SYDNEY: Australian skipper Steve Waugh may field in a helmet to protect his broken nose in the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka starting in Galle on Wednesday.

Waugh is expected to decide for himself whether he is fit to play the pivotal Test after the Australians lost the opening test in Kandy. Waugh's nose was fractured in four places in a collision with Jason Gillespie 10 days ago that left the fast bowler with a broken leg.

England, Australia in quarter-finals

CAIRO: England, the holders, and Australia, the top two seeds, moved forward to the quarter-finals stage of the World Team Championship with an unbeaten record in their respective pools.

In a later match Wales, who had already qualified for the quarter-finals, rested Alex Gough, their No 1 player, and suffered a 3-0 whitewash against Egypt.

SA emerge supreme in Africa Games

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa easily came out on top of the medals table at the seventh AllAfrica Games (AAG). The hosts were never really threatened in their supremacy during the 19-sport event. South Africa beat Egypt into second place in the medals race in Harare. Nigeria won seven gold medals on the last night of athletics but it was not enough to push them up from third spot.

Russian referee denies drinking binge

MOSCOW: Sergei Khusainov, one of the Russian officials, who were supposed to officiate at Thursday's UEFA Cup match in Israel but were promptly replaced by the European game's ruling body, denied any wrong doing. Israeli press reported that Khusainov and his three assistants arrived on Wednesday from Moscow and had clearly been drinking en route.