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Australian airliner Qantas has launched a cheap air fare promotion, which pokes fun at the Australian captain Ricky Ponting and his underperforming cricket team.

"Hurry! Once (these tickets) are gone they're gone - a bit like the Aussie Ashes hopes," The News.co.au quoted one travel agent's website, as saying.

While, STA Travel's advertisement features a sad-looking kangaroo called Ricky holding a cricket ball.

The advertisement also informs customers that Qantas is offering London-Sydney return fares for 215 pounds, one pound for every run scored by Australia in their first innings of the second Test.

Further they are offering 425 tickets, one for every run that England scored in the first innings en route to inflicting Australia's first defeat at Lord's in 75 years.ccording to a Qantas spokeswoman, the cheap fares promotion was a cooperative activity generated in the UK between Qantas and British Airways under a code-share agreement.

"The result has ended in fantastic fares for travellers from England to Australia. It's great news for customers," she added.

A similar deal will apply for next month's Fifth Test at The Oval, when the price of a London-Melbourne return ticket will be determined by England's first innings total and the number of tickets by Australia's tally.

Qantas has not made any official comment on whether Australians might feel offended by mockery of their cricketing pride and joy.

Flamboyant Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has come out in support of captain Younus Khan and has attributed the World Twenty20 Championship win to his leadership qualities.

Afridi credited Twenty20 World Cup win to Khan's enthusiasm and his never die attitude.

He said Khan did not let the players feel down even after subsequent loss in practice matches ahead of the tournament in England.

'I shall also give credit to Younus who guided the team to an unexpected triumph. We started off with losses in the practice games followed by defeat in the opener against England. However, the positive development was that not a single player lost his morale," Afridi said.

Afridi spoke high of his captain despite him (Younus Khan) being facing severe criticism for team's dismal show in the on-going Sri Lanka Test series, which the visitors have already lost 2-0.

"The unbiased approach towards players is one of the best characteristics Younus enjoys. He never considers from which province or city a player is coming. Quality performance is the top criterion for him to decide whether a cricketer deserves a place in the national team," The Dawn quoted Afridi, as saying.

Commenting on the forthcoming one-day series against Sri Lanka, the swashbuckling cricketer said he would prefer batting at number six.

"In the 50-overs format No. 6 is suitable for me as keeping wickets intact in the early stages in limited-overs cricket is imperative. While in Twenty20 I can bat top of the order, depending upon the need," Afridi said.

Former Australian cricket captain Allan Border has defended Ricky Ponting's captaincy in the face of criticism following Australia's dismal performances in both the Test matches of the Ashes series.

"When Ricky took over with the likes of Warne and McGrath, the team wasn't all that different and he kept the ball rolling after Steve Waugh. The challenges came for him in 2005 in England when he didn't have a fit McGrath and it became more difficult. I think he's learned from that and become a really good leader," The Daily Telegraph quoted Border, as saying.

Ponting has had to face criticism following Australia's 115 run defeat at Lord's, where they played some dreadful cricket before recovering too late.

He was also criticised for his bowling changes in the first Test match at Cardiff, where they were unable to dislodge the last pair of Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar in more than 11 overs that they had.

Border further highlighted that Ponting is currently handling an inexperienced team and insisted that sometimes a captain was often only as good as his bowlers.

"The boys really like playing for him. That's all you can do really.

The rest of it is down to what sort of cattle you've got at your disposal and how they're playing," Border said.

Shoaib Akhtar has been left out of the Pakistan squad for a five-match one-day series in Sri Lanka after the board opted to omit the fiery paceman from the 16-member group named on Wednesday because of fitness concerns.

Although Shoaib will miss the series starting later this month, the interim selection committee did recall opener Imran Nazir and paceman Rana Naved after the pair had bans lifted last month for severing ties with the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Nazir and Naved last played for Pakistan in 2007.

"The selectors have made six changes for the one-day series and all selections have been made after confirming the fitness of available players," a board spokesman told Reuters.

The Pakistan test team are currently involved in a three-match tour of Sri Lanka, which the home side leads 2-0 after victories in Galle and Colombo.

Squad: Younus Khan (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Nasir Jamshed, Imran Nazir, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq, Rao Iftikhar, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Akmal, Rana Naved.

Opening batsman Imran Nazir and allrounder Rana Naved, both former players with the unauthorized Indian Cricket League, returned to Pakistan's squad on Wednesday for the one-day series at Sri Lanka.

The Pakistan Cricket Board selected both in a 16-man squad for the five-match series that starts July 30.

The PCB had barred the pair from representing Pakistan since 2007. The players have severed ties with the ICL.

Opening batsman Salman Butt was dropped due to poor form, with Nasir Jamshed instead picked and looking to add to his 10 ODIs.

The squad also includes uncapped 19-year-old batsman Umar Akmal, younger brother of wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, after performing well for Pakistan "A" during the recent tour of Australia.

Dambulla will host matches on July 30, Aug. 1 and Aug. 3, while two games will be held at Colombo on Aug. 7 and Aug. 9. The only twenty20 game will also be played in Colombo on Aug. 12.

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Squad:

Younis Khan (captain), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbahul Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamir, Rana Naved, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Rao Iftikhar

Middle order batsman Misbah-ul- Haq scored an unbeaten half-century to help guide Pakistan to 168 for four at tea on the third day of the final test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

Misbah shared an undefeated 101-run fifth-wicket partnership with former captain Shoaib Malik to frustrate Sri Lanka's bowlers and extend his team's lead to 234 runs, also raising their hopes of avoiding a series whitewash.

The slow-scoring afternoon session yielded just 82 runs in 27 overs, with Misbah unbeaten on 56 and Malik on 46 at the tea interval.

The partnership helped Pakistan recover after Sri Lanka had enjoyed a productive morning, taking three early wickets and looking on course to prevent the tourists from setting a substantial victory target.

Pakistan resumed the third day on 16-1 and were soon in trouble when Fawad Alam (16), Younus Khan (19) and Mohammad Yousuf (23) were all removed in the morning session for the addition of just 70 runs.

Left-arm paceman Thilan Thushara made the first breakthrough when he caught Alam off his own bowling with a short delivery to reduce Pakistan to 22-2.

Nuwan Kulasekara then trapped Younus lbw after replacing Thushara in the attack, although TV replays indicated that the Pakistan skipper had edged the ball onto his pads.

Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who bowled unchanged throughout the morning, was finally rewarded for his hard work when he had Yousuf caught behind in the final half hour before the break.

Sri Lanka were unable to make further inroads during the afternoon as Misbah and Malik played watchfully against some tight bowling, taking no risks as they slowly built on the Pakistan lead.

Sri Lanka lead the series 2-0 after wins in Galle and Colombo.

Scoreboard at tea on the third day of the third test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Colombo on Wednesday.

Pakistan first innings 299

Sri Lanka first innings 233

Pakistan second innings (overnight 16-1)

K. Manzoor b Herath 2

F. Alam c & b Thushara 16

Y. Khan lbw Kulasekera 19

M. Yousuf c Sangakkara b Herath 23

M. ul Haq not out 56

S. Malik not out 46

Extras: (3-b, 2-lb, 1-w) 6

Total: (four wickets, 64 overs) 168

To bat: Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Danish Kaneria, Saeed Ajmal

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-22, 3-54, 4-67

Bowling: Kulasekara 10-5-10-1 (1-w), Thushara 15-2-59-1, Herath 27-6-73-2, Vaas 10-5-14-0, Mathews 2-0-7-0

Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee's Ashes tour is balanced on a knife edge as Australia's team management does not want to risk playing the injured paceman in a tour match.

Australian coach Tim Nielsen has insisted that they would be careful while handling Lee and would not be rushing him back into the squad.

"We've got to be careful we don't go down that path. We've got three Tests left in this series. There's a lot of cricket. We just need to make sure we don't panic and we don't rush him back too quickly, with the result being he's not quite right and he puts himself out for the rest of the series," The Courier-Mail quoted Nielsen, as saying.We'd rather give him every chance we possibly can to be right and having an impact at his best," he added.

Nielsen further highlighted that Lee would have to undergo a fitness test, following which it would be decided whether to allow him to play in a three-day tour match at Northampton on Friday.

"He hasn't bowled yet so we've just got to sit with the medical staff over the next couple of days and have a chat about whether it (the tour match) would progress him to the stage where he could play in the third Test" he said.

Nielsen has also said that the team management would be very careful with Lee, as they don't want him to break down again with a side strain that has kept him out of the first two Tests.

"My feelings are that if it means he's not going to be able to play in the third Test we're going to have to be really careful at rushing him back. History shows that if you have those types of injuries and do them again," Nielsen added.

Pakistan leg spinner Danish Kaneria has been found guilty of breaching the International Cricket Council (ICC) Code of Conduct following a hearing in Colombo yesterday.

Kaneria was charged under Level 1.4 of the code, which refers to "using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting" during the second day of the ongoing Test against Sri Lanka. At the resultant hearing, Alan Hurst of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees gave him an official reprimand after the player pleaded guilty to the charge and warned him about his future conduct.

The charge related to an incident that took place after Kaneria had taken the wicket of Angelo Mathews in the 45th over of Sri Lanka's first innings. After taking the wicket, the bowler was heard to utter an expletive, which was loud enough to be heard by both on-field umpires and it was also picked up by the stump microphone.

The incident was reported by on-field umpires Ian Gould and Simon Taufel of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires as well as third umpire Gamini Silva and fourth umpire Rohitna Kottahachi.

"Swearing is expressly forbidden by the ICC code and in this case it was picked up by people present at the ground and the television microphones so the potential for negatively influencing spectators or viewers at home, including children, is clear," said Hurst.

"Danish knows what he said was unacceptable but in coming to my decision I took into account the fact that he apologised both immediately after the incident and in the hearing. I am also content that the action was not directed at the batsman or any other individual and that the action was one more of frustration than anger. That is why the penalty is at the low end of the scale for Level 1 offences," he said.

For Level 1 offences, penalties range from a reprimand up to a fine of up to 50 per cent of the player's match fee. For Level 1 offences, the match referee's decision is final and binding - there is no right of appeal.

Present at the hearing was the match referee, the player, the umpires, Pakistan captain Younus Khan and Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed, an ICC release said.

Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie believes it is quite hard to reverse a crisis of form mid-series but has come out in support of Mitchell Johnson by saying: "I'd play him and I'd give him support."

Johnson's erratic bowling is the most pressing of the many concerns for Australia following the 115-run loss at Lord's, and while Ricky Ponting sought to reassure his star pace man, the Australian captain did not go so far as to confirm his place in the team for the third Test at Edgbaston.

That decision will be left until after a three-day match at Northampton from Friday when Johnson is expected to be given one last chance to restore the faith of the captain, coach and touring selector Jamie Cox.

"We have to be careful with the way we manage him over the next little bit but he is up for the challenge," Ponting said.

"He is continually working on trying to make himself better in all aspects of his game, and he will continue to do that this week. Hopefully, we see some improvement down in Northampton if he manages to play that game, and it would be great to see him get a bit more confidence and rhythm. Of course I can see him playing. It was only a couple of weeks ago that he was bowling as well as anyone going around," said Ponting.

The responsibility for tending to Johnson's malaise will rest with bowling coach Troy Cooley, who has known him since he was a shy teenager.

It is doubtful the highly rated pace guru has had a more important job since he was poached from England after the 2005 Ashes.

Gillespie, who was dropped for the fourth Test of that series, urged the team hierarchy to show faith in him to rebuild his fragile self-confidence.

"He needs to have someone he trusts, and I assume that man is Troy Cooley. He's employed as the bowling coach, and he's there for this reason. I'd play him and I'd give him support. Show a bit of leadership and say, 'We support you, Mitch,' put some trust in him that he will come back and bowl well in the next Test," said Gillespie.

"He [Johnson] will have to play in Northampton because he does have to iron out some things, and I think he should go back and look at some footage of the good times so that he starts to believe he can get through this," he added.

England's adrenalin-fuelled walking wounded have now discovered they have what it takes to recapture The Ashes. cording to The Sun, that is the verdict of Kevin Pietersen, one of the players keeping medical staff busy after Monday's 115-run victory over the Aussies at Lord's.

Andrew Flintoff has a degenerative knee injury and Graham Onions an elbow problem, while KP himself has been battling Achilles issues since the start of the World Twenty20 last month.

Both he and Freddie were hobbling around the outfield during the npower Second Test, prompting fears over their participation for the remainder of the series.

But after seeing the inspirational all-rounder bowl through the pain barrier, KP believes there is a natural pain-killer that can keep them going as England look ahead to the Third Test at Edgbaston in eight days.

He told SunSport: "We were just so happy on Monday. It was a huge day for English cricket to beat Australia at Lord's for first time in 75 years. We were in the dressing room celebrating and talking about all the great England players in that time who haven't had that. It makes it so special."Me and Fred talked about our injuries after the game and we both agree there is no drug like adrenalin," he added.

"When you get a crowd behind you, and you are playing for your country against Australia, it fires you on. We said before the series we could challenge Australia. We've shown fighting spirit and played well. Everyone chipped in and I believe this will be a very special summer for us," he said.

England cricket team coach Andy Flower believes the hosts can win the Ashes without Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff.

Speaking after England's historic win over Australia at Lord's, Flower also revealed that an injured Pietersen had not yet ruled himself out of the series.

"No, that's not the case at all, definitely not. It's a medical decision that's got to be made. Kev is seeing a specialist later this week and they'll assess his achilles problem. We just get the expert advice and take it from there," The Guardian quoted Flower, as saying.

"Fred obviously had a tough physical game but chatting to him [yesterday afternoon] he was very bullish about being ready for the third Test. Obviously with his injury record we've got to be a little bit careful about the wear and tear on his body but he can have a proper rest over the next week and he will also be reassessed," Flower added.

Asked whether England could beat Australia for only the second time since 1986-87 if Pietersen and Flintoff were unavailable, Flower said: "Definitely. When asked before the series whether we believed we could win the series, I said yes. Whether we will or not we don't know. We're going to have to play very good cricket."

Flower, who will help pick the third Test squad, to be announced on Sunday, did his best to play down the seriousness of Flintoff's potential absence.

"If he's out of the side, of course that's a blow. But we've got a few fast bowlers waiting in the wings who can be successful in international cricket. Obviously we want Flintoff in our side but we will see if his body's up to it. If not, there are other guys who can do a good job. He knows what a significant contribution his was. With him leading the attack in the last innings, that gave us belief we'd bowl them out," Flower said.

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly will make his debut in cricket administration by attending the July 31 annual general meeting of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).

Ganguly will be a nominee of the Mohammedan Sporting Club, which finalised his name for the AGM at an executive committee meeting Tuesday.

'We have decided to make him our representative at the AGM. It's a privilege to be associated with a personality like Ganguly,' Sporting president and union Minister of State for Tourism Sultan Ahmed told IANS.

Ganguly was earlier this month being tipped to take on incumbent Jagmohan Dalmiya for the CAB president's post as a candidate of the opposition combine, but decided to take a shot at the top post next year after getting an insight into the functioning of the Association.

However, the cricket star is assured of a place in the CAB working committee after the AGM as Bhukailash Sporting club has decided to nominate him to the prestigious body.

'As per CAB's rotational policy, after the AGM it will be our turn to be a member of the 43-strong working committee. And we have decided to nominate Ganguly to the committee,' said Bhukailash secretary Mintu Das.

With Dalmiya all set to be elected unopposed, his group has decided to retain the same panel which won the elections last year.

The opposition is still toying with the idea of contesting one of the two posts of joint secretary and the name of Sujon Mukherjee is doing rounds as the lobby's candidate.