Hampshire sign Afridi

LONDON: English county Hampshire have signed Pakistan one-day star Shahid Afridi as their second overseas player for this year's domestic Twenty20 competitioin. Afridi, player of the tournament as Pakistan won the World Twenty20 last summer, will join Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis at the Rose Bowl. The 29-year-old has previously played in England with Leicestershire and Kent.

EPL hit by chill

LONDON: Three of Saturday's English Premier League fixtures have been postponed because of concerns for the safety of spectators making their way to grounds in freezing conditions. The Fulham v Portsmouth, Sunderland v Bolton and Burnley v Stoke matches were all called off on Friday. Liverpool recommended that their encounter with Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday should also be called off and were awaiting confirmation from the league authorities before confirming the postponement. With much of Britain blanketed in thick snow, almost half this weekend's fixtures in England's lower divisions have been called off and only a handful of matches have survived in Scotland.

Proteas include Tahir

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa included Pakistan-born leg-spinner Imran Tahir in a 15-man squad for the fourth and final Test against England starting at the Wanderers Stadium on Thursday. Tahir, 30, was born in Lahore and represented Pakistan A before moving to South Africa where he married a local woman. He completed a residential qualification at the start of the current season. He has played for the Easterns amateur team and the Titans franchise in South African domestic cricket. He was the leading wicket-taker for the Titans, who won the South African first-class competition, in 2008/09 with 32 wickets at an average of 27.68. Tahir has also played in English county cricket for Middlesex, Yorkshire and Hampshire.