COLOMBO: Mahela Jayawardene has announced here on Wednesday to resign as captain of the Sri Lanka's cricket team and said that the upcoming Test series in Pakistan would be his last series as captain.

The 31-year-old batsman said he has decided to resign in the best interest of the Sri Lankan cricket.

Jayawardene said that he has taken the decision after thoroughly considering it and it was the right time to leave the captaincy.

He said that the captaincy should be handed over to a young player for going into preparations for the 2011 World Cup.

Jayawardene said that........

Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler, has been banned for one year by the IPL for testing positive for steroids during the league's inaugural edition in 2008. The ban runs till September 21, 2009, back-dated to last September when the IPL imposed a suspension on him. Asif has already been released by his IPL team, the Delhi Daredevils, after a mutual agreement earlier this year and for now the bowler remains suspended by the....

 LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee has here on Tuesday announced the names of 22 probable players for the forthcoming two-Test home series against Sri Lanka.

The meeting, presided over by chief selector Abdul Qadir, was also attended by the national team’s coach Intikhab Alam and newly-appointed captain Younus Khan besides the members of the selection committee.

The 22 selected probable players will report at the camp to be held in Karachi from February 15.

Younus Khan ahs been appointed captain of the team while former captain Shoaib Malik has also been included in the squad. Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been ruled out due to injury.

Other players are: Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Khurram Manzoor, Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Fawad Alam, Bazid Khan.......