MUMBAI: Cricket Holdings America, a joint venture between New Zealand Cricket and the United States of America Cricket Association, has appointed TSE Consulting to assist with its plans to initiate a Twenty20 cricket league in North America.

TSE Consulting has been appointed to deliver the host city selection process and the development of facility specifications, together with PROS Consulting, the US-based management and planning consultancy.

An aggressive programme to identify franchise locations in major North American markets will be underway shortly, TSE said.

Cricket Holdings America Director Neil Maxwell states, "We have taken time to put all the pieces in place for a successful league that will be a lasting addition to the sports industry in North America. We look forward to announcing the cities that will host teams in the near future and the development of new cricket facilities throughout America. We are delighted to be working with TSE and PROS whose combined knowledge of host cities and facility development is the perfect fit for us."

The formation of this league is the culmination of two years of collaboration with the International Cricket Council (ICC), whose support has ensured that the right foundations are in place for the development of a successful league.

The focus is to combine cricket with entertainment to create a truly fan-centric experience and bolster the 50,000-strong and growing active competitor base in the US.

Currently, the only ICC-sanctioned cricket facility in the US is located in Broward County, FL, where TSE has assisted in development of a business plan for the facility. The development of new facilities and use of temporary venues are a part of the plans for growing the game and staging a League.

TSE Consulting - North America Director Dale Neuburger says, "The new league will be a great addition to the American sports landscape. Keith Wyness and the CHA team have provided the vision and expertise to support rapid growth in the popularity of cricket in North America, and TSE is honoured to have the opportunity to participate in the city identification and facility development process."

MUMBAI: The New Zealand series will mark the beginning of Star India?s partnership with BCCI after the former secured the media rights last month with a Rs 38.51 billion bid following a tight bidding process which involved rival Multi Screen Media (bid Rs 37 billion).

The BCCI has finalised the fixtures and venues for the first two series involving New Zealand and England. India will host three major international series from August 2012 to March 2013, involving ten Tests, five ODIs and four T20 Internationals.

The series between India and New Zealand will be played from 23 August-11 September, and feature two Tests and two T20 internationals. The first Test will be played at from 23 August at Hyderabad while Bangalore will host the second Test from 31 September.

The two T20 Internationals between the two teams will be played on 8 and 11 September at Vishakhapatnam and Chennai.

The India-England series, the broadcast rights of which are also with Star, will comprise four Tests, two T20 Internationals and five ODIs, from 15 November 2012 to 27 January 2013.

The Tests and T20s will be played in 15 November-22 December which will also mark the international debut of newly built MCA Subroto Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune, which will play host to the second T20 International.

The first Test will be played at Ahmedabad from 15 November while Mumbai will host the second Test starting 23 January. Kolkata and Nagpur will host the third and fourth Test from 5 and 7 December respectively.

The England team will fly home for Christmas, and return in the new year for a five-match ODI series to be played from 11-27 January. The series will feature the international debuts of as many as three venues, in the cities of Rajkot (new stadium), Ranchi and Dharamsala.

Following the India-New Zealand series, the two teams will fly to Sri Lanka to participate in the ICC World T20 2012. ESPN Star Sports has the telecast rights of the World T20.

The Airtel series between India and Australia will be played in February-March 2013, and feature four Tests. The match-schedule will be finalised soon.

MUMBAI: The role of the International Cricket Council (ICC) president will be reformed after the Annual Conference in 2014 to separate the Chairman of the Board position from that of the ICC President.

Until then, the current roles for the ICC President and Vice president will remain, after which the Vice-Presidency will cease to exist and a new Chairman of the Board post created.

The term of office for the new ceremonial role for the President will be one year and will rotate, as it currently does, amongst the Members. The President will not be a voting member of the Board.

The Chairman, who will be appointed by the Board for a maximum of six years (3 x two year terms), will also be non-voting.

Until the President?s role has been confirmed, the joint nomination of the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Pakistan Cricket Board for the role of vice president 2012-14 was deferred until the amended Articles have been considered by ICC Annual Conference.

The ICC executive board held the second of its scheduled 2012 meetings in Dubai this weekend. The Nominations Committee reported that they have arrived at a shortlist of four candidates who will be interviewed in due course to replace Haroon Lorgat, the current ICC CEP, who vacates his position at the end of the Annual Conference in June 2012.

In relation to the post of Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee, the ICC Board decided to review the current terms of appointment. This review will cover potential remuneration and also the current restraints on the chairman in relation to media roles.

In the meantime, Clive Lloyd, whose term as chairman had recently expired, will be requested to continue until the ICC Annual Conference in June.

The Board also ratified the following appointments from the Chief Executives? Committee (CEC):

? Re-appoint Clare Connor, the current chairperson of the ICC Women?s Committee, for a second three-year term;

? Re-appoint Ravi Shastri for a second three-year term representing the media;

? Appoint New Zealand Cricket CEO David White as the CEC representative; and

? Appoint John Stephenson as MCC?s representative.

Twenty20 strategy: The ICC Board received a report of the strategic discussions held at the Chief Executive?s Committee (CEC) in March 2012 and confirmed the following recommendations:

? to increase, from 2014 onwards, the number of teams participating in the ICC World T20 from 12 to 16 men?s teams;

? the event should remain a joint men?s and women?s event;

? three additional Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) may be played in the year in which the ICC World Twenty20 is being staged provided there is a corresponding reduction in the maximum number of permitted ODIs (as per ICC Scheduling guidelines-the current regulations permit a maximum of 12 T20Is for each Full Member in any one year).

ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat said, ?The need to manage volume of cricket was considered when agreeing to allow the additional T20Is to be played in a year.?

The Board confirmed the hosting for the ICC World Twenty20 2014 qualifying tournament in the United Arab Emirates in October 2013 and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 qualifying event in New Zealand in 2014.

The ICC has already commenced with planning for its new rights cycle post 2015 and a key prerequisite of this is to determine the ICC events that will be staged. The Board has agreed the following events schedule:

MUMBAI: Viacom18 has appointed Sameer Goswami as VP and head of business operations, North America.

Goswami will be responsible for managing and expanding the company?s broadcast operations across the continent.

Goswami joins from Vision Asia ? Australia and New Zealand, where he was the CEO and has played a key role in revitalising the company. He will report to Viacom18 head - distribution and International Business and Sun18 COO- North Gaurav Gandhi.

Gandhi said, ?We are delighted to have Sameer join our team. I am confident that Sameer?s valuable experience in media and broadcast and his entrepreneurial mindset will be a great asset in growing Aapka Colors business in North America?

On his new role Goswami added, "In my new role, I am looking forward to working with this talented group of enthusiasts and applying my knowledge and experience to help in the growth of the network?s business in North America.?

Goswami comes in with experience across diverse International markets in advertising, FMCG marketing and entertainment industries.

Prior to joining Vision Asia, he has also worked with ConAgra Foods, Hungama.com, Leo Burnett and Lintas India.

MUMBAI: Fox Soccer, America?s premier soccer destination, has announced the renewal of exclusive media rights for Australasia?s topflight soccer league, the Hyundai A-League, in an agreement brokered by World Sport Group.

The rights include coverage of 31 exclusive regular season and Finals Series matches on Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus, the brand?s 24/7 premium subscription network, through the 2015 season. In addition to live and delayed match coverage, the renewal includes Hyundai A-League Highlights, a weekly 30-minute show discussing results, storylines and memorable events from weekly matches.

?We are very excited to renew the Hyundai A-League for three more seasons. Fox Soccer viewers are fans of the global game, and this renewal ensures continued coverage of one of the sport?s fastest developing leagues and talent pools," said Fox Soccer VP Programming and Acquisitions Joshua Glassel.

?The Hyundai A-League has produced the highest technical standard of play this season, delivered first-class live TV entertainment and fantastic in-stadium atmosphere with average crowds above 10,000,? said Football Federation Australia CEO Ben Buckley.

?The extension of the FOX Soccer agreement shows the growing stature of a competition that?s on the move. We?re delighted that North American audiences can see the Hyundai A-League live and exclusively on a major channel.?

Bounded in 2005, the Hyundai A-League is a collection of 10 top-division teams from Australia and New Zealand competing annually from October through April. The top six teams at the end of the regular season are entered into the Finals Series, culminating in the Hyundai A-League Grand Final to crown the league champion.

The Hyundai A-League sends three teams each season to the AFC Champions League, Asia?s premier club competition.