London, Oct 30 (ANI): England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who had an operation on his Achilles and faced the last ball on July 18, is refreshed and will bat for the first time in three months.

Pietersen’s hands will be too soft and he will be stiff afterwards but, more significantly, after a year of disillusionment with cricket, he will enjoy himself.

Pietersen accepted that his enforced rest due to injury came as a chance to recharge.

“The big thing is the mental rest. This year has been one of the toughest of my career, with the captaincy debacle in January plus the injury. This break has refreshed my head and who knows how I’ll come back as a player,” The Times quoted Pietersen, as saying.

“My Achilles won’t hamper me any more and I definitely feel fresh mentally. I’ll be starting off really enjoying myself – and this year I haven’t particularly enjoyed playing cricket because I was in pain and because of what happened in January. It’s been a tough thing for me,” he said.

Pietersen needed a break and the operation gave it to him. “I believe everything happens for a reason and these three months have happened to refresh me and knowing that I was sort of falling out of love with the game, it was a symbol or a sign for me to refresh and recharge my batteries.”

He will travel to South Africa for England’s winter tour from November 9 or 10 and his comeback will be in a warm-up game against South Africa A in Potchefstroom on November 17.

His first competitive match should be the first one-day international in Johannesburg three days later. “I can’t wait. I haven’t been at my best since India last year,” he said.

“Preparation is what I bank on and preparation has definitely been hampered because of external thoughts. These last three months have cleared my brain and my thoughts,” he added. (ANI)

During a meeting with PCB chief Ijaz Butt, Khan made it clear that he would roll back his resignation only if the board gives him a guarantee that he would not be sacked from captaincy until the 2011 World Cup.

Khan also stressed that he wanted more powers as a captain of the national team to ensure better results.

According to sources, Khan wants Butt to give the team management and the players a clear message that the Board will continue backing him as captain even in difficult times.

“What Younis wants is an end to all this uncertainty. He wants the players and the officials to know that he is their captain for at least the next two years so that they can stop conspiring against him,” The News quoted sources, as saying.

Khan had tendered his resignation on Tuesday during a National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports hearing that was held to discuss the performance of the squad in the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.

The PCB, however, later rejected his resignation, but not before the game’s image was tarnished in the country yet again. (ANI)

What used to be known as Stick Cricket has branched out to include Stick Football, Tennis, Baseball and Motorsports as the world’s most addictive online game threatens to infiltrate every sport on the planet. Stick Cricket, though, remains the best of the lot. The World Domination game will have you glued.

2. ESPNCricinfo

The world’s most popular cricket website – and rightly so. Its stats database remains one of the best tools for uncovering vital nuggets of information for any Test match ever played. Elsewhere, news, features, blogs, ball-by-ball coverage and archives keep the site unrivalled from any oncoming competitor.

3. The Corridor

Run by a former Cricinfo employee who brings cricket’s intricacies and nuances to life. One of the longest-running blogs, its success came off the back of the 2005 Ashes when blogging was still in its infancy. Occasionally adds humour away from cricket by expressing views on Britain and world politics.

4. Cricket 365

Has been a mainstay on the internet with little change over the years. Good global news service and easily navigated. Site is enhanced by fun features including cricketing lookalikes, daily quiz and its popular Soap Box.

5. Cricket World

The magazine may have dwindled, but its website keeps readers widely informed on the world game. Popular forum suggests significant users from the sub-continent. Gives decent coverage to women’s game and has its own audio and video coverage.

6. Line and Length

The best cricket blog out there by a distance, written by The Times staffer Patrick Kidd. The PG Wodehouse-loving Kidd mixes his wit, wisdom and understanding of the game to great effect, posting musings on current state of English cricket as well as delving into the sport’s rich history.

7. Full2Cricket.Com

This is a blog for cricket strategics, News, Updates, Tips, Tricks, Information, Latest Scheduled, Tours etc.Guest contributions to This blog are most welcome. Contribute to this blog if you have something constructive or intelligent to say about Indian also world cricket.

8. Cricket Archive

Independent and comprehensive cricket archive with “details of as many matches, players, grounds, leagues, tournaments etc as possible”. Its Player and Scorecard Oracle is thorough.

9. King Cricket

One of the current leaders in cricket blogging, its views are unlikely to see it welcomed into the MCC World Cricket Committee anytime soon. King Cricket is a highly knowledgable poster who mainly deals in humour and the appreciation of Rob Key. Became Wisden Cricketer’s first ‘best of blogs’ winner.

10. Cricket With Balls

A no holds-barred site and does what it says on the tin. Has a classic Heroes and Villains section dealing with a plethora of cricketers, from Sourav Ganguly to Rikki Clarke. Well worth visiting regularly.

11. After Grog Blog

Could only be written by an Australian, who offers his own forthright insights on the international game with more than the occasional dig at the Poms.

12. Are you a left-arm Chinaman?

Hasn’t been as prominent in 2009 as in previous years, but came to the fore during England’s tour to New Zealand when Morph-style videos were posted of each day’s play using plasticine as players. In similar vein to King Cricket for its comedy values.

13. Cricket Web

Unheralded website which grows in quality each year. Written by a multitude of cricket tragics, focusing on features, Fantasy Cricket and an exhaustive section on cricket book reviews.

14. Caribbean Cricket

The independent voice on West Indian cricket. Invariably deals with the latest rumblings surrounding the West Indian Cricket Board, sponsor deals and disgruntled players. Its popular blog usually garners some great rants from long-suffering supporters.

15. Test Catch Cricket

Second to Stick Cricket for addiction and to relieve boredom. Don the wicket-keeping gloves to catch the ball before it smashes your screen.

16. Wisden Cricketer

The sport’s fabled magazine of the same name took a while to build its own website. However, no qualms over its current state which is full of the magazine’s content, blogs and a detailed microsite for the much-admired npower Village Cup.

17. How Stat

Another stats-based site run by Aussie archive aficionados. Prides itself in upcoming milestones and recent records. A must if you want to get one over your mates.

18. Test Match Extra

Relatively-new cricket site, featuring contributions from writers on the English domestic circuit and opinion from Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Jonathan Agnew and Vic Marks. Will be interesting to see how the site develops.

19. Beige Brigade

Prominent for its refreshing pranks and bets, notably former Kiwi opener Mark Richardson running in his Beige Brigade lycra suit. Read the story to date and peruse photo galleries of recent and past tours.

20. Lord’s

The home of cricket is a must for England fans looking to bag seats for the first Test of the summer. Lords.org gives information on every aspect of the famous ground – including honours boards – although with all its history, the site is not yet exhaustive.

Pakistan cricket chief Ijaz Butt will attempt to talk Younis Khan into resuming the captaincy, after quitting in protest at allegations of match-fixing.

“I have planned a meeting with him in a couple of days and I hope to convince him,” Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Butt told the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Khan resigned Tuesday soon after a Pakistan parliamentary standing committee on sports exonerated the Pakistan team of match-fixing charges during the recent Champions Trophy.

“Younis gave me the resignation when I was leaving in my car (after attending the meeting), but I have not accepted it,” Butt said.

The PCB chief said Khan was disturbed by the allegations which first surfaced in Indian media soon after Pakistan lost the Champions Trophy match against Australia.

Later, the chairman of the parliamentary committee Jamshed Dasti also alleged that Pakistan deliberately lost to Australia in order to prevent India qualifying for the semifinals.

“Younis’ life got disturbed after these false allegations, his family members _ including his brother _ are also not talking to him,” Butt said.

The parliamentary sports committee frequently summons PCB officials, but only has only the power to give recommendations to the prime minister and the president.

“It is their (parliamentarians) right to ask questions from us, but my only request to them is they should not call up players,” Butt said.

“We (the PCB officials) are more than willing to attend such meetings and answer their questions.”

Pakistan is scheduled to play three one-day and two Twenty20 games against New Zealand early next month in the United Arab Emirates before playing three tests in New Zealand.

“Younis has done a tremendous job over the last eight months and we really want continuity in the team,” Butt said.

Pakistan won the Twenty20 World Cup under Khan’s captaincy before the Pakistan skipper quit from the shortest form of the game and Shahid Afridi was made Pakistan’s T20 captain.

MIAMI (Reuters) – The bitter dispute between West Indies players and officials, which led to a strike by senior players, has come to an end, according to a joint statement by the two parties released on Tuesday.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), who have been at loggerheads over players’ contracts, payments and image rights, among other matters, said in the statement that “all outstanding matters in dispute between the two bodies have been settled amicably”.

“Both parties are pleased that the agreement reached creates an environment to engage in building a genuine partnership that can ensure the long term development and progress of West Indies cricket,” read the statement.

Although the two bodies said that issues relating to the one-day series with India earlier this year would still be referred to arbitration, they intend to begin talks on a long term deal to cover future tours.

The long-running conflict between the players and the board escalated in July when the selected squad for the two-test series with Bangladesh boycotted it in protest over payment and contractual matters.

Although the senior players, including top run getters Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul and captain Chris Gayle, made themselves available for the subsequent one-day series with the Bangladeshis, while the WIPA entered talks, they were not selected.

A makeshift West Indies team, having lost the test and the ODI series to Bangladesh, was then sent to the Champions Trophy in South Africa, losing both their games in the group stage.

West Indies begin a tour of Australia next month and play the first test in Brisbane on Nov. 26.