SYDNEY (Reuters):

INTERNATIONAL NEWS agen-cies are planning to extend their boycott of Australian cricket after attempts to broker a deal over media coverage stalled.

Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse are all expected to boycott this week's second Test between Australia and Sri Lanka, starting tonight (Ja time) in Hobart in protest at Cricket Australia's (CA) demands.

CA wants the media organisa-tions to pay for the right to distribute photographs from the event but the agencies are refusing, saying it threatens journalistic integrity.

"Reuters remains adamant on its right to distribute sports news pictures freely," said Monique Villa, managing director of Reuters Media.

"I met with Cricket Australia last Sunday in London and nothing has really changed: they want to control our news and who can receive it, which is totally unacceptable," Villa said.

Locked out

The three international agencies were locked out of last week's first Test in Brisbane but were hoping to find a solution in time for the second Test.

Sri Lankan cricket authorities have appealed to CA to end the dispute because of concerns it will reduce coverage of spinner Muttiah Muralitharan breaking the world record for the most Test wickets.

Muralitharan is six wickets short of equalling Australian legspinner Shane Warne's world record of 708 Test match scalps and could achieve the milestone in the Hobart Test.

Reuters said CA had conceded on the key issue of licence fees - a fee to cover the event - but most other points were still problematic.

"CA has withdrawn its claim for a licence fee, which shows progress, but we are at a standstill on the remaining issues," Villa said. Those include the agencies' rights to sell photographs to individuals freely and a dispute over the categories of news organisations the agencies were free to sell pictures to.

"Regretfully, we will have to maintain the boycott of coverage for the next Test with Sri Lanka in Hobart," Villa added.

CA spokesman Peter Young said he was still hopeful a resolution could be found.