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Pet dog in China can bolt, unbolt door with front legs!

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 9 (ANI): A pet dog in China apparently posses extraordinary skills, for it can bolt and unbolt doors with its front legs.

The dog, belonging to a family in Ningxiang county of Hunan province, has become the neighbourhood star, reports the China Daily.

Li Guiping, the owner of the dog, named Hu Zi, said that his pet was able to perform the stunt after only being showed a handful of times.

On the orders of its master, Hu Zi stands on its hind legs and bolts or unbolts the door lock with its front legs. (ANI)

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Uncle Sam serves up tax bill to Philippoussis

September 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, Sep.6 (ANI): Tennis ace Mark Philippoussis is being chased by the US taxman and has sold his Williamstown family home to avoid having it repossessed.

It has now emerged that the US Internal Revenue Service has pursued the Scud for about 1.4 million dollars during the past decade.

US records show the IRS still wants about 500,000 dollars for tax debts dating back to 2003.

Philippoussis, who according to his mother is playing in a tournament in San Diego, revealed to the Sunday Herald Sun in May that his money was gone, he was depressed and he was battling to save the family home from repossession.

“Money came in left, right and centre; you just thought that’s how it was for everyone and that’s how it always will be,” he said at the time.

The Davis Cup hero put his Williamstown home on the market to avoid having it repossessed over his unpaid 1.3 million dollar mortgage, but it was passed in for 775,000 dollars in July.

Wayne Elly, of Hocking Stuart, yesterday confirmed Scud’s house had sold recently for about the asking price of 950,000 dollars.

Philippoussis once owned at least five properties in the US, selling the last one in 2005 at a loss.

Official US records suggest he still owes about 180,000 dollars for the 2004 financial year and about 317,000 dollars from 2003.

A former tax debt for about 918,000 dollars dating back to 2001 was satisfied in 2004, according to the Palm Beach County records office.

The IRS would not comment this week, but a US tax expert said the documents suggested the agency was confident it could recoup the debt. (ANI)

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Ex-worker sues Tyra Banks over outstanding wages

September 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sept 4 (ANI): A former employee of Tyra Banks has sued her claiming she has held back his wages worth thousands of dollars.

Richard Thomas filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court charging the supermodel-turned-TV presenter of not paying him 3, 638 pounds, reports the Daily Star.

According to TMZ.com, Thomas says he is due money for “services rendered as assistant and advisor” to the star.

Although the legal papers insist that Thomas must himself ask Banks for the outstanding amount before filing the case, he says:

“I have not been able to catch (Tyra) while she is in.” (ANI)

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Dalai Lama urged to keep politics out during his Taiwan visit

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug 31 (ANI): Taiwan officials hope that Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama stays clear of politics during his visit to comfort victims of Typhoon Morakot.

The Dalai Lama arrived in the island on late Sunday. More than 10 Taiwan political organizations denounced the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for inviting him, calling the move unethical and politically motivated.

Seven Taiwan mayors and county chiefs from the DPP last Wednesday invited the Dalai Lama to join religious activities for victims of the typhoon.

Taiwan allowed the Dalai Lama to visit in 1997 and 2001, the China Daily reports.

Morakot, the worst typhoon to hit Taiwan in 50 years, has claimed at least 461 lives and left 192 missing and 46 injured, Taiwan’s disaster response authorities said.

“We believe the Dalai Lama will have the wisdom to distinguish between religious empathy and political maneuvering,” said Wu Poh-hsiung, chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT).

“Because Taiwan has been badly hit by the typhoon, his visit should help the island instead of adding difficulty to it.”

Wu said he sought input from Beijing about the visit, but he did not give details or say whether Beijing responded.

Taiwan authorities, including Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou, have said that they will not meet the Dalai Lama publicly or privately.

A spokesman for the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Taklha, has denied the visit has any political subtext. “It is a spiritual visit. The purpose is to offer prayers for the victims and to offer comfort and succor to those who have survived,” Takhla said. (ANI)

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US to ensure ‘highest standards of accountability’ for Pak aid : US official

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Aug.29 (ANI): The United States would like to ensure the ‘highest standards of accountability’ in utilization of aid being provided to Pakistan by the Obama administration in order to make sure that the funds are being utilized exactly for the purpose it is allotted for, a top US official has said.

Interacting with media persons at the US embassy here, the US Coordinator for Economic Development and Assistance to Pakistan, Robin Raphael, said ensuring transparency in the utilization of assistance would be a key benchmark.

“We want to ensure highest standards of accountability. We want to be clear where the money is going and how it is going,” The Daily Times quoted Raphael, as saying.

Commenting on the huge amount of administrative costs which is likely to be incurred, Raphael said every effort would be made to minimize the high intermediation charges.

She, however, highlighted that Washington would need foreign technical expertise in certain areas while working to lower the administrative costs.

According to an estimate, Pakistan would receive only the half of the actual monetary assistance promised by the United States, as a huge amount of money is likely to be deducted for administrative costs.

Commenting on the increasing energy needs of Pakistan, Raphael said US is considering investing hugely in the energy sector, including hydel power generation, to help the county overcome its energy crisis.

When asked about the reconstruction opportunity zones (ROZs) programme, she said America was also working to expand the area for ROZs, which were previously planned only for the war ravaged Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). (ANI)

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‘Special to take final Australian wicket to clinch Ashes’ says Swann

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 25(ANI): England cricketer Graeme Swann, who took the last Australian wicket to clinch the Ashes, has said that he has never experienced anything like the surge of emotion and happiness he felt after winning the Ashes.

Swann said that he would cherish the day and the experience for rest of his life, as he has seen all the phases in his career and the experience on the final day at The Oval beats it all.

“I’ve experienced some dark days in my career when I didn’t think I’d get into my county team, let alone play for England. But, however low I felt then is not comparable to how high I have felt since we won at The Oval. I would take 364 rubbish days a year just to have one like that,” Swann wrote in The Sun.

He highlighted that it was special to take the wicket, and said that he was praying for fellow bowler Steve Harmison to miss it.

“Harmison was bowling and the crowd was going mad but deep down I was thinking, ‘Don’t get him out, I want to finish this off!’ Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded if Harmy had got it,” he added.

Swann further said that the incident was so phenomenal, that he was confusion made it hard for him to decide whether to laugh, cry or dance around.

“Paul Collingwood said to me after the game that I should cherish the moment because it might not happen again. He was right. It was the best feeling I’ve ever had playing cricket. I doubt if I’ll ever feel that good again,” he added. (ANI)

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Chinese prostitute falls for her trafficker’s brother

August 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug. 19 (ANI): A Chinese woman, who was sold and then smuggled to a different location by a woman trafficker, fell for the latter’s brother and stayed with him for more than 12 years.

Luo Yulian, a resident in Zhenyuan county, Guizhou province, was sold and smuggled to Xuwen county, Guangdong province, by a woman named Pan Nianmei in October 1996.

Luo Yulian later met Pan Nianmei’s brother Pan Nianyou, who was also involved in trafficking prostitutes, and had an affair with him, reports the China Daily.hen the police caught Pan Nianyou, who is listed as a wanted criminal, they were surprised that Luo still stayed with him. (ANI)

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One killed, 336 injured in Yunnan quake

July 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Beijing, July 10 (ANI): A moderate earthquake rocked southwest China Thursday evening, killing one person, injuring at least 336 and collapsing more than 18,000 homes, state media said.

The magnitude-6.0 temblor, centered in Yunnan province’s Yao’an county, damaged another 30,000 homes, the Xinhua news agency said.

Thirty people suffered severe injuries, while the other 305 were slightly injured.

The quake was followed by eight aftershocks and the provincial civil affairs department was sending 4,500 tents, 3,000 quilts and other relief materials to Yao’an.

More than 300 soldiers and hundreds of police were dispatched to the disaster zone.

Yunnan is a quake-prone, mountainous region that lies on China’s southern border with Thailand and Myanmar.

It also borders Sichuan province, where a magnitude-7.9 quake last year left almost 90,000 people dead or missing.

In 1988, a 7.1-magnitude quake in Yunnan near Myanmar killed more than 722 people. (ANI)

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Abstinence from marriage and sex key to longevity, believe Chinese folks

July 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, July 6 (ANI): People in Chinese county believe that abstinence from marriage and sex is the key to longevity.

According to local customs, most people in Bama county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, marry late and produce children later than others.

After getting married, husbands and wives usually live in different rooms.

Bama county now has 81 residents older than 100, reports the China Daily.

According to figures, 31.5 out of every 100,000 people enjoy that status. (ANI)

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Bowled by three-year-old son, Vaughan decided he had to quit cricket!

July 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 1 (ANI): Former England captain Michael Vaughan said that he was convinced that it was time to quit cricket when his three-year-old son, Archie, uprooted his off-stump during a backyard match.

“Two weeks ago, my little lad Archie bowled a ball that hit a weed and knocked my off stump out of the ground. If a three-year-old is bowling me out, it’s time to move over,” The Sun quoted Vaughan, as saying.

The incident made him realize that he had no chance of playing for England again, and the daily grind of county cricket had little appeal for him.

“I always say that senior players have to be the most enthusiastic and I was starting to feel in the Yorkshire dressing room that I wasn’t passing on that enthusiasm to the younger players,” Vaughan said.

“I knew I had to move over and give those younger players the opportunity I had when I was 19 and 20. I’d like to be remembered as someone that gave his all and was, hopefully, a nice player to watch,” The Sun quoted him, as adding. (ANI)

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Jacko to make last journey to Neverland ranch

July 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 1 (ANI): Late King of Pop Michael Jackson is all set to make his final journey to his former home Neverland ranch, where his body will lie in state so that thousands of grieving fans can say their goodbyes.

His coffin will be driven through Los Angeles, and will make a 130-mile journey to Neverland-the site of the superstar’s former fantasy home.

It is believed that the ‘Thriller’ star’s body will be displayed in a glass coffin on Friday, and might be buried at the ranch at the weekend.

Reports have suggested that Jacko’s coffin will make its last trip to his beloved playground home in an amazing fairytale carriage.

However, the Jackson family is not divulging any details about the white horse-drawn coach The white horse-drawn coach is being kept under wraps until Jacko’s coffin is tenderly lifted on to it.

A Jackson family source revealed that they want Michael to “look like a prince” as fans pay their last respects, and the carriage is set to be the focal point in part of the star’s last journey.

It is expected that huge crowds of fans will come out to watch the King of Pop’s coffin taken through the streets of Los Angeles on July 2.

A 30-car motorcade will then make the drive to the remote 2,800-acre site of Neverland in Santa Barbara County.

Jacko, who died aged 50 on June 25, will lie in state for public viewing at his fantasy property on Friday.

“Details are still being finalised. The family will make an announcement soon,” British tabloid The Sun quoted a source as saying.

“The family want to give him a really special send off. They want the carriage to be a surprise for everyone. They want it to add a wow factor to the day. It is being kept hidden and is top secret.

“Thursday will be his final, grand journey from Los Angeles to Neverland. Friday will be the big public event, with fans able to pay their respects.

“Michael always said Neverland kept him young. It seems fitting. On Sunday there will be a memorial service for his family and close friends to mourn in private,” added the source. (ANI)

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Jacko to make last journey to Neverland ranch

July 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

His coffin will be driven through Los Angeles, and will make a 130-mile journey to Neverland-the site of the superstar’s former fantasy home.

It is believed that the ‘Thriller’ star’s body will be displayed in a glass coffin on Friday, and might be buried at the ranch at the weekend.

Reports have suggested that Jacko’s coffin will make its last trip to his beloved playground home in an amazing fairytale carriage.

However, the Jackson family is not divulging any details about the white horse-drawn coach
The white horse-drawn coach is being kept under wraps until Jacko’s coffin is tenderly lifted on to it.

It is expected that huge crowds of fans will come out to watch the King of Pop’s coffin taken through the streets of Los Angeles on July 2.

A 30-car motorcade will then make the drive to the remote 2,800-acre site of Neverland in Santa Barbara County.

Jacko, who died aged 50 on June 25, will lie in state for public viewing at his fantasy property on Friday.

“Details are still being finalised. The family will make an announcement soon,” British tabloid The Sun quoted a source as saying.

“The family want to give him a really special send off. They want the carriage to be a surprise for everyone. They want it to add a wow factor to the day. It is being kept hidden and is top secret.

“Thursday will be his final, grand journey from Los Angeles to Neverland. Friday will be the big public event, with fans able to pay their respects.

“Michael always said Neverland kept him young. It seems fitting. On Sunday there will be a memorial service for his family and close friends to mourn in private,” added the source.(ANI)

Ex-England captain Vaughan confirms retirement

June 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, June 30 (ANI): Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan retired from all forms of professional cricket on Tuesday.

He departs as England’s most successful Test captain of all time with 26 wins from his 51 matches in charge. As a batsman, he scored 18 Test hundreds for England following his debut in 1999 and was ranked the number one batsman in the world following the 2002-03 Ashes in Australia in which he made 633 runs including three centuries.

In a statement issued on the occasion, Vaughan said: “After a great deal of consideration, I’ve decided that now is the right time to retire from cricket. It has been an enormous privilege to have played for and captained my country and this is one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. Having played almost non-stop for 16 seasons, I feel that the time is right for the focus to shift to the next generation. We have some fantastic talent coming through the English counties and, with the next Ashes series upon us, now is the time for the younger players to rise to the challenge of building on the success achieved in English cricket in the last few years.”

“I’d like to record my sincere thanks to the England fans and the ECB and the members and supporters of Yorkshire County Cricket Club for their unstinting backing throughout my career as well as my wife Nicola and the rest of my family who have been equally supportive. I’m also extremely grateful to all of the players, managers, coaches, media and administrators I’ve worked with, who have all contributed to making my career so enjoyable and fulfilling,” he added.

ECB chief executive David Collier said: “Everyone associated with cricket in England and Wales will be forever grateful to Michael Vaughan for his immense contribution to the England team’s success. His achievement in leading England to victory against the number one ranked team in the world, Australia in 2005, was arguably the finest by any England captain in the modern era.”

Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, said: “As an international captain Michael ranks among the very best and the way in which he and Duncan Fletcher forged a team capable of winning six consecutive Test series stands as testament to his ability to inspire and motivate those around him. He was also a marvellous ambassador for England cricket off-the-field as well as on it and someone who genuinely appreciated the generous support he received from the thousands of England supporters who follow the team at home and abroad. No-one who saw his magnificent hundreds in Australia in 2002-03 will forget the contribution he made to the team as a batsman either – he will be rightly remembered as a player of the highest class.”

England’s captain, Andrew Strauss said: “I count Michael as a good friend as well as a team-mate and I know what a tough decision this will have been for him as he took so much pleasure and pride in representing his country. I learned a great deal from watching him captain the side for five years at close hand and his ability to identify a new strategy for outwitting the opposition or bring the best out of his own players was a priceless asset.” (ANI)

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Australia to check out pitch at Cardiff

June 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Worcester (UK), June 30 (ANI): Australian captain Ricky Ponting appears to be quite desperate to get as much information about the pitch at Cardiff, the venue for the first Ashes Test against England, that he is preparing to send a spy to unravel the confusion surrounding the controversial Sophia Gardens pitch.

Reports about how the new strip will play in the first Test, beginning Wednesday week, have been so contradictory that Ponting is desperate for more information.

“We’ve been talking about trying to send someone down to Cardiff this week so we can have a look at what the wicket preparation looks like,” the Herald Sun quoted Ponting, as saying.

“Since we’ve been here (in England) we’ve heard lots of stories about how dry it’s going to be and how much it’s going to spin. There was even talk a month ago about the Test not going ahead there because of problems with the pitch. But we had a closer look at some stats last week and found that something like only 14 of the 69 wickets taken there in the last three county matches have been taken with spin,” he added.

Ponting’s concerns were magnified when he spoke to umpire George Sharp, who officiated in Australia’s opening tour match in Hove and umpired a one-day match in Cardiff on May 12.

“George Sharp said that Kaneria was unplayable. He was turning them square,” Ponting said.

“We need to get a closer look at it to make informed judgments for the way we pick our side for this Worcester game,” Ponting said. (ANI)

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Coroner dismisses Jacko’s leaked autopsy report

June 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, June 30 (ANI): The coroner who examined Michael Jackson’s body has rubbished a leaked autopsy report, claiming it is “false”.

British tabloids had revealed details allegedly taken from an autopsy report conducted after the King of Pop’s tragic death.

One report indicates four puncture sites were found on the Thriller hitmaker’s chest, believed to be the result of the attempts to restart his heart with shots of adrenaline.

Jacko’s hips, thighs and shoulders were also reportedly riddled with needle wounds.

It has also revealed that Jackson weighed just 50 kilograms when he died and was also discovered to be balding.

However, County Coroner’s office has dismissed the reports.

“The report that is being published did not come from this office,” Contactmusic quoted the coroner as saying in a statement.

“I don’t know where the information came from, or who that information came from. It is not accurate. Some of it is totally false,” the coroner added. (ANI)

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The curious case of missing frogs’ legs solved

June 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, June 29 (ANI): A team of scientists has claimed to have solved the curious case of the missing legs in many frogs, by suggesting that the deformed frogs are actually victims of the predatory habits of dragonfly nymphs, which eat the legs of tadpoles.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, researchers started getting reports of numerous wild frogs or toads being found with extra legs or arms, or with limbs that were partly formed or missing completely.

The cause of these deformities soon became a hotly contested issue, with many researchers believing that they are caused by chemical pollution.

But now, according to a report by BBC News, tests on frogs and toads have revealed that the deformities have been caused naturally, by predators or parasites.

“The most commonly found deformities are frogs or toads found with missing or truncated limbs, and although parasites occasionally cause limblessness in a frog, these deformities are almost never associated with the trematode species known to cause extra limbs,” said Stanley Sessions, an amphibian specialist and professor of biology at Hartwick College, in Oneonta, New York.

The mystery of what causes frogs to have missing or deformed limbs remained unsolved until Sessions teamed up with colleague Brandon Ballengee of the University of Plymouth, UK.

As part of this work, Ballengee and Richard Sunter, the official Recorder of Reptiles and Amphibians in Yorkshire, spent time during the summers of 2006 to 2008 surveying the occurrence of deformities in wild amphibians at three ponds in the county.

In all, they found that between 1.2 percent and 9.8 percent of tadpoles or metamorphosed toads at each location had hind limb deformities. Three had missing eyes.

“We were very surprised when we found so many metamorphic toads with abnormal limbs, as it was thought to be a North American phenomenon,” said Ballengee.

While surveying, Ballengee also discovered a range of natural predators he suspected could be to blame, including stickleback fish, newts, diving beetles, water scorpions and predatory dragonfly nymphs.

So Ballengee and Sessions decide to test how each predator preyed upon the tadpoles, by placing them together in fish tanks in the lab.

None did, except three species of dragonfly nymph.

Crucially though, the nymphs rarely ate the tadpoles whole. More often than not, they would grab the tadpole and chew at a hind limb, often removing it altogether.

“Once they grab the tadpole, they use their front legs to turn it around, searching for the tender bits, in this case the hind limb buds, which they then snip off with their mandibles,” said Sessions. (ANI)

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Chinese man warned by cops mailing urns to scare ex-girlfriend amounts to abuse

June 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 27 (ANI): A Chinese man has been asked by police to stop sending funeral urns to his ex-girlfriend, warning that it is a form of abuse.

The man in Tanghai, Hebei province, got separated with his ex-lover after he got a job in a neighbouring county last August.

He has been angry with her and her family ever since, reports the China Daily.

The newspaper also reveals that he has been harassing the girl’s family through text messages, and has even threatened to kill her family members.

According to the report, he taped her pictures on ash-containing urns, and mailed them to her home.

The police caught up with him last week and told him to stop. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: abuse, ANI, Ash Urns, August, China, china daily, chinese man, cops, county, daily, ex-girlfriend, family, family members, form, Funeral Urns, Girl, Hebei, hebei province, home, job, June, june 27, mailing, man, neighbouring, New Delhi, newspaper, police, province, report, Tanghai, text, text messages, warning, week

Migraines more common in women than men

June 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, June 26 (ANI): Next time your wife complaints about migraine pain, don’t think of it as an excuse for not cooking food, for the most common type of headache that sends patients running to their doctor’s office is more common in women than men, says a new study.

Migraines occur when constricting blood vessels in the brain cause intense, recurring vascular headaches.

Approximately three out of four migraine sufferers are women and researchers have often cited hormones as a possible explanation.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over half of migraines in women transpire right before, during or after a woman has her menstrual period.

And while some women experience migraines throughout their cycle, menstrual-related migraines could be one trigger of the condition.

Right before a woman’s cycle begins, the levels of oestrogen and progesterone drop sharply.

Such a drop in hormone levels may initiate migraine headaches because oestrogen is known to control brain chemicals that affect pain sensation in women.

“Like in all neurological diseases, a combination of genetics and environment play a role. One environmental factor is oestrogen but a genetic predisposition has been firmly established,” said Richard Pearl, MD, a clinical neurologist in Suffolk County, N.Y.

While hormones cannot give a clear picture behind the phenomenon, a recent study has revealed that women with a history of migraines may be less likely to develop breast cancer than other women.

As breast cancer is linked to higher lifetime exposure to oestrogen, the fact that migraines are more common when there is a drop in oestrogen could support the hormone theory. (ANI)

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

June 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

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)

Filed Under: Sports News Tagged With: adelaide, Adelaide Beach, Andrew Hilditch, ANI, appointment, ashes, ashes tour, Australia, Australia melbourne, beach, board, brett, brett lee, Britain, campaign, career, centre, chairman, clark, coach, comeback, controversy, county, Cricket, cricket australia, cup, david boon, day, dog, duty, Encore, England, fellow, Fellow Bowlers, fire, game, heading home, herald, herald sun, home, job, July, June, lee, Lions, match, Matthew Hayden, Melbourne, Oz, pacers, panel, paper, plan, ponting, pre-, retainer, Ricky Ponting, role, s board, scg, scrutiny, selection, selector, side, skipper, solicitor, South Africa, Stuart, summer, Sun, sun reports, sussex, team, team officials, test, Tim Nielsen, Time Chairman, tour, twenty20 world cup, Worcester, world, World Cup Campaign

Injured Watson almost certain to miss first Ashes Test

June 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, June 25 (ANI): 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.

“Shane Watson had a scan on his left knee which confirmed a low-grade strain of one of his quadriceps (thigh) muscles,” the Daily Telegraph quoted Australian physiotherapist Alex Kountouris, as saying.

“We expect this injury should resolve fairly quickly. His return to play will be guided by progress made in next few days.”

Although scans did not reveal a serious injury, it is a major blow for Watson who has a long history of injuries dating back to when he was a teenager.

Skipper Ponting conceded Australia might have to send an S.O.S for Ashes reinforcement if Watson did not recover quickly, with batsman Brad Hodge believed to be the most likely candidate.

It was revealed on Wednesday that Watson was too sore to train and the all rounder was a spectator as Australia started its tour match at Hove last night.

Meanwhile, pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson was rested from Australia’s tour game, which started on Wednesday.

Johnson is the only paceman assured of a spot for the first Test starting on July 8 and Ponting said all pacemen were desperate to impress. (ANI)

Filed Under: Sports News Tagged With: Alex Kountouris, ANI, ashes, Australia, batsman, blow, Brad Hodge, candidate, county, daily, daily telegraph, first ashes test, first test, game, history, home, Hove, injured, injury, johnson, July, June, knee, Left Knee, match, Melbourne, Mitchell Johnson, muscle, night, pace, paceman, pacemen, physiotherapist, ponting, progress, prospects, Quadriceps, reinforcement, return, rounder, Shane Watson, skipper, SOS, spearhead, spectator, spot, strain, sussex, teenager, Telegraph, test, thigh, Thigh Muscle, Thigh Muscles, tour, tour game, watson, Wednesday

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