ECB set to snub Australian request

The ECB is preparing to turn down a request from the Australians to allow them to turn their two pre-Ashes warm-up matches into 12-a-side games.

Cricket Australia made the request on Monday, with a spokesman explaining that the selectors wanted a chance to see all five fast bowlers in action during the matches against Sussex and England Lions.

The likely outcome is a compromise, with the Australians being allowed to play 12 against Sussex but not in the second game at Worcester. That idea has not gone down well with Sussex chief executive David Brooks. "The danger is that 12-a-side means it is not a proper game any more," Brooks told The Times. "We don't want to be churlish and turn down a reasonable request, but we want a competitive game so that our younger players can have a real go at the Aussies."

However, the England Lions match at Worcester in the week before the opening Test will probably be left as it is, with England's selectors arguing they want a chance to assess the players pressing for a place in the full side.