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The ECB will announce the name of its new chief executive at a press conference at Lord’s tomorrow morning (Oct 13). Although officials remained light-lipped about the identity of Tim Lamb’s successor, many of today’s newspapers tipped David Collier, who is currently Nottinghamshire’s chief executive.Collier, 48, is already a member of the ECB’s management board, and is the favourite of the three candidates on the short-list. The others are Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers Association, and Matthew Wheeler, a former Northamptonshire player who has worked in sports marketing.Collier has considerable domestic experience, having worked at four counties – Essex, Gloucestershire and Leicestershire before moving to Trent Bridge. He also has worked in sports marketing, and the leisure industry for Sema, a Cheshire-based computer-systems company. He’s also a hockey referee, and in 2003 played an important part in organising a rescue package which bailed out the England Hockey Association.Wheeler’s stint with Northamptonshire was brief – he played just two matches for them as a fast-medium bowler in 1985 – but he made more of an impression with Octagon, the group currently advising the ECB on the new television contracts, and he has made a success of his two sports-marketing companies.Bevan’s was the surprising name on the short-list, given that he has often crossed swords with the ECB in the past in his dealings on behalf of the players.A firm of headhunters has been working on behalf of the ECB to find a replacement for Lamb, who resigned in May after six years in charge.

Washing dirty laundry in public is something which Yorkshire supporters have grown resigned to in the last two or three decades, but a concept altogether alien in the tranquil surroundings of the Sussex coast.But the publication of The Longest Journey, co-written by local cricket correspondent Bruce Talbot and The Guardian’s Paul Weaver, will do just that. It is a saga of alleged incompetence and betrayal, overshadowed until now by last season’s Championship success.The key figures are Tony Pigott, the former player who became chief executive after a coup by members, and Dave Gilbert, Sussex’s deputy chief executive and director of cricket. A relationship which started as a result of friendship ended in bitter acrimony.But within a year of the new management assuming control, the county was losing money hand over fist. Almost everything that the club tried seemed to end up costing them, and Gilbert and Piggott took less interest in the cricket and more in trying to turn the club around.”You can’t help but like Tony, he’s a lovable rogue,” Gilbert is quoted as saying. “But his spending was irrational and largely unaccountable and I was getting increasingly fed up clearing up the wreckage. It was very unfair on Tony to give him a job for which he was entirely unsuited.”He was always popular with the members and the committee because he always wore his heart on his sleeve as a player, giving absolutely everything, and then he was the catalyst for change when the club changed direction. But he was simply not up to the job.”In 1999 Pigott left, citing “personal reasons”, but the reality is that he had been sidelined as Gilbert took a greater role in the day-to-day running of the club. “As soon as I met up with the opposition club’s hierarchy, someone would button-hole me and ask exactly what was the difference between Tony’s and my roles at Sussex,” Gilbert explained. “It was all a bit embarrassing. The club’s financial position was still pretty precarious. We just seemed to be on a course that had no strategy.”I genuinely feared that because of the spending, the club would go bankrupt and I was never going to be part of that. My credibility and reputation are very important to me. In those last few weeks before he left, Tony and I hardly spoke. Our relationship had deteriorated quite badly.”Gilbert left Sussex in 2001, returning to Australia to take over as chief executive of the New South Wales Cricket Association.For his part, Pigott says that he felt that Gilbert was looking to undermine him from the off. “I think David felt guilty about what happened. Every time I came to the ground after that he would run a mile. Everything I did was for the good of Sussex cricket, but I’m not sure David did.”The Longest Journey (Sutton Publishing) is published next week. It is available from the bookshop at Hove from April 22.

Bangladesh go into the first Test against South Africa at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong with the spectre of Dav Whatmore looming large on the near horizon. Whatmore is expected to take charge of the team on June 1, and several team members will be casting more than the odd anxious glance over their shoulders ahead of his arrival.Bangladesh have lost all but one of their 17 Tests since gaining Test status in 2001, the lone exception being a rain-hit encounter against Zimbabwe. Their one-day form has been similarly dismal, and Khaled Mahmud, who took over from Khaled Masud as captain after the World Cup, has a job on his hands to buck the trend.”We are hoping to do better and aiming to at least salvage a draw,” said Mahmud. “It’s very disappointing to keep losing matches, many of them inside three days, but we are better prepared this time. We are banking on our spinners to do a good job, but it is more important that our batsmen apply themselves well. We can only hope for a draw if we bat for four or five sessions.”As far as South Africa – who head the ICC Test Championship table – are concerned, Graeme Smith couldn’t have hoped for a milder baptism as Test-match leader. When he walks out for the toss in Chittagong, he will be the third-youngest captain (22 years, 82 days) in Test history, after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (21 years, 77 days) and Waqar Younis (22 years, 15 days). Smith was a surprise appointment to the top job after Shaun Pollock was sacked for his failure to even guide the team into the World Cup Super Sixes.Smith started his reign by leading South Africa to the final of the TVS Cup triangular, winning three games on the trot after a hiding from India in their opening match.”I thought we improved as a team during the tournament and I myself learned from each game,” said Smith. “We hope to make full use of the matches here to gain more experience.” South Africa are likely to play just the one specialist spinner in Paul Adams, despite the slow nature of the wicket. Jacques Rudolph and Smith himself may chip in with some overs, but the selectors are expected to keep faith with a pace-oriented attack. Allan Dawson and Andrew Hall should both play, leaving Charl Willoughby to man the drinks cart.TeamsSouth Africa (from) Graeme Smith (capt), Mark Boucher (wk), Hershelle Gibbs, Boeta Dippenaar, Shaun Pollock, Neil McKenzie, Paul Adams, Allan Dawson, Andrew Hall, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Jacques Rudolph, Charl Willoughby.Bangladesh (from) Khaled Mahmud (capt), Mehrab Hossain, Mohammad Ashraful, Javed Omar, Habibul Bashar, Akram Khan, Sanwar Hossain, Mohammad Salim, Alok Kapali, Mohammad Rafique, Tapash Baisya, Manjural Islam, Mashrafi bin Murtaza, Enamul Haque.

A maiden Test century from Kumar Sangakkara and a dramatic secondinnings collapse by the India’s top order in the evening left SriLanka on the verge of an emphatic victory in the first Test at theGalle International Stadium on Thursday.India had come back briefly in the morning, when they took Sri Lanka’slast seven wickets for 68 runs, but they still conceded a 175-run leadand then folded up feebly in the second innings, losing seven wicketsfor 83 runs in an extended evening session. Sri Lanka requested thefinal half hour, but bad light stopped play with India on 130 foreight.Sri Lanka, then, have paved the way for only their second Test victoryagainst India in their 20-year Test history. The last time was in SriLanka’s inaugural Test triumph at the P.Saravanamuttu Stadium back in1985.More importantly, they have grabbed the initiative in a congestedseries and now have a good chance of winning their first Test seriesin 16 months. With just four days rest before the second Test inKandy, India face a huge mental and physical challenge if they aregoing to come back into the reckoning.Sadagoppan Ramesh (2) set the tone for India’s reply. His feet stuckto the crease like stone, he groped at a full-length outswinger fromRuchira Perera and lost his off stump. India went into tea on 26 forone.After the interval, the wheels came off. Shiv Sunder Das (23) flatbatted a catch to point, Mohammad Kaif (14) was caught at short legoff Muttiah Muralitharan, and captain Sourav Ganguly missed a straightdelivery from Dilhara Fernando. India were 64 for four.By now Muralitharan was going in for the kill and Sri Lanka’s closefielders converged around the bat in excited anticipation. His jobmade easier by the early wounds inflicted by the fast bowlers, hebowled a 17 over spell, picking up four wickets in the process.Hemang Badani (5) was adjudged to have been caught behind, thoughreplays suggested the ball had only brushed the pad; Sameer Dighe (3)was scooped up by a predatory Russel Arnold at silly point; andHarbhajan Singh was teased by his fellow artisan before being deceivedin the air to give a return catch.Sanath Jayasuriya nearly finished the game off before the 6.39 close.He had Zaheer Khan caught at silly point with the first ball he bowledand then narrowly failed to take the final wicket (Javagal Srinath isnot expected to bat because of a badly swollen left hand), when MahelaJayawardene flung himself to his left, but was unable to grasp a sharpchance.Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid batted defiantly for nearly three hours. Heremained unbeaten till the close on 37, but without support from hispartners, his efforts will prove futile, unless, of course, it rainsfor two consecutive days.The morning was dominated by Sangakkara. A law student who tries tocram in his studies in between international commitments, he startedthe day on 54. Whilst wickets fell around him he extended Sri Lanka’s77-run overnight lead and remained unbeaten to the end, batting for226 balls and six hours in searing temperatures for his 105.Sangakkara had scored four Test fifties already in his short Testcareer, including a rearguard 98 in South Africa and an exhilarating95 during a tense Test against England in March, but was under extremepressure in this game after a string of low scores in the one-day gameand a scratchy series against Pakistan A.He is a free flowing stroke maker by nature, but impressed in thisinnings with his adhesiveness and determination. During each break inplay, he practiced studiously, drilling balls into the sight screenbeside the dressing room. He looked diffident and circumspect lastafternoon and was dropped once when he had made eight, but he kept hiscomposure and gradually grew in confidence.By the end though his batting was imperious. It had to be too. When ChamindaVaas was seventh man out, Sangakkara was still 28 runs short of his hundredwith a fragile tail exposed. He went on to the attack, pulling and cuttinganything remotely short. He was strong off his legs too, slickly clippingthe ball off his pads.Then, Fernando drove straight to short cover like a coach giving fieldingpractice and Ruchira Perera only lasted two balls before he guided a shortball into the gloves of Sammer Dighe. Muralitharan strode to the crease,wielding his bat like an offensive weapon, with Sangakkara still eight runsshort.Muralitharan nobly refrained from playing his most unorthodox swipes, butSangakkara’s heart was in his mouth every delivery. Eventually he got hischance and lofted a good length ball from Srinath straight down the groundfor his hundred. Muralitharan could contain himself no longer and he waspromptly caught on the square leg fence to end the innings.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOn the first day in Cardiff, Joe Root had a life on zero and went on to score a century. On the first day at Lord’s, Chris Rogers had a life on zero and went on to score a century. In Cardiff it was Brad Haddin who dropped Root; at Lord’s it was Root himself who missed Rogers’ edge at third slip. Root’s hundred set up an England victory; Rogers’ ton might yet do the same for Australia.Of course, it is not as simple as to say that had Root got his hands above his head to snare Rogers the day would have belonged to England. But a wicket in the first over would have been the perfect start. Instead they had to settle for one breakthrough for the entire day, a David Warner brain-freeze that brought Rogers and Steven Smith together to begin a 259-run partnership.By stumps, Australia were in a dominant position at 337 for 1. Rogers was on 158 and had earned a place on the Lord’s honours board, a fitting achievement given the service he has provided to Middlesex over the past four years. Smith was on 129 and got his name on the board too, five years after he made his Test debut at Lord’s as a No. 8.For Rogers, this day ended a frustrating run of half-centuries that failed to turn into hundreds, seven in consecutive innings until that streak ended with his 10 in the second innings in Cardiff. For Smith, it was simply a continuation of his remarkable first-innings form of the past eight months: it was the sixth time in the past eight Tests that he had scored a first-innings century.The Lord’s pitch offered little for Alastair Cook’s bowlers. The pace was slow and sideways movement infrequent. But if they were to give themselves the best shot at a 2-0 lead in this Investec Ashes series, they had to take their half-chances. And they didn’t. James Anderson drew the Rogers edge that flew at catchable height over Root’s head, but other chances were missed later in the day.On 50, Smith edged a good Ben Stokes delivery that moved away off the pitch and Ian Bell, at second slip, got his hands low to the ground but failed to cling on to a chance he should have taken. A tougher chance was missed when Rogers was 78, his attempted sweep off Moeen Ali brushing the glove on the way through and ricocheting off Jos Buttler’s gloves down the leg side.Chris Rogers scored an unbeaten 158 to put Australia in a dominant position•Associated Press

It was a frustrating day for England’s bowlers. The fast men struggled to have any real impact, though a couple of balls fizzed past edges. Moeen delivered enough scoring opportunities that the batsmen could wait him out. Except, that is, Warner, who on 38 had struck two boundaries already in Moeen’s first over when he intemperately tried to thump him over long-off for another and was caught.That left Australia at 78 for 1, but two-and-a-half wicketless sessions followed. Rogers had been the more positive of the opening partners and although he slowed done somewhat after Warner’s departure, the scoring rate never stagnated too much. He was especially strong when late-cutting the spinners and punching the fast bowlers through point, and he finished with 25 boundaries.He slowed as triple-figures approached but from his 209th delivery Rogers pushed a drive back past the bowler Anderson for four. Almost as soon as the ball left his bat Rogers let out a scream of excitement, knowing that it would reach the boundary and a Test hundred at Lord’s was his.By the end of the day he had passed his previous highest Test score of 119 and as the evening grew near he steered a boundary through third man to bring up his 150. Among Australians, only Don Bradman and Bill Brown have scored Test double-centuries at Lord’s, and Rogers will begin day two with a realistic chance of joining them.He had well and truly overtaken Smith, who beat Rogers to a century by two overs. The milestone came from his 161st delivery with a pull for four off Anderson, and it was one of 13 fours (plus a six) he struck over the course of the day. His runs came all around the wicket, a perfectly timed on-drive off Broad and a dancing cover-drive off Moeen among the highlights.Smith’s first fifty came from 111 balls and his second fifty from 50 balls, but his pace then dropped away again as he complemented Rogers’ lifting tempo. The two men worked together to ensure they reached stumps safely, though an edge from Rogers in the last over fell just short of Bell at slip. If everything went England’s way in Cardiff, at Lord’s it was quite the opposite.