Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has retired from international cricket after allegedly receiving death threats for refusing to fix two games.
The 24-year-old went missing after hitting the winning runs in last Friday’s fourth one-day international win over South Africa.
However, he was not available to play in the fifth match against the Proteas and it was later discovered that he had boarded a flight from Dubai to London.
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In football, Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Didier Drogba will play against Fulham even though the Ivory Coast international has been diagnosed as suffering from malaria.
The striker was on the substitute’s bench for Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool when it was claimed he was recovering from a virus.
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce fears that star striker Darren Bent will not play again this month.
The former Tottenham forward picked up a hamstring injury in training last week and missed Saturday’s 2-0 victory against Stoke City. He was replaced in the starting line-up by Asamoah Gyan who went on to score both goals in the Stadium of Light clash.
Bent has already been ruled out of England’s friendly international against France later this month.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Owen Hargreaves is unlikely to play again until mid-December.
The England international midfielder lasted less than ten minutes of Saturday’s 2-1 victory against Wolves, his first start for more than two years, before limping out of the action with a hamstring problem.
Paraguay international Roque Santa Cruz has resigned himself to leaving Manchester City in January.
The 29-year-old former Bayern Munich and Blackburn Rovers striker has made only one appearance this season – in the Carling Cup defeat at West Brom.
Santa Cruz retired from international football after the World Cup finals in South Africa and was expected to leave Eastlands before the summer transfer window closed.
In rugby union, England coach Martin Johnson has made one change to his starting line-up for the second autumn Test against Australia following the 26-16 defeat to New Zealand.
Steve Thompson drops to the bench while Northampton Saints star Dylan Hartley replaces him at hooker.
Hartley impressed during the All Blacks defeat after coming off the bench to score his team’s only try.
Mike Tindall and Shontayne Hape continue at centre while Riki Flutey continues to struggle with a calf problem.
