Tim Paine is heir-apparent to Haddin, says Harrison

Melbourne, Sep 18 (ANI): Tasmanian Cricket Association chairman Tony Harrison has said that Tim Paine’s match-winning one-day century for Australia against England should make all cricket followers aware of his class and potential.

“Wicketkeeper batsman Tim Paine’s first international one-day century scored against England overnight and his outstanding form behind the stumps have clearly stamped him as the heir-apparent Australian wicketkeeper,” Harrison said.

“Tim has easily fitted into international cricket and looks extremely comfortable in the Australian team,” he said.

Harrison said Paine was now clearly Australia’s second wicketkeeper behind Test incumbent Brad Haddin.

“But I am confident he can and will take the next step,” The Australian quoted Harrison, as saying.

Paine scored 111 runs giving Australia a 111-run victory over England in the penultimate match of their one-day series at Trent Bridge.

Australian selector David Boon today said that Paine was staking a claim for selection as Australia’s wicketkeeper for the domestic summer.

“It will be very important for him to continue to show this form and confidence through to the last game in England and then in the Champions Trophy,” Boon told ABC radio.

“Who knows? If he comes back to Australia and has a strong start to the domestic season his future is in his hands basically.” (ANI)

‘Street fighter’ Katich must replace ‘soft’ Ponting to revive Aussies: Ex-players

Melbourne, Aug 30 (ANI): Australia needs a street fighter like Simon Katich to trigger a revival, after calls for sacking of Ricky Ponting in the wake of the Ashes loss under the Tasmanian’s captaincy for the second time in four years

Australian cricket has lost the ruthless cutting edge cultivated by Steve Waugh that made them one of the most feared teams, according to former players.

Former Test wicketkeeper Steve Rixon said Ponting is a magnificent batsman, but he will never be regarded as a great captain, and added that Australia have lost their killer instinct under him.

Ponting became the first Australian captain in 119 years to lose consecutive series on English soil, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Rixon says the take-no-prisoners psyche cultivated by Waugh has been eroded.

“I don’t relate to the brand of cricket we are playing under Ricky. We aren’t playing the sort of cricket that has made us ruthless and a team that no one really likes to play,” Rixon said.

“Teams aren’t capitulating under pressure like they used to. We seem to have a more timid nature . . . and that could certainly have a bearing on a tight series like the one in England.

“We’re struggling against sides we should be beating. England is renowned for capitulating under pressure, but we never got ruthless or flexed our muscle,” he said.

“If we’re going to look at change, I’d be looking at Simon Katich. Simon is a tenacious leader. I worked with him at NSW and I know what he can offer as a captain. He’s tough, he won’t take a backward step, he plays aggressive cricket – and that is synonymous with the Australian style,” Rixon said.

Former Test all-rounder Greg Matthews also likes the way Katich leads from the front.

“Before the Ashes series, I felt the strongest man in Australian cricket was Simon Katich. His character, his intent, he bats like his life depends on every ball. It’s just obvious for me. If I was in the trenches, he’d be the first guy I’d pick,” Matthews said. (ANI)

Cancer a major threat to wildlife too

London, June 25 (ANI): A recent study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has revealed that cancer not only touches the lives of humans, it is also a major threat to wild animal populations.

“Cancer is one of the leading health concerns for humans, accounting for more than 10 percent of human deaths. But we now understand that cancer can kill wild animals at similar rates,” said Dr. Denise McAloose, lead author and Chief Pathologist for WCS’s Global Health program.

McAloose and her colleagues compiled information on cancer in wildlife and concluded that cancer poses a conservation threat to certain species. The team called for greater protection of animals and people through increased health monitoring.

Cancer threatens the survival of entire species, McAloose said. For instance, the Tasmanian devil, the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial, faces extinction from a cancer known as devil facial tumor disease. This contagious cancer spreads among devils usually through fighting and biting. To save the species, conservationists are relocating cancer-free Tasmanian devils to geographically isolated areas or zoos.

The study suggests links between wildlife cancers and human pollutants, as well. For example, beluga whales in the St. Lawrence River system have an extraordinarily high rate of intestinal cancer – it is their second leading cause of death. One kind of pollutant in the waters, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, is known to cause cancer in humans. The compounds are suspected carcinogens for beluga whales as well. Fish in other polluted waterways, including brown bullhead catfish and English sole, also exhibit high levels of cancer.

Viruses are another culprit. In some animals, viruses can induce cancers that interfere with reproduction. Genital tumours in California sea lions occur at much higher rates than previously documented, the paper shows. Dolphins, such as the dusky dolphin and Burmeister’s porpoise, found off South American coasts, are also showing higher rates of genital tumours.

Other virus-induced cancers can affect an animal’s eyesight or its ability to feed. Green sea turtles suffer from fibropapillomatosis, a disease that causes tumours to grow on the skin and internal organs. A virus is suspected to cause these tumours.

Monitoring the health of wildlife can illuminate the causes of cancer in animal populations and better safeguard them and us against diseases, McAloose said.

The research has been published in the July edition of the journal Nature Reviews Cancer. (ANI)

Cave painting in Australia depicts extinct marsupial lion

Washington, May 11 (ANI): A newly discovered cave painting in Australia offers a glimpse of an extinct marsupial lion’s external appearance.

Accoridng to a report in the Natural History Magazine, known as Thylacoleo carnifex, the marsupial lion roamed the continent of Australia about 30,000 years ago.

Several well-preserved skeletons of the leopard-size beast have been found. Now, a newly discovered cave painting offers a glimpse of the animal’s external appearance.

In June 2008, Tim Willing, a naturalist and tour guide, photographed an ancient painting on a rockshelter wall near the shore of northwestern Australia.

Kim Akerman, an independent anthropologist based in Tasmania, said that the painting unmistakably depicts a marsupial lion.

It shows the requisite catlike muzzle, large forelimbs, and heavily clawed front paws, and it portrays the animal with a striped back, a tufted tail, and pointed ears.

Previously known rock paintings hinted at marsupial lions, but were rudimentary and could have depicted the other striped marsupial predator, the dog-size Tasmanian “tiger.”

That species succumbed to competition from humans in 1936, much as the marsupial lion may have done millennia before. (ANI)

Siddle, Hilfenhaus unlikely to participate in second Proteas test

Durban (South Africa), Mar 4 (ANI): Australian fast bowlers Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus, who are recovering from their respective injuries, are doubtful starters for the second cricket Test against South Africa on March 6.

While Siddle has left-foot soreness, Hilfenhaus is suffering from lower-back pain.

Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch has already announced that Western Australia paceman Steve Magoffin, who would be having his Test debut, would be flown to Durban “as a precautionary measure”.

“With Ben and Peter suffering some soreness following the first Test, and with such a short turnaround between the first and second Test, the national selection panel has taken the precaution of adding another bowler to the squad,” Hilditch said.

“Steve Magoffin has been added as a standby player … and we are sure he will step up should the opportunity present itself in South Africa,” he added

Tasmanian Brett Geeves is also expected to have a Test debut after joining the squad this week following New South Wales left-armer Doug Bollinger’s abdominal-muscle strain while bowling in the nets.

Magoffin is the second-leading wicket-taker in the Sheffield Shield this summer with 38 at 22.86, one more than the 26-year-old Geeves who has 37 victims at 23.86. Brett Dorey has 42 scalps. eeves has also scored 343 runs at 38.11, almost same to Magoffin’s 381 at 38.10.

Siddle, who was man of the match with eight wickets in Australia’s win over South Africa in the third Test in Sydney, claimed a further six wickets in the first test in Johannesburg.

Hilfenhaus has also proved his mettle by taking three wickets on debut in Johannesburg. (ANI)

Players feel pinch as ICL payments become latest victim of global cash crisis

London, Feb.20 (ANI): Several Indian Cricket League (ICL) players have reportedly lost more than 100,000 dollars each due to economic strain affecting world markets.

The ICL has postponed its next tournament and is still to pay players’ wages due last December.

The news follows revelations that American entrepreneur Allen Stanford – who created the Stanford Twenty20 League and is heavily involved with the English and West Indies cricket boards has been charged with fraud to the tune of eight billion dollars.

Players in the ICL, which includes Australians Jason Gillespie, Damien Martyn, Michael Kasprowicz, Jimmy Maher, Ian Harvey and Stuart Law, receive quarterly payments of up to 105,000 dollars for the top-paid stars. But the players are confident the rebel league will not collapse.

“We have never been paid on time, so it’s no different except there’s an even longer delay this time,” one international player told the Herald.

“So far, they are behind one payment. You never know. It’s India. If it happens, it happens. Everyone has been hit by the economic crisis, even the [Indian Premier League]. They said they are just working through a few things, so we will just have to wait and see. I think [the ICL] will go on.”

Players received a letter from the owner of the ICL, Subhash Chandra, promising all wages would be paid but asking for patience.

“The tournaments have been run really well, but everyone is hurting at the moment,” said another player, who also did not believe the future of the ICL was in doubt.

“We have been given the word we will be looked after and we are confident they will honour that.”

Nor is the IPL immune from the global recession.

India Today reported that the league has finalised only three of its six associate sponsors, and two teams have lost shirt sponsors for the coming season.

Most franchises, which are leased to private entrepreneurs, have tightened budgets to cut down on peripheral expenses. The effort to save rupees reached farcical proportions when Tasmanian pacer Brett Geeves received an excess luggage bill from his former franchise, Delhi.

However, the IPL has the security of long-term media deals and the backing of the wealthy Indian board to shore up its future. The ICL, on the other hand, is listed as an unofficial tournament by the International Cricket Council and has faced fierce opposition from the persuasive Indian board.

The future of the ICL will be discussed at an ICC meeting this week and there is a strong tip it will be transformed into a veteran’s competition, so that only international players over 35 years can be signed to compete against talented young Indians. (ANI)

Players feel pinch as ICL payments become latest victim of global cash crisis

London, Feb.20 (ANI): Several Indian Cricket League (ICL) players have reportedly lost more than 100,000 dollars each due to economic strain affecting world markets.

The ICL has postponed its next tournament and is still to pay players’ wages due last December.

The news follows revelations that American entrepreneur Allen Stanford – who created the Stanford Twenty20 League and is heavily involved with the English and West Indies cricket boards has been charged with fraud to the tune of eight billion dollars.

Players in the ICL, which includes Australians Jason Gillespie, Damien Martyn, Michael Kasprowicz, Jimmy Maher, Ian Harvey and Stuart Law, receive quarterly payments of up to 105,000 dollars for the top-paid stars. But the players are confident the rebel league will not collapse.

“We have never been paid on time, so it’s no different except there’s an even longer delay this time,” one international player told the Herald.

“So far, they are behind one payment. You never know. It’s India. If it happens, it happens. Everyone has been hit by the economic crisis, even the [Indian Premier League]. They said they are just working through a few things, so we will just have to wait and see. I think [the ICL] will go on.”

Players received a letter from the owner of the ICL, Subhash Chandra, promising all wages would be paid but asking for patience.

“The tournaments have been run really well, but everyone is hurting at the moment,” said another player, who also did not believe the future of the ICL was in doubt.

“We have been given the word we will be looked after and we are confident they will honour that.”

Nor is the IPL immune from the global recession.

India Today reported that the league has finalised only three of its six associate sponsors, and two teams have lost shirt sponsors for the coming season.

Most franchises, which are leased to private entrepreneurs, have tightened budgets to cut down on peripheral expenses. The effort to save rupees reached farcical proportions when Tasmanian pacer Brett Geeves received an excess luggage bill from his former franchise, Delhi.

However, the IPL has the security of long-term media deals and the backing of the wealthy Indian board to shore up its future. The ICL, on the other hand, is listed as an unofficial tournament by the International Cricket Council and has faced fierce opposition from the persuasive Indian board.

The future of the ICL will be discussed at an ICC meeting this week and there is a strong tip it will be transformed into a veteran’s competition, so that only international players over 35 years can be signed to compete against talented young Indians. (ANI)

Players feel pinch as ICL payments become latest victim of global cash crisis

London, Feb.20 (ANI): Several Indian Cricket League (ICL) players have reportedly lost more than 100,000 dollars each due to economic strain affecting world markets.

The ICL has postponed its next tournament and is still to pay players’ wages due last December.

The news follows revelations that American entrepreneur Allen Stanford – who created the Stanford Twenty20 League and is heavily involved with the English and West Indies cricket boards has been charged with fraud to the tune of eight billion dollars.

Players in the ICL, which includes Australians Jason Gillespie, Damien Martyn, Michael Kasprowicz, Jimmy Maher, Ian Harvey and Stuart Law, receive quarterly payments of up to 105,000 dollars for the top-paid stars. But the players are confident the rebel league will not collapse.

“We have never been paid on time, so it’s no different except there’s an even longer delay this time,” one international player told the Herald.

“So far, they are behind one payment. You never know. It’s India. If it happens, it happens. Everyone has been hit by the economic crisis, even the [Indian Premier League]. They said they are just working through a few things, so we will just have to wait and see. I think [the ICL] will go on.”

Players received a letter from the owner of the ICL, Subhash Chandra, promising all wages would be paid but asking for patience.

“The tournaments have been run really well, but everyone is hurting at the moment,” said another player, who also did not believe the future of the ICL was in doubt.

“We have been given the word we will be looked after and we are confident they will honour that.”

Nor is the IPL immune from the global recession.

India Today reported that the league has finalised only three of its six associate sponsors, and two teams have lost shirt sponsors for the coming season.

Most franchises, which are leased to private entrepreneurs, have tightened budgets to cut down on peripheral expenses. The effort to save rupees reached farcical proportions when Tasmanian pacer Brett Geeves received an excess luggage bill from his former franchise, Delhi.

However, the IPL has the security of long-term media deals and the backing of the wealthy Indian board to shore up its future. The ICL, on the other hand, is listed as an unofficial tournament by the International Cricket Council and has faced fierce opposition from the persuasive Indian board.

The future of the ICL will be discussed at an ICC meeting this week and there is a strong tip it will be transformed into a veteran’s competition, so that only international players over 35 years can be signed to compete against talented young Indians. (ANI)

Players feel pinch as ICL payments become latest victim of global cash crisis

London, Feb.20 (ANI): Several Indian Cricket League (ICL) players have reportedly lost more than 100,000 dollars each due to economic strain affecting world markets.

The ICL has postponed its next tournament and is still to pay players’ wages due last December.

The news follows revelations that American entrepreneur Allen Stanford – who created the Stanford Twenty20 League and is heavily involved with the English and West Indies cricket boards has been charged with fraud to the tune of eight billion dollars.

Players in the ICL, which includes Australians Jason Gillespie, Damien Martyn, Michael Kasprowicz, Jimmy Maher, Ian Harvey and Stuart Law, receive quarterly payments of up to 105,000 dollars for the top-paid stars. But the players are confident the rebel league will not collapse.

“We have never been paid on time, so it’s no different except there’s an even longer delay this time,” one international player told the Herald.

“So far, they are behind one payment. You never know. It’s India. If it happens, it happens. Everyone has been hit by the economic crisis, even the [Indian Premier League]. They said they are just working through a few things, so we will just have to wait and see. I think [the ICL] will go on.”

Players received a letter from the owner of the ICL, Subhash Chandra, promising all wages would be paid but asking for patience.

“The tournaments have been run really well, but everyone is hurting at the moment,” said another player, who also did not believe the future of the ICL was in doubt.

“We have been given the word we will be looked after and we are confident they will honour that.”

Nor is the IPL immune from the global recession.

India Today reported that the league has finalised only three of its six associate sponsors, and two teams have lost shirt sponsors for the coming season.

Most franchises, which are leased to private entrepreneurs, have tightened budgets to cut down on peripheral expenses. The effort to save rupees reached farcical proportions when Tasmanian pacer Brett Geeves received an excess luggage bill from his former franchise, Delhi.

However, the IPL has the security of long-term media deals and the backing of the wealthy Indian board to shore up its future. The ICL, on the other hand, is listed as an unofficial tournament by the International Cricket Council and has faced fierce opposition from the persuasive Indian board.

The future of the ICL will be discussed at an ICC meeting this week and there is a strong tip it will be transformed into a veteran’s competition, so that only international players over 35 years can be signed to compete against talented young Indians. (ANI)

Kiwis get set to take on Aussies in Chappell-Hadlee ODI series

Wellington, Jan.15 (ANI): New Zealand will take on Australia in a five-match Chappell-Hadlee Trophy ODI series in January and February.

The New Zealand Press Association quoted team coach Andy Moles as saying that his team would go all out for a win against their trans-Tasmanian rivals.

“To get a win under our belts is really key, we want to become a winning unit,” Moles said of a side that has slipped from third to fifth on the ODI rankings since the 2007 World Cup.

“Looking over the series (against the West Indies) it shows we need to be more consistent in certain areas but obviously we’re pleased to get a win under the belt. We had certain individuals do well but moving forward to Australia we’ve got to get a lot more consistency into our batting and build partnerships.”

The emergence of first drop Martin Guptill is being lauded as a selectors masterstroke.

Picked to replace an out of sorts Jamie How, Guptill marked his debut with an unbeaten 122 in Auckland and backed up with 43 from 39 on Tuesday.

Ross Taylor has also seemingly matured into a stroke maker less prone to moments of rashness. His unbeaten 51 in Wellington and 48 not out on Tuesday were both quality contributions lauded by captain Daniel Vettori and Moles.

The 12-man squad that played the last two matches against the West Indies is expected to be retained when the selectors name a tour party on January 21, but they could also include any of Styris, Franklin or Oram. (ANI)

Ten extinct beasts that could walk the Earth again

London, Jan 8 (ANI): A report in New Scientist has predicted ten extinct creatures that might be brought back to life.

On the assumption that necessary technology to re-create extinct life would soon be available, the selected ten animals are:

Sabre-toothed tiger: There are some spectacularly preserved sabre-toothed specimens from the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles. There are also some permafrost-preserved specimens that might be a better source of DNA.

Neanderthal: A draft sequence of the Neanderthal genome should be published sometime this year. There is speculation that it could be used to resurrect the Neanderthal. Because of our very close-shared ancestry, humans would make ideal egg donors and surrogate mothers.

Short-faced bear: Recovering the DNA of the short-faced bear should be possible as there are specimens encased in permafrost.

Tasmanian tiger: The existence of various preserved tissues less than a century old means geneticists should be able to get good-quality DNA and produce a complete sequence of the Tasmanian tiger genome before too long.

Glyptodon: The Volkswagen Beetle-sized “colossal” armadillo, with its spiky, club-like tail, once rumbled across the South American countryside. Because there are no frozen glyptodons, obtaining usable DNA will depend on finding well-preserved remains in a cool, dry cave.

Woolly rhinoceros: Resurrecting the woolly rhino has lots going for it. As with the mammoth, there are plenty of specimens preserved in permafrost, and the availability of hair, horns and hooves is a big plus.

Dodo: In 2002, geneticists at the University of Oxford got permission to cut into the world’s best-preserved dodo specimen, a foot bone, complete with skin and feathers. This yielded minute fragments of dodo mitochondrial DNA but nothing more. Since then, no other specimen has yielded even a whiff of dodo DNA, but there is still hope that some will one day be found.

Giant ground sloth: The sloth’s relatively recent extinction means that several specimens have been found with hair, an excellent source of DNA.

Moa: There is plenty of moa DNA to be found in well-preserved bones and even eggs in caves across New Zealand, so obtaining a moa genome should be doable.

Irish elk: This Pleistocene giant was once found across Europe. A typical male of the species stood more than 2 metres tall at the shoulder and sported antlers 4 metres wide. It is actually a deer rather than an elk, and its closest living relative is the much smaller fallow deer.

Gorilla: Conservationists are freezing tissue samples from some threatened species of Gorilla, so clones could be created with the help of a closely related surrogate species if a suitable habitat becomes available. (ANI)

Snubbed ODI champ Bracken may seek long-term lucrative IPL deal

Sydney, Jan 4 (ANI): Australia’s number one ODI bowler Nathan Bracken has refused to comment on rumours that he will not play the longer version of the game to focus on the one-day and Twenty20 arenas, but his manager has blasted chief selector Andrew Hilditch for the “disgraceful” treatment of Bracken.

Bracken, ranked by the International Cricket Council as the world’s best one-day bowler, refused to say whether he would turn his back on Cricket Australia to seek a long-term and exclusive deal with a cashed-up Indian franchise after being overlooked for a Test berth, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

“I have a contract with Cricket Australia and my priority is to play well for NSW and hopefully – provided I am picked for it because I take nothing for granted – Australia’s one-day side,” he said.

Bracken was acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Records as the most successful Twenty20 bowler in the world, but was overlooked for a place in the team to play triumphant South Africa in the third Test that started yesterday at the SCG.

The selectors instead favoured his NSW teammate Doug Bollinger and Tasmanian Ben Hilfenhaus.

According to his manager Rob Horton, the selectors have refused to reward Bracken for fulfilling the list of expectations they had demanded in order for him to regain his baggy green cap.

“It is disgraceful in the sense that I have sat in meetings with Cricket Australia where both Nathan and I have listened to what they demanded of him to regain his Test place,” Horton said.

“He has ticked off everything they wanted. When they said he needed to be fitter he trained for months with [former world boxing contender] Troy Waters and that meant getting up at the crack of dawn and basically being smashed. It tested him, but he gained ultimate fitness.

“Nathan has again performed very well for NSW in domestic cricket this year and I feel gutted for him because the selectors are playing with his career,” Horton added.

Horton was furious that Bracken learned of his non-selection while being interviewed for a sports program on a Melbourne radio station. (ANI)

Bollinger preferred to Hilfenhaus to play South Africa at the SCG

Sydney, Jan.2 (ANI): New South Wales left-arm pacer Doug Bollinger has won his first cap after being preferred to Tasmanian seamer Ben Hilfenhaus for the third Test against South Africa.

In an apparent horse for courses selection the Australian selectors have opted for Bollinger”s knowledge and success at his home ground – the SCG – which hosts the Test starting tomorrow.

It will mean Australia will play two left-arm pacers for the first time in nearly 20 years, The Australian reports.

With Brett Lee missing through injury, the modestly-experienced leftie Mitchell Johnson will lead the attack, with Victorian quick Peter Siddle the third fast bowler chosen as Australia attempts to avoid a home series whitewash.

Down 2-0 in the three-Test series the Australians have also included Victorian all-rounder Andrew McDonald to make his debut.

McDonald will bat at No.6 and offer skipper Ricky Ponting a fourth pace bowling option which he did not have in Melbourne due to injury to Andrew Symonds (knee) who has joined Lee on the sidelines.

Ponting said the decision between Bollinger and Hilfenhaus came down largely to the game”s location.

“That”s probably a lot to do with his overall skills at the SCG. He knows the conditions very well and will hopefully swing the new ball and late in the innings as well,”” Ponting said.

Australia: M Hayden, S Katich, R Ponting (c), M Hussey, M Clarke, A Symonds, B Haddin, D Bollinger, M Johnson, A McDonald, N Hauritz, P Siddle. 12th man B Hilfenhaus. (ANI)