On the Front Foot: Applause for ICC as they get charity act together in Caribbean

Say what you like about the International Cricket Council (and people do: dilatory, toothless, floundering, just for starters) but they mean well. It is not simply about the cricket either, which may be as well, since nobody can fully grasp why the third World Twenty20 is being staged less than a year after the second on pitches that, if they were horses, would be in the knacker's yard.

But on Friday night in the Caribbean, on the eve of their group match yesterday, the players of Afghanistan and India joined forces to talk about polio. They represent two of the four countries where the disease remains endemic – the others are Pakistan, who for some reason were not there, and Nigeria. Unicef seized the opportunity to give the eradication of polio some much-needed publicity. The ICC and the players readily agreed. Earlier last week some of England's finest took part in a coaching session as part of the Sport for Life initiative which the ICC help to fund. The tournament is dotted with similar efforts; what a blessed relief that is after the excesses of the Indian Premier League. Maybe the ICC would be better at charity fund-raising.

Sir Viv steps out in style

It is always a pleasure to see Sir Vivian Richards, one of the top five cricketers of the 20th century. Sir Viv, 58 and ageing with distinction, sat alongside Michael Vaughan in Barbados on Friday to launch a publicity drive and, with due respect to Vaughan, there was only one man you could not take your eyes off. The pair are lending support to an anti- drink/drive campaign, somewhat oddly being orchestrated by the whisky brand Johnny Walker. The ICC must be quietly seething, because the company are not one of the World Twenty20's official partners. But what can you do? The brand are also putting up a $100,000 prize if any player breaks Chris Gayle's record World Twenty20 score of 117. It might sound generous, but the cash should be safe considering the deathly pitches. The pity is that it would be destined for the Learning for Life Foundation. The thought occurs that if anybody could score a hundred here it would be Viv. In the advert for the launch Richards goes out to the middle holding a bat and still exudes a faint air of menace. What a T20 player he would have been.

Mismatch of the week

The pressure is already telling on the ICC. According to their official bulletin for Friday's schedule of matches West India were to take on Ireland. Would be quite a contest.

Cozier watches grass grow

Tony Cozier, among the world's top cricket writers and a long- time member of this parish, is something of a dignitary in his home country of Barbados. On Heroes' Day there Cozier gave the keynote address at the celebration dinner. He did not miss the opportunity – never does – to criticise the West Indies cricket authorities. The Kensington Oval in Bridgetown has been wonderfully redeveloped, but Cozier said the fees to play there were too high. Thus for most of the time it is empty. "The grass is growing beautifully, but there is nothing on it," he said.

s.brenkley@independent.co.uk