New Zealand will have three less One-Day Internationals to play in what was shaping as a full scale ODI summer after Bangladesh withdrew from three planned matches in the New Year.

The Bangladeshis will play only two Tests in New Zealand in December. The proposed dates for the ODIs clash with matches in the Asian Test championship.

That will make New Zealand's leading players available for a much greater percentage of the domestic one day competition than was originally thought.

New Zealand Cricket is also looking to assist the six major associations provide a suitable career path for coaches by support funding full-time coaching positions in each association.

The move was agreed at Friday's NZC board meeting and will provide a level of continuity and consistency not always available due to the part-time nature of several of the positions in the past.

The funding will be individually negotiated with each association and conditions will be attached to the funding to ensure that time is managed properly in providing quality coaching, not only to senior provincial teams, but through the grades as well.

The initiative is expected to lift the standard of coaching experience available in New Zealand and provide a realistic career path that does not exist at the moment.

Umpires are also to be contracted to NZC to provide some financial security for their commitment to being available on a required number of days during the summer.

Also benefiting from an input of opportunity will be New Zealand's fringe internationals. A New Zealand A team will play in India's Buchi Babu tournament from August 15 to September 5 this year. The tournament will be played in Chennai.

A New Zealand Academy team took part in the event last year and played well enough to secure a more permanent invitation to take part.

Coaching and management personnel for the side will be announced later.

New Zealand's only woman Test double century maker Kirsty Flavell has been added to the selection panel for the CLEAR White Ferns to join Lesley Murdoch, Eileen Badham and Mike Shrimpton. Diana Goodall of Wellington has been appointed to the new position of national junior selector.

NZC's women's cricket administrator Catherine Campbell said the need for an extra selector arose out of the increased playing programme for the women and reflected the growing demands of the women's game.

A New Zealand A team is to travel to Australia this summer while the selection load will be spread wider while Shrimpton is away with the national team in India.

Flavell has been convener of the Canterbury women's selection panel for the last two years. She will relinquish that position in order to take up the national role.

The Governor General Dame Silvia Cartwright has accepted the invitation to serve as patron of New Zealand Cricket. Dave Hoskin has been re-appointed for a second year to the position of president.

The long-awaited strategic vision for the grassroots development of the game is near fruition and is expected to be announced soon.

Details on New Zealand's hosting of the under-19 Youth World Cup will also be announced soon after the formal agreement was reached on the hosting of the event.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd