The Sri Lankan Cricket Board sacked Schafter following intelligence reports that he had `links' with militant Tamil groups in South Africa.

Dilshan Tillekeratne has been chosen as replacement for veteran batsman Aravinda de Silva in the Sri Lankan squad, which will play three Tests and five one-dayers in Zimbabwe.

Hooper entertains comeback
SYDNEY: Former West Indies all-rounder Carl Hooper, 32, says he is considering an international comeback.

``I've been retired now for six months and I'm slowly finding out I've still got itchy feet,'' he told The Sydney Daily Telegraph today. ``I think I'm still capable of playing international cricket but I'll just see how it goes.''

Hooper said he would reserve judgement on thepossibility of a comeback until the end of the domestic Australian cricket season.

Respite for Shoaib Akhtar
BRISBANE: Australian Cricket Board (ACB) Chief executive Malcolm Speed ended doubts over Shoaib Akhtar's bowling action with a brief telephone call to Pakistani manager Yawar Saeed today.

A 20-minute video tape of Akhtar's action sent by umpires Ross Emerson and Terry Prue arrived in the ACB's morning mail but Speed told Yawar the matter could go no further.

The match in question, Western Australia versus Pakistan at Perth was not sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) so there was no official referee.

England chalk up first win in SA
JOHANNESBURG: Nasser Hussain's England chalked up the first win of their tour of South Africa when they beat Easterns by 19 runs in a 50-over friendly at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, east of Johannesburg, yesterday.

Brief scores: England 234-9 (Nasser Hussain 64, Andrew Flintoff 54; Andre Nel 4-33) bt Easterns215-7 (Dennis Smith 75)

Russia quell South Korean challenge
TOKYO: European champions Russia fended off a tenacious challenge from Asian silver medallists South Korea scoring a 25-16, 25-20, 23-25, 25-23 victory in the women's World Cup Volleyball today.

Results: Italy bt Argentina 22-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-9, Brazil bt Peru 25-17, 25-15, 25-16, Croatia bt Tunisia 25-7, 25-15, 25-10.