Cricket

Gloucestershire are trying to persuade their highly-rated batsman Andrew Symonds to turn down an invitation to play for Australia A against the touring West Indies in Melbourne on Friday. If the 21-year-old Anglo- Australian, named in a 12-strong squad, accepts the offer, it would effectively end his career at the county and would also make him ineligible to play for England.

England's batsmen failed to capitalise on an excellent bowling display on the second day of their four-day Under-19 International against Pakistan in Faisalabad after wrapping up the hosts' innings for 256. England then slipped from 192 for 4 to 230 all out - a first-innings deficit of 26.