Jayasuriya has been a stalwart of Sri Lankan cricket for over 18 years since making his One Day International debut against Australia in 1989. A veteran of 110 Tests, Sanath announced his retirement from Test Cricket at the end of the 1st Test in Sri Lanka but will continue to represent his county in the One Day Internationals. In Limited Overs cricket he has amassed over 11,000 runs and taken 307 wickets.

Director of Cricket, Ashley Giles, is excited by the signing, “Sanath has vast experience in all forms of cricket but especially the one day format. He will be a great man for the younger members of our squad to learn from and his knowledge of the game will be crucial in the Twenty20 format of the game. I am looking forward to working with him next summer.”

All three counties have seen their overall scores decrease this month but only Surrey have remainedin the same position in the rankings (3rd), Leicestershire drop one place to 5th but after three straight defeats Somerset have dropped seven places and now sit outside the top ten in 12th place.

There is better news though for Warwickshire thanks to a run of four straight victories the Bears have moved up three places into the top ten and now find themselves in 8th place. If they continue this from during the second half of the Twenty20 Cup they could end the month in the top five.

The other big movers this month are the Lancashire Lightning. Going into this years Twenty20 Cup the Lightning sat in 24th place in the Rankings but three big victories this month has seen the Lightning move up eight places to 16th.

The Yorkshire Phoenix have had a horrible month, with only one win under their belts the Phoenix have dropped eleven places from 13th to 24th, its a similar story for the Gloucestershire Gladiators who drop from 16th in the rankings to 24th.

Things are even worse for the Durham Dynamos, a team who have never got to grips with the shortest form of the game, despite beating Leicestershire in a 13 over slog the Dynamos on the back of three heavy defeats have slipped four places in the rankings from 51st to 55th.

For a sixth straight month the Victorian Bushrangers, winners of back to back KFC Big Bash titles remain at the top of the rankings with the Sialkot Stallions in second place.

The Karachi Dolphins have moved up two places in the rankings to 4th while Tamil Nadu (6th) and the Lahore Lions (7th) have both benefited from Somerset’s slip in the rankings and both moved up one place.

The top ten is rounded out by Chilaw Marians CC in 9th and the Faisalabad Wolves, winners of the 2005 ABN-AMRO Twenty20 Cup in 10th.

Bartercard Power Rankings Background
The Bartercard Power Rankings are the only rankings system in the world that rank all domestic Twenty20 teams from England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.

The rankings are based on a number of important factors including runs scored, totals chased the loss of wickets and margins of victory. A teams rating is then worked out by dividing the points scored in each game by the number of matches played, the totals are then given to the nearest whole number.

The 35-year-old former Surrey player will represent the Essex Eagles during the 20-over tournament that begins on Friday.

Hollioake has signed on a short-term contract that will last for the duration of the competition.

With three of Essex’s home Twenty20 Cup fixtures already sold out the remaining tickets left for the clash with Hollioake’s former side Surrey at The Ford County Ground on Thursday June 28 are certain to be snapped up.

On joining Essex Hollioake told the Essex CCC website (www.essexcricket.org.uk):

“I love playing Twenty20 cricket and this fits in very nicely because, with my business commitments, it’s impossible to commit to the training required to play all year round. With the Twenty20 Cup schedule fitting into the school holidays and this being the best time of year in England this was an offer too good to refuse.

“I’ve signed for the duration of Essex’s Twenty20 Cup participation and I won’t be playing beyond that period. I’m now looking forward to getting the red gear on and seeing how I’ll do.”

Meanwhile, Essex Chief Executive David East told the Essex CCC website:

“It is great news for the Club that Adam Hollioake has agreed to join us for the Twenty20 tournament. There is no question he is a very fine player who will add enormous value to our side for this fantastic competition.”

Hollioake, who played four Test matches and 35 one-day internationals for England, proved himself a master of Twenty20 cricket during its first two years before retiring from the game at the end of the 2004 season.

The Australian-born cricketer averaged 28.55 at a strike-rate of 147.70 with the bat while his efforts with the ball were even more impressive, claiming 36 victims in 14 matches with a strike-rate of a wicket every 8.36 balls.

Hollioake captained Surrey to the Twenty20 Cup in its inaugural year before leading his team to the final again in 2004, where they lost to Leicestershire Foxes.

He is in line to make his Essex Eagles debut in Friday night’s tournament opener against Sussex Sharks at The Ford County Ground.

Derbyshire Phantoms and Essex Eagles will be joined by the PCA Masters in a round-robin competition to be played over August and September. Each team will face their opponents twice with both Derbyshire and Essex hosting three matches each at their headquarters.

Essex Eagles will be aiming to defend the Cup they won in 2006 when they defeated the Phantoms in a two-legged final. Despite the match ultimately being abandoned, the Eagles drew an attendance of 4000 to the first leg of the final at The Ford County Ground before another healthy crowd turned up for the second leg at the County Ground in Derby when the visitors went away with the Cup by virtue of a 92-run win.

Last season’s Floodlit Cup was played on a knockout basis, with Glamorgan Dragons and Sussex Sharks also participating, but the format has now been revised to a league basis. While the principles of the tournament have been agreed the final details with regards to the rules and regulations will be clarified at a later date (more information to be provided on the respective websites – see below).

Essex Chief Executive David East said:

“The inclusion of the PCA Masters into the Twenty20 Floodlit Cup this year will bring a new and exciting dimension to the tournament. With the combination of overseas stars and the cream of recently retired county players representing the Masters I have no doubt that the matches will all be highly competitive and will be great entertainment for everyone who comes to The Ford County Ground.”

Derbyshire Chief Executive Tom Sears said:

“Last season’s inaugural competition proved exceptionally popular with both spectators and the players and the inclusion of the PCA Masters this season adds something extra. We had superb crowds last year and fully expect to build on that in 2007.”

PCA Board Director of Events Steve Marsh said:

“The PCA Masters are delighted to accept the invitation to play in the Twenty20 Floodlit Cup alongside Essex Eagles and Derbyshire Phantoms. The competition promises to be a strong one with three quality sides fighting it out for top honours. The invitation to this six-match tournament will also help enhance the PCA Masters brand as well as to build the reputation of the PCA Masters as being a very serious cricket side. We are all looking forward to it.”

Twenty20 Floodlit Cup – Fixture Schedule

Tuesday 14th August – Derbyshire Phantoms v Essex Eagles (Derby)

Thursday 16th August – Derbyshire Phantoms v PCA Masters (Derby)

Tuesday 28th August – Essex Eagles v Derbyshire Phantoms (Chelmsford)

Tuesday 11th September – Essex Eagles v PCA Masters (Chelmsford)

Thursday 13th September – Essex Eagles v PCA Masters (Chelmsford)

Friday 14th September – Derbyshire Phantoms v PCA Masters (Derby)

Michael Yardy has been handed the captain’s duties for both this match and the return match against Essex at Chelmsford on Thursday 24th August, offering him the opportunity to develop his leadership skills. Chris Adams, however, has been named as part of the 12 man squad.

Mushtaq Ahmed (neck) and Murray Goodwin (ankle) are nursing injuries and as such are being rested from this match.

The Sussex Squad, alphabetical order
Chris Adams, Sean Heather, Andrew Hodd, Carl Hopkinson, James Kirtley, Jason Lewry, Robin Martin-Jenkins, Richard Montgomerie, Chris Nash, Matt Prior, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy*

Please note that this match was originally scheduled for Friday 25th August but has been brought forward.