Cricket chiefs could bar England players' families from accompanying them on tour in the wake of the Ashes humiliation. The English Cricket Board (ECB) last night signalled an urgent review of its much-criticised decision to allow wives and girlfriends – known as WAGs – an extended stay on the tour amid suggestions they had become a circus' distracting the players. At one point, the entourage accompanying the 16 players and 12 backroom staff had swollen to more than 90 people. England lost all five Ashes Tests – their worst performance since 1921. David Collier, chief executive of the ECB, is establishing an independent review panel to investigate the national team's failure. He confirmed the WAGs' involvement would be scrutinised. It might well be one of the lessons learned from this tour,' he admitted. While some of the cricketing WAGs are high-profile names in their own right – Kevin Pietersen's fiancée Jessica Taylor is in pop band Liberty X and Andrew Strauss's wife, Ruth, is an Australian actress – they have not rivalled the embarrassing headlines attracted by their footballing counterparts during last summer's World Cup in Germany. Old cricketing professionals such as Ian Botham, however, are said to be outraged at how much time the England players spent with their families in tow while the Ashes were being lamely surrendered. Collier said the ECB allowed two weeks' family provision over Christmas for players but he added: What we have to look at is how it extends beyond that.' England captain Andrew Flintoff was accompanied by his wife Rachael since before the First Test six weeks ago, as was fast bowler Steve Harmison, who cricketing legend Geoff Boycott said showed no heart to play for his country. England coach Duncan Fletcher admitted: People react differently. There are players who pass on this demeanour that looks like they're tired and disinterested but most of them are not. It is all about how they feel inside.'

Having been on the receiving end of Nick Swisher’s charm offensive at the Yankees ticker tape parade last year, Joanna Garcia now looks set to become the permanent WAG of the Baseball outfielder. For those not ITK – Garcia was raised by her mother, a Spanish American housewife and her father, a Cuban gynecologist. Nice

The ex-girlfriend of one of the Pakistani cricketers implicated in a match-fixing scandal says he confessed to her during Pakistan's tour of Australia last summer. Veena Malik, a popular Pakistani actress, comedian and model, said in an interview on Pakistani TV that her boyfriend, fast bowler Mohammad Asif, confessed to her that the team planned to throw the three-test series in Australia. "When Pakistan started losing in Australia, I jokingly said: 'For God's sake, win a match.' To this, he replied 'we won't win anything until 2010',"' she told the Frontline programme on Pakistan's Express News network. Malik said she was unaware exactly what Asif's involvement was in the fix, but also claimed that before the team flew out to Australia last December, he made a sudden visit to meet bookmakers in Bangkok. "One day, he got business-class tickets and went to Bangkok," she said. "He told me that he was offered $40,000. I advised him not to be part of such activities but he did not listen.

The name of an Indian freelance photographer, Dheeraj Dixit, dramatically cropped up in the match-fixing scandal involving Pakistani cricketers today after a former girlfriend of one of the players alleged that he exchanged match information with Dixit. Pakistani starlet Veena Malik, who had a very public, messy break-up with fast bowler Mohammad Asif a few months ago, called Dixit a bookmaker and a match fixer on Pakistani national televison. “Asif used to call up this Indian bookmaker Dheeraj Dixit and other bookies as well on the phone of his servant. I have evidence of the messages he exchanged with the bookies,” she said, showing a piece of paper that was apparently a log of the said messages. On August 26, in the tenth over of day 1 of the Lord’s Test, Asif bowled the second of three no-balls that Majeed promised at specified points in the game to News of the World’s undercover reporter to prove he could control the Pakistani players’ on-field actions.

Ricky Barnes is still fairly inexperienced in big majors like the Masters (this will be his second go-round), but he is already way ahead of the pack in terms of having a hot wife. Suzanne is a pro beach volleyball player and coupled with her partner Michelle More, they are referred to as "Team Gorgeous." I can see why. I'd bump, set, and spike that.

Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas was giving an interview to reporter Sara Carbonero when he abruptly ended their chat with a celebratory kiss. It might