Ponting, Gilchrist, Afridi join new Indian league

Eleven Australian players led by skipper Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, as well as Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi, have signed up for the Indian Premier League.

Eleven Australian players led by skipper Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, as well as Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi, have signed up for the Indian Premier League (IPL), organisers said on Tuesday.

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Australian batsmen Matthew Hayden, Andrew Symonds and Mike Hussey and pacemen Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken and Mitchell Johnson were among those who had joined the Twenty20 league set for launch next April.

South African all-rounder Loots Bosman had also been signed up in a list of 44 international players including prominent players from New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies.

MacGill fears end of career

SYDNEY: STUART MACGILL admits his 40-Test career will be over if he is left out of the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka in Brisbane next week. “If they’re not going to pick me at the Gabba, then they’re not going to pick me,” MacGill said here on Tuesday.

MacGill, who hopes to take over from the retired Shane Warne when the Australian team is announced on Thursday, said the Brisbane pitch traditionally favoured a wrist-spin bowler, and was the logical place for him to play. “The Gabba is very good to bowl spin on. It bounces, it turns, it’s fast ... you get results there,” MacGill said.

MacGill is resigned that his elite playing career will be over should he not get chosen later this week. “I’ll be disappointed because it’ll probably be a good indicator that I’m not going to play again,” he said.