International news agencies are planning to extend their boycott of Australian cricket after attempts to broker a deal over media coverage stalled.After being locked out of the first Test, Reuters, the Associated Press (AP) and Agence France-Presse (AFP) are all expected to boycott this week's second Test between Australia and Sri Lanka starting on Friday in Hobart in protest against CA's accreditation demands, according to Sydney Morning herald newspaper.Cricket Australia wants the media organisations to pay for the right to distribute photographs from the event but the agencies are refusing, saying it threatens journalistic integrity."Reuters remains adamant on its right to distribute sports news pictures freely," said Monique Villa, Managing Director of Reuters Media."I met with Cricket Australia last Sunday in London and nothing has really changed. They want to control our news and who can receive it, which is totally unacceptable" Villa said.The three international agencies were hoping to find a solution in time for the second Test.Sri Lankan cricket authorities have appealed to CA to end the dispute because of concerns it will reduce coverage of spinner Muttiah Muralitharan breaking the world record for the most Test wickets.Muralitharan is 6 wickets short of equalling Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne's world record of 708 Test match scalps and could achieve the milestone in the Hobart Test.Reuters said Cricket Australia had conceded on the key issue of licence fees - a fee to cover the event - but most other points were still problematic."CA has withdrawn its claim for a licence fee, which shows progress, but we are at a standstill on the remaining issues," Villa said.Those include the agencies' right to sell photographs to individuals freely and a dispute over the categories of news organisations the agencies were free to sell pictures to."Regretfully we will have to maintain the boycott of coverage for the next Test with Sri Lanka in Hobart," Villa added.Cricket Australia spokesperson Peter Young said he was still hopeful a resolution could be found."The good news is that the agencies are talking to us again.we were very disappointed when they wouldn't come back to the table," Young told Reuters."This is a complex negotiation but we're very keen to talk it through and come up with a resolution" Young said.Cricket Australia's stance has divided the cricket community.
