Lahore, Mar 24: Shoaib Akhtar is hopeful the Indian Premier League (IPL)’s impending move to South Africa or England could pave the way for Pakistani players to return to the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.

In an interview to a cricket website, Shoaib said he and his Pakistani counterparts were holding out hope of an eleventh-hour call-up to the IPL, now that the tournament seems destined to be shifted out of India.

London, Mar. 24: Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton was last night warned to expect a Kimi Raikkonen backlash this season.

Grand Prix chief Bernie Ecclestone reckons Finn Raikkonen will want to prove a point after a nightmare defence of his drivers’ crown last year, reports The Sun.

Ecclestone believes this year will be a different story, especially if Raikkonen gets a flier when the season starts in Australia on Sunday.

Barbados (West Indies), Mar. 24: England and Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara is hell bent on becoming a big-hitting sensation in the Indian Premier League, no matter where it is played.

Both England and South Africa want to stage the event, and a decision is expected within 72 hours, The Sun reports.

The Essex all-rounder is to play for Kings XI Punjab for 309,000 pounds, three times his reserve price.

Napier, Mar. 24: India’s batting machine has dented the confidence of New Zealand’s fast bowlers so much, that a majority of them have owned up to not possessing the required counter-attacking skills.

One of them is New Zealand’s most experienced bowler, Kyle Mills.

In the wake of a master class 42nd Test hundred by India’s Sachin Tendulkar (160) at Hamilton, Mills made little effort to mask his inadequacies as he reflected on the least-memorable episode of his 19-test career.

Brisbane, Mar. 24: Out of favour Australian cricket all rounder Andrew Symonds alcohol-related woes continue.

On Sunday, he was kicked out of a Brisbane bar. The Daily Telegraph can reveal that, five days earlier, Symonds had to be woken by his Queensland team-mates after a bender so he could make his flight home from the Sheffield Shield final in Melbourne.

Symonds, 33, appears to have learnt little from being stood down by Cricket Australia in January when told to seek counselling for his off-field behaviour.

London, Mar 24: University eggheads have unveiled a formula for the perfect spot kick – leaving no excuse for footballers who’re prone to fluffing penalties.

Researchers, who studied hour after hour of footage to reach the conclusion, say the formula promises 100 per cent success.

According to them, the shot should be 65mph or more, which requires a run-up of five to six paces, commencing from the edge of the 18-yard line — approaching the ball at an angle of 20 to 30 degrees.

And it must cross the goal line at exactly 0.5m below crossbar and 0.5m inside either post.