Johannesburg, Mar. 4 : Cricket Australia (CA) has indicated that next year''s scheduled cricket Tests between Australia and Pakistan could be held in England. The discussions had been going on for several weeks before Tuesday's terror attack in Lahore.

"Pakistan has accepted for some time that we aren't able to visit because of the safety and security concerns in that nation. Pakistan has started the discussion about playing three Test matches at neutral venues in England in 2010," CA spokesman Peter Young said.

Johannesburg  - Football's controlling body FIFA on Tuesday expressed their disappointment at the lack of hype surrounding the Confederations Cup that is to be hosted in South Africa from June 14 to June 18.

The FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke told a press briefing that he did not see a single poster for the competition.

"There's nothing not even at the airport that shows you that this is a Confederations Cup host city. We appointed a signage company on Tuesday to promote it," he said.

Johannesburg - Twenty-eight parties plan to contest general elections in South Africa on April 22, the country's independent electoral commission (IEC) said Tuesday.

Of the 28 parties, 11 will contest seats to the National Assembly and all nine provinces in the concomitant national and provincial polls, the IEC said.

Of the three parties that are only fielding candidates for the 400-seat National Assembly, one is called Keep It Straight and Simple (KISS) and another A Party.

Johannesburg - City officials in South Africa's capital Pretoria burnt the makeshift homes of over 300 refugees of last year's spate of deadly xenophobic violence on Monday, to force them to vacate a camp.

Black smoke billowed over the refugee camp north of the city, where 382 people who fled attacks on foreigners last year had been staying. A spokesman for the city confirmed to reporters that city officials had set fire to their shacks, the South African Press Association reported.

Johannesburg, Mar. 2 : Australia cricket team coach Tim Neilsen has said that if the visitors pull off a victory today against South Africa in the Johannesburg Test, the mental strength of the side that has many youngsters will be sky high.

"I can''t see anything but us winning this game," Neilsen said after South Africa, set an improbable 454 to win, reached 2-178 at the close on the fourth day at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

"If we do win, the mental state of this young side will be over the top. I''m really excited about this young team reaching a position where we can win this Test match," Fox Sports quoted him as saying further.

Johannesburg, Feb. 28 : Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke has rallied behind young opening batsman Phil Hughes, who made a fourth-ball duck on debut against South Africa.

Hughes, aged just 20, tried to cut a short ball from Dale Steyn in the first over of the match and was caught behind.

"He was disappointed," said Clarke, who made 151 in his Test debut against India in Bangalore in 2004, aged 23.

"He wanted to do really well but he''s a pretty tough cookie and it was a pretty tough wicket to make his debut on.