Chinthaka Jayasinghe quits cricket in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Twenty20 cricketer Chinthaka Jayasinghe has retired from first-class cricket in Sri Lanka, citing frustration with continued non-selection for the national team as a major reason. Jayasinghe, 34, played in five T20 matches from December 2009 to May 2010, making a high score of 38 from three innings in the lower-middle order. He played as a fast-bowling allrounder for his domestic sides, and has 104 wickets at 24.48, but did not bowl in internationals.

Jayasinghe said he has a contract to play domestic cricket in Australia during the southern summer, and another six-month contract to play in England next year. He was not among the 60 players offered an SLC contract in 2012 and he said this was central to his decision to move on.

"I have played 14 years of first-class cricket in Sri Lanka and it's saddening to see the SLC selectors favouring certain players who are proven failures," Jayasinghe said. "The way things are going, I feel like Sri Lanka cricket is not moving forward, especially after the seniors in the national team retire."

Jayasinghe played for the Uva Next franchise in the Sri Lanka Premier League, and last played first class-cricket for Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic club, having previously represented Burgher Recreation Club and Nondescripts Cricket Club.

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Watling repaying New Zealand's faith

In early 2011, BJ Watling's international record read like the careers of so many failed New Zealand openers before him. In the years after Nathan Astle, Mark Richardson and Stephen Fleming left the game, New Zealand seemed to trial a fresh opening prospect every six months. Michael Papps, Craig Cumming, Jamie How, Aaron Redmond and Tim McIntosh all arrived and wilted at the top level.

Some showed initial promise before quickly waning, but Watling barely made an impact. When he was jettisoned at the end of 2010, he had made only two fifties in 18 international innings, with a top score of 60 not out. His talent was undeniable in domestic cricket, but like Papps, How and Redmond, Watling seemed unable to adjust mentally. He was renowned at home for valuing his wicket and his sound defensive technique, but in internationals, his failures were populated by loose strokes and soft dismissals.

But unlike so many others, he wasn't forgotten altogether. Then New Zealand coach John Wright saw the raw materials of a good player in Watling, and paved his way back into internationals late last year. Soon, before he had even proven himself, Watling was being groomed for a specific long-term role. Brendon McCullum abandoned the gloves in Tests due to back problems, and after short-lived dalliance with Reece Young, Watling, Wright said, would be the man behind the stumps who could also strengthen New Zealand's batting.

He began to repay Wright's faith, hitting a century against Zimbabwe in his first Test as keeper, but sustained a hip injury before the real test came against touring South Africa. Kruger van Wyk took his place in the XI, and has not relinquished it since, having hammered out a reputation as a battler - exactly the quality a New Zealand top order veering towards spineless was short of.

Yet, although his international career had seemingly run aground again, against West Indies in July, Watling suddenly found the steel that had been lacking from his game, making consecutive fifties in the first two ODIs - the first time he had done so in his career. He was injured again after making 40 in the third match, but he had shown enough pluck for New Zealand's management to keep him in their plans. Against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Watling finally demonstrated what team management had seen in him for the past two years.

Watling may not have even played in the second ODI had Brendon McCullum not withdrawn with a stiff lower back, but as has been his recent habit, he did not squander the opportunity. New Zealand have adopted a conservative top order strategy in recent months, and Watling's steady 55 saw the venom leave the pitch and provided the platform for Ross Taylor to flourish after him.

In the next match, Watling had ground his way to 29 from 54, but soon after, both Taylor and James Franklin had fallen, and he took it upon himself to provide the finishing impetus, as he showcased a more belligerent facet of his game. The Watling that blasted 67 from 34 deliveries to close out the innings at 96 not out, suddenly seemed eons away from the player that had scratched his way through his first two years of international cricket. The offside gaps were pinpointed with purring strokes and the vacant areas in the legside targeted aerially. Lasith Malinga had tormented New Zealand in the previous match, but Watling dispatched him for three consecutive boundaries in the penultimate over of the innings.

"He took risks and he hit the ball in the air, it wasn't all along the ground," New Zealand captain Ross Taylor said of Watling's innings. "He showed the power game that he does have. He's getting a lot of belief in himself, I'm sure, from the way he's batted in the last two games, and half the battle at this level is self-belief."

Watling had taken 23 innings to compile three scores over 50, but he now has four half-centuries in five ODIs, with an average of 107.66. Some players ease their way into top-level cricket, and others burn hot from start to finish. Watling's abrupt torrent of runs suggests a dam has burst somewhere, and if he can sustain the deluge, he will remedy his record after two lean years.

"The way BJ is batting is outstanding and he just keeps growing and growing as a player It's terrific, not just for him but also the team," Taylor said. "He's not an automatic selection, but I'm sure the way he's played in the last little while, he's pushing for that."

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Chinouya ten-for gives Rhinos big win

Mid West Rhinos 398 (Taylor 132, Mickleburgh 112) beat Southern Rocks 149 (Chinouya 5-30) & 157 (Chinouya 5-46) by an innings and 92 runs
Scorecard

A ten-for from fast bowler Michael Chinouya helped Mid West Rhinos to an innings and 92-run win in their first Logan Cup of the season, against Southern Rocks at the Masvingo Sports Club. Chinouya took five wickets in each innings to finish with a career-best match haul of 10 for 76, and was ably backed up by batsmen Brendan Taylor and Jaik Mickleburgh in the thumping victory.

Rhinos chose to bowl and did not let any of the Rocks batsmen build big innings. None of the batsmen even got to a half-century, wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami's 45 being the top score as they were bowled out in 50 overs for 149. Rhinos began their innings strongly, with two half-century stands, but the bedrock of their total of 398 was the third-wicket stand of 187 between Taylor and Mickleburgh. That helped them to a lead of 249, which was comfortably beyond the Rocks line-up that failed a second time. Again it was only keeper Mutumbami who touched 40, and again they were bowled out in 50 overs, this time for 157.

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Petersen, Amla set strong foundation

Lunch South Africa 1 for 90 (Petersen 45*, Amla 29*) v Australia
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

South Africa reached a contented 1 for 90 at lunch after Australia's bowlers fluffed their lines somewhat on the opening morning of the first Test at the Gabba.

On a tacky pitch that offered some initial movement but will get get quicker as it dries a little more, Alviro Petersen and Hashim Amla established a firm foundation for the visitors despite the loss of the captain Graeme Smith to James Pattinson.

Apart from a brief spell either side of Smith's wicket in which Pattinson and Peter Siddle found the ideal length and line to cause discomfort, neither batsman was particularly troubled, Ben Hilfenhaus lacking the incisiveness he showed last summer, despite tidy figures.

Nathan Lyon found bounce and spin but was not allowed to settle by Amla, leaving the prospect of a long day ahead for Michael Clarke's team unless some wickets can be found on resumption.

Hoping to find some early movement after Smith chose to bat first, Australia's bowlers made an indifferent start. Hilfenhaus and Pattinson were too short and too straight in the early overs, allowing Smith and Petersen the chance to tuck several deliveries away to the legside.

The home side's nerves were conveyed by a frivolous decision referral when a Hilfenhaus delivery brushed Smith's pad on the way through to Matthew Wade down the legside, leaving them with only one more for the remainder of the innings.

As he also did at times last summer, Siddle showed the way by bowling a little fuller and extracting some more deviation from the surface. With the last ball of the innings' 10th over he fizzed one past Petersen's bat on the ideal length, and Pattinson paid attention.

Swung around to the end from which he nipped out five New Zealand batsmen in the second innings of the corresponding Test last year, Pattinson's first ball of a new spell straightened on off stump to Smith, who looked palpably lbw. The umpire Billy Bowden was unconvinced, but an incandescent Pattinson encouraged a referral that had Bowden's finger belatedly raised.

Amla was greeted initially by a round the wicket line of attack, but was desperately close to another lbw when Pattinson returned to more conventional tactics. Petersen was meanwhile playing unobtrusively and well, making use of the pull shot whenever the bowlers dropped short and rotating strike intelligently.

Lyon's introduction revealed plenty of bounce and some turn on the first morning, but Petersen and Amla showed plenty of attacking intent to keep the spinner from settling. Amla advanced to crash a straight six, and by the interval was looking ominous in the way familiar to England.

The tourists had gone against expectations by leaving out the legspinner Imran Tahir, instead handing a debut to the seamer Rory Kleinveldt. Smith explained that the allrounder Jacques Kallis was carrying a niggle and may not be able to bowl his usual quota.

Australia chose to go in with three quicks and the spin of Lyon, the left-armer Mitchell Starc missing out. They too have a debutant, the No. 3 batsman Rob Quiney, who was presented with his baggy green cap by the former Australia captain Allan Border.

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Three first-choice bowlers to miss final warm up

Graeme Swann, England's premier spinner, has flown home ahead of the final tour match against Haryana to spend time with his daughter who is unwell. He is expected to return before the first Test on November 15 in Ahmedabad.

"This is a personal matter and we would ask for everyone to give Graeme and his family privacy. We will not be making any further comment at this time," the ECB said in a statement.

The development means England will be without three of their first choice four-man attack in the final warm-up match ahead of the first Test against India with Stuart Broad and Steven Finn both suffering from injury.

Neither Broad or Finn are expected to play in the match against Haryana that starts on Thursday, meaning that, even if they recover in time for the Test that starts on November 15, they will have had very little preparation. Finn, who has a thigh strain, managed just four overs in the first warm-up match before he was forced from the pitch, while Broad, who has a bruised heel, missed the first game and bowled only 10 overs in the second. Finn's injury is thought to be the more serious and he must be considered most unlikely to play in the first Test.

England may also decide to rest James Anderson for the final warm-up match. Anderson, Broad and Finn were expected to play as part of a three-man seam attack in the Test series. With Anderson, who has played in both of the first two matches, the last man standing, his importance to the team has grown even further. England have called-up Surrey fast bowler Stuart Meaker as back-up and it is likely that he will come into the team to play Haryana. Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan are the other seamers with the squad.

"It's unlikely that Broad or Finn will be considered for this game," Graham Gooch, England's batting coach said. "They've both got injuries, and I don't think they're going to be ready for this game.

"With a bruised heel, it is something that can be very annoying and can take time to clear up. You've got to see how it goes each day, whether it gets better with the rest - keep checking it and see how it comes on. There's no other way of going about it really."

There was better news for England in the form of Kevin Pietersen. England were given a day-off on Wednesday, but Pietersen was among three players - Meaker and Samit Patel were the others - to take advantage of some extra batting practise. Certainly Gooch has been impressed by Pietersen's determination to prove his worth upon his return to the team.

With fences mended and differences made up, Pietersen's determination is renewed and his motivation high. "I know Kevin is focused," Gooch said. "I've seen the way he's been practising. A fit and strong Kevin Pietersen is a player to be reckoned with.

"He's looking forward. What's in the past is in the past. The only thing that counts is what's in the future - what he's going to do, how he's going to interact with the team, what sort of performances he's looking to give.

"I don't think it's an issue with Kevin. All the things have been done and dusted. From my conversations with him and from the way he is working, he's looking forward to this tour."

While it is anticipated that England's batsmen will face a trial by spin in India, Gooch is taking nothing for granted against India's seam attack. But as well as preparing batsmen for the cricketing challenges, the England management also prepared them for the noise and hostility they anticipate by playing crowd noise from loudspeakers and the team psychologist, Mark Bawden, occupying the net next to the batsmen and testing their ability to ignore distractions by clapping, appealing and shouting.

"We're not majoring on spin," Gooch said. "That's not the only type of bowling we're going to face. They've got two very good opening bowlers, two out of three from Umesh Yadav, Zaheer Khan or Ishant Sharma, and two spinners.

"Our build-up has gone to plan. People have got runs; there's been some wickets. Some of our players have learned a little bit in the couple of weeks we've been here.

"Nowadays, when you are trying to stimulate players with training, you come up with different ideas. There's a bit of noise there, a little idea to make it slightly different. You're looking to motivate, to push the players to get the very best out of them. You come up with different ideas. It's not a major thing, just something that's a little bit different.

"I think coming to India is one of the greatest challenges. It's a wonderful place to play cricket. The enthusiasm for the game - with the advent of the IPL - has created even more excitement. We know India are a top side in their own country. Not long ago they were rated number one, and you don't do that without putting on consistent performances. But we've come here to win the series; we've not come here to make up the numbers."

While only one new face - probably Nick Compton - is anticipated in the team for the first Test, there is likely to be an opportunity for another specialist batsmen in the second Test with Ian Bell expected to return to England to be present at the birth of his first child.

"It's going to be quite a difficult selection," Gooch said. "Our guys are pretty much all experienced Test players: Alastair Cook; Jonathan Trott; Kevin Pietersen; Ian Bell and Matt Prior. There will be maybe one new face.

"Nick Compton and Joe Root are two very good players, obviously at different levels of their career. One has been in the first-class game for quite a while. Compton has gained experience and found his mark. He has found the way he can score runs and been very successful over the last couple of years for Somerset.

"The other lad is obviously a young, exciting player. He has a good technique from what I've seen - this is the first time I've seen him close up - and he bowls a bit. So it's going to be quite a difficult selection.

"Then you've got Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Samit Patel all bidding for places. But I like competition for places. You want that. You want people to be putting their hand up and saying 'I want that place in the side'."

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Little mystery, much anticipation

Match facts

November 9-13, the Gabba
Start time 1000 (0000 GMT)

Big Picture

So Australia has a dossier on the South Africa team. So what? One of the trends of 21st century international cricket is that battles between nations now contain so few elements of the unknown. It should not be forgotten that these two sides played each other over a pair of uproarious Test matches only a year ago in Cape Town and Johannesburg, the series shared 1-1. Between then and now Austrlaian and South African players have shared dressing rooms at the IPL and the Champions League, opposed each other again at the World Twenty20 and tried to prepare as best they can for a Test series with only one warm-up fixture in most cases.

But the lack of secrets to be divulged ahead of the first Test does not detract from the prospect of another meeting between two teams to have produced some of the most memorable Test encounters of recent times. South Africa's first visit to the Gabba in 49 years offers the prospect of plenty that is hair-raising, mainly for batsmen up against six of the world's best fast bowlers, but spectators too. Graeme Smith's side is settled and well grooved, their XI set in near enough to stone from the moment their plane touched down in Sydney last week. Smith himself is fired by the desire to ensure South Africa's hold on the ICC's top spot is not as fleeting this time around as it had been in 2009.

Australia, meanwhile, seek further proof of their rejuvenation. The Test team has not played together since April, and they may be forgiven for blinking just as much as the rest of the world at the fact they have the chance to unseat South Africa from their perch atop the rankings. The fact they have a chance of doing so is the best indicator of how far the team has developed under Michael Clarke's captaincy since the 2011 tour of Sri Lanka, as over that period the team has won three series, drawn two and shown the importance of incisive bowling to cover for a top six that on paper cannot match South Africa's. Line these two sides up and the visitors look to have a clear advantage. But contests between these teams have never been decided that way.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Australia WDWWW
South Africa WDWDW

In the spotlight

Called on to take the gloves in unfortunate circumstances in England, AB de Villiers' back grew stiffer with each match, and his batting contributions were handy rather than dominant. He has had more time to rest and prepare for taking the gloves in this series, and will be eager to prove that as wicketkeeper he can still make the kinds of scores that marked him as one of the world's best and most dangerous batsmen.

David Warner has escaped much of the scrutiny attached to his opening partner Ed Cowan, but with only one half century in his past eight innings needs to prove his hyper aggressive methods can work consistently at Test level. West Indies and England both did well against Warner earlier this year by pursuing a rigid line and length angled across him towards the slips, while the opener's tendency to get involved in verbal confrontations will also have been noted by South Africa. Shane Watson's injury leaves Warner the most senior batsman in the Australian top three.

Team news

Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon are duelling for two spots. Hilfenhaus led the attack with Peter Siddle last year but has only played one first-class match since April. Starc has been a dominant Twenty20 bowler but is still coming to grips with the red ball. Lyon has few wickets behind him entering the Test and forecast Gabba rain may keep the pitch fresh and the pace bowlers dangerous throughout. Ricky Ponting has shrugged off a hamstring niggle.

Australia (possible): 1 Ed Cowan, 2 David Warner, 3 Rob Quiney, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 James Pattinson, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus/Mitchell Starc, 11 Nathan Lyon.

South Africa's team is settled, and likely to be unchanged from the XI that defeated England at Lord's to take the series and top spot on the ICC's rankings.

South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Jacques Rudolph, 7 JP Duminy, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Imran Tahir.

Pitch and conditions

The Gabba curator Kevin Mitchell jnr. has predicted a slightly drier surface than that prepared for last year's Test against New Zealand, increasing the likelihood of a fifth day finish and the involvement of the spinners. However some cloud and rain is predicted over the next five days, and Clarke admitted on match eve he was now considering four quicks more seriously.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa will retain top spot on the ICC Test rankings with a drawn series. Australia will claim top spot from them with a series win
• This is South Africa's first Test match at the Gabba since 1963
• Michael Clarke needs 55 runs to go past Neil Harvey, another fleet-footed batsman, on Australia's all-time list of Test run scorers

Quotes

"We know how good South Africa is and respect them for it but we also know we can beat them. We are confident in our ability to beat anyone, anywhere, any time if we play at our best."
Michael Clarke strikes a confident note

"We have looked at areas that we can exploit within the Australian team as they would do with us. We feel that if we can put pressure on them in certain areas then we can make some plays in those big moments, that is ultimately what the Test series is going to boil down to."
Gary Kirsten on South Africa's planning.

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Clarke considers all-pace attack

Mitchell Starc and Ben Hilfenhaus may both be included in a four-man pace attack at the Gabba after Australia's captain Michael Clarke was greeted with a pitch maintaining its green tinge on Thursday. In the lead-up to the match, the Australians had indicated that the offspinner Nathan Lyon was likely to play in the first Test against South Africa, starting on Friday, but he is now no certainty.

"I was expecting to have a decision for you today but the wicket has changed a little bit since yesterday," Clarke said. "I need to wait and see if it changes any more come tomorrow morning. The weather plays a big part as well, if it's overcast compared to sun shining.

"The forecast is okay for the week but I really want to wait until tomorrow morning to give ourselves a really good look at it. At this stage we're still deciding do we play four fast bowlers or do we play three fast bowlers and Nathan."

Peter Siddle and James Pattinson appeared to be the two certainties in Australia's pace line-up as both men have enjoyed plenty of Sheffield Shield bowling over the past six weeks. Starc and Hilfenhaus were both at the Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa and have had limited red-ball preparation, and while Clarke said the selectors had discussed which fast man to leave out, he was not willing to reveal the decision while the possibility of including them all remained.

"We've certainly spoken about it, that's for sure," Clarke said. "But until I've thought about what the best attack is or if we're going to go three quicks or four quicks, I don't think it would be fair to the players if I told you that. I think it's important that we wait and see what conditions we're faced with tomorrow morning, give ourselves the best chance to have a look at conditions, and then we'll work out what the best XI is."

Hilfenhaus is Australia's highest-ranked bowler in the ICC Test rankings at No.6 in the world and has been one of the team's most consistent performers since returning to the side against India last summer with a reworked action. Earlier this week, he said he was not viewing Australia's net sessions as a bowl-off with the other members of the attack, and he was simply enjoying being able to work with the red ball again after a period of short-form cricket.

"I don't see it as fighting for a place," Hilfenhaus told ESPNcricinfo. "The conditions are what they are and the selectors have to make a decision on what they want for the conditions, what make-up they believe will win a game of cricket. You're never comfortable being left out. All I can control is my preparation and doing all I can to make sure I'm as ready as I can be.

"It's actually nice to be able to run in and try to bowl the same ball twice, rather than worry about bowling six different deliveries. It was nice to get back in the groove [during the Sheffield Shield match] last week."

If Australia take an all-pace attack in on Friday it will be their first Gabba Test without a specialist spinner since November 2008, when they beat New Zealand with Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson sharing the workload. On that occasion, Clarke and Andrew Symonds were only required for a few overs of part-time spin.

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Cowan vows to bat with freedom

While trying his best to ignore the chorus predicting him to be the first batsman to find his way out of the Australian Test team this summer, Ed Cowan is out to change a few perceptions.

Chief among these is the view that he is a defensive batsman, a "one-pace plodder" good only for holding up one end while David Warner and others prosper.

Cowan admits that at times over his first seven Tests he was unable to find the balance between attack and defence that allowed him to produce the compelling sequence of scores - 91, 4, 134*, 145, 10, 65, 145* and 109 - that vaulted him into the national team.

This time around he wants to play his shots a little more freely, batting with the kind of instinct he showed in a recent domestic limited overs game for Tasmania against Victoria at the MCG.

"That's really important for me," Cowan told ESPNcricinfo. "I'm at my best when I'm defending well but I'm still an attacking batsman, rather than a defensive batsman who's defending well and trying to fashion runs any way they can. When I'm playing well I'm putting away the bad ball but leaving and defending the good ball.

"It sounds simple but it's sometimes easier said than done. Sometimes in Sheffield Shield cricket, on a few of the wickets we do play on, you can sometimes get a bit defensive. But to trust your instincts on good Test match wickets was a big lesson I took out of the West Indies, particularly that last innings [55 in Dominica], just backing myself to score around the ground as I know I can."

That performance at Windsor Park, in which he outpaced Ricky Ponting on a sharply turning surface, demonstrated the sort of quality Cowan's team-mates and the national selectors value. Yet his inability thus far to go on to a major score is the prime reason for doubt about his place and criticism of his method. Cowan is entering the South Africa series without the runs he made a year ago, but with greater familiarity for international cricket's demands, both from the other end and the other side of the fence.

"One thing was coming in with runs last year and probably being a little disappointed to not score more," Cowan said. "This year I feel like I've been playing well but not got the big runs, but as frustrating as that is, I've known the judgement will come from here on. I feel like I'm in a good place technically and mentally to make runs, having seen what is required.

"I don't think anyone that has criticised me on how I'm playing this season has seen me bat, so I'm not particularly worried about that. I feel like my game is suited to Test cricket, particularly Test cricket in Australia and hard, fast pitches. Everyone's entitled to their opinion and the only way to really prove your point is to score, and make runs the currency that really counts."

To give himself the best chance of making those runs, Cowan has worked on conserving mental energy. He admitted to wasting some of his sharpness on over-training last summer, and also while bouncing around the Australian team room in his efforts to "fit in". Tasmania have seen a subtly more reserved Cowan this season, as he kept half an eye on the battle ahead.

"In a new group that's always a risk of trying to, not impose yourself on a group, but fit in," Cowan said. "You go to every length to make sure that you're doing absolutely everything at full tilt, which is important in terms of preparation but I was probably at some stages maybe going over the top with that. Not necessarily in preparation but on game days sometimes, like doing lots of fielding before a fielding day.

"The trick is knowing when you can conserve a little bit of energy, and that's not in the lead-up days, but around the Test match there are probably places. The preparation over the last six weeks has been about knowing it is going to take a lot of mental energy to perform over the coming weeks, so while I've been pouring every effort into helping Tasmania win, just knowing there's a big series around the corner."

Even if he has been described as being in a battle with the debutant Rob Quiney for retention beyond the Gabba, Cowan is happy to have been joined by another left-hander who has had to push his way into the Test team through weight of runs over the past two summers. Cowan reckoned his new team-mate had benefited from being given a consistent opening role with Victoria, much as he had grown from doing the same with Tasmania.

"It's another win for people who can add to the culture of teams and not detract from it," Cowan said. "Talking to any domestic player you'd know how talented Rob is, and it was just a question of him finding consistency. It probably came about through getting a job, which in his case was opening the batting for an extended period of time.

"He was one of those guys who batted at six or five, opened for a game and was then back to six, and I saw it myself moving to Tassie, how much that can improve your game just knowing that you're playing and you've got a job to do. I don't think anyone was surprised by his last 12 months or so. He's been a good player for a very long time."

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Robin Jackman diagnosed with cancer

Robin Jackman, the former England bowler and cricket commentator, has been diagnosed with cancer and faces seven weeks of radiotherapy. Jackman has already had two operations to remove malignant tumours from his vocal cords, South African broadcaster Supersport reported.

"It's not the prettiest, but I got it early and I'm confident I'll be fine," Jackman, 67, is reported to as saying. "I won't be in Australia, but I sure will be rooting for the Proteas." He has been advised four weeks' rest after the treatment and hopes to return to commentary early next year.

Jackman played four Tests and 15 ODIs for England, and was involved with Surrey for 16 seasons starting from 1966. Over the course of his lengthy domestic career, Jackman took more than 1400 first-class wickets and scored 5681 runs. He was born in India, grew up in England, but maintained close ties with South Africa, coaching and representing Rhodesia and Western Province over 11 seasons.

Perhaps the most famous incident of his international career was the cancelling of the Guyana Test in 1980-81, after the Guyana government denied him a visa citing his involvement with the then apartheid South Africa, and the English management chose to not yield to political pressure.

After retirement, Jackman took up media work, and has been a regular television commentator for international matches. His diagnosis comes less than a month after another former England cricketer and commentator, Tony Greig, revealed he was being treated for cancer. Last month, former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe was also diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer.

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Tendulkar receives Order of Australia honour

Sachin Tendulkar has said his first tour of Australia in 1991-92, when he was still a teenager, toughened him up as a cricketer, and helped prepare him to face world-class attacks. He was speaking at a ceremony in Mumbai where he became the first Indian sportsman to be honoured with membership of the Order of Australia.

"It (the 1991-92 tour of Australia) completely changed me as a cricketer. It was a critical moment of my career. Three and half months changed me completely," Tendulkar said. "I thought I was ready to play against any attack in the world and I can say that Australia has had some contribution in that to transform me into a tougher cricketer."

India lost the Test series 4-0, but Tendulkar was India's highest run-getter with 368 runs, including one of his most celebrated centuries, in Perth. "We all know Australians are fierce competitors but when you do well against them, they shower on you all the compliments. And that is what happened to me. I scored reasonably well and scored a couple of hundreds there (in the Test series)."

Tendulkar said he had dreamt of playing in Australia even before entering his teens. "The association with Australia started long time ago and not in 1991," he said. "To me it started way back in 1985 when I was 12 years old watching those fantastic day-night matches on television. I started dreaming that one day I want to go there and play cricket. It turned into a reality in 1991-92."

The other non-Australian cricketers to have received the Order of Australia honour are West Indian greats Garry Sobers, Clive Lloyd and Brian Lara. Tendulkar was recognised "for his service to Australia-India relations by promoting goodwill, friendship and sportsmanship through the sport of cricket."

Australia's arts minister Simon Crean conferred the award to the cricketer. "Mr Tendulkar, as a member and former Captain of the Indian Cricket Team, has made an outstanding contribution to international cricket for more than 20 years," a statement from the Australian consulate-general read.

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