St. Lucia (West Indies), Apr. 3 : England cricket captain Andrew Strauss has insisted that any rifts between players or between players and the team management have been sorted out. He sincerely believes the team is pulling in the same direction.

Ahead of today's deciding fifth one-day clash, The Sun quoted Strauss as saying: "There was potential for us to go off the rails but that hasn't happened. Losing the Test series was bitterly disappointing. But the guys have stuck together very well and that bodes well for the future."

London, Apr 3: Cricket bible Wisden has broken with 120 years of tradition by naming a woman as one of its players of the year.

England women’s star batsman Claire Taylor has been selected along with four male players as the magazine’s Five Cricketers of the Year for 2009.

It is the first time since the highly respected accolade started in 1889 that it has been conferred on a female player, the Daily Express reports.

Lahore, Apr. 2 : The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt has said that Pakistani players who sided with the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) would only be considered for selection in the national squad after they terminate their contracts with the ICL.

"The only way out for them is to first resign and then terminate their contracts with the ICL then they can be considered for selection," The Daily Times quoted Butt, as saying.

Durban (South Africa), Apr. 2 : Proteas coach Mickey Arthur has described South Africa's first one-day-international (ODI) against Australia on Friday as "huge", and believes that it serve as a key indicator as to which way the series will go.

Wellington, Apr. 2 : Jesse Ryder has been officially declared New Zealand''s number one Test batsman.

According to a Dominion Post report, Ryder''s magnificent 201 in Napier, on the back of his equally controlled century in Hamilton, has catapulted his world ranking to 30 after just eight tests.

Averaging 64 in Test cricket, Ryder yesterday inked a long-term sponsorship deal with Gray Nicolls to add to his lucrative IPL contract.

Wellington, Apr. 2 : Double-sided bats are here to stay, but Kiwi batsman Jesse Ryder isn't too taken up with the idea of using it.

New sponsor Gray Nicolls handed Test batsman Jesse Ryder the jazzy bat, invented for hitting reverse sweeps with the back of the bat''s flat surface, and some space-age helmets yesterday.

Gray Nicolls'' Cameron Black said the bats had caused a stir in Australia after David Warner hit Australian team-mate Shaun Tait on to the roof of the Adelaide Oval using the back of the bat.