NOTTINGHAM: England were on the brink of winning the first Test against Australia after more umpiring controversy dogged the Ashes series opener at Trent Bridge on Saturday.

Australia were 174 for six at stumps on the fourth day, still needing a further 137 runs to reach their victory target of 311 after they lost three wickets for three runs late in the day.

No side has made more to win in the fourth innings of a Trent Bridge Test than England's 284 for six against New Zealand in 2004.

But the fact teenage debutant Ashton Agar, who in Australia's first innings made 98, the highest score by a Test No 11, was still there was a warning to Ashes-holders England they had work left to do if they were to go 1-0 up in this five-match series.

Brad Haddin was 11 not out and Agar, promoted to No 8, one not out.

England captured the prize scalp of Australia captain Michael Clarke when Stuart Broad had the tourists' best batsman caught behind by wicketkeeper Matt Prior for 23 off an excellent full-length delivery that saw Australia decline from 161 for three to 164 for six in the space of 18 balls.

Left-hander Phil Hughes, playing back to another sharply spun Swann delivery, just pitched in line before striking the batsman plumb in front of his stumps on the back leg for a duck.

Australia had frustrated England before opener Shane Watson was lbw to a Broad inswinger for 46.

Then to what became the last ball before tea, Ed Cowan edged part-time spinner Joe Root to Jonathan Trott at slip.

Before tea Chris Rogers, playing his second Test five years after his debut, completed a maiden Test fifty off 104 balls with eight fours.

But soon after tea, Rogers tamely chipped James Anderson to Ian Bell at midwicket.

Earlier, Bell's 109 had been the cornerstone of England's second innings 375.

Bell, 95 not out overnight, shared a seventh-wicket partnership of 138 with Broad (65).

   LONDON: Graham Onions was recalled by England on Saturday as they boosted their bowling options by naming five seamers in a 13-man squad for the first Test of the Ashes series against Australia at Trent Bridge next week.

Durham paceman Onions, who won the last of his nine Test caps against the West Indies at Edgbaston last year, was joined in the squad by Yorkshire seam-bowling all-rounder Tim Bresnan, who missed the recent home series win over New Zealand while he recovered from elbow surgery.

Also in the squad were pace trio James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn.

Broad missed England's warm-up win over Essex with a shoulder injury, a match where key off-spinner Graeme Swann was struck a painful blow on the right arm, having had surgery on his right elbow earlier this year. But both bowlers were passed fit.

England national selector Geoff Miller stressed the 30-year-old Onions, whose 32 Test wickets have come at a shade under 30 runs apiece, was more than just injury cover.

As expected, Nick Compton was left out of the squad after Miller had said Joe Root would be promoted to open the innings, something the 22-year-old does for Yorkshire but has yet to do at Test level, alongside captain Alastair Cook.

Somerset opener Compton, grandson of England great Denis, scored back-to-back hundreds in New Zealand earlier this year but was omitted after a poor return series against the Kiwis that saw him manage just 39 runs in four innings.

England will be bidding to win their third straight series against

Australia -- something they last managed in the 1950s -- when the first Test of a five-match campaign starts in Nottingham on Wednesday.

With the British and Irish Lions rugby union team beating Australia in Sydney earlier Saturday to complete a 2-1 series win, and Andy Murray bidding to becoming the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the Wimbledon men's singles title in Sunday's final against Novak Djokovic, Miller said he hoped the cricket side could tap into an upbeat national mood. 

LAHORE: Pakistan team for the West-Indies tour has been announced by the selection committee here Wednesday at the Gaddafi Stadium during a press briefing by Iqbal Qasim.

All-rounder Shahid Afridi and batsmen Umer Akmal and Ahmed Shahzad have been recalled in the team for the tour of West-Indies. Meanwhile left arm seamer Sohail Tanveer has been included in the T20 squad.

Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat and Kamran Akmal have been dropped from the team.

Pakistan will play five ODIs and two T-20s during the tour.

Squad (one-day): Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Asad Shafiq, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Umar Amin, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Irfan, Asad Ali, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman

Squad (Twenty20): Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Ahmed Shahzad, Nasir Jamshed, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Haris Sohail, Hammad Azam, Sohail Tanveer, Wahab Riaz, Asad Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Umar Amin, Saeed Ajmal and Zulfiqar Babar.

  LAHORE: Cricketer Salman Butt has admitted to his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal.

During a news conference here on Friday, But apologised for disgracing the nation and urged youngsters keep away from corrupt elements and concentrate on the game of cricket.

“I also accept the ban imposed on me by the ICC tribunal,” Butt said as he appealed for the cricket council to allow him and others accused to play on the domestic level to be ready for national selection when their ban is lifted.

Salman Butt added that he had informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about his availability and willingness to undertake the rehabilitation programme.

Butt received a ten year ban for his role in the spot-fixing scandal, five years of which were suspended. The former Pakistan captain along with fast bowlers Muhamamd Asif and Muhammad Aamer were convicted for their involvement in bowling deliberate no-balls during a test match against England at Lords in 2010.

  Guyana, St Lucia and St Vincent and Grenadines will host the five ODIs and two Twenty20 Internationals between West Indies and Pakistan in July, according to the schedule released by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on Thursday.

Pakistan will play the first two ODIs in Guyana on July 14 and 16, and the remaining ODIs will be played in St Lucia on July 19, 21 and 24. The two T20Is will be played at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St Vincent on July 27 and 28. The visitors will also play a 50-over warm-up game in Guyana before the start of the series.

Pakistan were originally scheduled to play two Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s in the Caribbean in June and July, but West Indies planned a tri-series involving India and Sri Lanka, which shortened the window. The WICB had asked the PCB if their tour could be rescheduled to August. That, however, interfered with Pakistan's plan to host India and to play out the Zimbabwe series that was postponed in 2012.

Guyana will host an international match after a year's gap. The Guyana National Stadium last hosted an ODI in 2011 between West Indies and Pakistan. Administrative disputes between the WICB, the Guyana Cricket Board and the Guyanese government had resulted in a Test against Australia in 2012 being Shifted to another venue.

    The upcoming Ashes Series 2013 will begin from July, 2013, and will be hosted by England. This series would be more exciting than any other recent Ashes since the British team has been performing very well in every format of the Cricket for the last couple of years. The Ashes has always been dominated by the Australians so expectation from cricketing fan of Australia would higher this time too. The Ashes is considered as a series of prestige and reputation among these two countries so it is expected to get the best from both this teams before the Cricket world cup.

The venues for the Ashes 2013 that have been confirmed for the matches are Old Trafford, Lord’s, Riverside Ground, the Oval and Tent Bridge. The rights of live television will be shared by the Sky Sports and the Channel 9. The two series will be held back to back in 2013. The popularity of test cricket is still retained, and a lot has to be attributed to this legendary contest.

The Ashes is one of the most anticipated and exiting tours in the world of International Cricket. Played between England and Australia, The Ashes is also one of the most popular rivalries to exist in cricket. It is a cricket series at its purest form. The series comprises of five test matches hosted by either of the two countries. The series is held twice a year. The Ashes have been in existence since the year of 1982.

The rules of the games of this tournament are no different from that of the regular test matches. If there is a draw in the series, the trophy is retained by the team that is already holding the championship. Currently, the championship of the test series belongs to England.

Although the trophy is at the moment with the English team, it is Australia who has been more successful between the two teams. The Australians have won the title as much as one hundred and thirty one times. Sir Donald Bradman has the highest number of runs while the highest number wickets in the Ashes have been taken by Shane Warne.

There have been as many as three hundred and sixteen matches played in this series. Out of these matches, England have won ninety one while the Australians have won one hundred and thirty one matches. The rest have been drawn.

The year of 1938 saw the highest totals. The English team reached a massive score of nine hundred and three runs for the loss of seven wickets. The second highest score was recorded in 1930 when the Australians scored seven hundred and one runs. Bradman is the leading run getter in the Ashes with five thousand and twenty runs. Jack Hobbs of England comes second with three thousand six hundred and thirty six runs. Highest number of centuries is in the name if Bradman as well, with as many as nineteen centuries in the Ashes.

   KINGSTON: Chris Gayle notched his first one-day hundred against Sri Lanka as he led West Indies to a crushing six-wicket victory with more than 12 overs to spare in the opening match of the three-nation international series at Sabina Park on Friday.

Replying to the visitors' modest total of 208 all out off 48.3 overs, the hard-hitting opening batsman delighted his fellow Jamaicans with another dominant effort on the way to his 21st ODI century.

His 109 came off 100 deliveries and was embellished with seven sixes and nine fours. That pushed his team on to 209 for four off 37.5 overs and they earned a bonus point as well for reaching their target before the conclusion of the 40th over.

That extra point is likely to be significant in the latter stages of the competition, especially with World Cup-holders and recent Champions Trophy winners India entering the fray on Sunday against a West Indies team that will be buoyant following their comprehensive opening triumph.

Any anxiety that home fans may have had about the target facing them were erased by the confidence of Gayle's start.

The former captain dominated an opening partnership of 115 by the 21st over with Johnson Charles, who rode his luck for a supporting but struggling 29 before he fell off the bowling of left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.

Ajantha Mendis eventually accounted for Gayle via a miscued swing to leg, but the clever slow bowler, making a return to the Sri Lankan side, did not materialise as the threat his teammates would have hoped.

Darren Bravo was run out near the end for 27 and Kieron Pollard was unlucky to be adjudged lbw to Nuwan Kulasekara, but by then the match was over as a contest and Marlon Samuels, with skipper Dwayne Bravo at the other end, ensured that victory was complete.

Earlier, Sunil Narine returned to his miserly, wicket-taking best, snaring four for 40 as Sri Lanka faltered after a deceptively bright start to be dismissed for 208.

He had an instant impact on the match when he came on in the 18th over, removing the prolific and experienced pair of Mahela Jayawardene (52) and Kumar Sangakkara (17) in his first three overs to immediately put the brake on what had been a promising start by the Sri Lankans.

Jayawardene was at his fluent best, dominating an opening partnership of 62 with Upul Tharanga before they were separated by Bravo.

In contrast, Sangakkara never really got going and the West Indies were understandably delighted when he pushed a straightforward catch to Pollard at cover.

Ravi Rampaul backed up the frontline spinner's effort with three wickets and it was left to Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews to hold the innings together following the demise of the two big hitters, his unbeaten 55 being the top score as he capitalised on an early bit of luck when put down by Gayle off the bowling of pacer Kemar Roach.

Speaking after the match, Mathews acknowledged that with Gayle in such a mood, his team's total was never going to be enough. "We needed early wickets and that didn't happen," he lamented. "And when Chris is in that sort of mind-set, no bowling attack in the world can stop and no target is too much."

   LONDON: England and Wales will stage the inaugural World Test Championship in June and July of 2017, the International Cricket

Council (ICC) announced Saturday following the conclusion of its annual conference in London.

The World Test Championship will replace the Champions Trophy, recently won by India this month after they beat hosts England by five runs in the final at Birmingham's Edgbaston ground.

India will stage the second edition of the Test Championship in

February/March 2021.

"We are delighted to confirm the exciting schedule of events through to 2023," ICC chief executive David Richardson said in the statement.

"The ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales was highly acclaimed and appreciated by all.

"However, the principle of one pinnacle global event for each of the three formats (Test, One-Day and Twenty20) over a four-year cycle is a good one and, as such, the ICC board has agreed to replace the Champions Trophy with the ICC World Test Championship," the former South Africa wicketkeeper added.

"Now that the ICC World Test Championship has been confirmed, we'll work on the playing conditions and qualification criteria, and will submit these to the ICC board for approval in due course."

The ICC had planned to stage the first Test Championship in England this year but existing commercial agreements meant it had to stage a one-day international tournament instead, hence the last edition of the Champions Trophy.

Among other decisions announced Saturday, Afghanistan was confirmed as the ICC's 37th Associate member nation, the rank immediately below the 10 elite Test playing countries.

LONDON: Wasim Akram, the world famous swing bowling icon and former captain of Pakistan cricket team, has praised Pakistani captain Misbah-ul-Haq for bringing positive change to Pakistani team by changing his one-day game as well as attitude towards it.

Speaking exclusively to Geo News after Pakistan beat South Africa at a warm up match here at the Oval, the Sultan of Swing said that the West Indies cricket team is the real danger in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2013 matches.

Akram was surprised that no one talked about the danger posed to all teams by the brilliant players such as Kieron Pollard, Chris Gale, Dwayne Bravo, and others in the team. “They have brilliant wicket taking bowlers. They have more one-day experience. It will be very interesting to see how the West Indian side plays,” Akram said.

Wasim Akram was of praise for the unity shown by the team at the Oval. He said that Pakistan had struggled in South Africa during a recent tour but it was because of the gross and the totally different conditions. “It was also because we are poor in test matches. But in one-day game, we gave South Africa tough time,” he said, answering a question what made the difference between then and the match Pakistan played on Monday at The Oval that outclassed South Africa in all departments.

“I really liked the way Pakistan played at The Oval. The main bowlers were rested but Junaid, Wahab, Ahsan Adil and Asad played brilliantly. From the first ball, the body language was good. The attitude was right. South Africa looked dead. Pakistani team chased well and but I was scared that Pakistan gets under pressure when chasing and when wickets fall.”

Wasim Akram said that there is “no issue” with Pakistan’s bowling but the problem is in the batting area. “The plan is that Imran Farhat will play as an anchor and will play as a test cricketer to last for 40 hours or so and the boys around him will play as they are in good forms and can play their game. Pakistani batting goes under pressure if there is an issue with the openers going down quickly.”

Akram said that Wahab Riaz was crucial in getting Pakistan win the match against Ireland but Kamran Akmal also did well. “I have told Wahab to take batting seriously. I told him that if you are dropped as a bowler you will be taken as a batsman. If he improves then Pakistan’s batting combination will improve tremendously.

When asked if Indian side will be under pressure due to the explosive IPL scandal involving many big names of the cricket world, Wasim Akram said that in such situation players normally don’t admit that they are under pressure but such situations does have affects. “Media here is not doing anything about the IPL. There are no breaking news every two minutes here and players don’t feel pressured.”

Wasim Akram turned 47 on Monday. He told The News that he missed his wife Huma very much on this occasion. “First of all I want to thank everyone who has wished me. I miss my wife a lot. My sons miss her too. I have lived a very successful life and it’s only due to the prayers of Pakistanis that I am at this stage. I pray that my country Pakistan does good. I want Pakistan to see progressing.”

 NEW DELHI: Indian police said Sunday they had widened their probe into cricket spot-fixing after the arrest of three players and 11 bookmakers, warning that more teams were under the microscope.

Test discard Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was among a trio of players from the Rajasthan Royals arrested on Thursday over allegations they agreed to bowl badly during the Indian Premier League in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars.

But speaking to AFP, Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said players for some of the other eight teams involved in the ongoing domestic Twenty20 competition were now under suspicion.

"It is still early but some other teams are also involved" in the rigging, Kumar said by phone.

"It is not established yet but we are looking into that," the police chief said.

Spot-fixing is an illegal activity where a specific part of a game, but not the outcome, is fixed.

Sreesanth, who has played 27 Tests for India, is alleged to have been paid four million rupees (about $75,000) to give away 14 runs in an over while playing for the Rajasthan Royals against the Kings XI Punjab on May 9.

His teammate Ankeet Chavan had also allegedly agreed to give away the same number of runs in a match Wednesday against the Mumbai Indians in exchange for $110,000.

The third player, Ajit Chandila, was believed to have been paid $36,000 for giving away a set number of runs in a match between the Rajasthan Royals and the Pune Warriors.

Kumar did not disclose the identity of teams now under the widened police investigation but said he was "hopeful" of a breakthrough.

The Mail Today newspaper also quoted Kumar as saying "there could be much more grime and dirt than we anticipated."

"Many more players and teams have now come under our microscope; the conspiracy is much, much larger," Kumar told the daily.

The three players have already been suspended and authorities were expected to impose lifetime bans at a meeting later Sunday. 

 NEW DELHI: Indian police said Sunday they had widened their probe into cricket spot-fixing after the arrest of three players and 11 bookmakers, warning that more teams were under the microscope.

Test discard Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was among a trio of players from the Rajasthan Royals arrested on Thursday over allegations they agreed to bowl badly during the Indian Premier League in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars.

But speaking to AFP, Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said players for some of the other eight teams involved in the ongoing domestic Twenty20 competition were now under suspicion.

"It is still early but some other teams are also involved" in the rigging, Kumar said by phone.

"It is not established yet but we are looking into that," the police chief said.

Spot-fixing is an illegal activity where a specific part of a game, but not the outcome, is fixed.

Sreesanth, who has played 27 Tests for India, is alleged to have been paid four million rupees (about $75,000) to give away 14 runs in an over while playing for the Rajasthan Royals against the Kings XI Punjab on May 9.

His teammate Ankeet Chavan had also allegedly agreed to give away the same number of runs in a match Wednesday against the Mumbai Indians in exchange for $110,000.

The third player, Ajit Chandila, was believed to have been paid $36,000 for giving away a set number of runs in a match between the Rajasthan Royals and the Pune Warriors.

Kumar did not disclose the identity of teams now under the widened police investigation but said he was "hopeful" of a breakthrough.

The Mail Today newspaper also quoted Kumar as saying "there could be much more grime and dirt than we anticipated."

"Many more players and teams have now come under our microscope; the conspiracy is much, much larger," Kumar told the daily.

The three players have already been suspended and authorities were expected to impose lifetime bans at a meeting later Sunday. 

    BULAWAYO: Mushfiqur Rahim will quit as captain of Bangladesh after two Twenty20 internationals against Zimbabwe this weekend.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur made the announcement after Bangladesh lost the third one-day international by seven wickets on Wednesday, conceding a one-day series to Zimbabwe despite beating them by a record margin in the first match.

The Tigers began their tour of Zimbabwe as favourites after an encouraging trip to Sri Lanka, but lost the first Test by 335 runs before winning the second to earn a share of the series. "This is probably my last tour as captain," he told reporters after Wednesday's defeat. "I will resign once we get back to Dhaka. "The reason is the way we lost the games and at the same time I failed to perform. I think I failed to lead my team, so the two T20 matches will be my last as captain."

The 24-year-old only took over as Bangladesh captain in September 2011, after his predecessor Shakib Al Hasan was removed from the job.

Shakib's dismissal also came in the wake of a tour to Zimbabwe, when the African side won the one-off Test that signaled their return to the five-day game and triumphed 3-2 in the one-day series that followed.

Bopara has not played a 50-overs-a-side international since September and the stylish batsman and handy medium-pacer had not been selected in either of England one-day coach Ashley Giles's two previous squads in the format since the former Test spinner took charge of the limited overs side.

It seemed Bopara was fighting for his international future but he edged out fellow all-rounders Samit Patel, Luke Wright and Rikki Clarke.

Bopara's last four one-day international innings saw him manage just 22 runs in total at home to South Africa and he was omitted from the ODI squads for the recent tours of India and New Zealand.

Bopara's inclusion aside, there were few surprises, with off-spinner Graeme Swann and seamer Tim Bresnan both recalled following elbow problems.

As expected, rising Yorkshire batting star Joe Root was included with star stroke-maker Kevin Pietersen already ruled out of the Champions Trophy because of a knee injury.

Jos Buttler was given the chance to cement his claim to be England's one-day wicketkeeper, with Test gloveman Matt Prior again omitted from a limited overs squad. Jonny Bairstow will provide back-up with the gloves, with the Yorkshireman aiming to force his way in as a specialist batsman.

England have never won a major 50-over tournament. The three-time losing World Cup finalists were beaten by the West Indies the last time the Champions Trophy was staged in England in 2004.

They play the first of three one-dayers against New Zealand at Lord's on May 31 before opening their Champions Trophy campaign against arch-rivals Australia at Edgbaston on June 8.

England 15-man squad announced Thursday for a one-day series with New Zealand and next month's ICC Champions Trophy tournament in the United Kingdom: Alastair Cook (capt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wkt), Steven Finn, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Chris 

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Thursday recalled left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara for next month's Champions Trophy in England, but kept

unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis out of the 15-man squad.

Welegedara, 32, played the last of his 10 one-day internationals in 2010 and was forced to return home from the Test tour of Australia last year due to a hamstring injury.

He now partners Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga, Thisara Perera and captain Angelo Mathews in a strong seam attack suited to England's conditions.

Mendis was ignored for the June 6-23 tournament as the selectors opted for the experience of left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake.

The batting will revolve around the seasoned trio of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

Sri Lanka are drawn with defending champions Australia, New Zealand and

hosts England in group A of the preliminary league, with the top two teams qualifying for the semi-finals.

The other group comprises India, South Africa, Pakistan and the West Indies.

Sri Lanka open their campaign against New Zealand in Cardiff on June 9.

Sri Lanka's squad: Angelo Mathews (captain), Dinesh Chandimal (vice-capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga, Sachithra Senanayake, Chanaka Welegedara.

SYDNEY: George Bailey was Wednesday handed the vice-captaincy of Australia's squad for their defence of the Champions Trophy, while promising fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile won a call-up.

The eight-nation tournament starts in England next month with Bailey

getting the nod as Michael Clarke's number two in place of Shane Watson.

Watson is in the 15-man squad but opted to stand aside as vice skipper to focus on his batting and bowling, in the same way he did with the Test side for the upcoming Ashes tour of England.

"Selectors have been impressed with George's leadership when he stepped in to guide the ODI team in Michael's absence last summer and leadership of the T20 team over the past two seasons," national selector John Inverarity said.

"Given George's experience and credentials, he was viewed as the ideal

person for the role."

There were few surprises in the squad with Inverarity previously announcing that players chosen to represent Australia A in their England tour that will run at the same time as the Champions Trophy would not be considered.

This ruled out Brad Haddin, Steve Smith, Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja, James Pattinson and Jackson Bird.

But several of the Ashes squad are on the team, including Clarke, Watson, David Warner, Phil Hughes, Matt Wade, Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner.

Paceman Mitchell Johnson was also selected and will have a point to prove after being left out of the Ashes reckoning.

West Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile also made the grade and

will be in contention for his ODI debut in the tournament.

"Nathan Coulter-Nile is an emerging cricketer as a fast-medium bowler and explosive lower-order batsman," said Inverarity.

"He is also one of the finest fieldsmen in Australian cricket and the energy he brings to his game is impressive.

"While Nathan has played a T20 international for Australia, we are looking forward to seeing him take his very good domestic limited overs form onto the world stage."

Australia won the Champions Trophy in India in 2006 and South Africa in

2009 and start this year's campaign against England on June 8, with group fixtures against New Zealand and Sri Lanka to follow before the semi-finals.

"As the two-time defending champion, the squad has been selected with the aim of winning the tournament, while also keeping the 2015 ICC World Cup firmly in mind," said Inverarity.

Michael Clarke (captain), George Bailey (vice-captain), David Warner, Shane Watson, Phil Hughes, Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Clint McKay, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Xavier Doherty.

SYDNEY: Australia on Wednesday announced a 15-man squad for the eight-nation Champions Trophy to be held in June in England:

Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey (vice-capt), David Warner, Shane Watson, Phil Hughes, Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Clint McKay, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Xavier Doherty.

LAHORE: Pakistan on Monday axed Shahid Afridi from their 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy following the allrounder's below-par performances in South Africa and a domestic competition.

The 33-year-old, who still holds the world record of fastest one-day century -- off 37 balls made against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996 -- has not taken a single wicket in his last six one-day internationals.

Undoubtedly the most popular player in Pakistan recently, Afridi has hit just two half-centuries in his last 15 one-day innings, while managing a mere 70 runs and three wickets in four matches for his domestic side this month.

He was also dropped from the one-day squad for last year's tour of India before making a comeback to the team for the limited-over series against South Africa in March, where his top-score of 88 came in a losing cause.

Chief selector Iqbal Qasim said Afridi had not been in good form recently.

"Afridi had been selected as a bowling allrounder but he was not up to the mark and couldn't score at crucial occasions so we had to left him out," Qasim told reporters while announcing the squad.

"His (Afridi) career is not finished, if he performs at domestic level, he can stage a comeback," said Qasim, a former left-arm spinner.

Afridi has 7201 runs and 348 wickets in 354 one-day internationals.

Pakistan will be led by Misbah-ul Haq in the eight-nation Champions Trophy to be played in England from June 6-23.

They are drawn in group B alongside arch-rivals India, the West Indies and South Africa. They play the West Indies at The Oval, London on June 7 before squaring off with South Africa (June 10) and India (June 15).

Defending champions Australia, England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand form

group A.

The squad will also play two one-day matches each against Ireland and

Scotland in May before the Trophy.

Besides Afridi, Pakistan had already left out experienced batsman Younis Khan from the initial squad of 30 announced last month, paving way for 23-year-old Umar Amin and left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman.

Amin, a left-hander who also bowls right-arm medium pace, had played four Tests and three one-day in 2010.

"We did not have a genuine allrounder so we have to select Amin who can also bowl medium pace," said Qasim.

Pakistan have also included pacemen Ehsan Adil, 20, and Asad Ali, 24, in a fast-bowling attack which will be without experienced Umar Gul who was ruled out due to knee injury.

Adil has played one Test in South Africa but has yet to play a one-day match, while Asad has yet to play for Pakistan.

Squad: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Imran

Farhat, Asad Shafiq, Abdul Rehman, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Umar Amin, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Saeed Ajmal, Asad Ali, Ehsan Adil, Wahab Riaz.

LAHORE: Pakistan Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez has signed for the inaugural Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the West Indies Cricket Board said in a statement on Saturday.......(^^^)GENEVA: The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday rejected the appeals of former Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif against the bans imposed against them for spot-fixing.

     
       

                                                                                                                                                                                     
                                       Click here to watch IPL live

The ICC Champions Trophy schedule is as follow:

Group A: Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka

Group B: India, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies

Thursday 6 June : India v South Africa (day) - Cardiff

Friday 7 June: West Indies v Pakistan (day) - The Oval

Saturday 8 June: England v Australia (day) - Edgbaston

Sunday 9 June: Sri Lanka v New Zealand (day) - Cardiff

Monday 10 June: Pakistan v South Africa (day) - Edgbaston

Tuesday 11 June: India v West Indies (day) - The Oval

Wednesday 12 June: Australia v New Zealand (day) - Edgbaston

Thursday 13 June: England v Sri Lanka (day/night) - The Oval

Friday 14 June: West Indies v South Africa (day) - Cardiff

Saturday 15 June: India v Pakistan (day) - Edgbaston

Sunday 16 June: England v New Zealand (day) - Cardiff

Monday 17 June: Sri Lanka v Australia (day/night) - The Oval

Wednesday 19 June: Semi-final A1 v B2 (day) - The Oval

Thursday 20 June: Semi-final A2 v B1 (day) - Cardiff

Sunday 23 June: Final (day) - Edgbaston