Sydney, Oct 24 (ANI): Shane Watson, who has performed well with both the bat and the ball in the ongoing Test series in India, despite his side down 0-1, has attributed his performance to saying no to alcohol, even during celebration parties.

"I'm off drinking while playing and training so I'm giving myself every chance I possibly can to be right throughout this big workload especially," Watson said.

"It's been since I injured my hamstring in South Africa during the Tweny20 (last September). So the only time I had a drink was after the IPL to celebrate, just a couple of glasses of champagne. But, after that, once I get back into training and playing, I've got to give myself the best possible chance to get through games," the Daily Telegraph quoted him as saying.

Given the "drinking culture" Australia's cricketers are famous for indulging and perpetuating down the generations, Watson's decision may have caused the odd ripple in the camp, but he has made sure it does not preclude him from involvement in the social side of the team's overseas existence.

"I definitely celebrate. I've made sure it doesn't take away from celebrations. I'm not isolating myself from the group because I've not sat down and just said 'I'm not going to drink'; I want to make sure I'm still involved and be celebrating and have fun which I always do," he said.

The all-rounder added: "It just saves me. I know when I wake up in the morning, a few blokes are feeling a bit dusty and I'm fresh as a daisy, a bit tired but fresh."

Cut off from alcohol, Watson has also not put weight over the past one year. "I haven't touched a weight for 13 months. The only things I've been doing have been my pilates, calf strength, hamstring strength, which is just body weight stuff. I don't really know the inside of a gym now to be fair.

The only time I go in there now is if I'm going for a run or bike session. Swimming is great for my shoulders, and bowling and running are all I need to do. I feel my body shape's changed, I feel a lot lighter when I'm running and that sort of thing. But I feel like I haven't lost my strength, so things have evolved." (ANI)

London, Oct 24 (ANI): Former goalkeeper Peter Shilton has accused coach Fabio Capello of handing out freebie England caps to David Beckham.

Goalkeeping legend Shilton is England's most capped player with 125 appearances.

Midfielder Becks, 33, will equal Bobby Moore in second place if he receives his 108th cap against Germany in Berlin on November 19.

Shilton, although impressed with Beckham's contribution when coming on as a sub in the 5-1 win over Kazakhstan, was stunned when Three Lions boss Capello gave the LA Galaxy star a two-minute run-out in Belarus last week.

Shilton, who made his appearances between 1970 and 1990, said: "I'd be the first to shake David Beckham's hand if he beats my record. But I don't think anybody should be given England caps. I could see the thought process in bringing Beckham on against Kazahkstan because it was obvious they would tire in the last 15 minutes."

"They had done so much running to keep the score where it was. We were hoping to get a few goals, and to bring someone on like David, with lots of space on the pitch, who could put some quality balls in and help us get an extra couple more goals, in a way was justifiable," he added.

"I've been David Beckham's biggest fan but you've got to look at the facts. Is he going to play regularly for a full 90 minutes? You'd have to ask the manager," The Sun quoted Shilton, as saying. (ANI)

Sydney, Oct 24 (ANI): Pakistan cricket coach Geoff Lawson is amazed at the lack of aggression displayed by the Australian pace attack, and said Brett Lee did not have the height to trouble Indian batsmen on their own pitches.

The Pakistan coach said he could not understand why the Australian quicks, with the exception of Peter Siddle with the first ball of his Test career, did not try to intimidate the Indian batsmen with short-pitched bowling.

"It was a different game when India was bowling, a different ball and a different pitch," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Lawson, as saying.

"The Australians were very defensive. They need to be more aggressive with the ball. I was amazed in the second innings that they didn't seem to bowl a bouncer in the first five overs," he said.

"If someone didn't bowl me a bouncer in the first five overs I would be pretty sure I wasn't going to get one. Gautam Gambhir was charging down the wicket at the pacemen. He hooks and cuts in the air, that is how you get him out in one-day cricket and I don't see why Test cricket would be any different," Lawson added.

Lawson, a former NSW bowling coach, believes Lee needs to find other ways to succeed on India's unresponsive pitches because he does not deliver the ball from a high trajectory, unlike the steepling 20-year-old Ishant Sharma.

Asked what Lee needed to do to improve, Lawson said: "He needs to be a foot taller. They are flat wickets, he slides on, and he is not doing anything much with it."

Lawson said he intended to complete his contract with Pakistan, who by next January's landmark series against arch rivals India will not have played a Test for 13 months because of a succession of terrorist bombings in the country. (ANI)

Melbourne, Oct 24 (ANI): Cricket Australia (CA) will invite international stars such as Sachin Tendulkar to compete in the domestic Twenty20 (T20) competition from 2009.

Australia, South Africa and New Zealand have also put their heads together in a bid to establish a T20 competition for the southern hemisphere, to be launched by 2011, the Daily Telegraph reported.

"CA (is) ... encouraging international stars from overseas to play in each side and increasing promotional support in a move to make the tournament a bigger bash," the game's national ruling body said today in a statement.

"Cricket Australia's Board, meeting in Melbourne this week for two days of Board and Annual General Meeting discussions, has approved that CA's management work with counterparts in South Africa and New Zealand to develop a regional T20 contest built on city-based, franchise-owned teams."'

CA Chief executive James Sutherland said the southern hemisphere concept had been developed over the past 18 months.

"Regional-level T20 cricket played at the level immediately below international cricket has shown it can capture the public imagination and create new audiences for cricket," he said.

"But as we have seen in India, it needs critical mass to generate major public excitement and the regional concept we have been charged with developing provides that critical mass."'

India's hugely successful Indian Premier League domestic competition featured Australian and other international guest players earlier this year.

The southern hemisphere T20 competition is still at a concept stage. It is based on having a yet-to-be determined number of franchises in an Africa-centred eastern conference and a similar western conference with an Australasian focus'.

The top teams from each conference would contest finals. "Timing would complement IPL timing, creating opportunity for Indian players to participate," CA said. (ANI)