Sydney, Oct.25 : A Jamaican Government pathologist insists that former Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer died of pesticide poisoning.

Sydney, Oct.24 : There have been plenty of light moments in the cricket life of Ricky Ponting, too, and one of them surrounded his first involvement with Shane Warne at the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide during the winter of 1992, of how the aspiring spin-king tried to lead him astray even though his then captain-to-be was a teenager at the time.

In his book, Ponting reveals that despite their age difference — Ponting was 17 and Warne almost 23 — "he headed in my direction and we shared some time together".

Writes Ponting in his Captain’s Dairy for 2007: "He was the bloke responsible for my nickname 'Punter', assigned to me because of my habit of sneaking down to the TAB on Monday and Thursday nights to have a bet on the greyhounds.

Sydney, Oct.24 : In his new book, Captain's Diary 2007, which hits bookshelves across Australia today, Ponting reveals how his team's World Cup-winning celebrations almost ended in disaster — with the possibility of even a night in jail — in the West Indies earlier this year after the team ventured back onto the Bridgetown pitch to sing its celebratory song Under the Southern Cross following its win over Sri Lanka in the final.

According to stuff.nz.com, Ponting noticed a group of policemen coming up behind them, with one of them saying: "Righto boys, time to go, you've got to get off the ground."

Melbourne, Oct.24 : Sri Lankan off-spinner Muthiah Muralitharan has said that he will not be affected by the taunts of Australian spectators during the forthcoming series Down Under.

"You never know what is the next thing that will happen in life. In 20 minutes, anything could have happened, we could have been injured or taken back to the sea. So that's the luck. Life goes on,” Murali said recalling the devastation caused by the December 26, 2004 Tsunami in Galle, Sri Lanka.

"I am not too worried about the crowds. It will be the same as before. (Former Sri Lankan coach) Tom (Moody) told me that they only do it to try and distract you … I am looking forward to the challenge," The Age quoted Murali, as saying.

Sydney, Oct.24 : Former Australian captain and middle-order bat Ian Chappell has questioned the merits of Ian Botham's recent knighthood, reigniting a war of words with the English cricket great.

Chappell, who says he hasn't spoken to Botham since 1980, unleashed a withering attack on Beefy in today's edition of The Bulletin magazine.

It follows claims from Botham in his new autobiography that he "flattened" the former Australian captain in a Melbourne bar 30 years ago.

Chappell again dismisses Botham's recounting of the events of their much-told 1977 spat, before cautioning the Englishman, who was knighted by the Queen this month for his services to cricket and charity, about "peddling his lies".