Tippett hearing rescheduled

Delayed ... The AFL Commission hearing is pushed back to November 30. Source: Darren England / News Limited

The AFL Commission will now meet on November 30 to hear 11 charges relating to Kurt Tippett's expired contract with Adelaide.

The hearing was due to start on Monday afternoon, but was adjourned after the Crows and their football manager Phil Harper sought more time to prepare their submissions.

The Crows, Tippett, Harper, club chief executive Steven Trigg and their former football manager John Reid will all front the commission hearing.

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Adelaide also started pre-season training on Monday and coach Brenton Sanderson said all other AFL clubs will be nervous in the wake of the Tippett controversy.

The Crows and Tippett have been charged by the AFL with salary cap cheating and draft tampering in relation to the key forward's expired contract with the club.

"I probably shouldn't comment on other clubs but I'm sure this is going to make a lot of other clubs nervous, too," Sanderson told reporters on Monday.

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"There is a lot of greyness surrounding ASAs (additional services agreements) and how players are paid so probably the other 17 clubs are just double-checking and ensuring that everything is above board.

"But as far as I know ... Adelaide has been squeaky clean for 22 years and this has been something that they are going to have to work through and we will certainly get through it."

If found guilty, Tippett could be deregistered as a player and the Crows banned from up to four national drafts, as well as fined any amount the AFL determines.

"It's a bit out of my hands, to be honest," Sanderson said of likely future draft penalties.

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"As we stand today, really happy to be involved in this year's draft and we'll bring some good young talent in and, until the investigation is completed, I guess we have just got to wait and see."

Tippett became the Crows' highest-paid player on signing a multi-million dollar, three-year contract extension in 2009.

But Adelaide admitted last month they had a once-secret deal, outside the contract, with the ruckman-forward who walked out on the club at the end of last season.

The investigation prevented Adelaide trading Tippett, who remains on the club's list until he likely nominates for December's pre-season draft.

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I won't change style: Warner

Determined ... Warner walks off after losing his wicket cheaply in the first Test. Source: Adam Head / News Limited

Australia opener David Warner has no intention of changing his boom-or-bust approach to Test cricket.

Warner says he will continue his aggressive method in the second Test against South Africa starting in Adelaide on Thursday despite a failure in the drawn series-opener.

Warner made just four in the first Test in Brisbane and has passed 30 runs just five times in 17 Test innings.

"The way I play, I'm going to be hit and miss here and there,'' Warner told reporters on Monday.

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"But I have got to try and learn to be a bit more consistent too. If I get myself in, I have to try and be there and get those big hundreds.

"But my job is to try and get us off to a good start.

"If I show intent and try and build pressure on them by getting a couple away, then I am winning the battle.''

The powerful left-hander said he was "raring to go'' on an Adelaide pitch expected to offer true batting conditions.

"Play hard, hit the ball into the gaps - that is my game and that is what I'm going to try and do,'' he said.

"My game is trying to hit the ball ... if the ball is there, I'm still going to hit it because that is my game - that is how I score my runs for the team.''

Warner expected South Africa's vaunted bowling attack to respond to their disappointing Brisbane Test where only five Australia batsman were dismissed - with one, Ed Cowan, run out.

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Pakistan players cleared for BBL

Relief ... Umar Akmal will now be able to take up his place with Sydney Sixers. Source: AAP

Pakistan will allow their players to compete in the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash League, following a request from Australian cricket authorities.

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Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Umar Akmal had all signed up to play in the league from next month, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last week refused permission.

Afridi had been due to play with Sydney Thunder but ended his contract, saying he wanted to play in Pakistan's domestic competition.

"I have ended my contract in the Big Bash League, because I want to play in the national event to improve my form and justify my selection in the team," he said.

Ajmal signed for Adelaide Strikers and Umar for Sydney Sixers but the PCB ordered them to feature in a domestic Twenty20 event being used to test players ahead of the matches against arch-rivals India.

But on Monday, PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said they would be allowed to play in the Big Bash following a request from Cricket Australia that said they had already signed their contracts.

"We will allow these players to go to Australia at the end of our Twenty20 tournament around December 8," Sarwar told AFP, adding that the players will have to return for the national camp for the Indian tour.

Pakistan will play India in two Twenty20 matches and three one-day internationals between December 25 and January 6 - the two countries' first series since 2007.

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Doping saga hits Aussie cycling

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Claims ... former cyclist Martin Vinnicombe says a current high-ranking official helped him dope. (Photo from 2006)

Controversial Australian former cyclist Martin Vinnicombe claims a current high-level figure in the sport once helped him with an injection.

Vinnicombe has spoken about the crisis that continues to rock cycling following Lance Armstrong's lifetime ban.

Vinnicombe, a 1988 Olympic silver medallist, tested positive to steroids in 1991, but made a successful legal challenge against the case.

"There are still people existing in cycling at the moment, in powerful positions, (who) at one point in their careers were exposed to doping and knew about doping methods," Vinnicombe told the ABC's 730 Report.

The ABC said the anonymous man that Vinnicombe specifically referred to is now "a senior Australian cycling figure".

It was known you'd have a sudden drop in blood pressure, therefore you needed someone there to assist you," Vinnicombe said.

"At that time ... was a person I trusted and thought he would assist me and he did so.

"He was present in the room."

While Vinnicombe said he sometimes did not know what he was taking, he added: "I don't think it was water".

Olympic cycling gold medallist Dean Woods said he competed clean throughout his career, but added some Australian cyclists should be nervous about their pasts.

"I would think if anyone was involved in road cycling from the late `90s right up until say 2005-06, certainly there are probably a few nervous guys around," Woods said.

"If they're implicated, they should be held accountable."

The federal government has announced an independent inquiry into Cycling Australia and the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency are also looking into the sport.

"Today cycling above all else needs the truth," noted Australian anti-doping expert Michael Ashenden said.

"It needs accountability, for the people in charge of cycling to make sure that what they say is what they do.

"Every cyclist who comes forward and tells the truth is going to help us to get to that position."

Former Australian road professionals Matt White and Stephen Hodge have lost high-level roles in the sport after admitted they doped during their racing careers.

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Reds striker Suarez going nowhere

Staying put ... Superstar striker Luis Suarez is set to stay at Anfield. Source: AFP

Pepe Reina has praised Luis Suarez while Liverpool chairman Tom Werner insists the Uruguayan forward will not be sold.

Suarez scored two more goals in the weekend win over Wigan and is reportedly a target for Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City.

Reds goalkeeper Reina acknowledged that interest in the 25-year-old is inevitable but stressed that Suarez is happy at Anfield.

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"Luis is on fire," said the Spaniard. "He is in really good form and he looks like he can score every game and for us that is very important because we need to profit from that.

"He will attract the interest of many clubs, it is only normal, but he is quite happy at Liverpool and that is the important thing for us and the supporters.

"Jamie Carragher said even if he is not the best player then he is the player in better form than anyone in the league right now.

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"He is certainly a world-class striker and that is a good thing he is playing for Liverpool."

Liverpool chairman Werner was in attendance for the 3-0 EPL triumph over the Latics and is adamant Suarez is staying at the club.

Asked if there was any chance of the player being sold, Werner was quoted in the Telegraph as saying: "Absolutely not. He's a beautiful player to watch and, as a Liverpool fan, I hope I'm watching him for many years to come.

"We made a long-term contract with him in the summer and we are going to see a lot of his play at Liverpool."

Read more: http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11669/8259189/Pepe-Reina-and-Tom-Werner-expect-Luis-Suarez-to-stay-at-Liverpool

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