Sports digest

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Johnson out for up to five months

CRICKET: Paceman Mitchell Johnson is likely to be sidelined for up to five months with a foot injury, Cricket Australia said yesterday, almost certainly ruling him out of upcoming Test series against New Zealand and India.

The 30-year-old injured his left foot in the recent Test win against South Africa and subsequent scans revealed a piece of metal embedded under his big toe.

“Mitchell . . . will most likely need surgery, which is expected to keep him out of cricket for four to five months,” team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said yesterday.

Johnson has endured a disappointing 12 months with the ball since being unceremoniously dropped for the second Ashes Test against England last year. He returned with a nine-wicket haul in the third Ashes Test in Perth but has rarely threatened to reach such heights since, taking just three wickets at the cost of 255 runs in the two recent tests in South Africa.

Eeckhout set to sign new contract

CYCLING: An Post Grant Thornton M Donnelly Seán Kelly manager Kurt Bogaerts has said that one of the team's most important riders looks set to stay with the squad into 2012, writes Shane Stokes. Niko Eeckhout will soon turn 41, but the former Belgian champion is expected to sign a new contract in the next few days.

“The team is optimistic. Normally by the end of the week, the signing will be finalised,” Bogaerts told The Irish Times yesterday. “It is a matter of getting the contract ready, meeting Niko and signing it.”

The Belgian has been important for the team in several ways, including getting results, securing invites to races via his strong career and in guiding younger riders. “His professionalism is really, really high,” said Bogaerts. “He trains hard, he looks after himself a lot, he sacrifices a lot. This gives a really good example to the other riders.”

BBC to review shortlisting process

AWARDS: The BBC are to review the shortlisting process for next year's Sports Personality of the Year show after no women made it on to the shortlist for this year's event.

The announcement of the all-male 2011 shortlist provoked a storm of criticism, with world champions such as swimmers Rebecca Adlington and Keri-Anne Payne excluded.

The BBC say they are standing by the current voting process but will review it for next year.

A BBC statement said: “We stand by the current voting process but have committed to take on board what has happened this year and we will review the shortlisting process for next year’s show.

“It is too early to say what, if any changes will be made to the process but please rest assured that we will seek the opinions of people both within and outside of the BBC before deciding on the appropriate methodology for 2012.”

CAS rules it does not have jurisdiction in Ullrich case

CYCLING: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) does not have the jurisdiction to rule on an appeal by the Swiss Anti-Doping agency that could lead to a life ban for former cyclist Jan Ullrich, the body said yesterday. The CAS would, however, rule on a separate appeal by the International Cycling Union (UCI) over the former Tour de France winner's implication in the Operation Puerto blood-doping scandal, it said in a statement.

“In the two appeal cases regarding the former German cyclist Jan Ullrich, CAS has rendered its first decision in the procedure between Swiss Anti-Doping and Jan Ullrich. The CAS found it does not have jurisdiction,” CAS said.

The Swiss agency had appealed to CAS to overturn a decision by Switzerland’s Olympic Committee not to open disciplinary proceedings against Ullrich over doping allegations. “The first CAS decision does not prejudge the forthcoming decision in the arbitration procedure between the International Cycling Union, Jan Ullrich and Swiss Cycling,” the statement added.