Sydney, Feb 23 : Former Australian batsman Dean Jones has claimed world of cricket has massively benefited from the influence of game''s major powerhouse Board of Cricket Control (BCCI). "The reason cricket is one of the world''s most popular sports is mainly due to the influence from India.

Cricket is played by 10 nations with Test status and 35 associate countries. But it is India that provides nearly 80 per cent of the world''s cricket revenues," Jones wrote in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald. "And cricket-playing countries and players around the world are a lot wealthier because of that revenue generated by India," he added.

Sydney, Feb 23 : Australian all rounder Moises Henriques, who made his debut during the ongoing Chennai Test against India on Friday, said his legs started to turn to jelly while he was entering the field to bat on day one, adding his nerves died down after facing the first ball of his Test career.

Portuguese-born Henriques, who scored a brilliant half-century on his debut, finished the day with strapping around his left shin but said he would be all right to bowl on Saturday, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Islamabad, Feb 22 : Pakistani-origin fast bowler Moin Ashraf has claimed he would like to emulate Yorkshire teammate Joe Root by breaking into the England team. A Bradford-born fast-medium bowler, Moin made his first-class debut against Loughborough University in May 2010 and signed his first professional contract for Yorkshire at the end of the 2010 season, PakPassion. net reports.

Ashraf made an impact in the last two matches of the Championship season by taking three wickets on his debut in a win over Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge and following up with 5 for 32 against Kent at Headingley.

Chennai, Feb 22 : Captain Michael Clarke scored a magnificent century to rescue Australia from a struggling position after Ravichandran Ashwin snared all six top-order batsmen to leave the visitors reeling at 153/5 at one stage of the day one of the Chennai Test against India.

Australia was battling at one stage, but Clarke''s unbeaten 103, which included 11 fours and one six, ensured the tourists ended the day at 316/7 at stumps. At one stage, it looked as if Australia would not even get close to the 300 mark, but Clarke, along with debutant Moises Henriques, made sure that the visitors are in a comfortable position after a mid-day wobble.

Chennai, Feb 22 : Australia were 215 for five at tea on day one of the first cricket Test against India at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium here Friday.

Skipper Michael Clarke and debutant Moises Henriques were batting on 45 and 29, respectively, as Australia scored at 3.25 runs per over.

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took all five wickets.(IANS)

St George's (Grenada), Feb 22 : Captain Dwayne Bravo says the West Indies will be seeking to rebound from a white wash in Australia when their new series against Zimbabwe bowls off in St. George's Friday.

The West Indies will try to reverse a losing trend when they play Zimbabwe in the first of three One Day Internationals (ODI) at the national stadium following a five nil drubbing at the hands of the Aussies earlier this month.

Bravo, skippering the side in place of Darren Sammy who has been rested for the series, says the Caribbean side is hungry for success.

Sydney, Feb 21 : Australia''s champion women''s cricketers have turned their attention to defending their Ashes title after returning home with a record-breaking sixth World Cup. The youthful squad touched down at airports across the country today, with Ellyse Perry, Alex Blackwell, Rachael Haynes, Sarah Coyte and Erin Osborne arriving at Sydney airport, News. com. au reports.

Sydney, Feb 21 : Australia captain Michael Clarke has claimed their decision to play four fast bowlers against India in the Chennai Test, starting on Friday, is not a gamble but a calculated move. "Australia''s inclusion of Nathan Lyon as a lone spinner is a clear consequence of the squad''s lack of world-class spin options, but the Test captain said they were not exposing themselves to potential calamity with the radical selection of Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and all-rounder Moises Henriques in such conditions," the Age reports.

Sydney, Feb 21 : Australia vice-captain Shane Watson has claimed he is looking to give a befitting reply to his critics, who believe he doesn''t merit a place in the Test team because he is not among the top six batsman in the country.

The 31-year-old''s injury-driven decision to place the bowling aspect of his game on hold led critics to opine that he does not merit a spot in the Australian XI, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Sydney, Feb 21 : Michael Clarke has claimed Australia''s Test series against India is the biggest assignment of his captaincy career so far especially after the retirement of experienced Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke from international cricket.

"As enjoyable as touring India can be, none of this changes the fact that this remains one of the toughest tours on the planet," Clarke wrote in his column for News. com. au. "The Indian team always lifts their game against Australia and the Groundhog Day routine of touring life is always a challenge for the players and support staff," he added.

Chennai, Feb 21 : Harbhajan Singh will become the 10th Indian to play 100 Tests when he takes the field in the first Test against Australia here Friday.

The off-spinner's inclusion in the playing eleven was confirmed on the eve of the match here.

"It's a big game," Harbhajan was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "(The previous) 99 are gone. Obviously a bit nervous but I am sure I will be fine. I have faced these situations before.

Melbourne, Feb 20 : Cricket Australia (CA) Wednesday added Josh Hazlewood, Gurinder Sandhu and Peter Handscomb to the Australia A squad who are playing visiting side England Lions in six unofficial one-day games.

Hazelwood and Sandhu will join the squad in Hobart Wednesday evening while Handscomb will travel at the end of the Bupa Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Queensland, said a CA press release.

Handscomb will only play in Friday's third match at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart. Hazlewood and Sandhu will travel with the squad to Sydney Saturday where they will play the last two games at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

Gros Islet (St. Lucia), Feb 20 : West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) chief Julian Hunte believes the regional women's team victory over Australia in the super-six stage of the ICC Women's World Cup is proof of their development.

The Caribbean side beat the Aussies in their final super-six game to book their place in the final which they subsequently lost Sunday, in a rematch with Australia, reports CMC.

Their earlier victory, however, was their first ever over Australia in ODIs.

Melbourne, Feb 19 : Ben McDermott, son of Australian bowling legend Craig McDermott, was Tuesday named in the 14-player Australia Under-19 squad to tour New Zealand from late March to early April.

The squad is a selection of Australia's emerging talent including McDermott, 2013 U-19 National Championship leading wicket-taker Cameron Valente and batsman Kelvin Smith, who equalled Callum Ferguson's U-17 National Championship record of most runs in 2011.

Kampala (Uganda), Feb 19 : Uganda has named an 18-man squad that will defend its title when the International Cricket Council (ICC) Africa T20 tournament kicks off here Feb 23.

Martin Suji, the national team coach, said Monday that they were ready for the tournament that will also act as a World Cup qualifier.

"We have trained so hard and are simply waiting for action," Suji told Xinhua in an interview.

Uganda will open their campaign against arch-rivals Kenya Feb 23, the same day Botswana battle Tanzania.

Sydney, Feb 18 : Cricket great Shane Warne has said that the introduction of Thirty30 cricket is the best method to keep children under the age of 14 interested in the game, in a documentation of his thoughts on the future of international cricket on his website.

Setting his sights on grassroots cricket, Warne said that in today's age of technology, where there are a number of distractions for children, it is necessary for a new initiative to be put in place in schools, to get the children to understand that cricket is all about participation and enjoyment, the Herald Sun reports.

Wellington, Feb 14 : Ross Taylor has claimed he is still feeling rusty despite making his comeback in the New Zealand Twenty20 team, but the former captain is confident he is just couple of boundaries away from regaining his rhythm.

Having been the centre of cricketing attention for nearly three months for reasons other than batting, Taylor''s form will begin to fall under the microscope after two cheap dismissals in the England T20 series so far, Stuff. co. nz reports.

Johannesburg, Feb 13 : Cricket South Africa (CSA) has launched a new Twenty20 event in the country in association with RAM Hand-to-Hand Couriers, which is also one of its latest major sponsors.

Looking forward to CSA's association with RAM, acting CEO Jacques Faul said that this would be one of their most lucrative franchise properties as the T20 is the most popular domestic competitions for Proteas fans, Sport24 reports.

Sydney, Feb 12 : Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes believes he can replicate his form in India''s spin-friendly conditions, following a quiet chat with Michael Clarke.

After earning a recall to Australia''s Test side in Hobart last year, Hughes posted Test scores of 86 and 87 against Sri Lanka and then two one-day centuries against the tourists.

It prompted paceman Peter Siddle to label him one of the key men in the four-Test series, which starts in Chennai on February 22.

Hamilton (New Zealand), Feb 12 : New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum inspired his team to a crushing 55-run win over England in the second Twenty20 international in Hamilton on Tuesday, levelling the series
1-1.

New Zealand made 192 for six after being sent into bat, and then bowled out the tourists for 137.

McCullum scored 74, including five sixes and six fours, as the Black Caps made the most of the short Seddon Park boundaries to punish the England attack.

England captain Stuart Broad said New Zealand played fantastically and took the game away from the visitors.