Sri Lanka Cricket is set to introduce annual contracts for close to 70 cricketers, across the youth, emerging and senior categories, in a bid to encourage them to press for places in the Sri Lanka team. The new contract system does not include the current national players already contracted with the board.SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said that the new contract system will cover the period between November 1, 2016, and April 30, 2017, after which the cricketers could play in any part of the world. Under this system, the cricketers will be paid between SL Rs 25,000 to Rs 100,000 per month ($170 - $680).There are so many categories of players who are playing cricket so we must look after them, Sumathipala said. We dont want the players who have not played for Sri Lanka to be idling in club cricket but to start putting pressure on the national players and make every effort to play for the country as well as their clubs.We have decided to look after these cricketers and put them on a national contract. We met about 70 players last Saturday and gave them a proposed agreement and we are informing our member clubs that if there are anybody whom they feel are worthy of contract to inform us.We will sign the contracts on October 30. The contract lasts from November 1 to April 30. After that date the cricketers are free to play in any part of the world. We want to see that our domestic [structure] is stronger and protected and give the players something they can be happy about. Apart from the national players we are also looking after the other players as well.The board also announced that it had suspended financial grants for nine member clubs and associations, including Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club and Badureliya Cricket Club, for a variety of administrative faults, including the failure to submit an audit report. Both Bloomfield and Badureliya CC are prominent domestic teams that participate in the Premier League tournaments. The other associations are: Southern Province Cricket Association, Negombo Cricket Club, Matara District Cricket Association, Puttalam District Cricket Association, Kollupitiya Sports Club, Nomads Sports Club and Peterson Lane Sports Club. Sumathipala clarified that the teams could continue participating in SLC-conducted tournaments.From the month of January we have informed the clubs and associations to have their audit reports and to hold their AGM in time, Sumathipala said. They have not complied with our request so we have to suspend funding them.We are not funding any money until they rectify their administration. But for the sake of cricket they will be allowed to play in SLC-conducted tournaments. Until they get their accounts up and running and they submit the audit reports the SLC has decided not to grant them any money.Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. 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Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday.On a day that Zimbabwe should have been unpacking the problems that caused them to crash to 72 for 8, it seemed almost unfair for them to present the two men who got them to 164 at the post-play press conference. But Donald Tiripano and Prince Masvaure were put before the media and had barely taken their seats when interim head coach Makhaya Ntini boomed into and out of the room, asking the scribes not be too harsh, on them. How would we be?If not for their efforts, Zimbabwe could have been bowled out for under 100, for just the ninth time in their Test history; they could have been dismissed for the lowest first innings score at Bulawayo; they could have been in a much, much worse position and the pair knew it.When we lost eight wickets, we needed to stay positive. We said to each other, if its there to score, we take them on and if we are to get out, lets make sure we dont get out to a short ball, the debutant Masvaure said.Three of his team-mates had already done exactly that, falling into a trap created by left-armer Neil Wagner, who combined aggression with an unusual strategy on the usually docile Queens surface. The bouncer is most often wasted in Bulawayo but Wagner decided to use it in the absence of sustained swing. We knew we had to try and add a surprise factor, something a bit different because there wasnt much movement, Wagner said. Tactically the short ball is one of my strengths so I was trying to get players off the front foot, create some doubt in their footwork and maybe get wickets that way.Zimbabwes line-up was probably filled with doubt even before Wagners first delivery. Their lack of experience and lack of game time means they are not well-versed in the art of building an innings, something Tiripano singled out. Its all about the mindset. When you are playing Test cricket you have to be prepared to bat for a long time or bowl for a long time, to repeat the same thing over and over again. Its all about patience, about gutsing it out there, he said. The guys didnt apply themselves as much as they should have. Its something they need to work on.But how?Zimbabwe simply do not play enough cricket at any level and in any format to work on skills. Even the most capped member of their XI today - Hamilton Masakadza who is playing in his 30th Test - has not played a first-class in seven months. In 2015, Masakadza played just five first-class matches. This year alone, Wagner has played more than double that: 11.The domestiic structure in Zimbabwe, comprised of four franchises who each play each other twice in a season - does not allow for greater game time which only underlines the importance of organising other fixtures and then using them to develop Test cricketers.dddddddddddd Fixtures like their unofficial Tests against South Africa A are an example.However, instead of fielding a side that included all the Test players, Zimbabwe chose to give some of their fringe candidates an opportunity, which would be worthwhile if they had a surplus of fixtures. But, with the knowledge they have not played a Test in 20 months, they could not afford that and should have given the likes of Masakadza, Chamu Chibhabha and Sikandar Raza time in the middle.They need look no further than Masvaure to understand why. After an undefeated 88 and an authoritative 146 in those matches, Masvaure showed awareness of the game situation was assured at the crease. Zimbabwe could have considered batting him higher up or using him to open, as he did in the A game, although Masvaure was not expecting such a promotion. I thought I would bat in the lower order because we have a lot of experienced guys in the top order, he said. Perhaps Zimbabwe will change their minds about that in the next match.For now, they have a mountain to climb in this one which will start with damage limitation in New Zealands first innings. If Zimbabwe want to take inspiration from Sri Lanka, who clawed their way back from being shot out for 117 in Pallekele to put themselves close to a winning position at the end of the third day, they have to bowl New Zealand out fairly cheaply.The evidence of the first ten overs does not suggest Zimbabwe will, unless they take Tiripanos advice. We have to be more patient and be exact in our plans, because we are bowling to a good side. The wicket was beginning to turn so I think the spinners will play a bigger part. Weve got to be on the mark and create a lot of pressure, he said.Currently, Zimbabwe are the side under pressure but at least two of their XI, Tiripano and Masvaure, have showed they can deal with it. The press, and the people, one of whom left the stadium predicting that, the match will be over by Saturday tea time because we are useless, wont be too harsh on those two but unless the rest can follow suit, criticism is sure to flow. ' ' '