Lahore, Dec. 5 : India should undertake their January-February tour of Pakistan as it is ‘very important’ for the future of cricket in Asia, claims former Pakistan Test cricketer and selector Shahfqat Rana.

Talking to Daily Times here, Rana said both countries should play their forthcoming series to show solidarity and give message to the terrorists that attacked Mumbai last week that such ‘cowardly acts’ cannot scare the people of the region.

He, however, said: “if India refuse to tour Pakistan, then this would hurt not only our relations but also cricket, it would mean that we have given in to terrorists.”

Melbourne, Dec. 4 : Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has said that he has no plans to reduce his ODI appearances to prolong his Test career.

He said he wanted to play as much international cricket as he could, and enjoyed the challenge of leading Australia through their transitional phase following the exodus of retirees.

Dubai, Dec. 4 : The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed details of the process for the selection of venues for the ICC World Twenty20 2010 in the West Indies.

As per the host agreement, the West Indies Cricket Board has undertaken to recommend its preferred venues to the ICC. The ICC Board will consider the recommendation at its quarterly meeting that will take place in Perth, Australia on 31 January and 1 February.

The ICC Board will then make its decision based on those recommendations.

Melbourne, Dec. 4 : Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has assured his fans that his well-publicised wrist injury is little more than a niggle and it will, hopefully, be healed by the end of the summer.

Ponting visited surgeon Greg Hoy in Melbourne today for a scan on his right wrist - which has previously been operated on - and was told there no need for cortisone injections or other treatment for the injury.

"It was not a necessity for me to go and see the surgeon, it was more of a check-up," Ponting said.

"As everyone knows, I''ve had a bit of discomfort over the past few months but most players on the international scene have a bit of pain they''ve got to carry through every season," he added.

Sydney, Dec. 4 : Everyone knows that Australian captain Ricky Ponting has been Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh’s bunny in almost all the series that have been contested between the two countries since 2001, and if Ponting does go through with his `horses for course” strategy, he would probably have to bar himself from facing the Indians anywhere on the cricket field.

At least, that is what former Australian fast bowler Damien Fleming thinks. Fleming told the Sydney Morning Herald that in cases where a horses for courses policy has been followed in the past, it has always been the bowlers, rather than the batters, who have been made the whipping boys.

Johannesburg, Dec. 4 : Cricket South Africa CEO Gerald Majola has said that the controversial selection policy on coloured players is set to be scrapped in three years after the resounding success within the national side, which now fields top performing non-white players ranked among the world''s best.

Plans have been made to continue the "target transformation policy" - often referred to as a "quota system" - for the next three years before discarding it for merit-based selection.

"The goal is to get merit-based selection at all levels of cricket," Majola told the Sydney Morning Herald last night.