Middlesex confident of success with Radford as first-team coach

Toby Radford is to be Middlesex first-team coach, with Ed Smith continuing as captain for the 2008 season. The county's chief executive, Vinny Codrington, said: "We have reviewed the 2007 season in detail and are extremely confident that the Ed and Toby partnership that was so successful after the unfortunate departure of Richard Pybus, is the way forward. We feel we can achieve our 2008 objectives with this team, under the direction of John Emburey. We hoped to gain double promotion last summer. We achieved that goal in the NatWest Pro40 and missed out by only one place in the County Championship."

The West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, batsman Chris Gayle and three South African cricketers have signed up for the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL), organisers said yesterday. The South African trio, who have joined the Twenty20 league, due to start next April, are all rounder Jacques Kallis, fast bowler Makhaya Ntini and wicket-keeper-batsman Mark Boucher.

The latest signings takes the list of international players to 49. Promoted by the Indian cricket board with support from other major national boards, the IPL was launched to counter an unofficial Indian Twenty20 league due to start on 30 November.