Hodge, Ferguson favourites to replace injured Watson in Oz Ashes squad

October 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Former Australia pacer Glenn McGrath will replace injured England batsman Paul Collingwood in the Delhi Daredevils squad while Stiaan van Zyl will come in place of Richard Levi in the Caper Cobras squad in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament Oct 8-23. Both sides had sought the approval of the tournament's technical committee, which confirmed the replacements Wednesday.

September 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Yuvraj Singh, who fractured his right finger during the ongoing Champions Trophy, has been replaced by Maharashta's Ameya Shrikhande in the India Red squad for the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, to be played at Nagpur Oct 8-11. The left-hander, who got injured three days before India's opening match in the Champions Trophy, has been advised a six-week rest.

September 7th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Shane Watson has gone from fringe Test candidate to one of the most important cricketers in the country within a month. Having scored three half-centuries in the recent Ashes series, which Australia lost 2-1, Watson has taken on the mantle of a genuine Test opener, replacing batting tyro Phillip Hughes in the process.

September 6th, 2009 LONDON - Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has played down his reported tiff with fellow pace bowler Brett Lee over his comments about Lee's fitness ahead of last month's Headingly Ashes Test. It maybe recalled that a pre-match press conference, Watson hasd controversially said that it was a great shame Lee would not be picked because he wasn't match-fit.

August 30th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Former Test selector John Benaud has blamed the Australian selection panel for a series of blunders, including dumping opening batsman Phil Hughes for Shane Watson, opting for wicketkeeper Brad Haddin over Graham Manou and leaving behind a spare batsman. Benaud has called for an overhaul of the four-man panel, claiming the team of Andrew Hilditch, Jamie Cox, Merv Hughes and David Boon lacks balance and innovation, and is too stubborn to change.

August 11th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australia has named Victorian leftarmer Dirk Nannes in its Twenty20 squad to play England only months after he represented the Netherlands at the world T20 tournament. The inclusion of 33-year-old Nannes and resting of captain Ricky Ponting are the main surprises in the national squads named on Tuesday for the seven one-day international matches and two T20 matches which follow the current Ashes series in England.

August 5th, 2009 LONDON - Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson does not see anyone of his present squad or in the near future matching the football skills of Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo. Fergie has described Ronaldo, who was transferred to Spain's Real Madrid FC for a record 80 million pounds this year, as fantastic and irreplaceable.

July 22nd, 2009 LONDON - All-rounder Shane Watson feels Australia's performance has been affected ever since they were told by Cricket Australia (CA) to cut down on the sledging. Ahead of the Ashes series, CA reminded players of their responsibility as role models and to set the right example.

July 12th, 2009 Pena to replace Pedroia on AL squadST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

July 6th, 2009 LONDON - Manchester United's fans have been assured that the club's American owners will allow Sir Alex Ferguson to splash the cash. The Florida-based Glazer family, who own American Football franchise Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have been identified as the lowest spenders in the entire NFL over the past five years.

June 30th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australia's injured all-rounder Shane Watson has been almost ruled out for the first Ashes Test after he did not train with the team in Worcester. Watson, who has an injured thigh, was confined to walking laps with team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris in a crucial training session in the lead-up to Australia's tour match against the England Lions starting on Wednesday evening.

June 25th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australian all rounder Shane Watson is almost certain to not play in the first Ashes Test, after medical scans confirmed a tear in his thigh muscle. The injury-plagued all rounder will not be sent home, but his Ashes prospects have declined as he sat out for county game against Sussex.

June 25th, 2009 MELBOURNE - The Australians are hoping that injured all rounder Shane Watson will be available for the second tour game in Worcester from July 1, but the 27-year-old has admitted that it would take an exceptional performance to displace incumbent Marcus North from the pivotal No.6 position. Watson last night was diagnosed with a minor quadriceps strain that does not require Australia to send for a replacement.

June 13th, 2009 LONDON - Bayern Munich have told Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson that he must 'go crazy' to sign Franck Ribery. The German giants have slapped a 90 million pounds price tag on their star winger, who is a potential replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United.

June 12th, 2009 LONDON - England all rounder Andrew Flintoff has said that he is confident about making it to the Ashes squad, and he proved it by knocking over former Aussie opener Michael De Venuto with his second ball. According to The Sun, Flintoff was included at the last minute by Lancashire for the four-day match against Durham after seamer Tom Smith was injured in the warm-ups.