Cricket News.

Injured Ferguson ruled out of Australian summer

SYDNEY - Australian middle-order batsman Callum Ferguson, who was injured during the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand has been ruled out of the Australian summer after a report confirmed that he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.

Trinidad and Tobago elect to bat against Somerset

BANGALORE - Trinidad and Tobago won the toss and elected to bat against Somerset in a Group A match of the Champions League Twenty20 cricket at M. Chinnaswamy stadium here Monday.

Akhtar eyeing New Zealand Test series for staging comeback

LAHORE - Controversial Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who is undergoing a rehabilitation programme in London following a surgery on his left knee, is expected to get fit in time for the forthcoming New Zealand tour.

Oram may retire from test cricket to revive ODI, T20 career

WELLINGTON - New Zealand allrounder Jacob Oram has reportedly decided to retire from the Test cricket in order to prolong his one-day and Twenty20 cricket career.

I rejected coaching offers of two top nations: Fleming

WELLINGTON - Since his retirement from international cricket last year, former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming has rejected two plum-coaching offers, one believed to be England.

Strauss insists England has learned lessons from 2005 Ashes

LONDON - England team will not fall into the same Ashes trap that snared Michael Vaughan’s men four years ago, claims current skipper Andrew Strauss.

Strauss may skip England’s tour to Bangladesh

LONDON - England captain Andrew Strauss has hinted that he may give a miss to team’s Bangladesh tour next year.

Daredevils set 171-run target for Wayamba

NEW DELHI - Virender Sehwag and Dinesh Karthik smashed half centuries as Delhi Daredevils reached 170 for five against Wayamba Eleven in a Group D Champions League Twenty20 cricket match here Sunday.

‘IPL teams will bounce back’

NEW DELHI - The Indian Premier League (IPL) teams might be on the brink of exit but the New South Wales Blues and Sussex Sharks skippers feel it is too early to rule them out of the Champions League Twenty20 race.

Delhi gets backing from Earl of Wessex for Commonwealth Games

NEW DELHI - Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and vice-patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), gave a thumbs-up to India’s preparation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games here Sunday.

Daredevils elect to bat against Wayamba Elevens

NEW DELHI - Delhi Daredevils won the toss and elected to bat against Wayamba Elevens in a Group D match of the Champions League Twenty20 cricket match at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Sunday.

New South Wales set 131-run target for Sussex Sharks

NEW DELHI - Phillip Hughes and Moises Henriques struck unbeaten half-centuries as New South Wales scored 130 for two against Sussex Sharks in a Group B match of the Champions League Twenty20 cricket at Ferozeshah Kotla stadium here Sunday.

Younis Khan uncertain for New Zealand series

KARACHI - Pakistan cricket captain Younis Khan is uncertain about playing in the series against New Zealand starting next month in Abu Dhabi.

Ex-Kiwi skipper Fleming’s challenging adventure with the corporate world

WELLINGTON - Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, who launched a company called Digital Publications after his retirement, has said his involvement in the corporate world has been challenging, but he finally understands how business works after twelve months.

Jacob Oram set to announce retirement from Test, one-day cricket

WELLINGTON - New Zealand all rounder Jacob Oram will reportedly announce his retirement from international Test and one-day cricket in the coming few days.

Akhtar eyeing Test comeback with New Zealand trip

KARACHI - Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar will be fit in time to get in contention for a place in the Test squad for the tour of New Zealand later this year after his knee surgery in London last week.

Cricketer’s murder spells misery for his namesake

CHANDIGARH - The murder of cricketer Gagandeep Singh, who was shot dead during a scuffle in Uttar Pradesh Saturday, has made life difficult for his namesake in Punjab. Gagandeep Singh of Ludhiana, also a cricketer, has spent the last 48 hours explaining to family and friends that he is alive!

New South Wales opt to bat against Sussex Sharks

NEW DELHI - New South Wales won the toss and elected to bat against Sussex Sharks in the Group B Champions League Twenty20 cricket match at Ferozeshah Kotla stadium here Sunday.

Forgotten Aussie test opener Phil Jaques hopes for a comeback

LONDON - With his smashing 136 for the club side Sutherland, forgotten opener Phil Jaques hopes to register his presence with Australian selectors.

Moves on to ensure that The Ashes return to free-to-air television

LONDON - Cricket’s showpiece Test series has joined the list of legally protected “crown jewel” sporting events, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.

Fawad Alam told to improve attitude to prolong his career

LAHORE - Outgoing Pakistan cricket team manager Yawar Saeed has warned young all-rounder Fawad Alam to change his attitude if he wants to play for Pakistan for a longer period.

PCB against playing 2011 World Cup matches in India

LAHORE - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is against playing its matches in India during the 2011 World Cup, and has reportedly asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift its matches to Sri Lanka or Bangladesh.

Junior cricketer shot dead in Uttar Pradesh, one held

MEERUT - An under-19 national-level cricketer Gagandeep was shot dead in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh late Friday. Police Saturday claimed to have arrested the main accused in the shooting in which another person also died.

Afridi likely to replace Younis Khan as captain of Pak one-day squad

LAHORE - Following Pakistan’s failure to make it to the ICC Champions Trophy final, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to name flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi as captain of the one-day squad.

Eden Gardens to hold Sri Lanka ODI in December

KOLKATA - Eden Gardens will host the fourth game of the coming One-Day International (ODI) series against Sri Lanka, its first big match involving national sides in two years.

India-Australia series will be a close one, says Steve Waugh

NEW DELHI - Former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh on Friday said that the upcoming India-Australia series, which begins from October 25, will be a close one as India would be looking forward to display a better performance after their disappointing Champions Trophy campaign.

Lack of resources affecting development of sports, says Deepika Padukone

NEW DELHI - Bollywood actress and a badminton player Deepika Padukone on Friday said that the lack of resources has affected development of sports and the immense talent available across the country.

Experience counts in Twenty20: Katich

NEW DELHI - New South Wales Blues captain Simon Katich feels that experience will play a crucial role in adapting to challenging conditions on Indian pitches in the Champions League Twenty20.

Clark, Lee guide New South Wales to convincing win

NEW DELHI - Stuart Clark and Brett Lee bowled inspiring spells to guide New South Wales Blues to a 53-run victory over Diamond Eagles in the opening Group B encounter of the Champions League Twenty20 cricket at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Friday.

Champions League organisers distribute passes to fill stands

NEW DELHI - In a bid to fill up the empty stands at different centres, the organisers of the Twenty20 Champions League are reportedly distributing complimentary passes to fetch spectators.

T20 in a honeymoon period, says Waugh

NEW DELHI - Former Australian captain Steve Waugh believes the fate of One-day International (ODI) cricket, facing a survival threat from the Twenty20s, will be known in another year.

Veteran cricket journalist Rajan Bala dies in Bangalore

BANGALORE - Eminent sports journalist Natarajan Balasubramaniam, more popularly known in the sports fraternity as Rajan Bala, died this morning in a Bangalore hospital. He was 63.

Ishant has shades of Glenn McGrath, says Waugh

NEW DELHI - Ishant Sharma might not be bowling at his best, but he would certainly be heartened by Steve Waugh’s encouraging words. The former Australia captain sees a bit of Glenn McGrath in the lanky Indian pacer.

New South Wales to bat against Diamond Eagles

NEW DELHI - New South Wales Blues captain Simon Katich won the toss and elected to bat against Diamond Eagles in the opening Group B Champions League Twenty20 cricket match at Ferozeshah Kotla stadium here Friday.