Bowling maidens over

By Anna Thompson BBC Sport Online

Cricketers don't tend to fall into the same category in the sexy sports stars stakes such as footballers and tennis players.

When it comes to pitch pin-ups, cricketers, with the exception of a few including Imran Khan and Ian Botham, languish near the bottom of the pile with the likes of golfers.

We have a huge problem of tackling a large number of young women who chase cricketers and attempt to enter their rooms

Sri Lanka police spokesman

So it may come as a surprise to find there is a dedicated following of cricket groupies who trawl the county and international scene aiming to be bowled over.

And they are posing such a problem at the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, the police have been called into thwart their attempts to get a bit of leg over action.

A senior police official in Colombo said: "We have a huge problem of tackling a large number of young women who chase cricketers and attempt to enter their rooms.

"We have recorded names and identities of all women who have visited the players' rooms at the hotel and the number is increasing daily."

Think about it.

Cricketers are away from home on foreign tours for a good few months of the year.

They get lonely and it isn't surprising available females fling themselves at the sportsmen.

It is hardly rocket science to work out why so many cricket marriages end in divorce.

Most fanciable XI

But it must be great for those young, free and single cricketers.

They have the pick of a different woman each night if they want to, and who could begrudge them.

Players break up the monotony of the daily grind of the county game by scouring the crowds for any nubile women.

This isn't too difficult when you consider most female members are pensioners - so any young head-turners are quickly honed in on!

Sri Lanka police have not revealed which team or players have been "hosting" the most visitors.

But a completely politically-incorrect BBC Sport Online poll reckons the most fanciable XI at the ICC Champions Trophy is:

Nasser Hussain (Eng), Brian Lara (W Indies), Daan van Bunge (Holland), Jonty Rhodes (S Africa), Michael Bevan (Aus), Shane Lee (Aus), Daniel Vettori (NZ), Shoaib Akhtar (Pak), Ashley Giles (Eng), Zaheer Khan (Ind), Waqar Younis (Pak).