ECB name Sri Lanka as Zimbabwe replacement

Sri Lanka in England 2009 April 21-23: Leicestershire (Leicester) April 25-27: Essex (Chelmsford) April 29-May 3: England Lions (Derby) May 7-11: 1st Test (Lord's) May 15-19: 2nd Test (Chester-le-Street) May 21: Somerset (Taunton) May 24: 1st ODI (Bristol) May 27: 2nd ODI (Edgbaston) May 30: 3rd ODI (Headingley)

England will host Sri Lanka for two Tests and three ODIs in April and May next year. Sri Lanka's tour slots in the fixture gap caused by England's decision to suspend bilateral ties with Zimbabwe and the cancellation of their 2009 visit.

David Collier, the ECB chief executive, was pleased with Sri Lankan's willingness to step in and ensure England will have a competitive series ahead of the Ashes later in the summer.

"The strong and close relationship which we built up during our recent winter tours to Sri Lanka allowed the ECB, at short notice, to be able to approach Sri Lanka and confirm their availability for the international matches in the early part of next summer," he said.

The ECB cancelled Zimbabwe's tour last month, minutes after Gordon Brown, the prime minister, told the House of Commons that he wanted the tour scrapped. The ban on a team from Zimbabwe entering the country also put in doubt England's hosting of next year's World Twenty20 next year, but as of now the issue has been resolved with Zimbabwe pulling out of the event.

Sri Lanka play three three-day games ahead of the Tests series, followed by a warm-up one-dayer before the ODI series.

Dhoni pulls out of Sri Lanka Tests

A battle-weary Mahendra Singh Dhoni had opted out of the Sri Lanka Tests.

The speculation about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's availability for the Test series in Sri Lanka has been laid to rest with the BCCI making it official that he has requested for a break. Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI's chief administrative officer said Dhoni, India's limited-overs' captain, had personally conveyed the message. "Yes, he (Dhoni) has told the board that he would like to rest for the Test series against Sri Lanka", Shetty said.

Till late on Monday night there was a question mark over Dhoni's participation in the tour after his own public statements did not clear the air. Mid-way through the recent Asia Cup in Pakistan recently, Dhoni spoke about fatigue as a result of back-to-back-matches. On Monday, he welcomed the BCCI's policy for allowing players the choice to sit out if they wanted some rest. "The board has done a good thing by saying that if someone needs rest, he can opt out", Dhoni said.

India's coach Gary Kirsten has also expressed concern about packed schedules and how important it was for key players like Dhoni to take a break. Since 2007, Dhoni has played 14 Tests, 56 ODIs and eight Twenty20 internationals - 134 days of international cricket in a span of less than 20 months. He also captained Chennai Super Kings to the final of the Indian Premier League, and featured in all their 16 matches.

Dhoni, in private, had complained about exhaustion after India's triumph in the CB Series in Australia earlier this year. Despite recovering from a finger injury, he kept the suspense hanging over his availability before the Tests against South Africa, before going on to play the entire series. Since the rigorous IPL campaign with the Chennai Super Kings, Dhoni has played non-stop, leading the side during the Kitply Cup as well as the Asia Cup.

In Dhoni's absence, Dinesh Karthik is likely to take over wicketkeeping duties ahead of Parthiv Patel. Karthik last played in the Bangalore Test against Pakistan last December, which Dhoni had to skip due to an ankle injury. Karthik had played as a specialist opener in Test series in Bangladesh and England last year, and in the home Tests against Pakistan. He was picked in the squad for the Australia tour, but didn't play any of the Tests.

India in Sri Lanka 2008

Ponting concerned over Test cricket's future

Ricky Ponting: 'I think it's up to all of us to make sure that we're putting on a good enough spectacle to bring crowds back to the game'.

Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, believes that Test cricket isn't in a healthy state and that international players have a duty to provide entertaining matches to ensure its future in the wake of Twenty20's popularity.

Speaking to Cricinfo SportsCenter after returning home from Australia's undefeated tour of the West Indies, Ponting added that he'd be open to the proposed tournament-style Test world championship, but would reserve judgment until he'd seen its format.

"A few 50-over games will make way for 20-over cricket but I'd hate to see it touch Test cricket," he said. "Right at the moment, (Test cricket) is probably not in its healthiest state. I think it's up to all of us to make sure that we're putting on a good enough spectacle to bring crowds back to the game."

Ponting said finding the right formula for a Test tournament would be the biggest challenge. "I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I think the logistics of it is going to be the difficult thing," he said. "What it does do, I guess, is make sure that every Test you play has a lot riding on it as far as points go. But I've always said that every Test match Australia plays always means a lot to us anyway."

Ponting is resting after undergoing minor surgery in Melbourne for a tendon injury in his right wrist that forced him out of Australia's final two one-day internationals in the Caribbean. His fitness will be assessed for Australia's home series against Bangladesh starting next month and September's Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

Ponting suffered the injury during Australia's third one-day international in Grenada on June 29.

"I did it about 20 runs into my innings and sort of battled through that with a few painkillers and taped it up," he said. "I tried to get up for the fourth game but basically couldn't lift my bat in the nets."

Ponting, however, is confident that the emerging members of the squad will continue to pick up the slack in what he describes as a transitional period for his side.

"We haven't got the old, wise heads to call on all the time but the blokes we're bringing in are certainly getting the job done for us. Whenever you have a big changeover of players as we've had in the last 18 months, it's very satisfying to continue to win games and win series."

Ponting identified the performances of the allrounder Shane Watson, substitute wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi and bastman David Hussey as the most pleasing from the one-day sweep of the West Indies.

"All the guys who came in were some our better players through the tournament," he said. "With our set up here in Australia, the gap between first-class and international cricket isn't as steep as it is some other places. I expect players to come in and have an impact straight away."