Adelaide, Dec. 2 : Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has backed all-rounders Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson to fire at the WACA during the contest against South Africa, which begins from December 17.

Ponting has said that he will contact Perth curator Cameron Sutherland well before the first Test to uncover whether he plans to use an old strip or one of the WACA Ground''s recently relayed pitches.

The latter wickets have provided pace and bounce for domestic fast bowlers all season, and if Sutherland indeed intends to use a relayed surface for the match against South Africa, Krejza may be facing a third consecutive Test as Australia''s unlucky loser.

Adelaide, Dec. 2 : In form Australia fast bowler Brett Lee has said that he is ready for a showdown with Proteas counterpart Dale Steyn.

After taking five wickets for 105 runs against New Zealand and ending up with career-best match figures of 9-171 in the second Test here, Lee said he was looking forward to the contest against the South Africans.

"I lost a lot of strength, it only feels now over the last couple of weeks that the strength has come back. The results show that as far as pace and wickets, I have been improving every match,” Fox Sports quoted Lee, as saying.

Karachi, Dec 2: Pakistani Sports Minister Pir Aftab Shah Jilani has said that Pakistan will welcome India if they opted to come here for a much-awaited cricket series scheduled for January-February next year.

Jilani told reporters that Pakistan will show “sportsman spirit” by hosting India in a friendly environment, and urged the Indian Government to clear the eagerly awaited tour.

“We don’t believe in mixing sports and politics. There may be tensions between the governments but sports shouldn’t suffer,” said Jilani, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Sydney, Dec. 1 : The South African cricket team coach Mickey Arthur has said that the bowlers will target opener Mathew Hayden and all-rounder Andrew Symonds during the forthcoming series.

"[Symonds''s] issues are something we''ve definitely talked about," Arthur told the Herald.

"We have been following what''s been happening, and obviously that drama at the pub can''t have helped his peace of mind. There has been a lot of chat about it in our dressing rooms. His temperament is something we''ve picked up on. We haven''t spoken directly yet as to how we might take advantage of it, but it''s certainly something that has our attention,” he added.

India's cricket tour to Pakistan has been called off in the wake of the recent Mumbai terror strikes.

The team was scheduled to leave for Pakistan on January 6 to play three Tests, five ODIs and one Twenty20 match.

This would be the third international cricketing engagement that has been cancelled in the recent past. First, the Aussies cancelled its tour in March-April and subsequently a Championship Trophy tournament was cancelled.

International cricket teams, including Australia, England and South Africa had refused to play in Pakistan citing security reasons.

Dubai, Dec. 1: International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO Haroon Lorgat today offered his condolences to the people of Mumbai and those caught up in the terror attacks on the city, on behalf of world cricket’s governing body.

Lorgat pledged to provide whatever assistance might be required by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“On behalf of the ICC I would like to offer the condolences and sympathy of the entire cricket world to Mumbai and to India in the wake of the terrible events of the last few days,” an ICC press release quoted him, as saying.