Simpson to help Katich improve his tweakers

SYDNEY - After helping Simon Katich sharpen his batting skills for the last Ashes tour, former Australian captain and coach Bob Simpson can again be seen helping the left-handed batsmen improve his leg spin for this year’s series starting next month.

Symonds not too keen on Queensland contract

SYDNEY - Queensland cricket might have found itself a little extra money to offer to Andrew Symonds for 2009-10 but it seems that the all-rounder is no mood to play serious cricket any more.

Symonds is driven by money: Slater

SYDNEY - Former Australian opener Michael Slater feels troubled all-rounder Andrew Symonds has lost his spark to play for the national team and is driven by big bucks.

Tanvir vows to come out with all guns blazing against Sri Lanka in ICC T20

LONDON - Pakistan fast bowler Sohail Tanvir has rejected reports about him being injured, saying he would come out with all guns blazing in the match against Sri Lanka on Friday.

Sehwag admits of getting injured during IPL semi-finals

LONDON - Indian cricket team Vice Captain Virendra Sehwag left cricket lovers surprised by saying that he was actually injured during the Indian Premiere League semi-finals in South Africa.

Karthik to replace injured Sehwag in World Twenty20 (Lead)

LONDON - Wicketkeeper-bastman Dinesh Karthik will replace injured opener Virender Sehwag in the Indian squad for the ongoing World Twenty20, it was announced here Tuesday.

Sehwag ruled out of World Twenty20

LONDON - Indian opener Virender Sehwag has been ruled out of the World Twenty20 cricket due to a shoulder injury and will return home after consulting medical experts in England.

Symonds knows he has no place in Australian team

SYDNEY - Andrew Symonds has come to terms with the sad realisation that he no longer fits into the Australian cricket team.

Symonds mourned absence of ‘beer and mate’ culture in next-Gen Oz mates

SYDNEY - Controversial Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds has admitted that he has certain issues with the new young players of the national squad, due to which he is unable to gel with the young brigade.

Symonds’ exit upset 20-20 team balance: Ponting

LONDON - The loss of all-rounder Andrew Symonds upset his team’s balance in the failed world Twenty20 campaign, claimed skipper Ricky Ponting.

Twenty20 success will not kill Test cricket: Franklin

AUCKLAND - New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin rubbishes suggestions that Twenty20 could one day rule cricket, surpassing Test matches.

Teammates rally behind Symonds

SYDNEY - Andrew Symonds was happy and cheerful when he returned from Indian Premier League (IPL), but found himself stifled by team regulations, his teammates feel.

Symonds was well behaved during IPL, says Lehmann

SYDNEY - Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds may find a safe haven in Indian Premier League’s (IPL) Deccan Chargers team to continue playing cricket, even as serious doubts remain over his international career.

Pak fans upset over team’s dismal show in 20-20 warm-up games

KARACHI - Cricket fans in Pakistan have expressed disappointment over the team’s dismal show ahead of the ICC Twenty20 World Championship in England.

Symonds still has a future in Twenty20: Lehmann

LONDON - Former Australian cricketer Darren Lehmann believes that out-of-favour all-rounder Andrew Symonds still has a future in the game, especially in the Twenty20 format.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth confident of India retaining T20 World Cup

CHENNAI/NEW DELHI - Former India captain and current chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth expressed confidence that the Indian team, led by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, would retain the Twenty-20 world cup.

India begin World Twenty20 title defence against Bangladesh

NOTTINGHAM - India will be wary of sticky customers Bangladesh when they begin their title defence in the World Twenty20 at Trent Bridge here Saturday.

Sehwag, Zaheer likely to miss India’s T20 opener

NOTTINGHAM - India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni indicated Friday that his star performers Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan are almost certain to miss the opening game against Bangladesh in the World Twenty20 here Saturday.

Symonds career limited to IPL as CA mulls discontinuing his central contract

SYDNEY - Controversial Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds career may just be contained playing the Indian Premier League (IPL), as the Cricket Australia (CA) mulls over ending his central contract.

At 73 mn dollars, Rajasthan Royals makes greatest year-on-year gain

SYDNEY - The value of Rajasthan Royals, the cheapest of eight franchises sold before the start of the Indian Premier League, has translated into a capital yield of 73 million dollars, making it the greatest one-year gain of any sports team in its first year of existence.

Warne calls for peace between India and Australia

MELBOURNE - Former Australian leg spinner and now captain of the IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals Shane Warne has called for peace Australia and India, even as publicity continues to dog the racially-motivated attacks on Indian students in his country.

Ex-Oz keeper Healy says frazzled Symonds secretly relieved at being axed

SYDNEY - Former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy has said that all-rounder Andrew Symonds is secretly relieved to be out of the running, as he was ‘tired of cricket’ and wanted to be dropped from national duty.

Sagoon launches dedicated cricket site “Sagoon Live Cricket”

NEW DELHI - Sagoon today announced release of its cricket site (http://cricket.sagoon.com/) introducing a new user interface that helps users the opportunity to browse by subject from the multiple angles.

PCB recommends two million rupees fine for Mohammad Asif for Dubai misadventure

LAHORE - The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) committee which is probing tainted fast bowler Mohammad Asif’s Dubai detention case, has recommended a hefty fine of two million rupees on the bowler.

After IPL riches, national pride at stake in T20 World Cup

LONDON - After filling their pockets with Indian Premier League (IPL) riches, international cricket stars are now all set to battle it out for the national pride at the Twenty20 World Cup, starting here Friday.

Lee is getting back to full fitness in time

SYDNEY - Confidence is growing within the Australian camp that Brett Lee is getting back to full fitness in time for the Twenty20 world championships and, more crucially, the Ashes campaign that follows.

No overdose of cricket, when money to be made (Comment)

If there is a theory doing the rounds that the Indian team for the Twenty20 World Cup may be weary because of an overdose of cricket in the run-up to the tournament, there is another school of thought which believes, not without good reason, that the weeks of hectic action that they were involved in IPL-2 in South Africa have helped them keep their competitive edge razor sharp. The theories will be put to test shortly.

South African advertising gurus laud IPL 2 campaign

JOHANNESBURG - The South African advertising industry has hailed the success of Indian Premier League’s (IPL) ad campaigns, which were conceptualised in just two weeks.

Hall, Van der Wath back in mainstream of South African cricket

JOHANNESBURG - South African cricketers Andrew Hall and Johan van der Wath are back in the mainfold after being banned for the past two years because of their involvement in the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

IPL I better than the second: Tendulkar

KOLKATA - Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar Tuesday described the maiden edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) as better than the second in terms of public enthusiasm and said given a choice he would always want the event to be staged in India.

ICL rebels happy to be back in mainstream cricket

NEW DELHI - It was money that lured them to the Indian Cricket League (ICL), but in two years the rebel players have realised they erred.

I don’t known when I will be fit: Flintoff

LONDON - England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is not sure whether he will be fit in time for the Ashes series starting July 8.

BCCI offers amnesty to 102 ICL rebels

MUMBAI - The Indian cricket board Tuesday offered amnesty to 79 current cricketers and 12 former Test players, who had joined the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Shaun Tait in Australia A squad to play Pakistan

SYDNEY - Fast bowler Shaun Tait, who was stopped from playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) by Cricket Australia (CA), has been included in the Australia A squad to play a home series against Pakistan A in June-July.

With IPL jamboree over, focus on India to defend its Twenty20 crown

LONDON - The fun and the frolic of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is over and it’s time for India to defend its crown at the World Twenty20 that starts here Friday.