London, Dec 7: England''s decision to return to India to play two Test matches, a fortnight after the terrible terror attacks in Mumbai commands respect for two reasons, says noted cricket commentator Peter Roebuck.

According to Roebuck, first, it shows that captain Kevin Pietersen can lead a team through a crisis, and second, England''s willingness to go back, makes the long-awaited split on racial lines less likely.

In his article for the Sydney Morning Herald, Roebuck contrasts this with the lack of spunk shown by the Australians, saying that cricketers from Down Under "have repeatedly turned to jelly in the face of arbitrary danger."

London, Dec 7 : Soccer ace Cristiano Ronaldo is dating a married woman, it has emerged.

Ukraine-born brunette Olena Haynes is the estranged wife of wealthy businessman John Haynes and the face of dating websites, which find beautiful Russian lovers for British men.

John, 50, branded the football ace a slimy toe-rag after discovering his wife and Ronaldo had sent each other more than 300 text messages.

John claims Olena was using a secret mobile he found stashed in their home.

He says Manchester United and Portugal star Ronaldo, 23, struck up a relationship with his wife in August.

Sydney, Dec. 7 : Out of favour Australian left-arm swing bowler Nathan Bracken is trying to force his way back into the Australian Test squad as a spinner.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Bracken, who was ranked the world''s No. 1 one-day bowler, has secretly been working on his spinners in the nets and is hoping to unleash them soon in a game.

"I''ve been practising them a fair bit. I''ve been bowling them at training but the hardest thing has been trying to get the chance to bowl them in a game," he told the Sun Herald.

During the last Sheffield Shield game against Tasmania, where Bracken took a match total of eight wickets, he asked Blues skipper Dominic Thornely for the chance to bowl spin in the second innings.

Sydney, Dec. 7 : Former Australian captain and opener Bobby Simpson expects current opener Simon Katch to maintain technical poise and adapt a simple approach while dealing with the South African pace trio of Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel during the upcoming Test series.

"I''m very pleased and proud of what he''s been able to do. He''s a lad who''s approached the job in the simplest possible way, which is the way I like it. He''s sorted out the technical things we''ve talked about and he''s now doing them exactly as we planned about two years ago. I''ve got great pleasure from that, the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Simpson, as saying.

Melbourne, Dec. 7 : South African pacer Dale Steyn, who will arrive in Australia today for a Test and one-day series, has that he is very keen to bury the demons of his last trip Down Under.

The centre piece of the Proteas attack, Steyn has repeatedly said that he has not forgotten the humiliation of being ripped apart by Australian and Sri Lankan batsmen in two one day internationals in 2005-06.

Steyn conceded 90 runs from eight overs during his frightful initiation to international cricket as a 22-year-old.

Now ranked the No. 1 quick in world cricket, he is seeking redemption and plans to get it by exposing the Australians to the fastest bowling spells of his career.

Adelaide, Dec. 7: Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie has accused Cricket Australia of deserting some of the country''s finest players during the series against India that was held last year.

The Sunday Mail quoted him as saying that Cricket Australia was kowtowing to the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India.

The South Australian pacer banned from first-class cricket in Australia after signing a three-year deal with the non-ICC sanctioned Indian Cricket League, also criticized Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi, adding that Cricket Australia is afraid to stand up to Modi and the BCCI.