Harris to replace Lee in Oz squad

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 12:18 PM

The event technical committee of the Twenty20 World Cup has approved Ryan Harris as replacement for injured Brett Lee in the Australian squad for the tournament which begins in the Caribbean tomorrow.

The confirmation was conveyed to Cricket Australia which has sought a replacement for Lee for the entire event.

Lee suffered a muscle strain on his right elbow during Australia's loss in the warm up game against Zimbabwe on Tuesday.

30-year-old Harris from New South Wales has played two Tests, 12 ODIs and two Twenty20 Internationals.

Any injury-based replacement requires a written submission to the event technical committee along with a diagnosis from a medical practitioner as to the extent of the injury. Once replaced, a player cannot return to the squad.

The eligibility of a replacement player is subject to approval by the ICC before he can be officially added to the squad.

The event technical committee of the Twenty20 World Cup consists of David Richardson (ICC, chairman), Robert Bryan (Tournament Director), Campbell Jamieson (IDI representative), Tony Howard (WICB representative), Alan Wilkins (independent nomination) and Sanjay Manjrekar (independent nomination).

Australia open their campaign against defending champions Pakistan here on May 2 and then take on Bangladesh in Barbados on May 5.

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Mourinho celebrates 'most beautiful defeat'

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 12:08 PM

Barcelona, April 29 (DPA) Defensively strong Inter Milan battled their way into the final of the Champions League Wednesday by losing only 1-0 away to defending champions Barcelona.

Inter go into the final - in which they will face Bayern Munich in Madrid on May 22 - on a 3-2 aggregate after beating the Catalans 3-1 in San Siro last Tuesday.

It will be Inter's first final since 1972, they have not won the European crown since 1965.

Defender Gerard Pique scored the only goal just six minutes from time, but Inter managed to avoid a second goal in a frenetic finale.

Inter coach Jose Mourinho, as provocative and theatrical as always, provoked the jeers of the Camp Nou with his wild celebrations at the end.

He then raised eyebrows by saying that 'it is impossible that I become coach of Barcelona one day, because here they hate me.' Mourinho was translator and then assistant coach at Barca from 1996 to 1998 - under present Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal - and is now clearly enjoying the role of anti-hero.

The Portuguese coach added that 'it has been the most beautiful defeat of my life...Without organization we would have been eliminated. It is always difficult to play 10 against 11, but against Bar it is almost impossible.'

Inter captain Javier Zanetti said that 'we really deserve to be in the final. We have worked very hard indeed in both matches. This is the proof that we are a good team. The important thing is that we are in the final.'

Inter striker Samuel Eto'o, who was the idol of the Barca fans from 2004 to 2009, said that 'I thought the game was never going to end, it was interminable.'

He added, rather surprisingly, that 'Barca are still the best team in the world and we have needed all of our qualities, in two matches, to eliminate them.'

For his part, Barca president Joan Laporta said that ''we just could not score the second goal that would have taken us to the final.'

Laporta added that 'we now concentrate on winning the league, that is what our people deserve.'

Barca are just one point ahead of Real Madrid with four matches left.

Barca midfielder Yaya Toure commented that 'I have never seen a team so defensive as this Inter.'

He also complained that the 'goal' of Bojan disallowed right at the end because of a supposed handball by himself 'was not handball at all.'

Winger Pedro said that 'this is a pity...We knew that they were going to defend in strength, but to go out like this makes you angry.'

Mourinho's team had a surprisingly comfortable time in the Camp Nou, especially given that midfielder Thiago Motta was sent off after just 28 minutes.

This meant that Inter had to play out more than an hour with ten men, but they did so with calm efficiency and with surprisingly few scares. They were faultless in defence and managed to break up Barca's rhythm with countless fouls and interruptions.

Barca were even slower, ponderous and predictable than in the first leg. Playmaker Xavi was well controlled, Lionel Messi turned in another dull display - and Zlatan Ibrahimovic looked unfit and out of sorts.

Mourinho had planned to employ the same 4-3-3 formation as in the first leg but striker Goran Pandev pulled a muscle in the pre-match warm-up and Christian Chivu was brought in to make a 5-3-2 lineup.

Inter moved even further back into their defensive shell when Motta was shown a straight red card, for a hand in the face of Sergio Busquets.

Mourinho pulled forwards Diego Milito and Samuel Eto'o back to play as effective full-backs, meaning that Barca enjoyed 75 per cent possession - but without taking advantage of it.

All that the hosts had to show for their possession in the second half was two wide shots from winger Pedro and a low drive from Messi which Inter keeper Julio Cesar did well to get down to.

Pep Guardiola brought on Maxwell, Bojan and Jeffren but still lacked the craft, speed and imagination to open up a packed defence.

Inter were content to soak up the pressure and shamelessly waste time, waiting for the clock to run down on Barca's reign as European champions.

Barca's frustration led to a series of hopeful long shots, none of which troubled Julio Cesar.

There was nothing that the Brazilian could do, however, when Pique scored in the 84th minute. Xavi played the tall defender through, in a marginally offside position. Pique skipped past Ivan Cordoba and calmly made it 1-0.

But time was about to run out for Barca, who failed to score the necessary second goal in a desperate finale.

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Windies offer Caribbean feel for T20

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 11:38 AM

For all the turmoil surrounding the mysterious death of a coach and the myriad other problems associated with the West Indies' first hosting of a cricket World Cup, the most enduring complaint was about the lack of a Caribbean flavor.

West Indies organizers learned from hosting the 50-over World Cup in 2007, and plan to make amends with a vibrant and vigorous Twenty20 version starting Friday.

Three years ago, a 46-day World Cup was marred by low attendances and a lack of atmosphere and Australia dominated until the farcical end, concluding with a lighting failure and contentious finish to the final.

On Friday, the West Indies hosts the world's top teams again in the third edition of the ICC World Twenty20 and everything points to a vigorous 17-day tournament for the cricket's newest and increasingly popular format.

The early exits of India and Pakistan hurt the overall appeal while the untimely death of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer further sullied the mood in 2007, when stringent regulations were already draining the tournament.

This time, organizers are embracing the mood and music that has typified Caribbean cricket for decades and have lowered ticket prices to ensure more spectators.

Whatever happens off the field, the 2010 tournament will also be judged by the on-field action.

Pakistan has the best track record in this T20 event, having reached the final in the inaugural event in 2007 in South Africa and claimed the title in the second edition last summer in England.

The Pakistanis also have the best winning percentage in the format, with 22 wins, seven losses and one no result in 30 matches.

Recent upheavals - including suspensions for leading players and even the disciplining of their captain for this tournament, Shahid Afridi - are part of the cricket landscape in Pakistan and should not blunt its chances.

Pakistan's archrival India was the inaugural world T20 champion. And that triumph - the country's first major title in international cricket since 1983 - sparked a wave of popularity that underpinned the creation of the lucrative and booming Indian Premier League.

The under-stated but well-respected Mahendra Singh Dhoni led them to the 2007 title and his reputation as an astute leader has heightened following his Chennai Super Kings' championship last weekend in the third edition of the IPL.

Australia, three-time defending champions in the traditional 50-over version, was unceremoniously ousted in the first round in the 2009 T20 World Cup, but have a strong team capable of diversifying its trophy cabinet.

Sri Lanka, the 2009 runners-up, and South Africa are both teams packed with class and depth and are viable title aspirants.

The hosts are not to be discounted, either, and possess arguably the most dangerous player in the tournament in Kieron Pollard.

Pollard has ignited T20 cricket since his remarkable power-hitting last October for Trinidad & Tobago in the first international Champions League for the most powerful provincial teams.

Pollard had subsequent success with South Australia's Redbacks in Australia and the runner-up Mumbai Indians in IPL 3. The allrounder's international record is modest but the T20 World Cup provides a perfect platform to correct that.

England, New Zealand and Bangladesh are the least fancied of the other test nations while Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan are hoping to boost reputations with an unexpected upset over one or two of the more established teams.

Zimbabwe opted out of test cricket in 2006 and missed the last year's T20 tournament in England due to political issues, but is optimistic its cricket is moving in the right direction and a warmup win over Australia certainly helped its confidence.

Ireland has good memories of the Caribbean following a couple of upsets in the 2007 World Cup over Pakistan and Bangladesh. More overachievement will help advance their claims to become the ICC's 11th full member.

Afghanistan's mere presence here is a success story as the war-torn country climbed from the depth of the ICC's lowest division two years ago to take its place among the world's elite.

Wednesday's five-wicket win over Ireland with three balls to spare in a warmup match ensured that the other teams will be taking the Afghans seriously.

After all, the Netherlands' shock victory over host England in the opening match of the previous ICC World Twenty20 last June was the upset of the tournament.

The 2010 tournament starts Friday with a double-header at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, with New Zealand against Sri Lanka in the opener followed by the West Indies against Ireland under lights.

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ICC approves Harris as replacement for Lee

Published Thu, Apr 29 10 10:52 AM

St Lucia, Apr 29 (PTI) The event technical committee of the Twenty20 World Cup has approved Ryan Harris as replacement for injured Brett Lee in the Australian squad for the tournament which begins in the Caribbean tomorrow. The confirmation was conveyed to Cricket Australia which has sought a replacement for Lee for the entire event. Lee suffered a muscle strain on his right elbow during Australia''s loss in the warm up game against Zimbabwe on Tuesday. 30-year-old Harris from New South Wales has played two Tests, 12 ODIs and two Twenty20 Internationals. Any injury-based replacement requires a written submission to the event technical committee along with a diagnosis from a medical practitioner as to the extent of the injury. Once replaced, a player cannot return to the squad. The eligibility of a replacement player is subject to approval by the ICC before he can be officially added to the squad. The event technical committee of the Twenty20 World Cup consists of David Richardson (ICC, chairman), Robert Bryan (Tournament Director), Campbell Jamieson (IDI representative), Tony Howard (WICB representative), Alan Wilkins (independent nomination) and Sanjay Manjrekar (independent nomination). Australia open their campaign against defending champions Pakistan here on May 2 and then take on Bangladesh in Barbados on May 5.

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Top shooter in the dock for missing World Cup

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 10:48 AM

New Delhi, April 29 -- A top Indian shotgun shooter could face stringent punishment -possibly a ban -for reporting sick during the ISSF World Cup at Beijing, which concluded on April 25. Top trap marksman, Anirudh Singh, who is in the core group for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and ranks among the top three in the country, is in the eye of a storm for staying in his hotel room on competition day "without informing the officials accompanying the contingent". The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) acting president, Avtar Singh Sethi, said a three-member disciplinary committee had been constituted to go into the issue. "I will be in the committee in the capacity of chairman. Some punishment will definitely be handed out.he could even be banned. We will let you know in the next 2-3 days," Sethi told HT. National coach, Sunny Thomas, who had accompanied the team to Beijing, said foreign coach, Marcello Dradi, of Italy, was unhappy with the shooter's conduct and had written to the NRAI. "When we reached the range, we were shocked to know that Anirudh had not reported for competition. On reaching the hotel, we found him resting in his room. "He told us that he had been vomiting and had seen a doctor," said Thomas. "I told him, 'the government is spending so much on you people and you don't even care to inform us'. I have taken so many shooters to hospital when they have fallen sick. It's part of our job. He could have informed me even if it was past midnight." Anirudh was the only shooter among 29 participants who did not start in the competition. When contacted, Anirudh said he had not been informed about a disciplinary committee. "No one has informed me. I was sick and I went to see the doctor, as simple as that. Why would I train in Patiala for 10 days if I didn't intend to compete in Beijing? I was suffering from acidity during the camp in Patiala and it aggravated in Beijing," he said.

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DSA to hold trial & camp

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 10:38 AM

New Delhi, April 29 -- A selection-trial-cum-coaching camp will be held at the Ambedkar Stadium from May 1 to pick Delhi players for the Junior National Football Championship in Kolkata from June 5-27. The eligibility date for participation in the selection camp is January 1, 1993, Delhi Soccer Association said on Wednesday.

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PCB hopeful of Champions League

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 09:52 AM

Mumbai, April 29 -- As the world watched Lalit Modi's fall from grace with mixed emotions, Pakistan followed the drama with glee. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had blamed Modi for the snub to its cricketers in the IPL players' auction. Not one player was picked by the eight franchises, sparking rumours that it was "pre-planned". Insulted, the PCB revoked the players' NOCs and decided to boycott IPL and Champions League in the future. "There is no chance of any team from Pakistan playing in the Champions League after this insult," PCB chief, Ijaz Butt, had said earlier. Now, Butt seems to have mellowed down and is hopeful of being invited for the Champions League. "We will surely send our T20 champions if we are invited. I have not been contacted by the Champions League officials so far, but I am hopeful we will be participating after the recent turn of things," Butt told HT on Wednesday. Pakistan were included in the inaugural edition last year but were left out due to the political fallout following the Mumbai attacks. "Our relations have improved and our hockey team played in the World Cup in New Delhi this year. Even the Indian government was cooperative in arranging visas for our cricketers before the IPL auction. Our Sialkot Stallions will surely go if invited," Butt said. MODI to meet lawyers?

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PREVIEW - Modest Auxerre dismiss title talks as per normal

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 08:48 AM

Second-placed Auxerre dismissed title discussions as they prepared to host leaders Olympique Marseille in Friday's Ligue 1 showdown.

Auxerre, led by Guy Roux from 1961 to 2005, have not changed since their colourful former manager retired and Jean Fernandez, who took charge in 2006, has the same modest philosophy.

While Roux only talked about staying in the top flight when his team were en route to their only league title in 1996, Fernandez barely concedes Auxerre might secure a top-three finish that would guarantee at least a Champions League playoff spot.

With 66 points they lead fourth-placed Montpellier by six points and trail leaders Marseille by five, though victory on Friday would cut their deficit.

"If we only win one of our four remaining games we will be in the top five," Fernandez told Reuters on Wednesday.

"If we win two of them, then yes we might finish in the top three. But it is still too soon to talk about a Champions League spot."

Auxerre, who have the top-flight's best defence, have lost only one of their last 19 league games while Marseille are on a seven-match winning streak.

Marseille coach Didier Deschamps also tried to play down the significance of Friday's game.

"It's not a final. At the end of a final there is a trophy. There will be nothing (after this game)," he told reporters.

"There are only three possible results. Two are good for us, one is not."

HUGE STEP

However, Marseille midfielder Mathieu Valbuena said victory could decide the destiny of the Ligue 1 crown.

"Mathematically we will not be champions if we win at Auxerre. But that would be a huge step towards the title," said Valbuena.

Elsewhere, the race for the Champions League playoff spot will hot up on Sunday as fourth-placed Montpellier host Olympique Lyon who are fifth.

Promoted Montpellier trail third-placed Lille by one point but lead Lyon by a single point.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas was confident his team would bounce back from Tuesday's Champions League semi-final elimination by Bayern Munich.

"It will be tough but Lyon are a great team and great teams never die," he said.

Also on Sunday, Lille entertain Nancy and sixth-placed Girondins Bordeaux host Toulouse.

No games will be played on Saturday as Paris St Germain and Monaco meet in the French Cup final at the Stade de France.

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Guardiola's attack troops repelled by tireless Inter

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 08:08 AM

Pep Guardiola sent one of his most attacking formations of the season into battle against Inter Milan on Wednesday but his gambit ultimately proved insufficient to break down the Italians' spirited defence.

The Barcelona coach's normally lethal strike force, boasting Champions League top scorer Lionel Messi and former Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, were blunted by Jose Mourinho's tireless troops, even after they were reduced to 10 with more than an hour of the semi-final second leg remaining.

It was left to central defender Gerard Pique, thrown forward as an extra striker as the clock ticked down, to give Barca hope with a superb 84th-minute strike, but with the home fans baying for a second goal that would send their heroes through Inter held firm.

Guardiola had started with only three regular defenders and although his players had a whopping 76 percent of the possession, with Xavi and Sergio Busquets dominating the midfield, they managed only four shots on target.

Inter trio Esteban Cambiasso, Cristian Chivu and Wesley Sneijder ran their socks off in midfield and Lucio and Walter Samuel were rocks in central defence, repelling wave after wave of Barca assaults.

Guardiola said Inter midfielder Thiago Motta's 28th-minute red card had disrupted the flow of the play and helped throw the holders off their stride.

"The sending off shaped the game because they just sat back and attacking is always much harder than defending," the 39-year-old former Barca player said.

"We were missing some continuity in our game," he added. "We had a lot of possession but didn't manage to create many chances and there was little space between the defence and the middle of the pitch.

"When there are nine players defending in the area it's not easy. We tried but they defended very well and that's it."

ARCH RIVALS

After last season's unprecedented treble of Champions League and domestic league and cup, Barca's only chance of silverware this campaign is in La Liga.

They lead by a point from arch rivals Real Madrid with four matches remaining and face a potentially tricky match at in-form Villarreal on Saturday as well as a trip to Sevilla.

"We have to have a talk among ourselves, pick ourselves up and face the challenge in front of us," Guardiola said.

"The only thing we can do is congratulate Inter and wish them well for the final," he added. "Then tomorrow we have to begin preparing for the remaining four league games."

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No easy Ryder for the U.S. in Wales, says Azinger

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 07:48 AM

The United States will need meticulous preparation and an "extraordinary" team to win their first Ryder Cup victory on European soil since 1993, former U.S. captain Paul Azinger said on Wednesday.

Under the innovative Azinger, the Americans ended a run of three successive defeats when they beat Europe in Louisville, Kentucky in 2008, but this year he believes they face a much more daunting task in their bid to retain the trophy.

Speaking to Reuters about the Oct 1-3 contest at Celtic Manor, Wales, Azinger said an unfamiliar course, time change, weather and a pro-European crowd are among the challenges the Americans will have to contend with.

"Generally the Europeans have always had the advantage of playing the Ryder Cup on courses they are very familiar with and the Americans have to come over and figure it out in a very short time," said Azinger.

"They have always been able to capitalise, whether it was to neutralise our strengths or to exploit theirs. We have to go over there with an extraordinary team in order to win this time," added Azinger, who revamped the U.S. selection system for the 2008 matches by doubling his number of wildcard picks to four.

Corey Pavin will captain the U.S. team at Celtic Manor and Azinger feels detailed preparation and an attempt to alleviate the huge level of expectation will be his primary roles.

"The trick is to be able to drill the idea of preparation into the players' minds," Azinger said. "My philosophy was to create the best environment for our guys to be successful, and that environment had nothing to do with winning and losing.

TEAM UNITY

Perhaps Azinger's most remarkable achievement in 2008 was infusing the U.S. team with a level of unity and ease under pressure that had not been seen in recent American line-ups.

Many of his predecessors failed to find the ideal blend between the journeyman player and the leading lights, but Azinger succeeded with a strategy he modelled on the military.

Azinger, whose book on the subject called "Cracking the Code" will be published next month, split the 12 players into four groups and used an outside-the-box, Navy SEALS approach.

"I got them sold-out for each other within their team, and sold-out with the idea that they would prepare together. I would never take them out of their group unless there was an injury or an illness," said Azinger.

"There was no short-cut to success. You couldn't hope for it or wish for it. It was all down to preparation, and you would prepare in your small groups."

The Europeans have generally held the upper hand over their opponents when it comes to team unity at the Ryder Cup.

Azinger said he questioned in his book whether Europeans have that unity built in, adding that Spaniards play together and the Irish play together.

"Europe naturally has that bond whereas with the Americans, it's not like the Texans play together and the Floridians play together. It's different," said Azinger.

"Somehow the Ryder Cup for Europe, it's in their blood, it's in the heart. In America, it's in our mind. We want to win. In Europe, it's in your heart. You bleed it."

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New Hamburg coach is an old friend for Fulham captain

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 07:08 AM

Ricardo Moniz can expect no favours from an old friend at Fulham when he makes his debut as Hamburg SV's stand-in coach for Thursday's Europa League semi-final second leg.

Fulham captain Danny Murphy, who has led the Londoners on a fairytale adventure through Europe, knows the Dutchman from their time together at Tottenham Hotspur where Moniz worked with former manager Martin Jol.

"He was a good coach and someone I worked quite a lot with at Tottenham; the lads liked him a lot," Murphy said after training on Wednesday.

"It's different being a manager even if it is only for a short space of time but I'd be very surprised if the players at Hamburg don't have a good relationship with Ricardo because that's the type of guy he is.

"As for a tactician and what he might be thinking, I wouldn't have a clue but I'd be amazed if he wasn't anything other than attack-minded," added Murphy.

Moniz was appointed caretaker coach of the German side after Bruno Labbadia was shown the door following Hamburg's 5-1 defeat by Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Murphy said he had not even realised Moniz was at Hamburg until he bumped into him before the goalless first leg in the German port city.

"It was a complete shock. He had a bit of a different haircut and we kind of smiled and had a catch-up. He's a good guy and I've always spoken highly of him," said the former England midfielder.

BIZARRE PLAN

"The only thing I can be sure of is that their players like him because he's that kind of guy. I just hope he maybe has some bizarre tactical plan for them on Thursday that goes horribly wrong."

After savouring success with Liverpool, the club he won the UEFA Cup with in 2001 and who could be Fulham's final opponents on May 12, Murphy has enjoyed every minute of the London team's improbable run through Europe under manager Roy Hodgson.

"If you looked in a betting shop at the beginning of the Europa League campaign we'd have been nowhere," he said.

"If I'm honest I think people within the club thought 'If we can get through the group stages we've done well'. That's because we're realists.

"You're appreciative of it more, for sure," added the 33-year-old of the sort of run he thought was well behind him.

"At Liverpool you just assume each year's going to be another final but as you get older you realise that's not the case and you do have to enjoy these trips.

"Each time we've gone away ... I've tried to enjoy the experience, not knowing if it was going to be your last adventure in Europe," said Murphy.

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Jolly Range Hills pump in five goals against Kirkeeans

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 06:46 AM

Jolly Range Hills thrashed Kirkeeans 5-0 in the Sanna Anna Football Trophy held at the Range Hills ground on Wednesday. Pratik Mudliar scored twice in the opening ten minutes to set the tone for the rest of the match.

Mudliar converted Allan Das's through-ball in the 5 th minute itself, and scored again two minutes later off Ricky Pillai. Yogesh Yadav set up two of the remaining three goals, providing the pass for Gaurav K in the 12 th minute and Edwin Anthony in the 40 th minute. These goals came on either side of a Dennis Das strike in the 36 th minute as Jolly Range Hills wrapped up the match comfortably.

Giantz also had a similarly easy victory against Range Hills Milan thanks to a brilliant hat trick from Akshay Kadu. Kadu opened the scoring in the 15 th minute when he found the back of the net off a pass from Swapnil Mane. Sanjay Swamy doubled the lead for the Giants seven minutes later, with Rohan Bhosale providing the pass. Kadu then scored again in the 28 th and 30 th minute respectively to cap off a match-winning performance.

In the final match of the day, Shivajians narrowly edged out Phoenix Sports Academy. Steven Zuzart found the net after a powerful solo run, and his goal was all that separated the two teams at the full-time whistle as Shivajians won 1-0.

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Sports Bar

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 05:08 AM

Henin wins with broken finger

Justine Henin ended a two-match losing streak and ignored a broken finger in winning her opening match against Julia Goerges of Germany 7-6 (3) 6-1 at the Porsche Grand Prix. Henin broke the left pinkie on her non-playing hand while practising for last weekend's Fed Cup and still played, though she lost. Seventh-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia beat Marion Bartoli of France 6-2 6-1 to remain unbeaten in seven matches on clay this year. But fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland went out 6-3 6-7 (4) 6-2 against Shahar Peer.

Abbas, Rehan not in Azlan Shah team

Senior players Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi were not named in the 18-member Pakistan squad for next month's Azlan Shah tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia. "We have not dropped them we have rested them because they looked tired and jaded in this camp and not ready for an international competition," Pakistan Hockey Federation chief selector Hanif Khan said. The reasoning, however, did not go well with Butt and Abbasi, who reacted strongly on their omission. "This is an insult to us. The selectors should never have invited us to the camp if they were not interested in selecting us," Abbasi said.

Abhijeet jumps to joint lead

Former world junior champion Abhijeet Gupta give out an impeccable performance to beat compatriot G N Gopal and jump into joint lead after the seventh round of the Asian continental chess championship in Subic Bay, Philippines. Grandmaster Ni Hua of China ended the dream run of local boy Wesley So in a finely crafted game with black pieces on the top board. The Chinese trio of Ni Hua, Ding Liren and LI Chao emerged as the new joint leaders along with Gupta. While the leaders have 5.5 points apiece, a pack of four players, including second seed Krishnan Sasikiran, are also in contention, with just two rounds to come.

Bopanna-Qureshi in quarters

The top seeded pair of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi advanced to the doubles quarter-finals of the ATP Tunis Open in Tunisia after a getting a walkover from Theirry Ascione and Arnaud Clement in the first round. The French pair opted our of the contest due to an elbow injury to Clement. Bopanna and Qureshi will fight it out with Frederico Gel of Portugal and Marcelo Melo of Brazil for a place in the semi-finals of the $125,000 clay court event. Gil and Melo beat the wild card pair of Reda El Amrani and Malek Jaziri.

LeBron wants to own NBA team

Cavaliers star LeBron James can see himself following idol Michael Jordan into NBA ownership. James, whose path to superstardom has followed a similar trajectory as Jordan's, said Tuesday night before Cleveland faced Chicago in Game 5 of the playoffs that he would "love" to someday own an NBA team. Jordan assumed ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats in March, buying the club for $275 million from Bob Johnson. "I would love to be in that position," James said. "It's a great position to be able to own a team and be able to put pieces together and make decisions."

Man City sign Hungarian Fulop

Manchester City have signed Hungary international Martin Fulop on an emergency loan from Sunderland after goalkeeper Shay Given dislocated his shoulder. Given injured his shoulder against Arsenal on Saturday and backup keeper Stuart Taylor was already sidelined, leaving City with just one fit senior goalkeeper: Faroe Islands international Gunnar Nielsen. City failed in their attempts to recall Joe Hart, who is on loan at Birmingham, for the final three games of the Premier League.

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Khurshid slams IPL teams for not filing returns

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 02:22 AM

Lashing out against IPL teams that have not filed annual returns as per the Companies Act, 1956 minister of state for corporate affairs Salman Khurshid said that reputed businesses should compulsorily comply with the Act. "It is sad (that some IPL franchisees have not filed returns)...people who are so deeply involved in front line businesses should not comply with company law." While the government on Wednesday said the Registrar of Companies has not found anything wrong with the balance-sheets of IPL franchisees and no company has given sweat equity to anyone.

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The World's Most Recession-Proof Sport

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 01:48 AM

Parmy Olson, Forbes.com

In the stands of Old Trafford die-hard fans of heavily indebted Manchester United are holding up signs scrawled with messages to the team's American billionaire owners: "Glazers Out!" Just down the M62 motorway in Liverpool fans of that fitfully performing team want its pair of U.S. sports moguls, Thomas Hicks and George Gillett, Jr., out, too. They might get their wish. Liverpool was recently put up for sale after even Goldman Sachs couldn't see how to make a going business out of the club without building its much-delayed new stadium. Farther south Birmingham City's owner, Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung, is at risk of losing his club for want of settling his bills with his advisors. And on the southern coast Portsmouth suffered the ignominy of being the first English Premier League club to be put into bankruptcy administration after running through four owners in barely a year.

When these debacles make the headlines it is easy to understand why many soccer faithful believe their sport is in trouble. But it's not. Sponsorships and broadcast rights money have continued to roll in for Europe's top 20 soccer clubs. Their combined revenues grew by 26 million euros ($36 million) to 3.9 billion euros ($5.5 billion) for the 2008--09 season, while their value rose from 439 million euros to an average of 451 million euros (to $632 million from $691 million). And there is more to come yet, they believe, from the burgeoning soccer-mad markets across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

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In Pictures: Washington's Power Brokers

Broadcast rights account for 42% of the revenue of Europe's top 20 clubs (sponsorship, merchandising and ticket sales provide the bulk of the rest). Broadcast and sponsorship revenues for the UEFA Champions League, the Continent's elite club tournament, rose by a third to 1.1 billion euros ($1.5 billion) for the 2009--10 season. Those get divvied up among the top clubs on a performance formula. But it is the multiyear TV rights for their domestic leagues that have let them ride out the downturn and will fatten their coffers in the next few years. The EPL's domestic broadcast rights for 2010--13 sold for 1.8 billion pounds ($3 billion), a 4% rise from the previous three-season cycle. Its international rights went for 1.4 billion pounds ($2.3 billion), a 70% jump from the last round.

Soccer differs from American sports in the way it distributes its TV money. U.S. leagues like the NBA and NFL tend to sell rights centrally and then distribute the revenue equally. Most European soccer leagues share revenues based on performance. The EPL distributes half the money equally among its 20 clubs, with the other 50% based on number of TV appearances and league position. France opts for a 75%-25% split. Performance-related sharing of broadcast rights makes leagues more competitive, according to Stefan Kesenne in the International Journal of Sport Finance.

In Spain La Liga's two biggest clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid, sell their broadcast rights individually, while the rest of the clubs negotiate collectively. This arrangement leaves Barca and Real pocketing half the money from broadcast rights to La Liga games. Little surprise they tend to dominate the league year in, year out. Barcelona has become so wealthy this way it eschews a shirt sponsor. Its players' jerseys sport the logo of Unicef, the UN children's charity the club supports.

So important is TV money to the EPL and its clubs that its chief executive, Richard Scudamore, spends three-fifths of his time planning, negotiating and selling broadcasting deals or protecting the league's intellectual property rights. He has headed the EPL for the last 11 years and fiercely upholds its free-market characteristics: no salary caps (in contrast to the NFL and NBA), no limits on owner equity (German clubs have to be 51% German-owned while many French and Spanish clubs are mutual societies owned by fans) and freedom to borrow as much as is needed to buy one of its clubs.

As a result half the EPL clubs are foreign-owned and collectively make the league the most indebted in Europe, carrying 56% of all the debt of the region's top leagues combined, or about $5.2 billion, according to statisticians at UEFA, European football's governing body. This number only fuels the xenophobic reaction to debt-loading seen at Manchester United, Liverpool and elsewhere, but Scudamore can't see what all the fuss is about. "Quite a lot of the borrowing across the Premier League has been used to buy clubs. That has caused some angst. But that doesn't make it any less manageable," he says. "Our most indebted clubs are the ones with the biggest revenues."

Yet EPL clubs' hefty borrowing to buy clubs, pick up new players and pay them fat salaries has not gone down any better among soccer's top administrators than foreign ownership has gone down among English fans. In early April Sepp Blatter, president of the game's governing body, FIFA, criticized clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool for piling up too much debt from paying their players too handsomely. Michel Platini, the former Juventus and France star who now heads UEFA, is another who believes that English clubs are buying their way to success. He is pushing to level the financial playing field through new rules for participating in UEFA tournaments.

Critics may despair at English soccer's financial high-rolling, yet the fact that investors are willing to get themselves into debt to invest in EPL clubs at all says something about the sport's growth prospects, especially abroad. Says Robert Tillis, managing partner of Inner Circle Sports, an investment bank that specializes in sports, media and entertainment: "If you look at the number of fans that you have for Manchester United and Liverpool in Asia, it dwarfs all four of the U.S. [pro sports] leagues combined." For more on the business of soccer, please visit www.forbes.com/soccer. Special Offer: Free Trial Issue of Forbes

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Anand outplays Topalov, moves into lead in World Chess

Published>Thu, Apr 29 10 12:28 AM

Sofia, April 28 (IANS) Defending champion Viswanathan Anand dealt Veselin Topalov a huge blow with a novelty and a win in the fourth game to go 2.5-1.5 up in the 12-game World Chess Championship match.

In a game that showed Anand's ability to take mind games to his opponent's camp, Anand used a opening that Vladimir Kramnik had used to torment Topalov.

The duo will meet again in fifth game on Friday.

Anand, playing with white pieces, played the Catalan once again and came with a novelty as early as the tenth move (10. Na3) and pegged Topalov's moves to the queenside and made him squirm and finally give up after 32 moves.

It was in some senses a typical Catalan but White had full compensation. Into the game post 25th move, Anand was all set to launch his attack in a preparation that he seemed to be comfortable in. Yet he took his time before going all out.

With Topalov's pieces tied, Anand launched a huge sacrificial attack on the king and carried it to through a fine win.

Once Anand unleashed his novelty on move 10, Topalov went into a long think and then played a move that showed Anand had prepared well and thereafter went on to demolish his opponent.

Topalov's pieces gradually got tied up on the Queenside and far away from his king. Anand went for a sacrificial attack and won the game.

Thus far white pieces have produced three wins in the match so far.

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Barcelona v Inter Milan - teams

Published Thu, Apr 29 10 12:12 AM

Teams for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final, second leg between Barcelona (1) and Inter Milan (3) at the Nou Camp (first leg scores in brackets):

Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 2-Daniel Alves, 3-Gerard Pique, 18-Gabriel Milito, 15-Seydou Keita; 6-Xavi, 24-Yaya Toure, 16-Sergio Busquets; 17-Pedro, 9-Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 10-Lionel Messi

Inter Milan: 12-Julio Cesar; 13-Maicon, 25-Walter Samuel, 6-Lucio, 4-Javier Zanetti; 19-Esteban Cambiasso, 8-Thiago Motta; 9-Samuel Eto'o, 10-Wesley Sneijder, 27-Goran Pandev; 22-Diego Milito

Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

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Keeper saves three penalties in Bulgarian Cup semi

Published Thu, Apr 29 10 12:06 AM

Goalkeeper Yanko Georgiev saved three penalties in a shootout on Wednesday to help Chernomorets Pomorie become only the second team from outside the top flight to reach a Bulgarian Cup final.

Pomorie defeated Kaliakra Kavarna 3-0 on penalties in an all-second division clash after the tie finished 1-1 following extra time.

They now play first division Beroe Stara Zagora, who beat Chavdar Etropole 1-0, in next Wednesday's final with a place in the Europa League up for grabs.

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Another stellar day for prodigy Sagan

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 11:48 PM

Slovakia's Peter Sagan enjoyed another outstanding day in his breakthrough season by winning the first stage of the Tour de Romandie on Wednesday.

Sagan, a 20-year-old former mountain bike specialist, won two stages of the Paris-Nice race in March and he outpaced the field again on the 175.6 kms from Porrentruy to Fleurier -- a bumpy stage that proved too demanding for Briton Mark Cavendish.

Running second after Tuesday's prologue, Sagan proved he was also at ease in bunch finishes when he outshone Italian sprinter Francesco Gavazzi and Nicolas Roche, the son of former Tour de France champion Stephen.

"I didn't feel too well on the first two climbs of the day but much better on the third," said Sagan, an all-rounder who might be pretty hard to dislodge from the overall lead.

When Cavendish started to drift back on the roads of the Val de Travers, home of the fearsome Absinthe spirit, Sagan's Liquigas team mates, including former Giro winner Ivan Basso and title-holder Roman Kreuziger, set a quick pace to leave the Briton as far back as possible and he eventually crossed the line over nine minutes behind the winner.

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Lookin At Lucky draws inside post at Kentucky Derby

Published Wed, Apr 28 10 11:28 PM

Lookin At Lucky has drawn the number one post for the Kentucky Derby and been installed as a 3-1 early favourite for Saturday's race at Churchill Downs.

The inside draw was painful for trainer Bob Baffert since the Rebel Stakes winner will probably be shuffled to the middle of the pack by the first turn in the $2.2 million race.

No horse has won the first leg of U.S. thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown series from the rail since Bill Shoemaker guided Ferdinand to the winner's circle in 1986.

Second favourite is Santa Anita Derby champion Sidney's Candy, who was listed at 5-1 after drawing the far outside 20 post.

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Qatar plans air-conditioned stadiums if it gets World Cup

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 11:08 PM

Qatar will build 12 air-conditioned outdoor stadiums if it wins the right to host the 2022 World Cup, officials said on Wednesday.

The new venues would use solar power to provide what officials say will be optimum pitch-side conditions despite the scorching Arabian sun.

The $4 billion Qatar World Cup bid has been dismissed by many as a publicity stunt because of ferocious summer temperatures that can top 50 degrees Celsius but organisers say they can harness this power to create carbon-neutral arenas.

"The peak performance for a player is reached between 24 and 29 degrees Celsius and we can guarantee 27 degrees on the pitch," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, son of the Emir of Qatar.

"It's time for the World Cup to come to the Middle East. A global sporting event of this calibre, if it comes here, will bring a whole burst of life to the region."

Solar thermal collectors on the stadium roof will transfer and store energy which on match days will chill water, creating cold air that will be delivered into the stadium and on to the pitch through slots in the seats.

The system will continuously export energy to the Qatar electric grid, enabling the stadiums to be carbon neutral, officials added.

World soccer's ruling body FIFA will decide the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in December.

Australia, England, Japan, Netherlands/Belgium, Russia, Spain/Portugal and United States are bidding for the 2018 or 2022 finals.

Qatar and South Korea are bidding for the finals in 2022 only.

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Anand wins fourth game to go one up

Published Wed, Apr 28 10 10:22 PM

Sofia (Bulgaria), Apr 28 (PTI) World champion Viswanathan Anand scored a rampaging victory over challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria in the fourth game to grab the lead in the 12-game World Chess championship here. Anand, who had lost the first game unceremoniously won the second in sparkling fashion and after drawing the third and winning the fourth game comprehensively, the fans are looking up to him to do what he did to Russian Vladimir Kramnik a couple of years ago at Bonn in Germany. The scores are now on Anand''s side as he leads the 12-games match by a 2.5-1.5 margin. It was a Queen''s gambit declined once again, something that Topalov has apparently prepared for this match which is not coming good given the fact that the Bulgarian has lost his second game with black on the trot. Interestingly enough, it was yet again a replica of 2006 match that Kramnik won against Topalov as the latter went for the same system that he chose against the Russian in the previous match. Surprising as it may sound, Anand won the second game using the pet line of Kramnik, drew the third doing the same and won today simply repeating the opening of the 2006 match. And all this is possible after crushing Kramnik in 2008 clash. As it happened in the game, Topalov won a pawn in the opening, kept it close to himself for a long time and once Anand threatened to open up the king side he was left with no answers. The Indian ace came up with a resounding sacrifice of a knight to rip apart Topalov''s king side and once he decided on that there was no respite for the challenger. Anand simply squeezed out black''s resources with some high quality moves. Down a piece, the world champion created havoc in the Bulgarian''s territory with some deft manoeuvres and went on to score a memorable victory. After the rest day on Thursday, Topalov will have white in the fifth game and the Bulgarian won''t leave any stones unturned for his comeback attempt.

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Fulham play wait and see on Zamora ahead of Hamburg game

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 10:08 PM

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson will have to wait until the day of the game to find out if he can field chief striker Bobby Zamora in the Europa League semi-final second leg against Hamburg SV on Thursday.

Zamora has scored 19 goals this season, including strikes in both legs of the quarter-final victory over German champions VfL Wolfsburg, but has been struggling with an Achilles problem and limped off in the first leg in Hamburg.

"He's much improved, he's done some work today with the physios," Hodgson said ahead of the second leg, which follows a goalless draw in Hamburg last week.

"He'll have treatment again tomorrow and will again perform for the medical sports science people. I think I shall know quite clearly whether he's got a chance of playing or not by lunchtime."

Fulham, who had a light session at the Motspur Park training ground on Wednesday, desperately need Zamora back if their finest hour in Europe is to lead to an even finer one on May 12 against Liverpool or Atletico Madrid in the final in Hamburg.

SACKED COACH

Hamburg are under new management, having sacked coach Bruno Labbadia since the first leg, but Hodgson shrugged off any possible advantage.

"It's late in the season, they've played many games together, the assistant coach has stepped into the breach so there's no vast change of management style or philosophy," he said. "So I'm expecting the same type of Hamburg that we met in the first leg a week ago."

Fulham have been living a true Cinderella story. The club, languishing in the lowest reaches of the English leagues only 13 years ago, are now walking tall having beaten Juventus as well as Wolfsburg on their way to the semi-finals.

Asked how intimidating Hamburg would find Craven Cottage, a homely and historic ground overlooking the River Thames, the thoughtful former Inter Milan and Swiss national coach almost shuddered at the thought.

"I didn't know we ever had a reputation for intimidation," said Hodgson, surveying the barrage of cameras in a cramped room struggling to cater for an ever-increasing media presence.

"I think we've got quite a thinking crowd...a crowd that appreciates good football and how well the team has done for them.

"We will have great support and people will be behind us every step of the way but to intimidate you've got to have a much bigger stadium and more aggressive crowd than we have. I'm not even certain that I want that."

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PHF drops senior players from Azlan Shah squad

Published Wed, Apr 28 10 09:28 PM

Karachi, Apr 28 (PTI) The Pakistan Hockey Federation selectors today dropped senior players, Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi from the squad for the Azlan Shah Cup tournament in Malaysia next month. Chief selector Hanif Khan said that the seniors had been given a rest and could comeback into the team after proving their fitness in the next training camp and trials. "We have not dropped them we have rested them because they looked tired and jaded in this camp and not ready for an international competition," he said. But Butt and Abbasi reacted strongly to their omission from the squad. "This is an insult to us the selectors should never have invited us to the camp if they were not interested in selecting us," Abbasi said. He said that the seniors had made themselves available for national duty on the insistence of the PHF President as they had decided to retire from international hockey after the World Cup debacle in India in February-March. "If they didn''t want to select us they should not have told us don''t retire, it is disappointing to be treated like this," star forward Rehan Butt said. Pakistan which finished 12th in the World Cup leading to the sacking of the team management and selection committee and announcement by the team that they were retiring from international hockey will be pitted against Korea, India, Germany, Malaysia in the Azlan Shah Cup from May 6th. Ace penalty corner striker, Sohail Abbas who was tipped to be named captain for the Azlan Shah walked out of the hockey club of Pakistan even before the squad was announced as apparently he was told he was not being selected. Three other senior players including captain, Zeeshan Ashraf and Waseem had already pulled out of the Azlan Shah on pretext of wanting a rest from hockey. Hanif Khan said the selectors had picked the best possible players in the trials and they were five or six promising youngsters in the team. "We need to move ahead but we are not discounting these senior players out totally but they are not giving the performances one expects from players of their calibre and experience," he said. Pakistan squad: M Imran, Imran Butt, Imran Shah, Aamir Shehzad, Kashif Ali (Sr.), M Irfan, Fareed Ahmed, M Rashid, Zeeshan Ali, M Tauseef, Waqa Shairf, Shafqat Rasool, Abdul Haseem Khan, M Zubair, Abdul Qayyum, M Rizwan, Umar Bhutta and Kahsif Ali (Jr.).

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China stripped of Sydney gymnastics bronze

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 09:18 PM

China have been stripped of their women's gymnastics team bronze medal from the Sydney 2000 Olympics after one of the athletes falsified her age, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.

An International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) probe had found in February that Dong Fangxiao was younger than the minimum age requirement of 16 after she registered different ages at Sydney and the Beijing Games eight years later.

"The medal and diplomas of Dong Fanxiao are withdrawn and reallocated accordingly," IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters.

The United States, fourth-place finishers in Sydney, are now upgraded to third place and will be awarded the bronze medal.

Dong also finished sixth in the individual floor exercises and seventh in the individual vault.

The IOC ordered the Chinese Olympic Committee to return the medal and her diplomas so they can be re-awarded.

Dong registered a Jan. 20, 1983 birth date in Sydney, but when accredited to act as an official in the vault at the 2008 Beijing Games, she declared her birth date as Jan. 23, 1986.

That would have made her 14 and ineligible to compete in Sydney.

Dong will also have her results at the 1999 artistic gymnastics world championships in Tianjin cancelled, along with those obtained at the FIG World Cup Series from 1999 to 2000 and at the 2000 artistic gymnastics world cup final in Glasgow.

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Tiger in for a 'heckle' of a time at this year's St Andrews Open

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 03:52 PM

St Andrews, Apr 28 (ANI): Chief of R and A - the regulatory body of golf, Peter Dawson has announced that no extra security will be provided to the beleaguered golfer Tiger Woods at the Golf Open in St Andrews.

The move may leave Woods, who has faced stinging criticism following his numerous extra-marital dalliances at the mercy of jeering spectators.

That notwithstanding, Peter Dawson maintains St Andrews is not "a police state and people can say what they like as long as it doesn't put them off and it is not intrusive to the game.

"The response we saw at Augusta was not exactly enthusiastic. The overwhelming feeling was relief. Tiger was back when it looked like he might be out for quite some time." the Sun quoted him, as saying.

"His behaviour deteriorated. No one who cares for the etiquette of the game would have been happy" he added.

Woods' unsportsmanlike at the Masters this year had shocked spectators after he threw clubs and uttered obscenities as he missed a cut in a Major for the first time in thirteen years as a pro.

Woods has made a comeback to professional golf in the aftermath of intense personal turmoil and negative publicity. (ANI)

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Man City turn to Hungary's Fulop to solve 'keeper crisis

Published Wed, Apr 28 10 03:48 PM

Manchester City have lined up Hungarian international Marton Fulop on loan from Premier League rivals Sunderland to resolve a goalkeeping crisis threatening their bid for a Champions League qualifying place.

A spokesman for the Abu Dhabi owned club said the 26-year-old was expected to join City for training later on Wednesday once the deal had been finalised.

Ireland international Shay Given, the club's regular goalkeeper, was ruled out for the season after dislocating his shoulder in a 0-0 draw at Arsenal at the weekend.

The club's reserve keeper Stuart Taylor is recovering from knee surgery which left only 23-year-old Gunnar Nielsen, who stood in on Saturday as the first player from the Faroe Islands to appear in the Premier League.

City also have Joe Hart on loan to Birmingham City but said they had failed to reach an agreement to recall him after talks on Tuesday.

Fulop is used to playing on loan -- having had stints at Chesterfield, Coventry and Sunderland while on Tottenham Hotspur's books and then joining Leicester and Stoke from Sunderland.

The Hungarian is expected to play against Aston Villa at home on Saturday. City have three games remaining and are sixth in the league, a point behind fourth-placed Tottenham and Villa and one ahead of Liverpool.

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Brett Lee ruled to T20 World Cup

Published Wed, Apr 28 10 03:22 PM

Melbourne, Apr 28 (PTI) Australia''s campaign at the Twenty20 World Cup suffered a jolt as paceman Brett Lee was today ruled out of the elite event after injuring his bowling arm. Lee suffered the injury during the yesterday''s lost warm up game against minnows Zimbabwe. A few weeks back, Lee''s IPL stint was also hit by a fracture in the thumb of his right hand. According to the team spokesman, Lee strained a muscle in his right elbow. "It''s a muscle strain. We have gone to the ICC Technical Committee to ask for a replacement player," the spokesman was quoted as saying by local media. The replacement player is most likely to be either Doug Bollinger or Ryan Harris. Both the pacers had put up a good show at the IPL-III with Bollinger''s team -- Chennai Super Kings -- winning the tournament. Australia will play their opening game against defending champions Pakistan on Sunday in St Lucia.

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Dhoni sure 'Brand IPL' can survive on its own

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 03:08 PM

Having emerged victorious in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is hoping that the controversies engulfing the IPL will be sorted out before the start of the cash-rich tournament's fourth edition.

Talking to a television channel hours before leaving for the West Indies to lead India in the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup starting on April 30, Dhoni said it was up to the authorities to look into the various allegations that had been levelled against Lalit Modi in the past few weeks and take a call on the situation.

"Lalit was part of the IPL for three seasons. Quite a few allegations have surfaced. It's up to the authorities to see what has happened. They will come up with something that's good for everyone. We have one year before the start of the next IPL, let's hope for the best," he said.

Commenting on whether the IPL could survive on its own, Dhoni said: "Yes, the IPL as a brand can survive on its own. But you have to come up with some innovative ideas every time to make it better. Not one individual, but a few brains will have to work together to pull off sensational ideas." Dhoni feels the game should be played in the right spirit and anybody involved in match-fixing should be severely punished.

"Match-fixing is the worst allegation possible against a cricketer. Anyone involved in it should be punished. Cricket should remain clean," he said.

Though known to speak his heart out, Dhoni played it safe when asked to comment on the role that vaastu has played in Chennai Super King matches.

Dhoni, who has reportedly been a little irked about having to bow to planetary configurations while making cricketing decisions, said: "Srinivasan's vaastu has been good. There is nothing bad about it. Every franchisee did such little things to help their team come on top. It is subtle. At the end of the day, most cricketers are superstitious." Dhoni also counted meeting the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala as a "very special" moment.

"Maybe we won the final because of the Dalai Lama's blessings. The team also played well, but we used only 70 per cent of our potential," he said.

Coming back to the hectic scheduling of the IPL, Dhoni refused to participate in the debate "whether playing in the IPL had tired the team." "If we go and do well, we will say the IPL helped us. But if we don't, we will say the IPL was tiring for us. So I don't want to get into the debate," he said.

Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.

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Safety first: Anand draws on Day 3

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 02:52 PM

Mumbai , April 28 -- World champion Viswanathan Anand played safe, simple chess as the third game of the World Championship match against Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria ended in a draw at the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Tuesday. The question doing the rounds before the start of the game was whether Anand would go for Grunfeld Defence after the first game disaster or opt for some other system. And the answer was soon out as Anand chose Slav Defence. This was a clear indication that the Indian maestro was going to be patient. He would try and put the onus on Topalov to go for victory in every game. Topalov did make an effort to create complications and force things out but Anand played precise moves, most of the time choosing the best option available to maintain his position. The arbiter declared the game a draw after Anand repeated the same move thrice. They played 46 moves in all. The players are now level on 1.5 points each. Topalov won the first game and Anand the second. Anand's strategy to play risk-free chess was right as the Indian GM will have white pieces in the fourth game on Wednesday and he can then opt for some special preparation to put pressure on his Bulgarian rival. Initially, Topalov developed his pieces effectively and had some space advantage.

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'League win a passport to Asia'

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 02:48 PM

Kolkata, April 28 -- Seven points ahead of competition and 12 more than Mohun Bagan, whom they play on Wednesday evening. It's lonely at the top in I-League 3 but Dempo are loving it. Asked whether the title is theirs to lose, Armando Colaco, Dempo's coach and general-secretary, avoided a direct reply. "Yes, it's not a bad position to be in. This league has had so many upsets that leading by seven points seems like a luxury," he said. Dempo lost pole position at least twice but - and this is important - showed the character to regain it promptly. No team has won as many (13 from 22 rounds with 44 points) or scored as much (46 goals). They lost to Mahindra United in the 19th round and to relegation-threatened Salgaocar earlier but are here on the back of three straight wins, against East Bengal, Chirag United and Sporting Clube de Goa. There is, unlike teams from Kolkata, the added motivation of playing the AFC Cup or the qualifiers of the Asian Champions League. "That's my only aim to win the league. I don't want to stay confined to the domestic scene. My players understand that too." said Colaco, who guided Dempo to a historic AFC Cup semifinal. Without left-side midfielder Clifford Miranda and having lost to Bagan twice last season, Colaco though knows winning the 23rd round will be difficult.

Both teams have leaked goals too so don't rule out a high-scoring contest.

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Revenue formula for London Games retained

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 02:38 PM

Dubai, April 28 -- Despite calls for change by swimming's governing body, international sports bodies have agreed to maintain the revenue-sharing formula that will provide track and field with the biggest share of television money from the 2012 London Olympics.

That's nearly twice as much as FINA and the other federations in the second rank of sports will receive.

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'League win a passport to Asia'

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 02:22 PM

Kolkata, April 28 -- Seven points ahead of competition and 12 more than Mohun Bagan, whom they play on Wednesday evening. It's lonely at the top in I-League 3 but Dempo are loving it. Asked whether the title is theirs to lose, Armando Colaco, Dempo's coach and general-secretary, avoided a direct reply. "Yes, it's not a bad position to be in. This league has had so many upsets that leading by seven points seems like a luxury," he said. Dempo lost pole position at least twice but - and this is important - showed the character to regain it promptly. No team has won as many (13 from 22 rounds with 44 points) or scored as much (46 goals). They lost to Mahindra United in the 19th round and to relegation-threatened Salgaocar earlier but are here on the back of three straight wins, against East Bengal, Chirag United and Sporting Clube de Goa. There is, unlike teams from Kolkata, the added motivation of playing the AFC Cup or the qualifiers of the Asian Champions League. "That's my only aim to win the league. I don't want to stay confined to the domestic scene. My players understand that too." said Colaco, who guided Dempo to a historic AFC Cup semifinal. Without left-side midfielder Clifford Miranda and having lost to Bagan twice last season, Colaco though knows winning the 23rd round will be difficult.

Both teams have leaked goals too so don't rule out a high-scoring contest.

Source: Web Search

Bopanna-Qureshi in Tunis Open quarters

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 02:18 PM

Top seeded pair of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi advanced to the doubles quarter-finals of the ATP Tunis Open in Tunisia after a getting a walkover from Theirry Ascione and Arnaud Clement in the first round.

The French pair opted our of the contest due to an elbow injury to Clement.

Bopanna and Qureshi will fight it out with Frederico Gel of Portugal and Marcelo Melo of Brazil for a place in the semifinals of the USD 125,000 clay court event.

Gil and Melo beat wild card pair of Reda El Amrani of Morocco and Malek Jaziri of Tunisia 6-4 6-0 in their first round match.

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Black Caps say they are in the hunt for World T20 title

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 02:08 PM

Guyana (West Indies), Apr.28 (ANI): The Daniel Vettori-led New Zealand squad has said that they must not be underestimated and are definitely in the hunt for this year's World Twenty20 title.

"If we can play as well as we can, we should be in the hunt," stuff.co.nz quoted all-rounder Scot Styris, as saying.

"We are going in with the view that we are a chance to win it and, if we don't, then it is a disappointment," he added.

New Zealand is settling into Guyana, where they have a couple of warm-up matches before facing Sri Lanka on Friday and Zimbabwe next Tuesday.

"We're very confident. I think spin bowling is going to play a big part, particularly on the slower grounds in the Caribbean. We're expecting myself and Nathan McCullum to play a big role," Vettori said.

New Zealand's strength is their explosive batting. Taylor, Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder are among the most lethal hitters in the game and then there is the streetwise Scott Styris, who enjoyed the slow tracks the Caribbean produced in the 2007 50-over World Cup.

New Zealand failed to make the semifinals of last year's World Twenty20 in England, but left a mark by raising more than their eyebrows at the reverse swing Pakistan paceman Umar Gul was able to achieve at The Oval.

All rounder Jacob Oram also hopes to chime in with runs down the order.

"Our batting lineup to me is very, very strong and right down to No 8, 9 and even 10 sometimes, we've got guys who can come in and hit the ball a long way. I think that's our main strength," Oram said. (ANI)

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IPL has first call on New Zealand cricketers over Kiwi counterparts

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 01:52 PM

Auckland, Apr 28(ANI): New Zealand's representative at September's Champions League Twenty20 tournament is likely to lose out its players to the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises.

The Central Districts Stags, who have qualified to attend the event after winning this season's domestic Twenty20 title, have three players - Ross Taylor, Jacob Oram and Graham Napier, who already have contracts with IPL franchises.

Talking about the issue, Stags Chief Executive Blair Furlong said that he did not know who had first call on their services.

"That's to be decided. There's no information on this year's tournament yet because obviously they've only just had their meeting at the end of the IPL to confirm South Africa [as the tournament venue]," Stuff.co.nz quoted Furlong, as saying.

"Basically the situation is that you nominate an initial squad, which in our case would obviously include the players that played for us last season, which would include Oram, Taylor and Napier," he added.

However, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) Manager Geoff Allott was clear about the issue, and said the IPL teams had first option on the players.

"Part of their contract says that their franchises have first dibs on them. If the IPL franchise does not want them, then Central Districts Stags will get them," Allott said.

"All things being equal, we would be wanting all our players to play for us. But there's a decision to be made by the players in terms of where they go and who they play for," he added. (ANI)

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Becks' sister 'gets cosy' with Jermaine Pennant

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 01:22 PM

London, April 28(ANI): David Beckham's younger sister Joanne has been spotted getting cosy with footballer Jermaine Pennant.

Seemingly, the ex-Liverpool star met the beauty during a night out at Merah in London.

"Jermaine's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw Jo in her figure-hugging outfit," the Mirror quoted an onlooker, as saying.

The insider added: "He invited her to sit with him on his table and they looked very cosy together. It looked like they would meet up again. They definitely exchanged numbers."

Pennant has been busted for drink-driving in the past. (ANI)

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Abhishek shines in Om Nath Sood, Vivek takes hat-trick in IGMA

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 01:18 PM

New Delhi, April 28 -- Abhishek Singh (3/34) and Raghav Kakkar (3/21) helped RPCA beat Niz Sports by 5 wickets and enter the semi-final of the Om Nath Sood tournament.

Vivek Khurrana (5 for 24) and Vishnu Bhagvat (4 for 16) helped Reebok beat AARCON by 3 wickets in the IGMA tournament.

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Banking on basic instinct

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 01:08 PM

Mumbai , April 28 -- Almost everybody who watched the IPL III final would have been astonished by MS Dhoni's instinctive ways. The decision to bring in a fast bowler against Kieron Pollard, who was saved for the last to smash the Chennai pacers, could have been detrimental. But Dhoni went by his instincts and attacked the batsman. "It was a gut feeling. At the end of the day, free-hitters look to hit straight and at times you get the ball right. If you don't get the elevation right as a batsman, it's the height more often than not where the ball goes (referring to Pollard's dismissal). I said, let's take a gamble, and it worked," Dhoni said later. But will he take such chances in his role as India skipper? The answer was in the affirmative. "In IPL, the resources are limited, but in the India team, the five bowlers along with the part-timers are tried and tested material. There's less pressure and more freedom," he said before leaving for the ICC World T20 in the West Indies. Dhoni was content with his bowlers and stressed on the role of the part-timers. "There are some players who can chip in any time and I have the option of Harbhajan (Singh) or Yusuf (Pathan), who can open the bowling. I am glad there are no fitness issues," he said. Fitness, fatigue no concern The talking point after a hectic tournament like the IPL is bound to centre on fitness, fatigue and recovery time. But Dhoni brushed aside these concerns. "Regrouping is not a concern. We have to respect the schedule as it is. The IPL finished on the 25th and we assembled the next day. We had one-and-a-half days together. Then we have a whole day of flight and then we go there and have two-three days. That's more than enough because we have played throughout the year and we are together almost 250 to 300 days a year," said Dhoni. Wickets may assist bowlers The last time they were in the Caribbean, the short-ball troubled the batsmen. Coach Gary Kirsten said that wouldn't be the case this time. "It's not a concern surely. I think every player has his game plan ready. The batsmen know which bowlers they will be facing and where the bowlers will try to target them. They know their cricket," he said. Dhoni believed the wickets might assist the bowlers. "Last time, the wickets were slow and flat. It helped the batsmen to score runs. We have a couple of practice sessions and will get an opportunity to watch some of the other teams. With time, the wickets will be on the slower side and it might assist our spinners," he said. Unlike last year, India are leaving with an injury-free squad. Virender Sehwag's absence might pinch but Murali Vijay has shown the form and merit to take his place.

If the skipper means what he said, we are in for an exciting and an extremely explosive contest.

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New Zealand crush Ireland in T20 World Cup warm-up game

Published>Wed, Apr 28 10 12:52 PM

Georgetown (Guyana, West Indies), Apr 28(ANI): New Zealand has defeated Ireland by 40 runs in the first of two Twenty20 World Cup warm-up games at the Guyana National Stadium in Georgetown.

The Black Caps got off to a bright start after skipper Daniel Vettori won the toss and elected to bat.

Opening batsmen Jesse Ryder and Rob Nicol shared a partnership of 104 runs in 9.2 overs before being dismissed in quick succession, which also caused a small batting collapse.

Ryder scored 64 off 30 balls, while Nicol batted cautiously for 31 off 30 deliveries.

Middle-order batsmen Scott Styris and Gareth Hopkins departed cheaply for five runs apiece. Martin Guptill's quickfire 50 runs off 35 balls to push the score to 187 consolidated the team, Stuff.co.nz reports.

In response, Ireland never clocked-up a threatening run rate and lost wickets at regular intervals to reach a commendable 147 with its captain William Porterfield top scoring with 34.

Off-spinner Nathan McCullum was the pick of the Kiwi bowlers taking 3-25 from his four overs. Kyle Mills, Ian Butler, Scott Styris, Tim Southee and Jacob Oram shared one scalp apiece.

Brief Scorecard:

New Zealand 187-5 (Jesse Ryder 64, Martin Guptill 50; George Dockrell 3-22) Ireland 147-9 (William Porterfield 34, Gary Wilson 31, Kevin O'Brien 28; Nathan McCullum 3-25) (ANI)

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NBA - Cavs slay Bulls as injury cloud hovers over James

Published Wed, Apr 28 10 12:48 PM

The top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a tightly-contested 96-94 win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, but the victory was overshadowed by an injury scare to LeBron James.

James fell just short of his second straight triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, but was forced to shoot a free throw left-handed after aggravating a right elbow injury late in the game.

"(The injury) has been going on for a few weeks. Hopefully it doesn't continue to bother me as we move forward," James told reporters.

The reigning league MVP said he had had x-rays during his team's day off and they had revealed no structural damage.

"We're trying to figure it out," he added. "It just feels like when you hit your funny bone and sometimes you can't feel it."

Cleveland will now face the Boston Celtics, who wrapped up their series 4-1 with a 96-86 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday.

The Cavaliers had a team-high 25 points from Antawn Jamison, who made a three-pointer in the final minutes to give his team a a 93-84 lead that proved decisive despite a late Bulls charge.

Derrick Rose scored a game-high 31 points and Luol Deng added 26 for the Bulls, who missed a shot inside to surrender possession with 10 seconds remaining.

In the Western conference, the Los Angeles Lakers reasserted control of their series with an 111-87 pounding of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Pau Gasol had 25 points and 11 rebounds and fellow seven-footer Andrew Bynum added 21 and 11 as the NBA champions took a 3-2 series lead heading into Game Six in Oklahoma City on Friday.

In Dallas, the Mavericks rebounded for an emphatic 103-81 win over the San Antonio Spurs to cut their series deficit to 3-2.

Caron Butler scored a career playoff-high 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the way for Dallas.

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