South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis is in doubt for the first Test against India after suffering a side strain, team officials said on Tuesday. ”Kallis has a side strain and his fitness will be assessed tomorrow [Wednesday] before a decision is taken regarding his participation in the Kanpur Test,” said South Africa’s media manager Gerald de Kock.

At R6,8-billion, FirstRand’s empowerment deal is one of the biggest to date, and certainly appears to be the most ”broad-based”. It includes none of the usual names that lead to charges of black economic empowerment (BEE) being ”enrichment of the few”. FirstRand appears to have learnt from the BEE forays of its predecessors. The ”devil is in the detail”, as the cliché goes, writes Reg Rumney.

Whenever Australians and New Zealanders get together and talk about sports, one single delivery in a cricket match 23 years ago invariably enters the discussion. When Greg Chappell asked his younger brother, Trevor, to bowl underarm at Brian McKechnie on the last ball of a limited-overs international in 1981, depriving the New Zealand tailender any chance of hitting a six to tie the match, it sparked a bitter trans-Tasman feud.

Top hotels in Beijing have been told to reduce heating in the winter months and air conditioning in the summer as part of the city’s efforts to host a ”Green Olympics” in 2008, state press said on Tuesday. Hotels have been encouraged to set summer room temperatures at 26 degrees Celsius.

The Springbok rugby camp says it has accepted the outcome of last Saturday’s match against Ireland and that it wants to move on and focus on preparing for the forthcoming fixture against England on Saturday, a statement by SA Rugby said on Tuesday. ”We can’t change the result,” said coach Jake White.

England captain David Beckham has scotched rumours that he intends the 2006 World Cup to be his swansong in an England shirt, at a press conference in Madrid on Monday. British newspapers on Sunday suggested Beckham is going to retire in 18 months’ time, after the World Cup in Germany.

South Africa salvaged a draw in their tour opener against the Indian Board President’s XI despite an embarrassing batting collapse on Tuesday that highlighted their potential flaws against spin bowling. South Africa had scored 226 for five declared in their first innings, and the hosts replied with 361 for six.