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MELBOURNE, Feb 22 AAP – Shane Warne was found guilty of a drugs charge by an Australian Cricket Board anti-doping committee today and suspended for 12 months.Warne, 33, tested positive for a diuretic on January 22, the day he announced his retirement from one-day cricket.He claimed to have been given the tablet by his mother Brigitte, who gave evidence in his defence yesterday.The three-person ACB committee chaired by Queensland judge Glen Williams found the charge against Warne of using a prohibited method to be proven.The 12-month ban starts on February 10 and rules Warne out of the World Cup and upcoming Test series against the West Indies, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, India and Sri Lanka.Warne has seven days to decide whether to appeal the finding and the verdict.The Australian selectors will now name a replacement for Warne in the 15-man World Cup squad.The most likely replacements would be Queensland off-spinner Nathan Hauritz or New South Wales leg-spinner Stuart MacGill.The three-person ACB panel sat for eight hours yesterday hearing evidence before adjourning their decision until today.The official announcement was made shortly after 1pm (AEDT).Diuretics are banned because they can be used to mask other illegal drugs.Warne was officially charged with using a prohibited method, which carries a minimum two-year ban.But there was scope for him to be given a lesser sentence under an “exceptional circumstance” clause in the anti-doping policy.ACB chief executive James Sutherland was due to make a statement at ACB headquarters in Jolimont this afternoon to explain the finding.Warne will also read a statement, but it was unclear whether he would be taking questions.The ban covers all organised cricket.In addition to international matches, the 33-year-old leg-spinner is also ineligible to play for Victoria, English county Hampshire or his local district club St Kilda for the next 12 months.Warne announced on February 11 in South Africa that he had tested positive to the diuretics hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride.He flew home from the World Cup later that day without playing a single game to prepare his defence.On arriving back in Australia, Warne said his mother gave him a tablet which contained the diuretics to which he tested positive.To escape without penalty, Warne needed to convince the anti-doping hearing that he held an “honest and reasonable belief” that he was not breaking the ACB’s drug code.Australian chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said Warne’s World Cup replacement had already been decided upon and could be made public as early as later today.Sutherland said the full results of the hearing would be published at a later date.The anti-doping panel found “no exceptional circumstances which would justify the charges being dismissed”, according to the ACB boss.”The mere presence of diuretics constituted use of a prohibited method,” he said, adding that the case was a very complex one and that the ACB was comfortable with the finding.”Generally no-one is happy about the circumstances of this case, no-one can be happy,” said Sutherland.

Hampshire Young Cricketers begin their challenge for the ECB Under-17 Youth Trophy against Devon in a two-day fixture starting at the Rose Bowl Nursery ground on Wednesday, 11am.The Hampshire side includes thee players from Locks Heath, who reached last season’s ECB Sun Bank Youth semi-finals.Hampshire team : Ed Brogan (Burridge)(Captain), Paul Cass (Calmore Sports), Ed Davis (Locks Heath), Matt Hooper (Andover), Chris Lyon (Gioldford), Mark Mitchell (Ventnor), Naqeeb Ali Mohammed (Portsmouth), Gavin Hart (Locks Heath), Jon Richardson (Locks Heath), John Walters (Winchester College), David Wheeler (New Milton), Chris Wright (Liphook & Ripsley).Hampshire Under-15s take a 12-man squad to the West Country for the opening ESCA County Championship 50-over games against Somerset at King’s Taunton on Wednesday and Devon at Bovey Tracey on Thursday.Hampshire : Chris Martin (Canford)(Captain), Tom Cledwyn (Flamingos), Steve Williams (Whitchurch), Halim Mohammed (Trojans), Tom Carter (Lymington), Andy Evans (Sarisbury Athletic), Mitchell Stokes (Basingstoke), Matt Metcalfe (Calmore Sports), Rob Snell (Shanklin), Paul Knight (Lord Wandsworth), Ricky Rawlins (BAT Sports), Cille Van der Merwe (Hursley Park).

Tottenham Hotspur are a club who have endured a huge transition over the last couple of months, especially after Thomas Frank took the reins during the off-season.

The 52-year-old has wanted to put his own stamp on the first-team squad in North London, but it appears to have been a slow process over recent months.

The Dane has only been able to lead the Lilywhites to 13th place in the Premier League, subsequently only winning one of their last seven league games – losing five of them.

Despite only arriving during the off-season, he’s already seen huge questions being asked about his long-term future, with the lack of form no doubt contributing to the noise around his position.

One of his decisions could prove to come under huge scrutiny, especially given the recent struggles one player has endured despite the faith shown in him by the manager.

Why Romero should be removed as Spurs captain

After taking the reins in the summer, Frank named a leadership group within the Spurs team to help lead the club up the Premier League table in the 2025/26 campaign.

Five players were named in such a group, but centre-back Cristian Romero was named as the leading option – as seen in many games this season where he’s worn the armband.

The Argentine has started 13 out of a possible 17 league games this season, including the 2-1 defeat against Liverpool on home soil back on Saturday evening.

However, it was yet another night to forget for the 27-year-old, as he was sent off for a fourth time in his Lilywhites career after kicking out on Ibrahima Konate in stoppage time.

Such a situation is an example of the head loss Romero is capable of having, as seen by his red card tally, something which you simply can’t accept from a captain.

He’s already racked up seven yellow cards this campaign in the Premier League, which further showcases his lack of discipline despite the responsibility he possesses.

It’s just the latest example of why he can’t be trusted in the role, with Frank desperately needing to take such responsibility away from him in the coming weeks.

The Spurs player who should replace Romero as captain

After Romero was appointed as club captain, Frank named four other players to help lead the club in the right direction during his tenure in charge of the Spurs.

Ben Davies was just one player who was named in such a group, no doubt due to his experience in North London, having been on the books now for 11 years.

James Maddison was another, but the Dane has so far been unable to call upon the England international after he suffered an ACL injury in a pre-season friendly.

Guglielmo Vicario also could prove to be a viable option, but like Romero, he’s often been unreliable this campaign, with his mistakes costing the side in key moments – as seen at Nottingham Forest last weekend.

As a result, Micky van de Ven should be handed the chance to lead the side, with the Dutch international arguably being the shining light within the backline this campaign.

The 24-year-old has been a fantastic option for the Lilywhites since his transfer in the summer of 2023, often being the man to get the side out of trouble with his incredible pace.

He’s often led by example at the back, with many of his performances letting his ability in and out of possession do the talking – something which is the opposite of Romero.

Van de Ven, who’s been dubbed “world-class” by one presenter, has completed 91% of the passes he’s attempted, whilst completing 50% of the dribbles he’s attempted – offering Frank’s side an excellent option when playing out from the back.

Subscribe for deeper Spurs captaincy insights Explore deeper Spurs leadership coverage — subscribe to the newsletter for thorough breakdowns of captaincy decisions, player form and tactical context, plus deeper analysis of Romero, van de Ven and Frank’s strategic choices. Subscribe Subscribe for deeper Spurs captaincy insights Explore deeper Spurs leadership coverage — subscribe to the newsletter for thorough breakdowns of captaincy decisions, player form and tactical context, plus deeper analysis of Romero, van de Ven and Frank’s strategic choices.

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However, without the ball, he’s often been dominant, as seen by his incredible tallies of 3.1 duels and 1.2 tackles won per 90 in the Premier League this campaign.

Micky van de Ven – stats in 2025/26

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

16

Goals scored

3

Pass accuracy

91%

Chances created

0.3

Tackles won

1.2

Aerials won

1.2

Dribble success

50%

Recoveries made

3.6

Stats via FotMob

As previously mentioned, such stats could have been improved further, but his incredible positioning and pace had often got himself and the team out of tricky positions.

Whilst his main responsibility is defending, the centre-back has also thrived within the final third, as seen by his incredible tally of three goals in the league during 2025/26.

Such a tally places him as the Lilywhites’ second top goalscorer at present, with the Dutchman certainly a phenomenal all-round talent for Frank’s side.

At just 24, he has bags of time to become even better in the years ahead, potentially leading Frank’s side to success in the years ahead during his tenure.

As a result, he deserves the chance to captain the club, with the manager needing to make a bold call given the struggles and failures of Romero in recent months.

Related Not Romero or Simons: 5/10 Spurs flop is becoming Frank's biggest liability

Thomas Frank has some huge calls to make after Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Liverpool.

Posts ByEthan Lamb

	Imtiaz Patel has been offered the job of ICC chief executive © ICC

Imtiaz Patel, the South African of Indian extraction who has been chosen as the new CEO of the ICC, is the type of man to see things from both sides. He exudes a calmness and a phlegmatic air, but all that disappears when things aren’t done right.Patel is the chief executive of SuperSport International, who own the television rights to practically all South African sport of any consequence, and have stakes in professional franchises in cricket, rugby and football. He joined SuperSport in 1999 having risen steadily through the ranks of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) to become the director of professional cricket. Patel looked a shoo-in to succeed Ali Bacher as the CEO of the cricketing body, but fled the coop when Gerald Majola succeeded Bacher instead.While he always exudes polite charm in public, Patel is known to have a scathing tongue in the privacy of the boardroom and even hardened former cricketers who work as commentators for SuperSport are known to slink into the corners when he lets fly.Patel showed his hard, no-nonsense style last year when he hooked the television rights for South Africa’s Premier Soccer League from under the noses of the state broadcaster, the SABC, which caused much anguish in government. A five-year contract for over £70 million puts the PSL into the top 15 in terms of worldwide broadcast deals.Surprisingly, Patel began his professional career as a teacher, in Soweto, but he was also a more than handy club cricketer for Lenasia. His passion for cricket extends not only to making multimillion dollar deals, but also to the grass roots development of the game.Before his angry departure from the UCBSA, he had worked initially as the development director and had also been on the transformation monitoring committee. “He is steeped in cricket, and he is passionate about the game,” Bacher himself said on Monday. “He has energy and enthusiasm for cricket, and he comes with no cricket baggage. He comes in fresh.”A forthright man, Patel has never been afraid to express his frank viewpoints on where cricket should be heading. Coming from a television background, he has intimate knowledge of how cricket’s paymasters work.And being a South African of Indian heritage means he satisfies both the sub-continental and western camps that currently characterise world cricket. Which is no doubt why the ICC want him.But his capabilities also mean SuperSport are not keen on letting him go.

Ricky Ponting made a rare mistake with the bat, but his team didn’t make many in a convincing seven-wicket win © AFP

The cool and absolute demolition of South Africa was judged by Ricky Ponting as Australia’s best win of the tournament and ominously enough for Sri Lanka and all the millions of underdog-backers in the world, he felt their best was still to come.”To bowl them out for that total on that wicket – and South Africa are a very, very good cricket team – it was definitely our best performance,” Ponting said with a serene beam. “But we still have some improvement to come in the game to come. Generally when the big games come around the Australian team stands up.”From the opening minutes of the match, when Graeme Smith was pressured into losing his wicket, there was little respite for the South Africans. If Ponting confessed to having had mixed feelings about the toss yesterday, it was no less clear this morning. In the final analysis it could not have worked out better.”It was always going to be a crucial toss with the wicket looking pretty dry at the start,” he said. “It could have been pretty slow later on. I thought 5 for 27 was a terrific start to the game. Bracks [Nathan Bracken] got us an early wicket again. Glenn [McGrath] does what he does most times when he’s given the new ball. It was a dream start. They were under pressure from the first over of the day, which is what I expected the guys to be able to do.”Was he surprised by South Africa’s shot selection in the morning? “They wanted to come out there really aggressive and put their noses in front and get some momentum their way,” he said. “Sometimes in one-day cricket that comes off, some other times it doesn’t. I must admit going that hard early was exactly what we wanted them to do.”Their openers have played that way all through the tournament. Smith in particular has been very, very aggressive. We just bowled well, did things really well. Glenn’s ball to get Kallis was a beauty. If he’s going to go down the track and back away then what better ball to bowl than a yorker on off stump. Once we got on a roll we were hard to stop. Taity [Shaun Tait] coming on and getting a few wickets was terrific for us.”Whether it was a case of benevolence in victory or not, Ponting desisted from using the c-word. Indeed, he claimed: “I’ve never used that word in my life to tell the truth and I won’t. They were outplayed by a better team, as simple as that. One-day cricket can be like that some times. There’s been a lot of talk about mental scars, having lost games to us in the past, maybe that was playing on their minds, but I’m not going to sit here and call them chokers.”Unsurprisingly a lot of talk revolved around the effect of Australia’s utter domination of the competition, which seemed to amuse the captain. “It’s funny, it’s only a few weeks ago I was sitting here and answering questions about how open this World Cup appeared to be and how much more open it was than any other,” he said.

This group is very excited going into the final game and being ready for what’s going to be one of the most enjoyable days of our lives Ricky Ponting

“We’re doing a lot of things really well at the moment, whether we’re doing it better than any of the other teams in the last World Cup I don’t know. But I know this current group is very excited going into the final game and being ready for what’s going to be one of the most enjoyable days of our lives.”Enough little games have been played out between Sri Lanka and Australia before the big day on Saturday. Mahela Jayawardene pulled a cute stunt in the Super Eights and Ponting thereafter spent time saying it was Sri Lanka who lost a chance to get ahead.”I thought they had a bit of a chance to make a statement against us in the last game,” he said, “and they chose not to by resting three of their best bowlers.” “They’re a good team, no doubt about that, and they played some very good cricket yesterday. I really like the match-up of Australia v Sri Lanka. But all that we’ve done in the last seven weeks, to win our games as comprehensively as we have, that gives us a lot of confidence. The wicket in Barbados has a bit of pace and bounce. That should play into our hands beautifully.”We’re going to be doing nothing different from what we’ve done all tournament. If you talk about going out and hitting a hundred off 70 balls, if you put that sort of pressure on yourself you’re not going to succeed. If you let your skills take over you will. That’s the way we’ve been talking in this tournament. To tell the truth we won’t even be talking about winning the final – we’re going to be talking about preparing well to give ourselves a chance to play a good game.”

Ricky Ponting hit twin-hundreds at Durban – for the third time in his career – and led Australia to a series victory. Bob Simpson argues that Australia have had it easy for too long © Getty Images

Bob Simpson, the former Australia captain and coach, has stated that Australia’s dominance in the past decade might have a detrimental effect on their future. Following their victory against South Africa in the second Test at Durban, Simpson has rejected claims that Australia are back to their very best, while adding that the regular absence of players representing their state sides is harming the domestic competition.”As a fervent Aussie, I am concerned about the future of our cricket,” Simpson wrote in the Indian magazine . “Over a long period we have rightly been lauded as a superb team. We have had numerous great players and still have.”However, they may have now reached the age and position in their careers, when, while they might perform fine deeds, there is little or no chance they will improve their game.”Simpson cited the decline in standards of other nations as a significant factor in Australia’s dominance in recent years.”Whether the team will produce the greatness of the last decade, I doubt. History has shown that once a great team loses key players and the rest get older, there are few, if any, ready replacements in the domestic competition,” he said.”This is just about where Australian cricket hovers right now. The final 2-0 result to Australia against South Africa earlier this year seems to indicate that they dominated the Test series. But was this so? No, for in two of the Tests, a very mundane South African team were in a dominating position to win,” he said.”The Australian selectors expressed their concern about our cricket by adopting a safety first policy for the South African tour. They were forced into this situation by the worrying realisation that there is a shortage of younger players with the skill and application to bridge the gap between the first-class and Test levels.”Although Queensland beat Victoria by an innings and 354 runs to win the Pura Cup final – they rattled up an astonishing 6 for 900 in their only innings – Simpson is nevertheless concerned at the standard of Australia’s domestic competition. With the lack of Test players representing their state sides, he argued that the younger players don’t have the benefit of wisdom an international player can offer.”Unfortunately for the Pura Cup players, the overall standard has slipped with the Test players playing so few domestic matches,” he said. “This has prevented the young promising players from testing their mettle against their tough heroes. They have also lost the benefit of watching and playing with them.”Australia are currently in action against South Africa in the third and final Test at Johannesburg, and lead the series 2-0.

Ricky Ponting: ‘Anyone playing in the [first-class] competition can really get a good gauge on some of the younger players’ © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting has urged the Australian board to consider taking a radical step of thrusting a current state player into the role of a selector in the future. While strongly endorsing Merv Hughes’s appointment as a national selector, Ponting felt that a player still experiencing the grind of first-class cricket would bring a unique perspective to the selection table and that his insights into the development of domestic players could prove crucial.Ponting’s comments came in the wake of Darren Lehmann’s name being discussed as a possible candidate for the national selector’s post. However, Cricket Australia decided it would be inappropriate for someone in Lehmann’s position, who is still actively involved in first-class cricket and only recently dropped from the side, to help select the national team.”I don’t think there’s any reason why it couldn’t happen,” Ponting was quoted as saying in . “I think it probably could have some benefits, to have someone like Darren or anyone playing in the competition to really get a good gauge on some of the younger players coming through. There could be some positives there, but at the moment I think there could be some negatives to go with it. Hopefully, something can be worked out in coming years to give that sort of thing an opportunity.”However, Ponting was equally enthusiastic about Hughes’s appointment and added that he may have to be involved in some tough decisions along the way. One of those major decisions may include ending the career of Shane Warne, his long-time friend. But Hughes said he would approach the whole issue in an objective manner. “Obviously you’re going to have to make some tough decisions,” he said, “and I’d like to think that I’m strong enough to separate my personal feelings from a business decision that’s got to be made. There are going to be disappointments.”

South Africa’s preparations for the final one-day international against West Indies has been hampered with the news that Jacques Rudolph is a doubt for the game with a groin strain.Rudolph will undergo a fitness test before tomorrow’s match at the Wanderers. If he fails, either Morne van Wyk or Ashwell Prince will replace him in a game South Africa need to win to seal the series.Having led the side to 3-0 win in the Test series, and to victory in the opening two games of the one-dayers, Graeme Smith, the captain, admitted that he never thought the last match would decide the series.”We backed ourselves to chase down 169 in Durban, but it didn’t happen because of the rain and then we didn’t bowl very well in Pretoria,” he said. “But holding a 2-1 lead with only the last match to come creates a spectacle and gives us the chance to perform well in front of a big crowd.”Shivnarine Chanderpaul led West Indies’ run-chase in the fourth match as they won with a comfortable five overs to spare. “We’ve chatted with the bowlers quite a lot since then,” said Smith. “We spoke about dealing with emotions and pressure. On Sunday we simply gave them too many chances to cut and hook. The guys have to focus on every ball. It’s about bowling to a pattern and going back to the basics.”Smith also suggested that an element of resignation from West Indies may have helped their cause at Pretoria. “I think they’ve reached the point on this tour where they’ve got nothing to lose and probably feel that South Africa has everything to lose," he said. “When you feel like that you can play with such freedom that you either make 350 or you get dismissed for next to nothing.”South Africa Graeme Smith (capt), Mark Boucher (wk0, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener, Albie Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Morne van Wyk.West Indies Brian Lara (capt), Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs (wk), Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore, Mervyn Dillon, Ravi Rampaul, Dwayne Smith, Ryan Hurley, Ian Bradshaw Ricardo Powell, Kurt Wilkinson.

Ideal location for a wedding reception – 2003 dates availableJoin GCCC for our annual golf day and play with a cricketer!! Friday 13June – book your place now!!Book your Christmas Party now to secure preferred date.Check out the Conference facilties by clicking hereContact the Events Office on 0117 910 8025 or email: [email protected]

Pakistan sounded a warning to their Asian neighbours when they defeated SriLanka by five wickets in Galle today to win the unofficial Test seriesone-nil. They came to Sri Lanka with an extremely young squad and have shownthat they have plenty of talent waiting in the wings when the seniors startto fade.Having saved the First Test Match in Dambulla by the skin of their teeth,Pakistan held the initiative throughout the last two games and, if the truthbe told, fully deserve to win the series: their batsmen showed greaterapplication, their fast bowlers were occasionally exceptional and, if thiswasn’t enough, they could count on the services of a fine wrist spinner.They were always likely to win this match after Sri Lanka had collapsed toDanish Kaneria last evening. Sri Lanka’s only hope was the overnightpartnership between Thilan Samaraweera and Prasanna Jayawardene. They keptsuch hopes alive for 40 minutes this morning, extending the partnership to46 runs, before a wonderful rocket like throw from the deep square boundaryby Irfan Fazil ran out Jayawardene and opened the door for Pakistan.They needed no second invitation to wrap up the innings. By the time thatJayawardene had removed his batting pads, Malinga Bandara, the next man in,was walking back to the dressingroom having edged his first delivery straight to Hasan Raza at short gully.Thilan Samaraweera, obviously worried that he was going to get stranded,following the example of Raza yesterday and tried to pick up some quick runsbefore the innings closed. Unfortunately, he made the fatal mistake ofmissing a straight ball from Yasir Arafat and was trapped leg-before wicket.Dinusha Fernando rounded off the disappointment when he was run out by IrfanFazil, as he tried to pinch the strike. Sri Lanka had lost their last fourwickets for seven runs and Pakistan were required to score just 137 forvictory.Pakistan made heavy going of the target. Humayun Farhat, the wicket keeper,was promoted to open the innings, but he was trapped leg-before wicket inthe first over. Taufeeq Umar was also trapped leg-before, this time offSamaraweera, moments after the luncheon interval.Hasan Raza, the mainstay of the Pakistan batting throughout the tour, thenadded 24 runs with Salman Butt, before the young left-hander pulled lamelyto mid-wicket. When Raza was caught behind off Dinusha Fernando, Pakistanwere 67 for four and Sri Lanka may have sensed an outside chance of victory.Misbah-ul-Haq (23), who had saved the day in Dambulla, came to the rescueagain, this time with Faisal Naved (42*). The pair added 55 runs for thefifth wicket, to finally drain the spirit from the Sri Lankan’s. When Misbahwas bowled with 15 runs still required, they had already given up and it wasno surprise that the target was eventually reached courtesy of four sloppyoverthrows.Both coaches have maintained throughout this three-week tour that the endresult was of secondary importance to the identification of new talent. Bythat measure too, Pakistan have gained the most from the tour. Three playersin particular look like they can make the jump into the national team soon.Hasan Raza, still only 19 years old if you believe the statistics, standsout as the one class batsman, having scored 321 runs at 64.2. DanishKaneria is a leg spinner of great potential and claimed 21 wickets in theseries; whilst Irfan Fazil’s fast bowling was particularly impressive onthis lifeless surface in Galle.Sri Lanka meanwhile have discovered little, although they will take heartfrom the fact that the bowling academy appears to be bearing fruit, with anumber of promising young fast bowlers now emerging.Thilan Samaraweera distinguished himself with 21 wickets, AvishkaGunawardene stated a powerful case for a recall into the national squad, andthe performance of Michael Vandort was encouraging, if not compelling, withthe bat. Alas, the rest of the batting was hugely disappointing and,Samaraweera apart, no spinner grabbed the eye.Food for though then for the Sri Lankan selectors, who picked an unwieldy 22players for this three-match series. Apparently, the rationale was to giveas many players as possible an opportunity. The chances of them taking thatopportunity, however, were dramatically reduced by the ensuing sense ofinsecurity within the squad. Unfortunately, it’s back to the drawing boardfor Sri Lanka.