Briefly Cricket

Back-to-back Ashes series

Melbourne: With the 2015 cricket World Cup causing some scheduling headache for Australia,they are set to play back-to-back Ashes series against England in 2013. According to a report in The Daily Telegraph: 8220;Australia will play 10 back-to-back Ashes Tests in 2013 as a result of hosting the World Cup in 2015 when the return Ashes was meant to be played.8221; The arrangement is being worked out in the new Future Tours Program which is currently being discussed by the ICC8217;s Executive Board in its five-day meeting in Hong Kong which started on Sunday.

Cricket Australia want security assurance

London: Cricket Australia says it will hold its Sri Lankan counterparts to promises of tight security for its upcoming tour,despite an 80 per cent cut to the series8217; security budget. Australian Associated Press quoted a CA spokesman Monday saying Australian officials in Sri Lanka on a routine pre-tour visit last week were assured by Sri Lanka Cricket that security for August8217;s three-Test series would be similar to that provided for the recent World Cup. On Sunday,Sri Lanka Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage ordered the tour8217;s 450,000 security budget slashed to just 80,000,saying he was confident the nation8217;s military and police could provide 8220;very good security at a fraction of the cost.8221;