Adelaide, Dec. 1: Current Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has told his fans that comparisons with his predecessor Adam Gilchrist are "embarrassing" and pleaded with them to get off his back.

Haddin had been under some scrutiny with the bat and gloves after an indifferent start to his Test career. But he responded on Sunday with a superb 169 - the highest score by a wicketkeeper on Australian soil.

London, Dec. 1: The England cricket team is set to return to India on Thursday or Friday to fulfil their agreement to play two Test matches later this month.

The ECB will present the players with a safety report today and is likely to confirm on Tuesday that the tour will resume later in the week. There are thought to be few security worries about Chennai but there is some concern about the team hotel in Ahmedabad, which is in the middle of the city.

Melbourne, Dec. 1: Given the frequency of terror strikes in both India and Pakistan and the unstable political situation in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, there is a possibility of the International Cricket Council (ICC) seriously considering a proposal to shift the 2011 cricket World Cup to Australia and New Zealand.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are scheduled to stage cricket''s marquee tournament in February and March of 2011, but a meeting of ICC CEOs in South Africa next weekend is likely to consider putting another country or countries on standby to host the event.

London, Nov 30 : England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen has revealed he spent sleepless nights immediately after the Mumbai terror strikes that last more than three days, saying that the thought of being a terrorist target made his "blood run cold".

Just two days ahead of November 26 terror strikes, the England team had stayed at the same Hotel Taj which was under siege for nearly 60 hours with a number of foreigners and Indian nationals taken hostage by a handful of terrorists.

According to The Telegraph, Pietersen said he was still shaking after learning of the attacks and when he discovered English tourists were being targeted it sent a shiver down his spine.

London, Nov 30 : Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ejaz Butt has warned that the world cricket was in danger of “a damaging split” if countries like England and Australia refused to tour Asia after this week’s bloodshed in India.

Following the recent Mumbai terror strikes lasting more than three days, England had cut short their one-day series in India after nearly 200 people died in the Mumbai attacks. Captain Kevin Pietersen said there was still doubt whether they would return to play two Tests against India before Christmas.

Pakistan had also suffered from teams refusing to tour because of security threats, most recently when the ICC Champions Trophy was postponed in September.

London, Nov 30 : Former England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Ian MacLaurin has reportedly said that England should abandon plans to return to India for its two-match Test series in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks in which nearly 200 people lost their lives.

“I think it’s sad for cricket. But the safety of our players is absolutely paramount and I am sure that the ECB will take the same view,” the Daily Times quoted MacLaurin as saying.