Melbourne, Mar 26 : Australian leg spinner Bryce McGain, despite suffering harsh treatment at the hands of South African batsman in his debut Test, is hopeful about his Ashes selection chances.

The Proteas treated the leg spinner with contempt in the third and final Test of the series a few days ago, belting him for 0-149 off only 18 overs.

McGain, always an upbeat character, said he was confident about his bowling when he fronted the media on Wednesday evening upon his return to Melbourne.

Melbourne, Mar 26 : Almost half of the people in Australia have had mental health problems at some point during their lives, according to newly revealed figures.

The latest national snapshot from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) also found that about one in five Aussies has a mental condition in any given year.

The figures also suggested that non-psychotic psychiatric problems, such as mood and anxiety disorders, are even more common.

Sydney  - Australian stocks continued thei

Johannesburg (South Africa), Mar. 26 : The Australian cricket team has had their first full training session at the Wanderers Ground here in preparation for their Twenty20 series against South Africa.

The squad of 16 was one man short on Wednesday with fast bowler Nathan Bracken absent after having attended a family funeral earlier this week.

The New South Wales left-arm fast bowler has since arrived in Johannesburg and is expected to train with the team ahead of Friday''s opening match. The second Twenty20 match will be played at the Centurion on Sunday.

Sydney, Mar 26 : The Indian Premier League (IPL) team, Rajasthan Royals, led by Shane Warne, are in the early running to be nominated for a gong at a Laureus World Sports Awards, which is certain to be dominated by Olympic and soccer teams.

Awards organisers mentioned them on Wednesday in a long list of contenders for nomination in the world team of the year category, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Melbourne, Mar. 25 : Australia's cricketers are about to have a 250, 000 dollar payday.

With captain Ricky Ponting to officially get his hands on the world championship trophy, the International Cricket Council''s gold mace, and two sizeable cheques during an ICC ceremony in Johannesburg tomorrow, the team stands to benefit hugely.