Karachi, Dec 16 : Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik has refused to comment on the possibility of playing India in the near future as the Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB) has put a gag on players talking on the sensitive subject, but hoped his team get a cricket-rich 2009 after the disappointment of not playing much in the year nearing finish.

"I don't want to make any comment because PCB is dealing with the matter relating to cricket tour of India but all I can say is that we are ready to play anywhere the series takes place," The News quoted Malik, as saying.

Lahore, Dec 16 : Pakistani Fast bowler Sohail Tanvir's exploits for his IPL team, Rajasthan Royals, has earned him a deal with South Australia for the current season.

Sohail would leave for Australia on December 26 where he would take part in five Twenty20 matches.

He is seeking the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) permission to join South Australian for the current season.

If permission is granted, he would leave for Australia on December 26, The News reported.

Sohail Tanvir is currently representing the Federal Areas Leopards in Pentangular Cup, which concludes on December 24.

London, Dec. 16 : Former England captain and opener Geoffrey Boycott is of the view that left-arm spinner Monty Panesar has not learnt a thing while playing top flight cricket, particularly in test cricket.

Recalling former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne's making this comment last year, Boycott endorsed it, and said Panesar and the current squad would do well to take a few lessons from their defeat against India in the first of two Tests that ended in Chennai on Monday.

"He (Warne) basically said Panesar has not learned a thing in Test cricket," said Boycott.

Madrid - Spanish league leaders Barcelona are poised to extend and improve the contract of goalkeeper Victor Valdes, the Catalan daily Sport reported on Tuesday.

In the past fortnight, Barca have improved the contracts of Euro 2008 top player Xaxi and of youngster Sergio Busquets.

Now comes the turn of Valdes, who is in excellent form at the moment, as Real Madrid discovered in Saturday's 2-0 defeat.

Valdes, 26, has conceded only nine goals in 15 Liga games this season, one of the best goalkeeping record in Europe's major leagues.

Dusseldorf - German organizers have expressed their delight that players can earn world ranking points at the World Team Cup tournament from next year onwards.

"This one of the best news in the tournament's 32-year history, it is like an early Christmas present," said tournament director Dietloff von Arnim on Monday night.

The ATP has agreed that players at the team event can earn up to 250 points each for the singles and doubles rankings. The move was expected as points will also awarded in the Davis Cup.

Perth, Dec. 16 : Australian captain Ricky Ponting has said that even Brett Lee will be expected to take his turn pushing into Perth''s famous sea breeze.

Ponting also confirmed that Peter Siddle will play the first Test against South Africa, beginning on Thursday, replacing Stuart Clark, who is out with tennis elbow.

Clark had surgery in Sydney on Monday afternoon to remove bone spurs on his right elbow and will miss the remainder of the international summer.

"It''s a big blow for Stuart and the team," Ponting said.