England Rest Pietersen For ODIs Against India


London, Aug 26: England left Kevin Pietersen out of its squad for five one-day internationals against India, giving the batsman a chance to rest after a grueling Test schedule. Pietersen was included in a 13-man squad announced on Friday for Wednesday's Twenty20 at Old Trafford but was effectively replaced in the 14-man one-day squad by Ben Stokes, who made his debut this week against Ireland. The Twenty20 squad features two new players in Jos Buttler and Alex Hales. "We've selected an exciting blend of experienced international performers along with some exciting young players with a great deal of talent," national selector Geoff Miller said. "The decision to omit Kevin Pietersen from the one-day squad is in line with our policy of sensibly managing player workloads and will give the opportunity to another batsmen to test himself batting at No. 4." England beat India 4-0 in the four-Test series that ended this week, and forced a memorable tie when the teams met in this year's World Cup, which India won as host. England Twenty20 Squad: Stuart Broad (captain), Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Ben Stokes, Graeme Swann. England One-Day Squad: Alastair Cook (captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Ben Stokes, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott. AP

Sydney, Aug 25: Blackburn Rovers midfielder Brett Emerton has signed with A-League club Sydney FC and is set to leave his Premier League side with a year remaining on his contract, Australian media reported Thursday.
The 32-year-old Emerton signed a three-year deal after passing a medical test in Manchester on Tuesday after terminating his Blackburn contract by mutual consent, various media outlets reported.
Neither Blackburn nor Sydney FC have confirmed the move, but in a Twitter post the Australian club said it would soon make “a major announcement regarding an exciting addition to the Sydney FC squad for the 2011/12 season and beyond.”
Blackburn manager Steve Kean said after Wednesday’s League Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday the prospect of losing Emerton would be “very, very sad.”
“If Brett does move it will be a family decision, not a football decision,” Kean said. “If Brett decides it’s something he’d like to explore, you’ve got to give respect for the service he’s given the club.”
Emerton is expected to make his 248th and last appearance for Blackburn against Everton on Sunday.
His signing comes less than a week after rival A-League side Melbourne Victory signed fellow Socceroo and former Liverpool and Leeds star Harry Kewell. AP