NEW "wearable" technology is to be introduced by the ICC to settle doubts about illegal actions, a problem that still occasionally hurts cricket, especially at international development level.

The ICC announced from Dubai this week that they had entered a second phase of an agreement with a consortium of high profile Australian cricket, sports science and sports engineering institutions to test the legality of bowling actions in match and training conditions.

THE former ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit director Ravi Sawani has this week submitted a report to the Indian cricket authorities as the result of a television 'sting' that appeared to show five players in the IPL willing to involve themselves in corruption. The affair has shown that the IPL is extremely vulnerable to manipulation in view of the enormous live television viewing figures and the wealth of the betting industry.

INTERPOL, the international policing organisation, have offered to help the ICC by taking steps to prevent organised crime from infiltrating cricket. This follows hard on the warning by the ECB this week that the domestic game in England remains vulnerable to corruption.

A cold draught has been blowing into the game since the Pakistan corruption case at Southwark Crown Court in November, when one half-expected giant screens to flash up "guilty" like a third umpire's verdict. Reality is very much upon us.

THE Sussex captain Michael Yardy has disclosed he has been suffering from depression, a condition that led to his withdrawal from England's World Cup campaign before the quarter-final against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

THE Skipton brewery Copper Dragon are producing another real ale brand with a cricket theme to build on the popularity of Fred Trueman Ale, named in the memory of the England fast bowler and launched a year ago in the north and midlands.

THE futility of Ricky Ponting's argument with the umpires on the second day of the fourth Test in Melbourne was clear. Australia's captain did not seem to know that the burden of proof rested with the referring party for the third umpire to overturn an on-field decison.

THE difference between the two Ashes sides was never as wide as the chasm suggested by Australia's trouncing at Adelaide. In the Pom euphoria it was forgotten that England's suspect batting had flopped in the opening Test at Brisbane in the crucial first innings.

ENGLAND have announced a Lions party to tour the West Indies for two months as part of the first class championship after a gap of exactly 10 years, when Peter Moores was the coach.

THERE is nothing that legislation or equipment can do to prevent serious accidents in the deep field. Kyle Wilson has become the latest player to suffer at first class level, breaking his leg during a one-day match in Johannesburg.

AN anonymous buyer has paid a stunning £151,250 for a single edition of William Epps's Cricket. A Collection of All the Grand Matches played in England from 1771 to 1791 . The price, a record for one cricket book, more than doubled the experts' prediction when the tome was auctioned at Christie's on November 17.

THE Pakistan Task Team, a panel set up under Giles Clarke by the ICC to drag Pakistan cricket out of the mire after spot-fixing allegations, has underlined the zero-tolerance policy towards corruption.

THE MCC are putting some fabulously valuable and rare cricketana up for auction with Christie's in November, including three books on 'grand matches' published in 1799 with an estimated value of more than £50,000.

THE SUCCESS of Neil Carter in becoming the Most Valuable Player of 2010 is an extraordinary turn-up at the age of 35 three years after his Warwickshire career seemed to have nose-dived.

THE alienation of Pakistan from world cricket continues -- partly with blame and partly without -- as the relationship with erstwhile friends, England, on and off the field dissolves into hostility. This week's ECB press release said it all.

THE unpalatable truth is that the ICC can do very little to stop spot-fixing in international cricket. This has been apparent ever since Hansie Cronje, captain of South Africa, was exposed as a greedy cheat in 2000.

THE former England hero Phil DeFreitas has the same vibes about the Ashes that he had all those years ago when the coveted urn was last won in Australia.

JUST as Worcestershire are wondering how they can pay for their £15 million hotel and development plans at New Road their chief executive resigns and the captain stands down.

THE English international umpire Ian Gould is Italy-bound this week to officiate in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Four, the pathway to World Cup qualification for minor countries.