Cricket Australia medical staff today advised fast bowler Nathan Bracken
will return to Australia today from the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy due to
a knee injury.

Cricket Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said:

"The nature of Nathan's right knee problem has meant that he has had
some ongoing manageable pain, but this has now reached a point where he
is unable to continue playing in the ICC Champions Trophy.

"He will return to Australia to consult a knee specialist for an opinion
on the best course of action. His return to cricket will be determined

GRAEME SMITH on Monday dismissed suggestions that the No. 1 ranking would put additional pressure on the Proteas going into their opening match at the ICC Champions’ Trophy tournament against Sri Lanka at Centurion on Tuesday.

HERSCHELLE GIBBS has an enviable record of personal success in major ICC tournaments and he will be looking to extend that record in next week’s ICC Champions’ Trophy tournament on home soil.

He is one of the few cricketers to have a career average in excess of 50 in both Champions Trophy and Word Cup tournaments and he is also one of the top 10 runs scorers of all time in both these major events.

Standard Bank has had a long and successful relationship with South African cricket and we’re proud to announce that this relationship has just been extended to include the sponsorship of the 2009 International Cricket Council (ICC) Trophy, which takes place in South Africa from 22 September to 5 October.

At last night’s 2009 SA Cricket Awards Dinner, the stars of professional cricket were honoured by Cricket South Africa in association with its top three sponsors, Standard Bank, Castle and MTN.

Standard Bank and CSA recognized the achievements of the Proteas in these four categories:

Standard Bank Pro20 series Cricketer of the Year: Charl Langeveldt
Standard Bank One Day International (ODI) Player of the Year: AB de Villiers
Standard Bank International Pro20 Player of the Year: JP Duminy
Standard Bank SACA MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the Year: Claude Henderson