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South Africa, set a target of 152, has made a clean sweep of the Standard Bank One-Day International series by winning the third and last match in Kimberley by 8 wickets.Bangladesh, winning the toss and deciding to bat, was soon in trouble against the swing bowling of Steve Elworthy. Using the new ball to great effect he took the first two wickets in side the first five overs. Both catches going behind the wicket, one to Mark Boucher and one to Martin van Jaarsveld at slip.Habibul Bashar, in the team for the first time in the series, together with Sanwar Hossain played some positive cricket and were rewarded with a well played Bangladesh record partnership of 68 for the third wicket against South Africa. This is also the record partnership for any wicket for Bangladesh against South Africa.It is hard to understand why Bashar, who played some delightful shots, did not play in the first two internationals. He also became the first Bangladesh player to score a 50 against South Africa.Alok Kapali continued the positive attitude before he was trapped leg before from a Robin Peterson ball that kept a bit low. Peterson, capturing his first One-Day International wicket.Peterson took his second wicket ending a partnership of 37 between Khaled Mashud and Khaled Mahmud when Mahmud charged past the ball and was bowled. At 150/7, and ten overs in hand, Bangladesh looked likely to improve on their previous high of 154 in Benoni.Pollock put an end to that theory by getting rid of Mashud, caught and bowled from a slower delivery, and then enticing Tapash Baisya to loft a high catch to Gibbs running backwards at extra cover.Van Jaarsveld being given the ball to bowl some off spin proceeded to take a wicket with his first ball bowled in an One-Day International, bowling Tulha Jubair and Bangladesh had collapsed to 151 all out in 43.1 overs.Pollock, named as Man of the Match, ending with 4/24, Elworthy with 2/25 and Peterson 2/39 were the main wicket takers.South Africa started tentatively in their chase of the 152, losing the wickets of Gibbs for 15 and Smith for 21. Both batsmen not finding their timing and having to contend with the odd ball staying low.Enter Martin van Jaarsveld who after a nervous few balls set about the bowlers, driving and cutting nine boundaries, before being caught at mid on for 42 off 33 balls. He may just have gone to a 50, in his first innings, if he had not got just a little too aggressive. South Africa had lost their third wicket for 103.Debutante Ashwell Prince and Jonty Rhodes put on a partnership of 49 with Rhodes slightly rusty, after his lay off from injury, but grew in confidence with every ball, to take South Africa home.Pick of the bowlers was 16 year old Tulha Jubair and a bright future awaits him. Bowling with late in swing he might have been unlucky not to have taken more than his two wickets. For the rest, just far too many wides and no balls, 22 in total, were bowled. An area, together with the fielding, that Bangladesh has to work on.Man of the Series went to Herschelle Gibbs for his 153 and 97 not out.

Mohan de Silva, the secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket, is tipped to be the next president of the association. De Silva, who is currently attending the ICC Executive Board meeting in Auckland, was the only nominee for the post when nominations closed on Tuesday. The decision will be taken in the Annual General Meeting on March 31.With the exception of the post of vice-presidents, for which there are three contestants, all the other office-bearer posts will remain uncontested. Aravinda de Silva, who is the current vice-president, along with Trevor Rajaratnam and Michael de Zoysa will contest for the two vice-president posts. Rajaratnam is presently the assistant secretary and de Zoysa the disciplinary committee chairman.Ravin Wickremaratne, the former Panadura SC fast bowler who is currently a member of the tour organizing committee, is coming forward as assistant secretary to Lourance Amerasena. Amerasena who is presently the tournament committee chairman will vie for the secretary’s post. Lucien Merrinage will remain assistant treasurer with nobody else contesting for that post.The only new name in the list of office bearers is Nuski Mohamed, who is coming forward as treasurer. Mohamed, the former treasurer and secretary during the Gamini Dissanayake era of the eighties, is a chartered accountant by profession.Apart from Mohamed, all the contestants have served in various capacities under Thilanga Sumathipala. Sumathipala, the current president, will not be coming forward for another term. Neither A.J.M. Muzzamil and Lal Nanayakkara, the vice-president and treasurer respectively, will contest for any post.An Executive Committee meeting will be held on Monday after the return of Mohan de Silva to ratify the nominations.

DEVONPORT, Dec 5 AAP – In a tumultuous finish, Nathan Bracken was run out off the last ball of the day as New South Wales and Tasmania tied their ING Cup cricket here today.Bracken’s desperate lunge for the crease just failed and a match fascinating in its fluctuations ended in a rare but just result.Bracken’s dismissal left the Blues all out for 228 and level with Tasmania’s 8-228 from its 50 overs.The final over, bowled by the inexperienced Brett Geeves, was hectic.Only six was needed, eight wickets were down and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who almost stole the match, was in full flight. Tasmania’s brave effort to defend what had seemed an inadequate total looked like failing.Haddin mishit the first ball for two, two singles followed and then Haddin scooped a catch to mid-on and was out for 70 off 48 balls.A single came from the penultimate ball to level the scores and then, with the field up, Bracken made his unavailing attempt to win the game.The climax was played out in unrelenting din as the northwest Tasmanian crowd, celebrating their one representative game of the season, roared and beat on the oval’s metal surrounds.It was the perfect end to a pulsating game in which the batsmen had unexpected trouble maintaining dominance, given the wicket was true and the ground small and fast.Tasmania, led by opener Michael Dighton’s 64 from 82 balls, got off to a flyer and the Tigers were soon into three figures with one wicket down.But they then lost six wickets for 52 runs and were in danger of not seeing out their 50 overs.Captain Jamie Cox (37) and allrounder Scott Kremerskothen (38 not out) first grafted and finally sprinted to ensure Tasmania’s total was respectable.The Blues started slowly in reply, mainly because of an immaculate opening 10 overs from Damien Wright, who conceded only 17 runs.While he took no wickets, his stranglehold made it easier for others to succeed and after 25 overs the Blues were 3-84 and struggling.Captain Simon Katich and Haddin picked up the scoring and victory looked on track until Shane Watson bowled Katich for 45.That set the stage for the final mad overs, with Haddin — whose 70 came off only 48 balls and included eight fours and a mighty six – almost getting the Blues home.Tasmania owed a lot to its fielders, who stopped everything in reach and completed four run outs.Watson, the Australian one-day allrounder who’s been so under the microscope, had a respectable day.Batting at number three, he made 25 from 34 balls and then took three prime wickets – Mark Waugh, Michael Bevan and Katich. But he also conceded 65 runs, making him Tasmania’s most expensive bowler.

Glamorgan and Somerset have confirmed today the arrangements for thesale of tickets for the match between the two counties at Taunton onJuly 11th in the fourth round of the C&G Trophy.There will be no advance ticket sales, with supporters paying on thegate on the day, on a first-come first-served basis. The gates willopen at 9.00 am, so the advice is to arrive early to avoid disappointment!The ticket prices are £12 for adults, £8 for Senior Citizens and £6for juniors.Glamorgan`s Premier Members are guaranteed a complimentary ticketprovided they submit the relevant voucher to the Glamorgan office prior to Monday, 1st July. Once the deadline has passed, they too will have to pay onthe gate on the day.

Tottenham Hotspur wouldn’t have been feeling too festive after losing another home game against Liverpool before Christmas, and Thomas Frank knows improvements are needed heading into 2026.

Things have been said about the culture down N17 – or lack thereof. Spurs have recycled a fair few managers in recent years, and Frank’s assertion that he needs time to put things to rights is an understandable one.

But improvements are needed all the same, with 2025 a dire year in the Premier League for the north Londoners, picking up only 36 points from as many matches across the annual year, ten wins and 20 defeats.

This needs to change, and in order to do so, ENIC Group are looking to make some changes in the January transfer window.

The changes Spurs want to make in January

Tottenham need to recode their frontline heading into the New Year, with too many forwards flattering to deceive. Among them is Brennan Johnson, who looks likely to inch toward a loan transfer to Crystal Palace in January.

Johnson has fallen to the fringes this year. The Welshman is a potent forward, but his overall game leaves much to be desired, with FBref even recording that he ranks among the bottom 1% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues for shot-creating actions per 90 (1.63).

Spurs need more dynamism down the wings, and no one can say that the Lewis Family lack ambition as they set their sights on Juventus’ prized player.

According to Tutto Juve, Kenan Yildiz is attracting interest from London’s heavyweights: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham. The 20-year-old is an elite talent, and though Juve are persistent in their bid to tie him down to a new deal, his £5m-per-year salary demands have opened the door for a switch to the Premier League.

The Old Lady aren’t going to let him caper off easily, though, and have already placed a staggering £88m price tag on his head.

Why Kenan Yildiz would be perfect for Spurs

Yildiz is young, but he is also immense. The silky, fleet-footed attacking midfielder has been declared a “generational” Turkish talent by journalist Cetin Cem Yilmaz.

He has scored five goals and supplied four assists in Serie A this season, running roughshod over the division’s defences as he blends power and precision with an ability to influence across different positions, dangerous centrally and out wide.

While Yildiz is more effective on the left flank, he is two-footed and versatile. So is Johnson, in fairness, though the Wales superstars lack even a portion of Yildiz’s all-encompassing talent, as can be seen through the wingers’ respective metrics this season.

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It is not accuracy in the final third that has been Tottenham’s fatal flaw this year, but creativity and player-to-player synergy. Yildiz’s arrival would only lift them to the next level, and every stop must be pulled in the bid to sign him.

League Stats 25/26 – Semenyo vs Yildiz

Stats (* per game)

Johnson

Yildiz

Matches (starts)

15 (6)

15 (14)

Goals

2

5

Assists

0

4

Touches

16.5

53.3

Shots (on target)*

0.4 (0.1)

2.4 (1.0)

Accurate passes*

6.5 (71%)

27.2 (82%)

Chances created*

0.4

2.3

Succ. dribbles*

0.2

1.3

Ball recoveries*

0.9

3.7

Tackles + interceptions*

1.0

0.8

Duels won*

1.6

4.1

Data via Sofascore

Given that Mohammed Kudus has made the right channel his own, Yildiz could do the same on the left, bringing his pace and natural flair in the danger area.

He hasn’t stepped into the Premier League, often difficult for up-and-comers from overseas, but Yildiz wins many duels and has a physicality which underpins his technical skill. He would be a success in Johnson’s stead.

Tottenham will only go so far under Frank’s wing without effective, calculated transfer assistance. Director Johan Lange no doubt has a sprawling list of attacking midfielders to strengthen the squad, but Yildiz might just be the cream of the crop, certainly an upgrade on soon-to-depart Johnson.

Related Richarlison & Solanke upgrade: Spurs could sign "one of the best CFs in PL"

Tottenham are looking to sign forwards in the January transfer window.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair

South Zone

Hyderabad upset Tamil Nadu by 36 runs at the Rajinder Singh Institute Ground in Bangalore to make the knockouts. Hyderabad’s 333 for 9 was set up by an opening stand of 151 between T Suman and Ravi Teja. Suman hit 122 off 117 with 17 boundaries while Teja contributed 69 off 78. There were three cameos down the order that lifted Hyderabad well above 300. Tamil Nadu began with a big opening partnership as well, when S Anirudha and Abhinav Mukund put on 135 in quick time. Anirudha’s dismissal for 77 off 70 led to wickets falling regularly even as Mukund kept scoring at the other end. It was Teja who did the damage with his legbreaks, taking his maiden List A five-for. His victims included S Badrinath, Arun Karthik and eventually, Mukund, who was the sixth man to be dismissed with the score on 257. Teja also took the last wicket to fall as Tamil Nadu were bowled out for 297 in the 48th over to be knocked out of the tournament.

Robin Uthappa made a century and Abrar Kazi took four wickets as Karnataka finished on top of the South Zone points table with a 56-run defeat of Andhra at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Uthappa, who cracked 104 off 95, added 78 upfront with Mayank Agarwal (42) and 117 with Ganesh Satish (67). Karnataka were in a dominant position at 195 for 1 in the 31st over but fell apart after Uthappa’s dismissal . They managed 275 in the end but it was to prove more than enough. Only opener Prasanth Kumar (61) challenged Karnataka’s attack as the rest subsided in several wasted starts. Kazi ended with 4 for 33 as Andhra were dismissed for 219.

Goa beat Kerala by 98 runs in an inconsequential match at the Aditya Academy Ground in Bangalore. Reagan Pinto (65) and Rohit Asnodkar (45) laid the base for Robin D’Souza to smash an unbeaten 44 off 29 which took Goa to 250 for 8. Kerala had a disastrous start to their chase when they were reduced to 26 for 4. Robert Fernandez (52) and P Anthaf (44) took the score past 100 but once they were dismissed, Kerala crumbled to be bowled out for 152 in the 40th over. Sher Yadav took 4 for 21 for Goa.

North Zone

Delhi secured progress from North Zone with what ended up being a tense win against Haryana at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Delhi were cruising at 174 for 3 in the 41st over, chasing 214, but a couple of wickets caused a slowdown, and the game went into the final over before captain Rajat Bhatia struck the winning runs to maintain Delhi’s 100% record in this year’s tournament. It did not look like the game would be that close when Mohit Sharma was in the middle. He scored 68 off 65 balls, and after a slow start seemed to have put Delhi on course for an easy win. A couple of strikes from Haryana kept them in the game but their total of 213 was not enough.The below-par total was a result of Haryana losing three wickets in the first 20 overs, and their middle order not being able to accelerate. Parvinder Awana took two early wickets, and then returned to take another, to finish with figures of 3 for 31 from his 10 overs, with three maidens. Sachin Rana and Rahul Dewan put together a partnership of 75 to help Haryana recover from the early losses, but the runs came slowly. Haryana left the acceleration too later – Kuldeep Hooda played a couple of big shots right at the end – and their total was not big enough.

Punjab gave themselves a good chance of qualifying for the next round, with a 131-run hiding of Services, at the Model Sports Complex in Delhi, that earned them a bonus point. It was a comprehensive performance from Punjab: the top order fired to get them to a total of 288 for 6, and the bowlers skittled Services for 157. Gurkirat Ahluwalia, playing only his fifth List A game, scored 108 off 103 balls, and was given company first by Ravi Inder Singh, who scored 51, and then India Under-19 star Mandeep Singh, who got 62 off 65 balls.Services were out of the contest as early as 10.3 overs into the chase, by when they had slipped to 23 for 3. Ravi Inder Singh kept the middle order in check with his offspin, and finished with 3 for 38. Services lumbered to 157 in 43 overs before being bowled out.

Jammu & Kashmir’s winless run continued as they lost to Himachal Pradesh by three wickets at the Model Sports Club in Delhi. J & K did well to get back into the game, after Himachal were 152 for 3 chasing 212, and pushed the game till the penultimate over. Left-arm spinner Raman Dutta took 3 for 32 and helped make the game close, but Himachal’s top three had done enough to ensure the target was achieved. J & K had lost wickets regularly in the first innings with No. 10 Ram Dayal top-scoring with 34 not out off 25 balls. The wickets were shared around by Himachal’s bowlers. Rahul Singh was the most successful, taking 3 for 39.

Central Zone

A century by Shivakant Shukla helped Railways beat Rajasthan in Nagpur and finish top of the Central Zone table. Shukla’s 122 guided Railways’ chase of 246 and got them home with three overs and seven wickets to spare. Rajasthan lost early wickets after being put in but Robin Bist and Puneet Yadav helped them recover. Yadav’s 81 came off 91 balls, but Bist took 110 balls to reach 74, which meant Rajasthan’s run-rate did not rise much above four till the 40th over. Yadav and Raman Chahar accelerated towards the end but the total of 245 was not enough to challenge Railways, who finished the group stage with a 100% record.

A 37-run ninth wicket partnership gave Vidarbha a two-wicket win against Madhya Pradesh at Jamtha, but MP still qualified ahead of Vidarbha on account of having scored more bonus points in the group stages. Urvesh Patel was Vidarbha’s hero, as he helped them recover from 144 for 6 to chase 234 in 44.5 overs. Amol Ubarhande had given Vidarbha a platform with a half-century, but his dismissal in the 22nd over started a slide. Urvesh Patel stayed solid at one end as Vidarbha slipped to 163 for 7 and then 197 for 8. He found support in Nos. 9 and 10, and moved to 86 not out to take his team to victory. MP had reached 233 thanks to Rameez Khan’s 97, and though they lost they are still in the tournament.*

West Zone

Yusuf Pathan smashed ten sixes in making an unbeaten hundred as Baroda beat Saurashtra by 52 runs at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground in Mumbai. Yusuf built on the start given by Kedar Devdhar and Aditya Waghmode who put on 75 upfront. There weren’t any big contributions from the middle order apart from Yusuf, who kept hitting sixes all around the ground. He was finally bowled on 114 off 78 deliveries with six fours and ten sixes. Baroda set a stiff target of 316 and Munaf Patel immediately jolted Saurasthra, bowling Sagar Jogiyani off his fourth delivery which jagged in from short of a length. Shitanshu Kotak and Cheteshwar Pujara could not carry on for long but Sheldon Jackson kept Saurashtra in the game with his maiden List A hundred. Jackson benefitted from a few dropped chances but did not back off from playing his strokes in making 117 off 120 with seven fours and five sixes. As with Yusuf, there wasn’t much help for Jackson from the rest of the line-up and Saurashtra were dismissed for 263 in the 45th over. Left-arm spinners Bhargav Bhatt and Swapnil Singh finished with three wickets each.

Ankit Bawne and Akshay Darekar starred as Maharashtra defeated Mumbai by 15 runs at the Wankhede Stadium. Bawne made an unbeaten 93 to take Maharashtra to a competitive 254 for 8. Sangram Atitkar chipped in with 54. Dhawal Kulkarni and Abhishek Nayar took two wickets each for Mumbai. Mumbai’s top order failed again with only Nayar (42) managing to make more than 20. Anupam Sanklecha and Darekar soon had Mumbai reeling at 130 for 6 before Iqbal Abdulla and Ankeet Chavan started the repair job. The duo hit fifties to take Mumbai past 200 but Darekar had both batsmen caught by Nikhil Paradkar and dismissed Kshemal Waingankar for a duck to end the innings on 239 in the 49th over. With this result, though, Maharashtra and Mumbai have both progressed to the knockouts.

East Zone

Assam entered the knockouts with a 46-run victory over Jharkhand at Eden Gardens. Dheeraj Jadhav made yet another century this season and R Sathish was not far behind with a quick 82 as Assam surged to 301 for 9. While Jadhav was relatively patient in his 107 off 120, Sathish clubbed nine boundaries in racing to 82 off 59. Shiv Gautam and Saurabh Tiwary did for Jharkhand what Jadhav and Sathish had done for Assam. Gautam struck 124 off 129 while Tiwary made 76 off 83 in helping Jharkhand recover from 27 for 2. The rest of the line-up, though, did not turn up and the third-highest score by a Jharkhand batsman was just 11. Deepak Gohain led Assam’s assault with 4 for 46 while Abu Nechim, back after injuring himself during the Duleep Trophy semi-final against North Zone, claimed 3 for 68.

Bengal also made the knockouts from East Zone with a 30-run win over Tripura in a low-scoring game at the Jadavpur University Complex in Kolkata. Wriddhiman Saha held a faltering innings together with a patient 66 after Rana Dutta and Sanjay Majumder had rocked the Bengal top order. Saha took Bengal to 198 in the end. Laxmi Shukla and Sanjib Sanyal grabbed four wickets apiece in Tripura’s chase which seemed to be over at 80 for 8 in the 22nd over. Manisankar Murasingh (66) and Dutta (24 not out) more than doubled the score, though, in an 86-run partnership to bring the visitors back. Sanyal ensured Bengal would come out on top when he had Murasingh caught in the 37th over. The innings ended on 168 in the next over when Bengal captain Sourav Ganguly trapped Majumder lbw. Ganguly had gone lbw as well, for 8.*February 27, 2012 9:49 GMT: This report originally said Vidarbha had qualified ahead of Madhya Pradesh from Central Zone. It has been corrected.

Many schools in China have set up cricket teams, but the China Cricket Association, delighted by the unexpected interest shown by students for the game, would like more schools to join the ICC promotion programme © ICC

China will be taking part in the Asian Championships in Malaysia this July – a first such women’s tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) – along with Nepal, Hong Kong, Thailand, Bangladesh, Singapore, UAE and the hosts. Rashid Khan, the former Pakistan fast-medium bowler who the ACC brought on board to train players in China, was surprised by the potential that Chinese women showed in playing cricket.”The girls in Asia seem almost the same,” Khan told the . “It’s not like the boys, where India and Pakistan are too strong for China to catch up in a short time. I want to give them my experience. That is my main focus here. They are playing cricket for the first time and they play in such a good manner. They are very talented.” With regard to men’s game China is cricket’s next big destination. But the spurt of interest among women in the country is unexpected though heartening.The Chinese Cricket Association (CCA), which joined the ICC and the ACC in 2004, hopes to set up a women’s national team soon and has slated Khan as the head coach of the side. “From my point of view, few countries are developing well in the women’s cricket,” said Liang Guanghua, the director of the Business Cooperation Committee of CCA. “The situations in India, Australia and England are a bit better.”Khan will hold a 40-day training camp at Shenzhen to prepare for the Asian Championships in July. “For me, every match is like I want to win the championships,” said Khan. The foremost thing that players needed to work on, Khan felt, was their batting.In November 2006 Khan was appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board to train young cricketers in China. The move was part of a joint effort by the ICC and the ACC to give a fillip to cricket in the country and the ACC teamed up with the ICC to provide US$400,000 to build the cricket infrastructure.A sign of cricket’s growing popularity among women in China is that there are 19 teams in the women’s National Championships this year as opposed to only six last year when the tournament was launched. Khan provides more evidence of the same saying that girls in China are keener to learn sports than boys. “They are very tough. In the physical side, they are better than Pakistan’s girls,” he said. Khan coached the China Under-15 in the ACC Trophy in December the same year and was previously junior selector and manager of Pakistan’s U-19 teams.Guanghua and Khan have an ambitious ten-year plan to make the women’s team internationally competitive. “It is a good chance for us. Most of the countries are at the same starting line.” But first there are obstacles that need to be removed. “There aren’t enough facilities here. CCA has to work hard to solve this problem,” said Khan.Guanghua added that more schools had to be encouraged to set up cricket teams and join the ICC’s promotion programme. “What has delighted me in the past years is that students are showing unexpected interest in the sport. I am sure in the next year we will see more schools in the national tournament.”

Global revenues for cricket will increase by 30-40% in my estimation once China becomes an established cricketing nation, either as a venue, a participant or a breeding ground for future cricketers in the decades ahead Syed Ashraful Huq, chief executive, Asian Cricket Council

“They are keen to learn,” Khan said. “They are very much looking forward to cricket in China. The development is not very good yet, but they are hard working and there are many committed people.”The country is being looked as a potential golden goose and the ICC and ACC expect great returns on their investment. “Global revenues for cricket will increase by 30-40% in my estimation once China becomes an established cricketing nation, either as a venue, a participant or a breeding ground for future cricketers in the decades ahead,” said Syed Ashraful Huq, the ACC chief executive.Meanwhile, Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, foresees China playing the World Cup in 2015. “I have seen 15-year-olds in Beijing who, if given every chance to continue their progress, will become very good cricketers,” Speed said.

Shoaib Akhtar races in during a net session last month© Getty Images

To nobody’s great surprise, confusion reigns supreme over the exact status of Shoaib Akhtar’s ankle injury, and whether or not it will allow him to participate in this summer’s tour to England.Reuters reported earlier, quoting Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, that the injury is a hairline fracture which might cause him to miss the first half of the tour. Inzamam said, “Right now, he has been advised one week’s rest as scans have shown a slight fracture in his ankle which is also swollen. However, the chance of him joining us late cannot be ruled out. The reports about him are a bit uncomfortable for us,” Inzamam admitted. “But he has done light training, so the fracture might not be a serious one. We will go by the doctor’s report and advice.”But Bob Woolmer, Pakistan coach, has told Cricinfo that there is “mixed opinion within the medical commission as to whether it is a hairline fracture or not.” He continued: “We have now sent the scan results to South Africa to a specialist and it will take us a week to get a second opinion from them. If it is a fracture, it seems a very minor one but if it is a case of his older ankle injury (a stress fracture) having not cleared up, then he will need at least four weeks to begin bowling properly and that will leave it very tight for the England tour. But, right now we have to wait and see before any decision is made.”Despite Inzamam’s apparently pessimistic diagnosis, sources close to Shoaib deny that the injury is a serious one and that he is still almost certain to travel to England with the squad. “As far as I know, that’s not true at all and he will be ok for the England tour,” said one, when asked to comment on Inzamam’s statement.The PCB is also unsure just now whether it is a hairline fracture and how it affects Shoaib’s chances of touring. Saleem Altaf, director PCB, told Cricinfo that the results of the scan have yet to be confirmed. “The medical commission has carried out a series of tests on him but nobody has confirmed a fracture yet.”In any event, Shoaib has been training in the camp for the last few days, suggesting perhaps that the nature of the injury might not be that serious. Woolmer said, “He hass been running and training with us. Yesterday he ran 12 100m sprints and though there is some stiffness, he wouldn’t be able to do that I would think, with a fracture.”And if you weren’t confused enough already, Inzamam later retracted his statement, telling PTI, “The doctors have not yet submitted any reports on Shoaib Akhtar’s injury. I think there has been some confusion that has led to me being misquoted. Until the doctors submit their reports, I am in no position to comment on Shoaib’s injury or his England tour chances. What I actually said was that the same ankle is swollen that suffered a hairline fracture late last year.”Earlier in the week, it was announced that Shoaib had merely twisted his ankle and needed a week’s rest, but despite all the confusion, it is now clear that the injury is more serious than initially thought.And time too is running out; the scan results will take a week and the national selectors are due to announce the squad around June 9, though that date may now be pushed back. Additionally, if he does make the tour, Shoaib will go with limited match practice and uncertain fitness levels. Wasim Bari, chief selector, has told that Shoaib will likely be taken to England even if he isn’t fully fit as a 17th member of the squad. Even then, as it is Shoaib, nothing will be certain until he turns up on July 13 at Lord’s, whites on and red ball in hand.

Paul Riley, who represented Nottinghamshire Cricket Board in the 2003 C&G Trophy, is standing trial over an alleged assault of a group of cyclists, including Australian Paralympic gold medallist Kial Stewart in March last year.Riley, 22, had been staying for a cricket camp at the headquarters of Australian Institute of Sport in Adelaide. The Crown alleges that he, and his friend Nathan Crack, 31, waited outside for the cyclists. The prosecution claims that Riley knocked out Stewart with a punch to the face.Crack has pleaded guilty causing grievous bodily harm and will be sentenced at a later date.

Australia suffered an injury scare on the last day of their warm-up matchagainst a Sri Lanka President’s XI as Brett Lee was taken to hospital with a sore left ankle.Scans revealed no structural damage and Australia are hopeful that he mayrecover in time for the first Test which starts on Monday in Galle, but RickyPonting admitted that the injury was a big concern.”It is a big concern, especially the way he bowled in the first inningshere,” Ponting told reporters afterwards. “He bowled quick and swung theball a lot and we had hoped he could do that in the first Test.””He feared the worst straight away but the scans have come up pretty cleartoday. He has a couple of days for rest and treatment over the weekend andwe will hope that everything comes up ok for Monday.”Lee had been a major handful in the first innings, ripping out four toporder wickets during an eight-over burst with the new ball. He also pickedup a wicket in the second innings before hobbling off mid-way through hisfourth over.