Worst Brit footie team ends 90-match losing streak with victory!

London, Sept 16 (ANI): Harraby Athletic, the worst football team in Britain, has finally tasted victory – after a losing streak of 90 matches.

The side has been on a losing spree since three years and was badly mauled in a 19-0 match in 2006.

The team concedes 10 goals a game on an average and their goalie has seen the ball netted over 400 times in less than three seasons.

The under-14 squad celebrated their first win after beating Edenvale Hawks 3-2 at their home ground, Hammond’s Park.

Sky News quoted coach Brett Preston as saying: “Pure determination has got us there and their faces after the game meant everything.

“All week I’ve had other managers phoning me up to congratulate us on our achievement.

“When we lost our first game 19-0, it could have even been a higher score as the opposing manager tried to help us by swapping players around and telling them to ease off.

“They just couldn’t help scoring against us. Gradually over time, the scores have come down, but we’re always bottom of the table and we’ve never even won a friendly match.”

Harraby has only one point in the Longhorn Youth Football League after the opponents did not play the game.

It consists of players who are either playing for the first time or have been rejected by other teams.he coach said: “They know that if they leave, they might not get the chance of a game as they might not get into another team.”

However, Preston also praised the determination of his boys.

He said: “The boys have been prepared to stick at it and been willing to learn. They turn up for training in all weathers and really deserve a win at last.” (ANI)

Ponting’s 27th ton helps Australia beat England in fifth ODI

Nottingham (UK), Sep.16 (ANI): Ricky Ponting scored a brilliant 126 of 109 balls to keep Australia in the hunt for a 7-0 whitewash of their one-day series against England, leading his side to a four-wicket victory in the fifth one-day international at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

Ponting’s 27th ton in ODIs included three sixes and 14 fours, as Australia raced to 302 for six wickets with 10 balls to spare in reply to England’s total of 299 from their 50 overs.

He was well supported by deputy Michael Clarke, who reached 52 off 64.

Irishman Eoin Morgan’s maiden half-century steered England to their best score of the series in a dead rubber after Australia clinched the series 4-0 at Lord’s on Saturday.

Mitchell Johnson brought up the winning runs with a six off Ryan Sidebottom to remain unbeaten on 18, while Cameron White was not out 24.

Poor fielding frustrated England captain Andrew Struass, who demanded improvement from his batsmen after the first four matches.

“Our batters went out and played with a much more bold approach and that paid dividends today. The fielding was poor and that’s something that there should be no excuse for, we do a lot of work on the fielding and we should be better than that,” Fox Sports quoted Strauss, as saying.

The tourists rested Brett Lee, who claimed five wickets in the previous match, replacing him with fellow pacer Peter Siddle.

England brought in Mascarenhas for Luke Wright, who was hit on the toe on Monday while batting against a bowling machine set to mimic Lee’s inswinging yorkers which proved so effective last weekend.(ANI)

Lee declares his goal for breaking 100 mph bowling speed barrier

London, Sep.14 (ANI): Fresh from destroying England with a scorching display of fast, swinging yorkers that skittled stumps all over Lord’s to help Australia seal a series-clinching 4-0 lead with three ODIs remaining, Brett Lee has declared his goal of breaking the 100mph (160.93km/h) speed barrier.

That feat would be worth a fair sum for a fast bowler who has already earned three million dollars in the past 12 months, according to Forbes magazine.

Lee could not force his way back into the side for the Ashes series and his Test future remains unclear but the 32-year-old remains far more marketable than his bowling peers.

The combination of blond-haired, blue-eyed good looks and sheer speed is an irresistible combination for some brands.

To date, only Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar has broken the 100mph limit, clocking 100.2mph (161.3km/h) during a World Cup match against England in 2003. Lee’s fastest delivery was recorded at 99.8mph (160.7km/h) at the same tournament.

“I know I’m in the team to try and bowl fast, there’s always talk about your age but I’m feeling really fit, probably the fittest I’ve ever felt,” Lee said after taking 5-49 at Lord’s on Saturday, clean-bowling four victims.

“I’m only 32 and I want to keep bowling in excess of 90mph for a long time yet but we’ll wait and see what happens with the body,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying. (ANI)

McGrath’s advice to Johnson: Keep it simple

Sydney, Aug.27 (ANI): 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.

Though finishing with a solid return of 20 wickets at 32 in the Ashes series, Johnson was not the rampant force he was in South Africa and earlier at home.

“All his problems were sorted out when Michael Clarke said to him ‘just bowl fast’,” McGrath said.

“I can understand that. He needs to keep it simple. That is the key. He just has to clear his head and not complicate things. Less things can go wrong when you keep it simple. I just used to switch a voice off in my head, pick out a song to sing at the top of my mark and trust myself that my body knew how to bowl. It didn’t always work. But if you win the battle with yourself you are 75 per cent towards being successful,” the Courier Mail quoted McGrath, as saying.

“That’s all Mitch needs to do. Just relax. Even when he isn’t bowling well he still takes wickets. It is just a confidence thing. He needs to just run in and bowl,” he added.

McGrath also felt that Brett Lee can again return as a Test match force for Australia but the Johnson-Siddle-Hilfenhaus union has the potential to be a long-term one for Australia.

“Those three guys will grow as time goes on. They were the leading wicket-takers in the Ashes from both teams. You can’t really sledge them too much because I think they have done pretty well,” he said.

McGrath said Lee bowled well in an early tour game before being injured and cannot be dismissed from Test match calculations this summer when Australia play the West Indies and Pakistan in three-Test series.(ANI)

Ashes series loss will end Australia’s dominance of world cricket

London, Aug. 22 (ANI): Should Australia lose the fifth and final Ashes Test being played at The Oval, it could signal the end the side’s domination of world cricket.

According to the Courier Mail, only something very special, or days of unforecast rain, can prevent Australia losing the fifth Test, the Ashes and ultimately tumbling as low as fourth on the official world Test rankings. Australia is already down to third on the one-day rankings.

A loss will leave Ricky Ponting, one of Australia’s greatest players and most successful leaders, just the second captain in 132 years of Ashes history to lose two series in England.

The other was Australia’s first touring captain, Billy Murdoch, well over 100 years ago.

It shapes as Australia’s third series loss in five, which includes its first home Test series loss in 17 years last summer.

When Mark Taylor led his side to victory on the 1995 tour of the West Indies, it was considered the unofficial handing over of the world championship.

Australia was already halfway through winning eight successive Ashes series and three successive World Cups followed, the last two with undefeated campaigns.

The reality is stark. For all the great names to retire or drift away over the past two years, more will follow.

Brett Lee has 310 Test wickets but did not play a Test on tour and will be 33 when Australia next turns out in a Test.

Stuart Clark is already that age and on this tour has also been behind the new pace trio of Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus, the three leading wicket-takers in the series.

Most worrying is the continued collapse of Mike Hussey in the middle order. Another confused duck has reinforced his fourth poor series in a row.

That way he can get some runs and some confidence in the Sheffield Shield for Western Australia.

Phil Hughes is the most exciting of the 20-somethings coming through and he was dropped after two Tests, deemed not to have the technique to survive at Test level.

It may be that Phil Jaques can regain fitness after debilitating back problems and the form which saw him score three centuries in 11 Tests, freeing up Shane Watson to move down the order as a real all-rounder.

In the end it’s not the big numbers that matter but the big moments that will count.

Fast bowler Stuart Broad has again highlighted that when this Australian side is bad, it is terrible. (ANI)

Clark set to play in Ashes decider

London, Aug.20 (ANI): Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has hinted strongly that the selectors are likely to keep faith in fast bowler Stuart Clark at the expense of Nathan Hauritz in the final Ashes Test beginning today What we see at the moment is what we expect,” said Ponting who, at 34, will surely be playing his last Ashes Test on English soil.

“We’re going to have to see something really different to change the make-up of the side considering everything worked really well. Today the wicket looks particularly good. It could dry a little bit,” the Daily Telegraph quoted Ponting, as saying.

He didn’t rule out a return for Brett Lee, who has missed the entire series to date because of injury, but if any changes were to be made, spinner Nathan Hauritz would be the more likely choice.

Meanwhile, England captain Andrew Strauss said: “We know the situation ahead of us, we need to win the game, so in a way that helps your clarity of mind and you know what needs to be achieved.”

The Test will be talismanic England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff’s last before he becomes a limited-overs specialist, a decision forced on him by persistent injury problems.

Australia (likely): Shane Watson, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (capt), Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Marcus North, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus.

England (likely): Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior, Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steve Harmison, James Anderson. (ANI)

Ponting admits to giving Lee the occasional kick in the backside to rev him up

Cardiff (Wales), July 9 (ANI): Ricky Ponting has said that he has had to give Brett Lee an occasional kick up the backside to get the best out of his fast bowler.

The Age said that he delivered one such “rocket” during the tour game at Worcester, during which Lee injured a side muscle.

Recalling the incident, Ponting said that he was struggling to get Lee’s attention, who was mucking around with the crowd at fine leg during the first innings against the England Lions.

“I’d waved to him and told him to warm up to bowl the next over, because I knew the ball was going to reverse. But he hadn’t warmed up, so I explained that if he hadn’t been talking to the crowd, maybe he would have heard what I was talking about,” Ponting said in an interview with former England captain Nasser Hussain in the Daily Mail.

Ponting and Lee clashed during the fast bowler’s difficult tour of India last year when Lee queried why he had not been brought into the attack, and the Australian captain told Hussain that his star pacer was someone who needed the occasional kick in the pants.

“Sometimes he is, and one of a captain’s biggest roles is to understand his players’ personalities and get the best out of them,” Ponting said.

“The incident with Brett that’s been most highlighted was in India where it was just a bit of a miscommunication about why he wasn’t bowling at a certain time of day. We got that sorted out but I think a rocket for a player every now and then is not the worst thing. If they’re the right sort of character, they’ll bounce back.”

Lee took seven wickets for the match but stiffened up during the bus ride from Worcester to Cardiff, later explaining that he had been desperate to prove he could still bowl with express pace in an effort to reclaim his place in the team. (ANI)

Ponting asks his inexperienced squad to create its own Ashes legend

London, July 8 (ANI): Australian captain Ricky Ponting has asked his inexperienced squad to create its own Ashes legend following the upheaval of several retirements and injuries to senior men, including Brett Lee.

Ponting’s Australians have been preparing for the Ashes series for the last six months, during which they have rebuilt their team after seasoned players -Mathew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Damien Martin and Glenn McGrath- retired from international cricket.

The Aussies have also been preparing in England for the past one-month, but now on the eve of the series the team has been rocked by the news of injury to Brett Lee, who has strained a side abdominal muscle.

Only three players from the 2005 series, including Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Simon Katich, are part of the current team. So, Ponting encouraged new players to assert their own identity, asking them to continue with the progress made during the Test series in South Africa, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

“We spoke a lot about that in South Africa and a lot of guys went a long way to doing that in South Africa but, as you know, reputations and legends are generally made out of these bigger series and there is no bigger series than an Ashes to do that,” said Ponting.

“We have a couple of guys each day at training telling us what an Ashes series means to them and what it means to be a part of an Ashes series. Some of the things they have said have made me think they really want to forge their own identity here and even make a big impact on the series,” he added. (ANI)

Five ex-England captains back Strauss to lift Ashes

Cardiff (Wales), July 8 (ANI): Andrew Strauss has been backed for Ashes glory by the only five England captains still alive who have lifted the urn.

As Strauss leads his side into today’s first npower Test against the Aussies in Cardiff, Raymond Illingworth, Mike Brearley, David Gower, Mike Gatting and Michael Vaughan all agreed it will be close – but the five wise men’s verdict is for an England triumph.

Vaughan, who retired from cricket last week, said: “Nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing Straussy lift that urn and joining our select band.

“England have the flair and the firepower to bowl the Aussies out twice and to keep them in the field long enough to put them under pressure. I think we could win 2-1 or even 2-0.”

Illingworth, now 77, regained the Ashes Down Under in 1970-1 despite England not having a single lbw appeal upheld.

He said: “Originally I was leaning slightly towards Australia, but losing Brett Lee is a major blow for them and that has tipped the balance back in England’s favour.”

Gatting, the last England captain to lift the urn on Aussie soil in 1987, said: “I’m also going for England 2-1 for the simple reason we have more variety in our attack.”

Brearley, the mastermind behind the 1981 series win, believes England have a “decent chance” but warned: “The margin between death and glory is always narrow.”

And Gower, who piloted England’s 3-1 win in 1985, added: “I think it might be 2-2 but if a key player like Kevin Pietersen has a great series that could tip the balance.” (ANI)

Ponting appeals to Welsh to support his team during Ashes

Cardiff (Wales), July 8 (ANI): Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has urged Welsh fans to support his team as the Ashes series starts in Cardiff today.

Ponting believes that old hostilities between the Welsh and the English could cause Cardiff locals to support Australia.

“I’m actually expecting a lot of support down here, considering we are in Wales,” The Sun quoted Ponting, as saying.

“Things might be the opposite way around, we might have more Australian supporters here than anything else,” he added.

Both Australia and England are refusing to divulge their teams for the much-anticipated Ashes opener.

“Only found out yesterday about Brett’s injury, we haven’t finalised our team yet,” Ponting said. (ANI)

Aussies itching to rip apart England in Cardiff test

London, July 5 (ANI): Australian captain Ricky Ponting claims that his team is itching to rip apart England in the First test to be held at Cardiff on Wednesday.

Though, the Aussie skipper was disappointed with his squad’s performance against the English Lions in a four-day game at Worcester, but he was delighted to see key players like Brett Lee finding form ahead of the tournament.

“We’re pretty happy with our preparations and we got a lot out of this game. The wicket will have been similar to one we face in Cardiff and we couldn’t ask for much more,” The News of the World quoted Ponting, as saying.

“It would have been nice to force a win here, but we got four good days’ cricket and travel to Cardiff happy with that we’ve done. We just want the Test match to start because it seems like an eternity coming, but everything has been spot-on,” he added.

Ponting was all praise for experienced campaigner Brett Lee, who took seven wickets in the match.

“He (Lee) really started to swing it and when Brett does that, he is as good as anyone in the world,” said Ponting. (ANI)

Warne says the side that uses the new ball well will be the Ashes winner

Las Vegas, July 4 (ANI): Who uses the new ball better – Australia or England – will determine the winner of the 2009 Ashes series, believes former leg-spinner Shane Warne.

“They have to take early wickets because they are going to be flat wickets,” the Courier Mail quoted Warne as saying in the gambling capital of the world.e also said that this series would determine Ponting’s captaincy?

“After the 2005 series loss in England, I think he will feel there is some unfinished business. He was the first Australian captain in decades to lose the Ashes in England. It is a big tour for him and his captaincy. His captaincy will be under the microscope from the media and former players, but I think he is up for it,” said Warne.

He also said that spin could play a significant role in the series as the weather is hot in England at this time of the year and the wickets are going to be really dry.

As far as the bowling line up for Australia was concerned, Warne said that he expected Peter Siddle, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson to take the field at Cardiff on July 8.

“Mitchell Johnson has turned into a superstar. The other two pace spots are up for grabs. Siddle deserves his spot. He has earned the right to bowl in the first Test. The third spot … I would go with Brett, I think he deserves the opportunity to have the first crack at it,” said Warne.
The batting line up was pretty much decided, he said, adding that Australia are definitely the favourites.

“I really believe that it will be a close series. England’s recent form has been pretty ordinary, but they lift for the Ashes,” he said. (ANI)

Lee in Ashes contention with five for against England Lions

Worcester (UK), July 3 (ANI): Speedster Brett Lee surged into Australia’s Ashes attack contention with a devastating spell of reverse swing bowling against the England Lions.

The veteran pacer resurrected his Test career with a burst of 5-21 in 40 balls against the England Lions in the tour game at Worcester.

Lee sealed his place in the team for the Cardiff Test with 5-53 in 20 overs – his first five-wicket haul in England – and afterwards he said Australia had unlocked the secrets of reverse swing, which could hold the key to the series.

“Everyone stuck to their plans. We had a couple of different ideas we wanted to work on today, in particular the ball. We wanted to get the ball to swing early on, try and rough it up and get the ball to come back in later on. That worked a treat. I always enjoy bowling when the ball is like that,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Lee, as saying. (ANI)

Mariah Carey dresses up like Eminem in new video

New York, July 1 (ANI): Pop star Mariah Carey took a dig at her ex-boyfriend Eminem, as she dressed up as the rapper in a new music video.

The 39-year-old singer dressed up as a man twice in her new video ‘Obsessed’, directed by Brett Ratner.

At first, Carey impersonated a male rapper, which bears a striking resemblance to Eminem, reports the New York Daily News.

And later, the diva dressed as a male bellhop before ending the day in a tight snakeskin number.

Rapper Nick Cannon is persuading wife Carey to perform at America’s Got Talent.

Cannon has replaced Jerry Springer as the host on the new season, which kicked off in the US earlier this week.

He insists that viewers could get a superstar thrown in with the wannabe acts – hinting Carey may takeover the stage as she’s a huge fan of the series. (ANI)

Oz pacers will hold key to Ashes result: Benaud

London, June 28 (ANI): Australia’s fast bowlers hold the key to which way this year’s Ashes will go, feels former Australian cricketer, captain and noted commentator Richie Benaud.

In an article for The News of The World, Benaud believes England would be indulging in wishful thinking if it thought their spinners could make Australian batters dance to their wiles.

“Nothing makes my heart beat faster than the thought of spin bowling dominating an Ashes series.

Wishful thinking, however, has provided many problems for over-the-wrist spinners and orthodox finger-spinners over the 56 years I have been playing and watching England and Australia do battle,” Benaud said and claimed.

According to Benaud, England off-spinner Jim Laker (1956) and Australian leg spinner Shane Warne (1993-2007) have been the benchmarks for both forms of spin.

“But I believe this time swing will dominate. As was the case in 2005, the skill of the swing bowlers will provide the main difficulty for the batsmen. I’m confident the Australian pace bowlers will carry on from that splendid series in South Africa and, led by Mitchell Johnson and with Brett Lee shaping well, they hold the key to victory,” Benaud said.(ANI)

No balls can cost Oz bowlers Ashes selection, warns Nielsen

Melbourne, June 26 (ANI): Australian coach Tim Nielsen has warned his bowlers to stop bowling no balls or it could cost them a berth in the Ashes Tests.

Nielsen was furious that his players were called for overstepping the mark 22 times in 80 overs during the four-day match against Sussex County in Hove on Friday.

With competition so tight for bowling spots, he admitted it could make the difference at the selection table before the first Ashes Test on July 8 in Cardiff, FOX Sports reported.

“You would hope not, but yes. The thing is, it seems to me where ever we play the length between the popping crease and the stumps is the same. It is something we have to fix up,” Nielsen said.

Brett Lee bowled eight no balls, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus on five occasions each and even off-spinner Nathan Hauritz crossed the line three times.

“Shocking, pulling my hair out about that, (it is) the only thing I am a bit grumpy about. I think we bowled about 18 or 19 of them so look I think … I don’t know. We don’t bowl them in Twenty20 maybe because it is a free hit so the implications are greater for a no ball in Twenty20 cricket,” Nielsen said.

Like other grounds in England, the County Ground in Hove has a significant slope and Nielsen admitted this had been a factor. (ANI)

Hilditch does an encore with no Oz selector present during Australia’s warm up game

Melbourne, June 25 (ANI): Australia’s chief selector Andrew Hilditch is at the centre of another controversy, with no selector being present to watch a pre-Ashes “bowl-off”.

No selector was there to watch comeback pacers Brett Lee and Stuart Clark waiting to make their bids for Ashes spots in the four-day match against county side Sussex.

Hilditch will not arrive in Britain until the day before Australia’s second and last pre-Ashes tour match, against the England Lions starting on July 1 in Worcester, The Herald Sun reports.

Team officials said there had never been a plan for Hilditch to be at the Sussex game, and he would be receiving regular reports from skipper Ricky Ponting and coach Tim Nielsen.

But with selector David Boon heading home after Australia’s ill-fated Twenty20 World Cup campaign, Lee and his fellow bowlers would have hardly been delighted they had to push their claims without a selector on duty.

Hilditch came under heavy fire in the summer when he was photographed walking his dog on an Adelaide beach as Matthew Hayden was fighting to save his career in the SCG Test against South Africa.

Hilditch, who earns a hefty Cricket Australia retainer for his part-time role, is coming under increasing scrutiny, with Cricket Australia’s board recently recommending the appointment of a full-time chairman to the national panel.

It means Hilditch may be forced to choose between his job as an Adelaide solicitor and the selection role, the paper reports. (ANI)

Mark Waugh confident of Australia retaining Ashes

Sydney, June 23 (ANI): Former Australian star, Mark Waugh, has expressed confidence in the Australian squad ahead of the historic Ashes series, saying that Australia is well placed to retain the trophy in England.

“Australia take a good form line from South Africa, winning the series over there. I think Australia will probably win the series,” Fox Sports quoted Waugh, as saying.

“The keys for England are Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff again. And there’s question marks over their fitness and without them, I don’t see how they get the firepower to beat us,” Waugh added.

Waugh further said that Australia’s disappointing exit from the Twenty20 World Cup, in which they failed to reach the Super Eights following losses to West Indies and Sri Lanka in the group stage, would have no bearing on the coming Test series.

“The players have probably now had a better preparation, a longer preparation, for The Ashes. Twenty20 is a different game, and different players were involved, compared with the Test series. But now it’s finished, they’ll be concentrating on The Ashes and I don’t think the defeats will have any bearing at all on the five Ashes Tests,” he added.

Waugh also highlighted the need for match practice for some of their faster bowlers, particularly Brett Lee and Stuart Clark, who are coming back from injury.

“Brett Lee and Stuart Clark; they just need to bowl. They’re world-class bowlers, both of them, and Australia can do with both of them if they’re at the best. It’ll be interesting to see how they go in the next two games,” Waugh said. (ANI)

Oz’s tremendous past record forced ECB to shift first Ashes match from Lord’s

Sydney, May 24 (ANI): Oz skipper Ricky Ponting believes that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided not to host the first Ashes Test match at Lord’s due to Australia’s enviable record there.

Amazingly, Australia has not lost a single Test match at Lord’s since 1934.

The Lord’s has been hosting the second Ashes Test, however 2005 witnessed the home of cricket hosting the first Test, which was too pocketed by the Kangaroos.

Punter doesn’t considers it a mere coincidence that the England and Wales Cricket Board was not to keen to start the Ashes there.

This time around, it has been decided that first Test will be in Cardiff, despite the pitch there being rated as poor, and the second Test will be at Lord’s.

“There was a fair bit of talk about it last time, starting the Ashes at Lord’s, given our record. This time around, it will be the second Test match, and I’ve got no doubt they changed it on purpose,” Ponting said.

Some of the records as mentioned speak volumes of Australia’s dominance at the Lord’s.

-Twenty-one-year-old Bradman scored 254 in 1930.

-Bob Massie took 16 wickets in a Test in 1972.

-Allan Border made 196 in 1985, and averaged 100 in five Tests.

-Glenn McGrath took 8-38 in 1997 among 26 wickets at 11.5 apiece in three Tests.

-Despite losing the 2005 Ashes, Australia beat England by 239 runs in the first Test at Lord’s.

However, the present Oz contingent is by far the least experienced squad to have played in the Ashes with only four of the 16-man squad to have played a Test at the Lord’s.

And none of the biggies such as Ponting, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke,and Brett Lee have done well.

Ponting has scored only 69 runs at a paltry average of 17.25.

But Ponting has vowed to change the records and engrave his name on the big record board’s hanging around the Lord’s pavilion.

“There’s all these big boards up around the rooms, and you want to get your name on those boards at Lord’s.That’s one thing that I’ll be certainly looking to do because I haven’t done very well there. I’ve made a one-day hundred there, but not done so well in Tests,” The Sydney Morning Herald, quoted Ponting, as saying. (ANI)

Oz WAGS invited to team camp to improve harmony during Ashes

Melbourne, May 23 (ANI): In the wake of several high-profile flare-ups involving the wives and girlfriends of Australian cricketers, Cricket Australia has invited partners of its players to a pre-England camp at Hyatt Coolum on the Sunshine Coast, in a bid to short-circuit the fractious relationships that hurt the 2005 series campaign.

The WAGs issue was a flashpoint in Australia’s terrible 2005 Ashes loss in England, and was graphically exposed by then wicket keeper great Adam Gilchrist in his book, True Colours.

“It was apparent, when the guys returned to the hotel from Lord’s, that some personality clashes had disrupted relations between wives and players,” Gilchrist wrote.

“A guy would go out to dinner with his partner and hear bad things about someone else’s partner. You could be sure that the same was happening somewhere else, in reverse. So it ended up that some of the guys were suffering from their divided loyalties,” he wrote.

“The wives and girlfriends are going up, too. It’s a good opportunity for them to get together and, given the changing face of the team, there are a lot of new people about. It’s important for the girls to bond, to share knowledge and give each other support,” skipper Ponting said.

Sources close to the camp have claimed that Brett Lee’s estranged wife Liz was at the centre of several feuds involving the WAGs over the last few years, News.com.au reported.

Senior Test players are hopeful the pre-Ashes camp will ensure improved harmony on this year’s tour, although it is known at least two of the girls who will be in England do not get along.

Glamour pair Michael Clarke and Lara Bingle is Australian cricket’s best-known couple, while the skipper’s wife Rianna Ponting is also a fixture on the WAGs scene.

Athletics champion Tamsyn Lewis is set to surge into the WAGs spotlight with her partner Graham Manou heading to England as Australia’s backup gloveman.

Jessica Bratich, the karate champion partner of fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, also had plenty of publicity with her wardrobe malfunction at the Allan Border Medal earlier this year.(ANI)