CRICKET

Pakistan's role as a co-host of the 2011 cricket World Cup is in doubt after the ICC said the country was unlikely to stage internationals in the near future following Tuesday's terror attack on Sri Lanka's team in Lahore. Haroon Lorgat said the sport's governing body would review whether Pakistan could co-host the World Cup at their next board meeting in April. Pakistan are scheduled to host 14 matches. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama expressed deep US concern on Tuesday about the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan, Washington's increasingly besieged ally in the campaign against terrorism.

CRICKET

Britain's sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe said England could act as a temporary home for the Pakistan cricket team following Tuesday's attacks on the Sri Lanka side in Lahore. The incident, which killed eight people and wounded seven members of the squad, came at a time when Pakistan was already struggling to persuade the rest of the cricket world of its safety as a touring venue and appears to have ruled out any prospect of international matches there in the foreseeable future.

RUGBY

The Vodacom Stormers have shelved plans to shield Luke Watson from the Bulls and the Loftus crowd, and the controversial loose-forward will definitely start regardless of whether Schalk Burger recovers from his calf injury. Burger is involved in a race against time to prove his fitness for the big Vodacom Super 14 showdown between the traditional southern and northern rivals. The word from the Stormers camp is that he will be given until Thursday, but it does not look good. Burger did not train with his teammates on Monday and the injury is reportedly still very painful.

RUGBY

Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske has decided on the Super 14 match against the Hurricanes in New Plymouth on Saturday, one of his team's toughest encounters on their Australasia tour, to implement his player rotation. In ten changes, of which one is positional, Richardt Strauss, Bees Roux, Flip van der Merwe, Wayne van Heerden, captain Hendro Scholtz, Sarel Pretorius, Hanno Coetzee, Jongi Nokwe and Bjorn Basson did not start last weekend, while Jacques-Louis Potgieter moves from centre to flyhalf.

FOOTBALL

The qualities shown by the three teams promoted to the Premier League this season has contributed to one of the fiercest relegation fights ever, Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp said on Tuesday. Although West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City occupy the bottom two positions and Hull City's form has nosedived with one win in 18 league games, Redknapp, whose side are also fighting against the drop, believes they have improved the league.