Brisbane, Jan. 30 : Former Australia batsman Stuart Law is angry at being treated like a cricket "leper" in Australia after his links with a rebel Indian Cricket League stopped him landing a prized coaching post.

The man who led Queensland to their first four Sheffield Shield titles was offered the position of Australian Centre of Excellence batting coach on the condition he severs his ties with the Indian Cricket League.

Law plays for ICL team Chennai Superstars, whose players are banned from mainstream cricket in most countries because, unlike the Indian Premier League, their competition is not sanctioned by the ICC.

Mumbai, Jan. 29: The Indian Premier League (IPL) has banned Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Asif for one year on charges of using a banned substance for enhancing performance, here today.

However, the duration of the ban has been back dated to July last year, when Asif was banned from all cricket by the PCB

Melbourne, Jan 30: Indian Pair Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi entered the finals of Australian Open mixed doubles after beating Czech duo Iveta Benesova and Lukas Dlouhy in straight sets.

The Indian pair beat their Czech rivals 6-4 6-1, and made into the finals of Australian Open for second consecutive year. They lost last year's final at the Melbourne Park.

Trailing in the opening set 1-3, Sania and Bhupathi stormed back to seal the match in just 54 minutes.

Madrid  - Spanish gi

Melbourne, Jan. 30: World Number One Rafael Nadal has said that he will be wary when facing Fernando Verdasco and Nadal in today's semi-final, which has just begun.

Nadal, the French Open master and Wimbledon champion, is the world No. 1 and the greatest player Spain has produced and has not lost to Verdasco in six meetings. Verdasco has not reached anything like those heights but is in career-best form, having beaten tournament favourite Andy Murray and crowd favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The two Spaniards are great mates, both are left-handers and both have impressive, heavily top-spun, forehands.

Brisbane, Jan. 30: Former Australia batsman Stuart Law is angry at being treated like a cricket "leper" in Australia after his links with a rebel Indian Cricket League stopped him landing a prized coaching post.

The man who led Queensland to their first four Sheffield Shield titles was offered the position of Australian Centre of Excellence batting coach on the condition he severs his ties with the Indian Cricket League.