Hussey's World Cup in doubt after surgery

Australian batsman Michael Hussey had surgery on an injured hamstring, putting him in serious doubt for Australia's World Cup title defence.

Team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said scans showed Hussey had torn a hamstring tendon from his left knee during Sunday's one-day win against England, making it unclear if he will make the World Cup starting next month.

"Whilst the injury appeared to be minor at the time and soon after the game, scans have since revealed that he has avulsed (torn) one of the hamstring tendons from the attachment point at inner side of his knee," Kountouris said.

"As such, Michael had corrective surgery today. The recovery time and availability for the ICC (International Cricket Council) World Cup will be dependent on his progress with the rehabilitation program in the coming weeks."

Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said a decision on Hussey would be delayed until as late as possible before the tournament in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

"It is a severe injury and we will make a decision closer to departure date," Hilditch said.

Hussey had been named in Australia's 15-man World Cup squad just hours earlier. Australia, aiming for a record fourth successive title, open against against Zimbabwe on February 21, although the quarter-finals are a month later.

The normally durable 35-year-old left-hander is certain to miss the rest of the seven-match one-day series against England and there was speculation he could be sidelined for at least six weeks.

Australia were also hit by the news that captain Ricky Ponting is racing to be fit after breaking a little finger during the heavy Ashes defeat to England.

"I'm hoping to be right for the start of the World Cup," said Ponting, 36, whose finger is still in a splint.

"My finger's coming along okay, I guess. I haven't been able to do anything for the last couple of weeks post-surgery, but I've got a bit more movement now."

Hussey, considered a key member of Australia's World Cup squad, has been replaced by Shaun Marsh for the next three one-day internationals against England, a team statement said.

He appeared to damage the knee taking a quick second run during Australia's successful chase of England's 294 total during the opening one-day match in Melbourne.

Hussey pulled up awkwardly, but continued his innings without a runner. Batting partner Shane Watson later dismissed the problem as just "hamstring stiffness".

Hussey was a member of Australia's World Cup-winning team in 2007, when he played 10 of their 11 matches, including the final, but made just 87 runs at 17.40 and wasn't needed with the bat in five of those games.

The one-day World Cup has taken on added significance for Australia who are desperate for results after their hammering in the Ashes Test series against England.
© AFP

Rhodes accepts to continue coaching Kenya

Former South African batsman Jonty Rhodes has accepted to continue his coaching role with Kenya until the start of the Cricket World Cup, officials said on Tuesday.

Rhodes, who first worked with the team during a three-week training camp in Pretoria last November, is expected to arrive in Nairobi this week to join the team, which is currently on a tour of India for a series of build-up matches.

Cricket Kenya (CK) Chief Executive Tom Sears said the former Proteas star fielder will be with the squad during their final preparations for the World Cup, when they travel to an ICC High Performance Camp in Dubai on January 30, and in Sri Lanka, where Kenya will play a series of warm-up matches.

"Jonty will be a tremendous asset to the squad during the final phase of our preparation," he said.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure our squad arrive at the World Cup in a position to fulfil their undoubted potential and Jonty's involvement will be a key part of that" he added.

Pakistan's World Cup squad excludes Yousuf

Pakistan left out experienced batsman Mohammad Yousuf from their final 15-man squad for next month's World Cup hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The selectors also surprisingly deferred naming the squad's captain, raising doubts over whether all-rounder Shahid Afridi will lead the side after Pakistan's 2-1 defeat in the Twenty20 series against New Zealand last month.

Thirty-six-year-old Yousuf was deemed not fit enough to warrant a place in the squad after he was last month named in the 30-man preliminary team.

His future was thrown into doubt last week after he was omitted from the one-day team due to play a six-match series in New Zealand from January 22.

Yousuf retired in protest over an indefinite ban imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in March following a disastrous tour of Australia in which Pakistan lost all its matches under his leadership.

However, he came out of retirement in July and was sent to England after his ban was revoked, featuring in the last of four Tests and in the one-day matches.

Yousuf also played the last of five one-day matches against South Africa in Pakistan's neutral venue series in United Arab Emirates in November before he was forced to pull out of the Tests due to a recurring groin injury.

He has so far scored 9,720 runs in 288 one-day matches, including 386 in World Cup matches in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

With Yousuf's exclusion the squad is largely inexperienced, with only seven players having featured in previous World Cups.

Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Akhtar are the only survivors of Pakistan's runners-up finish in the 1999 tournament.

Pakistan will be without key players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer who were all provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on charges of spot-fixing during team's tour to England last year.

A decision on their case is due on February 5 and the PCB last week said they can be included in the team if absolved.

Another player, Kamran Akmal, who was also under suspicion of match-fixing, was included after being reportedly cleared by the ICC, but all-rounder Shoaib Malik and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria failed to get clearance.

Both Malik and Kaneria, part of the 2007 World Cup team, are also reportedly under suspicion of match-fixing.

Pakistan, who won the World Cup title in 1992, are placed in Group A of the 14-team event to be played between February 19 to April 2. They open their campaign against Kenya at Hambantota on February 23.

Squad: Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Ahmed Shahzad

ICC World Cup: Set back for BCCI, customs waivers withdrawn

NEW DELHI: The government on Monday withdrew customs duty exemption on import of goods by the BCCI or bodies certified by it following non-compliance of mandatory requirements.

This follows the sports ministry de-recognising BCCI as a national sports federation or the apex body for cricket in India.

The move comes ahead of the World Cup which will be co-hosted by the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) from February 19.

"...it is informed that henceforth BCCI would not be eligible to avail itself of duty exemption under notification no 21/2002 customs dated 1.3.2002 or any other customs notification.

"Thus goods imported by BCCI or certified by BCCI for import are not entitled to any exemption benefit which is available to sports goods or equipment or consumables imported or certified by a national sports federation (NSF) or apex body," central board of excise and customs (CBEC) said in a circular.

The decision, according to Deloitte India Indirect Tax leader Prashant Deshpande, "is a setback to the stakeholders associated with the forthcoming World Cup proposed to be staged in India who would now be visited with a customs duty burden of up to 26.85 per cent on sports requisites".

The circular said that the concessions were withdrawn as BCCI did not submit the necessary documents to the ministry of youth affairs and sports.

"The ministry of youth affairs and sports has informed that the BCCI has not complied with the mandatory requirements of submitting the necessary documents to the government for annual recognition as a national sports federation (NSF)/apex body for the game of cricket in India", the circular added.

In view of the non-compliance, the BCCI would cease to be a NSF or the apex body for cricket with immediate effect, it added.

India along with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is organising the ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 which is being co-hosted by BCCI.

ET

Ivanovic bows out in Australian Open first round

MELBOURNE: Former world number one Ana Ivanovic made a shock early exit from the Australian Open on Tuesday, beaten in the first round by Russian Ekaterina Makarova in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 10-8.

The Serbian starlet looked on track for an easy win when she cruised through the first set, but from there on the Russian controlled the match as Ivanovic's mental frailties resurfaced.

Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion and a beaten finalist here in the same year, showed her fighting qualities by saving five match points in a marathon third set.

However, she never gained the upper hand and the 22-year-old Makarova finally closed it out with a forehand winner to break serve in the 18th game of a 91-minute decider.

It was a disappointing result for Ivanovic, who finished 2010 in strong fashion, winning two of her last three tournaments on the back of an improved fitness level and looked set to climb back up the rankings this year.

However, the 23-year-old was forced to withdraw from her final warm-up tournament for the first Grand Slam of the year when she suffered a stomach injury during the mixed teams Hopman Cup in Perth earlier this month.

While Ivanovic was left rueing yet another early Grand Slam exit, the 49th-ranked Makarova said it was the biggest win of her career, having been beaten by Ivanovic in straight sets at last year's US Open in their only previous meeting.

"I am so happy," she said. "It is the first time I played such a long match. She's an unbelievable player and it was really tough.

"I'm so happy I beat her."

Read more: Ivanovic bows out in Australian Open first round - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/top-stories/Ivanovic-bows-out-in-Australian-Open-first-round/articleshow/7311343.cms#ixzz1BNr6429V