Australia pace bowler Brett Lee has been ruled out of the second Ashes Test after failing to recover from the rib injury that forced him to miss the first, captain Ricky Ponting said on Wednesday.

Gautam Gambhir is the first India batsman in over four years to head the batting rankings after a double failure by Mohammad Yousuf saw the Pakistan ace drop out of the top three in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings

The 2011 World Cup, to be hosted in the sub-continent, was launched in Mumbai on Tuesday with fanfare by the International Cricket Council, with a member each from most of the previous winners present along with ICC vice-president Sharad Pawar

Details about the life and career of the England all-rounder who will quit Test cricket at the end of the Ashes series.

Test cricket is on the verge of a sad death in most countries with more and more players considering an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract their ultimate goal, according to the MCC World Cricket Committee.

The 31-year-old England all-rounder, who will retire at the end of the Ashes series, will continue to be available for one-day and Twenty20 fixtures.

England will play five bowlers in the second Ashes Test against Australia starting at Lord's on Thursday after releasing reserve batsman Ian Bell.

India speedster S Sreesanth, who was left out of the national team for the Champions Trophy to be held in South Africa, is likely to be appointed captain of the Kerala Ranji Trophy team for the coming season.

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting feels Andrew Flintoff's sudden retirement announcement from Test cricket came as a good news for his side because it might act as a distraction for the hosts in the remainder of the Ashes series.

Throughout the course of the glorious summer of 2005 Andrew Flintoff combined abundant talent, a strapping physique and whole-hearted exuberance to become the all-rounder England had craved for so long.

Former Australia batsman Michael Bevan says it is too early to predict if Twenty20 cricket will cause the demise of one-day internationals.

Australia opener Phillip Hughes will play his first Lord's Test on Thursday fully prepared for anything the England bowlers may hurl at him.

The seven players to have lifted the game's greatest prize remember the time and reflect on what makes the tournament so special.

After Steve Waugh, now Shane Warne begs to differ with Ricky Ponting on the alleged time-wasting tactics of England during the Ashes opener in Cardiff, saying the hosts played within the spirit of the game.

Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly added another feather to his cap when he was awarded honorary fellowship by the University of Central Lancashire.