They will have a series of meetings with with senior International Cricket Council officials, including chief executive Malcolm Speed, Sunil Gavaskar, chairman of the Cricket Committee-Playing and Lord Condon, head of the Anti-Corruption Unit.

"Over the past 12 months the ICC has regularly sought the views of the captains on matters such as standards of on-field behaviour, the new umpires and referees panels and Lord Condon's proposals to combat corruption.

"That feedback has been important in shaping decisions made by the ICC in recent times," said Speed.

"We recognise that captains should have direct input into how the game is played and managed, and this meeting provides the opportunity for that dialogue to take place with the majority of the team leaders present."

Carl Hooper of the West Indies and Australia's Steve Waugh are the only captains not attending, but the latter will be represented by Darren Lehmann, who is currently skippering English county side Yorkshire.

Among the issues to be discussed are amount of international cricket being played, illegal bowling actions and the implementation of anti-corruption measures.

Sponsorship deal

Meanwhile, the ICC has announced a new sponsorship deal for its elite panel of umpires and match referees with Dubai-based Emirates.

The three-year agreement, described as being "multi-million dollar" grants the airline naming rights for both panels, and the ICC has pledged to use Emirates, where direct flights are available.

The sponsorship income will be used to fund the day-to-day operation of the new, full time system of umpires and referees.

National Grid supported the original move to independent match officials in 1994 but since that agreement ended in 2000, the ICC and member countries have been forced to cover the cost.