Melbourne, Mar. 9 : Former Australian captain Bill Lawry believes current opener Phillip Hughes should have been picked earlier than he was, claiming he was held back because of a selection process that required overhauling.

"The success of Hughes is a wake-up call to our selection panel that you don''t need to be 30 before you play for Australia,'''' Lawry, a left-hand opener himself, was quoted by the Herald Sun, as saying today

Sydney, Mar. 9 : Test umpire Darryl Hair has labeled ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat a bully for telling on-field officials caught in the recent Lahore attack to be "more rational" about their experience.

Australian umpires Simon Taufel and Steve Davis have complained that Pakistan failed to protect them when gunmen opened fire as they travelled behind the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore on February 2.

Lorgat, the umpires'' boss, suggested on Sunday that they were overwrought and needed to reflect on events calmly.

Melbourne, Mar 9 : An 8-year-old Kiwi boy found a message in a bottle, which was washed up on the beach, 25 years after a girl threw it into the ocean from the same spot.

Tom Hussona, from Auckland, discovered the message on Christmas Day last year.

Kylie Tatham-Tahere, who threw the bottle in the ocean 25 years ago, said she was "blown away" when she got a text message from Tom's mother Erica.

"The message was just in hundreds of bits," News. com. au quoted Erica as telling the Waikato Times.

"The paper was so delicate... we had to try to get between the folds and unravel it with toothpicks," she added.

Melbourne, Mar 9 : The Sound Relief concert organised in Melbourne to raise funds for Victorian bushfire victims have become the largest-ever paid event in Australia.

Several international acts will perform and some legendary Australian bands have also reformed for the bushfire aid concerts to be held side by side in Melbourne and Sydney on March 14.

More than 78,000 tickets have been sold for the sell out Melbourne event, which will feature the likes of Kings of Leon and Kylie Minogue.

Sydney, March 9 : Cars that give owners tips on how to attain maximum mileage while driving may soon be reality, thanks to a technology that is due in an Audi that wil be launched in Australia early next year.

The technology monitors driver behaviour and offers advice to cut fuel use, in turn reducing emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

The advices it gives include tips on the best gear to be in, not putting your foot on the clutch too early, and not using the accelerator when starting the car.

Canberra, Mar. 9 : After suffering a humiliating defeat by India, Pakistan women cricket team managed to salvage some pride after it defeated Sri Lanka by 57 in the ongoing ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in Manuka Oval here.

Batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan scored 161 for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 50 overs.

Openers gave Pakistan a steady start with Nain Abidi and Bisma Maroof adding 47 runs for the first wicket.