Sydney, Nov. 14 : A majority of cricket fans have welcomed the announcement of Andrew Symonds'' recall to the Test team, but don’t know why he was sacked by his teammates.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Symonds was sacked for many other reasons, and not just because he opted to go fishing when he was supposed to attend a team meeting in Darwin ahead of the series against Bangladesh.

Karachi, Nov 14 : Amid signals emerging from India that it might not send its cricket team to Pakistan to play a series early next year due to “security reasons”, the PCB has said that it was willing to host the series at a neutral offshore venue.

The series, including ODIs, Tests and a Twenty20 game, is scheduled for January 4 to February 19.

London, Nov 14 : Fast bowler Steve Harmison, who was persuaded by new captain Kevin Pietersen to be a world beater again, has said that he is fired up in India for revenge.

When England last toured India, Harmison returned home early with shin splints after the Tests and missed the one-day series, which the home side won 5-1, The Telegraph reported.

But the motivations for winning this time exceed simple revenge, following India’s victory over Australia and the enticing reek of money from the Indian Premier League.

Melbourne, Nov. 14 : Australian Test captain Ricky Ponting today endorsed the recall of Andrew Symonds to the national team, describing him as an invaluable asset.

"He''s a great team man and a great player. He''s someone we look forward to having around," the Courier Mail quoted Ponting, as saying.

Launching his sixth book of the series Captain''s Diary in Sydney, Ponting''s praise of Symonds came just a couple of hours before the all rounder was named in the Test team to play New Zealand.

Melbourne, Nov. 14 : An evening of Twenty20 cricket at the Gabba in Brisbane today, will see a new generation of cricketers going to work on innovative shots and styles with the potential to send the pyjama format of the game on a different evolutionary path.

An Australia XI will play an All Star XI in which players will be drawn from both Test and Sheffield Shield sides.

The ones to watch out for will be 23-year-old Peter Siddle, an emerging fast bowler, and 22-year-old Dave Warner, the New South Wales all-rounder, who has mastered the art of switching from left to right and vice-versa while pummeling the ball to all parts of the ground.

Melbourne, Nov 14: One cannot expect Andrew Symonds back to be a saint overnight as his push for a Test recall gathered momentum, said the sports psychologist who guided the troubled all rounder to overcome his problem.

Dr Phil Jauncey said the allrounder would continue to face major challenges as Symonds was named in a 13-man Australian squad for next week’s first Test against New Zealand at the Gabba, the Daily Telegraph reported.