year. The One-Day International (ODI) Cricketer of the Year. The 'KFC So Good' award which is for a single outstanding achievement. These awards would cover the period from May 1, 2012 to April 30, 2013. List of nominees are: South African Cricketer of the Year : Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn. Test Cricketer of the Year : Hashim Amla, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn. One-Day International Cricketer of the Year : Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Ryan McLaren. Twenty20 International Cricketer of the Year : Henry Davids, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn. KFC So Good Award : Hashim Amla, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn. Women's Cricketer of the Year : Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk.

Due to contractual obligations with Derbyshire (English county), West Indies middle order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul will not be able to play in the first ever Caribbean Premier League (CPL). " I am extremely sorry that I will not be able to participate in the CPL because of contractual obligations ," said Chanderpaul. " I would definitely like to make myself available for the next edition, and will have my contracts carry a clause that will permit me to play in future editions of T20 tournaments ." Aussie batsman Luke Pomersbach to replace Chanderpaul and will soon join St Lucia. "I am excited about this new opportunity and really looking forward to playing in the Caribbean for St. Lucia, " Pomersbach said. " It will be great to be a part of this first CPL and I am looking forward to some tough competitive cricket with some of the greatest T20 cricketers in the world. " The CPL begins from July 30 in Barbados.

India have announced squad for the ODI tri-series to be held in the West Indies, between India , Sri Lanka and West Indies starting from June 28. India will travel to the West Indies after the Champions Trophy tournament. India Squad : Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik (wk), M Vijay,   Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Irfan Pathan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Amit Mishra, Vinay Kumar

New Zealand all-rounder Nathan McCullum has joined Glamorgan for English domestic Twenty20 competition. The 32-year-old off-spinner said, " I'm looking forward to joining up with the Glamorgan squad at the end of this month." "I've spent a bit of time in Cardiff over the past few weeks and have enjoyed playing at the SWALEC Stadium. "Spin bowling plays an important role in T20 cricket. "

New Zealand fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan has signed Lancashire for their Friends Life t20 campaign later this month. McClenaghan became the Lancashire's second overseas player after Australia's Simon Katich. McClenaghan is excited and he is looking forward to play county cricket . " I am delighted to be joining Lancashire for the Friends Life t20, " he said. " I have enjoyed being part of the New Zealand tour of the UK and Champions Trophy squad so far and the opportunity to broaden my cricket experience by playing county cricket was too good to turn down. Lancashire are a club with a great history and tradition and I hope to be able to help the club to T20 success this season. " Lancashire coach Peter Moores said, " To have an international quality left-arm seamer joining us for the Friends Life t20 competition is very exciting and a real boost to the squad. The fact that Mitchell is coming straight out of international cricket in Engla

Australian batsman David Warner has been suspended for the rest of the Champions Trophy games and two Ashes warm-up games due to bar-room altercation with Joe Root. Although Left-handed Opening Batsman Warner will be available for the first Test of Ashes at Trent Bridge. The 26-years-old Warner was fined A$11,500 on top of the suspension. Although Cricket Australia did not release further details of the hearing or Warner's response to the charge. As per the reports that Warner's belief that Root was impersonating Hashim Amla when wearing a false beard, but the England camp has said Root was making fun of himself and referring to taunts from his team-mates that he was too young to grow facial hair. Warner was stood down from Australia's Champions Trophy match against New Zealand on Wednesday and after the game, stand-in captain George Bailey said the altercation was "very minor" and had "been dealt with in-house".

English county side Surrey have signed Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for domestic Twenty20 championship. The 24-year-old was a member of the Hampshire squad in last year English Twenty20 competition. Maxwell, has played nine Twenty20 internationals for australia. He also played for Melbourne Renegades and Melbourne Stars in Big Bash Twenty20 League and for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League . " Glenn is one of the most exciting T20 players in the world and we are looking forward to him joining our squad for this year's competition, " said Surrey team director Chris Adams.

A total of 24 matches will be played in the Caribbean Premier League competition that starts on 30 July and ends on August 24. Antigua and Barbuda : Marlon Samuels, Ricky Ponting, Kieran Powell, Johnson Charles, Kemar Roach, Steven Smith, Sheldon Cotterell, Dave Mohammed, Devon Thomas, Gavin Tonge, Justin Kemp, Rakheem Cornwall, Jahmar Hamilton, Anthony Martin, Montcin Hodge. Barbados : Kieron Pollard, Shoaib Malik, Dwayne Smith, Shakib Al Hasan, Umar Akmal, Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel, Rayad Emrit, Ashley Nurse, Carlos Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Kyle Mayes, Devendra Bishoo, Kirk Edwards, Ramon Reifer. Guyana : Sunil Narine, Mohammad Hafeez, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin, James Franklin, Christopher Barnwell, Martin Guptill, Krishmar Santokie, Steven Jacobs, Ronsford Beaton, Trevon Griffith, Narsingh Deonarine, Veerasammy Permaul. Jamaica : Chris Gayle, Muttiah Muralitharan, Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Shaun Marsh, Vernon Philander, Danza Hyatt, Carlt

The second edition of the Sri Lanka Premier League is ready to kick off as scheduled, sports ministry announced. The ministry spokesman Harsha B Abeykoon said, " The ministry of sports wishes to confirm that Sri Lanka Cricket will conduct the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) on the scheduled dates, from August 10 to September 07, 2013. "At no stage have the Franchises refused or stated their inability to participate in the forthcoming SLPL 2013. The request made by the Franchises has been referred to the Attorney-General's Department for an opinion based on the existing contracts." "We have a problem this year. The franchise owners are pulling out," sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage was quoted as saying in the local Sunday press. In 2011, There was a first edition of the SLPL, which was aborted as the BCCI failed to release Indian players.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has planned a short tour of the West Indies in mid of July to play five-match ODI series and two Twenty20 matches after the West Indies Cricket Board revised a confirmed tour. As per the official sources " The WICB has said they will schedule the Test matches at a later date." "The team will return home from the Champions Trophy and then leave for the West Indies on July 7 and from there will go straight to Zimbabwe to play three ODIs and two T20 matches in August.