Chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Tim Lamb, has spoken in a radio interview about the timescale for contract negotiations with England coach Duncan Fletcher. He hopes to have it all sorted out before the start of the Ashes tour, in the best interests of the national side.

"The detail of the discussion must remain confidential - but we are talking to Duncan on the possible extension of his contract," Lamb said.

"Those negotiations are ongoing, and we hope we will have them resolved before touring Australia in mid-October. Duncan has put it on public record that he wants to continue, and we are talking to him on that basis at the moment.

He added: "I think English cricket has moved forward since Duncan took over as head coach and Nasser Hussain as captain - and that is why we are talking to him now."

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