Flintoff ruled out of World Twenty20

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was on Wednesday ruled out of the World Twenty20 competition which gets underway on June 5.
The 31-year-old - who has had constant injury problems over the past couple of years - has failed to recover in time from right knee surgery after he suffered the injury during the Indian Premier League series in South Africa last month.
Yorkshire leg spinner Adil Rashid has been called up to the 15 man squad as Flintoff's replacement.

Afghanistan to get its first cricket board

Afghanistan cricket took another step towards establishing itself Tuesday when President Hamid Karzai gave the go-ahead for creation of the country's first-ever national cricket board.
The president announced the step during a meeting with the team, which has been elevated to the international arena since the 2001 removal of the Taliban regime, a statement from his office said.
Afghanistan received ODI status for the first time earlier this year when the war-torn country finished in the top six of the 2011 World Cup qualifying event.
They will also attempt to qualify for the 2010 World Twenty20 championships in October.
It underscores a meteoric rise for a sport that only started building here in recent years, as thousands of refugees from years of crushing war started returning from exile in cricket-mad Pakistan after the Taliban was ousted.
The cricketers had previously fallen under the country's government-funded National Olympic Committee which regulates and manages all major sports in the country.
The cricket team had long called for its own structure and frequently complains about its lack of budget and facilities which fall way behind those of other cricketing nations.
"This is breaking news for the sportsmen of Afghanistan," the team's secretary general Taj Malook told AFP.
"We will get our own budget and attract the international and government support we need," he said. "This has been much needed."
Karzai will be the patron-in-chief of the new board, which is expected to be set up in the next days, Malook said.

Twenty20 comes home to England

Cricket's newest format returns to its birthplace when England hosts the ICC World Twenty20 next month.
But, as with all the other forms of one-day cricket first played in England at county level, the 'mother country' has found herself having to play catch-up with the rest of the world.
Originally conceived as a fun way of bringing new audiences, particularly those who couldn't watch cricket during the working day, into the game, Twenty20 has taken the sport by storm.
Tournaments such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) are now far more lucrative per match for a player than five-day Test cricket, the traditional pinnacle of the sport.
India, whose administrators were originally hostile to Twenty20 because they feared its commercial impact upon the 50-over game, won the inaugural global tournament in South Africa two years ago.
Nine members of that winning squad, which defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by five runs in a thrilling final in Johannesburg, will be coming to England.
But, in what above all other types of cricket is a game heavily weighted in favour of batsmen, India will be without master run-maker Sachin Tendulkar, who has now opted out of Twenty20 internationals.
Generally short boundaries and fielding restrictions put a premium on big-hitting batsmen and in Yuvraj Singh they have someone who struck England's Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in South Africa.
Tendulkar, who himself played in this year's IPL, warned it was important that openers Yuvraj and Gautam Gambhir were refreshed after failing to find top form in the IPL.
"I think the key would be how soon they can shed the fatigue factor," Tendulkar said.
Wicket-taking bowlers are an invaluable commodity in a game where economy rates can go out the window and India look to have a promising pace attack.
Left-armer Rudra Pratap Singh, who took 12 wickets in South Africa in 2007, will be supported this time around by Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma.
Pakistan, starved of international cricket at home after a terror attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March made the country a 'no-go zone', will fancy their chances of going one better this time around.
"I thought Australia would thrash them in the one-off T20 match in Dubai but it was the other way round and now, if Pakistan play to their potential, they can win the title," Pakistan great Wasim Akram told AFP this month.
Australia have dominated all forms of cricket during the last decade except Twenty20 and captain Ricky Ponting is determined to improve both his and the team's record.
"The past couple of games I've played have been very poor," he said. "In the two games in South Africa I made one in each. It's not great form going into a World Cup."
However, at least he is set to take part - which is more than England captain Andrew Strauss.
The opening batsman has opted out of the tournament because he thinks he isn't a good enough Twenty20 player.
Worryingly for tournament organisers, the attention of much of the British media, and indeed home cricket fans, appears firmly fixed on the Ashes Test series at home to Australia which comes after the World Twenty20.
England, for all their experience, have never won a major international one-day tournament and they head into this event with injury doubts over star performers Andrew Flintoff (knee) and Kevin Pietersen (Achilles).
But the IPL and subsequent international form of Ravi Bopara has shown England that there is life beyond "Freddie" and "KP".
Sri Lanka and New Zealand have repeatedly punched above their weight in international tournaments and could do so again during a tournament that will take place at three of English cricket's most historic venues - Lord's, the Oval and Trent Bridge.
And the West Indies could yet put a largely disappointing tour of England behind them in this format.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh and Ireland, who have both enjoyed shock wins on the global stage in the past, will dream of further upsets although, with both Scotland and the Netherlands taking part, there is also the capacity for some hugely lopsided results too.
For the first time the corresponding women's tournament will run in parallel with the main men's event, with both finals taking place on the same day at Lord's where, thanks in part to Twenty20, permanent floodlights are now a feature of the ground.
The tournament gets underway on June 5.

Ajmal eyes Pakistan victory in World Twenty20

Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal said Monday his focus would be his team's bid for victory in next month's World Twenty20 after he was cleared of a suspect bowling action.
The International Cricket Council's Australian biomechanic expert on Sunday cleared a contentious delivery by the 31-year-old during a one-day international against Australia in Dubai last month.
The wily bowler had been named in Pakistan's 15-man squad for the World Twenty20, taking place in England next month.
Ajmal, who made his debut last year, has already taken 10 wickets in eight one-day internationals, while he managed one wicket in the only Twenty20 he played against Australia in Dubai earlier this month.
Ajmal's action while delivering a "doosra" -- a delivery equivalent of leg-spinner's googly -- was questioned by umpires in the second one-day match with Australia.
Ajmal said that the ICC decision removed a huge burden.
"I was carrying a 50-kilo bag on my head and Sunday's decision has allowed me to throw that bag off my head," Ajmal told AFP. "I now feel that my punishment is over and I am relieved and pleased."
The ICC, however, warned "whenever Ajmal bowls in a match in the future, his action will be under the scrutiny of the match officials".
"Now I am relieved and more focused and will do my best to take more and more wickets for my country," Ajmal said. "To help Pakistan clinch the World Twenty20 title is the first aim and the next is to get more and more wickets."
Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam said he was always confident about Ajmal.
"I am pleased for Ajmal," said Alam, who was a leg-spinner in his playing days. "From the word go I was confident that his action will get all clear and now I hope that he performs to the best of his abilities."
Pakistan fly out to England on May 30. They are placed in Group B of the 12-team competition along with hosts England and the Netherlands.

Deccan steal IPL show amid the glitz

The transplanted Indian Premier League finished in front of a capacity crowd with a blaze of fireworks and an array of international entertainers headed by Guyanan rock star Eddy Grant.
The Deccan Chargers took the title with a six-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final, but throughout the 37 days of the tournament in which 59 matches were played, the cricket shared top billing with the lights, music and cheerleaders that were part of the IPL package.
Arranged at short notice in South Africa following security concerns because of elections in India, the IPL captured the imagination of South African sports followers.
The opening weekend in Cape Town, with two double-headers on successive days, was sold out. So were the semi-finals, in Centurion and Johannesburg, and the final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
In between, near-capacity crowds attended many of the games, attracted by low prices, the glitz and glamour of the tournament, and the chance to see most of the world's best players in action.
The unpredictable nature of Twenty20 cricket was shown when Bangalore and Deccan, who filled the last two places on the log in the first IPL in 2008, reached the final.
Even on 2009 form that was a surprise, because they beat the two teams that dominated the round robin stage, the Chennai Super Kings and log-topping Delhi Daredevils respectively.
Conditions were different in South Africa from those in India last year, with bowlers having a bigger say on late-season pitches that offered assistance to both seam and spin bowlers.
Even so, it remained a batsman's game.
Matthew Hayden, the powerful Australian left-hander who retired from international cricket in January, was Chennai's mainstay as he topped the tournament run-scorers list with 572 at an average of 52.00 and an impressive strike rate of 144.81 runs per 100 balls.
Another former Australian player, Deccan captain Adam Gilchrist, played the stand-out innings of the tournament when he slammed 85 off 35 balls in the semi-finals to get his team past Delhi.
Left-arm opening bowler RP Singh of Deccan Chargers was the leading wicket-taker with 23 at an average of 18.13, but many of the most effective bowlers were spinners, led by Bangalore captain Anil Kumble, who finished with 22 wickets, including four for 18 in the final.
Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha was a consistent performer for Deccan and experienced international bowlers like Muttiah Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh were consistently economical.
While much of the focus was on established international stars, the tournament provided a platform for young Indian players such as Bangalore's Manish Pandey, 19, who became the first Indian to hit a century in two seasons of the IPL.
While Deccan leapt from last place in 2008 to the title in 2009, defending champions Rajasthan Royals failed to reach the semi-finals, with former Australian star Shane Warne unable to inspire his comparatively modestly-funded teams to another triumph.
Much of the early focus was on Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta, all co-owners of franchises, but none of their teams did particularly well.
Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders finished an embarrassing last, winning only three out of 14 matches and Khan returned to India early in the campaign.
Zinta's Kings XI Punjab were squeezed out of the semi-finals on run rate, while Shetty's Rajasthan were sixth.
In the end, the cricketers were able to claim centre stage.

Dravid lifts Bangalore past Chennai

Indian stalwart Rahul Dravid and two of the country's rising stars took the Royal Challengers Bangalore to victory in their Indian Premier League semi-final against the Chennai Super Kings at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday.
Bangalore will meet the Deccan Chargers in the final at the same ground Sunday in a contest between the teams that filled the bottom two places on the log in the first IPL in 2008.
Dravid (44) and 19-year-old Manish Pandey (48) put on 72 for the third wicket to lay the foundation for Bangalore's six-wicket win, then Virat Kohli, 20, finished the match off by hitting 24 not out off 17 balls.
As in the first semi-final, when Deccan beat the Delhi Daredevils Friday, the team finishing lower on the log won the knock-out match.
Chennai made a good start after being sent in, with Matthew Hayden, the tournament's leading scorer, and Parthiv Patel putting on 61 for the first wicket.
But the innings lost momentum when Hayden lofted Vinay Kumar to deep mid-wicket off the last ball of the seventh over after making 26.
Patel followed two overs later when he was leg before to Jacques Kallis for 36.
Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the left-handed Suresh Raina added 35 for the third wicket.
Raina hit a four and six off successive balls against Vinay Kumar but the threatened acceleration was cut short in the next over when he top- edged a pull against Praveen Kumar and was caught by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher for 20.
Dhoni reached 28 without hitting a boundary before he hit Roelof van der Merwe high to long-on and fell to a well-judged catch by Vinay Kumar who managed to maintain his balance just inside the rope.
With the pitch playing slower as the innings progressed even the normally free-scoring Albie Morkel could only manage an unbeaten 20 off 17 balls.
Bangalore started their innings aggressively, with Pandey hitting Morkel through the covers for two fours in the first over, with Kallis punching Manpreet Gony past point for two more boundaries in the next over before eding a drive to be caught behind.
Van der Merwe was sent in as a pinch hitter but after being dropped by Muttiah Muralatharan back-pedalling at mid-off against Morkel in the third over he was bowled next ball.
But Pandey continued to bat fluently and found ideal support from Dravid as the pair added 72 for the third wicket before Pandey missed a sweep against left-arm spinner Shadap Jakati in the 13th over.
Dravid was leg before to Muralitharan, who bowled superbly to take one for 15 in four overs, but Kohli and New Zealander Ross Taylor both hit sixes as Bangalore won with seven balls to spare.

Gilchrist blasts Deccan to shock win

Adam Gilchrist blasted a 17-ball half-century and led the Deccan Chargers to a shock win over the Delhi Daredevils in the first Indian Premier League semi-final at Centurion Park on Friday.
Gilchrist finished with 85 off 35 balls, hitting five sixes and ten fours, as the Hyderabad-based Chargers stormed to a six-wicket victory against the tournament favourites with 2.2 overs to spare.
It was the first time in five matches that Deccan had been able to beat Delhi, who posted 153 for eight after being sent in.
That target soon looked easy as Gilchrist went on the rampage, hitting the fastest half-century in the IPL's short history.
Gilchrist hit five successive boundaries off fellow-Australian Dirk Nannes in the first over of the Deccan innings.
Herschelle Gibbs was bowled playing a reckless shot against Ashish Nehra in the next over but Gilchrist continued his assault, hitting 15 off an over from Pradeep Sangwan, then 13 off Nehra as the total raced to 56 off four overs.
Tillekeratne Dilshan managed an economical over of off-spin, conceding only three runs but Delhi skipper Virender Sehwag was smashed for 25 runs in his only over, including three successive sixes by Gilchrist, one from a free hit following a no-ball.
Gilchrist was third man out when he top-edged an attempted big hit against leg-spinner Amit Mishra to backward point off the last ball of the tenth over with the total on 102. Amid the carnage handed out to the other bowlers, Mishra took three for 19 in his four overs.
Deccan made a great start when Ryan Harris dismissed both Delhi opening batsmen for no runs in the first over.
But Sehwag (39) and Dilshan (65) counter-attacked in a third wicket stand of 85 and Delhi were on target for a challenging total before they lost four wickets for eight runs off the last seven balls of the innings.
Harris finished with three for 27.
Delhi finished top of the log in the round robin stage, winning ten of their 14 matches, while Deccan scraped into fourth place with seven wins and seven losses.