Inzamam 'disgusted' by Hair's return

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was "shocked and disgusted" by controversial umpire Darrell Hair's reinstatement, but Australia welcomed the move on Wednesday. Inzamam clashed with Hair in the forfeited Oval Test between Pakistan and England in August 2006, which led to the Australian umpire's ban from standing in top-level matches.

ICC reinstates Hair and shortens 2011 World Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) restored controversial Australian Darrell Hair as a Test and one-day international umpire on Tuesday and decided to shorten the 2011 World Cup. Cricket's governing body also said a "full independent security assessment" would be made before violence-hit Pakistan staged the Champions Trophy in September.

Patel's ICC job 'not a done deal'

Imtiaz Patel's appointment as the next chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC) is "not a done deal" according to SuperSport, his current employer. "Nothing has been formalised yet," SuperSport spokesperson Guy Hawthorne said Tuesday.

Dale Steyn proud of his achievements

South Africa paceman Dale Steyn, fresh from being named player of the series in the recent Bangladesh tour, is proud his name is now being bracketed with some of the world's best. "Just to be put in the same bracket like [Muttiah] Muralitharan, Glenn McGrath, Shaun Pollock or Shane Bond, it's remarkable," he said in an interview on Thursday.

India hail 'triumph against all Oz'

Indian media on Wednesday rewarded the cricket team's conquest of world champions Australia with front page banner headlines, celebrating a victorious end to an acrimonious tour. "Triumph against all Oz" screamed the mass-selling Hindustan Times a day after the young Indian team completed a 2-0 whitewash of Australia.

Symonds won't face action for knocking over streaker

Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds will face no action after he knocked over a streaker in his side's nine-run one-day international loss to India in Brisbane on Tuesday. Robert Murray David Ogilvie stormed the field and ran towards Symonds, who shoulder-charged him to the ground.

UK backs ban on Zim cricket tour

Britain said on Tuesday it would support a ban on a tour next year by the Zimbabwe cricket team in protest at President Robert Mugabe's rule, but the decision was up to the sport's authorities. The BBC's Inside Sport said the government was looking at several options to stop next year's tour.

UK denies Brown wants blanket sports ban on Zim

The British government has no plans for a blanket ban on sportsmen from Zimbabwe, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesperson said on Tuesday, rebuffing a report from the BBC. The spokesperson said Downing Street had been "surprised" by the report suggesting that Britain was considering such a ban.

BBC: Gordon Brown keen on sports ban on Zim

The British government is considering stepping up the pressure on Zimbabwe by banning its athletes from competing in Britain, the BBC has reported. The Inside Sport programme reported that the ban could notably prevent the Zimbabwe cricket team from touring England next year.

Harbhajan slams 'despicable' Aussie crowd behaviour

Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has lashed out at Australian crowds after being cleared of allegations he made monkey gestures and spat toward fans in the tri-series final win against Australia. Harbhajan was cleared after match referee Jeff Crowe was unable to find any video evidence to confirm the claims by spectators and photographers.

Harbhajan cleared of racist gestures

India spinner Harbhajan Singh was cleared on Monday of making racist gestures and spitting at fans during his team's one-day win over Australia on Sunday. Harbhajan was crucial in Sunday's victory, which gave India a 1-0 lead in the tri-series finals, claiming the key wickets of Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden.

India's aggression pleases Kirsten

India's new cricket coach Gary Kirsten said on Wednesday he was impressed with the team's aggressive attitude despite controversies on their ongoing tour of Australia. "What I like about Indian cricket as a whole now, and especially about the young players, is that they are ready to accept the battle," said the former South African batsman, who officially takes over as coach next month.

Brett Lee defends Aussie behaviour

Australian fast bowler Brett Lee defended his team's on-field behaviour on Tuesday and played down talk of another rift with India. The lingering ill-feeling between the sides surfaced again when Indian paceman Ishant Sharma was fined 15% of his match fee for a verbal altercation with Australian batsman Andrew Symonds during Sunday's tri-series clash in Sydney.

Marlon Samuels suspended from bowling for illegal action

West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect due to an illegal action, the International Cricket Council said on Monday. The Jamaican, an occasional off-spinner, was reported for a suspected illegal bowling action during the third Test match between South Africa and West Indies.

Smith: IPL could be real boon to world game

The money-spinning Indian Premier League (IPL) could boost cricket around the world but organisers had to ensure there was as little overlap with internationals as possible, said South Africa's Graeme Smith. "Scheduling is obviously going to be the key for the IPL," the South African captain told reporters in Dhaka on Friday.

Australians furious about Harbhajan decision

The exoneration of Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh on racial-abuse charges was heavily criticised in Australia on Wednesday as a blatant demonstration of India's power in world cricket. Harbhajan pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of abusive language at the appeal in Adelaide and was fined about Aus$3 000.

Harbhajan cleared of racial abuse

India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been cleared of racial-abuse charges at a hearing in Australia, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Tuesday. "He has been cleared -- the racial charge has been dropped against him," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said.

India renew pull-out threat over racism row

India will abandon the tour of Australia if spinner Harbhajan Singh is not cleared of racial abuse charges, a top Indian official said on Tuesday. Harbhajan was handed a three-Test ban by match referee Mike Procter after being found guilty of racially abusing Australia's Andrew Symonds during the acrimonious Sydney Test earlier this month.

Kiwis dump Bond after he joins rebel league

New Zealand will dump star paceman Shane Bond after he signed for the rebel Indian Cricket League, the country's cricket board confirmed on Monday. New Zealand Cricket has been trying to persuade the injury-prone 32-year-old to stay in the official fold, but no solution could be found.

Bucknor disappointed at being sent home

Embattled cricket umpire Steve Bucknor expressed disappointment on Monday in being sent home from the Test series between India and Australia. Bucknor said he was "disappointed that I am not continuing the tour between Australia and India, in Australia. But I respect the International Cricket Council's authority in the matter."

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