State Cricket 2012 OFF SEASON

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Brad Haddin is back in pre-season training with New South Wales and is available for national selection during the home summer, starting with the first Test against South Africa at the Gabba in November.

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Ali de Winter, the Tasmania assistant coach, has been confirmed as the man to replace Craig McDermott as mentor to Australia's bowlers, after beating Waqar Younis to the job

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Australia's domestic season will start nearly a month earlier than usual this year, with the first Ryobi Cup match set for September 16 and the opening Sheffield Shield game to start two days later. The WACA and Sydney's Bankstown Oval will both host September fixtures after Cricket Australia sought ways to start the season early, in part to allow players plenty of games before the first Test of the summer, against South Africa beginning on November 9.

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No fewer than eight spin bowlers have been rounded up to take part in Australia's pre-season camp in Darwin from Wednesday, ahead of trips to the UAE, Sri Lanka and India over the coming year.

Nathan Hauritz, Jason Krejza, Michael Beer, Cameron Boyce and Steve O'Keefe will join those slow bowlers already selected for the matches against Afghanistan and Pakistan, which include Xavier Doherty, Brad Hogg and the Victorian allrounder Glenn Maxwell. Nathan Lyon and Jon Holland are absent due to the concurrent Australia A tour of England.

Camp participants

CA contracted and UAE tour squad: George Bailey, Dan Christian, Michael Clarke, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brad Hogg, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White

Non-CA contracted: Michael Beer, Cameron Boyce, Nathan Hauritz, Jason Krejza, Nic Maddinson, Stephen O'Keefe, Mitch Marsh

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Australian cricket's custodians have voted themselves out of their own jobs, formally approving the introduction of a smaller, nine-person Cricket Australia board, with three independent directors to be appointed at the annual general meeting in October.

At an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held in Melbourne, the representatives of the six states voted to disband the old CA structure in favour of a more streamlined board, ultimately to be represented by nine independent directors.