London, Dec 24: English skipper Kevin Pietersen has said that Yuvraj Singh was a great player, and the sixes hit by him had left him dumbfounded.

The Mohali Test has been punctuated by baiting between Pietersen and Yuvraj, whose 86 was the highlight of the final day of the drawn Test.

Pietersen, who called Yuvraj a pie-chucker a couple of days ago, turned a great admirer of the Punjab batsman on Tuesday.

"The man (Yuvraj Singh) is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball in world cricket. The sixes this man hits, leaves me dumbfounded. He is a very special cricketer," is how Pietersen described the Indian left-hander at the end of the Test series against India.

Melbourne, Dec 23 : Australian cricket coach Tim Nielsen has said that the team will consider entering the crucial Boxing Day Test against South Africa without a specialist spinner.

Australia has the options of playing four fast bowlers in Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and debutant Ben Hilfenhaus, or selecting a traditional attack of three quicks and spinner Nathan Hauritz.

Nielsen said he favoured the idea of playing a spinner, but would not guarantee Hauritz a start until the Australians had assessed the conditions closer to the game.

Melbourne, Dec 23 : Cricket fans behaving badly at the Boxing Day Test will face ejection and hefty fines, police have warned.

Police numbers will be beefed up during the Test and on-the-spot fines will be handed out for troublemakers ejected from the ground.

The Age reported that 227 dollars penalty notices would also be issued for using obscene language, threatening or insulting words, and poor behaviour.

Victoria Police Superintendent Stephen Leane urged people planning to drink alcohol to leave their cars at home.

"We want people to enjoy themselves and have a good time, but we don't want people drinking in excess and spoiling the day for others," Superintendent Leane said.

Melbourne, Dec 23 : Skipper Ricky Ponting, who has been termed Captain Pout for not supporting his young pace attack when it was flayed all over at WACA, has been termed as Australian sport's most marketable star.

Ponting, who might have lost his gloss, should sign up for every luxury watch, vitamin pill and car oil endorsement he can get his hands on, the Courier Mail has said.

The 33-year-old Tasmanian, who took the title from Ian Thorpe last winter, pipped retired swimmer Grant Hackett (No. 2) at the top of a list which includes no fewer than seven retired sports stars in its top 10.

That's seemingly an honour reserved for whoever sits in the Australian cricket team captain's chair.

Sydney, Dec 23: Australian selectors have spared pace bowler Brett Lee and out of form opener Mathew Hayden for the Boxing Day Test against South Africa, but the senior players of the team have been told they are letting down a side in transition.

Two fresh faces have been drafted into a Test squad of 13, with NSW spinner Nathan Hauritz replacing Jason Krejza and Tasmania's Ben Hilfenhaus to be measured alongside Victorian Peter Siddle for the third fast-bowling position.

Selectors' patience is wearing thinner with every passing Test in this period of rebuilding as the roles played by Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist has been revealed fully by their absence, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

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