Ian Bell drew on his Test match pedigree with a patient, unbeaten 128 as England A began the Sri Lanka leg of their tour with an encouraging 272 for four on the first day of a four-day match against Sri Lanka A in Colombo yesterday.

Bell, having scored an accomplished 70 in his only Test against West Indies at The Oval last September, dug in for a captain's innings to put the tourists in a strong position after they were sent into bat.

The Warwickshire righthander shared century stands with opener Alastair Cook (63) and Owais Shah (52).

Left-arm seamer Nandika Ranjith took the early wicket of Michael Powell, caught behind, but Bell and Cook stood firm until after lunch, the young Essex left-hander seizing his chance after a late call-up as a replacement for Kevin Pietersen.

Ranjith had Cook legbefore but Bell, with the help of one-day international cap Shah, began to dominate in an innings which has lasted 269 balls and contained 11 fours and one six.

World cricket will no longer be run from London after the International Cricket Council yesterday confirmed it would be housed solely in Dubai from August, having previously split business between Lord's, its base since 1909, and Monaco.

The executive body of the ICC voted on potential locations last summer when it became clear that leaving St John's Wood would prove a financially sound move.

The Marylebone Cricket Club led a campaign to keep their tenants, including lobbying the government to offer tax concessions, but ultimately failed to prevent cricket following the lead of rugby union and athletics and moving its global headquarters out of the United Kingdom.

ICC president Ehsan Mani said: "Clearly, cricket's deep association with England and particularly Lord's as the historic home of the sport was a factor that weighed heavily in the board's discussions on this matter.

"Nevertheless, like many international governing bodies before us, it is clear that operating in the United Kingdom under the current system is not in the best interests of our members.

"I would like to thank the MCC for its role in running and then hosting the ICC over the past 96 years. This support will be recognised in a more appropriate way at a suitable time and we will continue to work closely with an organisation that remains the guardian of the laws of the game."

Cable and satellite television pay-channel Sony TV Asia are offering a special two-month subscription for non-Asian cricket-lovers to watch the India versus Pakistan Test and one-day series starting today.

The channel last week won exclusive live rights to screen the series in the UK and Europe.

Worcester Nomads will hold a charity auction on Friday at Worcestershire CCC. Worcester-based auctioneer Philip Serrell, from the BBC's Antiques Roadshow and Bargain Hunt, will run the auction, with 50 per cent of proceeds going to the Acorns Hospice. Contact Darren Lakin (07971 491208) or Malcolm Jones ( 01905 429701).