Injured Hilfenhaus ruled out of Adelaide Test

November 30th, 2009 more images more imagesMELBOURNE - Fast bowler Clint Mckay replaced an injured Ben Hilfenhaus in the 12-member Australian team for the second cricket Test against the West Indies that starts Friday at the Adelaide Oval. National selection panel chairman Andrew Hilditch, while announcing the squad Monday, said that the injury to Hilfenhaus is very disappointing following his outstanding Ashes series and his Man-of-the-match performance in the first Test in Brisbane.

November 29th, 2009 more images more imagesBRISBANE - Australian fast bowler Ben Hilfenhaus says he's enjoying the conditions in his maiden Ashes series, and believes he has gone a long way in proving his effectiveness on different surfaces. Claiming 22 wickets during the Ashes series in England, Hilfenhaus has fulfilled the hopes of the captain and the selectors, who identified him as an Ashes tourist two years in advance of the contest because of his god-given swing and labourer's work ethic.

November 29th, 2009 more images more imagesBRISBANE - Captain Ricky Ponting has promised to maintain Australia's aggression against the West Indies in the team's quest to climb back to the top of the ICC Test world rankings. The Australian team's belligerent approach was a feature of its victory by an innings and 65 runs in the opening Gabba Test.

November 29th, 2009 more images more imagesBRISBANE - Under fire skipper Chris Gayle has described his team's first Test defeat to Australia at the Gabba as a "disaster". Australia secured victory by an innings and 65 runs.

October 27th, 2009 NAGPUR - Injured Australian fast bowlers Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson have been ruled out of the second one-day international against India to be played in Nagpur on Wednesday. Lee was diagnosed with a mild elbow strain following the opening game at Vadodara, while scans showed Johnson had sustained a minor ankle strain while fielding.

October 12th, 2009 LONDON - Ferrari has ruled out a competitive return this year for Felipe Massa. Massa, who was badly injured in a freak accident during qualifying for this year's Hungarian Grand Prix in July, tested a F2007 at Fiorano on Sunday.owever, results from a medical in Paris last Friday, while "positive", preclude a return in 2009.

October 7th, 2009 JOHANNESBURG - One of Australia's brightest young batsmen, Callum Ferguson, has torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) for the second time in five years, and has flown home to Adelaide to have the severity of it assessed. Earlier, Ferguson was ruled out of the under-19 World Cup in 2004 after being involved in a collision with his batting partner during a warm-up game in Bangladesh.

October 4th, 2009 MADRID - Injured Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been ruled out of Sunday's Spanish La Liga game against Sevilla after he failed to recover from the ankle injury he sustained earlier this week. Ronaldo was injured during Madrid's Champions League game against Olympique Marseille on Wednesday, in which he had scored twice to lead his side to a 3-0 win.

August 27th, 2009 SYDNEY - Former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath has told left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson not to overdo or over think things and keep things simple if he wants to reach his considerable potential as a Test match bowler. McGrath, who has high hopes for Johnson and the other two members of Australia's Ashes pace attack - Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle, feels Johnson's potential, will be reached only through a clear head uncluttered by countless theories about his bowling technique.

July 28th, 2009 MELBOURNE - England batsman Ian Bell has laughed off former Australian spin king Shane Warne's taunts that he looks like the "Shermanator" - the red-haired nerd in the American Pie films. Warne has suggested the Australians taunt Bell, who has been drafted into England's third Test team to replace injured batsman Kevin Pietersen, as he did during the 5-0 whitewash in Australia in 2006.

July 27th, 2009 SYDNEY - Australian skipper Ricky Ponting feels England's star batsman Kevin Pietersen's absence will add more pressure on the Lord's Test hero Andrew Flintoff. Ponting believes his team had Pietersen's measure during the first two Tests of the ongoing Ashes series but wonders how England will cope without their batting star now he has been ruled out of the series following Achilles tendon surgery.

July 3rd, 2009 LONDON - England all rounder Paul Collingwood has revealed his double century in the last Ashes convinced him he could cut it against Australia. The 33-year-old goes into his third series against the world's No1 Test side, having played a bit part role in the famous 2005 win.

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 30th, 2009 MELBOURNE - The battle for Ashes Test spots has heated up among Australian bowlers with team batsmen bearing their brunt ahead of the July 8 Test. Australian opener Phillip Hughes has been among the victims.

June 24th, 2009 LONDON - Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has said that he is prepared to call up a batting replacement to the Ashes squad because of Shane Watson's knee injury. The injury-hit all rounder was ruled out of the four-day tour match starting on Wednesday against Sussex in Hove after undergoing scans on his knee on Tuesday.