Federer beats Nadal to win ATP World Tour Final

Switzerland's Roger Federer reacts during a round robin singles tennis matc...

​London: Roger Federer sent a timely reminder to Rafael Nadal on Sunday, out-gunning the world number one to win the ATP World Tour Finals with an irresistible display of attacking tennis.

Federer, overshadowed this season by the phenomenal Nadal, won 6-3 3-6 6-1 in front of 17,500 fans at London's O2 Arena for a record-equalling fifth title at the year-ending finale, matching the feat of Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras.

Federer and Nadal set for grand finale

Nadal, who won this year's French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles to knock Federer off the top of the rankings, looked jaded after his epic semi-final against Andy Murray on Saturday and the Swiss seized his chance in style.

Federer fired down 32 winners in the one hour 37 minute contest to Nadal's 11 as he beat the Spaniard for only the second time in two and half years.

Nadal now leads 14-8 in their series dating back to 2004 but Federer's form since his shock defeat by Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon suggests the 24-year-old will be challenged hard for the sport's majors again next year.

In going through the round-robin tournament undefeated Federer also added $1.6 million (1.0 million pounds) to his considerable bank balance, although notching another victory over his great rival, and regular nemesis, was satisfaction in itself.

The 16-times grand slam champion roared with delight as he looped a forehand on to the baseline and, after a slight hesitation, Nadal opted not to challenge the call and began walking to the net to shake hands.

For the time since 1986 the world's top two players in the ATP rankings contested the final match of the season -- a fitting end to a tournament that attracted 250,000 fans over eight days to London's Docklands.

Though the match lacked the drama of their previous one in London -- Nadal's unforgettable 2008 Wimbledon final defeat of Federer -- it still provided a feast for a sell-out crowd as both players traded blows.

Nadal had the first sniff of a chance at 3-3 when he had Federer down 0-30 on serve but he was helpless as the Swiss reeled off four perfect points.

Asian Games

In the next game, Federer earned a break point with a forehand winner and converted it when he rolled a backhand beyond the reach of Nadal.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the Swiss had moved a set ahead but Nadal, playing in the final of the season-ender for the first time, levelled the match after breaking Federer's serve in the fourth game of the second set.

Predicting a winner at that stage looked impossible but Federer struck the decisive blow to move 3-1 ahead in the decider when Nadal hit a tired-looking backhand wide.

Nadal got to deuce on the next game but Federer slammed the door shut with an ace to move 4-1 ahead and there was no way back for the Mallorcan.

Bopanna-Qureshi get Grand Prix of Peace and Sports award

Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan, right, and partner Rohan Bopanna of Indi...

Paris: Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani doubles partner Aisam ul Haq Qureshi have been awarded the 2010 Grand Prix of Peace & Sports at a glittering event held in Monaco.

The two players, who are also known as Indo-Pak Express were given the award in the presence of Crown Prince of Monaco Thursday night for their role in promoting peaceful relations between India and Pakistan.

Bhupathi-Mirnyi end runners-up at World Tour Finals

The two have been playing together as a doubles team on the ATP circuit in 2010 and to convey their message of peace, they have been sporting the slogan 'Stop War, Start Tennis'.

"Their commitment to promoting peace between the two countries and their conviction that peace was possible was shown amply during the year. In the US Open tournament they managed to bring together the ambassadors of India and Pakistan to support the same team," says the citation of the award which was handed out in a ceremony with numerous stars from the world of sports.

Handing the award, Joel Bouzou, president and founder of Peace and Sport Foundation, requested the governments of India and Pakistan to support the project of Bopanna and Qureshi to organise a symbolic tennis match at the Wagah border checkpost. "The sport is ready for peace. Will the two governments rise to the occasion?" he asked.

The evening saw five other awards being handed out. These included the award for a peace project of an international sporting federation, which was shared by world football body FIFA and IFNA (International Federation of Netball Associations).

IFNA got the award for its programme 'Goal', which helps young women to become independent in India. FIFA got the award for it initiative Football for Hope, which reinforces programmes around the world on subjects as diverse as education, health, building peace and reconciliation.

The award for the Sporting Event of the Year went to 'Rumble In Cartagena' - an event of rugby in wheelchairs which was organised during the Summit for a World Free of Anti-personnel Mines.

The award for a sports NGO for peace was given to the Peres Center, which has mounted about 10 projects favouring socio-economic cooperation and cross-border interactions between the Palestinian and Israeli people.

Federer thanks Annacone for return to form

The award for Socially Responsible Company of the year was bagged by sports wear major Puma, which organised thousands of charitable football matches around the world to promote peace, donation of sporting equipment.

And the special prize of the Jury went to "Out of the Ashes", a film based on the emergence of the Afghanistan cricket team, which originated in the refugees camps in Pakistan and went on to participate in the Cricket World Cup.

The Peace and Sports Awards were inaugurated in 2008 and are given by the eponymous organisation which in apolitical and neutral.

Malik dropped because of Super Sixes loss?

Karachi: Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik being ignored for the New Zealand tour could be a result of the team's unlikely loss in the Super Sixes Tournament final in Hong Kong under his captaincy last month.

Sources said Malik, who was ignored by the selectors on Tuesday for the New Zealand tour despite his terrific form in domestic cricket, may have been sidelined because of the Hong Kong tournament.

Pakistan selectors leave out Yousuf for New Zealand tour

"Malik was captain and in the final opponents Australia required 48 runs in the final over to win the match. Imran Nazir a part time bowler was given the ball and incredibly even in the super sixes format he conceded 48 runs bowling number of wides and no-balls in the decisive over," one source said.

He said the final over had raised eyebrows in the Pakistan Cricket Board and given Malik's disciplinary record as well the selectors decided to play it safe.

"If a player has scored three big hundreds in succession in domestic cricket he is always a serious contender but in Malik's case his ouster may also be linked to non-cricketing reasons," the source said.

Malik himself told the media that he was extremely disappointed at not making the team.

World Cup 2011

"What more do I have to do to prove myself. I have scored nearly 580 runs in five innings with three centuries and I have taken 14 wickets for PIA in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and if this not enough to win me a place back in the team I don't know what is," Malik said.

"If the selectors are not considering me when I am in prime form then I think I am within my right to at least ask them to tell me on what grounds I have not been picked in the touring squad," Malik said.

Afridi not happy with axing of Kamran, Malik

Karachi: Pakistan's one-day captain Shahid Afridi on Friday questioned national selectors' decision to drop senior players Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal from the squad for New Zealand tour, saying that it would affect preparations for the 2011 World Cup.

"I am definitely not happy with the way we are preparing for this mega event. I think we need to have experienced players like Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik in the team (for the New Zealand tour)," Afridi told reporters.

Controversies will not affect us in World Cup: Afridi

The outspoken all-rounder said that the media should ask the Pakistan Cricket Board and selectors why Kamran and Malik were not included in the squad.

"I think the media should ask the board because we need experience players for a major tournament like the World Cup and you can't expect to go into such a big event with a young and inexperienced side," Afridi said.

The national selectors ignored senior players Kamran, Malik, Rana Naved and Danish Kaneria while announcing the Test and Twenty20 teams for the New Zealand tour starting this month.

Afridi also urged the selectors to announce a pool of players for the World Cup as soon as possible so that the players could gel together and start preparing for the mega event.

"We need to work with a pool of players as soon as possible," he said.

Afridi declined to make any predictions about how Pakistan would perform in the World Cup next year being held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"In modern day cricket, it is very difficult to make any predictions about who will win the World Cup. I know people don't have much expectations from us in the World Cup but I am positive about our performance and I will back my players to do well, even the younger ones," he stated.

World Cup 2011

Asked about the exclusion of Mohammad Yousuf from the Pakistan Twenty20 and Test squads for the New Zealand tour, the flamboyant all-rounder was quick to point out that the senior batsman did not deserve a place in the T20 team while as far as why he was not selected in the Test team, he (Afridi) had nothing to do with Test cricket.

Asked about bookmaker Mazhar Majeed's claims of having ties with Pakistan players, Afridi pointed out that he had no issues at all since he had never done anything wrong in his cricket career.

"When I have done nothing wrong why should I be worried about Mazhar Majeed is saying or has to say I am not bothered at all."

Miandad and Waqar in war of words

Karachi: Former captains Javed Miandad and Waqar Younis have started a war of words after PCB offered Pakistan's batting and fielding consultant job for the New Zealand team to the former.

Pakistan team's head coach Waqar Younis who is these days in Sydney made it loud and clear that he would remain in charge and Miandad's role would be restricted in the team.

Afridi not happy with axing of Kamran, Malik

Miandad on Friday hit back warning Waqar to be careful while choosing his words.

"I think Waqar should realize my stature as a player and director general of cricket in the PCB before making any such comments. He should also realize that we are both employees of the board and not allowed to make such statements against each other. I can easily enough get a show cause notice issued to him for his remarks," Miandad said.

He also made it clear that he had turned down the offer from the board in a letter sent to the board Chairman, Ijaz Butt since he couldn't work under the supervision of Waqar who had played under him and was much junior to him.

"I am not going to be answerable to Waqar as far as my work is concerned I am only answerable to the board Chairman and I can't work under such restrictions," Miandad said.

After making him an offer the board sent another agreement letter to Miandad outlining the terms and conditions under which he would work in the Pakistan team on the New Zealand tour.

The conditions included that he would report to Waqar Younis, discuss all plans and schedules with him and not undertake any coaching session without approval of the head coach.

Let the tweeters tweet, says 'boring' Strauss

Waqar also added fuel to fire from Sydney when he said that Miandad's addition to the panel of coaches will not affect his role with the team.

While welcoming the PCB move to approach Miandad, Waqar, however, made it clear that he was fine as long as Miandad's role did not clash with his as head coach.

"I will send players to him whenever he wants them. He can work on their technique and sort out their difficulties. But when it comes to match strategy, that's my job," Younis said.

Dhoni signs Rs.26 crore endorsement deal with UB Group

New Delhi: Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni signed one of the largest single endorsement deals with the liquor to airlines conglomerate, the UB Group, valued at approximately Rs.26 crore for three years, according to a person privy to the deal.

The deal puts the Indian captain in the select league of top Bollywood stars such as Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan who charge anywhere near Rs.6 crore to Rs.8 crore per product's endorsements in a year.


A official with the talent management firm Rhiti Sports Management, through which the deal was struck, told IANS: 'Yes, Dhoni has entered into a deal with the UB Group and is now in the exclusive league of stars like Shah Rukh and Aamir.'


According to the official, the Indian cricket captain will endorse the company's McDowell soda.

'Right now, Dhoni is one of the most sort-after persons for endorsements, which is majorly due to the fact that the Indian team has been performing very well,' the official added.


Earlier, Dhoni's most expensive deal was signed at a price of Rs.6 crore per year with Reebok, which comes down to Rs.30 crore for a 5-year period.


Currently, he is associated with 22 brands -- among them beverages and snacks major PepsiCo, reality company Amrapali, telecom operator Aircel and retail chain Big Bazaar.

Siddle strikes but Cook fights for England

Tea England 4 for 172 (Cook 60*, Bell 26*) v Australia
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Jonathan Trott misses his drive against Shane Watson © Associated Press Enlarge
Related Links Matches: Australia v England at Brisbane Series/Tournaments: England tour of Australia Teams: Australia | England

Peter Siddle gave England a mid-afternoon shock with two quick wickets after the visitors had fought back from the first-over loss of Andrew Strauss in Brisbane. Siddle bustled in on a slow surface to extract Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood in consecutive overs, leaving Alastair Cook to anchor the innings with a solid half-century which guided England to tea at 4 for 172 alongside a confident Ian Bell.

Cook and Pietersen added 76 to take England into the period where batsmen traditionally dominate in Australia once the ball has gone soft. However, Siddle, playing his first Test since January after suffering a stress fracture of his back, had been picked because of his ability to unsettle batsmen on good pitches and proved his worth. Pitching on a fuller length than his fellow quicks he made one move a fraction to find the edge of Pietersen's drive and produced a very similar delivery to have Paul Collingwood taken low at third slip.

Collingwood is known to be a dodgy starter but Pietersen had looked in fine fettle, as good as he has at Test level since before his Achillies injury. Pietersen's first boundary was a sweet straight drive and he wore the expression of a man on a mission as he picked off a further five fours. He also seemed intent on attack Xavier Doherty during an intriguing mini-battle and Australia were relieved to end it when they did.

Cook was one of England's batsmen to enter this series with an unflattering record against Australia and shouldn't have survived the first session when he was dropped at point on 26 by Doherty. That, though, was his only mistake as he refused to chase anything wide and waited for the bowlers to drift towards the pads.

 He pulled Mitchell Johnson through midwicket for his first boundary then started after lunch with a sweet clip and picked off Doherty with ease.

Bell, fresh from his superb 192 against Australia, began with two crunching cuts off Siddle and showed his intent by coming down at Doherty. Australia used up their second review when Simon Katich - fielding at short leg - was convinced Bell had edged behind off Johnson but there was no TV evidence to support him.

The beginning to such an eagerly anticipated series was always likely to be a nervous affair but England added another instalment to their list of horror starts. 

After events on this ground four years ago all eyes were on the first ball of the day and the opening delivery from Ben Hilfenhaus sailed harmlessly past off stump. However, it didn't take long for the series to burst into life as two balls later Strauss tried to cut one that was a little too close to his body and picked out Mike Hussey at gully.

The England captain stood there, head in hand for a moment, before turning for the dressing room as the Gabba erupted to the cheers of the home support. Strauss had made two hundreds during England's near-perfect warm-up period and Australia knew how vital the scalp was. It took the visitors until the third over to open their account and that was an edge to third man by Trott, who then had to survive a heart-stopping referral when Siddle's lbw shout was sent to the third umpire but pictures confirmed it was just clipping leg stump.

However, steadily he and Cook evened the scales. Trott provided some impetus with a neat flick through the leg side and two swivel-pulls to fine leg, but was also rather skittish at stages as he edged short of second slip and got a leading edge towards point trying to work through midwicket.

He had appeared to survive the examination when the ball was thrown to Shane Watson who started loosely, but Trott gave his innings away with a loose drive against an inswinger which took off stump. England believe they can target Watson as a weak link in the Australian attack so providing him an early wicket will have been a disappointment, but Watson's full length was a lesson to heed on this pitch.

England recover from Strauss blow

Lunch England 2 for 86 (Cook 29*, Pietersen 23*) v Australia
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Jonathan Trott misses his drive against Shane Watson © Associated Press Enlarge
Related Links Matches: Australia v England at Brisbane Series/Tournaments: England tour of Australia Teams: Australia | England

England added another entry to their list of horror starts to Ashes series when they lost Andrew Strauss third ball at Brisbane, but they recovered their composure during an enthralling session to reach lunch on 2 for 86. Alastair Cook showed impressive composure alongside Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott was the other casualty when he gave away a promising innings against Shane Watson, but it's hard to split the teams after the early skirmishes.

The session could have been Australia's if Xavier Doherty hadn't spilled Cook's cut shot at point 10 minutes before the interval and the pace bowlers will consider that they didn't make the most of the new ball with inconsistent lines. Throw in the first use of UDRS for the series against Trott and an early taste of Pietersen's trial by left-arm spin against Doherty and the opening two hours of this much-hyped series couldn't have offered much more.

Strauss did his first job of the day right by winning the toss and, despite a green tinge to the pitch, taking the expected decision to bat first. After events on this ground four years ago all eyes were on the first ball of the day and the opening delivery from Ben Hilfenhaus sailed harmlessly past off stump. However, it didn't take long for the Ashes series to burst into life as two balls later Strauss tried to cut one that was a little too close to his body and picked out Mike Hussey at gully.

The England captain stood there, head in hand for a moment, before turning for the dressing room as the Gabba erupted to the cheers of the home support. Strauss had made two hundreds during England's near-perfect warm-up period and Australia knew how vital the scalp was. It took the visitors until the third over to open their account and that was an edge to third man by Trott, who then had to survive a heart-stopping referral when Peter Siddle's lbw shout was sent to the third umpire but pictures confirmed it was just clipping leg stump.

However, steadily he and Cook evened the scales. Trott provided the impetus with a neat flick through the leg side and two swivel-pulls to fine leg, but was also rather skittish at stages as he edged short of second slip and got a leading edge towards point trying to work through midwicket.

He had appeared to survive the examination when the ball was thrown to Watson who started loosely, but Trott gave his innings away with a loose drive against an inswinger which took off stump. England believe they can target Watson as a weak link in the Australian attack so providing him an early wicket will have been a major disappointment.

Cook, though, remained impressively solid as the quicks strayed a little wide as they tried to trouble him outside off and when they straighten up Cook worked through the leg side. His only boundary was a convincing effort as he latched onto a pull through midwicket off Mitchell Johnson, but he was given a huge left off on 26 when Xavier Doherty dropped a fairly simple chance at point off Watson.

Pietersen, meanwhile, settled himself in relatively calm fashion considering the often hyperactive way he starts an innings. He wasted no time in imposing himself against Doherty by advancing down the pitch but the early turn on offer won't have gone unnoticed by either camp.

Soderling keeps challenge alive

LONDON (AFP) Swedish fourth seed Robin Soderling defeated Spains David Ferrer 7-5, 7-5 on Tuesday to keep alive his bid to reach the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals.
Soderling and Ferrer had both lost their opening Group B matches in the prestigious end-of-year event at Londons O2 Arena, so the loser of this clash was almost certain to be eliminated.
It is the former French Open finalist who remains in with a chance of reaching the last four if he can beat Roger Federer in the last round of group matches on Thursday.
However, Soderlings win also meant Federer needs a victory from that game to be sure of qualifying himself, so the Swede wont be overly confident of making it through just yet.
Soderling said: It was an okay match. I served very well, especially in the first set. But it was a close match, two really tough sets. Im lucky that I won.
I still feel that I have a lot of things that I can improve. Hopefully I can do that. This was a really important win. Now at least I have the chance to make it to the semis.
Ferrer, the seventh seed and 2007 Tour Finals runner-up, will face Andy Murray knowing his fate is all but sealed already.
He added: I tried to do my best. I fought to win the second set. But Robin played better than me and he had more chances all match. He served really well.
After playing each other five times already this year, these two could have been forgiven for being sick of the sight of each other.
Soderling had the slight edge with three wins and he arrived in London full of confidence after his victory at the Paris Masters earlier this month lifted him to a career-high fourth in the world rankings.
The 26-year-old has often thrived in indoor events but he had been well below par during a comprehensive defeat against Murray on Sunday.
He was back to something like his best this time.
Following Federers sublime display against Murray earlier in the day, this was a rather more prosaic encounter.
The opening stages of the first set were comprised mostly of gruelling baseline rallies, so it was something of a surprise when Ferrer saved a break point in the sixth game by flicking a fine volleyed winner.
That was a rare moment of artistry in a hard-fought but uninspiring set which Soderling took when he converted the third of three set-points on Ferrers serve with a superb forehand winner down the line.
Soderling was starting to find his range with that booming forehand now and, after missing a break point at the start of the second set, he pressured Ferrer into more mistakes as he broke in the sixth game.
To his credit, Ferrer kept going and from 5-2 down he recovered to level the set after breaking Soderling as the Swede served for the match.
But, just as a comeback seemed on the cards, Ferrer sprayed a forehand wide to give Soderling a match-point which he gleefully accepted thanks to another error from the Spaniard.

Milan, Marseille through, Arsenal made to wait

PARIS (AFP) AC Milan and Marseille reached the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, but Arsenals hopes of joining them are in the balance following a shock defeat at Sporting Braga. Seven-time champions Milan were made to work hard before emerging from their trip to Auxerre with a 2-0 victory that secured second place in Group G behind Real Madrid. The French side had procured all the clear-cut chances until Zlatan Ibrahimovic blasted Milan ahead in the 64th minute, with substitute Ronaldinho curling home in injury time to complete the victory. We were under heavy pressure at the start of the match and we felt a little bit trapped inside our penalty area, but everything finished well, said Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri. Real made sure of top spot in the group and continued their unbeaten record in this seasons competition by thrashing Ajax 4-0 in Amsterdam. Karim Benzema broke the deadlock by side-footing into the roof of the net in the 36th minute, with full-back Alvaro Arbeloa doubling the Spanish sides lead with a long-range rocket just before half-time. A second-half brace from Cristiano Ronaldo, the second a penalty, set the seal on a comfortable victory, but Real had Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos sent off for two bookable offences late on. Both players received their second cautions for time-wasting and will now miss Reals final group game at home to Ajax. French champions Marseille had earlier secured their place in the knockout round with an impressive 3-0 win at Spartak Moscow. Beaten 1-0 in the reverse fixture in September, Marseille had to win to make sure of second place in Group F and they assumed control of proceedings in the 18th minute through a smart turn and finish by Mathieu Valbuena. Valbuenas France international colleague Loic Remy made it 2-0 nine minutes into the second half, before Brandao fired into the bottom-right corner to rubber-stamp Marseilles progress. Spartak saw Brazilian striker Welliton dismissed between Marseilles second and third goals after an altercation with OM centre-back Souleymane Diawara. It is important for the club, said Marseille coach Didier Deschamps. I am a very, very satisfied coach this evening, both with how we played and the result. In the other group fixture, a youthful Chelsea side came from a goal down to win 2-1 at home to Slovakians MSK Zilina and preserve their 100 percent record in this seasons competition. Two late goals from Matheus saw Arsenal slump to a 2-0 defeat at Braga that means Arsene Wengers side must beat Partizan Belgrade in their final group match to be sure of reaching the next stage. Arsenal had a strong penalty appeal turned down after Carlos Vela went down in the penalty area under a challenge by Alberto Rodriguez and within minutes Mateus had scampered through to put the hosts ahead. The Brazilian striker crashed home his second in injury time, and Arsenals disappointment was compounded by the sight of captain Cesc Fabregas limping off with an apparent hamstring injury. What is the fifth official doing if he cant see that? said Wenger of the penalty incident. Its an absolutely useless system. Other than that, it was a difficult game against a team that used all the tricks to slow the game down. Shakhtar Donetsk won 3-0 at Partizan and are now virtually assured of a place in the next phase. Roma produced the performance of the night to come back from 2-0 down to beat last seasons beaten finalists Bayern Munich 3-2 at Stadio Olimpico. Two goals from in-form Mario Gomez had put Bayern on course for victory, but well-worked strikes by Marco Borriello and Daniele De Rossi drew Roma level before Francesco Totti netted the winner with an 84th-minute penalty. It wasnt easy, especially in the first half, but the players were magnificent, beamed Roma coach Claudio Ranieri. Roma now trail already-qualified Bayern by three points in Group E and will progress if they avoid defeat at CFR Cluj, who lost 1-0 at Basel, in their final group game. Ronaldo scores double as Real outclass Ajax A double from Cristiano Ronaldo formed the centrepiece of a masterclass by Real Madrid here on Tuesday as they eased to a 4-0 away win over Dutch side Ajax in their Champions League Group G clash. The Portuguese star scored twice in the second-half after first-half goals by Karim Benzema and a stunning effort by Alvaro Arbeloa had put them in cruise control mode - the only blot on their evening were two late sendings off of World Cup winning duo Xabi Alonso and Sergi Ramos. Ajax coach Martin Jol had gone for broke in his line-up with three strikers - including Uruguayan Luis Suarez despite his being punished by the club for a biting incident at the weekend - and two attacking midfielders. Jol probably hoped Jose Mourinho would use the match to try some of his second choice players but the Portuguese maestro resisted the urge and injured players apart it was a first choice team that kicked-off. Benzema - who showed his class with a goal against England in the friendly victory last week - shot home from just inside the area after Mesut Ozil had defly knocked back with his heel Alonsos perceptive long pass. Ajax had little bit in attack as Suarez was swamped whenever he got a sniff of the ball and it was no surprise when the visitors struck again shortly before half-time. Ronaldos freekick rebounded off the wall but Arbeloa had no hesitation in trying his luck from way outside the area and his swerving effort left hosts keeper Maarten Stekelenburg rooted to his line. Ronaldo should have made it 3-0 in the 47th minute as Benzema found him and he twisted free of his marker to be one on one with Stekelenburg but the Dutch keeper somehow managed to get down and deflect the shot over the bar leaving the Portuguese superstar shaking his head in disbelief. He was not to be denied in the 70th minute, though, as set up by Argentinean substitute Angel di Maria he made no mistake as he shot past Stekelenburg and 10 minutes later he converted a penalty.

Misbah helps Pakistan draw Proteas series

ABU DHABI (AFP) Misbah-ul-Haq played a captains knock of 58 not out to salvage Pakistan a draw in the second Test against South Africa and finish the two-match series without a result.

Misbah, who scored an unbeaten 76 in the drawn first Test in Dubai last week, countered South African bowlers on a weary fifth day pitch at Abu Dhabi Stadium, taking Pakistan to 153-3 after they were set a 354-run target in 82 overs.

Misbah added 87 for an unbroken fourth wicket stand with Azhar Ali, who made 28 not out, after South Africa threatened to run away with a victory taking three wickets in the space of eight balls soon after lunch.
But Misbah, leading Pakistan for the first time in Tests, in the company of Ali foiled the away side, finishing with 10 boundaries during his 140-ball match-saving knock.

Ali, who hit three half-centuries in the previous three innings of the series, struck two boundaries and ably supported his captain.

South Africa had declared their second innings at 203-5 after batting for half an hour on the final morning, but ran out of time to enforce a result on a pitch which gave very little response to the bowlers.

Pakistan, ranked sixth in ICC (International Cricket Council) Test ranking, can take heart from their crisis-hit build-up to the series as they stopped Tests second best team from winning any of the two Tests.

Pakistan, however, have still not won any Test series since beating the West Indies at home in 2006, losing their last six and drawing four.

Misbah said it had taken a team effort to keep South Africa at bay.

This drawn series will build our confidence for the next series, said Misbah whose team next tour New Zealand for three Twenty20, two Tests and six one-day starting from late next month.

We have lacked consistency in Tests, but in this series everyone chipped in with performances, which was good, said Misbah.

Stand-in South African captain Jacques Kallis termed the result-less series as frustrating.
They were a frustrating two matches, but we can look back at some positive performances and go back home to take India next month, said Kallis of the three-Test, five one-day and one Twenty20 series at home next month.

Pakistan had raced to 66 without loss at lunch, but off-spinner Johan Botha provided the much-needed breakthrough by trapping Taufiq Umer leg-before for 30, before Harris trapped Mohammad Hafeez (34) and Younis Khan (nought) in his next over.

South Africa could have got Ali out in one Morne Morkel over, but wicket-keeper Mark Boucher hesitated to go for an edge when the batsman was on eight.

South Africa - led by Kallis after captain Graeme Smith injured his finger on Tuesday and was unable to take to the field - used five bowlers but failed to make any further inroads.
Resuming at 173-4, South Africa, looking for quick runs, added 30 in as many minutes before they declared the innings, giving their pace-cum-spin attack 82 overs to force a result.

Paceman Umar Gul removed Mark Boucher (15) in the second over of the day to check South African progress. Ashwell Prince remained unbeaten on 47, while Johan Botha finished with seven not out when the innings was declared.

Left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman, who hit a career-best 60 to save Pakistan from follow-on on Tuesday, finished with 3-81. AB de Villiers, who hit South Africas highest Test score of 278 not out, was declared man-of-the-match.

South Africa won the preceding two-match Twenty20 series 2-0 and the five-match one-day series 3-2, a tour shifted to United Arab Emirates because of security fears in Pakistan.

SOUTH AFRICA, first innings: 584-9 dec
PAK, first innings: 434 SOUTH AFRICA, second innings (overnight 173-4)
Petersen c Younis b Rehman35
Hashim Amla b Rehman62
Villiers lbw b Rehman25
Kallis c Umer b Hafeez10
A. Prince not out47
M. Boucher b Gul15
J. Botha not out7

EXTRAS: (lb1, 1nb)2
TOTAL: (for five wkts dec, 55 overs)203
Fall of wickets: 1-81, 2-113 , 3-130, 4-148, 5-182

BOWLING
Gul7-0-32-1
Ahmed5-1-29-0
Rehman22-1-81-3
Sami5-0-28-0 (1nb)
Hafeez16-4-32-1

PAKISTAN, second innings

Hafeez lbw b Harris34
Taufiq lbw b Botha30
Azhar Ali not out28
Younis lbw b Harris0
Misbah-ul-Haq not out58

EXTRAS: (lb2, w1)3

TOTAL: (for three wkts, 67 overs)153
Wickets: 1-66, 2-66, 3-66

Bowling: Steyn 13-2-40-0, Morkel 11-3-29-0, Harris 23-14-28-2, Kallis 2-0-13-0 (1w), Botha 17-4-40-1, Petersen 1-0-1-0

England bat as Ashes gets underway

England won the toss and decided to bat against Australia Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details Xavier Doherty was handed his baggy green by Ricky Ponting © Getty Images Enlarge Related Links Matches: Australia v England at Brisbane Series/Tournaments: England tour of Australia Teams: Australia | England After all the build-up and hype the Ashes series has arrived and Andrew Strauss has had his first success by winning the toss which enabled England to bat first in the Gabba. Ricky Ponting said he would have done the same, although expected some early assistance for the quicks on a surface with a green tinge. After recent rain in Brisbane there may have been temptation to bowl first, but Strauss has backed his batsmen to produce a strong performance. The general consensus is that this is England's best chance to win in Australia since Mike Gatting's tour in 1986-87. The Australians have a few problems with key players fighting for their places and more juggling of the XI by the selectors. However, don't for one minute underestimate the challenge of winning down under. It's a monumental task for Strauss and his team. Australia have a formidable record at home, and especially at the Gabba where they haven't lost since 1988. England broke a hoodoo in 2009 at Lord's, winning against Australia for the first time in 75 years, but victory on this ground would be an even greater feat. England's starting XI was nailed on from the moment they arrived in Australia and the impressive performances of the back-up attack in Hobart last week was never going to change their plans. It was the home side who had the major headaches but confirmed their line-up yesterday after preferring Peter Siddle ahead of Doug Bollinger while Michael Clarke has recovered from his back problem. Siddle is playing is first Test since January, but the most interesting name in Australia's bowling unit is the debutant Xavier Doherty who is the latest option the selectors have plucked out to try and fill the spin-bowling hole. He has a first-class average of 48, but in recent times has enjoyed some success for Tasmania and took four wickets on his ODI debut against Sri Lanka last month. Kevin Pietersen's problems against left-arm spin - he fell to Steve O'Keefe in the Australia A match - will also have had a significant bearing on Doherty's selection ahead of Nathan Hauritz. Australia 1 Simon Katich, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Mike Hussey, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Xavier Doherty, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus England 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven Finn

Soderling keeps alive Tour Finals challenge

LONDON: Swedish fourth seed Robin Soderling defeated Spain''s David Ferrer 7-5, 7-5 on Tuesday to keep alive his bid to reach the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals.

Soderling and Ferrer had both lost their opening Group B matches in the prestigious end-of-year event at London''s O2 Arena, so the loser of this clash was almost certain to be eliminated.

It is the former French Open finalist who remains in with a chance of reaching the last four if he can beat Roger Federer in the last round of group matches on Thursday.

However, Soderling''s win also meant Federer needs a victory from that game to be sure of qualifying himself, so the Swede won''t be overly confident of making it through just yet.

Ferrer, the seventh seed and 2007 Tour Finals runner-up, will face Andy Murray knowing his fate is all but sealed already.

After playing each other five times already this year, these two could have been forgiven for being sick of the sight of each other.

Soderling had the slight edge with three wins and he arrived in London full of confidence after his victory at the Paris Masters earlier this month lifted him to a career-high fourth in the world rankings.

The 26-year-old has often thrived in indoor events but he had been well below par during a comprehensive defeat against Murray on Sunday.

He was back to something like his best this time.

Following Federer''s sublime display against Murray earlier in the day, this was a rather more prosaic encounter.

The opening stages of the first set were comprised mostly of gruelling baseline rallies, so it was something of a surprise when Ferrer saved a break point in the sixth game by flicking a fine volleyed winner.

That was a rare moment of artistry in a hard-fought but uninspiring set which Soderling took when he converted the third of three set-points on Ferrer''s serve with a superb forehand winner down the line.

Soderling was starting to find his range with that booming forehand now and, after missing a break point at the start of the second set, he pressured Ferrer into more mistakes as he broke in the sixth game.

To his credit, Ferrer kept going and from 5-2 down he recovered to level the set after breaking Soderling as the Swede served for the match.

But, just as a comeback seemed on the cards, Ferrer sprayed a forehand wide to give Soderling a match-point which he gleefully accepted thanks to another error from the Spaniard.

Misbah, Azhar help Pakistan draw series against Proteas

ABU DHABI: Misbah-ul-Haq played a captain''s knock of 58 not out to salvage Pakistan a draw in the second Test against South Africa and finish the two-match series without a result.

Misbah, who scored an unbeaten 76 in the drawn first Test in Dubai last week, countered South African bowlers on a weary fifth day pitch at Abu Dhabi Stadium, taking Pakistan to 153-3 after they were set a 354-run target in 82 overs.

Misbah added 87 for an unbroken fourth wicket stand with Azhar Ali, who made 28 not out, after South Africa threatened to run away with a victory taking three wickets in the space of eight balls soon after lunch.

But Misbah, leading Pakistan for the first time in Tests, in the company of Ali foiled the away side, finishing with 10 boundaries during his 140-ball match-saving knock.

Ali, who hit three half-centuries in the previous three innings of the series, struck two boundaries and ably supported his captain.

South Africa had declared their second innings at 203-5 after batting for half an hour on the final morning, but ran out of time to enforce a result on a pitch which gave very little response to the bowlers.

Pakistan, ranked sixth in ICC (International Cricket Council) Test ranking, can take heart from their crisis-hit build-up to the series as they stopped Test''s second best team from winning any of the two Tests.

Pakistan, however, have still not won any Test series since beating the West Indies at home in 2006, losing their last six and drawing four.

Pakistan had raced to 66 without loss at lunch, but off-spinner Johan Botha provided the much-needed breakthrough by trapping Taufiq Umer leg-before for 30, before Harris trapped Mohammad Hafeez (34) and Younis Khan (nought) in his next over.

South Africa could have got Ali out in one Morne Morkel over, but wicket-keeper Mark Boucher hesitated to go for an edge when the batsman was on eight.

South Africa - led by Jacques Kallis after captain Graeme Smith injured his finger on Tuesday and was unable to take to the field - used five bowlers but failed to make any further inroads.

Resuming at 173-4, South Africa, looking for quick runs, added 30 in as many minutes before they declared the innings, giving their pace-cum-spin attack 82 overs to force a result.

Paceman Umar Gul removed Mark Boucher (15) in the second over of the day to check South African progress. Ashwell Prince remained unbeaten on 47, while Johan Botha finished with seven not out when the innings was declared.

Left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman, who hit a career-best 60 to save Pakistan from follow-on on Tuesday, finished with 3-81.

AB de Villiers, who hit South Africa''s highest Test score of 278 not out, was declared man-of-the-match.

South Africa won the preceding two-match Twenty20 series 2-0 and the five-match one-day series 3-2, a tour shifted to United Arab Emirates because of security fears in Pakistan.

Joshi's five-for gives Karnataka advantage

	RP Singh scored 47 and then took two quick wickets for Uttar Pradesh against Himachal Pradesh © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Rishi Dhawan | Sunil Joshi | RP Singh Series/Tournaments: Ranji Trophy Super League | India Domestic Season Teams: India

Rains across the country meant that little or no play was possible in five out of the seven Super League matches on Wednesday. Karnataka would have been happy that weather didn't interrupt their match against Orissa at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, as they managed to bowl the visitors out for 191 on the first day. Orissa ended the day on a positive note, taking two Karnataka wickets for 18 runs before stumps. Sunil Joshi, the former India spinner who completed the double of 5000 runs and 500 wickets in first-class cricket in Karnataka's last match, took 5 for 35 as Karnataka struck at regular intervals after putting Orissa in to bat. Niranjan Behera was left stranded on 83 not out after facing 235 balls and watching nine wickets fall at the other end. Adithya Sagar gave Karnataka two early breakthroughs, removing both Orissa openers within the first three overs of the morning and then Joshi ripped through Orissa's middle-order. Karnataka and Orissa are separated by just two points in the Group B table, having played two games each.

Himachal Pradesh surprised table-toppers Uttar Pradesh, bowling them out for 197 on the first day at Green Park in Kanpur, but what could have been a perfect day for them was ruined in the last over, when they lost two wickets to finish at 9 for 2. Himachal seamer Rishi Dhawan, playing in only his fourth first-class match, picked up his maiden five-for as UP lost wickets at regular intervals. RP Singh, the left-arm seamer who has played 13 Tests for India, was UP's surprise top-scorer with 47, while their leading run-getter this season Parvinder Singh missed out on a half-century, falling for 46. Singh then gave UP an opening back in to the game, taking two wickets in his last over of the day.

Only 48 overs were bowled at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara, where Baroda crawled to 94 for 1 against Punjab. Baroda, who will be trying to get over the horrific collapse that saw them lose to UP in the last round, were put in to bat and their openers Connor Williams and Jaykishan Kolsawala made steady progress before Kolsawala edged one behind off Manpreet Gony, the Chennai Super Kings fast bowler. Yusuf Pathan and Ambiti Rayudu are not playing for Baroda and have been replaced with Jyot Chhaya and Utkarsh Patel.

Group A

Railways could fit only eight overs in after play began at 4.30pm in their match against Tamil Nadu at the IIT Chemplast Ground in Chennai. Tamil Nadu were put in to bat and Abhinav Mukund hit three boundaries taking the hosts to 26 for 1 at stumps. Railways are currently languishing at second from bottom in the Group A table, while Tamil Nadu are second, having one won game and drawn two others.

There was no play in any of the other Group A matches scheduled to start on Wednesday. At the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai, Amol Muzumdar will have to wait for his return to Mumbai to face his old team as Assam take on table-toppers Mumbai. Saurashtra are at the foot of the table and will welcome back Cheteshwar Pujara from India duty for their match against Delhi at the Khandheri Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. Laxmi Shukla, the Bengal allrounder fresh from his double-century in the last round, will have to wait till Thursday to see some action, as the first day of Bengal's match against Gujarat at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad was washed out.

Pakistan off to a good start chasing 354 runs

ABU DHABI: Pakistan were given a solid start of 66 by lunch on the fifth and final day in the second Test after South Africa set a 354-run target for them at Abu Dhabi Stadium on Wednesday.

Openers Mohammad Hafeez (34) and Taufiq Umer (31) were unbeaten at the break as Pakistan needed another 288 runs in a minimum of 63 overs after South Africa declared their second innings at 203-5 in the morning.

With the pitch still not posing any danger for the batsmen the match is likely to end in a stalemate, ending the two-Test series without a result after the first Test in Dubai ended in a draw last week.

Both Hafeez and Umer hit four boundaries each as South Africa -- led by Jacques Kallis after captain Graeme Smith injured his finger on Tuesday and was unable to take to the field -- used five bowlers but met with no success.

Resuming at 173-4, South Africa, looking for some quick runs, added 30 in as many minutes before they declared the innings, giving their pace-cum-spin attack 82 overs to force a result.

Paceman Umar Gul removed Mark Boucher (15) in the second over of the day to check South African progress. Ashwell Prince remained unbeaten on 47, while Johan Botha finished with seven not out when the innings was declared.

Left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman, who hit a career-best 60 to save Pakistan from follow-on on Tuesday, finished with 3-81.

Pakistan cricketer arrives in UK after Dubai no-show

As a debutant, Haider scored a half century against England this summer

• Pakistan cricket faces a new crisis after wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider turned up in London after leaving the team camp in Dubai without permission.

The 24-year-old was earlier feared missing ahead of Monday's deciding one-day international against South Africa.
Haider's brother told the BBC that the cricketer had fled because he and his family had received death threats.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which has is trying to clean up cricket in Pakistan, has launched an inquiry.
"He will definitely face an inquiry and disciplinary action whenever he contacts us. But we are concerned about this whole situation," said PCB legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi.

Facebook messages :

A message posted on Haider's Facebook page said he had been sent messages asking him to lose Friday's one-day match against South Africa.
In an unbeaten 19, he hit the winning runs as Pakistan levelled the five-match series 2-2 in the fourth one-dayer.

But on Monday South Africa won the final one-day international against Pakistan to claim the series 3-2.
Haider was replaced as wicketkeeper for Monday's game by Umar Akmal, the brother of Kamran Akal, whose performance behind the stumps in the Sydney Test against Australia earlier this year is at the heart of an ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit investigation.

The PCB confirmed that it had passed details of Zulqarnain's disappearance to the ACSU.
"I have come here on my own expenses on a one-month visa," said Haider after arriving at Heathrow. "I will be staying at a hotel on my own expense."
Haider's disappearance is the latest in a series of controversies surrounding the team.
Three other Pakistan cricketers are still under investigation after they were accused in August of taking part in a spot-fixing scam during a match in London.
Curfew breach The International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit has been made aware of the case and may wish to speak to Haider.

Haider was fined 12,000 rupees ($140; £86) on Sunday after allegedly breaking curfew hours imposed by the team management along with fellow players Shahzaib Hasan and Abdur Rehman.

Team manager Intikhab Alam told the BBC's Islamabad bureau that Haider had asked for his passport on Sunday night, saying he needed it to get a SIM card for his mobile phone.

The BBC's Shoaib Syed Hasan in Karachi says that the wicketkeeper's absence at the start of the final ODI sent shockwaves through the team.
Haider's older brother Aqeel, who lives in Lahore, said the wicketkeeper had received messages on his mobile phone threatening to kill him and target his family after the one-dayer against South Africa.
Haider's brother says the PCB knew of the threats and accused it of doing nothing about them.
He has now demanded a government inquiry into the matter.

'Full inquiry'


A PCB statement said: "Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider left the team hotel without informing any member of the Pakistan team management.

"The PCB has informed Dubai police of the incident and also has brought it into the notice of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit."

The statement said a "full inquiry will be held into the circumstances surrounding this incident and no further comments will be made until the facts are known".

On Sunday the ICC said it had been impressed by the progress the PCB had made in working on an anti-corruption code.

Zulqarnain lands in England after Dubai no-show

Police at the house of Zulqarnain Haider in Lahore.—AP

LONDON: Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has arrived in England after mysteriously disappearing hours before the fifth and final one-day international against South Africa in Dubai.


“I have come here on my own expenses on a one month visa. I will be staying at a hotel on my own expenses,” Zulqarnain told a private news channel after spending nearly four hours with immigration authorities at Heathrow Airport.
“I will speak in detail on the reasons for my decision to leave Dubai and come to London later on,” he said without elaborating any further.

Earlier, Pakistan’s team management said the keeper was last seen at the team’s hotel in Dubai early in the morning.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Zulqarnain had not informed them he was planning to leave the hotel nor had he told them the reason for his sudden decision.
“A full inquiry will be held into the circumstances surrounding this incident and no further comment will be made until the facts are known,” the PCB said in a statement.

In a message on his Facebook account, Zulqarnain appeared to suggest he was worried about his personal safety after receiving threats.
“Leaving Pakistan cricket because get bad messages for lose the match in last game,” he wrote.
Pakistan officials reported Zulqarnain’s disappearance to the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption and Security unit, as well as local police.
The 24-year-old scored an unbeaten 19 and hit the winning runs as Pakistan levelled the five-match series 2-2 in the fourth one-dayer on Friday.

THREATENING MESSAGES

His brother Raza told Reuters from Lahore that Zulqarnain had expressed fears after receiving threatening messages.
“The last time I spoke to him he told me he was getting threatening messages after the fourth match and to pray for him,” said Raza before adding his family was in touch with Zulqarnain and concerned about his safety.
“We would like to know a lot of things like why did the PCB management give him his passport, were they aware of the threats he had got?”, Raza said.

The PCB said Zulqarnain had asked Pakistan officials for his passport.
“Zulqarnain was in possession of his passport at the time he left the hotel, which he had taken from the team management the previous evening for personal use,” said the board.
PCB legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi told Reuters that Zulqarnain had breached his central contract.
“He will definitely face an inquiry and disciplinary action whenever he contacts us. But we are concerned about this whole situation,” said Rizvi.

Lahore police official Rana Faisal said they were investigating Zulqarnain’s disappearance.
“We have received no official complaint but taking note of the media reports we have sent some officers to his house (in Lahore) to find out details,” Faisal said.

Zulqarnain has played one test, four one-day internationals and three Twenty20 games for Pakistan.

Tendulkar is the Bradman of today: British media

 London: "Let us just say that Tendulkar is the Bradman of today - less hypnotic but scarcely less phenomenal", according to cricket writer John Woodcock, who reckons the Indian icon has every chance of making his 50th Test century this week.

In his column for `The Times`, Woodcock paid rich tributes to Tendulkar for his " insatiable" hunger to score runs and said comparing him to Bradman did not diminish the legendary Australian and his achievements.

"Bradman, I believe, would have been proud to play today`s game as well as Tendulkar does, just as Tendulkar, like all of us, holds Bradman in awe. Let us just say that Tendulkar is the Bradman of today - less hypnotic but scarcely less phenomenal - and leave it at that," Woodcock said.

"There is every chance that Tendulkar will make his 50th Test hundred this week, against New Zealand, in itself an amazing achievement. But if Bradman had played the same number of Test innings (Tendulkar has played 280 to Bradman`s 80), he would have finished with something like 100 hundred, given the rate at which he scored them," the veteran columnist wrote.

Woodcock said physically, Tendulkar is the shorter and stockier of the two and with the sub-continent being the breeding ground of the world`s most natural batsmen, there could be a few more talented cricketers from that region in the future.

"What eventually it comes down to is opportunity, ambition and temperament. Tendulkar belongs to the school of those Indian batsmen (Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Viswanath were others) who make up for a lack of inches with eye, wrist and insatiability. He uses a bat so heavy that Bradman would have laughed at it. You need only to pick it up to realise how strong his arms must be," he said.

"To say that Tendulkar, or anyone else for that matter, might be as good as Bradman does not diminish Bradman and his achievements. This is intended not as a comparison between Bradman and Tendulkar but as a celebration of a wonderful little Indian player - insatiable, resourceful, unflinching and orderly," Woodcock added.

Tendulkar, who just needs one more century to record an amazing feat of 50 Test tons, has been in red-hot form from the beginning of this year when India toured Bangladesh. His appetite for runs and centuries has only increased with advancing years.

The 37-year-old champion cricketer has accumulated a staggering 1270 runs from his last nine Tests (15 innings), embellished by six three-figure knocks that includes two double hundreds, for a Bradmanesque average of 97.69, a feat that fetched him this year`s ICC Cricketer of the Year honour.

Modi defends Gavaskar on IPL payment row with BCCI

 London: A day after the BCCI denied that there were any dues to be paid to Sunil Gavaskar for his term as an IPL Governing Council member, suspended chairman of the Twenty20 league Lalit Modi said the former India captain had always been forthright in his dealings and never known to be a liar.

Gavaskar had yesterday hit out at the Cricket Board for not paying him for his role in the IPL Governing Council, a claim which was promptly refuted by the BCCI.

"A lot has been said about Sunny. All I can tell you is that in all my dealings with Sunny, I`ve never known him to be a liar or anything. Sunny has been forthright. I`m sure they`ll sort it out," Modi told a news channel.

Gavaskar, who was controversially omitted from the IPL`s Governing Council in September this year, claimed he had not been paid for the last three years but Board secretary N Srinivasan rubbished it, saying it was not factually correct.

Modi, who has been under investigation by various government agencies in India following allegations of irregularities in the IPL including money laundering, today made his first public appearance ever since being served with a `Blue Corner` notice by the Enforcement Directorate.

Modi has been invited here to address the prestigious International Sports Event Management (ISEM) Conference at Twickenham. He will be sharing the dais with some high-profile sports administrators, including the CEOs of 2012 London Olympic Games and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Modi will reflect on the success of the IPL and the future of sports in India. He will also take part in a question and answer session and is also expected to discuss the Delhi Commonwealth Games and its impact.

Modi exuded confidence that BCCI president Shashank Manohar and ICC president Sharad Pawar will soon sort out the matter involving Gavaskar.

"Both (Manohar and Pawar) will soon meet and sort out the issue," he said.

Modi, however, refused to divulge the details of the pay packet offered to Gavaskar, saying, "I am sure it will be sorted out. That`s all I have to say."

• On his possible return to India, the former IPL chairman said, "I don`t have anything to say further."

Cronje made a match-fixing offer even before Nagpur: Gibbs

 Johannesburg: Herschelle Gibbs has claimed in his controversial autobiography, ‘To the Point’ that former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje had made an offer to the team to fix a match in India in 1996.

However, an one-time ace opener admitted that Cronje remained a man he would always admire.

In a chapter titled ‘The controversies’, Gibbs recalled the night Cronje changed the face of the game forever.

“It was 6.30 a.m. and knocking on my door was the Proteas team captain Hansie Cronje. We were touring India in 2000, and in Nagpur about to play our final ODI match against India. My roommate Henry Williams was in the shower when Hansie sat down on the bed. He got straight to the point. ‘I’ve got a mate here in India,’ he said, ‘and you can make some good money if you do what he’s asking. He’s offering US$15,000 if you go out for less than 20 in today’s game.’

But it was not the first time that Cronje had approached his side about match-fixing, according to Gibbs.

“This had happened before,” Gibbs wrote in his book which was released here on Monday.

“During a tour to India in 1996, we were due to play a benefit game for one of the (unnamed) Indian players. It would be the last game of the tour. The night before the game, Hansie got the whole team together and dropped a real bombshell. ‘I know a guy’, he said, ‘who is going to give us US$250,000 if we lose this game.’”

Gibbs said the offer was tempting because the South Africans were probably going to lose the game anyway due to the team being below strength with six members of the side being sick.

“Of course the team decided against taking the bribe, but even so, it hadn’t been an immediate and strong reaction to an activity totally abhorrent to the notion of sport. Instead we talked the offer over. We declined the offer. Sachin Tendulkar ended up getting a 100 in that game and, predictably, we lost.”

• Gibbs said when Cronje made the offer in Nagpur, the consequences of the offer did not even enter his mind as he thought about how it might help him pay off his mother’s house.

“And just like that I made a decision that would get me into a world of trouble and that I would bitterly regret. Despite initially agreeing, Gibbs reneged on the deal but was subsequently fined and banned for six months.”

“The match-fixing scandal (that started in Nagpur in India) may have cuffed us together, but Hansie was a man I will always admire,” Gibbs wrote, adding that he had forgiven him long ago.

“Hansie was certainly the best captain for whom I’ve ever played. Despite the cloud that hangs over his legacy...we were all in awe of the guy -- Hansie was one of those men who had a special presence towards which others gravitate.”

To this day, Gibbs remains uncertain of the inclusiveness of the King Commission of Enquiry which ended inconclusively after it was set up by the South African government in the wake of the match-fixing scandal: “I’m not sure whether the King Commission managed to uncover everything.”

Although Gibbs is confident of there being no match-fixing talk in any South Africa side he has played in since the Cronje scandal, he is not certain about other teams, especially after the recent debacle with the Pakistani team on their London tour: “I’ve watched a couple of games on the subcontinent and I’ve had my suspicions.”

“But I obviously can’t be sure. One thing I do know for sure, and that is, it is impossible to fix a game without 90 per cent of the team in on the deal.”

PCB suspends central contract of tainted trio

 Karachi: Pakistan`s disgraced trio of Salman Butt, Mohammed Aamir and Mohammed Asif have had their central contracts suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

A senior official of the PCB said on Wednesday that the central contracts of the three players stood suspended from November 1.

He explained that until the International Cricket Council (ICC) takes a final call on their provisional suspensions and also on the spot fixing allegations against them, they can`t get any benefits from the board.

"Only those players are given contracts who can play for Pakistan. Since these three can`t represent Pakistan until the final decision on their suspensions their contracts are suspended," Director of International Cricket Operations, Zakir Khan said.

Tafazzul Rizvi the legal advisor of the board said that the contracts were suspended in line with the ICC anti-corruption code of conduct laws.

The three players were provisionally suspended by the ICC on September 2 when they were touring England. The suspensions came after a British tabloid did a sting operation and report that the three had allegedly taken bribes to indulge in spot fixing during the fourth Test against England at Lord`s.

Butt and Amir appealed against the provisional suspensions but the head of the ICC code of conduct commission upheld their suspensions after a two-day hearing in Dubai last weekend.

Rizvi said until the appeal hearing was held their contracts remained but now they were suspended. He pointed out that the Board Chairman had last month only also given instructions to stop all payments to the suspended trio including monthly retainers of their contracts.

"The board at present is not providing any sort of help or support to the players and they now have to contest the suspensions and allegations against them by themselves," Rizvi said.

Salman and Amir on returning from Dubai said they were disappointed by the rejection of their appeals. They feel that the ICC was trying to corner Pakistan cricket.

"We are being punished for being Pakistanis," Salman said. 

Australia vs Srilanka 1st ODI Live Stream online

Australia vs Srilanka 1st ODI Live Stream online  | Australia vs Srilanka 1st ODI | Australia vs Srilanka 1st ODI live Score

Australia vs Srilanka 1st ODI Live Stream online :Today first ODI match held between two super teamsAustralia Vs Srilanka . Srilanka have strong edge on Australia because of first T20 match victory.

In First T20 match srilanka beat Australia very tremendously and now its expected from Srilankan Player to perform well in first ODI match and have increase their oneday ranking too.

Australia vs Srilanka:Malinga strong appeal for out. Srilanka Beat the Australia in 1st T20 match.

On the other hand Australia team want to beat Srilanka in First ODI match to decrease pressure of previous match from players . The Australian Captain says that they will comeback Soon in First ODI match and struggle to beat good combination of srilankan Team.
Australia Vs Srilanka 1st ODI match live stream is directly come from the Melbourne, Australia at time of following .

Australia vs Srilanka 1st ODI Live Stream online 
Time: 3:40 GMT
Match Venue: Melbourne  ( Australia)
Date: 3rd  Nov. 2010

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