Durban (South Africa), Apr. 2 : Proteas coach Mickey Arthur has described South Africa's first one-day-international (ODI) against Australia on Friday as "huge", and believes that it serve as a key indicator as to which way the series will go.

Wellington, Apr. 2 : Jesse Ryder has been officially declared New Zealand''s number one Test batsman.

According to a Dominion Post report, Ryder''s magnificent 201 in Napier, on the back of his equally controlled century in Hamilton, has catapulted his world ranking to 30 after just eight tests.

Averaging 64 in Test cricket, Ryder yesterday inked a long-term sponsorship deal with Gray Nicolls to add to his lucrative IPL contract.

Wellington, Apr. 2 : Double-sided bats are here to stay, but Kiwi batsman Jesse Ryder isn't too taken up with the idea of using it.

New sponsor Gray Nicolls handed Test batsman Jesse Ryder the jazzy bat, invented for hitting reverse sweeps with the back of the bat''s flat surface, and some space-age helmets yesterday.

Gray Nicolls'' Cameron Black said the bats had caused a stir in Australia after David Warner hit Australian team-mate Shaun Tait on to the roof of the Adelaide Oval using the back of the bat.

Wellington, Apr. 2: ICC President David Morgan and Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat on Thursday met the board of New Zealand Cricket as part of their ongoing process of information sharing with Members.

The two-hour meeting in Wellington was the third of its kind for the pair, in the country as part of the ICC’s centenary celebrations, having caught up with the boards of Cricket Australia in Melbourne and Cricket South Africa in Johannesburg in February.

London, Apr. 2 : Acting England cricket team coach Andy Flower may be the frontrunner for the post of full-time coach or team director, but rumour mills are agog with news that Indian crcket team coach Gary Kirsten is also in the race for the coveted assignment.

While The Telegraph reports that Flower is expected to continue his partnership with captain Andrew Strauss into the summer, the Daily Express says that Kirsten has emerged as a strong possible challenger.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has said that it will begin the interview process as soon as the England team arrives home next week, with an appointment set to be announced before the West Indies tour starts at Lord's on May 6.

Karachi, Apr. 1 : While Shoaib Akhtar may have declared himself fit for national duty, Pakistan team selectors have made it clear that he should be 100 percent match fit to be considered for the scheduled one day international series against Australia in the UAE.

According to a team official, all the players would have to clear the test to be able to qualify for the April 22-May 7 series. All eyes would be on controversial speedster Akhtar, who has declared himself fit.

The selectors and team management, however, are not convinced by Akhtar’s claims.