Sydney, Jan. 6: South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, who top-scored with 89, has rated the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) pitch among the three toughest third-day wickets he has encountered in his 11-year career.

"It''s not nice staring down the wicket and you make sure you run on the side of it so you don''t fall down," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Boucher, as saying.

"But we can''t control that. It''s the playing surface we have been given and we''ve just got to try and play on it as best we can," he added.

However, pitch curator Tom Parker said he was influenced by forecasts of showers for the eve of the Test and the first morning to keep watering to a minimum.

London, Jan. 6 : England fast bowler Stephen Harmison has said that he would like coach Peter Moores and skipper Kevin Pietersen to resolve their differences sooner than later, as that will be good for the England team.

Moores, the head coach, and Pietersen, the captain, are set for crisis talks this week with Moores''s job understood to be on the line.

"They have got to get their heads together and have a chat and sort out the issues," The Independent quoted Harmison, as saying.

London, Jan. 6 : The England and Wales Cricket Board has apparently given the green light to approach Graham Ford to become the cricket team's new coach.

South African Ford is the bookies' favourite to replace Peter Moores, who looks increasingly likely to lose his job this week following a bust-up with captain Kevin Pietersen.

Kent for whom Ford is their director of cricket, has said that it would not stand in his way if the England job came knocking.

Sydney, Jan. 6 : Australian opener Mathew Hayden may have played his last knock in Tests at the Sydney Cricket Ground today.

He fell for 39 in the morning session, departing to a respectful applause from the crowd who wondered if the 103-Test veteran had played his last innings.

South African pacer Morne Morkel bowled the Queensland left-hander after he had struck seven fours in a better display than his first-innings 31, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Sydney, Jan. 5 : Batsman Michael Clarke has delivered immense reassurance to his team in desperate times, and is being seen as the natural leader of Australia''s changing cricket team.

Having scored his tenth century in the ongoing Sydney Test against South Africa, there is nothing premature about the 27-year-old''s recognition as the main man of the Australian middle order.

Clarke is the leading run-scorer in the series, with 342 at 85.5, including yesterday''s 138.

Lahore, Jan 5: Pakistani pace bowler Mohammad Asif wants a quick resolution to his playing status, which is effectively in limbo after he tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone during the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year.

Asif has appealed against the result, but was suspended by the previous Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) administration from all forms of the game pending the outcome of the IPL inquiry.

That is a status the current administration has not changed, the Daily Times reported.