Durban (South Africa), Apr. 2 : Proteas coach Mickey Arthur has described South Africa's first one-day-international (ODI) against Australia on Friday as "huge", and believes that it serve as a key indicator as to which way the series will go.

London, Apr. 2 : Meet the Russian golfer whose sex appeal matches her playing skills.

Maria Verchenova has made a huge impression on the Ladies European Tour circuit, but there is much more to her than her skills on the fairway.

When asked which was easier, modelling or golf, The Sun quoted Verchenova as saying: " Are you kidding me? Definitely modelling. You just put some clothes on and pose. If golf was that easy we'd all be 20-under-par every tournament."

Wellington, Apr. 2 : Jesse Ryder has been officially declared New Zealand''s number one Test batsman.

According to a Dominion Post report, Ryder''s magnificent 201 in Napier, on the back of his equally controlled century in Hamilton, has catapulted his world ranking to 30 after just eight tests.

Averaging 64 in Test cricket, Ryder yesterday inked a long-term sponsorship deal with Gray Nicolls to add to his lucrative IPL contract.

London  - Newcastle manager Alan Shearer has vowed to do everything he can to keep the club in the English Premier League.

The former England captain was confirmed as the club's new manager - until the end of the season - late on Wednesday and said he would be working night and day to help them avoid relegation.

"It's a club I love and I, just like many thousands of people, desperately don't want the club to go down and I will do everything I can to try to prevent that," Shearer said.

Wellington, Apr. 2 : Double-sided bats are here to stay, but Kiwi batsman Jesse Ryder isn't too taken up with the idea of using it.

New sponsor Gray Nicolls handed Test batsman Jesse Ryder the jazzy bat, invented for hitting reverse sweeps with the back of the bat''s flat surface, and some space-age helmets yesterday.

Gray Nicolls'' Cameron Black said the bats had caused a stir in Australia after David Warner hit Australian team-mate Shaun Tait on to the roof of the Adelaide Oval using the back of the bat.

Wellington, Apr. 2: ICC President David Morgan and Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat on Thursday met the board of New Zealand Cricket as part of their ongoing process of information sharing with Members.

The two-hour meeting in Wellington was the third of its kind for the pair, in the country as part of the ICC’s centenary celebrations, having caught up with the boards of Cricket Australia in Melbourne and Cricket South Africa in Johannesburg in February.