Change of IPL venue could stand Ashes aspirants in good stead

May 23rd, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australian skipper Ricky Ponting is excited about his new look team for the Ashes series, and is also prepared to face the challenge of the Twenty20 World Cup. Ponting, who is fresh after a break, got back into training a couple of weeks ago and feels good too.

May 21st, 2009 SYDNEY - Australia captain Ricky Ponting has said that he wants nothing more than to be leader of an Ashes winning team in England. With the series to be held between July 8 and August 24, Ponting recalling the 2005 series loss, said: "In 2005, we got off to a great start and then things slipped away from us from there.

May 20th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Former Australia skipper Allan Border today said that the 16-man touring party named by Cricket Australia for the Ashes series on Wednesday is a winning one. In an exclusive interview with Fox Sports, Border said he felt no player was unlucky to miss out - and that Andrew Symonds did not deserve a place in the squad.

May 19th, 2009 SYDNEY - Australian captain Ricky Ponting says he wouldn't be surprised if Andrew Symonds is named in the Ashes squad tomorrow. Ponting said he expected a 16-man touring party to be named for the Ashes with the first Test starting on July 8 in Cardiff.

May 19th, 2009 LONDON - After handing out a 2-o series defeat to the West Indies, England cricket captain Andrew Straus is ready to take on the Australians in this summer's Ashes series. "Each time I think about the Ashes, I remember what it was like in the past.

May 10th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australia's captain-in-waiting Michael Clarke expressed his burning ambition to avenge team's Ashes defeat to England in 2005, and added that troubled all rounder Andrew Symonds would be welcomed on the Ashes tour if his form warranted selection. In 2007, Australia swept England aside 5-0, putting the nightmare of the 2005 Ashes tour behind them.

May 7th, 2009 LONDON - Australia's former pace bowler Damien Fleming has said that mastering English conditions rather than fitness is Brett Lee's greatest concern in the Ashes lead-up. Lee was named ahead of fellow New South Welshman Doug Bollinger in Australia's 15-man squad for the tournament, despite not having played since the Boxing Day Test against South Africa.

April 30th, 2009 SYDNEY - Former captain Steve Waugh believes Australia are entitled to be slight favorites in this year's Ashes series, but feels bowling selections will be crucial to the outcome. Waugh was part of four triumphant Ashes tours between 1989 and 2001, leading Australia to victory in his last series in England.

April 27th, 2009 LONDON - Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is in danger of missing a part of the upcoming Ashes series, said former Test cricketer Darren Gough whose career was similarly affected. Flintoff, 31, is undergoing surgery this week on a tear to the cartilage in his right knee.

April 24th, 2009 Chennai confirmed as Davis Cup venueLONDON — The International Tennis Federation has upheld the decision to stage the Davis Cup match between India and Australia in Chennai. The ITF says the Asia-Oceania Group 1 matchup will take place in the southern Indian city as originally planned from May 8-10.

April 13th, 2009 LONDON - England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has insisted that his lucrative involvement in the Indian Premier League can do him a power of good - on and off the field. Flintoff, signed for 1.5 million dollars by the IPL's Chennai Super Kings franchise, has been dogged by injuries.

April 12th, 2009 LONDON - After having missed a good amount of cricket last year due to injuries, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff said that he doesn't want to miss the game any more and is eager to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Flintoff, who was bought by Chennai Super Kings for a record $1.55 million, has had several niggling injuries, the latest of which was a hip problem that ruled him out of the final Test and first two One-day Internationals in the West Indies.

March 25th, 2009 SYDNEY - Former Australian leg spinner Stuart MacGill has endorsed off-spinner Marcus North as the first-choice spinner against England and said specialist tweaker Bryce McGain was never in contention for the Ashes, even before his horrific debut against South Africa. MacGill, who took 208 Test wickets for Australia, said he would stick with North given there was enough grunt in the pace attack.

March 20th, 2009 SYDNEY - White Ferns coach Gary Stead has demanded that his side impose themselves on England with the aggressive style that got them within sight of their second World Cup women's cricket title. New Zealand enter their fourth World Cup final on Sunday as underdogs against the form side of recent years, who racked up 17 consecutive wins in completed one-day internationals until yesterday's defeat to Australia which had no bearing on the decider.

March 1st, 2009 LONDON - Former Australian spinner Shane Warne said Michael Vaughan must play for England this summer if they wish to repeat their 2005 Ashes success. Vaughan, who was England captain for five years, stepped down from the position in August last year after the team's dismal performance at home against South Africa.